Pondering some kind of central theme that links the 10 songs on I’ll Meet You Here, her first album release in six years, Dar Williams finally settled on “acceptance.” Not in a passive sense, but an acknowledgement that being true […]
Pondering some kind of central theme that links the 10 songs on I’ll Meet You Here, her first album release in six years, Dar Williams finally settled on “acceptance.” Not in a passive sense, but an acknowledgement that being true […]
Western Sun, the third album from The Nell & Jim Band, presents an immense sweep of roots music history that takes the listener on a sonic migration from Europe through the United States to California. On the way they tell […]
For their third release, The Orphan Brigade — Joshua Britt, Ben Glover, and Neilson Hubbard — immerse themselves in the rugged Antrim coast of Northern Ireland. The result is To the Edge of the World, an album that encapsulates a […]
Bruce Molsky is a name that resonates throughout the roots music world. The old-time fiddler, who also plays banjo and guitar and sings, has been recording and performing for over 40 years, both solo and with Andy Irvine, Darol Anger, […]
Both the Wandering Hearts and Ruston Kelly should feel 2018 has been a good year. Their performances at London’s Islington Assembly Hall were ample evidence that each in their completely different ways should appear in several “best of 2018” lists. […]
After an absence of nearly four years Trampled By Turtles are most certainly back. This year the six piece alt-bluegrass band from Duluth, MN, released their ninth album, Life Is Good on the Open Road and toured extensively in North […]
Accompanying me to FreshGrass this year was John Szwed’s biography of Alan Lomax. What better to read on the way to a roots festival than learning more about the man whose work brought so many of these roots to the […]
That country music is booming in the UK is in no doubt. Throughout the land many artists and bands do their stuff in pubs and clubs, all seeking that big break. Perhaps their most daunting hurdle is to achieve an […]
You don’t have to listen to much of this album to be convinced it comes from a 1960s Stax back catalogue. It therefore comes as a surprise to discover that you’ve been listening to a group from Australia in 2018. […]
Few artists have made as much music and toured as regularly as Richard Thompson. Common to both over his fifty year career is his consistently high quality and originality. With each release Thompson brings something new and live he plays […]