The phrase seems to have been first used in 1902 in an article printed in the Atlanta Constitution: "I saw women and men rushing back and forth amid the flames for an hour. They would run along, then came the choking smoke and they would drop like dead flies." Today we use it occasionally when death comes in numbers, such as this weeks (so far) passing of George Jones, Richie Havens and Bob Brozman. Others have posted memorials and acknowledgments here, so I have no need to…

After living for seven months in New York, slightly north of the city in the soon to be blooming Hudson Valley, a mere 28 minutes from Grand Central Station...I have some observations to share.

1. There may indeed be 1,352 guitar pickers in Nashville who can pick more notes than the number of ants on a Tennessee anthill, but there are more musicians and performing artists of various shapes and flavors per square foot in this city than any other I've ever…

I just went through a popular website that features new releases and out of the fifty or so bands with new albums, more than half had just one member in the group. Now the concept of a one man band is hardly new, the origins can be traced back as early as the 13th century. Bob Dylan with his guitar and harmonica is considered one, as is Fate Norris who "developed a geared mechanical contraption with footpedals that enabled him to play guitar, bells, bass fiddle, fiddle,…

If you've been a blogger or writer or broadcaster for long enough, there's a good chance that you'll be found by people who do public relations. Doesn't matter much if your area of interest is music, film, cooking, cars, sports or knitting, trying to get you to write about their clients or influence public opinion is an ancient tradition and one that goes back to Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. And while the earliest press releases were written on stone tablets, modern day…

Seattle, April 1, 2013 - Kyla Fairchild, owner and publisher of the No Depression website announced this morning that she has entered into an agreement with the owners of Mapquest. Effective immediately the two companies will be one, and the tagline (see above) will now be "The Route…

I wait for new Steve Earle albums now the same way I used to wait for a new Grateful Dead studio album. With great anticipation, knowing that whatever I get will be special. And to clear up the mistake in the title of this post, it's not "Steve Earle"; it's Steve Earle and The Dukes (& Duchesses). So on this bright and sunny day in the Hudson Valley, just a week since…

Saturday night, and as I thought to check the computer one more time before I hit the mattress, there was a message from my son. "Did you see this?" he asked, and posted a link from the San Diego Union Tribune. And as I read the article I began to feel the tears roll down my cheeks. Larry Robinson, a…

Had I'd known of this artist and the album titled A Word Child that was released last November, it likely would have made my annual list of favorites. It's not only that good, but far better than that. When something new comes my way, sometimes I'm taken by the songs, sometimes it's the instrumentation, sometimes the vocals and always the vibe. Susan Kane has delivered on all fronts, far exceeding the expectations I had when she chose to reach out to me last week. We're…

AUSTIN — South By Southwest came to an end early Sunday with a glamorous clamor.

The festival's last night offered big-name performances to suit almost any taste, an embarrassment of riches in an town with an already-swarming musical slate.

Prince played bandleader with a 22-piece ensemble supporting him on classics such as Purple Rain at the club La Zona Rosa.

At the same time, a few blocks away, Justin Timberlake commanded an…

Believe it or not, this Saturday ramble was my Facebook status and not the beginning or end of a post to my blog. But as it directly relates to this week's SXSW festival, the seeds of germination coming from the artists, publicists, label people and other human instruments of the process and promotional aspects of commerce, I thought I'd throw it up here. Weary and tired...that would best describe me at this moment. I'm just exhausted with the endless self-promotional aspects of…