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Gary Stoller

Si Kahn at 75: Friendships, Music, and Balancing the Scales

Si Kahn at 75: Friendships, Music, and Balancing the Scales

“Do you know that old song ‘Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage?’” folk singer Si Kahn asks last month, a few days after his 75th birthday. “That’s the relationship between music and activism,” says Kahn, who has fought for the oppressed and

Do You Ever Think of Me? Friends Remember Songwriter Fred Neil

Do You Ever Think of Me? Friends Remember Songwriter Fred Neil

Though Stephen Stills and a handful of other musicians have spoken reverently for decades about the music of the late reclusive 1960s singer-songwriter Fred Neil, Neil has remained unknown to most music fans. His life was largely a mystery after he stopped performing in the early 1970s and left New

The 'Effortless' Performance that Made Chris Smither Feel Lucky

The 'Effortless' Performance that Made Chris Smither Feel Lucky

Chris Smither’s new double album is titled Call Me Lucky, and he surely sounds like a man with no complaints. “Call me lucky” are the first words he sings on the album’s first song “The Blame’s on Me,” and “on reflection,” Smither tells me, “I decided that

Randy Bachman on His Heroes and Favorite Albums

Randy Bachman on His Heroes and Favorite Albums

Randy Bachman says his musical heroes are “guys who don't stop, even though they can.” He names 10 such heroes:Neil Young, Sting, EltonJohn, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Plant, Willie Nelson,and Tony Bennett. As Bachman heads for his 75th birthday this September,

Tommy Talton Recalls Last Gig with Gregg Allman and a Lesson from The Band

Tommy Talton Recalls Last Gig with Gregg Allman and a Lesson from The Band

Memories of the night of Oct. 29, 2016, at Atlanta’s Lakewood Amphitheatre will forever be etched in the mind of guitarist and songwriter Tommy Talton. It was the last time Talton spoke to and played with Gregg Allman, joining him onstage for “Melissa.” “I am so happy we could

Steve Forbert Lists His Favorite Three Albums

Steve Forbert Lists His Favorite Three Albums

For three years, the prevailing theme of my Best I’ve Ever Seen column has been musicians talking about the best concerts they attended by other artists. To mix it up a bit, I decided to broaden the theme and from time to time allow readers to learn which albums

‘Sometimes the Good Guys Win’: Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy Meets Kris Kristofferson

‘Sometimes the Good Guys Win’: Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy Meets Kris Kristofferson

Blue Rodeo’s catalog is vast and filled with so many outstanding albums that it’s easy to overlook the excellent solo albums released through the years by members of the Canadian band. A new album, Constellation, was just released by Jim Cuddy, and it’s another winner for Blue