ALBUM REVIEW: Grace, Empathy, and Crys Matthews' 'Reclamation'
I don’t think any album could have better timing than Crys Matthews’ Reclamation. Matthews does not shy away from politics, as all too many artists have, nor does she shrink from naming specific social issues and crafting thoughtful songs about them. (We have let far too many artists get
ALBUM REVIEW: Parchman Prison Prayer: Another Mississippi Sunday Morning
For most people, Sunday is a day of rest and reflection, a time to put the trials and tribulations of the past week behind and look forward to a new beginning. But for the men of Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm, new beginnings are hard to come
CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Three Album Projects and L.A. Fire Suggestions
It would be remiss of me to write this month's Crowdfunding Radar without acknowledging the greatest crowdfunding need going at this time: those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. There are a number of places where you can donate to relief efforts. For general aid,
The American Red
ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Humanhood’ Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station) Explores the Messiness of Living
Tamara Lindeman makes challenging music. It’s not meant to bring comfort, but somehow always does it anyway, just by ferrying to the surface the innermost thoughts that plague so many. The Weather Station, Lindeman’s recording outfit, has centered climate grief, coming of age anxiety, and an increasingly disconnected
THROUGH THE LENS: Mountain Stage Celebrates 40 Years of Roots Music
Mountain Stage’s 40th year of presenting one of a kind performances before a live audience to listeners and viewers around the world was a momentous one. The show traveled to four different venues within its home state of West Virginia (Morgantown, Clarksburg, Huntington, and Clarksburg), and three out of
BONUS TRACKS: Remembering Peter Yarrow; L.A. Fires; and Other Music News
This week’s Bonus Tracks begins with a reflection on an evening last summer with Peter Yarrow, who died this week on Jan. 7, at the age of 86. Yarrow was best-known as part of Peter, Paul and Mary, one of the defining folk music groups of Greenwich Village’