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While
this might seem like a backwards reference, Three Day Threshold are like the Pogues,
but doing country. Against The Grain is rowdy fun, a super-charged roots-rock
assault with glorious choruses primed for a drunken sing-along. If this record
is any indication, they must be a smokin live band because on disc they tear it
up. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Hi-N-Dry)
The
Quavers have dubbed their style as "porch techno," as they combine traditional
roots songs with song samples, tape looping and a variety of other trickery that
creates a wonderful atmospheric texture to beautiful harmonies. The Quavers are
primarily the duo of T. Griffin and and Catherine McRae who previously recorded
as T. Griffin Coraline. "The thing is," according to Griffin, "we
were never doing any of the sonic adventuring to be experimental; to us it just
seemed natural. I look down at the blinking lights in front of us when we play
and I think: 'these are folk instruments now.'" The Quavers have a dreamy,
gauzy quality that is greatly enhanced when McRae and Griffin bring their wonderful
voices together. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles Of Music (Shiny Little Records)
On Noble Creatures songwriters Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith continue their quirky
ramble down the mountain, past dusty delta back porches and through the hanging
moss of southwest Louisiana. In classic Gourds fashion the Mussel Shoals rekindling
of "How Will You Shine" rides shotgun with the honky-soul of "Moon
Gone Down," but on Noble Creatures it's Russell's ballads that mark the album
as an epaulet on the shoulder of an already mighty career. "Promenade"
soars with a from-the-gut tale of squandered happiness and courses with Danko-like
emotion. In "Steeple Full of Swallows" the desolate yet hopeful bandy
of banjo and guitar trickles along a delicate dream-song, cut by the acid of Russell's
sharp yet tuneful holler. (Yep Roc)
Dave Gleason's Wasted Days sings about soul and suds, a jubilant celebration of
California country rock that makes the bygone ramblers smile. Formed in 2000,
the Wasted Days move with the confidence and abiding skill of Music Row's best.
In their hands, Gleason's heartfelt road songs and beating heart laments swing
hard. Gleason's songwriting gifts come to the fore on his latest release, Just
Fall To Pieces, an endlessly winning song cycle destined to burn off boot leather
in barrooms from Tehachapi to Timbuktu. A blessed mix of loose and snap tight,
Gleason's Wasted Days compare nicely with The Paladins, The Jayhawks and Marty
Stuart's Fabulous Superlatives. Their unabashed love of deeprooted country, shines
through every track on Just Fall To Pieces, which features guest appearances from
guitarists Albert Lee & Jim Campilongo, Red Meat's Michael Montalto, pedal
steel whiz Joe Goldmark, keyboardist Dan Eisenberg (Tift Merritt), and Thom Moore
of The Moore Brothers. (Well Worn Records)
Accomplished guitarist and songwriter Jason Isbell, formerly of the Drive By Truckers
(DBT),has released his debut solo album Sirens Of The Ditch. on Elements of rock,
blues and soul are evident in the 11 diverse songs, all penned by Isbell. Elements
of rock, blues and soul are evident in the 11 diverse songs, all penned by Isbell.
From the rock driven opener "Brand New Kind Of Actress" to the tender
"Dress Blues" Isbell's gift for song writing and striking lyrics is
apparent. Listeners caught glimpses of Isbell's skills on DBT records with tracks
like "Danko/Manuel" and "Outfit." Sirens Of The Ditch's mystical
quality can be partially attributed to the FAME recording studio (Aretha Franklin,
Duane Allman, Otis Redding) in Isbell's hometown of Muscle Shoals, AL where the
album was recorded. Co-produced by Isbell and Patterson Hood (DBT), Sirens Of
The Ditch features Isbell singing lead vocals and playing guitar throughout, joined
by Shonna Tucker (DBT) on Bass and Brad Morgan (DBT) on drums. Several musicians
pop in for cameos including Spooner Oldham and David Hood (Patterson's father)
on "Down In A Hole," John Neff (DBT) on "Dress Blues" and
Patterson himself guests on "Shotgun Wedding. (New West Records)
Austin's Li'l Cap'n Travis play a unique brand of blissful modern pop. Emotionally
committed an stylistically eclectic, their 4th album, Twilight On Sometimes Island,
recalls the eloquence and beauty of The Zombies with the good natured eclecticism
of bands like Camper Van Beethoven and Calexico. There is an undiluted romanticism
to these tracks, casually outfitted in their shimmering gauzy layers of omnichord,
old synthesizers, gorgeous swells of pedal steel and warmly produced by Michael
Crow (The Gourds, Grand Champeen). (Glurp) 
There is an undeniable twang in the music Moonshine Hangover makes - a twang steeped
in the souls and calloused hands of America's everyman. There is an unmistakable
grit to this sound; Rock n Roll and bourbon and blood and bone. There is an unwavering
connection to the people and places where each of these men have been, and to
their histories.deftly balancing and defying their roots in country, 70's era
rock and Gospel music. Producer/Steel Guitar Extraordinaire, Paul Brainard (Richmond
Fontaine, Alejandro Escovedo,Fernando) co-produces and lends his extraordinary
steel guitar work to the band's most mature and personal effort to date. (Drunkard's
Dream)
The album Time On Earth from the reunited Crowded House features a new Crowded
House line-up - Neil Finn on guitars and vocals, Nick Seymour on bass guitar,
Mark Hart on piano and harmony, and new recruit Matt Sherrod on drums. 'Time On
Earth' which was recorded at Roundhead Studios, Auckland, NZ, RAK Studios, London,
and Real World Studios, Wiltshire (UK), and produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of
Leon, Ray LaMontagne) and Steve Lillywhite (U2) (Atco)
This stunning new album from Richard Shindell his seventh finds this artist inhabiting
the words and music of his favorite songwriters. But this is more than just a
collection of covers. This is a Richard Shindell record. Familiar classics are
transformed, and new songs receive a definitive reading. Joined by first-rate
musicians Richard Thompson, Eliza Gilkyson, Larry Campbell, Viktor Krauss, Tony
Trischka, and Lucy Kaplansky to name a few every song on South of Delia is meticulously
crafted. American roots music doesnt get any better. A brilliantly crafted songs,passionately
delivered songs that consistently create three dimensional visual and emotional
images which move through the listeners minds eye.
Composed of Iowa natives David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey, The Pines combine roots,
blues and indie-rock to create a raw, haunting sound that is inventive and compelling.
The son of Greg Brown's producer and sideman Bo Ramsey, Benson was reared on folk
and blues music and continues to let those influences shine, even on louder electric
songs. Like Benson, David also has a deep love for traditional music, and together
the two of them craft music that evokes the ancient while incorporating newer
rock and pop grooves. Both strong writers and musicians, Benson and David have
distinct voices that complement each other, causing audiences and critics alike
to tout them as a powerful young force in American roots music.(Red House Records)
Dan Janisch is a California based songwriter and performer. His place in the scheme
of modern American song is a present day verse and found melodies, but not quite
fully divorced from a familiar tone of the American Folk and Rock and Roll. (Green
Door Records)
"Neither too mature (i.e. boring), nor too desperately age-defying (i.e.
embarrassing), Three Easy Pieces potently reenergizes older Tom trademarks as
well as imprinting a few new ones. Put in lazier chronologically-contextual terms,
this 13-song collection is sonically and thematically pitched somewhere the loose
raw power of 1995's Sleepy Eyed and the eclectic craftsmanship of Smitten. This
means that there are indeed many direct connections to the rich Buffalo back catalogue,
but not in a laurel-resting or obviously-retreading kind of way." -- www.adequacy.net
(New West) 
John Strohm's rich recording career spans over twenty years: a founding member
of Boston's beloved Blake Babies, an on-again/off-again drummer and guitarists
with 90's alterna-rockers The Lemonheads, frontman of Antenna, solo artist with
two acclaimed solo albums. Everyday Life, his first album in nearly seven years
is the record Strohm has hinted at for years. A wry meditation on the futility
and transcendent beauty of everyday life, delivered via John's trademark pop hooks
that stay with you long after the record is over. (Superphonic Records)
This is M. Ward's first record, originally released by Co-Dependent Records in
1999, then re-released in 2000 by M's friend Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) on his Ow-Om
label. It has been out of print ever since. Now Merge is offering this re-mastered
version with three bonus tracks. Track Listing: 1.Duet For Guitars/Beautiful Car/Fishing
Boat Song/Scene From #12/Good News/Crooked Spine/Look Me Over/Who May Be Lazy/It
Won't Happen Twice/He Asked Me To Be A Snake And Live Underground/Song From Debby's
Stairs/It Was a Beautiful Car/Were You There?/Not A Gang/Duet For Guitars #1 (Merge)
The 10 songs on Spoon's 2007 release are as well-crafted and sonically scintillating
as anything off their amazing 2005 entry GIMME FICTION, with perhaps more emphasis
on emotionally evocative lyrics and a more direct and rocking musical approach.
It was produced by long-time associate Mike McCarthy. (Merge Records)
The soft-spoken 26-year-old coaxes an intoxicating array of emotion and detail
into his fragile-yet-gripping songs -- a body of work that's already elicited
comparisons to forebears as varied as Nick Drake for his guitar playing and to
Woody Guthrie for his wordplay. It's easy to understand why, given the filigreed
acoustic finger-picking and raw lyrical stance of songs like the cinematic "Be
Good or Be Gone" the menacing "Snowy Atlas Mountains" or the allegorical
"Hey Rabbit" with its social conscience, songs that paint intensely
vivid pictures - so vivid, in fact, that Regan hesitates to elaborate as to their
deeper origins. He keeps the frills to a minimum on the dozen-song collection,
getting his point across with little more than voice, acoustic guitar and piano
(most of The End of History's songs were captured in one or two takes) he never
gives the idea that he's practicing minimalism for its own sake. That comes into
particularly sharp focus when one hones in on his guitar playing, a beguiling
brew of rhythmically sturdy finger-picking (the backbone of "Hunters Map")
and (as on the twinkling "Abacus"), lissome passages in which every
note resonates with
"Glassjaw Boxer" is a lasting letter to the world about family and friendships.
The songs here warmly embrace the listener. As strummed acoustic and electric
guitars share space with accordions, trumpets, and soaring lap steel, Kellogg
and his band craft an impassioned set of music that is not observed from a distance,
but intimately experienced. Produced by Whiskeytown's Mike Daly with mixing help
from Dave Bryson of Counting Crows and guest appearances by Mike Daly, Caitlin
Cary (Whiskeytown/vocals), and Marc Roberge (OAR/vocals) among others. "Kellogg's
music is semi-gritty, melodic alt-country. Think early Wilco, Whiskeytown, or
Tom Petty. Relaxed, yet passionate" - Boston Globe.
Broken homes. Sweeping landscapes. A castle. A yellow house. A steel bridge. A
length of rope. Angels and devils. And of course economics. Always economics.
These are the images that flow through Dogs & Donkeys, Christian Kiefer's
fifth full-length album. Guest include, Nels Cline, Alan Sparhawk, Garth Hudson
and Maude Hudson (Undertow Music Collective)
Chinese Boxes was produced by Giles Martin and recorded in London at Eastcote
Studios and Air Studios Lyndhurst. Giles Martin's most recent project was The
Beatles "Love" soundtrack, which he collaborated on with his father,
Sir George Martin. Chinese Boxes is a collection of 10 beautifully crafted soulful
songs. The first single "Jack and Jill" (and lead track) gives the couple
in the nursery rhyme a bit of a back-story - and the listener a hint of the discoveries
to come. The title track tries to define a mysterious person before giving way
to "Drift", a poignant love song (co-written with Mindy Smith). "The
Absence of Your Company" showcases Richey's vocal vulnerability in a sparse
instrumental setting while the cautionary "Another Day" highlights Kim's
stunning sense of melody. The album-closing "Pretty Picture", is an
intimate ballad that speaks honestly of true love. (Vanguard)
"GLMS uses a bounty of genres - including classical, folk, Celtic and rock
'n' roll - to take listeners to very specific places in time and frames of mind.
While the music is full of jangly joviality, balladeering and a magnificent command
of their instruments, it's not enough for GLMS to simply pen a song - they offer
complete story-per-song narratives. Now there's something that's rarely done,
much less done well....Compass Rose Bouquet- the band's second album - is a 12-track
slowburn of lasting imprints lifted directly from a Midwesterner's psyche. The
lyrics move effortlessly in a way that recalls even Walt Whitman, and musically,
the intricate song structures are colored by accordions, mandolins, violins, cellos,
banjos, Wurlitzers and cornets; making the guitar often secondary. And when examining
rites of passage..." -- Eve Doster, metrotimes.com 
Sometimes
sited as the Frank Zappa of country music, irreverent outlaw country specialist
Kinky Friedman brings his off-kilter brand of down home tunes to the stage in
this performance originally aired as part of the Austin City Limits series. With
a fourteen song set featuring such outrageous classics as {"Homo Erectus",
"A-hole from El Paso," and "Ride 'Em Jewboy," this performance
is sure to offend and entertain in equal measure. Jason Buchanan, Allmusic.com
(New West) 
Track
Listings: Amarillo Highway/What of Alicia/Helena Montana/Gimme a Ride to Heaven
Boy/Truckload of Art/X-Mas on the Isthmus/New Delhi Freight Train/Flatland Boogie/Doll/Red
Bird/Peggy Legg/Wilderness of the World/Beautiful Waitress/Give Me the Flowers/Cortez
Sail/Oh Hally Lou.(Sugar Hill)
The Boston Metro said, "Lorntell`s rock constitution lies somewhere between
the alt-country angels of Whiskeytown and the power-pop crush of The Replacements."
While there are tinges of North Carolina`s favorite Whiskeytown, this 2006 release
falls into the propulsive roots-rock sound of vintage Replacements. Jesse Perkins
vocals reveal a grief and weariness but also an optimism. Lead guitarist Edward
Taylor channels the spirit of Bob Stinson. This hook-filled record rocks. -- Jeff
Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
The intense interplay between Matt Foster and Michael Davis gives this dark, foreboding
album of murder ballads its body. This is small town Gothic where secrets are
kept and revealed. Flattville Murder Album is a concept piece, running 71 minutes,
cast against the harrowing acoustic sounds of an Appalachian apocalypse complete
with banjos, fiddles, Dobro and piano with an occasional foray into folk-rock.
In an musical era of songs as a single unit, Medford`s Black Record Collection
have created an musical essay complete with beginning, middle and end. The tale
is dark. The journey is worth the nightmares that might ensue. -- Jeff Weiss,
Miles of Music (self-released)
Available on LP. The Brag & Cuss, Votolatos fifth, marks a major turning point
in his career. Unlike the minimal acoustic guitar and vocals of makers (his previous
release), the brag and cuss is very much a band record. Featuring James McAllister
(Sufjan Stevens) on drums, Bill Herzog (Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter)
on bass, Casey Foubert (Pedro the Lion) on electric guitar, banjo, mandolin and
percussion, and Rick Steff (Catpower, Hank Williams, Jr.) on Hammond b3, piano,
and accordion, theres a cohesion and thickness to this record that can only come
from a group of exceptionally talented musicians playing off each other. The bare
emotion that made makers great is still present in spades, but this time Votolato
has ventured further in to the classic country territory of lovers, drinkers,
and the distant oasis of a truck stop on a stretch of dark highway. Votolato can
paint broad pictures with a simple turn of phrase, and on this record he pulls
you into a world of reminiscences and feelings that are truly timeless and eminently
human. (Barsuk Records)| Alt Country | Americana Music | Bluegrass Music | Country Bluegrass | Folk Music Folk Rock | Roots Rock | Singer Songwriter | Sitemap |