01 Oct 2023
30 Days Out, Oct. 2023 #1: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Jonathan Richman, Andrew Finn Magill, Buddy Guy
A globetrotting WNC favorite son, a blues legend taking a well-deserved victory lap, and two other big names: those are the highlights of Asheville and nearby live music in the […]
30 Sep 2023
More on Stax from William Bell (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Songwriting And with music, but I found out early on, when you write honestly and you write about life itself, the generations change and the times […]
29 Sep 2023
More on Stax from William Bell (Part 1 of 2)
My feature on Written in Their Soul also drew from a conversation with William Bell. But because of space considerations, precious little of our chart found its way into the […]
28 Sep 2023
More on Stax Records from Deanie Parker (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Isaac Hayes: I remember when he first came to Stax. I remember when he had hair. I remember when he didn’t have but two shirts. He […]
27 Sep 2023
More on Stax Records from Deanie Parker (Part 1 of 2)
Deanie Parker has an insider’s perspective on legendary Stax Records. As a staffer, recording artist and songwriter, she experienced the label to a degree that few others could even conceive. […]
26 Sep 2023
Stax Records: Written in Their Soul (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Some of the demos on the new set feature vocal and simple accompaniment; others are more fully arranged, often including an entire band. The demos in […]
25 Sep 2023
Stax Records: Written in Their Soul (Part 1 of 2)
Most listeners never get to hear demo recordings. Created by songwriters as a guide for recording artists, those demos aren’t meant to be shared with the public. But they’re an […]
24 Sep 2023
Album Review: TrancEnd — Lilac
I was turned on to this band by someone who emphasized that nearly all of the band members are partially sighted. While that in and of itself isn’t enough to […]
23 Sep 2023
Update: What’s the Big Idea
UPDATE: I’m revising this page whenever there’s new news. — bk I began work on my third music-related book a few months ago. I’ll be delivering the finished manuscript for […]
22 Sep 2023
Album Review: Delta Wires – If Somebody Told Me…
When blues harpist Ernie Pinata was a student at Oakland’s California College of Arts and Crafts, he assembled a band as a class project. Designed to showcase the development of […]