FTB podcast #209 puts the spotlight on two new albums. Sky Blue DeVille by ADAM KLEIN and Carnival by NORA JANE STRUTHERS.

Here's the direct link to listen now!

Here's the…

About 10 years ago, I was trapped on a train in Wyoming for fours hours in the middle of the night. I was on a cross-country trip to discover an "off-the-interstate" version of America. We were stuck on the side of a mountain while the Union Pacific coal trains passed through the West on their way to factories somewhere in the Midwest -- Illinois or Indiana presumably. The noise of the passing trains prevented me from sleeping; instead, I curled up in my seat, stared out the window, dozed…

STEVE EARLE

The Low Highway (New West)

He’s such a busy guy these days, what with his acting and writing careers, that it’s possible that some younger folks might not realize that Steve Earle is one of the finest songwriters of his…

Nataly Dawn

How I Knew Her

(Nonesuch)

Being half of a duo called Pomplamoose hardly ensures immortality, but now, by venturing out on her own, Nataly Dawn finds new life as a solo artist of considerable merit. Quirky in a winsome sort of way, Dawn offers up a dozen autobiographical vignettes that bring to mind the unorthodox appeal of Kate Bush, Tori Amos and others of that ilk. Backed by an all star band that includes several high-profile session…

Flashback to 1969. It was after dinner and I was sprawled out on the living room floor. My old man told me to pay attention to what was about to come across our flickering black and white television. A craggy faced man appeared on the screen, illuminated by a single overhead light.. "Hello. I'm Johnny Cash." He launched into "Folsom Prison Blues." I was stunned. A man with a guitar and a story to tell. I never got over it.

A couple of years later a friend and I grabbed a bus over to…

I'll Be Here In The Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt by Brian T. Atkinson digs deep into the art of one of music's best and most influential songwriters. Mr. Atkinson retraces the artist's creative steps, as well as shares a wealth of interviews with some of Townes' biggest fans- who also happen to be some of today's best songwriters. He also chats up an impressive selection of some of the countless artists who have been and continue to be inspired by the…

Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson have dusted off the Replacements name to do their first band recording since 1990. Why now? It has to do with helping out their pal, and longtime bandmate Slim Dunlap. Last February, Dunlap suffered a major right brain stroke and spent 9 month hospitalized. While he is home now, he needs constant care from his family and a team of health care professional. Needless to say, insurance isn’t going to cover the long-term…

Q- Since you produce all of your own albums, I assume that you are the one who makes all of the decisions re: what songs to include and what order to put them in... how do you determine the order?  Is it just a gut feeling about what flows best?  Do you get input from the folks in the studio with you/ others?  Does song order seem less relevant / important now that so many people buy single tracks digitally and make mixes rather than purchase or listen to full albums?  

A- There are a…

Steve Earle took to the Austin Ventures stage Saturday evening — all denim, beard and hat — to challenge the reverb-heavy sounds of Bassnectar on the stage next door. It felt familiar, kind of like an ACL 2011 scheduling misstep that had an acoustic Gillian Welch playing at the same time as (and on…

Just when you think you're heard the best of the up-and-coming Americana stars, along comes one whose music almost takes your breathe away.



Andrew Combs, whose album "Worried Man" is set for October 30 release, is one of those rare artists.



The title track opens with a big, bouncy beat which gives way to wailing guitars and keys behind Combs' diamond-edged vocals. It's easy to get caught up right away, thinking this guy is the real deal. But how many times has…

Markus Rill & The Troublemakers played on Friday, Sept 14, in their hometown of Würzburg/Germany.

Here's The Kid From Tupelo, a song from their current album "Wild Blue & True".

This song was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. You can stream the album at markusrill.bandcamp.com…

Slowly but surely North Carolina bred singer and songwriter Malcolm Holcombe has carved a reputation over the years as a fine purveyor of rootsy country blues with his albums and live shows almost universally praised. Despite this he remains a bit of a hidden gem, known only to the cognoscenti but there’s a chance this might change with the release of this, his ninth…

First published at Unpaved

Earlier this year I had the great honour of speaking to Steve Earle as he prepared for his 2012 Australian tour. I asked to him about his music, his friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt and his political courage.

 …

First published at Unpaved.

Steve Earle: Memories of Meeniyan

Steve Earle at Meeniyan Hall with The Yearlings

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Written by Les Thomas | Photograph by Tony Proudfoot

When it comes to…

No one would blame the members of the dBs if they had continued on their separate ways, drumming for Steve Earle, playing with Hootie & the Blowfish, R.E.M., and the Continental Drifters, and otherwise contributing to music in A-list circles.



Lucky for fans of the crunchy Smithereens-meet-REM sound of the dBs, the members have come together to create the cool kicky music that brought them acclaim as a band in the 1980s.



Make no mistake -- this is no weary…

Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart

Dedication

GEARLE RECORDS

***1/2

Alan Harrison His and Hers Folk songs from Americana’s #1 Couple

I’ll hold my hands up and say straight away that I’m a big fan of Stacey Earle but have always been under whelmed by Mark Stuarts’ contributions on the vocal front.



On earlier albums Stacey’s ‘little girl lost’ voice was probably an acquired taste but on Dedication she appears to have…

In the midst of strong reviews of his last album, "Harlem River Blues" Justin Townes Earle made the kind of splash he undoubtedly did not want to make.  For various reasons, Earle entered re-hab (again) for drug addiction.  I mention this mainly as a reference point for the songwriting on the album.  While there are few (if any) outright lyrical references to drug abuse, "Nothing's . . ." songs certainly reflect a frustration that is in line with Earle's recent circumstances.  It's…

There was a time when some people wrote song and some people sang songs. The two rarely mixed. In that era of Tin Pan Alley and the songwriting mills, Curtis Stigers would have been a demi god. As he displays on Let's Go Out Tonight, he can take well written songs and wring every bit of melody and emotion out of them. Songwriters would be inventing ways to get Stigers to record one of their works. 

But those days of songwriters churning out one song after another in the hopes…

This week The Medicine Show is on the Road with Stacey Earle, Mark Stuart, Red Hook Rapids & Fash Stewart.  This is the first of a summer season of top Medicine Show American Roots supper shows at the intimate Glasgow venue, we will be recording all shows for Broadcast, here's how to be in the audience for the next broadcast with Sara Petite and Mary Kathleen Burke. …

Here's some great new Americana and roots-type music releases for the week of March 27th, 2012 as posted on Americana Boogie. There are quite a bit of fine releases this week besides the 3 that I've highlighted. Click the artist or album links to find out more. The artist's names link to their websites and the CD title links go to either…