If you want a silly little love song, don’t bother with Richard Thompson – the singer-songwriter does angst not amour. Instead of beating hearts, flowers and sunny days, you get bitter break-ups, painful goodbyes, spite and the long walk home. “You […]
Just how much of our history in music has fallen by the wayside, filed away in some attic, rotting under some old red brick building basement, or just plain destroyed by folks cleaning house? No telling. Thankfully, there is now […]
Yet another sad and premature loss today, with the news that Kevin Ayers has died, aged 68. He was one of the first performers I saw live, in 1971, at one of the legendary Clitheroe Pop festivals, with a very youthful Mike […]
Like fellow Bostonian Eli “Paperboy” Reed and Idaho export John Nemeth, Jesse Dee is resurrecting soul. There’s a Sam Cooke feel to the title cut with a B-3 burbling beneath him and some ‘50s style sax blasting alongside. “No Matter […]
One of the recurrent topics for debate among blues aficionados is the degree of African retentions. The discussion reflects the broader theme of the social-cultural position of African Americans in the American society, and relates to questions of assimilation, acculturation […]
The rise of technology has led to a great number of advances in the ways we are able to create, publish, and disseminate our music to the world. Many have lamented the loss of album sales or the declining role […]
Blues with a Conscience I grew up in New Mexico, where the history and culture are permeated by the proud legacy of America’s native peoples. The darker legacy of Native American removal and oppression – including grinding poverty, lack of […]
Q- Do you feel you’re a tougher critic of your music than your fans are? A- Oh yes, by miles. My fans tend to be smart people. Because of the nature of how I write and how my show plays […]
Sometime in the late 70’s, Singer/Songwriter Steve Pearson met Don Short, another Singer/Songwriter in a suburb of Seattle. Ironically these to rock & roll heroes had a-lot in common. They both played excellent barking electric guitars, they both loved great […]
A citizens’ action group called E.A.R.P.L.U.G.S. has started a petition to ban assault guitars and to demand that guitar stores must do more thorough background checks on people who purchase guitars and amplifiers. A spokesperson for the group claimed that […]
