Sign in Become a member

Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: Mary Chapin Carpenter on Openness and Telling Your ‘One Story’

THE READING ROOM: Mary Chapin Carpenter on Openness and Telling Your ‘One Story’

Back in early August, Mary Chapin Carpenter released her newest album, The Dirt and the Stars. Like many of her earlier albums, this new one showcased her gift for moving along a narrative arc and creating a story that invites us into its center, carrying us from border to border

Will Kimbrough Makes the Most of Unplanned ‘Spring Break’

Will Kimbrough Makes the Most of Unplanned ‘Spring Break’

Will Kimbrough wasn’t planning to go on spring break, but when the pandemic hit and his tour was canceled, he spent his downtime writing some new songs about the days in which we’re living. On Spring Break Kimbrough evokes the spirit of dejection and loneliness, the voice of

THE READING ROOM: Jeff Tweedy Offers Insight and Encouragement in ‘How to Write One Song’

THE READING ROOM: Jeff Tweedy Offers Insight and Encouragement in ‘How to Write One Song’

Two years ago, Jeff Tweedy took us on a little tour of his life up till now in his autobiography Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. In what was one of the best music books of that year, Tweedy

Steep Canyon Rangers Perfect Their Blend on ‘Arm in Arm’

Steep Canyon Rangers Perfect Their Blend on ‘Arm in Arm’

Damn! This album is so good, you’ll be smiling or crying or dancing with every song. You can feel the spirit of the Steep Canyon Rangers in every note they play and sing here, as if you were sitting in the same room with them as they play. For

THE READING ROOM: Book Hangs Onto Disappearing History of Music Row

THE READING ROOM: Book Hangs Onto Disappearing History of Music Row

For many, Nashville means the bars owned by the stars — Blake Shelton’s Ole Red or Alan Jackson’s AJ’s Good Time Bar — or the legendary Tootsie’s, the honky-tonk across the alley from the Ryman Auditorium into which Opry stars would slip for a quick shot between shows.

Waylon Payne Builds a World within ‘Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me’

Waylon Payne Builds a World within ‘Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me’

On Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me, Waylon Payne shares the journey through his own personal hell as he ascends from the ravages of addiction and shattered family relationships to the restorative waters of love and hope in a riveting story cycle. The album opens with

Elizabeth Cook Emerges Triumphant on ‘Aftermath’

Elizabeth Cook Emerges Triumphant on ‘Aftermath’

Riding in on a fierce and defiant psychedelic stomp, “Bones” blows open Elizabeth Cook’s fifth album with a testimony to self and a declaration that the singer is moving on with her life. The song rides along a haunting guitar and vocal line, weaving beneath propulsive drums, creating a