Jake Minch’s Lonesome “Strip Mall” Pas de Deux
I love ballet. So, so much. So much, that after I had to stop for awhile, I couldn’t bear to look at a single dance because it made me miss it too much. My bloodied (yes, ballet is brutal) pointe shoes in the farthest corner of the attic, my youtube folder of videos deleted, and […]
Noah Kahan’s “New Perspective” is a Yearning For Simpler Times
We have seen a lot of change in the last few years. It’s throwing us off. We haven’t kept up with it. The pace of change has been exhausting, especially in places in which people were sheltered from a lot of change – or even a lot of difference in opinion and experience and lifestyle […]
John Vincent III’s “That’s Just the Way It Is, Babe” Is a New Beginning
So, you find yourself sitting in the debris of some broken dreams. The dream house has fallen down around you. The shock is wearing off, and you’re becoming conscious of the dust on your clothing. You realize that you’re physically intact, and you find your love, also in one piece. For a while, the two […]
Jack Blocker’s “Big Jefe” & Cowboy Country
Good news and bad news. Bad news: I’ve been at a record low of my usual listening activity (yes, I’m obsessive and keep track on Spotistats). My usual favorites haven’t been hitting, the new stuff seems like it’s been done before, and a general malaise has been hanging heavy like a cloud above my Spotify. […]
Scottish Singer’s “Chapters” is a Head Turner
You’re bouncing along on a remote Scottish road, not another vehicle in sight, trying not to be distracted by thoughts of getting your car in for service to get the shocks looked at, because there are various upcoming bends to negotiate and potholes to avoid. You happen to look up into the Highlands. Well, they […]
The Half-awake Dream of Jörgen Kjellgren’s “On A Tuesday”
If you make music, if you put pen to paper and voice to tape (well… the electronic equivalent these days, but I’m being nostalgic), does the time of day or day of the week affect what comes out? Tuesday is the day of the week for music producer and singer songwriter Jörgen Kjellgren’s latest song, […]
Retrospective: Blaze Foley’s Last Show “Live at the Austin Outhouse”
The first thing I regret about writing a Blaze Foley retrospective is that it is, by nature, retroactive—that is, that I am yet another in a long string of fans, reviewers, and artists who have come to know and appreciate his talent when it is far, far too late. No amount of good things I […]
The Era of “Epoch” by DeYarmond Edison
“Epoch,” or – by the full name, “Epoch – Song for a Lover (of Long Ago)” is the culmination of some unfinished business. That business is now being taken care of by the band DeYarmond Edison, originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Also, a box set, because DeYarmond Edison has actually been around for a while, […]
Jason Wozniak’s “Missing Piece,” Catching Up, and Letting Go
The beginning of Jason Wozniak’s “Missing Piece” is like entering a storied jazz club, under new management. You hear a smooth synth. The musicians, friends of the owner, have agreed to help set the stage for a revitalization of the establishment. You come in for a bit of conversation with a long-lost friend. There are […]
Noah Gundersen’s “Swim” & Old Souls
Noah Gundersen is no rookie on the scene. And even when he was, the high praise he received as a rookie was often laced with reference to his spectacularly grounded vocals and battleworn songwriting, often called “old school.” But there is, whether you listen to his older stuff or the freshest single, something about Gundersen’s […]
