David Lindley: Appreciating A “Dragon Slayer” March 5, 2023 David Lindley, the virtuoso player of guitars and all things stringed, never lost track of a fundamental thing about making music: it’s supposed to be fun! (That, of course, is why they call it playing.) Lindley died this week at the age of 78. Looking […]
Richard Thompson at Ram’s Head on Stage – February 23, 2023 A Richard Thompson concert is not for the faint of heart. There is no denying that his music tends to focus on the sadder things in life. But, as a grinning Thompson told a sold-out Ram’s Head on Stage in Annapolis (MD) the other night, […]
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Joe Henry — All the Eye Can See Some people like beer. Some prefer scotch. Beer goes down easy, of course; but scotch is an acquired taste, something that is best sipped slowly rather than guzzled. But scotch lovers will tell you that it has a richness and depth that few other drinks can match. […]
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James McMurtry Makes His Case – Annapolis Songwriter’s Festival Rams Head on Stage, Annapolis, MD, September 18, 2022 by Mark Pelavin Closing out the Inaugural Annapolis Songwriter Festival, James McMurtry made a powerful case for being recognized as the premier songwriter of this generation. It’s as if he looked at the 65 or 70 songwriters who performed […]
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Lucinda Williams Brings Her “Real Life Stories” to Annapolis Songwriter’s Festival September 16, 2022 “Telling real life stories, that’s my role” Americana trailblazer Lucinda Williams told the enthusiastic audience at Maryland Hall in Annapolis, capping the second day of the first Annapolis Songwriters Festival. The relationship between Williams and her audience was at the center […]
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Josh Ritter Brings his “Messianic, Oracular Honky-Tonk” To the Rams Head (part of the Inaugural Annapolis Songwriters Festival) For a guy who writes and sings about dying mill towns, the nature of truth, and the use and abuse of God, Josh Ritter sure seems to be having a great time. His show at the Rams […]
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Todd Snider’s Songs — and Stories — Shine on — Live: Return of the Storyteller Review by Mark Pelavin[i] Maybe you have a friend who is deep into scotch, or whisky, or craft beer. I bet they love to talk up specific bottles, but that they do so in a way that makes clear that the drink is, […]
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Jim Lauderdale — Game Changer Review by Mark Pelavin Game Changer is Americana icon Jim Lauderdale’s 35th album, a body of work whose quality and quantity clearly mark him as a Nashville institution. In fact, this year he is nominated for the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame which would be added to his Lifetime Achievement […]
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John Doe — Fables in a Foreign Land by Mark Pelavin[i] When Neil Young proclaimed that “it’s better to burn out than it is to rust,” those indeed seemed like the two choices artists had. Many burnt out, or died, or disappeared. And more than a few choose to rust, staying in the same place they […]
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