Blitzen Trapper Contemplates the Bardo on ‘Holy Smokes Future Jokes’
With Holy Smokes Future Jokes, Blitzen Trapper releases a 10th set of engaging songs, replete with potent lyrics and enthusiastic instrumentation. The project — available on vinyl at independent record stores on Sept. 18 and widely released on all formats Sept. 25 — opens with “Baptismal,” a multi-genric blend of sounds
Joan Osborne on Getting Political on 'Trouble and Strife'
EDITOR’S NOTE: Joan Osborne’s new album, Trouble and Strife, out Friday, tackles today’s social and political ills head-on via topical songs. We asked her to talk about her process of getting political, and why shutting up and singing isn’t an option.
I never thought I
Northern Stories Inspire Brennen Leigh’s ‘Prairie Love Letter’
Nashville-based singer/songwriter/guitarist/mandolinist Brennen Leigh reminds us that roots music is about stories, not ZIP codes, on Prairie Love Letter, her reflection on growing up along the border between Minnesota and North Dakota.
Folk-oriented music like this can sound light and ethereal. Between the mandolins, the
Facebook Clarifies Rules for Music in Livestreams and Video
When Facebook notified users of an update to its terms of service a couple weeks ago, musicians wondered if some of the wording hinted at yet another hurdle for sharing their songs at a time when touring is off the table. But a clarification from the company Friday offers assurance
THE NEW NORMAL: Half a Year into Shutdown, Live Music Looks to Lawmakers for Help
Chad Whitehead, operating partner and talent buyer at Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City, likens COVID-19’s impact on the music industry to a car crash.
“The initial incident has happened, but we are still standing on the side of the road trying to figure out just what the hell
William Tyler Explores and Inhabits Change on ‘New Vanitas’
The beauty of William Tyler’s beguiling guitar arrangements lies in their power to transport you to another time and place. If inspired by a vast, harsh landscape in the old American West, you can actually hear in his composition the dry cracking of the earth, the windswept dust settling.