Jan 26

Jan 26 The Train to Birmingham: Americana Re-Discovers Muscle Shoals

When Maggie Rose was ready to record what would be her third release, Have A Seat, she made the conscious decision to get away from all of the Nashville distractions and did what so many artists have done in the past…headed to the relative seclusion of Muscle Shoals. Now an independent artist, she could be much more involved in the sound of her new record and the legendary FAME studio was where she wanted to go to capture that funky soul that has always been bubbling beneath the surface of her work. She got David Hood to play bass which reinforced the authentic groove as he was one of the four original “Swampers” that helped establish the “Muscle Shoals Sound” of the 1960s and 70s. Rose was not the first Americana artist to journey to northwest Alabama looking for a hit, just the most recent.

Jan 25

Jan 25 Chris Stewart: A Couple Extra Miles

Jolene Horihan

For the last 12 years, Kansas City, KS, native Chris Stewart has been writing songs, but it took a few years before he found the gumption to play those songs for an audience. He started off like many musicians – singing in the church. Then he began playing with a few jam bands around the Kansas City metro area before graduating into playing solo shows where he performed his own work.

Chris is more of an impulsive songwriter; putting pen to paper when the moment sparks an idea rather than forcing the lyrics to be written. Therefore, his original material is all his own instead of collaborating with another artist to create his catalog. His ideas range from personal experience to thoughtful imagination. Fans of Chris Stewart have been anxiously awaiting recorded music from him. Many across the Midwest and Great Plains have been able to enjoy Stewart’s live performances at venues and at music festivals beyond. He’s shared stages with some of the most prevalent names in independent country and Americana music. Typically, you can experience his smooth and melodious voice in several regular gigs he plays around Kansas City.

Jan 24

Jan 24 Greensky Bluegrass: Stress Dreams

Susan Wood

Most performing artists found themselves at a collective loss when the COVID pandemic brought touring and recording schedules to a screeching halt in 2020, and Greensky Bluegrass was no different. After months of separation, individual notes, ideas, and demos culminated in full band rehearsals and development, ultimately bringing forth Stress Dreams, the band’s eighth studio album.

A new GSBG listener might marvel at the mix and match of sounds, images, and vibes on Stress Dreams. Over thirteen tracks, though, from the first note of “Absence of Reason,” to the final chord of “Reasons to Stay,” the sound is as consuming and recognizable as ever.

Jan 21

Jan 21 Aoife O'Donovan: Age of Apathy

Susan Wood

Aoife O’Donovan is a Grammy award-winning artist whose career has spanned twenty some-odd years, and whose musical diversity extends from playing with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, to appearing on Prairie Home Companion, and even writing music for HBO’s True Blood.

Indeed, diversity seems to be a key component of O’Donovan’s upcoming 11-track release, Age of Apathy. While her Irish heritage and childhood summers peep through the lilting musical arrangements, the descriptive lyrics and phrasing belie her influences of early folk legends Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
One song, “Galahad,” combines these elements, and incorporates a nod to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Victorian poet. The song leads the listener on a watercolor dream journey of unrequited love between a modern dreamer and her legendary, possibly imaginary, complement, chiding him in the end for being too late to act.

Jan 20

Jan 20 Lost Dog Street Band: Glory

Phillip Ring

I believe that every piece of art is made for an audience. Sometimes the creator is painfully aware of the audience, sometimes the creator is oblivious to the audience. Truly introspective artists that dig beyond the surface through the comfortable, to the parts of ourselves that we only visit when we’re alone, are rare. These artists have a unique, stressful, and tenuous relationship with their audiences, because while they intend to relay an experience, a perspective, or an idea, they give pieces of themselves that are difficult to recoup. In the case of Glory, by the venerable Lost Dog Street Band, it reads as a warning at times to their audience, with the next breath a roadmap, and the next a story of redemption, change, growth.

Jan 19

Jan 19 The Whitmore Sisters: Ghost Stories

Derek Scudder

“We’ve had a lot of loss, a couple of dead ex-boyfriends, and a lot of friends that have passed on – and writing about the grief, especially working towards this record, there’s been a lot to consider,” Bonnie Whitmore says about Ghost Stories, the new record with her big sister, Eleanor, which releases Friday, January 21st, on Red House Records.

Dec 20

Dec 20 Premiere | Brandi Colt: Unbreak a Heart

David Overstreet

Brandi Colt is getting after it again with her self-produced sophomore album, a follow-up to her Appalachian Hearts. The new album will, ultimately, be a double disk set. It will be aptly called Songs I Wrote and Some I Love Volumes 1 & 2.

The new album will come out as a set of four singles before the rest of Volume 1 will be released in February 2022. The first single will be “Unbreak a Heart,” produced by both Brandi Colt and Andrew Crawford. “Unbreak a Heart” is set to be released on December 30, 2021, with the following single “I Was Only Lonely with You” set to be released on January 20, 2022.

Dec 17

Dec 17 Kelley Mickwee: Don't Miss You At Austin

David Overstreet

Don’t Miss you at Austin is an interesting thought experiment given life through song by Kelley Mickwee. Kelley is one of the Shiny Soul Sisters, the back-up singers for the always audacious Shinyribs and formerly of the legendary all-girl group The Trishas. Along with friend and fellow Austinite, Dan Dyer who, himself, has a rather substantial catalog of songs and is a mainstay in the music scene in Austin and surrounding areas.

The premise of the song was to write about the concept of change. However, the duo chose to approach the subject from an unusual direction. Not entirely through melody and not entirely through lyrics. No, they chose as the medium to convey this idea - the music itself.

The song starts with a simple, folk / traditional country sound with a western/Mexican style of guitar playing in the background as a notable embellishment. The song takes a slight pause then changes both tempo and form into a 1920's speakeasy jazz style with a clarinet that stands out much like the guitar in the previous section did. The song takes another pause then transitions into a more traditional country song with fiddle and mandolin having a stronger influence, but just for the chorus, then it transitions yet again back into the 20’s jazz feel.

The overall idea of the song is both interesting and unique. I am intrigued to see how the fans and listening public, in general, relate to this song and the artistry.

Dec 15

Dec 15 Nick Sizemore Where The Lonesome Roam

Phillip Ring

Country Music continually evolves, especially in the current times. The eclectic blend of influences always produces something just a touch different. Nick Sizemore’s release Where The Lonesome Roam immediately calls to mind true smoky bar, beer bottle honky tonk. With the cadence and feel of a vinyl record spinning in a jukebox behind a pool table, or a full band that looks like it’s been beaten dry and soaked in beer to bring it back to life. It harkens back to a time before psychedelia took over the outlaw country scene. More rowdy roadhouse than countrypolitan, it's built on a solid foundation of pedal steel, a baritone and some old school Midwest country attitude.

Dec 10

Dec 10 Ken Pomeroy: Christmas Lights in April

Jolene Horihan

If you have never watched Ken Pomeroy perform or have never seen a photograph of her, you might have a hard time believing that the powerful voice and weighty lyrics come from someone so young. The Moore, OK, Cherokee singer-songwriter is a budding 19 years old. And if you think that's impressive, wait until you hear the album, knowing she penned some of the songs on today's release, Christmas Lights in April, as early as age 14.

Dec 7

Dec 7 Kyle Nix & the 38s | RC & the Ambers | Chris Jones & the Flycatchers at Cain's Ballroom

Melissa Payne

Saturday night’s show with Chris Jones and the Flycatchers, RC & The Ambers and Kyle Nix and the 38’s, might have been one of the best shows of 2021. Normally you don’t see this many members of The Turnpike Troubadours on the stage at Cain’s Ballroom without it being New Year’s Eve, but Saturday night was an exception. The line to get into Cain’s stretched down the block, a line full of many people who had driven in from other cities and states after rumors had been swirling all week that the show would turn into a Turnpike Troubadours reunion. This was largely due to the news that the Troubadours had reunited and would be hosting a show at Red Rocks on May 14th.

Dec 3

Dec 3 Jason Boland & The Stragglers: The Light Saw Me

Derek Scudder

Before Shooter Jennings began producing Grammy-winning records for Brandi Carlisle and Tanya Tucker, he was producing albums for American Aquarium, Jaime Wyatt, Duff McKagan (of Guns n Roses), and shock rocker Marilyn Manson among others. But, the first artist to hire Jennings as a record producer was Jason Boland for the Dark and Dirty Mile album in 2013. Shooter returns to the controls for the new release from Jason Boland and the Stragglers titled The Light Saw Me.

Nov 12

Nov 12 The Train to Birmingham: 5 Venues in the South You Should Visit

Derek Scudder

Independent music venues were among the many small businesses crushed by the effects of the Covid pandemic. Virtually every city can count at least one that was forced to close permanently. Many have only begun to host shows but with strict mandates forced by state or local governments and some still have yet to re-open. But, others have found a way to survive and are back to a regular schedule of live music. Recently, the calendar worked out where Mike and the Moonpies were winding down a tour with a swing through the Deep South all within a few hours of our Birmingham, Alabama home. We were able to catch the last five-night run but this isn’t about the band or those shows. It’s a celebration of the venues where they played.

Nov 4

Nov 4 Emily Scott Robinson: American Siren

Melissa Payne

I would be lying if I didn’t feel excitement and a tinge of fear when I heard that Emily Scott Robinson had a new album coming out this fall. You see, I get nervous when an artist releases a new album following an album that I love. Part of me worries that the new album won’t resonate with me as much, or maybe their growth as an artist has somehow outgrown me, but I need not have worried with Emily Scott Robinson and her new album, American Siren, a spectacular and soulful follow-up to Traveling Mercies, her 2019 album, which was my first introduction to her. There’s a lot that’s happened in the last two years. The world looks a bit different, of course, but Robinson was signed to Oh Boy Records earlier this year, and it seemed like a match made in heaven and placed Robinson among contemporaries every bit as talented as she is. Although Robinson’s songwriting and lyrics are as good as ever, they’ve also matured on American Siren, a sentiment that Robinson herself shares.

Oct 29

Oct 29 Hayes Carll: You Get it All

Derek Scudder

Has it really been 16 years since Hayes Carll released his Little Rock record? Every other song then seemed to be uptempo and filled with his now-signature wit and sly humor. We tend to remember all his clever tunes and forget just how many of the songs he has written over the years carry depth and compassion. On his new release, You Get It All, Hayes Carll has moved into a new echelon of singer/songwriters with a collection of 11 songs that convey a new level of poignancy and maturity.

Oct 22

Oct 22 Joey Frendo: Stone Mason's Son

Jolene Horihan

Despite every obstacle that has been thrown out, the last year has been busy, yet fruitful for the Tulsa-based artist, Joey Frendo. Not even a global pandemic kept him from making good on becoming a solo artist. Today, the debut EP, Stone Mason’s Son, gets released into the big, bright world for all to discover.

The road to making this EP started in Frendo’s home state of Michigan. He completed this leg of the journey when his new family recently relocated to Tulsa, OK after his wife received a job opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Frendo began his singer-songwriter career in Grand Rapids, MI while fronting an indie rock band from 2014-2019. He was a lyricist and singer for the band; learning the piano during those years and then expanding his instrumentation to the guitar in January of 2020. Frendo says, “learning guitar really has driven my songwriting output since, and allowed me to finally write in a way that is totally representative of myself.”

Oct 21

Oct 21 Premiere | Mabilene: The Other Side

Melissa Payne

Oct 14

Oct 14 TK & The Holy Know-Nothings: The Incredible Heat Machine

Phillip Ring

In an era where production is the pursuit of perfection and recording artists aren’t allowed to be anything but overly polished, this album is refreshing. A path to recording that most would consider dangerous, bold, and even risky, The Incredible Heat Machine was recorded live with no overdubs. It has a very 'in the room' feeling because of this. It is humans playing instruments to make music without autotune, correction and separation, a recording method that some may consider antiquated, but produces the perfect forms of imperfection.

Oct 13

Oct 13 Reckless Road Trip

Derek Scudder

Reckless Kelly is celebrating 25 years as a band in 2021; having been founded in 1996 by brothers Willy and Cody Braun in their home state of Idaho before moving to Austin. Their latest record American Girls/American Jackpot is a double album released last year in the middle of the pandemic; “Not the best business decision,” as front man Willy Braun says. The last time we saw RK in concert was in the fall of 2019. Ryan Engleman of the Turnpike Troubadours had just filled the guitar spot, then recently vacated by longtime member David Abeyta. Now it was time to see how the group was holding up after spending so much time in their online “Quarantine Kitchen” last year. Our mission was to catch Reckless Kelly on the last shows of their September run; 3 shows in 3 nights in 3 states at 3 very different venues.

Oct 8

Oct 8 Lance Rogers: Self-Titled

Ryan Bush

When Lance Rogers sipped from that teeming fountain of creative mystic, he drank the whole damn thing dry. Bone dry. Desolate dust left swirling at the bottom of the well kind of dry. Thankfully, with the release of his debut, self-titled album, Rogers has given us all a taste of his gift, and it’s nothing short of breathtaking – another example of the Kentucky influence burning from the Appalachian foothills.

“To release my debut album feels like the first day of kindergarten in a way,” says Rogers of the accomplishment. “Nerves and joy, a little crying. The thing about starting kindergarten is that there’s years and years ahead of you, ones that will form you and test you. I feel like that, but I’m excited to keep walking down this path. It’s my hope that this album will open a few doors and minds, and will be the opening scene of a series of authentic and true-to-life albums into the future.”