ALBUM REVIEW: With 'The Spur,' Joan Shelley Accesses Another Creative Plane
2019’s Like the River Loves the Sea was a pivotal release for Joan Shelley. Recorded in Reykjavik, adeptly produced by James Elkington, and benefiting from the violin and cello contributions of Icelandic sisters Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir and Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir, the album forged a traditionally grounded yet avant-garde leaning,
ALBUM REVIEW: Peter Rowan Bridges Genres and Generations on ‘Calling You From My Mountain’
“Bluegrass will not let me leave,” Peter Rowan insists. But that doesn't mean he’ll be confined by any boundaries that fans, critics, or artists may put on the genre.
Rowan has impeccable bluegrass cred, having been a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys as
THROUGH THE LENS: Kate Bush and Other 'Stranger Things' Moments in Roots Music
When was the last time a song released 37 years ago topped the singles charts? Thanks to the TV series Stranger Things, Kate Bush and her song “Running Up That Hill,” from 1985’s Hounds of Love, have found a new legion of fans. When it was first released, the
'Shake Off Your Chains’: The Story Behind ‘Songs of Slavery and Emancipation’
EDITOR’S NOTE: Songs of Slavery and Emancipation is a collection of 31 newly discovered songs that don’t just lament slavery but call for resistance and revolt. Some were written by abolitionists, including free Black people and fugitive slaves, and some by people still enslaved. The songs date as
In the Deep End With Chatham Rabbits
When you see North Carolina folk duo Chatham Rabbits on stage, you’re getting the real deal: heartfelt lyrics over guitar and banjo, an instant connection with audiences, and banter that can only come from a married duo that spends way too much time together but still manages to be
JOURNAL EXCERPT: Inside the World of Elvis Presley Memorabilia Collectors
EDITOR’S NOTE: With Baz Luhrmann's new film, Elvis, coming to theaters on June 24, we thought we’d share part of this story from our Winter 2019 “Vision” journal about the annual gathering called "Elvis Week" and the troves of Elvis memorabilia that can be