How many sad country songs have been written on the back of a bar napkin? You can see it now: a lyricist propped up on a stool, steeping over cheap bourbon, reeking of promise and failure, scribbling a few lines […]
How many sad country songs have been written on the back of a bar napkin? You can see it now: a lyricist propped up on a stool, steeping over cheap bourbon, reeking of promise and failure, scribbling a few lines […]
Today marks the official fifth anniversary of this blog’s first post. I began this blog shortly into my grad school career, which means this blog has accompanied me throughout adulthood. Through excitement, heartbreak, tragedy, pride, and failure, I’ve had this […]
“Old people always think their time, their format, was better. Mine actually was.” — Tom Petty on PBS’s Soundbreaking The bluegrass community, seemingly quite small, actually consists of thousands, perhaps millions, of people around the world who celebrate a musical form that, […]
What a week for surprises! The Grammy nominations held a few, of course. We learned that, despite the fact Loretta Lynn toured with Willie Nelson a ton, she only recently tried weed. And we got some new music news from Hurray […]
In last week’s column, I provided a sort of best music books of 2016 list. As I indicated then, I don’t see all the books that are published in a given year since I don’t hear from every publisher about […]
Fall, with its overcast skies and dropping temperatures, feels like a perfect time for some blues music. Two recently released archival blues sets caught my attention and have served as a nice soundtrack for the season. Albert Collins & The […]
When you enter the stage entrance at the Culture Center on the grounds of the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, West Virginia, where Mountain Stage calls home, you pass half a dozen or so poster boards on easels that list the date […]
My first dirtbox pedal was given to me as a gift by St. Louis’s one and only mastering engineer, Brad Sarno. He gave it up without hesitation when I said that I liked how well it warmed my Marshall tube […]
Nominations for the 2017 Grammy Awards have arrived with surprises in tow. Country troubadour and Waylon Jennings reincarnation, Sturgill Simpson, has nabbed a nom for Album of the Year alongside Drake, Justin Bieber, Beyonce, and Adele. I’m sure he’ll enjoy said company […]
Britain’s departure from the European Union isn’t the only Brexit of 2016. Several Britain-based musicians have started to kick their careers into high gear, a few garnering success worthy of international tours. Some have included cross-pond trips to the U.S., earning the […]
FRESH TRACK: Matt Andersen – “Magnolia”Check it out
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