Before I get started, a few words of explanation are in order about the Palms Playhouse. I could try and sugar-coat it, but in plain terms, the Palms is a barn. Or at least it was 20-odd years ago, before […]
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The first time a band performs in public can be a little unsettling. And if that initial show is at a home for the mentally retarded, well, who knows what to expect. “Actually, it was really well-received,” says Slim Chance, […]
“That’s blood.” Upon closer inspection, it’s clear Chris Grabau isn’t kidding. Sure enough, those are faint blood stains on his yellow Fender Telecaster. “We were playing a show in Columbia, Missouri,” explains the soft-spoken singer-guitarist for Stillwater, “and it was […]
Though folks such as Brian Paulson and Eric Ambel have probably set the standards in recent years for producing acts that follow a more country/roots-oriented approach to rock ‘n’ roll, it’s hard to compete with the credits T Bone Burnett […]
It would be no surprise if each morning Dale Watson places his hand on his heart and recites Buck Owens’ Pledge to Country Music: “I shall sing no song that is not a country song. I shall make no record […]
Billy Joe Shaver is trying to keep to the shade, but there isn’t much, just a patch of trees, some trucks, and a big red sun. He’s shoulder to ankle in worn blue denim, and his face is sun-scarlet under […]
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood. –Eric Burdon & the Animals, 1965 Misunderstood. We all feel that way sometimes. In the beginning, it’s inevitable, with only varying tones and volumes […]
A year and a week ago, Son Volt were in this same building, just on the other side of the wall, on the cramped stage of the 7th Street Entry (a smaller club inside First Avenue). They were only a […]
It was just one stop in what might be called Long-haul-apalooza. Like the truckers they played for during the day, Dale Watson and his three-piece band, the Lone Stars, had logged 13,000 miles in four weeks in Watson’s Chevrolet Suburban […]
Gillian Welch’s debut album Revival is such a marvelous recording that expecting her to improve upon it in concert would be asking a lot of even a seasoned performer. But the fact that she could carry it off live without […]
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