The ambitious new album See The Light, from Alabama quintet Fiddleworms is a cavalcade of styles with literally a parade of guest musicians including the University of North Alabama marching Band. The eleven original tracks are interspersed with snippets of radio sound effects and spoken word segments that flow from jazzy blues to stomping country rock fusion all centered around the lazy everyman vocals Russell Medford. The level of production and…

Some artists are not born; they simply become one after years of being on the sidelines, listening, absorbing every riff. For guitarist Jean-Pierre Klifa, an important figure in his creative development is Mark Knopfler, the iconic leader of Dire Straits and also the Notting Hillbillies. Like Knopfler, Klifa freely explores various styles – progressive, blues, and country – and unifies them with a guitar style that relies heavy on atmosphere and…

My column usually includes some heartfelt commentary about music ’cause I try and I try and I try and I try to keep readers connected to the latest happenings.  In the summer of 1965, I was six years old riding around in the car with my big sis driving when this song comes on the AM radio. A three note guitar riff starts one of the greatest songs ever recorded and forever grabbed my attention, as well as the music world.  Ladies and Gentlemen…

Few artists reach the pinnacle in their career where self indulgence becomes high art and their fans eat it up with vigor. Joe Bonamassa has been doing due diligence with his amplified guitar pyrotechnics for over two decades, building a strong worldwide fan base through constant touring and releasing multiple albums per year. His second release for 2013, the live DVD “An Evening at the Vienna Opera House,” finds the blues rock guitarist in quite…

For Jean-Pierre Klifa, the guitar is a camera; however, instead of freezing the frame it lingers on in voyeuristic fashion, capturing moments as they unravel in time. Many roots-music albums are this visual. They are usually focused on authenticity, echoing sounds of the past with vintage instrumentation and even lyrical vision. That’s not the case with Klifa. He places his emphasis on Pixel Love on atmospherics; the songs here are largely moody, gradually moving snapshots…

They call themselves The CD Woodbury Band but make no mistake this five piece band of seasoned pro’s is a fully collaborative unit and their new studio album Monday Night proves that the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This strong ten song set was recorded by Chip Butters at the REC Room studios; the band pays tribute to the happenings in this unique environment of live performance space and recording facility on the second…

Singer-songwriter Thomas Hentges better known as Burlap Wolf King embarks on a Midwestern tour tonight in Sioux Falls South Dakota that will take him through seven states in the month of April. After the successful release of a new EP in his native state of South Dakota, Hentges will bring his brand of "bare-boned truth in song" to the masses with stops in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and North Dakota.

Burlap Wolf King has been turning folk, alt.country and…

Ron Hacker has been a fixture of the bay area blues scene for nearly forty years for his tenth album simply titled “Live in San Francisco he and his trio The Hacksaws and caught doing what they do best, laying down some serious deep delta blues grooves, and slide guitar perfection. 

The ten song set was recorded at the fame Biscuits and Blues club on one magic night in November of 2011. Hacker begins solo on the Sleepy John Estes classic…

The Vespers have been called an underground sensation.  As the interview below notes, the Cryar sisters (Phoebe and Callie) and the Jones brothers (Bruno and Taylor) discovered that the music that they make together is unique and unlike any other music “out there.”   They have a gospel folk-rock-pop sound that is irresistible.

How long have the four of you been singing…

Countrified Rockin' from Citizens Band Radio

Back in the 1970’s the airways were filled with the Country and Southern Rock sounds of bands like Poco, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Allman Bros, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Marshall Tucker, and of course the good old Grateful Dead.  No longer mainstream, satellite radio stations still play these and similar acts, labeled “Americana” or “Outlaw Country.”  One up and coming New Jersey band…

Tinsley Elis -Get It - Heart Fixer-- Rick J Bowen 

One might think releasing an instrumental album of blues, surf and guitar rock in this day and age is unwise, but with the fastest growing genre of music today being “EDM” aka...electronic dance music, the new album Get It, from Tinsley Ellis may prove he has some real moxie. 

The strong ten tracks not only pay homage to great groove instrumental groups of the past by…

The cover art of Phosphorescent’s Muchacho depicts a grittily lit scene with two topless women on a motel room bed - one on her back and the other upright and beaming, sporting a cowboy hat. Matthew Houck (aka Phosphorescent) laughs in the foreground, much of his face off to the side of the frame. Something about the photograph’s atmosphere – given one’s familiarity with the aching and forlorn terrain of Phosphorescent’s music – tells you the joy of the scene is likely…

BOOK REVIEW:: The latest detailed look at Rock 'n' Roll & Country Rock Pioneer legend Rick Nelson...from his early teen idol/Imperial/Decca years to his country rock period and his return to rockabilly in the 80’s.

“Rick Nelson,  Rock ‘N’ Roll Pioneer”

By Sheree Homer

Publisher: …

Rich Mahan blames Bobby Bare for his slightly naughty, humorous songs, but really, he just wants you to have fun and enjoy the music. Mahan's debut solo record, Blame Bobby Bare, creates an auditory party--even if it's just a quick escape from your workday and stresses of life by cranking up the music. Go ahead and dance around the office if you want.

Mahan's own musical journey began with a middle school talent show, leading him to play guitar with bands ranging from jamband to Texas…

Henry Wagons must have watched a few too many Las Vegas television specials growing up. How else would the Australian songwriter developed a fascination with the showmanship of Tom Jones and Elvis? Add to the mix (literally) Wagons' obsession with vintage reverb sounds like the songs of Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra, and you end up with a record full of noir duets that is both retro and ethereal--without becoming too trippy.

Henry Wagons' band, Wagons, reached Australian success,…

Ronnie Fauss is not ready to give up his regular life for music just yet, but the Texas songwriter continues to release new material frequently. After several self-released EP's, Normaltown Records (an imprint of New West Records) made it possible for Fauss to record his debut full-length album, I Am The Man You Know I'm Not. The cryptic title belies the straightforward folk songs, and the excellent players brought in for the recording expand the sound without overwhelming its…

Bang Bang Boom Boom, the new album from California chanteuse Beth Hart, runs the gamut of musical styles from low down blues to swinging cabaret, rock, gospel and soul with one simple theme holding the songs together: love. The 11 songs were recorded live off the floor and masterfully produced by Kevin Shirley, all designed to highlight the impeccable depth and power of Hart’s smoky alto, a true gift from the gods. She has been compared to Janis…

Kristen Ward defied expectations when she chose to record her fourth full-length album, Last Night on Division, with legendary hard rock producer Terry Date; as she had been categorized as an alt country singer-songwriter, but was aiming for a wider audience. The result is an album of breadth and depth that should serve to lift her career to the next level. The album, which features special guest Mike McCready, was released in October of 2012, less…

For over a decade Wall Walla’s Rob Barrett and his Coyote Kings have been a driving force in the eastern Washington blues scene and now are the proud hosts of the 2nd Wall Walla guitar festival. In 2010 the Kings teamed up with power house vocalist Michelle “Mush” Morgan, releasing the critically acclaimed album Move, in 2011. Their follow up, Nasty Habits and Dirty Little Secrets, features eleven new songs immaculately produced and penned by Barrett…

Bloodkin’s 25th anniversary box set, One Long Hustle, is everything a retrospective should be, yet it is completely new, too. The booklet of the band’s history reminisced and revealed by Daniel Hutchens, the collection of previously unreleased tracks, and the stories they tell are as much about Athens, Georgia’s musical spiderweb as they are of the band itself. Despite collaboration with legends like Moe Tucker and Sterling…