Interviews
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Five Questions: John Craigie
Singer/songwriter John Craigie grew up in Southern California, which easily explains his breezy, bright folk-rock sensibilities. After graduating with a degree in mathematics from UC Santa Cruz, Craigie took to the road and the recording studio, which readily explains his existential musical explorations. Craigie\’s latest release — No Rain, No Rose — finds him folding…
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The Turns of Humor and Terms of Happy: A Conversation with Aimee Mann
In an age of rampant anti-intellectualism, it\’s imperative that we cling to the brainiacs among us, be they scholars or scientists, pundits or poets. One of the smartest of the songwriter smarty pants has long been Aimee Mann and, thankfully, she\’s back with a new album to get us through 2017, the more-than-aptly titled Mental…
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Infinite and Unforeseen: A Conversation with Sera Cahoone
There often seem to be seasons in life, when one thing after another takes our breath away — and not always in a pleasant way. Singer/songwriter Sera Cahoone has been experiencing just such a time for the past few years. From losing her cousin in 2014 to getting engaged in 2015 to breaking that off…
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Squared Roots: Tift Merritt x Linda Ronstadt
In the world of folk-rock, a few artists reap the lion\’s share of mentions, with Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne, among them. One of the great voices of the genre, though, is Linda Ronstadt. As a singer and song collector, she is all but unrivaled — a point most of her peers would…
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Squared Roots: Johnnyswim x Johnny Cash
Through wars with authority and battles with addiction, Johnny Cash carved out a place in musical history for himself that is the stuff of legends. The rebellion and redemption, as well as the humor and humility, that run through his songs resonated — and still resonate — with fans around the world who have bought…
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Squared Roots: Scott Biram x Lead Belly
Though Lead Belly was merely a man, his story reads like the stuff of legends. He had multiple encounters with the law, was sentenced to a chain gang, escaped, killed a relative, and got thrown back in the hoosegow, earned himself a pardon because the governor was a fan. But then he stabbed someone else…
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Squared Roots: Jane Siberry x Leonard Cohen
True songwriting heroes are a rare breed and, in roots music, a few names take up more space than all the others combined — names like Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and John Prine. For artists on the darker end of the spectrum, from Jeff Buckley to…
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Nothing to Hide: A Conversation with Dan Layus
After more than a decade at the heart of Augustana, Dan Layus recently released an official solo album, Dangerous Things. And anyone who thinks they are going to get another bunch of roots-rock anthems out of Layus has another think coming their way. The sparsely drawn, country-tinged singer/songwriter set summons Gram Parsons, Woody Guthrie, and…
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Squared Roots: Jonatha Brooke x Joe Sample
Music is full of innovators, some worthy of the word, some less so. Jazz pioneer Joe Sample certainly fits the former. Coming out of Houston, Texas, Sample\’s artistic roots ran deep and wide. And he wasn\’t afraid to let them reach into everything he did, blending blues, soul, gospel, and other forms into one. Sample…
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Five Questions: Courtney Marie Andrews
When you leave home at 16 to pursue music, there\’s no denying that it\’s a calling even more than it is a career. Such is the case for Courtney Marie Andrews who has spent the past 10 years touring with Damien Jurado and Jimmy Eat World, while also making records of her own. Back in…