Hugh Masterson is a wonder–that was my impression after seeing him perform at Portland’s Mississippi Studios recently. This Wisconsin-born Nashville resident handily won the crowd’s hearts and souls with his road-worn brand of Americana. Touring with the venerable Lindi Ortega… Continue Reading
Ron Pope’s voice sinks into your soul, digging deep to set up camp as it attaches and winds itself around the heartstrings. Through his earlier works into his recent album Work and its companion EP Worktapes, he continues to be… Continue Reading
When you finally get a chance to see a group you’ve liked for years perform live for the first time, the excitement and anticipation is next level. You spend more time getting ready. You rush your friends out the door… Continue Reading
You wouldn’t know from the warmth and comradery inside Mississippi Studios Wednesday night that outside was a typical cold, misty Portland evening. The huddled crowd took up the entire floor and balcony of this amazingly intimate concert hall, all ready… Continue Reading
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”… 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… 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,… Continue Reading
There’s an old Buddhist saying, “No mud, no lotus,” which refers to the idea that bad things are necessary in order to make the good things. Folk musicmaker John Craigie has distilled that wisdom into a new studio album, No… Continue Reading
John Craigie, self-described class clown, observational humorist, and folky singer of stories, will release his new album, No Rain, No Rose, on January 27th—a follow-up and sonic contrast to his last studio effort, Working On My Farewell. The California native… Continue Reading