This is true “tear in my beer” honky tonk. And I am loving every second of this. It makes me want to cry and it is also completely uplifting. I guess it’s the same as looking at the car accident or putting your tongue in your cavity, even though you know it is going to lead to excruciating pain. People like living on the edge. This is about as “living on the edge” as I get. The bigger point is that Joshua Hedley is able to evoke real live emotion. And that is downright impressive. (more…)
Out here in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. I’m lucky to have not just one, but two friends who are, like me, intense music lovers. Both of my friends enjoy hosting home concerts, and I benefit from the fact that we have quite a bit overlap on our tastes. So, it was with great anticipation that we all gathered last Friday night to seeJodee Lewisperform amongst a full house of neighborhood friends.
I do love a feel good story. Well, that is the story of Ten Penny Gypsy. Justin Patterson and Laura Lynn Danley make up this dynamic duo. Look at that cover. I don’t usually mention an album cover in my reviews, but this cover art says so much. They are in love and doing what they love. Who could ask for anything more? Well, a little more cash wouldn’t hurt. But besides that, how many people can say that they are happy at work and love their job? Ten Penny Gypsy can.(more…)
I find myself listening to this over and over again. It is quirky and down right fun. Two qualities that I cherish deeply. It’s minimalistic with a very simple arrangement. Proof that complicated does not always win. This is genius in its simplicity and transparency. What you see is what you get. And what you get is Gene Turonis or Gene D. Plumber.
Red Shahan was born in Bluff Dale, Texas, a small town southwest of Ft Worth, but he spent a fair amount of his formative years as an emerging artist in the Lubbock area after attending Texas Tech. His sophomore release, Culberson Country is a slice of pure, sun-drenched, West Texas singer-songwriting perfection. His outstanding first release, Men and Coyotes, has a slightly less gritty Ryan Bingham, Texas Roadhouse feel. But on Culberson County, Shahan couples his smooth, lonesome vocal style with simple, evocative, small-town narrative songwriting that sounds to me like what Whiskeytown would have sounded like if Ryan Adams had been born on a ranch somewhere between Big Spring and Sweetwater.
During the interview after Dale Watson’s performance to close out the 39th season of Austin City Limits, he cited a John Lennon quote about how an artist’s originality comes from their inability to emulate their influences. When I heard that line from Dale, it quickly sunk in that no other statement about artists and their influences could better capture the true spirit of why artists make the music they do. Every single musician that first picks up as guitar or a microphone, or sits down at a Hammond organ or a pedal steel guitar to try to play starts out trying to play songs they love. And then they go on from there once they start to write their own songs and develop their own style. (more…)
Another album with a very high listenability index. The music is blues based, but contains a lot of buried treasures in addition to blues. There is an ubundance of vocal styiling, Vaudeville, burlesque, and some Caribbean influence. It’s Koko Taylor, meets Tom Waits, meets Harry Belafonte. Tami has a very strong and sultry voice which is perfectly suited for the songs on Sassafrass!(more…)
It was one of those perfect early spring nights that Chicago music fans dream of all winter long. Perfect sunny, warm weather. A perfect venue. And a fantastic band that perfectly matches the aesthetic of the venue. The Empty Bottle has long been one of my favorite places to see a show, and last Friday the triple bill lineup headed up by hometown Bloodshot Records artist Sarah Shook and the Disarmers exceeded everyone’s expectations. (more…)
What’s in a name? A name is the first introduction to a person or a thing. I think a name is very important. So when I think of Joe’s Truck Stop, the name conjures up images of something familiar and something comfortable. The name is very welcoming, they serve one and all at Joe’s. The customer service and execution by the folks at Joe’s is second to none.(more…)
I would like to come up with a new measure to evaluate music. The listenability index. After all, that is what is most important. How good does it sound? Is it something that can be played over and over without repelling the listener? The index goes from one to 100, with 100 being the most listenable, and one being the least. Life Is Good On The Open Road gets a listenability index rating of 100. Yes, you read that right. I have listened to the entire album three times now and I have yet to find a part where I said to myself, “I would have phrased that differently.” I can’t find one flaw. And believe me, I tried. That’s what I do as a critic. (more…)
