Americana Archive
25 Apr 2019
Alias Patrick Kelly: Claiming His Inheritance
Patrick Kelly was a longtime fixture of the Asheville music scene back in the days when one could argue there really wasn’t a scene. As bassist for the Goodies, Kelly helped deliver a cabaret-flavored rock vibe to the Western North Carolina mountains. Today he’s back where he started, in Atlanta, and his original material –
22 Apr 2019
Drunken Prayer: Geer Diary
Morgan Geer is into a lot of things, musically speaking. He’s toured and recorded with Freakwater, the Handsome Family and other acts that exist on the edgy fringes of Americana. And since 2006, he’s also been releasing albums and performing as Drunken Prayer. Six albums in, Drunken Prayer has made its most diverse – and
31 Mar 2019
Tellico: Courage for the Times
Formed in 2015 by three members of popular bluegrass band Dehlia Low, Tellico didn’t set out to be political. And while the group’s second and newest album, Woven Waters, isn’t exactly a musical-political treatise, its songs are informed by the division and unrest that characterize American life near the end of the 21st century’s second
27 Mar 2019
Steep Canyon Rangers: Pushing and Pulling Bluegrass Boundaries
Ask most people who follow Americana and related styles of music what it is that Steep Canyon Rangers plays, and the most common answer you’ll hear is bluegrass. But ask a member of the popular, award-winning and long-running band based in Western North Carolina the same question, and the answer isn’t quite so simple. “I
26 Mar 2019
Hundred-word Reviews, March 2019 Part Two
Yesterday I covered ten albums in 1000 words. Today I’ll do the same. All titles are new or recent releases. Shumaun – One Day Closer to Yesterday I love me some atmospheric, progressive leaning and ambitious music. And that’s what’s on offer within One Day Closer to Yesterday. The music has hints of Pink Floyd,
25 Mar 2019
Hundred-word Reviews, March 2019 Part One
I can’t point to specific reasons as to why this is the case, but in recent months there has been more than the typical amount of really good music finding its way onto my desk here at Musoscribe World Headquarters. What that means, of course, is that it’s time once again for a clutch of
09 Mar 2019
Album Review: The Appalucians — Bright Hills
Bright Hills, the debut album from Asheville-based folk quartet the Appalucians, reveals a charming and close-knit vibe within seconds of its opening track. Two of the group members – bassist/harpist Aditi Sethi and guitarist Angie Heimann – engage in a dual-lead harmony vocal on “Bloom in the Seed.” The two allow their vocal lines to
23 Feb 2019
Album Review: Town Mountain – New Freedom Blues
On the group’s sixth studio album, Asheville-based band Town Mountain continues to build on its successful sound. New Freedom Blues finds Town Mountain having it both ways: the five-piece is a reliable purveyor of classic bluegrass, yet the Appalachian music genre is subtly imbued with a modern-day feel that lets the group express its own
06 Feb 2019
Alejandro Escovedo: Crossing Paths
As musician, singer and songwriter Alejandro Escovedo has long been a keen an incisive observer in the American experience. Through his solo work, collaborations and band projects, he has made compelling music in a wide variety of musical styles, with the unifying quality of thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics. He’s a storyteller in the grand tradition,
01 Feb 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for February 2019
I’ve been doing these hundred-word reviews for many years now; they’re a handy way to communicate my enthusiasm for new and newly-reissued albums without taking the time for a deep-dive critical assessment. Here’s my second installment for 2019, featuring five new titles along with five reissue, compilation and/or archival releases. Divine Weeks – We’re All