Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Ha Ha Tonka has been rocking since 2005. Before they changed their name in 2007, they were known as Amsterband. They are from West Plains, Mo, which is also the hometown of the late country legend Porter Wagoner. The name Ha Ha Tonka, which is quite unusual, is the name of a state park in Missouri. If it is anything like the music, it must be a very serene and peaceful place. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

WOW, I say! Just wow! This is dark, haunting, and completely captivating. It is garage, a little bit surf, and a little B horror movie. If Nick Cave and The Cramps ever consummated their relationship, Spencer Robinson would be the offspring. Robinson spent a number of years as the bass player for the LA band The Lords Of Altamont. While the style is somewhat similar, Robinson has slowed it down and stripped it down as well. This sound is more minimalistic than the Lords.  (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

So I was on the Outlaw Country Cruise from February 26 through March 2 and I was watching Scott H. Biram perform. This guy comes up to me named Jay and hands me this CD. I told him I review them on my website Twangri-La and he was ecstatic. He was just giving me one to be nice and had no idea I write reviews. He brought a bunch of them on the cruise to give to people to promote The Airstreams. I get a lot of unsolicited music and I usually keep my expectations low because most of them are not really my taste. So when I put on The Airstreams CD and listened, I was floored. It is absolutely exceptional. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Very rocking album from the former guitar player and frontman of The Georgia Satellites. This is great raucous music, kind of a cross between Drive By Truckers instrumentation and Warren Zevon vocals. Maybe a little more southern rock than Americana, but another album right in my comfort zone. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

A fresh new voice who sings from the heart. That is what Jaime Wyatt is all about. Thankfully, she doesn’t sing with that pop country affectation that makes me want to punch my fist through a plate glass window. No, there is nothing fake about Miss Wyatt. The title, Felony Blues is a reference to her time in prison. She served eight months for robbery. She is not necessarily proud of her stint in prison, but she acknowledges it as a part of her past. Her reasoning for calling the seven track album Felony Blues was to shine a light on prisoners so they are not forgotten. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

There is a lot of irony surrounding Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn. In fact, his band isn’t that big at all if you count personnel. There are only three people that make up this band: Reverend Peyton – fingerstyle slide guitar, fingerstyle guitar, cigar box guitar, and lead vocals; Washboard Breezy Peyton – background vocals, washboard, tambourine, and snaps & claps; and, Maxwell Senteney – background vocals, suitcase, tambourine, snaps & claps, and other percussion. The name “Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band” was derived from the sound and not the number of personnel in the band. The sound is actually larger than big, it is momentous. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Would you believe that there was this English band during the peak of the British Invasion that had material every bit as good as the biggest British groups of all time and you never heard of them until now? Well it is 100% true and the name of the band was The Creation. Listening to their material now and it is a real head scratcher why they remained relatively unknown in The US until now. Well, I guess it really isn’t that much of a mystery. Probably a victim of bad management and poor career decisions.  (more…)