There’ve been quite a few good bands who came together out of Belmont University, and the late Apache Relay was one of my favorites. Hearing that their former fiddle player was releasing a record of his own created visions of the kind of backwoods Americana sound you might expect from a fiddle player. But, surprisingly, […]
The opening line of Solar Twin’s “Salvation,” is “They say that rock is dead.” While I don’t disagree that there isn’t some truth to what Shane Tutmarc sings, there is the contradiction that Solar Twin’s 2017 release on which this song appears, “Pink Noise,” is a great rock record. Solar Twin is the product of […]
Has it really been 45 years since I first heard the Greetings from Asbury Park album and became a diehard fan of my fellow New Jerseyite, Bruce Springsteen? This relationship has produced some of my fondest musical memories, and, it seems that no matter what he does that I may not like, be it high-ticket […]
When asked what Americana music was, my flippant answer was “Country music that doesn’t suck.” I later gave a more detailed one which described an Americana artist to be one who writes their own songs, plays an instrument and sings without Auto-Tune. In other words, there’s much more to the package than just wearing a […]
Whether you are coming unbridled to simply explore the wonders of Music City or making a road trip to see your favorite band at the Ryman, there are tons of music-related activities you can cram into even just a weekend trip to Nashville. And don’t forget, it’s been a dang long time since Nashville music […]
In the middle of the 70s, my Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath posters were replaced with ones more reflective of my move towards what we then called country rock. And, while I delighted in hearing new music, I had a deep love for earlier records by Poco, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. While […]
So, while New York City has its “Springsteen on Broadway,” Music City has its “Isbell on Demonbreun.” For three consecutive Tuesday nights in December, Jason Isbell will grace the stage at the elaborate and intimate CMA Theater inside Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame. Jason will present three differently-formatted shows commencing at the early 7pm […]
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Andrew Adkins will be releasing his new album “…To Become Immortal Then Die” on December 8th. Andrew is a fine tunesmith whose well-crafted songs on this record are presented in a variety of styles with arrangements chock-full of a potpourri of sounds. All this makes for a delightful-sounding record that I think fans […]
Had I not seen the tweet from Mayor Megan Barry inviting us all to the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, I may have missed this chance to see Nashville’s newest favorite celebrity musical couple, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. After sitting behind her honor at one of Jason’s recent Ryman shows, it was certainly no […]
The great music film “20 Feet from Stardom” spotlighted the important contributions made by some of the music world’s great backup singers. One singer who has made her mark in this role recently here in Music City is folk-artist Molly Parden. Working with some notable Americana artists, Molly has added her angelic voice to recordings […]
Music City Mike 