Though mainstage headliners tend to get the lion’s share of the attention in the days building up to Merlefest, almost inevitably it’s one of the acts playing multiple sets on the smaller stages that leaves the strongest impression once the […]
We wrestled quite a bit with this issue’s cover choice, more than we usually do. Certainly there were obvious potential candidates to choose from, as the artists who populate the record-reviews section will attest. No doubt some would have simply […]
At first blush, this seems a borderline proposition — a career overview of a band that ran for five years and issued three albums (notwithstanding the recent revival of the name, though only leader Jay Farrar returns in the new […]
Four songs in, Silver City suggests the arrival of a potentially major young roots-rock singer-songwriter. Sarah Borges plays with brash confidence, sings with a sultry sass that falls somewhere between Sam Phillips and Neko Case, and shows a knack for […]
The essence of Jimmy Webb’s artistry is exemplified in an unlikely place on this five-disc set, which collects all of his 1970s studio albums plus a 1972 live concert and an assortment of outtakes. It’s the last of those outtakes, […]
“Can you just hold on one second?” Kathleen Edwards asks. “I feel like there’s smoke coming from the side of the house. It’s blowing by the window, and I’m getting a little freaked out about what it is. I’m gonna […]
Most often what we’re seeking in music is inspiration — that spark of being brought to life by a sound, a lyric, a song. Ben Lee’s new record has it from the very start of the opening track, when a […]
An album of timeworn standards was probably inevitable eventually for the Innocence Mission, given that singer Karen Peris distinctive imprint of a voice and husband Don Peris talent for guitar-textured moodscapes makes the band ideally suited for interpretive excursions. Think […]
I first met Vic Chesnutt in early 1991. He was coming through Austin, where I lived at the time, to play a show at the local alt-rock club, and I’d done a phone interview with him to preview the show […]
Our last note in this space not surprisingly spurred a range of reactions among our readers, as is reflected in this issue’s letters section. Some folks agreed with us; many others disagreed; some offered a different perspective on the matter […]
