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Everything's Better: An Interview with Jason Isbell
Although Jason Isbell has been around a few roots music blocks over the past 15 or so years — as both a member of the Drive-By Truckers and a solo artist — it was his 2013 album, Southeastern, that brought him truly widespread acclaim. The song cycle emerged after Isbell went to rehab for his…
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Five Questions: The Earnest Lovers
When Pete Krebs and Leslie Beia came together as Earnest Lovers, it was a meeting of both minds and hearts. Musically, they shared a passion for classic country. Romantically, they shared a passion for each other. You don\’t have to look very far back in the lineage to find myriad tellings of the very same…
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The SteelDrivers: The Muscle Shoals Recordings
Seeing as Muscle Shoals is not more than a hop, skip, and a jump or two from their home base in Nashville — and lead singer Gary Nichols grew up there — the SteelDrivers headed down that way for their new set, unceremoniously titled as The Muscle Shoals Recordings. But it sounds nothing like anything…
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Iris DeMent, Pieta Brown at City Winery
She “…was as charming as a dream, and as melancholy as a dove left solitary in its nest by the death of its mate.” Honoré de Balzac wrote those words in Despair in Love, and they sprung to mind while watching Iris DeMent work through her set last night at Nashville\’s City Winery. DeMent is…
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A Strong Whole: An Interview with Anderson East
Alabama has a lot to be proud of when it comes to musical heritage, from both then and now. One of the Cotton State\’s newest treasures is soul-based singer/songwriter Anderson East. With a voice and style that lands him somewhere between Ray LaMontagne and Joe Cocker, East is taking the world by storm. His new…
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Ashley Monroe Is On to Something
Throughout its history, country music has found itself at a crossroads where opposing forces want to push its boundaries with one hand and limit them with the other. That\’s certainly the case these days. So, what should a contemporary traditionalist like singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe do? Follow the lead of their musical heroes and keep it…
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Eilen Jewell: Sundown over Ghost Town
With a title like Sundown over Ghost Town and cover art of a silhouetted figure with an acoustic guitar in front of a vast, star-filled horizon, Eilen Jewell\’s new album sends a signal that what lies therein could easily be simple and spacious country-folk songs. Uh, not quite. Yes, there are some simple and spacious…
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Squared Roots: Dead Rock West x the Everly Brothers
Once known as \”Little Donnie and Baby Boy Phil,\” Don and Phil Everly started singing together as young boys, first with their parents and, later, on their own. Their childhood years in Iowa led to teenage years in Tennessee, eventually landing them in Nashville. Chet Atkins took a liking to the lads and got them…
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Five Questions: Twin Bandit
The Canadian folk duo of Hannah Walker and Jamie Elliott — aka Twin Bandit — comes from a long line of harmony makers. Many times the pairing is made of siblings like the Louvins, Everlys McGarrigles, or Roches. While Walker and Elliott may not share biological DNA, their musical chemistry is undeniable. Twin Bandit\’s debut…
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Between the Lines: "Tony"
Does anyone remember Tony? Of course you do. He was a quiet boy … a little over weight. He had breasts like a girl. Yeah. Him. Tony. Well, I sat behind him in class. Lucky me, right? When I wasn’t too busy feeling lonely and pissed because Jeanne wasn\’t into me, I’d stare over his…