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Peter Blackstock

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Leslie Mendelson, Lemon Twigs, Fastball, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Leslie Mendelson, Lemon Twigs, Fastball, and More

We’ve hit the middle of 2024, and first-rate new albums seem to be coming fast and furious. Here’s a look at five of my favorites released in May and June, all of which may well end up on my year-end top ten. Leslie Mendelson — After the Party I’

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Get (Re)Acquainted With T Bone Burnett, Mark Knopfler, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Get (Re)Acquainted With T Bone Burnett, Mark Knopfler, and More

More often than not, I use these Founders’ Keepers columns to highlight artists you might not already know. There’s some of that this month, too — but we’ll bolt out of the gate with some star power. Mark Knopfler is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Shane Smith, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Shane Smith, and More

About a year ago, celebrating Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl with an all-star cast of dozens, I was reminded how much Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow have contributed to popular music over the past few decades. Both have new albums out in March, which seemed like

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Watchhouse, Office Dog, Martin Zellar, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Watchhouse, Office Dog, Martin Zellar, and More

Yes, it’s 2024, but I’ll confess: I keep writing 2023 on my music playlists. Which is to say that alongside two January releases in this month’s Founders’ Keepers batch are four records from the latter part of last year that I hadn’t yet gotten around to

ALBUM REVIEW: A Front-Row Seat to Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration

ALBUM REVIEW: A Front-Row Seat to Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration

Ain’t nothing wrong with celebrating your 90th birthday all year long, especially when you’re Willie Nelson. The party started April 29-30, when dozens of popular music’s biggest names — and some well-chosen lesser-knowns — gathered at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to celebrate Willie’s actual birthday. (Though

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Straight Outta Austin, Seattle, and Beyond

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Straight Outta Austin, Seattle, and Beyond

I left Austin, the town where my family moved when I was 4 years old, three times in the 1980s. That was for summer internships (in California, New York, and Alaska), and I knew I’d be back. But even then, it was often hard to be away from a

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Jeff Plankenhorn, John P. Strohm, Luluc, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Jeff Plankenhorn, John P. Strohm, Luluc, and More

The goal of these Founders’ Keepers columns, for me anyway, is fairly personal. The half-dozen “keepers” I highlight every couple of months aren’t intended as any sort of comprehensive Americana overview; rather, they’re simply a few records that have connected with me lately. More often than not, it’