Susto Stringband Susto Stringband (Volume 2) On Susto Stringband (Volume 2), Justin Osborne revisits SUSTO’s songbook with the instincts of a front-porch band, modifying familiar material in the language of an Appalachian string band. That loose, road-worn feeling is central to the record’s appeal. Osborne explains, “This album was so much fun to make over […]
Micah Edwards Texas Soul Micah Edwards’ Texas Soul plays like a map of the state drawn in sound, part country reverie, part retro-soul slow burn, sewn together from the after-hours atmosphere of dance halls, the ache of pedal steel, and the glow of old dives. Across the double LP, he pulls from the musical lingo […]
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Drayton Farley A Heavy Duty Heart Drayton Farley’s A Heavy Duty Heart captures the moment when a promising songwriter stops sounding like “one to watch” and starts sounding like an artist with a clear, confident point of view. The Alabama songwriter has always written with emotional plainspokenness and blue-collar detail, but this record broadens the […]
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The Nude Party Look Who’s Back My wife says I listen to depressing music. She’s not wrong. Next time she reminds me of that, I’ll put on The Nude Party’s Look Who’s Back — nine songs that dare you not to smile. In a moment when much of the Americana scene leans inward — often […]
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Todd Snider photos by David Nowels Last week’s news that Todd Snider had died hit me hard. Much harder than I would have guessed. From what I’ve read online—and I’ve read a lot online—that seems to be true for many people. Snider was a real one of one, a singular talent whose songwriting, stories, and […]
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Kenny Hotopp Early Times Waterford, Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter Kenny Hotopp just released his new EP, Early Times, a five-track collection of songs exploring motifs of marriage, fatherhood, and the resilience of love. Talking about the EP, Hotopp says, “These are stories I’ve lived or witnessed, but I leave space in the lyrics for you to find […]
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Singer-songwriter Lydia Luce unveils her new album, Mammoth, a 12-track collection of songs reflecting a sense of peace after vicissitudes. Luce explains, “These songs reflect where I am in my life right now. They’re about the peace I’ve finally found at home, in my body, and in my relationships.” One of the mountains she had […]
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Maygen & The Birdwatcher “The Americana Dream” Minnesota-based Americana outfit Maygen & The Birdwatcher’s new album, The Americana Dream, features brilliant vocal harmonies, virtuoso instrumentation, and arrangements buffed and polished to a high sheen. The album was produced, engineered, edited and mixed by John Fields with arrangement by Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann. The album […]
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Photos of John Moreland and Ramsey Thornton by Alison O’Brien, AOB Photo John Moreland Sad Songs and Quiet Salvation Ram’s Head Tavern / Annapolis, MD May 7, 2025 “We’ll open up old wounds in celebration / If we don’t bleed, it don’t feel like a song,” John Moreland sang midway through his stunning set at […]
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Temporary End – musings by Randy Lewis Brown on “From Behind the Pine Curtain” “Another link in an endless chain Behind the joy here comes the pain But wait… here comes the joy again Just goes to show that you CAN tell Something’s over when it starts again Someday losers always win When the homeless […]
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