Jakob Dylan, Gillian Welch, Lenny Kravitz, T-Bone Burnett, Willie Nelson, and even Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas all have a hand in producing, singing, and playing on this expanded edition of Rusty Truck’s debut. The band is helmed by Mark Seliger, former photographer for Rolling Stone. With that kind of gig it can’t be hard to…

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Like Blue Ribbon and Texas Red, some music is best enjoyed in the neon blue of a honky-tonk. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always travel well beyond the barroom. That’s not the case for Wink Keziah & Delux Motel on Working Songs for the Drinking Class. A self-described “urban hillbilly” from what he calls Charlotte, North Carolina’s…

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Had fate and negligence not interfered, Jimi Hendrix would have turned 65 in 2008 – only five years older than Bruce Springsteen, four older than Carlos Santana, two older than John Fogerty, and 18 years younger than B.B. King, all of whom are still going strong. Though we can only assume Jimi would still have…

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With the addition of Chris Frame (Sun Volt) on guitar and Jen Gunderman (The Jayhawks) on keyboards, the Coal Men have gone from trio to quintet and their second full-length release, Beauty Is A Moment, reflects creative growth that shows no sign of letting up. Composer and guitarist Dave Coleman – who wrote or co-wrote…

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31-year-old Jason Williams was born with a right arm that stopped a little below his elbow. Not many in that condition would pick guitar. But pick it up he did, and pick he does! When he was six he devised a way to affix a guitar pick to his abbreviated limb, taught himself to read…

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The incomparable Redd Volkaert and “Mr. Honky-Tonk Piano” Earl Pole Ball (whose collective resume is a Who’s Who of musical greats that includes Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens) join drummer Tom Lewis, bassman Kevin Smith, and composer/vocalist/guitarist Gary Claxton to turn their Sunday night jam band into something special. The album, recorded live…

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Producer/director Daniel E. Catullo has helmed DVD presentations from Godsmack, Rush, and the Dave Matthews Band. On this set (CD and two high-def DVDs in 5.1 surround) he utilizes that experience and state-of-the-art technology to present the five-man Steve Miller Band in footage from a 2007 show at Chicago’s Ravina festival. With 17 cameras catching…

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Amy Lennard writes with the declarative clarity and unvarnished eloquence of a musical Stephen Crane. But don’t let the literary comparison mislead, she’s no smarty-pants poseur, no distaff Beck. Lennard, a native New Yorker, is a straight shooter. Her country-flavored “singer/songwriter rock” has crackling energy and a city girl’s savvy; not unmarked by the real…

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Michael “Iron Man” Burks isn’t the first or last talented musician to have to work a straight gig for most of his adult life, delaying the doing of what he was obviously born to do. Burk’s nickname is appropriate for someone who stuck to his guns for so long. It would also fit his father,…

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Guitarist Tony Balbinot employs an array of classic Gretsch guitars to make his band’s distinct rockabilly music. Sure, they wear the derigueur cowboy gear and sideburns, but they treat the music seriously, as a vital branch the rock and roll family tree. And they do it without guile. Balbinot is capable of impressive pyrotechnics, but…

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