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Robert Earl Keen - Straight outta Bandera

In pondering the uniqueness of Robert Earl Keen, let's compare him with his fellow Texan Lyle Lovett. College buddies and fellow Aggies, the two co-wrote "The Front Porch Song", which each recorded early in their careers. They shared a circle of formative acquaintance and influence on

Star Hustler - Not your steppingstone

Star Hustler's Jason Hatfield may be a springboard for rising starlets. The brother of alt-pop/rocker Juliana Hatfield, he began playing music in Boston with Mary Lou Lord in the band Chupa when she was strumming in subways back in the early '90s. Lord left to forge

Virginia Dare - Hardly hard work

In the atypical little world of the Makeout Room in San Francisco's Mission District, Virginia Dare is in heavy rotation. Their music is always playing between bands' sets, and their shows there attract a lively crowd. But don't chalk up such popularity to a hard-work

Bob Dylan / Van Morrison / Lucinda Williams - Rose Garden Arena (Portland, OR)

Watching Lucinda Williams step on the Rose Garden Arena stage as the crowd of 14,000 filed in, I recalled the first time I saw her perform, in 1989 at a small club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Her tentativeness that night and almost Sally Field-ish reaction to the crowd&

Loretta Lynn - Konocti Harbor - Classic Concert Showroom (Kelseyville, CA)

It took me a lot longer to get to rural Kelseyville than I thought it would. When I finally entered the Konocti Harbor Classic Concert Showroom, a fight had already broken out and been subdued. The comedian had finished his impressions and taken his bow. The last new-country strains of

Heather Myles - Highways and Honky Tonks

After recording a couple of critically acclaimed albums for HighTone (along with a live import release), this Southern California country singer shows no sign of losing steam on her first studio album in over three years. In fact, it may very well turn out to be one of the year&

Rhonda Vincent - Yesterday And Today: 30 Years Of Music

Neophytes could be forgiven if, after comparing this album's cover photo to its subtitle, they concluded that Rhonda Vincent is remarkably well-preserved. After all, there aren't many folks around who can lay claim to that amount of experience while still years shy of a 40th birthday.