I have made it no secret that I'm a mountain girl. I'd rather camp or visit family in the mountains than go to some of the world's most beautiful cities. Why go when you can find some of the prettiest places on earth here? These hills and mountains of West Virginia and Virginia will always be a part of me…

For the past couple of days, Damien Jurado's new album, Maraqopa, has been filling my home, car, mind, body and soul.  This album is like a drug. When I pushed "play" it entered my bloodstream, warmed my body, heightened my senses, and sent me into an euphoric state. If there was a way to actually shoot up this album, I would. And, because of Maraqopa, I've become a Damien Jurado junkie.

My first introduction - the gateway drug, if you will - was "Nothing…

It's hard to believe Jenny Berkel has only been writing songs and playing the guitar for four years. Born out of a love for writing poetry, Jenny started to create music around her written words while living in an empty apartment in Winnipeg. After a year  in Winnipeg, she traveled Canada and Europe the spent…

If relaxed midwestern folk is your bag, then you're sure to dig John Statz's upcoming album Old Fashioned, due out January 24 via Yer Bird Records. Statz, a songwriter and world-traveler who has written, recorded and performed in places from Budapest to Anchorage, is now back in the Heartland. Recorded in Iowa City with producer Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Jeffrey Foucault, and Pieta Brown), Old…

The Civil Wars better watch out because there's another indie-folk/Americana duo on the scene. The Local Strangers is comprised of Matt Hart and Aubrey Zoli, two Midwestern transplants living and performing in Seattle. After meeting in September 2010, they realized their musical connection and commonalities and quickly entered the studio to record their debut, self-titled EP.

A four-song EP that combines the sing-along qualities of campfire folk with the attention to…

Okay, I thought I would post something about this later, but it's just way too good to sit on and keep to myself.  It's my first post of 2012, so why not give you an album to get excited about?

This three-song collection from Canadian songstress, Jenny Berkel, is just a snippet of what is to come on her full-length album, Here on a Wire, which is due out sometime this winter. These songs are breathtaking. Drawing from personal experience and history, Berkel's songs…

If the name Bro. Stephen sounds familiar to you, it should. Why just last week I reviewed his debut album, Baptist Girls, which in my opinion, should be considered a pillar of fantastic indie-folk for 2012. Okay, I don't even know if that makes sense, but I'm going to run with it anyway. So, after the review, I immediately…

There were just a few more days left in 2011 and I was already making predictions on the best of 2012. I'm predicting (and, I'm fairly certain) that my 2012 end-of-the-year list as well as others will include Bro. Stephen's debut, full-length album, Baptist Girls. Yeah, it's that great! I haven't stopped listening to it since he sent it to me last week.

Bro. Stephen (intended "Brother" not "Bro") is the songwriting project of Scott Kirkpatrick, who is also behind…

A few years ago, singer-songwriter Carly Maicher was looking for a change of scenery from her familiar surroundings in Manitoba, Canada for the remote setting of Grand Manan, a tiny island in New Brunswick where her grandparents grew up and where she could delve into a study of loneliness. Intended to be a few weeks of vacation, songwriting, and recording, this short vacation turned into years. During this time, she managed a restaurant but did not record until last January when…

A few months ago, I featured an album from a popular Seattle busker by the name of Ben Fisher. His debut album, Heavy Boots & Underwoods, is a great list of songs written and sung…

Every once in a great while the stars align and the universe works its mystical powers to match and unite people into perfect and harmonious couples and/or partners like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Johnny Cash and June Carter, and, now, Pharis and Jason…

Max Holmquist otherwise known as South of Lincoln isn't just one of the best new artists, he is the best new artist. I don't know if I can say anything about the man or his albums without gushing or sounding like a crazed fan, but that's exactly what I've become. There isn't a day that goes by when his album Homes or his EP The…

Best new artist maybe a bit of an understatement when talking about Nebraska native and singer-songwriter, Max Holmquist, who also goes by the stage name South of Lincoln. For me, not only is he one of the best, he's lo-fi crack. When I'm not listening to his most recent full-length album,Homes, or his new EP, The Monsters/Bathroom Session, I'm actually…

"Holy shit!"  is my exact thought each and every time I listen to Chris Bathgate's new album, Salt Year. The sheer musical and lyrical power of this entire album got under my skin and seeped into my veins becoming a part of my human fiber. A life-affirming album that affirms I'm alive and not numbed from the massive amounts of sad sack singer-songwriters I…

Brimming with Southern charm, Nell Robinson's new album, On the Brooklyn Road, is rooted deeply in its culture as a bucoulic celebration of family and heritage. Named after the red clay dirt road leading to her family's rural Alabama farm, this record includes "field recordings" recounting family stories and folklore from Robinson's mother and uncles. Produced by Nell and Jim Nunally, On the Brooklyn Road is a collection of original and traditional…

In June, Nick 13, the front man for the psychobilly band, Tiger Army, released his self-titled solo album on Sugar Hill Records. The aptly self-titled album blends country, hillbilly, and Americana perfectly mirroring Nick and his respect for the genres proving him to be more than just a psychobilly punk. Earlier this week, I reviewed the album which afforded me the chance…

Psychobilly band, Tiger Army's lead singer and guitarist, Nick 13, released his first full-length solo album in June via Sugar Hill. Now, don't be fooled into thinking this is going to sound like another Tiger Army record because it isn't. Nick's solo effort is an addictive collection of retro country arrangements with a touch of rockabilly and enriched with guitar, pedal steel, and upright bass. But, it's his smooth and easy vocals that perfect these vintage countrified…