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Keeping the Door Open: A Conversation with Hayes Carll
When last the world heard from Hayes Carll, he was stomping and hollering his way through 2011\’s KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories). But five years can change a man. Hell, five minutes can change a man who has the heart of a poet that Carll does. That\’s why, on his new Lovers and Leavers…
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Squared Roots: Grant-Lee Phillips x Neil Young
The list of singer/songwriters who cite Neil Young at or near the top of their influences is overflowing with names … and with good reason. From his early Buffalo Springfield days on through his most recent solo efforts, the man has carved out a legacy that spans nearly 40 albums across six decades. Songs like “Tell…
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The Natural Course of Things: A Conversation with the Infamous Stringdusters
What do you get when you cross a bunch of roots-minded female singers with a bunch of bluegrass-adjacent male musicians? Why Ladies & Gentlemen, of course the new release from the Infamous Stringdusters which features appearances by Joan Osborne, Lee Ann Womack, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Abigail Washburn, and eight more of the finest voices roots music…
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Five Questions: Dori Freeman
When you come from a musical tradition that includes legendary artists like Hazel and Alice, Loretta Lynn, and Ola Belle Reed, you have some mighty big boots to fill. But that formidable legacy hasn\’t dissuaded Virginia\’s Dori Freeman from stepping into the spotlight with her eponymous debut. Produced by Teddy Thompson, the set balances a…
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Parker Millsap: The Very Last Day
On Parker Millsap\’s new album, The Very Last Day, the young singer/songwriter takes a major sonic leap forward thanks to Gary Paczosa\’s brawny production. And, while the aural landscape certainly warrants acknowledgement, the original compositions definitely deserve admiration. Millsap\’s dexterity in the writing department both belies his youthful age and betrays his old-soul wisdom. Not…
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Wild Ponies Continue to Shine, Radiantly
When you lay every fear and foible, every hurt and healing out for the whole world to see as Wild Ponies did on 2013\’s Things That Used to Shine, the album\’s follow-up surely can\’t be faulted for cutting a little bit loose. That\’s certainly the case with Radiant, the rough and tumble new release from…
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Squared Roots: Luther Dickinson x Jim Dickinson
Jim Dickinson was a musician’s musician who worked with everyone from Bob Dylan to the Replacements to Sam & Dave. One of his earliest gigs was in the Dixie Flyers, a group much like the cats in Muscle Shoals who backed a multitude of great soul artists on big hits. But, on the advice of…
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Five Questions: Carrie Rodriguez
Having bridged various cultural gaps her whole life, singer/songwriter/fiddler Carrie Rodriguez feels right at home constructing the same sort of unifying structures with her music. Rodriguez does so by reaching back into her family\’s history and her culture\’s heritage to find the perfect bilingual voice to inhabit the recently released Lola. Her open-armed, heartfelt artistic vision…
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The Singer Is Secondary to the Song: An Interview with Dylan LeBlanc
Singer/songwriter Dylan LeBlanc grew up splitting his time between Louisiana and Alabama, shuffling from his mom\’s house to his dad\’s. On the one side was an oppressively religious upbringing; on the other was a music-filled refuge. But, once his teenage years hit, LeBlanc\’s demons started to outpace all else, and he began a booze- and…
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Following the Muse: An Interview with Steve Martin
Mere mention of Steve Martin\’s name instantly evokes a multitude of references to his iconic comedic work over the past five decades. But there\’s so much more to the man than just a wild and crazy guy. Over the past five or so years, Martin has turned his focus toward music, working with both Steep…