Posts by Trevor Christian

Ahead of the January 25th release of singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph’s new album, Here Come The Young, Glide’s Trevor Christian spoke with the songwriter and activist about the title track. In it, he celebrates young people for being “inclusive” and having “open minds and hearts.” He predicts they won’t continue to stand for “military threat,” “trickle down,” […]

Flatland Calvary is back and Cleto Cordero’s voice has improved tremendously. It’s as if the lead singer coated his throat with honey before recording Homeland Insecurity, the group’s polished sophomore LP. Cordero has also grown as a songwriter. There was a real charm to the way he seemingly freewheeled his way through parts of 2016’s […]

Love Hard Work Hard Play Hard is named for Deanie Richardson’s motto about life. The album shows she clearly believes in bringing love, work, and play into her fiddling too. Richardson, who is up for a Grammy this February as part of the all-female bluegrass group Sister Sadie, uses Love Hard Work Hard Play Hard […]

Hunter Perrin has done just about everything he can while playing guitar. He’s been based in Texas and Brooklyn, started a handful of bands, worked on soundtracks and toured with a legend in John Fogerty. But 18 years after his first record, Wild Card is Perrin’s first album as a solo vocalist. It’s a worthy […]

Dylan covers or interpretations as Bettye LaVette prefers to call them, make up an outsized part of the roots music genre. Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead and Flatt & Scruggs have each recorded more than a dozen Dylan songs over the years and countless other artists of similar stature have given at least one a […]

He grew up wanting to make horror movies, but then he got into Tom Waits. For M. Witte, a roots-punk frontman making his more acoustic solo debut with the compelling Ol’ Boy, nothing comes more naturally than a murder ballad. Murder ballads are an essential part of the folk music tradition, but hearing them written […]

It wasn’t all that surprising when CALICO the Band had a small New York City crowd literally howling halfway through their set at Rockwood Music Hall Wednesday evening. Considering how frequently the crowd shouted compliments and other words of encouragement between songs, the howling seemed inevitable as co-leader Kirsten Proffit introduced fiddler Kaitlin “Wolfie” Wolfberg. […]

There’s not much in the world of Americana music that sounds quite like Jake Duda. He and his band, which consists of numerous family members, exist in a world of raucous and rich sounds. It’s the sheer variety of sounds that make his debut effort De Soto so interesting. His banjo playing is at various […]

Thor Platter named his debut album well. Take Time is an album that’s patient, empathetic and introspective in a way that most listeners would be wise to learn from. In most cases, the music matches the mood. The best tracks on Take Time are characterized by relaxed banjo or guitar work and an equally relaxed […]

At 37, Drew Kennedy is far from an old-timer on the Red Dirt Circuit that gives life to so many exceptional songwriters based out of Texas and Oklahoma. Yet Kennedy sounds as if he’s an elder statesman on the soothing and beautifully realized At Home In the Big Lonesome. Kennedy’s eighth album is by far […]

I was not particularly surprised when Amber Cross turned out to be a soft-spoken person. Savage on the Downhill, her first wide release solo album, is the rewarding result of time spent reflecting on quiet places and people. The music isn’t particularly sparse or underdone; Cross sings out confidently during hunting scenes, awkward silences in […]

Love Rides A Dark Horse, and so does Gill Landry. After producing a handful of solid albums both as a solo artist and with Old Crow Medicine Show before leaving the group, Landry came out of nowhere with an album that sounds a lot different than anything else he’s produced. It’s a melancholy record that […]

For the second time in just the last two years, Dori Freeman has released a delightful vocal showcase in sophomore album Letters Never Read. Freeman’s primary asset is her sweet, powerful voice. It’s one that cracks under perfect control in a way that’s reminiscent of a soft yodel. On Letters Never Read, Freeman’s vocals are […]

With a statement-making debut album in Onwards and the 2017 IBMA Band Momentum Award in hand, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Mile Twelve is headed somewhere. Onwards is a bold debut for the Boston-based group thanks to some ambitious songwriting and incredible picking. The title track begins the album with the harmonies and […]

Susan Gibson, a talented Texas songwriter most well known for penning the Dixie Chicks’ smash hit “Wide Open Spaces,” takes time to reflect on her upbringing and some traumatic events in her life on her new EP “Remember Who You Are” Lead track “Good News” will resonate well with a significant portion of the population […]

Zephaniah Ohora probably would have charted higher on Billboard’s top country albums list had he released This Highway a few decades ago, but it certainly wouldn’t have felt so unique and cathartic if he had. This Highway imitates the sound of classic country almost perfectly, though many of its clever lyrics feel more modern and […]

The West Coast is about to experience soaring red dirt anthems and high energy country barnburners courtesy of The Turnpike Troubadours starting late this month and going until mid-August including a big date August 3rd at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. This next run of dates is likely to be their last touring […]

On his seventh full-length album Kids in the Street, Justin Townes Earle takes on topics of both societal and personal importance with strong lyrics and a folk sound reminiscent of the era before the genre had broken completely away from the ancestor it shares with jazz and the blues. Despite the traditional influence, Earle positions […]

On “I’m Gone,” Matt Urmy expresses a preference for hearts that are uncomplicated and delighted. Urmy may not be the strongest vocalist, something he’ll readily admit, but the best americana spoken word performance from a young artist in years makes Urmy’s debut album Out of the Ashes an absolute delight, even if some of his […]

On Tuesday May 9th, the Americana Music Association revealed the nominees for the 2017 Americana Honors and Awards. As the Grammy’s have turned into a mush related field of industry and big business pop cultural influences, the Americana Awards remain grounded in honoring the best in songwriting and artistry. The 2017 Americana Honors and Awards will […]