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Kathleen Johnson
Jonathan Wilson
Rare Bird
Given his busy career as a player and in-demand producer, it’s not surprising that singer/songwriter Jonathan Wilson needed more than three years to complete his new album, Rare Birds. When you’re in the studio with the likes of Father John Misty and Roger Waters, well, your own stuff is bound to take a backseat. For…
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Kathleen Johnson
Bettie Serveert
Go Dutch!
Bettie Serveert is still going strong, 25 years after bursting on the scene in Amsterdam at the height of alternative rock. Palomine, its acclaimed debut, mixed fuzzy riffs and folky jangle with engaging vocals by singer/guitarist Carol van Dyk. And while most contemporaries have long since hung it up, the Betties – van Dyk, guitarist…
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Kathleen Johnson
Graham Clise
Bay Area Blaster
Graham Clise is one of the most-heralded underground rock guitarists of the past 15 years. A mashup of Chuck Berry, BOC’s Buck Dharma, and Black Flag’s Greg Ginn, his style is unique and relentless. Clise plays in a half-dozen groups, but his main gig is with scuzz rockers Lecherous Gaze, which will release its new…
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Kathleen Johnson
Fanny’s June Millington
Grrrl Power’s First Flash in Rock
Before The Runaways, before the Go-Go’s and Bangles, and before there were Riot grrrls, there was Fanny. One of the first all-female rock groups signed to a major label, the California quartet released five albums of harmony-rich, danceable, boogie-based rock and roll, and scored a couple of minor hits for Reprise Records in a run…
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Kathleen Johnson
Burlison & Sugg
Demon Eye, At Your Service
Demon Eye mixes the best elements of ’70s hard rock and ’80s metal, and delivers the goods in tight, dark fashion. The North-Carolina-based quartet recently unleashed its second album, Tempora Infernalia, and guitarist-vocalist Erik Sugg and guitarist Larry Burlison recently sat to discuss the project. What guitars and amps did you use on the album?…
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Kathleen Johnson
Steve Gunn
Drawing inspiration from a decade on the road, guitarist-singer-songwriter Steve Gunn’s debut for Matador Records chugs along like a handsome old train, ending up in a spot perhaps best described as an Americana Television (Television, as in the seminal 1970s New York City band, not the medium). It’s fresh rock-folk, with guitars gloriously at the…
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Kathleen Johnson
Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s Family Album
Picture Perfect
The husband-and-wife duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge are one of the hottest acts on the traditional bluegrass/Americana scene. The couple’s sixth release, Snapshots, is a musical scrapbook of contemporary bluegrass, traditional country and gospel tunes marked by spirited picking. We recently spoke to Darin about the album. What instruments did you use on Snapshots? A…
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Kathleen Johnson
Steve Gunn
Folk Rock’s New Visionary
Steve Gunn’s Way Out Weather is a textured effort that takes cues from a diverse palette including John Fahey, Chicago blues, ’60s/’70s Americana, Philip Glass, world music, and improvisation. The Pennsylvania-born guitarist and songwriter offers a refreshing take on modern folk-rock. What were your main guitars on the new album? On “Milly’s Garden” and “Tommy’s…
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Kathleen Johnson
Molly Martin
D-35 Savior
Sometimes, it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Such was the case with singer/songwriter Molly Martin. As the summer of 2005 came to an end, Martin left her hometown of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, just outside New Orleans, bound for her next semester at Sewanee: The University of the South, in Tennessee. Along for…
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Kathleen Johnson
Heather Woods Broderick
Heather Woods Broderick’s trip to her second album is an interesting road taken. These days it’s practically an anomaly. After releasing her first album in 2009, the singer-songwriter spent five years playing guitar in other artist’s bands, just one of the cats in the group. But she used that time to develop a signature sound,…
