Show Review: Ry Cooder with Band of Intertwining Joy and Mystery at the Birchmere
And the band lit into more of the same groundbreaking intertwining layers they’ve been mesmerizing the room with all night.
Tag: featured
REVIEW: The Slocan Ramblers’ “Queen City Jubilee” is an Instant Bluegrass Classic
Toronto-based bluegrass quartet The Slocan Ramblers’ new release Queen City Jubilee (Slo Music) is a welcome addition to the bluegrass catalogue. Lead vocals by Frank Evans provide the traditional sounding, syncopated counterpart to his banjo playing; and with Adrian Gross on mandolin, Alastair Whitehead on bass and Darryl Poulson’s steady rhythm guitar to anchor the […]
Continue Reading
REVIEW: Gene Clark, Still Younger Than Yesterday: “Gene Clark Sings For You” & “The Rose Garden Collection”
Sometimes it feels like Gene Clark never really left us. The discovery and periodic releases of the former Byrd’s solo recordings have graced us over the past few decades. As time has passed, his inestimable multi-generational influence becomes more apparent spanning folk and country rock, rock stalwarts like Tom Petty and R.E.M., and a new […]
Continue Reading
REVIEW: Jesse Dayton’s “The Outsider” Mixes Rockabilly, Red Dirt Twang, Kick Ass Guitar
Jesse Dayton’s latest album in his ridiculously varied career, The Outsider (Blue Elan), engineered by Vance Powell (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), mixes rockabilly, red-dirt twang and kick-ass guitar work to give us one of 2018’s most potent releases.
Continue Reading
REVIEW: Sam Llanas’ “Return of the Goya — Part 1” Showcases One of Americana’s Strongest Voices
I first heard Sam Llanas’ voice on BoDeans second album, Outside Looking In, and I was immediately struck by the sincerity and underlying weariness it conveyed. Nearly thirty years later, with the release of Return of the Goya – Part 1, I am reminded why he is one of the strongest voices in American music. […]
Continue Reading
Show Review: Joachim Cooder Plays Uncanny Set at Birchmere
Joachim Cooder played an uncanny fanciful show at the Birchmere on Monday night. He took the stage silently with Sam Gendel on saxophone, Cooder playing an Array Mbira— an evolved lemellophone. The opener was a cool groove number with Joachim plucking strings with left hand, keeping rhythm with his right. Gendel was in his stocking […]
Continue Reading
REVIEW: David Starr’s “South and West” is Beautiful, Poetic, Sad, Yet Powerful
These tracks are more than Americana, bigger than modern country, and too powerful to be categorized as country rock.
Continue Reading
Show Review: Justin Townes Earle and Lydia Loveless at OKC’s Tower Theater Could Be Concert of the Year
In full disclosure, I wasn’t completely sure what to expect Monday night at the Tower Theater in Oklahoma City. After all, it had been several years since I last saw Justin Townes Earle. And though I had a basic familiarity with Lydia Loveless material, seeing her live would be my true introduction. So, although I […]
Continue Reading
Show Review: Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters Held Crowd Rapt at Hill Country DC
On Sunday evening, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters put on a wonderfully enjoyable show at Washington, DC’s Hill Country BBQ. Taking the stage at 7:30, the Asheville, NC-based country-rock quintet (Amanda Anne on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Matt Smith on pedal steel and Stratocaster, Rick Cooper on bass, Josh Milligan on drums and […]
Continue Reading
REVIEW: Dave Alvin and Jimmy Dale Gilmore, “Downey to Lubbock” Satisfies Expectations
For several weeks, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s new album, Downey to Lubbock (Yep Roc), has sat at the top of Amazon’s Americana/Alt-Country new releases. With fans of the Flatlander and the King of California eagerly awaiting the album’s release, the question is, will it satisfy their anticipation? The answer is yes. Alvin and […]
Continue Reading