Todd Snider's Early Exits
Concertus interruptus can leave you feeling blue, and even a little despondent. If you happen to be a Todd Snider fan, as I am, you’d better get used to it. And, if you happen to be married to my wife, you’d better get used to a discussion about
Our House: The Cozy, Complex, Interconnected World of House Concerts
One warm spring evening not so long ago, I spent a few hours in the company of friends. We listened to music in their living room, shared food and a bottle of wine. It was over too quickly, as such gatherings always are. Sounds like a perfectly normal suburban happening,
Hello, Goodbye: Another Anthology From ’80s Roots Rockers Scruffy the Cat
As far as final chapters go, Scruffy the Cat’s isn’t too shabby. It just took a long time to get written.
In the case of the ‘80s Boston-based roots rock band, it wasn’t a matter of writer’s block. It was timing, technology, bureaucracy and that biggest
Billy Childs - Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro
As Billy Childs, the man behind Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro, says in the album’s liner notes, Laura Nyro’s music is “first and foremost, American music: a stylistic melting pot, just as America is a kaleidoscope of cultures, races and belief systems.” This is evidenced by
An Open Letter to Guy Clark
Dear Guy,
I hope you don’t mind if I call you Guy. It’s just that I feel as if we’ve been old friends for such a long time. It was the 70s when I got my first album of yours. It was Texas Cookin’. I was living
Let's Celebrate -- Not Deny -- Americana's Country Roots
Fifteen to 20 years ago, when some music industry professionals were trying to define and popularize "Americana music" as a distinct genre, they had a pretty clear idea of what the term meant. They were thinking of contemporary songs and artists that borrowed from country-music traditions -- music