As you can imagine, I am getting very excited for Wakarusa. I would like to say thank you again to No Depression for making this adventure possible. I cannot wait to share my experiences with all of you.

As the final countdown begins, I am hard at work researching and preparing so I can bring you the best coverage of the event. Through this process, I have stumbled upon several bands and musicians that have impressed…

We/Or/Me is Bahhaj Taherzadeh, a Chicago-based, Irish-born artist whose music has quietly and gradually been attracting the attention of critics over recent years. Jon Martin calls it “the soundtrack to your most quiet moments”, Sean Michaels says, it's a salve and a peace, and Robin Hilton at NPR has been a consistent advocate of the “wise and slightly weary voice, strolling through delicate melodies and heartbreaking narratives.”…

Cinematic and atmospheric Alt-Country

After nearly 50 years as a music fan and 15 as a reviewer I still get excited about discovering new bands and having my breath taken away by songs and tunes that I’ve not heard before.

I was aware of I See Hawks in L.A. but only owned 3 tracks on VA compilations when this album arrived, so was only mildly interested at the prospect of listening to it.

Well; it only took 15 seconds of a…

As a west coast Canadian, bluegrass has always seemed like an exotic musical form.  When I hear it, I think of mountains, forests, rivers, and a rural lifestyle that has long past and gone.  Artists like Ralph Stanley and the Monroe Brothers loom like Biblical characters in my imagination, leathery, rugged and indisputably American. In the same way that I always think that reggae bands from Jamaica are better than ones from England or Canada, I’ve…

Good new for those awaiting the release of more old Leonard Cohen from the days when he was still depressed and very much on the edge. In 2009, a CD/DVD package was released on Columbia of a concert that took place on The Isle Of Wight for the English version of Woodstock in 1970.

Both the CD & DVD are complete with many charming Leonard songs from his storied & timeless past like: "So Long Marianne" right after "Bird On A Wire." But this is not just another greatest hits…

The Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, isn’t all about the headlining acts such as Kings of Leon and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

The pride of Gainesville, Florida, Petty had sort of the home-field advantage Saturday night on the Hangout Stage, playing just one state over and practically a direct Interstate-10 shot from Heartbreakers…

Just For Today

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters

It's Ronnie Earl's band, but he doesn't dominate it. Recorded live at a couple of venues in his home state of Massachusetts,the Stony Plains release is a seamless blend of jazz, soul and r&b by a band of seasoned vets comfortable enough with one another to have an intense musical conversation without stepping on each others' toes.

On“ Vernice's Boogie,” it's all Dave Limina on keys, rippling through a…

COLD SATELLITE (with JEFFREY FOUCAULT)

Cavalcade (Signature Sounds)

2013 sophomore album from this band centered on the collaboration between songwriter Jeffrey Foucault and poet Lisa Olstein. Cavalcade both refines and concentrates the band's signature amalgam of Rock, Blues, and Country. Described by legendary music…

Although Hans Theessink has made a name for himself with his acoustic blues guitar proficiency, he's the closest thing to Ry Cooder other than Cooder himself. On his last outing on Blue Groove, Theessink collaborated with long time Cooder vocalist Terry Evans for 2012's Delta Time, a soulful, gospel drenched electric blues excursion. This time out its all Theesink, acoustic and…

Country artist's fine return to his bluegrass roots

Clinton Gregory had a run of Top-100 country hits in the early '90s, but both his releases and commercial success became scarce by mid-decade. He returned last year with Too Much Ain't Enough, his first album in…