Hawk and Steel — Anywhere But Here
My therapist (and I guess other people in my life) often tells me I’m too hard on myself. That may be the case, but after listening to Hawk and Steel’s Anywhere But Here, I wonder if that’s maybe a trait…
The Leavelles — Mostly True Stories
The Leavelles’ Mostly True Stories is honest-to-goodness, back-to-basics country rock’n’roll. These guys are what speaks to me most in this corner of the music world: they sing humorous songs about serious subjects and don’t take themselves too seriously. That doesn’t…
Sara Rachele — Madison County EP
I have a rather contrary association with Sara Rachele’s devastating ballad, “Rebecca.” It was the last day of school and I literally had nothing else to do, so I sat at my desk and queued up the song for a…
Juleah — Melt Inside the Sun
Apparently the new cool kid thing is to “emulate” ’90s alt-rock (as opposed to begging, borrowing, and stealing from the ’70s and ’80s.) If you’ve been reading this noble publication for a while, you know that that’s the last musical…
VIDEO: Honey and the 45s — “Dark”
It’s hot, but Honey and the 45s have enough cool emanating from them to ease your suffering. Or, in the case of this video, they might rev you up. Filmed in the swanky Powhatan Building in Chicago, the video’s fascination…
C & C Surf Factory — Garage City
Happy birthday to me! My present to you is this tasty surf-rock morsel from the hands of two of Canada’s greatest alt-country guitarists: Colin Cripps (Kathleen Edwards, Blue Rodeo) and James Robertson (Lindi Ortega, New Country Rehab). The duo’s desire…
Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers — Cockadoodledon’t (VINYL RE-ISSUE)
I am pretty sure I am the only person who has ever worked out to The Legendary Shackshakers. Certainly, I was the only one in the gym crushing it (I can benchpress 40 pounds, guys!) to rockabilly. Clocking in at…
Chris Darby — Instructional Songs For Quality Living
Writing about country music as I do, when I saw the title for Chris Darby’s new album, I assumed (and hoped) that the title would be ironic. What’s a more apt title for an album of yet more songs about…