With An Everyman Literary Touch, Andrew Duhon Proves Valiant (INTERVIEW)
If singer/songwriter Andrew Duhon hasn’t shown up on your playlists yet, make a point of adding him now. His three full-length albums and one EP are full of so many stunning songs that you’ll have plenty to choose from. Duhon writes songs with an everyman-literary touch. Sometimes his songwriting makes me think of fishing—he gently […]
Portland Based Storyteller John Craigie Shares The Magic Of His Words (INTERVIEW)
Portland-based folk singer and storyteller John Craigie has covered a lot of ground, both musically and geographically, since the 2017 release of his studio album, “No Rain, No Rose.” Since releasing “No Rain, No Rose,” which he recorded with contributions by Gregory Alan Isakov and The Shook Twins, among other musical friends, he released a […]
Folk Duo Cicada Rhythm Create Patchwork Album With ‘Everywhere I Go’ (INTERVIEW)
If you wanted to write a modern, southern fairytale, maybe you’d start it like this. The first time Andrea DeMarcus, a classically trained bassist, met Dave Kirslis, he had been hopping freight trains around Georgia and South Carolina, and hopped off in Atlanta, where DeMarcus lived. They would go on to form the rootsy, jazz-tinged […]
Rachel Baiman Takes A Weighty Stand On Solo LP ‘Shame’ (INTERVIEW)
“Shame,” the solo album from Rachel Baiman, who is half of the roots duo, 10 String Symphony, is a reflection on the experience of being a woman in today’s America. The discussion starts on the album cover. Baiman poses as the Statue of Liberty, with a flaming fiddle as the torch. A skull and roses […]
Sera Cahoone Strikes A Big Chord With New LP ‘From Where I Started’ (INTERVIEW)
You might have to listen to Sera Cahoone’s album From Where I Started (released March 24th) a couple times before you take note of anything other than her voice. Cahoone’s voice is alternately airy and earthy, and is always approachable. It’s got an almost crystal clarity, then turns just a little throaty for the briefest […]
John Craigie Embraces Portland Musical Community For Relaxed LP ‘No Rain, No Rose’ (INTERVIEW)
In 1969 the three astronauts of Apollo 11 completed their mission–the first manned lunar landing. They were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and…the other guy. “The other guy” was Michael Collins. While Armstrong and Aldrin spent almost a day on the surface of the moon, Collins orbited the moon, alone, waiting for the rendezvous with the […]
Andrew Marlin of Mandolin Orange Weaves Past & Present On ‘Blindfaller’ LP (INTERVIEW)
The voices of Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin, the two members of North Carolina acoustic duo Mandolin Orange, are a study in contrasts. Frantz’s vocals are lilting, floating above the instrumentation, whereas Marlin’s are understated. He’s like the guy who tells a joke with such a deadpan delivery that you don’t realize until a beat […]
Anthony D’Amato Shares Thoughts on Global Selfishness Via Track “Blue Blooded” (INTERVIEW)
Anthony D’Amato’s new album, Cold Snap, produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, has a harder edge than his most recent record, The Shipwreck from the Shore, and that’s especially the case for the song he chose to discuss for One Track Mind, “Blue Blooded.” The lyrics address selfishness on a global scale: I drained […]
River Whyless Goes Deep on “Life Crisis” off Self Titled EP (ONE TRACK MIND/INTERVIEW)
It’s often true that “the sum is greater than the parts,” and the Asheville, North Carolina experimental folk band River Whyless is a perfect example. Their mesmerizing sound, built by seamless harmonies, soaring violin and unusual percussive elements, demonstrates the power of the collective, but so does the band’s songwriting. The song “Life Crisis,” from […]
ONE TRACK MIND: Rayland Baxter Extends Insight to “Yellow Eyes” (INTERVIEW)
The album art on Rayland Baxter’s second album Imaginary Man features a photograph of Baxter’s face, half of it obscured by shadow. The original plan to make the left side another face didn’t work out, so it was left empty. That side is the “imaginary man,” and it makes sense that it’s just space, because, as […]
Dar Williams Tunes Up “FM Radio” To Glide (INTERVIEW)
With a songwriting career as long and prolific as Dar Williams’, it’s not surprising that she’s picked up a host of talented musical friends along the way. Some of them share songwriting and performing credits on her latest album, Emerald. “Mad River” features harmonies by The Milk Carton Kids and “Slippery Slope” is a duet […]
Libby Rodenbough of Mipso Talks “Down in the Water” (INTERVIEW)
The first time I heard Libby Rodenbough sing “Down in the Water” was in a Mexican restaurant in Davidson, North Carolina, in August of 2014. As the fiddle player for Mipso, a rising young bluegrass-influenced band out of Chapel Hill, she sometimes sings lead on songs with the band, but, as far as I could […]
Lady Lamb Discusses “Billions of Eyes” (INTERVIEW)
After, the sophomore album by Aly Spaltro, known professionally as Lady Lamb, is an exuberant, surreal journey by a songwriter who acknowledges no constraints—not by song structure, and certainly not by genre. It’s not unusual to encounter the landmarks of several musical worlds in one song. (Listen to “Violet Clementine” for a mind-blowing example of […]