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Rich Kienzle
Mighty Poplar
Ace: Mighty Poplar
The term “supergroup” is overused in every musical genre, but Mighty Poplar is one; mandolinist Andrew Marlin is part of the folk duo Waterhouse, bassist Greg Garrison hails from Leftover Salmon, guitarist Chris Eldridge and banjoist Noam Pikelny hail from Punch Brothers, and fiddler Alex Hargreaves backs Billy Strings. Unlike their regular bands, Poplar specializes…
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Rich Kienzle
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Living in a Song
Resonator-guitar whiz Ickes and singer/guitarist Hensley blend traditional and outside elements, sometimes on bare-bones acoustic. On others, they create an amalgam of bluegrass and the classic country of the ’80s and ’90s enhanced by rhythm sections, amplified instruments and B3 organ. Their harmonies are tight, the songs solid. Vocally, Hensley, inspired by Randy Travis and…
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Rich Kienzle
Billy Strings
Me/and/Dad
Grammy-winning flatpicking wizard Billy Strings was everywhere in 2022. Rightly seen as part of the vanguard of a new generation of Appalachian-inspired players rooted in the sounds of Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Clarence White and other past icons, for the young phenom, this project is deeply personal. It’s a return to his roots with his…
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Rich Kienzle
John Monteleone
The Chisels Are Calling
Captured in this documentary, John Monteleone’s hand-crafted fretted instruments draw inspiration from the past. His chief inspirations are legendary guitar craftsmen John D’Angelico and Jimmy D’Aquisto, and he incorporates untraditional design ideas such as oddly placed holes and sophisticated Art Deco inlays. The filmmakers capture Monteleone jamming with friends in his shop, and selecting wood…
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Rich Kienzle
Elizabeth Moen
Wherever You Aren’t
Moen is a Chicago-based singer/songwriter who does much of her own guitar work on songs that are often deeply personal. This, however, is no pompous, acoustic-driven collection of bland Americana fare; the sound is amplified, her vocals edgy and teeming with attitude. Accompanists, including guitarist Dan Padley on many tracks, focus on organically integrating guitar…
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Rich Kienzle
Willie Nelson
At Budokan: 2/23/84
On a late-February day in 1984, a robust 50-year-old Willie and “Trigger,” his beloved Martin N-20, hit the fabled Tokyo stage running. In particularly powerful voice, he delivered an explosive 28-song performance covering favorites, Outlaw anthems, and pop chestnuts from his Stardust album. This particular band packed added wallop – lead guitarist and former Nashville…
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Rich Kienzle
B.B. King: From Indianola to Icon
Charles Sawyer
Author/photographer Charles Sawyer’s association with B.B. King began in 1968 and led to his authorized 1980 biography The Arrival of B.B. King. This coffee-table production is no sequel, but a lavishly illustrated memoir of Sawyer’s relationship and encounters with King (with, at times, more details than necessary about the author himself). It abounds with candid…
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Rich Kienzle
Tim Fitzgerald’s Full House
The Wes Montgomery Project
Guitarist Fitzgerald’s first major Montgomery effort was the book 625 Alive: The Wes Montgomery BBC-TV Performance Transcribed, which offered an annotated, curated exploration of the jazz icon’s legendary 1965 British TV performance. Full House, the Chicago-based septet Fitzgerald organized in 2015, celebrates Montgomery’s genius through timeless favorites, many from his early, groundbreaking albums for Riverside.…
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Rich Kienzle
Cecil Alexander
Introducing Cecil Alexander
The award-winning Michigan guitarist, widely heard on Instagram, was inspired by his dad’s passion for jazz and vintage soul music. His debut effort combines originals and covers that manage to sound timeless, yet adding a fresh and distinctive edge. Working in a ’60s-organ-trio setting (with B3 player Will Gorman and drummer Steven Crammer), Alexander spins…
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Rich Kienzle
The Byrds: 1964-1967
Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby
Like Dylan, the three founding members of the Byrds were ’60s acoustic folkies who, inspired by Beatlemania and the British Invasion, defined the amplified genre dubbed folk-rock. This lavish, chronological account of McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman explores three pivotal years through a blend of posed and candid photos (most never seen) combined with new commentary…
