Wood and Wire — The Coast
Bluegrass is a funny thing. Sometimes I find it’s a little hokey or a little sad. Other times I think I only enjoy it because the musicians have found a way to incorporate tropes from other genres (such as Greenland…
Category Review
Mishka Shubaly — Coward’s Path
Mishka Shubaly’s second album, Coward’s Path, covers well-worn materials for this blog: alcoholism, self-doubt, self-recrimination, wry humor, twanging guitars. So what makes it stand out? There’s a raw, appealing quality to it. These songs were recorded about ten years ago,…
Bill Mallonee — Winnowing
Bill Mallonee is absurdly prolific and has produced what I think is one of the finest albums I’ve ever listened to — Vigilantes of Love’s Audible Sigh. Mallonee is absurdly prolific. Winnowing is his 50th album but who’s counting at…
Sarah Marie Young — Little Candy Heart
It’s interesting (to me, at least) to see how the music featured here has changed over the years. Americana is indeed a big tent. I’m finding myself moving more towards the jazzier, abstract side of things. With that being said,…
John Mellencamp — Plain Spoken
John Mellencamp is probably the person you should blame for this blog. My car rides were awash with folk singers like Peter, Paul, and Mary, James Dean, Raffi, and early rock’n’roll like the Beatles and the Beach Boys (also weird…