new release Archive
12 Nov 2024
Kenny Wayne Shepherd: The Blues Never Goes Out of Style (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Did you road-test any of that material before you recorded it? No, I don’t do that. I’m not really a fan of doing that. I don’t […]
11 Nov 2024
Kenny Wayne Shepherd: The Blues Never Goes Out of Style (Part 1 of 2)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd has a keen sense of musical history. Truly inspired by some of the blues greats, the self-taught guitarist applied what he learned. And he combined that knowledge […]
07 Nov 2024
The Controlled Madness of Thomas Walsh
Dublin, Ireland’s Thomas Walsh makes original music that rivals the best work by two of his heroes: Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne and Andy Partridge of XTC. Echoes of the […]
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. […]
04 Nov 2024
Wide Hive Records and Daggerboard: Sailing Against the Current
Out of the ashes of a groundbreaking Bay Area music collective comes another group. Musically different but built upon the same creative values, Daggerboard is forward-looking and rooted in tradition. […]
03 Nov 2024
Album Review: Shueh-li Ong – MissOriented Metaphor
The Theremin is an otherworldly instrument. Arguably one of the earliest synthesizers, it’s a purely analog device. One doesn’t touch the Theremin; playing it involves moving one’s hands in the […]
02 Nov 2024
Album Review: Greg Lisher – Underwater Detection Method
In my line of work, I listen to a lot of music; if not all different kinds, then at least many different kinds. Increasingly, though, when I listen purely for […]
28 Oct 2024
Steve Wynn Does Everything at Once
This feature first appeared in SPIN. Influential indie rocker debuts a fascinating memoir and a new album Steve Wynn is an alt-rock hero. He launched The Dream Syndicate in 1981, […]
27 Oct 2024
Album Review: Return of Halloween Nuggets
Way back in 2014, Rock Beat Records put together a three-CD set called Halloween Nuggets: Monster Sixties a Go-go. Of a piece with some other fine compilations from the same […]
26 Oct 2024
Album Review: Santiago y Los Gatos — Washing Away Wetiko
Jeff Santiago is a beloved figure in the Asheville and WNC musical community. He’s also a well-known and in-demand musician (I was fortunate to play in a group alongside him […]