Mike Doughty – New Album, Duo Tour

The first full week of October 2009 will be an exciting one for Mike Doughty and his fans, as the now-grizzled songwriter unveils his sixth “solo” release and embarks on a 31-date tour with band mate Andrew “Scrap” Livingston. The album, titled Sad Man Happy Man, will be released October 6, and the tour begins [...]

Album Review: Assembly of Dust – Some Assembly Required

The many parts and pieces that comprise Some Assembly Required snap together in a truly satisfying way, save a few bum edges. Featuring special guests on each song, the album wins in the personnel department, but it’s hard to tell if the guests – John Scofield, Tony Rice, Grace Potter, Mike Gordon, Bela Fleck, Jerry [...]

Album Review: Yonder Mountain String Band – The Show

“Out of the Blue,” the strongest song on YMSB’s The Show, leads off the album, and false hopes abound in the song’s galloping rhythm and focused songwriting. The Show quickly becomes a real head-scratcher for YMSB fans with song number two – “Complicated” – which shares more than just a name with the horrible Avril [...]

Music on the Mountaintop 2009 Review

My review and photos of the Music on the Mountaintop festival are now up at Glide Magazine’s Hidden Track blog.

Live Review: Eric Bachmann at Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, July 22, 2009

Near the end of his hour-long set at Duke Gardens, Eric Bachmann appeared to get a little emotional. His voice cracked ever so slightly and his face contorted the way people’s faces do when they’re fighting back tears. As he thanked a few people for helping him “live the dream, which was sometimes a nightmare,” [...]

News Fragments: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Lineup, Sunny Day Real Estate Reunion, Phish Album Announcement, Virgin FreeFest

-San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival has announced the initial lineup for the free event, which takes place at Golden Gate Park October 2-4, 2009. The first announced acts look just great, and the lineup includes Okkervil River, Del McCoury Band, Robyn Hitchcock, Aimee Mann, Allen Toussaint, Dr. Dog, Neko Case, Booker T. and the [...]

Tennessee Shines at Bonnaroo

Saturday, June 13, from 12-8 p.m. at Bonnaroo’s The Other Tent, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale hosts the Tennessee Shines stage with eight hours of bluegrass from The SteelDrivers, Cherryholmes, the Del McCoury Band and the David Grisman Quintet. Lauderdale will introduce the bands, sit in for some songs and welcome special guests to the stage [...]

Bonnaroo Preview: Ben Sollee

Ben Sollee is quickly gaining fame for his social involvement as well as his sophisticated music. The 24-year-old cellist and vocalist is perhaps best known for his work in the Sparrow Quartet with Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen, and Abigail Washburn. But this summer he’s coming firmly into his own, musically and socially. Once again, Bonnaroo [...]

Live: Second Annual Carolina Bluegrass Festival, May 17, 2009 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary, NC

It was a day on which “Cold Rain and Snow” was bound to be played. But the dreary weather couldn’t keep a thousand or so bluegrass fans from experiencing one of the best lineups of the season at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre.
The Second Annual Carolina Bluegrass Festival featured a fast-paced schedule of headline-worthy bands [...]

Album Review: Sara Watkins – Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins’ first “solo” album is a pretty, poignant collection of acoustic-based songs that have a broad appeal. Sure to enchant fans of Watkins’ wildly popular former band Nickel Creek, the eponymous album covers all the bases of modern mass-appeal acoustic music. Watkins and a huge list of performers go out of their way to [...]