Americana Archive
08 Jun 2018
Album Review: Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War
Readers old enough to remember the long-running and beloved television sitcom M*A*S*H likely know that according to its creators, even though the show was set in wartime Korea, it was […]
25 May 2018
Billy Edd Wheeler: The Fire Ain’t Gone Out
Billy Edd Wheeler is a West Virginia-born American troubadour, an important part of the Appalachian storytelling tradition. He’s written songs made famous by Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers and Richie Havens, […]
17 May 2018
Alejandro Escovedo is Still Burning Brightly
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Alejandro Escovedo released his 14th album, Burn Something Beautful, in late 2016. Reaction to the album—in many ways a return to the rocking end of Escovedo’s […]
09 May 2018
A Chat with Fayssoux Starling
These days, Fayssoux Starling can be seen and heard on stages throughout South Carolina’s upstate and in the Hendersonville-Tryon area. But in the course of her impressive career, she’s shared […]
08 May 2018
Q&A with Sarah Siskind
Sarah Siskind co-leads Sunliner, a roots-rock trio with her husband Travis Book of the Infamous Stringdusters. Siskind established herself as an important songwriter in her own right 15 years ago […]
07 May 2018
Album Review: Balsam Range — Mountain Overture
Much of what is thought of as classical music has its roots in the folk melodies of European countries. With that in mind, the pairing of bluegrass heroes Balsam Range […]
08 Apr 2018
Album Review: Ryan Hutchens – The Last Ten Years
It’s interesting to learn than an artist is moved to creativity by spending time in Columbia, South Carolina. I know that every place has its charms – even Houston, Texas, […]
04 Apr 2018
Album Review: Hannah Kaminer — Heavy Magnolias
Hannah Kaminer’s career as a performing musical artist only began in 2014 when she took part in the Brown Bag Songwriting competition. The Asheville singer-guitarist earned a near-immediate return on […]
31 Mar 2018
Hundred-word Reviews: Reissues, Archival Releases, Compilations
My shelf full of albums to be reviewed has run out of space. So once again it’s time for a raft of hundred-word reviews. All sixteen titles in this roundup […]
23 Mar 2018
Steep Canyon Rangers: Serving the Songs
As the 20th century approached its end, a group of college students began getting together informally to play bluegrass. None of them could have imagined that they’d still be together […]