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Chris Griffy

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Cadence,’ Cinder Well Finds Beauty in the Dark Places

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Cadence,’ Cinder Well Finds Beauty in the Dark Places

Celtic mythology speaks of “thin places,” locations where the barrier between this world and the otherworld is permeable. Cadence, the new album from Cinder Well, is filled with thin places, moments when a strummed chord or a sung note is left to hang for just a second or two. It&

ALBUM REVIEW: City and Colour Grapples With Loss on ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’

ALBUM REVIEW: City and Colour Grapples With Loss on ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’

City and Colour has never been a band to bring a “sound of summer” feel-good hit to the table. Since its founding in 2005, the solo moniker of Alexisonfire guitarist Dallas Green has been known for atmospheric lyrics. City and Colour's new album, The Love Still Held Me

ALBUM REVIEW: Doolin’ Delights With French-Celtic-Folk Blend on ‘Circus Boy’

ALBUM REVIEW: Doolin’ Delights With French-Celtic-Folk Blend on ‘Circus Boy’

When you read the phrase “French Celtic supergroup,” you have certain expectations. Those expectations were met by Doolin' on their 2016 self-titled debut, which melded traditional Celtic and French chanson styles and led to a number of well-received festival appearances in both America and Europe. Circus Boy, their second

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: ‘Creepy Songs,’ Acoustic Rush Covers, and More Projects Off the Beaten Path

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: ‘Creepy Songs,’ Acoustic Rush Covers, and More Projects Off the Beaten Path

A while back I attended a Todd Snider and Chicago Farmer concert, and during one of Snider’s famous “as much as 16 minutes between the songs” monologues, he noted that the music he and Chicago Farmer make is now labeled as “Americana,” whereas for much of his career it

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: A Newly Found Live Recording of Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: A Newly Found Live Recording of Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels

I don't back all of the albums I feature in this space. If I did, I'd be writing for negative money. But I do back quite a few, and recently one I featured a while back (Lady Moon) sent my reward: a digital copy of the

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Pssst ... Bandcamp Fridays Are a Great Time for Roots Music Preorders

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Pssst ... Bandcamp Fridays Are a Great Time for Roots Music Preorders

In case you haven't heard the news, Bandcamp Fridays are back for the remainder of the year. For those unfamiliar, Bandcamp is a site that caters to independent and small-label artists, and Bandcamp Friday is an idea that began early in the pandemic. On the first Friday of

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Campaigns from Kevin Max, Richard X. Heyman, and More

CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Campaigns from Kevin Max, Richard X. Heyman, and More

Most weeks, this column has a theme. It isn't always meant to. It just happens that I look at the dozen or so albums I've got bookmarked for consideration and similarities come out. Not this week. So I'm taking a cue from Monty Python,