One of the busiest players around today, Duke takes a break from touring, producing, and recording jazz, jumpswing, and bop to crank out his most uncompromising blues set in 20 years. Twelve original songs and a cover offer gritty guitar, gravelly vocals, and grinding rhythm. “Workin’ Hard for my Uncle” is Robillard’s ode to the [...]
Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, and Lucy Kaplansky have played on each other’s albums and shared concert stages, but the idea for a group album surfaced when they played together during Red House Records 25th Anniversary tour. The experience was so positive they decided to record an album. Ask experienced solo artists why they’re solo artists [...]
It’s tough to pin a tag on the lapel of Big Head Todd and the Monsters. The band ably jumps from flat-out rock and roll to deep blues, even jazz, funk, and soulful R&B. Rocksteady is the band’s eighth studio release. With tracks honed on the road, the groove is already cut deep on this [...]
The John Henrys would be the last to deny the inf luence of Tom Petty’s music on their work – the clipped vocal phrasing of the opener, “Little One,” (a la Petty’s “The Waiting”) and the three-pronged guitar attack that propels it are undeniable giveaways. But for the most part, the Henrys stay on the [...]
Judas Priest has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to formally announce that guitarist Richie Faulkner has joined the band. All five members of the band will be in Los Angeles to answer questions about the upcoming Epitaph U.S Tour. In its 40-year career, Judas Priest has been celebrated for not only issuing some of metal’s all-time classic albums [...]
Peter Frampton will embark on a world tour this June, celebrating his multi-platinum-selling live album Frampton Comes Alive!, performing the album in its entirety across the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The three-hour show will feature a complete performance of Frampton Comes Alive! along with highlights from Frampton’s catalog, including his Grammy-winning [...]
At 15, this Austinite placed second in a contest for young songwriters on “A Prairie Home Companion.” Now 21, her debut consists of 12 originals, as impressive as they are mature in terms of singing and writing. The CD was produced by Emile Kelman, but most of the press focuses on T-Bone Burnett “shepherding” and [...]
Peter Rowan has been the front man for bluegrass icons including Bill Monroe and Tony Rice. On Legacy, he’s still a front man, but shares the spotlight with Jody Stecher, who’s better known as an old-time player than a bluegrasser. The results are both a trip back to an era when bluegrass was still just [...]
Consistency has always been one of Kenny Burrell’s hallmarks – as in consistently great. Ironically, he’s almost taken for granted because of it. He was Duke Ellington’s favorite guitarist, cut his first session with Dizzy Gillespie, worked with artists ranging from Coltrane to Jimmy Smith (his Blue Bash collaboration with the latter tops Wes Montgomery’s [...]
John Mellencamp’s latest effort fits its title and is a perfect companion to the recent box set that showcases his songwriting. In fact, the songs here are some of the finest he’s ever written. Couple that with an extraordinary way of recording and heartfelt performances from all concerned – especially Mellencamp – and he may [...]
