Columns

This may come as a surprise to some of you reading this but actor Jeff Daniels is an accomplished guitar player, singer and musical storyteller, having released six albums, his first a live recording in 2004 to benefit his theater company, the Purple Rose Theater. For the man who appeared in such memorable films as […]

Knoxville’s Cereus Bright plays infectious, high-energy folk music that’s receiving increased attention, especially after recent slots opening for high-profile artists like Sturgill Simpson, Jackie Greene and The Lone Bellow. The band’s five-song EP “Happier Than Me” demonstrates the emotional and sonic range of their music, from contemplative to raucous. The most interesting and complex song […]

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 […]

“Our music definitely hearkens another era,” singer Nicki Bluhm has said and she certainly proves that with her new album with her band The Gramblers. Called Loved Wild Lost, her voice is as cool as a Tennessee mountain spring. But it is the way she turns a phrase that ultimately wins you over. Describing 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 […]

With artists like The Who, Elton John, John Legend, Lady Gaga and Widespread Panic headlining the 2015 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, it will surely be another record-breaking event. But for a moment, let’s forget about those big name musical acts. You will have five to six hours each day of the seven day […]

If you’re familiar with Brooklyn’s Pimps of Joytime the first thing that most likely comes to mind is their live shows, which are bubbling with funky energy to say the least. The group’s third studio album, Jukestone Paradise, sees them harnessing their explosive live power within the confines of a studio into something that grooves […]

Kristin Diable has been on the music scene for several years now, nabbing accolades from notable publications and winning over fans who come to her shows. Not one to focus on covering other people’s songs, not even during her early years when she was singing with her sister, Diable has always been about originality, pulling […]

In Vinyl Lives we spotlight and profile record stores around the country who offer music lovers an experience that goes beyond an iTunes purchase or a Spotify playlist. Vinyl has found a new resurgence and the good folks behind independent record stores are on the front line, directly responsible for curating a unique collection of […]

Last week, Aerosmith front-man-turned-American-Idol-shill Steven Tyler announced plans to release a solo country album for newly revived country label Dot Records. The news sent alternating waves of amusement and bafflement through the Glide offices as we each pondered and discussed the question that was on everybody’s mind: “What the actual fuck is he thinking?” Tyler […]

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 […]

Five Things to Know About Merlefest 2015 Merlefest, a highlight of North Carolina’s spring festival season, which takes place April 23-26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College, bills itself as “Traditional Plus.” So alongside the old-time and bluegrass bands, festival-goers can also expect to see the musicians who are taking those roots and growing […]

“I consider myself unbelievably lucky,” British-born singer Michael Des Barres told me a few weeks ago when calling from his home in California. With a new album and a gloriously positive attitude about life, Des Barres takes all the good, the bad, the ugly and the extraordinarily fun with a wink and a smile. He […]

Chicago’s Ryley Walker is a folk singer whose unique brand of musicianship is a melding of styles, from the fingerpicking schools of Bert Jansch and Pentangle to the blue-eyed soul of Van Morrison and the free-jazz guitar of Sonny Sharrock. He can discuss any number of these influences, and although he doesn’t claim to have some all-encompassing […]

Although the two leaders of Steely Dan – Donald Fagen and Walter Becker – are grouchy New Yorkers as they approach their 70’s, their songbook still stands up as some of the most original and funky music ever laid to tape. Steely Dan have never been directly derived from any other artist, and instead they […]

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 […]

Todd Rundgren has had one of those eclectic careers that keeps your name on the musical radar even when you’re sitting at home twiddling your thumbs … which is not something Rundgren does very often. He is full of gears and switches and nobs that keep his brain humming and his body synchronizing out the […]

As a greater drunk than I once opined, “time is a flat circle.” Nowhere is this idea—the idea that history is in a constant state of repeating itself—more apparent than in the world of pop culture. As the wheel of pop culture turns, the popular becomes passé and fades from memory, until such a time […]

Following years of work as a sideman for musical greats including David Bowie, Radiohead, St. Vincent, Elton John, The National, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright’s band, Alberta Cross and playing as a member of Polyphonic Spree, Louis Schwadron is now focusing his energy on solo project, Sky White Tiger. Schwadron released his debut album […]