THE READING ROOM: Songwriters Celebrate Ray Wylie Hubbard
A few years ago, Ray Wylie Hubbard reflected on his life and the evolution of his songwriting and music in a humorous, candid, and cinematic memoir a life … well, lived (Bordello Records). He told the now-famous story — which he repeats in the introduction to The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of
Madison Cunningham’s 'Who Are You Now' Braids Heart With Technical Prowess
Angular rhythms and intricate guitar work abound in Madison Cunningham’s new album, Who Are You Now — but that doesn’t mean the project is an overly erudite listen. On the contrary, many of its melodies are earworms, the kind that sneak up on you while you’re busy focusing
On ‘Gypsy,’ Eilen Jewell Balances Roaming and Roots
Eilen Jewell’s new album, Gypsy, opens with “Crawl,” a bluesy/honky-tonk tune bolstered by Jerry Miller’s chorus-y guitar part and Katrina Nicolayeff’s wending fiddle. “I want solitude, don’t want to be alone,” Jewell sings, “want to put down roots, want to be a rolling stone,” capturing
50 STATES OF FOLK: How Hawaii Created the Modern Country Sound
Turn your radio to a country music station, and you’re likely to hear the lilting sounds of a pedal steel. It’s a sound iconic to the genre, so ubiquitous that it’s probably permeated your idea of what country music is without a second thought.
But what you
"Running for So Long (House a Home)" from The Peanut Butter Falcon Soundtrack
“Running for So Long (House a Home)” is featured in The Peanut Butter Falcon, the folk/Americana soundtrack of the year. Performed by Parker Ainsworth, Butch Walker, Paris Jackson of The Soundflowers, and Jessie Payo, the song captures the importance of human connections. The album also features Sara Watkins, Gregory
EASY ED’S BROADSIDE: The Fraught Journey of ‘México-Americano’
In the American border town of Eagle Pass in the Rio Grande Valley, Rumel Fuentes was born in 1943. Attending the University of Texas in Austin in the ’60s, he was one of the Chicano movement's brightest singer-songwriters, using his music to speak out against injustice to his