Archive: 2016

The newly revitalized lineup of ’90s Washington D.C. alt-country staples The Linemen is gearing up to release its debut album Close the Place Down (due 10/14). The 10-song collection ranges from the melancholy valentine of a title track to the roiling honky-tonk abandon of “Playing Hard to Get Even” and jangle-pop perfection of “Mystery in the […]

Lay These Weapons Down (out 10/21) is the sophomore record from the Champaign, IL indie outfit Rebecca Rego and The Trainmen and represents a swift departure from their 2014 debut folk release Tolono. LTWD is a sonic exercise the group planned and labored on for over a year. Since the release of Tolono, the group has faced divorce, death, […]

[rating=8.00] Breakup albums are a dime a dozen, and anyone who has ever had a broken heart can attest to the appeal of hearing an artist they love relate to their feelings through songs. But there’s something extra special about I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always, the new album – definitely of the breakup variety […]

Gov’t Mule will ring in 2017 as they once again bring their beloved tradition back to NYC’s Beacon Theater for a special two-night New Year’s Eve celebration on December 30th and 31st. VIP pre-sale tickets will be available on Wednesday, October 12th at 12pm EST and will go on-sale to the public on Wednesday, October […]

What secrets lay hidden within HBO’s latest series?

Plus, The Girl on the Train stays on track in opening weekend.

If you want to hear the most angelic sound, listen to Sara Watkins sing “Like New Year’s Day” off her new record Young in All the Wrong Ways, to a quiet, rapt audience. Such a treat was granted on October 5th at Bowery Ballroom where Watkins delivered a stellar live show filled with new songs […]

Andy Timmons has built his reputation into a well-respected cerebral guitar instrumentalist. He’s been on the G4 ticket with Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert, and toured with former Scorpions guitarist Uli Jon Roth; all three men known for their technical performances. You’ve got to be pretty darn good to hang with those guys onstage and […]

For years now, Courtney Granger has been best known as the fiddle player in the renowned Cajun band the Pine Leaf Boys. Now Granger is taking things in a different direction with the release of his debut solo album Beneath Still Waters, which comes out on October 14th on Louisiana label Valcour Records. Cajun music and country music […]

[rating=9.00] Shovels & Rope have made quite an imprint in wider circles since receiving honors as best new band from the Americana Music Association for their formal debut O’ Be Joyful in 2013. Not content to rest on those kudos, the duo — consisting of multi-instrumentalists Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent — have showed […]

Since forming nearly two decades ago, Okkervil River have been through many changes both in terms of their sound and when it comes to their personnel. Anchoring the band all this time has been frontman and principal songwriter Will Sheff. Collaborating with different musicians for each album – and sometimes bringing back old band mates […]

The 8th annual UTOPiAfest once again brought an eclectic lineup of music and people to the bucolic setting of the Texas Hill Country. Music lovers gathered at Four Sisters Ranch in Utopia, Texas on September 30-October 2, 2016 to catch Ratatat, Victor Wooten, Rubblebucket, Whiskey Shivers, Vapors of Morphine, and lots more acts. Photos by Arthur […]

Enter the mind of Mild High Club’s Alex Brettin and you find it overflowing with a deeply philosophical connection to creating music in its rawest form. Their latest release Skiptracing is a dreamy and richly introspective album that explores matters of both the heart and mind and draws from jazz, blues, and funk influences with […]

British sensation Tom Odell played Philly’s Johnny Brenda’s on October 3rd for the first stop on his U.S tour. Odell is touring in support of his album Wrong Crowd released in June of this year and judging from the photos “showmanship” comes first and second nature for the pianist/singer/songwriter. Photos by Cathy Poulton

The crowd that turned out to see Mandolin Orange was surprisingly large one for a rainy Wednesday night in Portland at the Wonder Ballroom. Then again, this is a bluegrass loving town and the North Carolina band is most definitely rooted in that style. But, more importantly, they also just released an album, Blindfaller, that easily […]

[rating=9.00] If, like me, you were one of the devout followers of Hiss Golden Messenger’s 2014 record Lateness of Dancers, one of the year’s best, than you’ve likely been waiting for its follow up with bated breath. And with the Durham, North Carolina band’s new release Heart Like a Levee, M.C. Taylor has not let […]

Oakland singer-songwriter Joe Rut may not be a household name, but fans of alt-country, Americana, and folk will quickly find themselves drawn to the creative ramblings of this quirky character. Rut counts acts like Todd Snider, Jason Isbell, The Band, and the Grateful Dead as influences, and those influences can be heard on the impressive collection […]

James Blake’s sold out set at Boston’s House of Blues on October 4th was a haunting digital deconstruction of electronic music’s most iconoclastic mind. The young Brit has established himself as an almost anti-dance icon whose music showcases a masterful semblance of groove and soul but without resorting to the drops and air horns lazy […]