The Case for Kinky Friedman
It has been said if Kinky Friedman didn’t exist, someone would have to invent him. I’m just not sure who – other than The Kinkster himself – is capable.
Richard “Kinky” Friedman, who turns 70 November 1, is a man who has worn a lot of ten-gallon hats in
Sturgill Simpson: "Turtles All the Way Down" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Last night, Sturgill Simpson performed his trad-country, psychedelic-tinged song about chemical enlightenment. As always, the man and his fantastic band, nailed it.
With appearances on David Letterman and Conan, it's becomes a of late night talk show gauntlet by the reluctant savior of country music. It
New Life for the Basement Tapes: A Modern American Epic
The story of the Basement Tapes – those songs recorded in 1967 at a house known as Big Pink in West Saugerties, NY, by Bob Dylan and The Band – is a quintessential American-music story, with all the appropriate elements of a classical epic: a beginning in medias res; the telling
Writings in the Key of You: Woody Guthrie's Enduring Legacy
This story first appeared in Sing Out! v.55#1, Autumn 2012
Woody Guthrie is a very busy man these days. That’s a peculiar thing to say about a man who turns 100 this year and has been dead for nearly a half-century. But Woody is a peculiar
Benmont Tench - You Should Be So Lucky
Here's a scenario for you. Picture this:
One of the premier keyboard players of the past 40 years sits down with one of the greatest producers in the history of modern music. The keyboard player's got a raft of original songs he wants to record, and
Ray Lamontagne: With a Little Help from My Friends
Having experienced and generous friends comes in handy.
When Ray Lamontagne was unsatisfied with the batch of songs he'd written as the follow-up to his chart-topping, Grammy-winning album God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise, he shot an email to a pal