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In the Tradition: An Interview with Sam Gleaves
Whether you grow up in the mountains or the city, the geography of your youth never really leaves you. It informs and influences you, even when you might not think so. Sam Gleaves certainly knows this to be true. His southwest Virginia upbringing defines almost everything he is and wants to be. As a songwriter,…
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June Millington Crosses Another Bridge
When mention is made of all-female bands, most references usually cite the Bangles, the Go-Gos, and the Runaways. Rarely do they trace the footsteps all the way back to Fanny (or its predecessor, the Svelts) overlooking a key moment in the history of rock chicks. So, it\’s a story guitarist/songwriter — and Fanny founder —…
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The Power of Reflection: An Interview with Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant was only 18 years old when she first joined 10,000 Maniacs back in 1981. A handful of years later, the politically inclined folk-rock ensemble was taking the world by storm as part of a generation of musicians who used their art as activism. When Merchant departed the band in 1993, it was to…
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Salt of the Earth: An Interview with Jeffrey Foucault
Listening to Jeffrey Foucault\’s records — even just perusing his album covers — gives the sense that he\’s the kind of guy who lives close to earth, unafraid to get his hands dirty … literally or metaphorically. It\’s easy to imagine him standing in a river or driving down a highway contemplating capital “l” Life. That…
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Squared Roots: Jill Andrews x Joni Mitchell
Pretty much every singer/songwriter today counts Joni Mitchell among their heroes. If they don\’t, they should. From her 1968 debut to her 2007 finale, Mitchell\’s talent has been both steadfast and elusive — remaining constant even as it evolved. Her early records (Blue, Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Court & Spark) showcased a craft so fully…
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David Ramirez: Fables
David Ramirez\’s new album, Fables, is a jewel in the 2015 Americana crown and a must-listen for anyone who has ever waged a personal war with the capital “t” Truth. Problem is, the first two cuts of the album are so good, it\’s hard to get past them to explore the other eight. “Communion” opens…
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Five Questions: Shawn Mullins
Before — and after — Shawn Mullins was a pop star in the late \’90s, he was a songwriter of both substance and style. While his early Big Blue Sky release shared a folky kinship with Shawn Colvin, some of his later records were more in step with the classic country of Kris Kristofferson. On…
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Laying It All on the Line: An Interview with David Ramirez
With his stunning new album, Fables, singer/songwriter David Ramirez breaks a three-year hiatus that was not of his choosing. He\’d been on the road pretty consistently for years — traveling some 260,000 miles on his own — when a writer\’s block crashed the system. Like all the finest poets and philosophers before him, Ramirez dove…
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Natalie Merchant: Paradise Is There
Even though they may be encoded with 1s and 0s or enshrined in vinyl grooves, songs are not static entities. They live and breathe, expand and contract as the years wear on. They take on different meanings for the listener, just as they do for the artist. It\’s no wonder, then, that singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant…
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The Truth of Absolutes: An Interview with Son Little
Son Little (aka Aaron Earl Livingston) is one of those artists who transcend time, place, and genre. That makes his music hard to define, though not hard to appreciate … much like the artist who makes it. Livingston was born in Los Angeles, but grew up on the East Coast — somewhere between New York,…