Album Review: Mipso - Old Time Reverie

I'm still rather troubled that this year I missed all the major music festivals I usually attend like Merlefest, Floydfest, and Bristol Rhythm & Roots. However, I've found a North Carolina quartet that is helping alleviate that pain. Mipso is a modified bluegrass band that should be part of Floydfest's Emerging Artist Series. And I say modified since they are not a traditional bluegrass band - and not newgrass either. Their latest release Old Time Reverie showcases this unique Appalachian sound. My favorite track is Bad Penny, shades of Americana fused with old time country. Everyone Knows is close behind. Mipso consists of Jacob Sharp (mandolin), Joseph Terrell (guitar), Wood Robinson (bass), and Libby Rodenbough (fiddle). The album showcases their tight harmonies and individual instrumentation. Pair with Chapel Hill's Top Of The Hill Brewery. Cheers.

Album Review: Jason Boland & The Stragglers - Squelch

Based on attendance from shows in the DC area, Jason Boland & The Stragglers must have a solid national audience which should only increase after the band's eighth album, Squelch. Boland's signature gravelly vocals and the pedal steel guarantee a solid country sound; although there are other genre's mingled in. See The First To Know and the rockn' It's Alright to Be An A*Hole. Yet, the Texas Country vibe is what shines the brightest, songs like the opening track Break 19, Heartless Bypass, and Do You Love Me Any Less. And listen to the end, Bienville is a fine Texas waltz. Pair Squelch with Stillwater Oklahoma's Iron Monk Brewing Company. Cheers.