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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: Dave Dalton Thomas’ 'Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition'

THE READING ROOM: Dave Dalton Thomas’ 'Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition'

Texas historian Joe Nick Patoski sums up the experience of attending one of Willie Nelson’s annual picnics as “living inside a Willie Nelson song every Fourth of July.” As Patoski writes in his foreword to journalist Dave Dalton Thomas’ Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition (Texas A&

THE READING ROOM: New Book Celebrates Street Singing Traditions

THE READING ROOM: New Book Celebrates Street Singing Traditions

In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival celebrated the lives and music of a group of fictional street singers Willy and the Poor Boys in their hit song “Down on the Corner.” As the four boys gather on the corner near suppertime, there’s a “happy noise” as they try “to bring

ALBUM REVIEW: Yonder Mountain String Band Heads Somewhere Good on 'Nowhere Next'

ALBUM REVIEW: Yonder Mountain String Band Heads Somewhere Good on 'Nowhere Next'

Despite the title of Yonder Mountain String Band’s new album, Nowhere Next, they’re always headed somewhere, blazing new sonic trails and revisiting some familiar musical territory. For the album’s 11 songs (it’s their 11th album, as well), the band chases each other around the tablature with

ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing

ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing

On his latest album, Last Leaf on the Tree, country music legend Willie Nelson reflects on mortality and love as he interprets songs by Tom Waits, Neil Young, Sunny War, Keith Richards, and Beck, among others. Produced by his son Micah, Last Leaf is Nelson’s 153rd album and his

THE READING ROOM: New Anthology Tells More of the Story of 'How Women Made Music'

THE READING ROOM: New Anthology Tells More of the Story of 'How Women Made Music'

There is a sense in which this book should not need to be written. Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Mother Maybelle Carter, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, among others, are the fount of the blues, jazz, gospel, country, and rock. So the title of this book gets it just right:

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘The American Dream’ Amy Speace Creates Landscapes of the Human Heart

ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘The American Dream’ Amy Speace Creates Landscapes of the Human Heart

Amy Speace creates landscapes of the human heart in her songs through her exquisite use of words and images. On her ninth album, The American Dream, Speace shines a light into the corners of our lives where we hide hopes and dreams to reveal their flaws, as well as their

ALBUM REVIEW: With 'Acadia,' Yasmin Williams Creates a Tranquil World

ALBUM REVIEW: With 'Acadia,' Yasmin Williams Creates a Tranquil World

In literature, Acadia is an idyllic place filled with plenty. Acadia is a fitting title, then, for the new album from Yasmin Williams. On this, her third album – her first for Nonesuch Records – the multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer creates a tranquil world with lush instrumentation, occasionally accompanied by enchanting vocals.