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Peter Blackstock

ALBUM REVIEW: The Swell Season Reconciles an Emotional Past with a Grounded Future on ‘Forward’

ALBUM REVIEW: The Swell Season Reconciles an Emotional Past with a Grounded Future on ‘Forward’

When we last heard new music from the Swell Season, their 2009 album Strict Joy was a victory-lap of sorts. Ireland’s Glen Hansard and the Czech Republic’s Marketa Irglova had ridden their little-engine-that-could, the indie movie Once, all the way to the 2008 Academy Awards ceremony, where they

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Amble basks in Reverie, and old faves deliver the goods

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Amble basks in Reverie, and old faves deliver the goods

Most of the time I focus these columns on recent releases by artists I’ve written about for years, sometimes decades. There’s plenty of that this month as well, but out front we have the auspicious debut album from a brand new Irish trio called Amble. Beyond that are

Joe Ely Digs Into His Archives For Songs of 'Love And Freedom'

Joe Ely Digs Into His Archives For Songs of 'Love And Freedom'

Joe Ely has been a prime mover in Americana music since the days before it was called Americana. From the early-’70s origins of the Flatlanders with his childhood Lubbock pals Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, through a run of MCA albums that earned him an opening slot on

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Ringo Starr, Cecilia Castleman, Jamey Johnson, Yola, Chris Eckman, Gold Star

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Ringo Starr, Cecilia Castleman, Jamey Johnson, Yola, Chris Eckman, Gold Star

The top two picks in this month’s roundup are a study in contrast, and yet there’s overlap. At 84, Ringo Starr remains one of the most recognizable recording artists on the planet, with all of the Beatles’ catalog plus dozens of solo and All-Starr Band releases to his

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World

FOUNDERS KEEPERS: Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World

By Peter Blackstock As we approach the end of the year, there’s no particular rhyme or reason to these six selections — just a bunch of records I’ve been digging lately, and perhaps you might as well. Keep on rockin’ in the free world, while we still can. Don

FOUNDERS' KEEPERS: Milo Binder, Johnny Irion, Continental Drifters, and More

FOUNDERS' KEEPERS: Milo Binder, Johnny Irion, Continental Drifters, and More

Songwriters reappear (Milo Binder) and reinvent (L.C. Franke) and keep on rollin’ (Johnny Irion). A bluegrass mainstay (Rhonda Vincent) puts her own stamp on classics with some high-profile guests. And a couple of personal favorites from decades past (Continental Drifters, America) serve up archival sets that stand the test

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Leslie Mendelson, Lemon Twigs, Fastball, and More

FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Leslie Mendelson, Lemon Twigs, Fastball, and More

We’ve hit the middle of 2024, and first-rate new albums seem to be coming fast and furious. Here’s a look at five of my favorites released in May and June, all of which may well end up on my year-end top ten. Leslie Mendelson — After the Party I’