Tim Easton is an American singer-songwriter known for his captivating blend of Americana, folk, and roots music. Born in Akron, Ohio, Easton’s musical journey began in the vibrant folk scene of Columbus, Ohio, where he honed his craft and developed his unique storytelling style. With influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Woody Guthrie, Easton’s music…
American Primitive is the thirteenth studio album by veterans Old 97’s. The record is arriving just months before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Hitchhike to Rhome. The band, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples, describes the album as a “de-evolution,” featuring big, loud, brutal,…
I’ve been wracking my mind trying to think of another married couple that have recorded together with the same sympatico and creativity that I hear when ace Americana guitarist and sideman Buddy Miller records with his songwriter wife Julie Miller. Of course, there was Richard and Linda Thompson, but we all know that didn’t end…
After over a decade and 4 full-length studio albums with Best Coast – her band with multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno – Bethany Cosentino has stepped away to create her solo debut, Natural Disaster. Given her previous ventures in power pop/alt rock with excursions into surf rock and country, her solo work here, supported by Nashville producer…
If you’re a fan of alternative Americana rock, there’s no chance you haven’t heard Marc Ribot’s play guitar, and I’d bet even without knowing who was playing you were blown away by how it was perfect for the moment, and yet completely outside of the box of your usual expectations. Ribot’s bio reminds us that…
“If it’s all you got, yeah, it’s all you gave, I got a problem with it. If you can’t do better than that, babe, I got a problem with it.” This is the catchy chorus you hear in Plains single, “Problem With It,” and it is incredibly hard to get out of your head. This…
Jason Isbell has had a pretty good year, here in 2018. His last album, The Nashville Sound, picked up the Grammy Award for the Best Americana Album, and “If We Were Vampires” nabbed the one for Best American Roots Song, then followed that up with wins in the Americana Music Honors & Awards in Nashville…
No one is ever going to call singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee an under-achiever. His latest release, a 10 song full-length effort, Forest Full of Wolves is his 78th album by his own count. Mallonee spent the 1990s fronting Vigilantes of Love, shuffling from one label to the next. They drove a van coast-to-coast playing every alternative…
The Thread That Keeps Us – the ninth album from Calexico – is yet another artful collection of stories. They’re told with the band’s eclectic musicality and a mature songwriting sensibility that shows up primarily in strong, impressive melodies. Rooted in the long collaboration of singer/multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino, and favoring a…
Fans of Americana with a long enough memory, will remember The Jayhawks as one of the best bands of the mid-90’s, when albums like Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass thrived critically and commercially thanks to the strong songwriting and harmony vocals of Gary Louris and Mark Olson. “Blue” is perhaps the best…
