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Peter Blackstock

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Claire Kelly Leads an Impressive Batch of New Music from Americana Women

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Claire Kelly Leads an Impressive Batch of New Music from Americana Women

You never know where you’ll find an artist who rocks your world. Last summer, a trip to the upper Midwest included the Mile of Music Fest in Appleton, Wis., where I saw several sets by Nashville singer-songwriter Claire Kelly and her red-hot backing band, which blew me

Buddy Miller Mixes Country-Soul Classics With Fresh Originals on Self-Titled Return

Buddy Miller Mixes Country-Soul Classics With Fresh Originals on Self-Titled Return

Buddy Miller has recorded music under his own name for the last 30 years, but his influence on roots music stretches far wider. He began playing in the ’70s in Austin, where he met his future wife Julie Griffin when they both were in a band called Partners in Crime.

The Jayhawks Mine Youth, Nostalgia, and New Places on New LP 'Sanctuary Park'

The Jayhawks Mine Youth, Nostalgia, and New Places on New LP 'Sanctuary Park'

Never mind Americana, here’s Canadiana. Back in the late 1980s when the rootsy Toronto group Blue Rodeo arrived on the scene, Rolling Stone issued a provocative declaration: “The best new American band may very well be Canadian.” Just south of the border back then, a fledgling Minneapolis band called

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Margo Price Sings Truth to Power, Plus New Music from Luluc, Mason Jennings and More

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Margo Price Sings Truth to Power, Plus New Music from Luluc, Mason Jennings and More

Here’s a challenge to all Americana artists: Start recording and releasing sociopolitical songs NOW (if you haven’t already). Write new songs if you’re good at that, but if not, there’s plenty out there that could always use a wider airing. As Margo Price recently told Salon

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: The Last Word on Slim Dunlap, a Two-Part Glen Hansard Set, and More

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: The Last Word on Slim Dunlap, a Two-Part Glen Hansard Set, and More

A two-disc reissue, the first half of a double live album, three fast-rising women singer-songwriters, and possibly the oldest artist ever to release a debut record: This month’s Founders’ Keepers column is a grab-bag of weird stories and musical wonders. Slim Dunlap — Every Little Word

ALBUM REVIEW: Terry Allen Brings a Family Full of Blood Sucking Maniacs on Latest Album

ALBUM REVIEW: Terry Allen Brings a Family Full of Blood Sucking Maniacs on Latest Album

Terry Allen has been many things across eight decades of living, including an artist and musician. Since his 1975 debut Juarez, Allen’s made more than a dozen albums that have established him as one of the all-time great Texas songwriters, one with a perspective and style like none

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: The Triumphant Return of Crooked Fingers, Plus New Music from the Delines, Steve Poltz, and More

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: The Triumphant Return of Crooked Fingers, Plus New Music from the Delines, Steve Poltz, and More

We lead off this month with two bands that mix Americana and indie vibes in different measures, with Eric Bachmann’s Crooked Fingers rising from a long hiatus and Portland’s the Delines continuing a decade-long hot streak. Then it’s on to songwriters, from the wit and wisdom