Listening is inevitably a subjective process. That said, I do my best to practice suspending or expanding my default filters in order to be more receptive to forms of aesthetic excellence that might not be congruent with my preferences. For […]
It’s a traveling time of year, at least for those of us in the Americana world. Several ND staffers, contributors, and friends have been at AmericanaFest this week, and some of us are heading to Massachusetts this weekend for our FreshGrass festival – […]
With Sleep Well Beast, The National distinguishes itself from other acts mining the dream pop, post rock, and Americana/folk lineages — Sufjan Stevens, From Indian Lakes, Arcade Fire, War on Drugs, and Fleet Foxes, among others — a leap comparable, […]
Last year, 4AD released The Day of the Dead, a 59-song tribute to the Grateful Dead curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National. In keeping with the label’s roster and Dessner brothers’ musical pedigree, the album credits read like […]
Welcome to the front door of my website Roots Music and Random Thoughts where each week (or in complete candor, whenever I feel like it) I curate, aggregate and update news, events, images, ideas, sounds, odds and ends. Nothing fancy, but simply a […]
Matt Berninger performing with The National at Bluesfest Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
We began the year at the Celtic Connections in Scotland, then traveled to the Carrribean for the Cayamo Cruise. Last week, we hit SXSW in Austin, Texas, and now we head to another hotbed of Americana and roots music: Australia. It’s festival […]
Matt Berninger of The National performing at Bluesfest Byron Bay, NSW Australia
There is always a “sound” that can be attributed to anything from Australia or New Zealand. Whether it’s produced by an American or even recorded in the United States. If the artist is from Down Under there is a flavor, an […]
