CD Review - John Hiatt "Mystic Pinball"
On the cover shot of his latest, Mystic Pinball, John Hiatt looks like a blurry version of Tom Waits. But when you open him up, it’s vintage Hiatt at his hyena-yowling best.
“We’re All Right Now” is a great opener, the breakout single, blasting away with an instant
Book Review: Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown by David Menconi
David Menconi's biography of Ryan Adams is a fun, quick read for any fan of alt-country. Menconi draws on his own recollections and notes, interviews with Adams done prior to 2001, interviews of key players from the early days (many of which were done in 2011), and internet
The Holy Grail of Cosmic American Music - Gram Parsons Journal
Around the corner from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music, a bunch of lucky Americanafest goers found ourselves in the presence of the holy grail of Cosmic American Music, which, on September 14, transformed the Hard Rock Café on Broadway into our own little church. A
CD Review - The Be Good Tanyas "A Collection" (Nettwerk)
There is no shortage of erstwhile roots musicians who have shed their folk and country skins in the name of artistic growth, often with mixed results, all too frequently proving that the more they try to reinvent their sound, the more they sound the same.
Then there are the folk
Did Phil Ochs Record His Own Suicide Note?
On April 9, 1976, Phil Ochs hung himself at the age of 35. However, before he went, he recorded a very beautiful song ironically titled: "No More Songs."
It starts with the first verse this way: "Hello, hello, hello, is there anybody home, I only called to
Bob Dylan on 9/11.....Again
Bob Dylan’s new album, “Tempest” drops today. According to the publicity surrounding the release, the timing was scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of his first studio album, back in 1962.
September 11, 1962.
As everyone’s thoughts are filled with 9/11 memories today, mine