It’s widely speculated Full Circle will be the last release of Loretta Lynn’s groundbreaking career in country music; from the wistful “Who’s Gonna Miss Me?,” to the album’s only duet, the bittersweet “When They Lay Me Down” (with Willie Nelson, […]
There are cringeworthy moments aplenty upon a listen to One Armed Candy Bear, the debut release from Gary Louris (of Jayhawks fame) and Django Haskins (Old Ceremony) as Au Pair, but “Night Falls Early,” the fourth song in, is easily […]
The inexhaustable ouevre of Buck Owens, the father of the Bakersfield sound who died in 2006 with 39 studio albums and 21 number one hits to his name, is really something else. Even today, the glut of Owens-branded LPs, CDs, […]
It’s Great to Be Alive! is the fifth Drive-By Truckers live release if you include the 2004 concert DVD Live at the 40 Watt and 2011’s vinyl-only Live at Third Man Records along with 2000’s Alabama Ass Whupinn’ and 2009’s […]
Deep down we know the holidays aren’t, and shouldn’t be, about buying stuff. We do it anyway, of course, but in the end it doesn’t contribute much to the experience other than a lingering sense of buyer’s remorse and, on […]
As the story goes, The Pizza Tapes, originally released in 2000, got its name after a pizza delivery boy lifted Jerry Garcia’s copy. That the enterprising crew found the name amusing speaks to the conviviality of the sessions, as warm […]
I have to admit the thought of a Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings holiday album made me happy. I knew I’d probably like It’s a Holiday Soul Party, the group’s first album to follow 2014’s Grammy-nominated Give The People What […]
One of the great things about the collaboration between Edie Brickell and Steve Martin is that it just makes sense. Respective to their wide and various accomplishments, both are beloved entertainers who occupy a similar persona, aka, the winsome free […]
In the narrative folktale that has become modern Americana music, there are no figures more central to the story than Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Between their seven collaborations, the pair has constructed a compelling folk dynamic some might peg […]
Noah Gundersen is seated at a cafe in a converted garage in South Seattle. He lives nearby, and suggested the place. Twenty-six and chiseled (after our meeting, he headed for a yoga class), Gundersen has completely grown out of any […]
