ALBUM REVIEW: Billy Joe Shaver Tribute Shows Good Songs Truly ‘Live Forever’
Billy Joe Shaver made a lot of records before he died in 2020, but his songwriting paid the bills. While the Texas-born maverick once joked he had a knack for putting labels out of business, a slew of other artists have been happy to enjoy the fruits of his labors
In the Deep End With Dan Mangan
It’s the final day of Folk Music Ontario — a four-day festival and conference celebrating the folk traditions of Canada’s most populous province — and singer-songwriter Dan Mangan has arrived from the opposite side of the country with just about 12 hours to spare before his event. He’s scheduled
ALBUM REVIEW: Springsteen Stays on the Surface for Soul Covers
Poet, soothsayer, boss, shaman, future of rock and roll: Bruce Springsteen has had a lot of capes thrown around his shoulders throughout his career. But recently he realized he also had a bespoke accessory, a soulman cape languishing in his wardrobe closet that he wanted to haul out and revisit.
ALBUM REVIEW: Details Do the Work on Elizabeth Moen’s ‘Wherever You Aren’t’
It’s taken a few years for word of Elizabeth Moen’s remarkable vocal work and bluesy rock melodies to spread beyond her Midwestern roots, but Wherever You Aren’t is the ideal vehicle to carry her music farther than ever before, a strong set of 10 songs that serve
THROUGH THE LENS: Healing Appalachia and White Rose Music Fests Ring In Fall
This week the column is staying in Appalachia for two recently founded roots music festivals: Healing Appalachia in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and the White Rose Music Fest in York, Pennsylvania. Despite having different origins, the fests shared a couple artists in their lineups, and both bring a great sense of
Seth Avett Honors His Musical Hero With ‘Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown’
Most teenagers don’t take kindly to musical suggestions from their dad, but when Seth Avett’s father suggested he listen to a song by Greg Brown he’d recently heard on public radio’s Prairie Home Companion, Avett paid attention.
The song was “Boomtown,” a scorching social commentary about