ALBUM REVIEW: With ‘So Long Little Miss Sunshine,’ Molly Tuttle Loses Her Way on the Road to Reinvention
On So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly Tuttle leaves her bluegrass bedrock far behind to stake out new musical territory.
It was bound to happen. Since launching a music career barely into her teens and releasing two solo albums, a covers album, and two Grammy-winning albums as bandleader of Golden
NO DEPRESSION SESSIONS at MerleFest: Cristina Vane
No Depression set up the "studio" at the 37th annual MerleFest for a dozen sessions with legends and legends-in-the-making. The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Doc Watson’s son Merle, and features “traditional plus” music, meaning a broad range of styles from the sweet falsetto
ALBUM REVIEW: Troubadour Cass McCombs Explores a World of Disquiet on ‘Interior Live Oak’
For Cass McCombs, it’s the song, not the singer. Over a career spanning more than two decades, this sly California-born troubadour has specialized in catchy tunes that shun easy categories, even as they flirt with familiar folk-pop tropes. Fascinating and exhausting, Interior Live Oak captures McCombs at full strength,
THROUGH THE LENS: Harley-Davidson Homecoming & Newport Jazz Festivals Demonstrate Roots Music Is Everywhere
On first blush Harley-Davidson and the Newport Jazz Festival would seem an odd pairing. But like Felix Unger and Oscar Madison (of The Odd Couple), they have more in common than meets the eye.
Jazz is not only a unique art form, it is generally accepted as this country’s
ALBUM REVIEW: The Name Droppers’ Legacy Rock of Ages
Opening your latest release by striding along in the footsteps of a gaggle of high steppers who already walked all over Howlin' Wolf's classic “Killing Floor” is a hell of a way to go. Wolf's original was daunting enough, with Hubert Sumlin's unique
On ‘We’re Only Human,’ Hayes Carll Offers an Honest and Authentic Reflection of Himself and the World
Hayes Carll is done pretending, done chasing the wrong dreams for the wrong reasons. From deep-rooted insecurities and fears too long ingrained in his brain to following its “long-winded fountain of useless advice,” it’s taken time — and hard work — for him to find serenity. On his 10th studio record