About a quarter of the way through Neil Young's concert at London's 02 arena on Monday, he decided to visit the gates of Hades. As post apolcalyptic wind blew pieces of paper across the stage and lights flashed threateningly, he huddled with members of Crazy Horse to hand-beat guitar strings and conjour feedback in a cacophony of heavy-metal-meets-prog-rock-meets-garage-band.

It went on for 10 to 20 minutes - anarchically excruciating, yet strangely entertaining. But not…

This picture was taken yesterday, in the early afternoon of Sunday June 16th in the year 2013. The photographer was Elizabeth Daza and it ran in some editions of Newsday. The man is ninety-four years old and he followed a spirited song-dance performance from a friend from the past, Buffy Sainte-Marie, who at seventy-two is still a mere child. Father's Day with Pete Seeger and my boys...I wrote that it was…

‘The Living Room Sessions Volume 2’

Review by Doug Heselgrave

Taking the plastic covering off of ‘The Living Room Sessions Volume 2’ CD was like opening those Christmas presents so painstakingly wrapped by my grandmother just days before she died nearly half a year earlier.  As much as I was excited about hearing the music, and as much as I wanted to know what was inside my Grandmother’s present, I just didn’t want to acknowledge everything that opening…

I don’t watch a lot of television; when I do it’s mostly the news. A busy family life plus a lot of time away on the road certainly puts a kink in being able to keep up with a series-based drama, so I’ve missed most of the likes of Justified and Sons Of Anarchy. When I do catch an episode, it’s clear many of these shows have a pretty cool music policy. Among the likes of Good Luck Mountain, White Buffalo and Dolorean,…

Ukelele-meister Manitoba Hal has wasted no time since his 2012 release Flirting with the Mermaids in dropping another album of curiously infectious music upon the unsuspecting public. Devil on the Wall is somewhat less ukelele-centric than the previous release, showcasing instead his mastery of the slide and electric guitar.

Devil on the Wall is a very bluesy album. A couple of fine covers of blues standards appear amongst the rollicking original…

On episode 144 of the Americana Music Show, Kenny Roby talks about the characters in Memories & Birds, singing in a natural voice, cowboy movie music, and “doing the Prince thing.”  

Plus rock and roll from I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House, Brooklyn honkytonk from Maynard and the Musties, classic soul from Swamp Dogg, evangelical stomp from Guthrie Kennard, indie rock from Massy Ferguson, a…

FTB podcast #215 features 2 fine new independent albums from THE WARREN HOOD BAND and RED TAIL RING. Also new music from KATHY GREENHOLDT, QUIET HOLLERS and WAITING FOR HENRY.

Here's the direct link to listen…

By Ken Paulson

Like Kris Kristofferson’s recent Feeling Mortal, Guy Clark’s  My Favorite Picture of You reflects the years.

On the new album,  due July 23 on Dualtone,  Clark’s voice is softer and weathered. But if time has  taken a physical toll, it’s made the music matter more. This…

I hate large stadium arenas but I adore Bruce Springsteen. I’m with the purists who argue that shows in such venues are much less satisfying than in smaller, intimate venues but, but, but….Springsteen is one of those artists who make a large venue seem small. For him it’s all about the music and the energy of the performance – no laser beams, no pyrotechnics, no circus – just a blacked out stage with three huge video screens and an E Street Band, most of whom have been playing with him since…

Ever since his 1986 debut (and, in some ways, even before that), Steve Earle has been one of the most prolific and distinctive singer-songwriters on the Amerciana/alt/country/rock scene. His 15 studio albums have encompassed political protest music, bluegrass, rock and roll, Townes Van Zandt covers, and just flat-out, darn-good genre-defying music. His work was covered by no less than 20 articles in…