Posts by Neil Ferguson

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

It’s been an interesting year for Yonder Mountain String Band, to say the least. Last April the members of the “jam grass” band had a bomb suddenly dropped on them when frontman and mandolin player Jeff Austin announced his departure unexpectedly. The news seemed to hit Jeff’s three bandmates as hard as it hit the […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

Excuse the cliché, but if there is one act right now whose music can truly be considered a gumbo of styles, it’s the New Orleans Suspects. Collectively the members of this NOLA supergroup have played with the likes of James Brown, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Neville Brothers and the Radiators among others, and the […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

In a lot of ways SXSW is like making a big meal for the whole family. Whether you’re a band, filmmaker, journalist, official SXSW staffer, or even just a fan of it all trying to make a plan, it feels like we spend months and months preparing for the weeklong event only to devour it […]

Photo: The Residents get weird at The Paramount Anyone thinking that the final two days of SXSW would bring out massive crowds may have found some relief in the rain that stuck around for much of Friday, which seemed to scare off some of the throngs. However, the rain didn’t stop a myriad of acts […]

Once again the Heartbreaker Banquet returned to the dusty old Western town of Luck, Texas on Willie Nelson’s ranch outside Austin. Since 2012 this one-day event has functioned as an exclusive, invite-only offshoot of SXSW. Each year the organizers bring in a consistently impressive lineup composed mainly of established acts within the Americana and alt. […]

Wednesday marked the first full day of big unofficial parties at SXSW, and in true Texas fashion a previous forecast of rain actually became a perfect sunny day. Perhaps it was due to the fact that many people were still at work or maybe just weren’t dedicated enough to kick things off so early, but […]

Jones Family Photo Credit: Otis Ike Each year it seems like the music portion of SXSW gets started a little earlier and this year the parties and shows were pretty much in full swing by Monday. While one part of you knows that preserving yourself for the marathon week to come is crucial, it is impossible […]

Believe it or not, the Grateful Dead had a far-reaching influence that stretched way beyond their inner circle of improvisational minded bands.  Since playing their first shows 50 years ago the Dead have earned their place in the lexicon of culture as perhaps the quintessential American band. In light of their final shows, which take […]

Austin band the Bright Light Social Hour are tripping into new musical territory on their first album in five years, Space Is Still The Place (Frenchkiss Records). Compared to their debut self-titled album, which was loose, soulful rock and roll, Space expands into deeper psychedelic terrain. Heavy use of synthesizers and an array of other intriguing […]

There’s something to be said for a band that can transcend labels. Sure, it would be easy to call Greensky Bluegrass a jam band or a bluegrass band, but the Michigan quintet is much more than just those two things. The group writes songs in an alt. country/Americana vein that are thoughtful and well sung, […]

Lucero and Ryan Bingham hail from totally different parts of the country, yet somehow booking them on a co-headlining tour makes complete sense. Both Ryan Bingham and Lucero’s lead singer Ben Nichols possess two of the roughest voices in rock and roll. Their gravelly voices are unmistakable and fit perfectly when singing songs of heartbreak, […]

Note: This article originally appeared on The Horn.  It’s easy to get swept up in the hype of major names like Kanye West and Prince playing intimate shows during SXSW, but at some point it’s good to remind yourself that the festival has always been for the little guys. We all like to brag about […]

When you create timeless music and happen to be responsible for laying the foundation of the almighty force known as funk, it doesn’t really matter if you have the original lineup together. The bottom line is, for anyone even slightly familiar with the Meters, any chance to catch even one of the members is a […]

Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne has long been a musician’s musician. Having grown up in Louisiana where he soaked up the music being made around him like the rich soil of the state, Welbourne caught the bug at a young age. Before long he became entrenched in playing guitar, developing a special talent for blues, funk, […]

Shane Tutmarc was born in Seattle, but as soon as he could get to Nashville he began crafting a sound entrenched in Americana and alt. country. What sets Tutmarc apart from the herd is his background fronting the indie pop band Dolour. With his solo work he applies pop and garage rock to a twangier […]

(Old Settler’s Music Festival, Photo: Arthur VanRooy) Long lines, corporate sponsors, mile long walks to the stage, and huge crowds filled with first timers who can’t handle their drugs. These are what come to mind when I think about festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. Those of us who have been there done […]