A year ago, Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean, otherwise known as London roots-rock duo Ida Mae, pulled up stakes and relocated to Nashville. Was that scary? “Yes!” Turpin says with a laugh. “It was less scary since it was the two of us together. It wasn’t until we landed that we realized how far away... Continue Reading →
Interview: Bishop Gunn
"We should be sponsored by Drano," laughs Travis McCready, lead vocalist of Mississippi blues-rock outfit Bishop Gunn. Three of the four band members have been living and writing together in a house in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee—a house with only one bathroom, where the luscious-locked men fight a clogged drain on the regular. Even so, they... Continue Reading →
Interview: Greyhounds
“There’s always been a connection between Texas and Tennessee,” opines Andrew Trube, co-founder of Austin-based blues rock outfit Greyhounds. “Most Texans are from Tennessee originally—in the 1880s my ancestors wrote ‘GTT' on the front door and took off. ‘GTT’ means ‘Gone To Texas,’ and when the tax man came looking, they’d see that on the... Continue Reading →
Interview: The White Buffalo
“This album came in a crazy way,” says swamp-tastic crooner Jake Smith, who makes his bluesy brand of music under the moniker The White Buffalo, of his forthcoming album, Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights, set for release on October 6th via Thirty Tigers. “I didn’t have a huge well of songs—in between albums I was writing... Continue Reading →
Album Review: North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer For Peace
With their swampy riffs and mud-covered rock n’ roll, the North Mississippi Allstars have always honored the past while keeping an eye on the future. That tradition continues with their forthcoming album, Prayer For Peace, a collection of Allstars originals as well as reinterpretations of works by legendary artists that have influenced the band. Anchored... Continue Reading →
Interview: Blackfoot Gypsies
Sitting for a chat at Calypso Cafe in East Nashville with three of four members of blues rock outfit Blackfoot Gypsies is like being in the middle of a ping pong match or a comedy routine--one might gather that they have spent a lifetime together, yet the bulk of their musical journey began only a... Continue Reading →
Interview: Luke Winslow-King
“I went on a musical pilgrimage after high school and ended up in New Orleans; it was like all my interests had come together in this one place,” says bluesy roots rocker Luke Winslow-King. The Cadillac, Michigan native was inspired by the fact that music is an integral component of the Crescent City culture. “I... Continue Reading →
Interview: Fantastic Negrito
“Turned working people to the working poor….I keep on knocking but I can’t get in", sings modern blues man Xavier Dphrepaulezz, who performs under the moniker Fantastic Negrito, of the economic disparity and gentrification he sees in his hometown of Oakland, California—though, he sees it happening everywhere he travels. “The world is changing; but the... Continue Reading →