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Rich Kienzle
Tommy Emmanuel
Accomplice Two
On this rich, diverse collection of duets, Emmanuel and Billy Strings get right to it with an exuberant medley of Doc Watson’s “Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag.” Emmanuel’s free-flowing fingerstyle kicks things off, followed by Strings and his flawless flatpicking. He and Mavericks vocalist Raul Malo create a nuanced, reflective, rendition of the pop ballad “Faraway…
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Rich Kienzle
Cash Box Kings
Oscar’s Motel
For two decades, the Cash Box Kings have stood apart from the multitudes of “blues bands” that focus on bar-band rock, not actual blues. Inspired by the 1940s-’60s Chicago sounds of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Little Walter, the Kings stay true to the roots, even on original tunes. Singer/harmonica player Joe Nosek, vocalist Oscar…
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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.…
