Your Front Row Seat To Americana Music
The intensity of a show in a record store is much more than I imagined. So close to the band. So loud. So amazing! For those of us that remember when record store showings were more common, the word “treat” doesn’t begin to describe what a fantastic opportunity this was. Realizing that today, fantastic record... Continue Reading →
There was surely something in the water at Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon Tuesday night. I bore witness like a soul being saved to the genre-blending music of Pokey LaFarge. He walked on stage, with his arms wide open, a welcoming host with his merry and mischievous band of story tellers. The night was to... Continue Reading →
Even made of brick and stone, one might wonder how the walls of The Basement in Nashville were able to contain the power of Jillette Johnson’s voice last Thursday night. Celebrating the release of her much-anticipated new record All I Ever See In You Is Me via Rounder Records, Johnson admitted a lot of pent... Continue Reading →
It was a crowded house for alt-country songstress India Ramey’s Snake Handler album release show at cozy Nashville venue The Basement. Though her brilliant new effort’s autobiographical subject matter is somber, recounting heartbreak, domestic abuse, and brutalization at the hands of her biological father, the atmosphere was celebratory. “Remember when we couldn’t get a gig... Continue Reading →
With its intimate interior, the Basement is one of those venues where an artist can build a true connection with the room. Featuring an accoustic, mostly solo set, Oklahoma folkster Travis Linville capitalized on the cozy setting to let his singing and guitar picking skills shine, while keeping the room on its toes with his... Continue Reading →
Take me home country roads, for I have never been so homesick for the South as after seeing Andrew Combs last night at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon. After I obsessively listened to his music over the last two months, I was anxiously waiting to see this performance by the man from Nashville that could... Continue Reading →
The intimacy of the City Winery listening room was the perfect setting for grassy folk trio Quiles & Cloud to share the moving music from their latest release, Shake Me Now, out in March via Compass Records. Made up of Maria Quiles, Rory Cloud, and Oscar Westesson, the three hail from the temperate climes of... Continue Reading →
I have heard their music. I have watched their videos. I was still not prepared for the hard-rocking frenzy of Hillbilly Casino at the 2017 Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender. With a loyal legion of fans pressed against the Ryman Garage Stage at Opryland Hotel, the band was ready to throw down from the first note—and the energy never let... Continue Reading →
Last Friday Night at the Nashville Boogie Weekender was a royal affair featuring both the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, and the Queen of Outlaw Country, Nikki Lane. After soaking in a fabulous performance from Ms. Jackson, I was on the run to the Nashville Palace Stage for Lane's rocking country barn-burner. Luckily, the party... Continue Reading →
It happens every time I go to a music festival. Every. Single. Time. It’s also one of my top reasons for going to festivals—there’s always that artist that jumps out at me and makes me ask, “why am I just learning about this person? Why don’t I have these songs on repeat at home?” At... Continue Reading →