Buick MacKane - The Pawn Shop Years
The most memorable True Believers performance I ever witnessed was on a hot June night 12 years ago at the fabled Continental Club in Austin, Texas a show that concluded with the Believers, Doctors Mob and Scratch Acid all onstage together in varying states of sobriety slogging through Gary Glitters
Chris Whitley - Terra Incognita
Great records always push a feeling onto the listener, and often that feeling is strongly associated with a time and place. Who can listen to a Beach Boys hit and not think of summer sun? Can't you just smell the cigarettes and beer of CBGBs when listening to
Nanci Griffith - Blue Roses From The Moon
I owe Nanci Griffith a debt of gratitude. First, she was my sister in arms for years of I-Am-Too-Strong-To-Be-This-Lovelorn. Second, she was my introduction to future songwriting heroes such as Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris and Guy Clark. For these reasons, I will
Scroat Belly - Daddys Farm
More than anything Bloodshot Records has ever released, Daddys Farm pushes the envelope of what might be called insurgent country. A four-piece from Wichita, Kansas, Scroat Belly is actually closer to a breakneck metal band than an alternative country outfit. Mind you, this isnt a criticism. In fact, the
Townes Van Zandt - The Highway Kind
Released on the heels of Sugar Hills reissue of Rear View Mirror, this album isnt the best place to start with Townes, but its a fitting way to end. Mixing live performances of some of Van Zandts bleaker material with studio covers in a similar vein, The Highway Kind is
Jayhawks - Sound of Lies
The situation is eerily similar, when you think about it. Both bands formed in the mid-'80s in the Midwest and had co-leaders who generally wrote separately yet shared songwriting credits on all their material. Both drew caringly from the deep well of country music's legacy,