On Solo Album, Nathaniel Rateliff Gives Voice to Vulnerability
When Nathaniel Rateliff began writing the songs that grew into And It’s Still Alright, his friend Richard Swift encouraged him to make a solo record, thinking it’d be liberating for Rateliff to record a project separate from his band, The Night Sweats.
Rateliff had always trusted Swift’s
The Lone Bellow Craft a Bright Masterpiece on 'Half Moon Light'
The Lone Bellow have never been strangers to letting their personal lives saturate the music they create. In fact, Zach Williams first began writing songs as a way to cope with the paralysis his wife was left with following a horseback riding accident. Since that moment — which, miraculously, evolved into
Frazey Ford Goes Political, Cements Her Singular Style on ‘U kin B the Sun’
It’s slightly annoying that Frazey Ford’s lyrics are frequently indecipherable. That said, her voice and melodies are so uniquely compelling that her verbal content almost seems incidental. She could be singing stats from an actuary table, and I’d probably still be on board. Additionally, the musicians who
THE READING ROOM: Where Politics and Country Music Collide
Some listeners these days like their concerts to be politics-free zones. They want the shows they attend to be entertaining, and they’re there for the music; they leave their political debates at the door to the venue, and they won’t hesitate to tell artists to “Shut up and
The Lil Smokies Keep Progressive Bluegrass Going on 'Tornillo'
Missoula, Montana five-piece The Lil’ Smokies cross folk songwriting and bluegrass instrumentation with a sense of rock and roll rebellion throughout its third album, Tornillo. Members Matt Cornette (banjo), Andy Dunnigan (vocals, dobro), Scott Parker (bass), Matt “Rev” Rieger (guitar, vocals) and Jake Simpson (fiddle, vocals) went to Tornillo, Texas,
THE READING ROOM: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jazz
Martin Luther King, Jr. once called Mahalia Jackson his favorite singer. She was with him before and after he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Memorial on August 28, 1963. King asked her to sing the familiar spiritual “How I Got Over” before his address, and