country Archive
31 Mar 2026
Album Reviews: Four by Ray Charles
Among his myriad achievements, Ray Charles was the consummate crossover artist. Across the scope of his lengthy career, he made music in a wide variety of styles: r&b, rock ‘n’ […]
06 Jan 2026
Colbie Caillat: A Sustained Overnight Sensation (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… You mentioned MySpace. When MySpace launched, it was touted as the Next Big Thing for artists. But for most of them, it wasn’t. Yet it worked […]
05 Jan 2026
Colbie Caillat: A Sustained Overnight Sensation (Part 1 of 2)
The term “overnight sensation” describes a phenomenon that rarely ever happens. But to some degree it applies to Colbie Caillat. She seemingly came out of nowhere, becoming a bona fide […]
15 Dec 2025
30 Days Out, December 2025 #2: Jon Stickley Trio, Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, A Swannanoa Solstice, The Cheeksters
It’s time for an all-local edition of 30 Days Out. I’ve been running this twice-monthly roundup of live music in Asheville for twelve years now: six for Mountain Xpress, six […]
15 Jul 2025
30 Days Out, July 2025 #2: Abacab, U.S. Christmas, Budos Band, Psycodelics, Amanda Anne Platt
The highlights of live music in the coming 30 days Asheville-wise lean in a decidedly progtastic, indiefied and psychedelicized direction, with a bit of country for flavor. Three of the […]
04 Mar 2025
Clint Black Knows When There’s a Song In There (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… What do you think it is about your gimmick-free, neo-traditional approach to country that resonates so strongly? Well, the music has to appeal, first of all. […]
03 Mar 2025
Clint Black Knows When There’s a Song In There (Part 1 of 2)
Clint Black is a country superstar. Though he spent nearly a decade toiling as a songwriter and performer before landing a record deal in 1987, his career took off like […]
06 Nov 2024
Closer to ‘Live,’ Closer to Home
Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters’ new album was made the old-fashioned way In early August, Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters released their latest album, The Ones That Stay. […]
19 Sep 2024
Jewel’s Journey to Now (Part 4 of 4)
Continued from Part Three… Early on, you began co producing and then producing your own albums. What did that mean to the kind of music that you were able to […]
18 Sep 2024
Jewel’s Journey to Now (Part 3 of 4)
Continued from Part Two… Did the success – even belated success – of your first album put pressure on you when making Spirit? By the time my second album came […]