ALBUM REVIEW: India Ramey Pairs Power With Vulnerability on ‘Baptized by the Blaze’
On her new album Baptized by the Blaze, India Ramey is here to kick ass, play honky-tonk, and chew bubblegum — and she’s all out of gum. She’s also out of Klonopin; this album details Ramey’s life-affirming experience of working through childhood trauma to end her reliance on
THROUGH THE LENS: Music Made Amid Nature at Pickin’ in the Backwoods and Clifftop
This week’s column is dedicated to pickin’ in the backwoods, featuring two roots fests that are held in picturesque rural areas of their respective home states of Indiana and West Virginia.
The inaugural Pickin’ in the Backwoods Music Festival was held Aug. 16-17 in Nashville, Indiana, near Brown County
CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Homemade Perks Add Heart to Campaigns
As creatives, it's no surprise that musicians are often multi-talented, masters not only of their particular instruments or voices but also of other art forms, like painting or jewelry making. This can be a real boon for crowdfunders, as these products are the kind of highly personalized backer
FRESH TRACK: Bill Taylor – 'Roll Me Away'
Eastern Kentuckian Bill Taylor re-imagines the Bob Seger classic rock hit from 1983, “Roll Me Away,” on the new multi-artist album Silver Bullet Bluegrass produced by Randall Deaton for Lonesome Day Records. His hearty, chesty baritone is one of the collection’s standout tracks, an exhilarating ride on wheels of
In the Deep End With Ruthie Foster
Over the course of her nearly three-decade career in music, Ruthie Foster has run a lot of road. Along the way, she’s developed a sound all her own inflected by blues, soul, gospel, and folk that’s earned her multiple Grammy nominations. She’s found the wisdom and courage
BONUS TRACKS: Party Music at the Democratic Convention
The Democratic National Convention gets rolling in Chicago next week, and besides all the politicking, it’s also a party. And what’s a party without music? Among the musicians known to be performing at convention-related events, according to this roundup from The New York Times, are Drive-by Truckers (said