Top Picks of 2025: Dave Nowels Self-Indulgence What a roller coaster year 2025 was for music. It was a year that saw music fans processing an immeasurable amount of grief over so many of our fallen musical heroes. From Americana and roots icons to pure rock stars, we lost some big ones this year including: […]
The Fabulous Thunderbirds – The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings 1978-1989 – 4 CD Boxed Set This is a comprehensive boxed set of the early Austin, TX band The Fabulous Thunderbirds when Grammy Award-winning guitarist/bassist/vocalist Jimmie Vaughan & lead vocalist Kim Wilson (harmonica) were behind the controls. The door to their bluesy music opens […]
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Music Reviews: Boxing Up the Bangles, plus Rock the Plaza and Kim Wilson’s Slow Burn It’s about time we had a box set from the Bangles, whose well-hooked, harmony-laden tunes provided some of the brightest moments on Top 40 radio in the 1980s. Emerging from the West Coast’s Paisley Underground movement, the group featured four […]
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Reckless and Blue – Seven Deadly Gins These spirited blues by a veteran Colorado-based quintet playing since 2017 have 10 glasses served on their sophomore Seven Deadly Gins (Dropped Dec 21/Independent/42:16). Produced & recorded in Denver, CO by George Williams (guitar/vocals) & Brian Hunter. The band has a darker edge than most & George Williams […]
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Bo DePeña – Rather Move Up (Yellow DOG Studios) There’s a moment at the start of Bo DePeña’s Rather Move Up that cuts through all the noise of modern country music like a clean blade: “Half of the mistakes I made stone cold sober.” It’s the opening line of “Half of My Mistakes,” and if […]
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Roadtrip Earworms 2025 – Editor’s Pick for Favorite Songs There’s nothing like an earworm, sounding so good no matter how many times you play it. I’ve been an earworm listener since I was a kid – hitting repeat to keep that feeling going for hours. There were a lot of them this year, and I […]
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Favorite Albums of 2025 – Editor’s Pick What defines a great album? When you’re several songs in and your mind is still exploding, you’re still groovin’, or turning it up and leaning in to listen closer? Lots of albums have that one incredibly great song, or two, or three. But for a favorite album you’ll […]
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June Star Equally Wild Baltimore mainstay Americana band fronted by Andrew Grimm, June Star, has a new album just out, Equally Wild. This album was produced by J Robbins (Andy Bopp), mixed by J Robbins and Andrew Grimm, and mastered by Dan Coutant at Sunroom Audio. The album was recorded at Magpie Cage Studios. Grimm […]
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Parry Lamont Parry Lamont Parry Lamont has just released an album of thoughtful folk songs, Parry Lamont. Parry has one of those vulnerable vocals that stands out high above the crowd with raw, steady relatability. And his songwriting is exceptional, as he describes the good life, stories from days gone by, aging, going to war, […]
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The Romans Dandelion The Romans are a folksy, old-timey bluegrass pop-ish band from Croatia and Slovenia – two countries at the Easternmost top of the “boot” of Italy if you’re looking on a map, with shoreline on the Mediterranean Sea. They’ve crafted a blend of luegrass styles with folk and a bit of pop Central […]
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