THROUGH THE LENS: Let’s Go to Luckenbach, Texas … With Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobby Bare, and More
Serendipity happens. In response to the Through the Lens column of two weeks ago that included Jerry Jeff Walker’s influential album ¡Viva Terlingua! that was recorded at the Luckenbach Texas Dance Hall, I got a note from contributing ND photographer Kevin Smith saying that he had visited the venue
What Hazel Dickens Gave to a Riot Grrrl
As I sat taking on the weight of yet another motherless Mother’s Day recently, I pulled out the Hazel & Alice record that my mom raised her three daughters on. The stark gray album cover features a small black-and-white photo of two women, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. Their
Teddy Thompson Makes Studio Magic on ‘Heartbreaker Please’
Right now the studio may just be the most important instrument.
Think about it: Live music, that ephemeral, magical, simultaneously intimate and mass experience, is off the table (and likely not coming back soon), thanks to COVID-19. Live streams and virtual shows are cool and all, but this really seems
THE READING ROOM: New Levon Helm Book Delves into The Band and Beyond
Levon Helm would have turned 80 this week. It’s been just over eight years since his unmistakable voice fell silent and his steady, propulsive drumming rolled over yonder. Spending the day listening to his music — whether from his years with The Hawks or The Band or from his albums
50 STATES OF FOLK: How the Banjo Put Down Roots in North Carolina
We’re all familiar with the sounds of the banjo, popularized in the American imagination by media highlights like the dead-eyed banjo picker in Deliverance and the band on Hee Haw. But more than anything, you would recognize the iconic, rollicking sounds of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song, played by
THROUGH THE LENS: Willie Nelson's First Fourth of July Picnic
Willie Nelson’s first Fourth of July Picnic, in 1973, was inspired by the Dripping Springs Reunion held at the Hurlbut Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas, the year before, where Nelson and other country music favorites performed. While its promotion and attendance were lackluster, Nelson recognized that the Reunion had