kmx
-
Amanda Shires at City Winery
Amanda Shires has an interesting way with both language and music. It\’s there in her conversation, and it\’s there in her songs. The way she chooses and collects words together in both is thoroughly endearing, and the way she winds melodies around them like so much silky twine is simply fascinating. Her melodies, you see,…
-
Squared Roots: JD McPherson x Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich — the ol\’ Silver Fox. Folks who only know him by “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl” are missing a big piece of the puzzle. Rich grew up in Arkansas, the son of cotton farmers who both played music in their Baptist church. An injury forced him to abandon his football…
-
Five Questions: Samantha Crain
Oklahoma\’s Samantha Crain is a musical force to be reckoned with. As a singer, her phrasing and rhythms fail to follow traditional folk patterns. And, as a songwriter, her compositions prick and pry at our hearts and minds in the best possible ways. Her latest endeavor, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree, puts those talents…
-
Between the Lines: "Elephant"
She said, “Andy, you\’re better than your past. So you gotta just let it go. Regret doesn\’t do any of us any good, no way.” She\’d always been so good to me, even when I didn\’t deserve it. Somehow, she knew my heart was in the right place and she winked at me with that…
-
Five Questions: Iris DeMent
Some 23 years ago, Iris DeMent appeared on the singer/songwriter scene with her Infamous Angel debut. With that set, she set her own artistic bar remarkably high, particularly with the folk perfection that is “Our Town.” Since then, DeMent has built an impressive catalog of albums and collaborations, all filled with her personal blend of…
-
12 Best Quips from Dolly's Return to the Ryman
After more than a decade away, Dolly Parton returned to Nashville\’s Ryman Auditorium last night for the first of two sold-out benefit shows. Greeted by a standing ovation, she got things started by saying, “For those who don\’t know me, I\’ll fill you in,” before heading into “Backwoods Barbie.” As she worked through an evening…
-
Keeping Calm and Carrying On: An Interview with Ashley Monroe
When legends like Guy Clark and Vince Gill sign on to work with a young artist, you know there\’s something there. Such is the case with country singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe. While Clark has co-written with the wonderfully talented songstress, Gill — along with Nashville A-lister Justin Niebank — has produced two of her three records,…
-
Jerry Was There: Neal Casal and the Grateful Dead’s Swan Song
Recently, the Grateful Dead celebrated its 50th anniversary and bid the world adieu with five Fare Thee Well performances split between Santa Clara, California, and Chicago, Illinois. The lineup onstage featured Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby and Jeff Chimenti. Offstage, another band came together to…
-
Between the Lines: "Before It Falls"
The picture from the television keeps shifting the shadows in the room. The ceiling, a Rorschach test that I\’m failing. The lamp isn\’t on, but a light from down the hallway casts him in silhouette from where I\’m sitting on the floor leaning my back into the softness of the chair. I watch the ash…
-
Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material
There\’s a reason sophomore albums are considered a tough nut to crack. An artist has only a year or two to write a batch of tunes that stack up to the batch from their debut that they had their whole pre-debut life to write. Whether or not that debut was successful, the artist also has…