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  • 2024 CD Reviews
    • Dalton Mills
  • 2022 CD Reviews
    • Ol' Savannah - They lie in wait
    • Erika Lewis - A walk around the sun
    • The Miners - Megunticook
    • Mama's Broke - Narrow Line
    • Hezekiah Goode - Humansville
  • 2020 C.D Reviews
    • November 2020 >
      • William Elliott Whitmore - I'm with you
  • 2019 C.D Reviews
    • December 2019 >
      • Them Coulee Boys - Die happy
      • Resonant Rogues - Autumn of the World
      • Erik Koskinen - Burning the deal
    • November 2019 >
      • Lasers Lasers Birmingham - Warning
    • September 2019 >
      • Will Beeley - Highways & Heart Attacks
      • Tui - Pretty little mister
    • August 2019 >
      • Rachel Harrington - Hush the wild horses
      • Steel Blossoms
      • Kelly Hunt - Even the Sparrow
      • The Lowdown Drifters - Last call for dreamers
    • July 2019 >
      • Abigail Lapell - Getaway
      • Jonathan Warren and the Billy Goats - Cletus
      • Jamie Freeman - Dreams about falling
    • June 2019 >
      • The Howlin' Brothers - Still Howlin'
      • Daniel Meade & the Flying Mules - Live Mules
      • Nicholas Mudd
      • Son Volt - Union
    • May 2019 >
      • An American Forrest - O Bronder, Donder, Yonder
      • Allison De Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves
      • Foghorn Stringband - Rock Island Grange
    • April 2019 >
      • Tylor & the Train Robbers - Best of the worst kind
      • The Oldtime Stringband - Pretty little horses
    • March 2019 >
      • Carson McHone - Carousel
      • JP Harris - Sometimes dogs bark at nothing
  • 2018 C.D Reviews
    • October 2018 >
      • The Hot Seats - Stupid mountain too big
      • Luke Tuchscherer - Pieces
    • September 2018 >
      • Clay Parker and Jodi James - The lonesomest sound that can sound
      • Davis Kathriner - Losing habits
      • Green Rock River Band - Edgelands
    • August 2018 >
      • Curse of Lono - As I fell
      • Melissa Carper & Rebecca Patek - Brand new old-time songs
      • Kendl Winter - Stumbler's business
      • Carter Sampson - Lucky
    • July 2018 >
      • Cold Tone Harvest - After you
      • Oliver the Crow
      • Dan Israel - You're free
      • Jeb Barry and the Pawn Shop Saints - Texas etc.
      • The Mammals - Sunshiner
    • June 2018 >
      • Gwenifer Raymond - You were never much of a dancer
      • Dusty Rust - Stolen horse
      • The Tillers
      • Anna & Elizabeth - The invisible comes to us
      • Wesley Randolph Eader - Highway winds
      • Vivian Leva - Time is everything
      • Gareth Owen - Rolling by
      • The Local Honeys - Little girls actin' like men
    • May 2018 >
      • Lonesome Ace Stringband - When the sun comes up
      • Old Crow Medicine Show - Volunteer
      • My Darling Clementine - Still testifying
      • Michael McDermott - Out from under
      • Foghorn Leghorn - All at sea
      • The Vagaband - Something wicked this way comes
      • The Nowhere Brothers - Down Life Boulevard
    • April 2018 >
      • Charley Crockett - Lonesome as a shadow
      • June Star -East on Green
      • Daniel Meade - When was the last time
      • 3hattrio - Lord of the desert
      • Jamie Freeman - Hasia dreams
      • Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers - Don't think about tomorrow night
      • Mashville - Another place
    • March 2018 >
      • Dean Owens - Southern wind
      • The Sumner Brothers - To Elliott in remembrance of Wolf
      • Red Pine Timber Company - Sorry for the good times
      • Ash Grey - Chickenwire
      • Orphan Colours - All on red
      • Steph Cameron - Daybreak over Jackson Street
    • February 2018 >
      • James Edwyn & the Borrowed Band - High fences
      • A Different Thread - High Time (e.p)
      • Penny Black Remedy - Maintaining dignity in awkward situations
      • Sleepy Driver - Sugar skull
    • January 2018 >
      • Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards - California calling
      • Thunder and Rain - Start Believing
      • The Winterlings - American son
      • Wild Ponies - Galax
      • Tyler Childers - Purgatory
  • 2017 C.D Reviews
    • December 2017 >
      • Orphan Brigade - Heart of the Cave
      • The Strange Blue Dreams
      • Dori Freeman - Letters never read
      • Luke Tuchscherer - Always be true
      • Jeremy Pinnell - Ties of blood and affection
      • Prinz Grizzley - Come on in
    • November 2017 >
      • RT 'n' the 44s - Both hands on the bottle
      • The Wynntown Marshals - After all these years
      • Heather Lynne Horton - Don't mess with Mrs. Murphy
      • The Mixus Brothers - To hang me high
      • The Coal Creek Boys - The wolf and the bear
    • October 2017 >
      • Big Sadie - Keep me waiting
      • When Rivers Meet - Liberty
      • Ryan Koenig - Two different worlds
      • Daniel Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders - Scenery for Dreamers
      • Elliott Brood - Ghost Gardens
      • Sarah Jane Scouten - When the bloom falls from the rose
      • Red Moon Joe _ Time and Life
    • September 2017 >
      • Chris Blevins - Better than alone
      • Steve Welner - Sweet simple life
      • Corn Potato String Band - Good job everybody
      • Murder Murder - Wicked lines and veins
      • Slaid Cleaves - Ghost on the car radio
      • Zoe & Cloyd - Eyes brand new
      • Hope in High Water - Never settle
    • August 2017 >
      • Over the Moon - Moondancer
      • House & Land
      • The Whiskey Charmers - The Valley
      • Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters
      • Oh Susanna - A girl in teen city
      • Zane Campbell - Ola Wave
      • Amelia Curran - Watershed
    • July 2017 >
      • Pierce Edens - Stripped down, gussied up
      • John Alexander - Of these lands
      • Lauren Barth - Forager
      • Amber Cross - Savage on the downhill
      • Zephaniah Ohora and the 18 Wheelers - This Highway
      • Front Country - Other love songs
    • June 2017 >
      • Curse of Lono - Severed
      • Scott Cook - Further down the line
      • John Craigie - No Rain, No Rose
      • The Harmed Brothers
      • Hillfolk Noir - Junkerpunch
    • May 2017 >
      • Ezio - Daylight Moon
      • Nathan Bell - Love>Fear
      • The Long Haul - Beautiful Lies
      • K Phillips - Dirty Wonder
      • The Most Ugly Child - Copper & Lace
      • Dan Tuffy - Songs from Dan
      • Lil' Lost Lou
      • Donald Byron Wheatley - Moondogs and Mad Dogs
      • Pete Mancini - Foothill Freeway
    • April 2017 >
      • Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy - The Miller Girl
      • Secret Emchy Society - The stars fall shooting into Twangsville
      • Best of the Old Crow Medicine Show
      • Son of the Velvet Rat - Dorado
      • Ags Connolly - Nothin' Unexpected
      • The Delta Ladies - Hillbilly Trance
      • Bill Kirchen & Austin De Lone - Transatlantica
      • Rayna Gellert - Workin's too hard
    • March 2017 >
      • Real Sharp - Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers
      • Daniel Meade - Shooting stars and tiny tears
      • The Harmed Brothers - A lovely conversation
      • June Star - Sleeping with the light on
      • Travis Linville - Up ahead
      • Robert Vincent - I'll make the most of my sins
      • Karen Jonas - Country Songs
      • Elouise - Deep Water
    • February 2017 >
      • Sea Star - Never go back
      • Hat Fitz & Cara - After the Rain
      • Chuck Westmoreland
      • Pappy Fisher & his Old Time Entertainers - The little old log cabin down the lane
      • David Simard - The Heavy Wait
      • Stevie Ray Latham - Winter in London
      • Red Sammy & Some Charming Trespassers - True Beliver
      • The Waydown Wanderers
    • January 2017 >
      • Adrian & Meredith - More than a little
      • Jack Grelle - Got dressed up to be let down
      • Bap Kennedy - Reckless Heart
      • Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms - Innocent Road
      • Trevor Alguire - Perish in the light
      • Pony Hunt - Heart Creek
      • Justin Wells - Dawn in the distance
      • Furnace Mountain - Shadow of Plenty
      • Zach Schmidt - The day we lost the war
  • 2016 C.D. Reviews
    • December 2016 >
      • Goat Roper Rodeo Band - Cosmic country blue
      • Wicklow Attwater - The fallen Flame String Band LP
      • J Shogren Shanghai'd - Why so blue, bird
      • Mascot Theory - Trust and bones
      • Red Tail Ring - Fall away blues
      • Southern Tenant Folk Union - Join Forces
      • Martha Fields - Southern White Lies
      • Anna Elizabeth Laube - Tree
      • Eliza Mary Doyle - It ain't what it seems
    • November 2016 >
      • Courtney Marie Andrews - Honest life
      • Western Flyers - The Wild Blue Yonder
      • The Jigantics - Seconds out
      • The Vaudevillian - Bringing Satan Down
      • The Youngers - Picture of you
      • 3hattrio - Solitaire
      • The High Bar Gang - Someday the heart will trouble the mind
      • The Lucky Strikes - The motion and the moving on
      • David Waddell - The last of the outlaws
    • October 2016 >
      • Waiting for Henry - A town called Patience
      • Evening Bell - Dying stars
      • The Honeycutters - On the ropes
      • Vicky Emerson - Wake me when the wind dies down
      • Curse of Lono (e.p)
      • Country Lips - 'Till the daylight comes
      • Screamin' Miss Jackson & the Slap Ya Mama Big Band - I heard the voice of a donut
      • Dana Immanuel & the Stolen Band - Comw with me
      • Pine Street Ramblers - Hazy Shades of Gold
    • September 2016 >
      • California Feetwarmers - Silver seas
      • Them Coulee Boys - Dancing in the dim light
      • The Stray Birds - Magic Fire
      • Blue Moon Marquee - Gypsy Blues
      • Mark Harrison - Turpentine
      • Richie and Rosie - Tractor beam
      • Martha L. Healy - To be free (e.p)
      • Kalyn Fay - Bible belt
      • Kaia Kater - Nine Pin
    • August 2016 >
      • Tia McGraff - Crazy Beautiful
      • Jacob Miller & the Bridge City Crooners - Pacific Ragtime
      • Jesse Furay Lynch
      • The Devil Makes Three - Redemption & Ruin
      • Oldtime Stringband - Cat's got the measles
      • The Georgia Shackleton Trio - The dog who would not be washed
      • Corpse Reviver - Volume 2: Dry bones
      • The Buffalo Skinners - Cease your dreaming
      • Hubert Murray - Shorten the Road
      • Lilly Hiatt - Royal blue
    • July 2016 >
      • The Lowest Pair - Fern girl & ice man
      • The Dead Tongues - Montana
      • Western Centuries - Weight of the world
      • Luke Whittemore - Northern Town (e.p)
      • BJ Barham - Rockingham
      • Keegan McInroe - Uncouth Pilgrims
      • The Danberrys - Give and Receive
      • Jonathan Warren & the Billy Goats - Bless my soul
    • June 2016 >
      • Mean Mary - Sweet
      • Thomas Hine - Some motion or novelty
      • The Lowest Pair - Uncertain as it is uneven
      • Farmington Hill - More rock than eagle block
      • Michael McDermott - Willow Springs
      • Brooks Williams - My turn now
      • Rod Melancon - LA14
      • Wink Burcham - Cleveland Summer Nights
      • Rodeo Gypsy - Southern Proof (e.p)
      • Andy Ferrell - At home and in Nashville
    • May 2016 >
      • Corn Potato String Band - Put on your old grey bonnet
      • Daniel Meade and the Flying Mules - Let me off at the bottom
      • Eli West - The Both
      • Steve Dawson - Solid states & loose ends
      • June Star - You're still here
      • Carrie Rodriguez - Lola
      • Tom Blackwell - Tyrone the Gun
      • Hackensaw Boys - Charismo
    • April 2016 >
      • Carter Sampson - Wilder Side
      • The Westies - Six on the out
      • Hogie - River of Mercy
      • Cale Tyson - Carelss Soul
      • Glade City Rounders - Don't get weary
      • Evie Ladin Band - Jump the Fire
      • Norrie McCuloch - These Mountain Blues
      • The Orphan Brigade - Soundtrack to a Ghost Story
      • Gunther Brown - North Wind
      • Rod Picott - Fortune
    • March 2016 >
      • Cam Penner - Sex & Politics
      • Matt Patershuk - I was so fond of you
      • Sheesham and Lotus and Son - '78
      • The Paul Benjaman Band - Sneaker
      • Skillet Licorice
      • 3HatTrio - Dark Desrt Night
      • Nathan Bell - I don't do this for love, I do this for love
      • Alex Culbreth - The High Country
      • Danny Barnes - Got Myself Together (Ten years later)
    • February 2016 >
      • Malcolm Holcomb - Another Black Hole
      • The Boxcar Boys - Cicada Ball
      • Dori Freeman
      • Nouveaux Honkies - Blues for Country
      • Austin Lucas - Between the Moon and the Mid West
      • The Curst Sons - The Jumping Flea
      • Rita Hosking - Frankie and the no go road
      • Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons - Take Yo' Time
    • January 2016 >
      • Mashville - Tripping On Wires
      • The Delta Jacks - Trouble Ahead
      • Peewee Moore - American Outlaw
      • Holcombe Family String Band - Ragtime! Hokum! Western Swing!
      • The Honeycutters - Me Oh My
      • Ben Rogers - Blood red yonder
      • Paul McClure - Songs for Anyone
      • Greg Trooper - Live at the Rock Room
      • Richie Syrett - From The Feet Up
  • 2015 C.D. Reviews
    • December 2015 >
      • Dennis Ellsworth - Romatic As It Gets
      • Rollie Tussing and the Midwest Territory Band
      • DH Lawrence & the Vaudeville Skiffle Show - Sons and Lovers
      • Brent Best - Your Dog Champ
      • The Slocan Ramblers - Coffee Creek
      • WillieTea Taylor - Knuckleball Prime
      • Danni Nicholls - Mockingbird Lane
    • November 2015 >
      • Feral - Aromatic Bitters
      • Butchers Blind - A Place In America
      • Amanda Pearcy - An Offering
      • Finnders & Youngberg - Eat The Moon
      • Self Help Group - Dead Stars
      • 10 String Symphony - Weight of the World
      • The Sumner Brothers - The Hell In Your Mind
      • Bumper Jacksons - Too Big World
    • October 2015 >
      • Woody Pines
      • The Resonant Rogues - Here & Gone Again
      • Honey Dewdrops - Tangled Country
      • Sugarcane Jane - Dirt Road's End
      • Stevie Agnew & Hurricane Road - Bad Blood & Whiskey
      • Drunken Prayer - The Devil and the Blues
      • Case Hardin - Colours Simple
      • The Grahams - Glory Bound
    • September 2015 >
      • The Glade City Rounders - They're After Us
      • Dubl Handi - Morning In A New Machine
      • Squirrel Butter - Chestnuts
      • Hillfolk Noir - Pop Songs For Elk
      • Sean Taylor - The only good addiction is love
      • Adam Hill - Old Paint
      • Mike & Ruthy Band - Bright As You Can
      • Don Gallardo - Hickory
      • Kaia Kater - Sorrow Bound
    • August 2015 >
      • Weldon Henson - Honky Tonk Frontier
      • Simon Stanley Ward
      • Murder Murder - From The Stillhouse
      • Anna & Elizabeth
      • The Piedmont Brothers Band - Compasses and Maps
      • J.P. Whipple - Moab
    • July 2015 >
      • Daniel Romano - If I've Only One Time Askin'
      • Eastbound Jesus - Hollerin'
      • Wynntown Marshals - The End Of The Golden Age
      • Trout Steak Revival - Brighter Every Day
      • John Coinman - Already Are
      • John Moreland - High on Tulsa heat
      • Deer Run Drifters - Restless Youth
    • June 2015 >
      • Memphis Dawls - Rooted in the bone
      • Kenneth J Nash - The Fall of Eden
      • The Westies - West Side Stories
      • Coal Creek Boys - Out West
      • Porchlight Smoker - Water Into Sand
      • Anthony Toner - Miles & Weather
      • Joe Fletcher - You've Got The Wrong Man
      • Foghorn Stringband - Devil In The Seat
      • The Rubber Knife Gang - Broken Lines
    • May 2015 >
      • Johnny Dowd - That's your wife on the back of my horse
      • Wink Burcham - Cowboy Heroes & Old Folk Songs
      • Pharis & Jason Romero - A Wanderer I'll Stay
      • Delta Ladies - Refugee
      • Wookalily - All the waiting while
      • Wrinkle Neck Mules - I never thought it would go this far
    • April 2015 >
      • Goodnight Texas - Uncle John Farquhar
      • June Star - Pull Awake
      • The Whiskey Charmers
      • I Draw Slow - White Wave Chapel
      • Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons - Take yo' time
    • March 2015 >
      • Jim Keaveny - Out Of Time
      • David Corley - Available Light
      • Mulligan Brothers - Via Portland
      • New American Farmers - The Farmacology Sessions
    • February 2015 >
      • The Stray Birds - Best Medicine
      • Red Pine Timber Company - Different Lonesome
      • Billy Strings and Don Julin - Fiddle Tune X
      • Denver - Rowdy Love
    • January 2015 >
      • Daniel Meade - Keep Right Away
      • The Mascot Theory - Hand Me Down Miracles
      • Front Country - Sake of the Sound
      • Ags Connolly - How About Now
      • The Wellfeds - Short Man Syndrome
  • 2014 C.D. Reviews
    • December 2014 >
      • Oh Susanna - Namedropper
      • Trailerpark Idlers - Fifty Gallons of Lightning
      • Doug Seegers - Going Down The River
      • The Oldtime Stringband - Chicken Crows For Day
      • American Thread - Songs in the war
      • Mario Matteoli - Hard Luck Hittin'
    • November 2014 >
      • J.P. Whipple - Thinking of you .... staring at the power lines
      • Good Luck Mountain Too
      • Bob Wayne - Back To The Camper
      • Blue Moon Marquee - Lonesome Ghosts
      • Joseph Huber - The Hanging Road
      • Hook and Anchor
      • Mr Plow - Not the beginning, not the end
      • Grifters & Shills - Watershed
      • Barnyard Stompers - Highway Gospel
    • October 2014 >
      • The High Stepping Music of Sheesham, Lotus & Son
      • The Loudermilks
      • Cale Tyson - High On Lonesome
      • Girls, Guns and Glory - Good Luck
      • Sleepy Driver - Ignatius
      • Locust Honey String Band - Never Let Me Cross Your Mind
      • Fire Mountain - All Dies Down
      • Betty and the Boy - The Wreckage
      • Red Molly - The Red Album
    • September 2014 >
      • Fish & Bird - Something In The Ether
      • Ben Glover - Atlantic
      • Petunia - Inside Of You
      • Ben Rogers - Love Stories, Vol. 1
      • The Howlin' Brothers - Trouble
      • Anna Tivel - Before Machines
      • Three Times Bad - American Sojourn
      • Vagabondage - Slow Room Bar
    • August 2014 >
      • Patrolled by Radar - Cool Your Jets
      • Luke Tuchscherer - You get so alone at times that it just makes sense
      • Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman - We Made It Home
      • Melissa Ruth & the Likely Stories - Riding Mercury
      • Introducing Fife & Drom
      • Hans Chew - Life and Love
      • New Madrids - Through The Heart Of Town
    • July 2014 >
      • Scott 'Snake' Miller - After Church
      • Hannah Aldridge - Razor Wire
      • Mark Harrison - The World Outside
      • The Annie Ford Band
      • Bronwynne Brent - Stardust
    • June 2014 >
      • Greg Trooper - Incident On Willow Street
      • Scott H. Biram - Nothin' But Blood
      • Brandon Isaac - Here On Earth
      • Just A Season
      • Ellie Ford - Show Night In
    • May 2014 >
      • Hatful of Rain - The Morning Key
      • The Knights of Mentis - New Pound Coin
      • Ash Gray - Once I Got Burned
      • Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners
    • April 2014 >
      • The Deer Run Drifters - Appalachian Blues
      • Paul McClure - Smiling From The Floor Up
      • 100 Mile House - Wait With Me
      • Redlands Palomino Company - Broken Carelessly
      • Holy Moly - Brothers Keepers
    • March 2014 >
      • Peter James Millson - Sweet The Love That Meets Return
      • The Don Darlings
      • The Kestor Stringband - The Moorgrass Album
      • Gregory Hoskins and Gary Craig - The map of above the map of below
      • Chuck Lemonds - The Rivers Call
    • February 2014 >
      • Dan Baker - Pistol In My Pocket
      • Nathan Bell - Blood Like A River
      • Possessed By Paul James - There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely
      • Stevie Agnew - Wreckin' Yard
    • January 2014 >
      • J.B. Beverley - Stripped To The Root
      • Sean Pinchin - Rust Bucket
      • James Keyes - The Middle
  • 2013 C.D. Reviews
    • December 2013 >
      • Ashleigh Flynn - A Million Stars
      • The Harmed Brothers - Better Days
      • Eric Strickland and the B Sides - I'm Bad For You
      • Danny and the Champions of the World - Stay True
    • November 2013 >
      • Israel Nash Gripka - Israel Nash's Rain Plan
      • Wooden Horse - This Kind Of Trouble
      • Jamie Freeman Agreement - 100 Miles From Town
      • Tim Grimm - The Turning Point
      • Horseshoes & Hand Grenades - This Old Town
      • J.D. Wilkes & the Dirt Daubers - Wild Moon
      • Barnyard Stompers - Outlaws With Chainsaws
    • October 2013 >
      • Michael Meeking & the Lost Souls - Ride On
      • The Coloradas - Big Empty
      • Benjamin Folke Thomas - Too Close To Here
      • The Piedmont Brothers Band - Back To The Country
      • Carolina Still - The Color Of Rust
      • My Darling Clementine - The Reconciliation?
      • Ol' Savannah - Death On The Mountain
      • Kendl Winter and the Summer Gold - It Can Be Done
    • September 2013 >
      • Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless
      • Crow Quill Night Owls - Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
      • Eastbound Jesus - Northern Rock
      • Sheesham, Lotus & Son - 1929
      • John Moreland - In The Throes
      • Underhill Rose - Something Real
      • Red Tail Ring - The Heart's Swift Foot
      • Scott Cook - One More Time Around
    • August 2013 >
      • Jack Marks - Blues Like These
      • Foghorn Leghorn - Not Before Time
      • Dennis Ellsworth - Dusk Dreams
      • Michael & the Lonesome Playboys - Bottle Cap Sky
      • The Tillers - Hand On The Plow
      • Hezekiah Goode - Two Billion Acres Of Salt
      • The Carper Family - Old Fashioned Gal
      • The Wynntown Marshalls - The Long Haul
      • The Bills - Yes Please
    • July 2013 >
      • Jeffrey Foucault & Cold Satellite - Cavalcade
      • Hillfolk Noir - What's That hat For
      • Jeff Finlin - My Moby Dick
      • Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain
      • Leeroy Stagger - Truth Be Sold
      • Waiting For Henry - Ghosts and Compromise
      • Chastity Brown - Back Road Highways
      • The Revelers
    • June 2013 >
      • Charlie Parr - Barnswallow
      • Rattleshack
      • Susan James - Driving Toward The Sun
      • Desolation Angels - Hell Or Highwater
      • Cara Luft - Darlingford
      • Jenny Ritter - Bright Mainland
      • Sean Burns - Cold Beans and Broken Eggs
      • Red Moon Joe - Midnight Trains
      • Introducing the Wagon Tales
      • Chicago Farmer - Backenforth, IL.
      • J.P. Whipple - Racket
      • Christa Couture - The Living Record
      • Corpse Reviver - Vol.1: I'll Be Rested When The Roll Is Called
    • May 2013 >
      • Michael Tarbox - Works and Days
      • The Miners - Miners Rebellion
      • Danni Nicholls - A Little Redemption
      • Glenn Jones - My Garden State
      • Old Man Markley - Down Side Up
      • Cam Penner - To Build A Fire
      • Piedmont Brothers Band - PBBIII
      • Vanessa Peters - The Burn the Truth the Lies
      • Dubl Handi - Up Like The Clouds
      • Woody Pines - Rabbit's Motel
      • Anders & Kendall - Wild Chorus
      • The Stray Birds
      • Phil Lee - The Fall & Further Decline of the Mighty King of Love
    • April 2013 >
      • Jarrod Dickenson - The Lonesome Traveler
      • Frankenpine - In that black sky
      • Hayward Williams - Haymaker
      • Annabelle Chvostek - Rise
      • Kevin Breit & the Upper York Mandolin Orchestra - Field Recording
      • Pharis & Jason Romero - Long Gone Out West Blues
      • DH Lawrence & the Vaudeville Skiffle Show - Escape This Wicked Life
      • Rebecca Pronsky - Only Daughter
      • Rita Hosking - Little Boat
    • March 2013 >
      • J.P. Whipple - Ghosts
      • Daniel Romano - Come Cry With Me
      • Thomas Hine - Forgive My Future
      • Adam Kiesling - Unclouded Day
      • J.J. Schultz - Carolina
      • Jack Klatt - Love Me Lonely
      • Rhubarb Whiskey - Same Sad End
      • Free Range Folk - 444
      • The Give 'Em Hell Boys - Barn Burner
      • David Hope - Scarecrow
      • Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalition - White Buffalo
    • February 2012 >
      • The Black Twig Pickers - Rough Carpenters
      • Rachel Brooke - A Killer's Dream
      • Amanda Pearcy - Royal Street
      • Rob Heron & the Teapad Orchestra - Money isn't Everything
      • Thea Hopkins - Lilac Sky
      • Rob Lutes - The Bravest Birds
      • Kevin Bowe & the Okemah Prophets - Natchez Trace
      • Ben Bedford - What We Lost
      • J Shogren & Shanghai'd - God Bless These Crooked Little Songs
      • Self Help Group - Not Waving But Drowning
      • Southern Tenant Folk Union - Hello Cold Goodbye Sun
      • Cameron Brothers Band - Ratios
    • January >
      • Lindi Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops
      • The Earl Brothers - Outlaw Hillbilly
      • Mudgrass - Just That Way
      • Leon Hunt N-Tet -- Farewell Blues
      • Old Man Luedecke - Tender Is The Night
      • Vera Van Heeringen - Standing Tall
      • Bean Pickers Union - Better The Devil
      • The Locust Honey String Band - He Ain't No Good >
        • Dirty River Boys - Science of Flight
  • 2012 C.D. Reviews
    • December >
      • Some Dark Holler - Hollow Chest
      • Rosie Flores - Working Girl's Guitar
      • Otto Mobile & the Moaners - Restless Sun
      • Caroline Herring - Camilla
      • The Mystix - Mighty Tone
      • Melissa Ruth & the Likely Stories - Ain't No Whiskey
      • Ash Gray & the Girls - Born In The Summer
      • Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit - Old Excuses
      • J.Tex & The Volunteers - House On The Hill
      • Cahalen Morrison & Eli West - Our Lady Of The Tall Trees
    • November >
      • The WellDiggers - Hope & Fear
      • Debonzo Brothers - One Damn Heart
      • Midday Farm Report
      • Al Scorch & the Country Soul Ensemble - Tired Ghostly Town
      • Josh Harty - Nowhere
      • Blind Corn Liquor Pickers - Myths & Routines
      • Drew Nelson - Tilt-A-Whirl
      • Trevor Alguire - Till Sorrow Begins To Call
      • The Lost Brothers - The Passing Of The Night
      • Hat Fitz & Cara - Wiley Ways
      • Stephanie Fagan - Heart Thief
      • Stevie Tombstone - Greenwood
    • October >
      • Lewis Brothers - Folk & Camp Fire Songs
      • Jack Klatt & the Cat Swingers - Mississippi Roll
      • Susan Cattaneo - Little Big Sky
      • Porchlight Smoker 2
      • The Vagaband - Town & Country
      • Blame Sally - Live At KVIE Studios
      • Ol' Savannah - Underneath The Old Red Barn
      • Anna Coogan & Daniele Fiaschi - The Nowhere, Rome Sessions
      • Heritage Blues Orchestra - And Still I Rise
      • Kelly Joe Phelps - Brother Sinner & the Whale
      • Random Canyon Growlers - Dickey Ain't Got All Day
    • September >
      • Will Scott - Keystone Crossing
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Water Tower Bucket Boys. The Geese. Brighton. 3rd August 2009

 This amazing young band from Portland, Oregon are referred to by the media as a Bluegrass band, in fact at times they even refer to themselves as a bluegrass band, so why do I disagree? I'll tell you why. It's because they are not a bluegrass band! Some of the songs they play may be classic bluegrass songs but when they play them they are so much more than that. I have heard more bluegrass than most people who are not fans but certainly not as much as an afficiando; but I have listened to & studied in some depth 'old time string bands'. It is an updated version of old time that this band play & they do so to a much higher standard than just about anyone else today & maybe even some of the old timers! For me, Bluegrass is all about the purity of the vocals & the, at times, instrumental histrionics both added to great discipline. The Water Tower Bucket Boys don't have the purity of vocals, although all can sing. They also don't seem to go in for flashy playing, but simply play what is necessary to get the best out of every song. They also have that lovely almost ramshackle quality that only comes with total confidence in what you are doing. They are Josh Rabie on Fiddle, Kenny Feinstein on Guitar & Harmonica, Cory Goldman on Banjo & Walter Spence on Bass, all playing with an almost psychic alt.country feel. They have total control over everything they play & are a really tight accomplished band, their individual vocals all being well suited to the type of song they lead on. Add this to their excellent harmonies, infecious enthusiasm & their ability to form an easy rapport with the audience & you have pretty much a complete package. On this night it was fairly obvious that the packed pub took to them, forcing them eventually to play several encores, in fact, some of the assemblage had seen them in London a day or two before & followed them to Brighton!

They played a few of their own excellently written songs such as Tennessee as well as covers which included Bill Monroe's Blue moon of Kentucky & the traditional Southbound train. They bring the same life & fire & even at times humour to all of the songs whoever they were written by, the bluegrass songs being played with the same 'old time/ alt.country' style. The two forty five minute sets were nowhere near long enough but unavoidable due to licencing laws, although it was pretty obvious that the band were having as good a time as the audience. Surprisingly this was a night off from their busy European tour, yet they have such enthusiasm for playing anywhere & at anytime that they managed to fit in a small pub in Brighton & make friends for life with a group of strangers!

Www.myspace.com/watertowerbucketboys
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The Curst Sons
The Brunswick, Hove. 29-01-10.

 First up were a band I saw last October at Applefest when they played an otherwise excellent set that was continuously interrupted by electrical connection problems. There was nothing to blight Hatful of Rains performance this evening. They are made up of Chloe Overton on acoustic guitar, stunning lead vocals & songwriting. Ben McGuire plays the Banjo better than most, whilst Phil Jones is excellent on upright bass & harmony/backing vocals. The sound they get is pure 'old-time' rather than bluegrass & is made so much stronger by the avoidance of getting more musicians in & trying to be another Southern Tenants Folk Union or Coal Porters. They really have hit on a natural style & obviously have a real feel for the sounds they are producing. Immediately Chloe started singing the crowd fell silent & were held in thrall for the entirety of their short set by the beauty of the music. Just a few highlights were Gillian Welch's Caleb Meyer & Nanci Griffiths I wish it would rain, the latter almost eclipsing Nanci's version! There were also two of Chloe's own songs Wanderlust & Evangeline which promise much for the future.
 The Curst Sons just seem to get better every time I see them. The first time must be nearly ten years ago & their music, still rooted in 'Hillbilly Blues' seems to evolve & improve with each performance & every song that they write. They still play traditional blues & 'hillbilly'music from that 'old weird America', but add much more to it, almost making some of the decades old songs their own, then segueing into their own originals to such a seamless degree that no one but an afficianado would spot the difference between ancient & months old songs! Dave Simner is the backbone with his immaculate high quality playing, be it on guitars or banjo as well as harmony vocals. Tim Dunkerley is a brilliant foil with his, at times, outrageous experimentation on a variety of guitars & includes slide mandolin! He also pitches in with harmonies as well as a few lead vocals. Then we have Willi Kerr's roaring vocals, mighty rhythm pole, washboard & other percussive elements all adding to the highly original, always interesting mix. Willi can also do gentle ballads when necessary but their forte is 'good time music'. (songs
about murder, gal done me wrong, lost love??) On this night they were supported on some songs by Dickie Jayston on drums with Phil Jones on bass & Dave's daughter Kate adding some glamour & sweet vocal harmonies. It's unlikely that many bands can, by simply using the power of their music, generate an atmosphere of such huge excitement, but they seem to manage it regardless of the audience size, although on this night, as is now usual, it was pretty much a full house. They are shortly releasing their fourth album entitled THE GENUINE AND  ORIGINAL, with all of the songs being written by the band & many of which were played at this gig. Judging by the music on offer & the audience reaction, this could be their best seller yet. The highlights as usual were just about everything they played so if you want a hugely entertaining musical evening seek out the Curst Sons. They really are unique!
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Southern Tenant Folk Union.

07-03-09. Hanover Community Centre, Brighton.

This was a first for Shaun Whitehouses' 'Gilded Palace of Sin' promotions. He has never put a gig on at this location before, in fact back in pre world war two days it was apparently a soup kitchen! In spite of it's history it is an excellent venue. It has a high ceiling & high windows exactly like the old church hall that it probably was at some time in the past. I'm not sure what the capacity is but would guess at a couple of hundred, it being about two thirds full for the Brighton headline debut of this superb band. The support, local band 'The Righteous Ones' were no slouches either & were first up.

The Righteous Ones style of dress is a little reminiscent of Hot Club of Cowtown but the music is all their own. Sally Ward takes care of most of the percussion & shares lead vocals with Anthony Hodgson who also plays guitar & banjo. The other regular is 'Father John' who contributes backing vocals whilst his double bass drives the sound along. Their songs are well written & as their myspace page acurately states, are 'dark & sometimes lurid, with exciting pared down rhythms & spectacular harmonies'. There were even a couple of times when Sally's vocals & the epic style of the songs brought 10,000 Maniacs to mind. Also included in the mix were traces of western swing, rockabilly & even at times a slightly jazzy feel, but without ever sounding derivative. Along with a number of people I spoke to I would like to see them again before too long.

After a short break the Southern Tenant Folk Union played a set that almost matched their astounding performance at last years Maverick festival. This without their usual excellent mandolin player Eamon Flynn. In his place was local band 'Chicken Shed Zeppelin' vocalist & mandolin player Joe Hymas. He fitted in almost seamlessly & was even allowed a lead vocal on one song. They have often been described as a bluegrass band or even a folk group, although I've always depicted their music as 'alt.country played on bluegrass instruments'. The fact is that what they play may well encompass these descriptions but is actually music that has very few, if any, boundaries. I defy anyone to see them in concert or listen to one of their two superb albums & not at least feel themselves getting caught up with this infectious brew that they bring to roots music. I know that they have worked long & hard to achieve their sound but not by having any formal plan of where they are going in mind. They have taken all of the strengths & influences of each band member & blended them together with mathematical precision, but always with a casualness that belies how hard they work thus allowing everything to coalesce seamlessly. A classic case of music by osmosis! I suppose with the level of talent that each of them posess they can actually relax & give an air of casuality, almost ramshackleness but still keep that incredible precision in their music. As you get to see a band a few times many of the songs begin to get familiar so you can almost get a sense of complacency creeping in when hearing the same things again. Not so the Southern Tenants; they always keep their songs fresh with sometimes subtle changes in their superb harmonies & maybe a slight increase or decrease in the tempo or instrumentation of certain songs. All small changes but enough to make the songs sound fresh. You could follow them on a tour & still not get fed up with the songs; a sure sign of quality, not only in the songwriting but also in the inventiveness of the musicians. Talking of the musicians, their bass player Matt Lloyd never seems to get a mention, something that seems to apply to most bass players! There is usually a line across the front of the stage consisting of Pat, Pete, Oliver, Roddy & Eamon (on this occasion Joe Hymas). Matt is always behind them. Maybe he likes it this way, but what it means is that his skills tend to get ignored. At this gig I tried to listen more to his playing & found that he too brings his own style & invention to the music & underpins everything with the way he keeps the tempo going, thus disproving many of the old bass/drum jokes?

There were very few at this gig that had seen the band before, Pat having asked for a show of hands, so the majority have sadly missed quite a few excellent songs that may or may not get played again. Fortunately several of their classic original songs, (some must surely be picked up by top American artists soon!) were performed with their usual adept playing & the creation of an ambience that many artists can only dream about. There is no filler, but personal favourites that were played are The Cold Flagstone, for me, the best murder ballad ever bar none! We also had Mosul Train, Can You Light A Flame, A Little Deeper, No More Hard Times, all played with great feeling & the wringing of every last bit of emotion from each song. There were other songs of the same high quality from their first two albums, but intriguingly there were four or five new songs that hopefully, will form part of the new album they are currently working on. I can't wait for the release! There were several covers, one being Jesse Fullers 99 Years & the traditional Blackjack David that has been performed by a great many roots artists but few, if any, have done it better than the Southern Tenants.

For those that have never seen them they are made up of Pat McGarvey who plays banjo, takes some of the lead & backing vocals as well as keeping the patter going with the audience! Pete Gow, acoustic guitar & also some of the lead & backing vocals. Next is Oliver Talkes. He takes the majority of the lead vocals as well as acoustic guitar. Then there is the most recent permanent member Roddy Neilson, their tremendous fiddle player, who also helps out on vocals. On this night, as already mentioned we had Joe Hymas on mandolin & vocals. Last but far from least is the earlier mentioned Matt Lloyd on double bass & backing vocals. If you like roots music that takes you through a whole range of emotions, do yourself a huge favour & see them next time you get a chance

  www.southerntenantfolkunion.com

www.myspace.com/southerntenantfolkunion



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