Ha Ha Tonka Get Philosophical on Rich Rocker Heart-Shaped Mountain from Bloodshot Records
In a strange way, most of the good things in my life can be traced back to Rhett Miller. Not only was the band he fronts, Old 97’s, one of my key entry points into the world of alt country, but, by virtue of his commitment to selecting the
Chuck Berry’s Promised Land
Chuck Berry was a walking contradiction. An inquisitive and highly intelligent student, born into a stable middle class family, who found himself incarcerated at 19 after an armed robbery spree with a broken pistol. A black man in his thirties in Jim Crow America who found a way to speak
My Closing Ceremonies
The final playlist is something that folks keep close to the heart. A thread through social media that became a topic on NPR hit home with this writer about songs to be played at their funeral. I must confess that my list dates back to first hearing an acoustic version
Mt. Joy Makes Party Music, But Is It a Party You'd Enjoy?
My college girlfriend and I had widely divergent tastes in music. She really liked gentle, upbeat folk-rock. I, at the time, was hooked on the cheesiest nu-metal 2001 had to offer. Jesus Christ, it wasn't even good metal – everyone sang like they were throwing up, while half the
Wylie Gustafson Splits Time Between Music and Ranching
Does anybody remember the TV and radio ads for Yahoo's search engines? Well, the guy who did the "Ya-hoo" was the artist in today's Radio Friendly spotlight, Wylie Gustufson. His fine new album, 2000 Miles from Nashville, includes two Nick Lowe covers.
Bill Frater:
Joan Baez's Amazing Grace
Joan Baez sings and plays with such understated beauty and elegance that any song she interprets sparkles with glimmers of her just-right vocal phrasing and her cascading guitar work. Her newest album, Whistle Down the Wind, comes a decade after her 2008 Grammy-nominated Day After Tomorrow. Baez’s commitment to