Throughout its seven years in existence, the association founded by musician Dale Watson flies so far beneath the radar of the Americana and roots music community that you’d barely know it exists. With its primary focus on honky-tonk, Western swing, […]
On April 14, 1891, a Chicago businessman named Mortimer Birdsul Mills was granted a patent for a major improvement in what was then called a coin-actuated vending apparatus. It gave consumers of cigars the opportunity to select which one of […]
When I first began working in the mailroom of a record distributor back in the early ’70s, one of the perks of the job was going backstage either before or after a concert. Documented in films such as Spinal Tap […]
I’ve written endlessly over the years about the opportunities and challenges of discovering new music in the current paradigm. With digital streaming platforms now accounting for 80% of music revenue (RIAA Mid-2019 Report), and downloads and physical formats each running […]
During this year’s State of the Union Address, on the night before the U.S. Senate would vote on whether to remove Donald Trump from office after being impeached, the president paused to recognize conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh sitting […]
Back in 1965, I was a 13-year-old kid growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia who loved country music. We had our own local station all the way down on the right side of the AM dial, and on Saturday […]
When Nick Broomfield’s documentary about the relationship between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen was released last July, it quickly jumped to the top of my “must see” list … but fell to the bottom within a week. Part of the […]
If I could read tarot cards or had a crystal ball that could assist me in foreseeing future trends in music, with emerging artists that’ll be introduced and new albums that will stand out above others, this might make for […]
There’s nothing more torturous than reworking a song title into a headline and then innocently inserting an earworm. Can’t speak for y’all, but at the moment that R.E.M. chorus is endlessly looping inside my head and won’t stop. Maybe if […]
Have no fear: This week I’m not planning to dip my toes into politics. Since y’all know I love the Dixie Chicks, that pretty much says it all. Judging by the Twitter trending competition of #DemocratsAreDestroyingAmerica versus #HappyImpeachmas, it just […]
