A pop hero of huge proportions, Gene Autry has posed special problems for any biographer. He was an “eye on the prize” go-getter, reluctant to reveal much about his impoverished Oklahoma upbringing and often dysfunctional, dependent family; recalcitrant about providing […]
You’ve probably noticed by now that good things sometimes happen when American roots music acts and their Euro/Anglo admirers meet — face to face or in spirit. A summerload of new DVDs makes the point all over again. I was […]
So it wasn’t enough that we went and put a chart-topping (well, #2 on the pop charts, anyhow) indie-rock band on our cover a couple issues ago. We had to go follow it up by putting a chart-topping mainstream-country artist […]
Miranda Lambert: “Mediocre, soulless, pop crap” The big difference between mainstreamers Patty Loveless and Miranda Lambert is that Patty has talent. When you put Miranda on the cover [ND #69, May-June 2007], I figured her album would be pretty good. […]
There is little subtlety to the way Adrienne Young redirects the conversation a half-hour into our interview. All discussion of the day she stood on the steps of the Capitol Building and sang “America The Beautiful” for wildlife conservationists, or […]
Cary Brothers doesn’t mind his reputation as a savvy businessman. “You have to take advantage of all the opportunities around you and make the most of it. No one has any excuse not to get their music out there,” he […]
Portland may have been Casey Neill’s home for the past two years, but the heart of his new, career-defining record, Brooklyn Bridge, belongs to New York City. “Some of it is my history as a kid there,” Neill says. “And […]
“And what better way to interact with one another and to be close than to play music?” –Jere Cherryholmes Jere Cherryholmes is a character. His grizzled visage suggests a Klondike prospector or, perhaps, a Civil War general, even as his […]
The whole notion of rambling is a lost American art. Writing songs and singing about it in a believable, meaningful way — well, that, too has pretty much gone the way of the brakeman. But 28-year-old singer-songwriter Eilen (pronounced EE-lynn) […]
Fats Kaplin can play just about anything with strings, and a lot of things without. He is renowned for his skill on fiddle, accordion, pedal steel, guitar, dobro, mandolin, and frying pan; in addition to being a world-class musician, Fats […]
