THROUGH THE LENS: BeachLife Ranch Festival and Los Angeles Folk Festival
Two new festivals in California recently showcased the state’s varied flavors of roots music and festival settings.
The second installment of the BeachLife Ranch Festival took place Sept. 22-24 in Redondo Beach. Less than 30 miles to the northeast, the Los Angeles Folk Festival made its debut Oct. 8-9
FRESH TRACK: Alan Doyle & The Dardanelles – 'St. John's Waltz'
From the album Sonny Don't Go Away – A Tribute to Ron Hynes. From Alan Doyle about the song: "'St. John’s Waltz' is perfect poetry. A painting with words and melody. It is literally enchanting. Instantly makes the listener understand a lot about the place
No Depression Sessions at AmericanaFest: Lola Kirke
Singer, songwriter, and actress Lola Kirke shared three new songs from her forthcoming Elle King-produced EP Country Curious during our No Depression Sessions at AmericanaFest 2023, shot at Jaan’s House in Nashville.
Watch as Kirke and Josh Kaler on electric guitar and pedal steel pick n' strum through
BONUS TRACKS: Brutal News From Bandcamp, The Birth of a Folk Standard, and More
In a music business landscape where independent artists are getting punched from just about every direction, Bandcamp has long offered a more loving embrace. It truly seemed aimed at connecting artists and fans, and allowing artists to be fairly compensated for the music and merch they sold on the platform.
ALBUM REVIEW: Alice Gerrard Continues Old-Time Trailblazing With Outspoken ‘Sun to Sun’
It’s been eight years since Alice Gerrard’s Grammy-nominated 2015 album Follow the Music, so it’s a treat to have a new project, Sun to Sun, from her.
For the past 60 years, songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist Gerrard has been passing along and preserving old-time Appalachian and bluegrass music.
ALBUM REVIEW: Across ‘About the Winter,’ Barbaro Weaves Big Messages From Small Details
Minneapolis-based Barbaro mines life’s most intimate and seemingly mundane moments in an attempt to extrapolate larger lessons about life itself and the nature of our fragile existence. Songs like “The Lil Sweaters” and “Apples to Apples,” from their newest album, About the Winter, are illuminated by minutiae like red,