A well-known maxim says that art is born of suffering. It’s hard to find a better example of that than Snowball out of Hell, the new album by The Smoking Flowers. The album was born from Kim Collins’s battle against breast cancer using only holistic methods. The result is an album so beautiful that it […]
You know what’s really satisfying? When a young band that you’ve been crowing about for years hits its stride and releases an absolute masterpiece of an album — THAT’s what. Denver’s hard-rocking roots/punk/Americana outfit The Yawpers released just such an album on April 19th, and I am SO digging it. It’s the album I was […]
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The results are in! The results from the readers’ vote for favorite April release are in! Congratulations top ten! Take a listen right here on the playlist! Click anywhere in bold to read more!!! 1. Kelly Hunt “Even the Sparrow” 2. Bambi Lee Savage “Berlin- Nashville Express” 3. Mavis Staples (and Ben Harper) “We Get […]
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The history of music is littered with references to being a rambler. You kind of have to be a rambler if you are going to devote yourself to playing music and spending a big part of your life. Rambling Stranger is not only the title of Lucy Isabel’s new album, it is also a good […]
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Chris Shiflett has made quite the shift from Foo Fighters to his solo albums. Mind you he hasn’t left rock behind, but as he shows his new album on Hard Lessons (produced by Dave Cobb), he is just as comfortable with twangy country songs. “Liar’s Word” is a good way to kick off the album because […]
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Tim Easton’s Exposition is destined to be memorable for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it’s a vibrant, personal testimony from a songwriter that demands to be heard. The ten songs that comprise the album are undoubtedly unique in their composition and execution. But also, the album will be infamously memorable (particularly for the […]
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Full disclaimer: I cannot be fully objective re: Mr. Bruce Springsteen. I’ve been a fan since 1984, and he’s responsible for turning me on to many of the artists I listen to today (I’m sure I’m not the only Americana fan who can say this). So, in the same week that we celebrated the 35th(!) […]
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Concord Records – Review by John Apice I saw the Grammy Award winner Keb’Mo’ (Kevin Moore) the first time in 1996. He wore a brown fedora, button-down vest, acoustic guitar, wry cool smile, personable, likable, & working a different side of the street from other hat slingers: Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Leon Redbone & Buddy […]
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Los Coast is one of those bands that that somehow manages to blend genres so effortlessly that when asked to describe the band, it’s nearly a headache inducing task to attempt. In the band’s bio they self describes themselves as punchy psychedelic-pop-soul. Yep. The description I seem to fall back upon is Houndmouth meets Fantastic […]
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I’m in a new Joan Baez video. But you won’t get to see it and I’m certain I won’t. It was filmed on her Fare Thee Well Tour when she stopped at the Ferguson Center on the campus of Christopher Newport University in Newport News. I’m pretty sure only Joan will look at it. […]
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