At first blush, Whiskey Myers’ “Ballad of a Southern Man” has the makings of a country checklist song. Then something interesting happens.

Soul Asylum is back following a six-year gap between projects, the last of which was completed by Dave Pirner and Co. as bassist Karl Mueller succumbed to cancer. Tommy Stinson (who, while with the Replacements, was a labelmate of Soul Asylum’s at Twin Tone) filled in on some of theRead More

Meet the Ripe, a Texas band, whose debut album Into Your Ears affirms they are a serious force to be reckoned with. The band’s music reminds me of a stew pot. You May Also Like: No related posts.

Perhaps best known as the leader of the now-defunct band Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jimbo Mathus is returns with a raw, ambitious six-song EP. Moving from stomping Southern rock (“Blue Light”) to dirt-road garage rock (“Haunted John”) to Stones-y white blues (“Fucked Up World”), then back again to a gospel-soaked countryRead More

Saxophone sage Matt Garrison (not to be confused with bassist Matthew Garrison) recently made his second album, Blood Songs, and for truly talented musicians on an upward trajectory, that sophomore effort is often where the big growth occurs. You May Also Like: Jack DeJohnette, with Ravi Coltrane and Matthew GarrisonRead More

The name “Grant Geissman” comes up and my mind’s radio instantly tunes to Chuck Mangione’s 1978 hit “Feels So Good,” the highlight of which is Geissman’s flashy guitar solo You May Also Like: David Garfield, “Sir Charles” from ‘Stretchin’ Outside the Box’ (2020): One Track Mind

Pianist Salvatore Cirillo, appearing in both trio and vocalist-fronted quartet formats here, shows off a stirring range – moving from crinkly bop, to fiery blues then back to a deeply involving impressionism. You May Also Like: Bobby Kimball – We’re Not in Kansas Anymore (2017) Matthew Shipp Trio – PianoRead More

Six years ago, Rory Block undertook an ambitious project she dubbed the Mentor Series that was instigated with the release of The Lady And Mr. Johnson You May Also Like: No related posts.

Nabbing my vote as one of the finest contemporary bands to be had, Rainy Day Saints came barreling out of the gates with yet another electrifying disc. Logging in as the Cleveland, Ohio band’s fourth full-length album, All These Strange Ghosts basically picks up where their previous efforts left offRead More

Sadly, the latest from Hank Jr. is pretty much everything that I hoped it wouldn’t be. There’s a lot of grousing about the government, a lot of trying to convince us he’s just a good ole boy like us You May Also Like: Oceans And [Tim Berne, Hank Roberts +Read More