Much was made of Wayne’s significance when first he broke into national consciousness with 1995’s “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs;” “Wayne the Train,” as he quickly was hailed, was a vital, prison farm-workshirted personification of bouyant juke joint swing. His battered […]
It’s reassuring to reflect that as long as golden-age rock’n’rollers are still trodding studios and stages, something that makes this world special endures and will always be accessible to us. Money in the bank, as goes the phrase. But […]
It’s not uncommon for artists to cool down a bit once they’re a few discs into recording careers. Maybe they lose something of their initial creative fire. Perhaps they’re a little less hungry. But such concerns can be set to […]
Take note, all who revere primeval rockin’ country icons Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin: Australian pin up siren Shelley romps and stomps in those legends’ full-throated manner one moment, only to settle into winsome, heartfelt ruminating, the next. Add in […]
Nothing novel or unprecedented in these blues, but familiarity can be a good thing: When you know what you want, experience maps a satisfying course. And this does indeed satisfy. Whether in full-on, jump-blues mode or laying back to ponder, […]
It may be understandable if some consider Lanark a rockabilly label; the imprint does, after all, boast icons Robert Gordon and the Rockats on its impressive roster. But the label is deeper than any single style. The Blue Plate Specials […]
The Lustre Kings dig that true-hearted rockabilly has a country core, and their unfeigned love of the rebel music is infectious. The good-time sounds purveyed by Gretsch-slinger Mark Gamsjager and co. swing, bop, and wheel in formidable fashion; so enthusiastically […]
Ebullient Americana is splayed in every good direction. Declarative guitars and nimble standup join rollicking, rustic banjo pickin’, on-beam kick-beats, and countrified sonorousness in gloriously happy ambition. Notably erudite, despite rough-hewn exterior. You can ponder the narratives, yes. But know […]
Like the heavyweight rock/soul/blues titans that came before them (think Cream, Eric Burdon and the Animals, and Led Zeppelin, for a start), Stubborn Sons kick out formidable, melodic structures both riff-conscious and eminently bone-rattling. Each solid player knows what’s needed from […]
(A quick note: Some call this an “unauthorized bootleg,” none of whose sales profits go to Robert Gordon. On the other hand, I’ve been assured that the tapes were in fact paid for, and that release is entirely proper. I understand players […]
