Willie P. Bennett - Squirrel of the Rodeo
"Oh man, it's amazing, it's opened up new neural pathways in my brain!" That's what Willie P. Bennett had to say about Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, the tribute band that had just released a CD titled High Or Hurtin', culled
16 Horsepower - Sinners in the Hands of a Twangry God
"The seed is the word of God." Luke 8:11
David Eugene Edwards composes alone, picking out brooding and intense melodies on his accordion, on his banjo. "I play until I find something that strikes me and then I bring it to the group at practice and
Robert Palmer: 1945 to 1997
Editor's note: Upon hearing of the death on Nov. 20 of musician, producer and journalist Robert Palmer, we passed along the sad news to Ed Ward, who just a few days earlier had asked that his paycheck for the article he wrote in ND #12 be sent to
Drive-By Truckers - "Bulldozers And Dirt" / "Nine Bullets"
Remember the scene in Diner when the characters played by Daniel Stern and Kevin Bacon disagree about whether the A-side of a Ritchie Valens single was "La Bamba" or "Donna"? A similar debate, albeit a noncinematic and less historically significant one, could take place over
Harvester - Camper Van Landingham
Harvester doesn't have as much standard Americana in their sound as their name might imply. While perhaps the best thing about their second record is its broad reach, most of it falls somewhere into the alternative-rock heap -- melodic, noisy guitar songs intelligently put together.
This disc was
Martin Simpson - Cool And Unusual
Martin Simpson's recordings are a utopia of the acoustic guitar. Across them coalesce British, Irish, Scottish, Indian, Mississippi Deltan, Ozarkian, gypsy and European character alike. But Simpson's signature glows through: the trilling and surging dynamics, that raw thunk of thumb punctuating a phrase.
His records have