Do you ever write a song that is more or less just  ‘there’ on an album, with the other ones that you think of as stronger—but then it takes on a life of its own and winds up playing a much larger role in your life than you ever expected?

Yes, this does happen, as does the converse. I have an unblemished record of failure when it comes to picking the songs from my albums that will resonate with an audience. I say this only half jokingly. Part of what makes this a complicated puzzle to…

For Americana/folk artists, there is a fine line between raw-and-unadulterated and recorded-in-my-friend's-cousin's-basement. To fall on the positive side of that line is every musician's goal. And to find the sweet spot right on that border, where natural acoustics put you in the room with the artist. and honesty comes across with every phrase... Well, that's a place many musicians only dream of.

But, Lance Whalen has made his home there.

His new 4-song EP, Sweet Sugar Pie,…

“I'm gonna share some of my opinions with you tonight,” singer-songwriter Todd Snider warned the Twangfest 17 opening night crowd, “not because I think you should hear them … but because they rhyme.”

The wisecrack, offered with the same stoner drawl and twinkling eye as Snider uses in his songs, also applied to Ray Wylie Hubbard, the Texas troubadour who preceded Snider on the bill June 5 at Plush in midtown St.…

SLAID CLEAVES

Still Fighting The War (Music Road)

When Slaid Cleaves wrote the title track for his new album, he had a specific subject in mind. Inspired by a series of photos on an Iraq War veteran suffering from PTSD, he sought to address the plight of those returning from war and struggling to readjust to…

You’ve heard of Lennon and McCartney, Abbot and Castillo, Simon and Garfunkel, Hope and Crosby, Jagger and Richards and Laurel and Hardy, now meet The O’s all the way from Dallas Texas recorded live in Strathpeffer at the Richmond Crystal Retreat June 16th 2013-06-19



The Medicine Show Health and Happiness Hour is broadcast from the Highlands of Scotland on ABC Radio Alness, 2 Lochs Radio Gairloch, & Lochbroom FM Radio Ullapool. Across Glasgow on…

Americana’s Renaissance Man goes orchestral

Tom Russell is; arguably, Americana Music’s most accomplished, yet most under rated and under valued artiste and, indeed contemporary artist. He’s been recording since 1976 and touring long before that; with the quality of his writing possibly getting better with age; but his early work, which is often featured in his stage act, has stood the test of time better than many of his contempories.

Russell’s songs about…

Funny how the timing works out sometimes: two huge gigs in two days - Bruce Springsteen at Wembley on 15 June and Neil Young at the O2 on the 17th. You'll probably have seen the reviews already so here are some random thoughts on these big talents and big events...

To some the obvious question might be 'which was the better concert'? But, as any fan of both of these big beasts will know, it's unlikely there will be a straightforward answer…

A large portion of today’s working musicians are still carrying on the tradition of the lone troubadour singing to their own solo accompaniment of guitar or keys, to an often unfamiliar or uninterested audience and giving all they’ve got for a smattering of applause and a few bucks in the tip jar.

New York based Kirsten Thien found herself in just such a predicament on a drizzly night in a big rock club in Bremen Germany on a solo tour that was supposed to take her to more…

 Music publishing companies most basic functions are to make deals with songwriters, promote the songs their songwriters make to musicians and anyone else who may need a song for whatever purpose (such as for advertising, commercial use, promotional campaigns, etc.), issue licenses for the use of the songs that they represent, and collect licensing fees.  In the world of music publishing, how successful the work that these companies do is heavily dependent on how these companies decide to…

Jason Isbell has proven time and time again that he is a true wordsmith and when it comes to writing songs there are few that can match his lyricism. In his early days it was songs like“Danko/Manuel”, “TVA” and “Decoration Day” that clued listeners in to his talents. Using his words, Isbell is able to paint a vivid picture with songs that allow listeners to see the story unfolding in their…

This Is American Music (TiAM) is a record label that is more of a family than a business. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to music they are all business but the folks involved let their love of great tunes shine through which, in my opinion, is one reason they have become so successful. Started by Corey Flegel, and a close…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…