Johnny Cash and the Power of Self & Myth
Johnny Cash is known as "Our Founder" at Dirty Roots Radio. I give him that distinction because he was probably the gateway that led to what has become my musical taste today. It's an honor intended to recognize his fearlessness in his music, in championing causes
Broadway Eddie's Big Grammy Moment
Camden New Jersey was a burnt out shell of a city across the river from Philadelphia ever since I was a little kid, and I'd guess it still is, although it's been decades since I've been there. Think of "The Wire" TV
Book Review - Stanley Booth’s “Rythm Oil - Music of the American South”
This is a ridiculously good book of music writing – though, that’s an injustice, it’s a book about soul, and life, and America as much or more as it is about “just" music, by the great Stanley Booth.
As many of you no doubt know, Booth is also
CD Review - Lord Huron "Lonesome Dreams"
Lord Huron Rules the Stereo and the Lake Up North
When I'm not toiling away at my day job or writing about singer/songwriters with my evening assignments, I'm usually hiking the trails of the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley throughout all four season. So there is a
Richard Thompson talks about why he doesn't do happy love songs
If you want a silly little love song, don't bother with Richard Thompson - the singer-songwriter does angst not amour. Instead of beating hearts, flowers and sunny days, you get bitter break-ups, painful goodbyes, spite and the long walk home.
"You can write a song about relationships
African American Music – A survival or an actual creative force in today’s culture?
One of the recurrent topics for debate among blues aficionados is the degree of African retentions. The discussion reflects the broader theme of the social-cultural position of African Americans in the American society, and relates to questions of assimilation, acculturation or retention of the original culture. In this context, it