Archive: 2024

In the canon of alt-country music and specifically the bands that emerged from the late 80s and early 90s scenes, few acts have proven to be as resilient and timeless as Old 97’s. While many of these acts have called it quits or resorted to the occasional nostalgia-driven show, this Texas band has kept on […]

With an eccentric mix of country and offshade country, it’s hard to believe Jeff Evans wasn’t a member of either The Meat Puppets or Butthole Surfers for at least even an album sometime back in the mid or late-80s. He certainly seems to follow in the path of artists like Jeff Pinkus, Paul Leary, and […]

“Sing them and let your soul, your cells, begin to recall the ways of your ancestors. How we lived in harmony with nature long before buildings, before technology, before we severed our ties to the earth in the name of progress. A friend of mine said, “We are the regeneration,” but before you can even […]

Ghosts is the sixth solo album from Chicago-based musician and songwriter Steve Dawson. It’s being released June 7th on venerable Chicago label Pravda Records on CD, 12” LP vinyl, digital download, and on streaming platforms. Hope, a poet wrote, is a thing with feathers, perched in the soul and singing a tune without words. In […]

This week, we’re paying tribute to everyone’s favorite Jui-Jitsu practicing, Jungian psychology studying, winemaking multi-platinum selling vocalist extraordinaire, the one and only Maynard James Keenan, who will be celebrating his 60th birthday this coming Wednesday. To kick things off, we’re throwing it back to the very infancy of his music career with this incredibly visceral […]

Under the cold spring rain of April 11th, MonoNeon (aka Dwayne Thomas Jr.) was smack in the middle of his ten-show run at the historic Blue Note in New York City. The venue was sold out for the early show as the maestro of funky bass commanded the stage with his fluid band and special […]

Back in February, Matthew Logan Vasquez released a new solo collection called Frank’s Full Moon Saloon, which found him reimagining songs from his successful indie rock outfit Delta Spirit into more of a folk vein. Of course, this being the celebratory nature that comes with anything Vasquez gets involved in, the album came with plenty […]

Judging by the strong retro country sound of The Long Way, the debut from Nicolette & The Nobodies, you’d assume Nicolette Hoang grew up in a Kentucky holler a generation or two ago. Rather, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants grew up in Ontario, raised on Shania Twain, Celine Dion, and Bright Eyes albums. But there is […]

With a quarter century hindsight, it’s time to declare Echo (released 4/13/99) the great unsung album of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Fifteen tracks running sixty-two some minutes might’ve seemed like a bit much at the time of its original release, but with extended perspective, this last effort to be (co) produced by Rick Rubin–along with TP […]

Just when you think 2024 is slowing down on impressive releases, we are hit with another wave of innovative minds. This week’s Caustic is brimming with surprise returns and refreshing takes on the nostalgic, spiritual jazz gets a facelift while some of rock’s most missed acts make a return. There is so much to get […]

Goodnight, Texas is a band you’ve almost certainly heard by accident somewhere. And now on second look, you’re deep in their catalog and they’re telling you stories about trapped coal miners and lovebird bank robbers. Banjos and mandolins twinkle. Now you’re seeing them live and they’re swelling to a fever pitch, suddenly singing quiet harmonies […]

The long-term history of Fleetwood Mac is all too often overlooked, partly because of the sad demise of British guitarist Peter Green in his later years. After a stint in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (where he replaced Eric Clapton), the guitarist founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 and quickly established the new band as a distinctive entry into the blues […]

California, known for its diverse landscape and vibrant culture, is also home to a thriving casino industry. From tribal gaming establishments to commercial casinos, these gaming facilities contribute significantly to the state’s economy and tourism sector.  In this article, we’ll explore the economic impact of California casinos, shedding light on the various ways in which […]

The title of the newest release from Leyla McCalla, Sun Without The Heat, is a reference to a speech Frederick Douglass gave six years before the Emancipation Proclamation, foreshadowing a great struggle for progress, one we are still grappling with today. While politics are never far from McCalla, her lyrics for this record focus more […]

The hard-to-classify debut from the Chattanooga, TN-based Call Me Spinster is titled Potholes, as a trio of sisters delivers a quirky, shifting record that never sits still for very long.  Amelia Graber Jacobs, Rachel Graber Fortin, and Rosalie Graber play a kaleidoscope of instruments and sing with smooth harmonies throughout the effort which was produced […]

Phish has announced today’s premiere of “Evolve,” the title track from their forthcoming new album, available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Phish’s 16th studio album and first in over four years, Evolve arrives via JEMP Records on Friday, July 12. The announcement of Evolve continues what is proving a momentous year for Phish, […]

“The best country songs take you home,” says Nicolette Hoang, frontwoman and songwriter for the Guelph, Ontario-based band, Nicolette & The Nobodies. “I want to write music that does that, songs that take you home.” Nicolette is romantic about retro Western music; she speaks with a soft grit, a warm and distinguished rattle that lends […]

Zev Feldman is an internationally recognized, GRAMMY-nominated independent record producer and the Co-President of Resonance Records in Los Angeles. He is also a consulting producer of archival and historical recordings for Blue Note Records. He’s widely known as the “Jazz Detective.” Over the last 25 years, he has worked for PolyGram, Universal Music Group, Rhino/Warner […]

At this point, alter-egos have run rampant in hip-hop. MF DOOM can be found rapping under countless pseudonyms and modern artists like J.Cole and Flying Lotus have adopted this approach. This opens up the door to so many possibilities, a fresh start for an artist who has already established their sound and doesn’t want to […]