THE READING ROOM: Jonathan Bernstein’s ‘What You Do When You’re Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle’
The road to literary and musical fame lies littered with the bodies of authors and artists who succumbed to the notion that the path to making great art or music runs through the valleys of suffering, the more torturous the better. On the one hand, the exquisite pain that torments
ALBUM REVIEW: Boy Golden Turns Suffering into Hope on ‘Best of Our Possible Lives’
Boy Golden (the stage name of singer/songwriter Liam Duncan) centers his fifth studio record, Best of Our Possible Lives, around the lead single and opening track, “Suffer.” Dirty, cosmic guitars swirl around similarly muddy drums that emit a transcendent throb. Razor-sharp lyrics (e.g., “I want to know
ALBUM REVIEW: Jeremy Ivey’s Home-Recorded 'Its Shape Will Reveal Itself' is Unvarnished and Honest
Jeremy Ivey’s “Walk With Me” rides slow on ambling cowboy chords, all at once cinematic and intimate. Its sound is more western than most of Ivey’s new Its Shape Will Reveal Itself. Tape wobble distorts Ivey’s voice as he sings of modern confusion. It fits the moment–
ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘The Knot’, The Waymores Stay True to Their Roots, Tweak Their Vintage Sound
The Anthology of American Folk Music, produced by Harry Smith and released in 1952, is a stunningly comprehensive document that compiled folk, country, and blues tracks recorded between 1926 and 1933. Including Mississippi John Hurt, Hoyt Ming and His Pep Steppers, The Carter Family, and Reverend Sister Nelson, among many
THROUGH THE LENS: Neil Young Tribute & Dwight Yoakam Benefit Highlight Roots Music During Grammy Awards Weekend
This year's Grammy awards, which took place in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 1, 2026, were an opportune time to highlight some of roots music's finest music and musicians.
On Friday, January 30 at the Roxy Theatre, Dwight Yoakam headlined the first Rockin’ For The Kids
In The Deep End With Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence
From their backgrounds, Melissa Carper and Theo Lawrence make an unexpected pair. Carper spent formative years between the Great Plains and the Ozarks, wielding her double bass, while singing lead in a variety of musical outfits. Lawrence, a young, French singer-songwriter, moved across the Atlantic Ocean to be closer