Album Review: Tellico - Relic And Roses

I'm an admitted dobro and pedal steel junky, so it shouldn't be surprising that I totally enjoyed Tellico's dobro and steel laced debut release: Relic And Roses. Of course there's more to this album then just Aaron Ballance on the aforementioned instruments; Jed Willis contributes solid  mandolin and clawhammer banjo; Jon Stickley (producer) of the Jon Stickley Trio; and then there's Anya Hinkle (guitar, fiddle) and Stig Stiglets (bass). You may be familiar with these names from their Dehlia Low days and the two wrote all tracks except the Neil Young White Line-River of Pride medley. Their songs are rootsy and full of life, whether uplifting or sorrowful. The album starts with an authentic Appalachian sound in Backstep Blues but its Can't Go Home Again where the album hits its stride. Just hear those instruments. Would love to hear the playful Hawkeye Pierce and Honeycutt Blues live, and Farewell Winds is the most powerful track - until you hear Mexico 1995. This is a tremendous debut effort; suburb orchestration and songwriting. Well done. Pair with Blonde Whiskey from Asheville Distilling Company. Cheers.

Album Review: The Honey Dewdrops - Tangled Country

Five years ago this summer I heard the The Honey Dewdrops for the first time at Floydfest 9 and came away very impressed with the acoustic duo. Now Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish are set to release their 4th album Tangled Country - an original collection of rootsy folk and blues. The album was recorded in their Baltimore hometown, produced by Nicholas Sjostrom (also playing bass and piano) and featuring Dave Hadley on pedal steel and E.J. Shaull-Thompson on drums. Wortman and Parrish have been performing together since 2003 and their stripped down sound is powerful starting with Wortman's vocals. She's simply impressive, then combine Parrish's soft harmonies as in Lowlands,  Horses, and Numb and you have some excellent songs. Loneliest Songs and Parrish's lead in Fair Share Blues are my two favorite tracks. Listen to the end because the musicianship in the last track Remington pretty much sums up this enjoyable release. Pair with my favorite Baltimore brewery, Brewer's Art. Cheers.

Album Review: Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers - Loved Wild Lost

Anyone ever listen to the Van Sessions (usually covers of iconic songs) on Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers YouTube site? Well you should. And these sessions are a good introduction to the 1960's folk-pop sound infused with a little rock, country, and blues from their latest album, Loved Wild Lost. Bluhm's soulful vocals elevate the songs, whether they are soft ballads, easy listening country, funky blues, or straight rock. Me and Slim and Hearts Gets Tough are examples of the later where The Gramblers (Tim Bluhm, Deren Ney, Dave Mulligan, Steve Adams, & Mike Curry) strut their stuff. This is one tight outfit. Mr. Saturday Night is one of my other favorites and listen to the end to hear Bluhm's sweet vocals in High Neck Lace and Heavy Hey Ya. She is quite impressive. Pair with San Francisco's 21st Amendment. Cheers.

Album Review: The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

Asheville based The Honeycutters are ready to release their third album, Me Oh My, later this month and after listening continuously the last few days; there is still no sign of fatigue.  From the opening track, Jukebox, the band exudes the rootsy country flavor of the album with front women and songwriter Amanda Anne Platt delivering genuine songwriting and vocals.  I found myself following the advice of that song "it's only a song, so for heaven's sake won't you sing along" and singing along with the rest of the album. The orchestration from the band is quite  pronounced throuhout with Tal Taylor (Mandolin), Rick Cooper (Bass), Josh Milligan (Drums), and Matt Smith (Pedal Steel, Dobro, Electric Guitar). These guys can play. The title track and Ain't It The Truth are two powerfully themed songs followed by one of my favorite tracks: Carolina. Little Bird is also a must listen as it was a finalist in MerleFest's Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Want something more upbeat? I'll Be Loving You is for you; but Lucky may bring you back down. Pair with Asheville's music loving brewery, the French Broad Brewing Company. Cheers to this highly recommended album.

Album Review: Chubby Knuckle Choir - Reveille

Most music lovers correctly associate Texas music with Americana, but there's also a deep Texas blues tradition. And a new band out of Texas, has merged these two styles into an excellent album. I'm referring to Chubby Knuckle Choir and their upcoming release Reveille. At times it feels like I'm listening to several different bands as the album starts with a fiery Americana then oscillates into a softer Robert Cray styled blues and eventually returns to country and swamp blues. Hungry Hollow Road is the must listen to track, then the next tracks, Black Motel and Trouble, segues into solid Americana songs. The band is composed of Slim Bawb, Perry Lowe, Tres Womack, and Rory Smith with all contributing singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. Some cool instruments too: bass fiddle, frottoir, congas, Brazilian box drum cajón, African drum djembe, mandolin..... You don't see these very often. The album concludes with a live track recorded at the Dosey Doe. This will encourage you to check out their tour schedule. The album will be released April 21st and we will post reminders as that day creeps closer. Pair with hometown brewpub Bastrop Brewhouse. Cheers.

Album Review: Gill Landry's Self-titled New Release

Hopefully you are already familiar with Gill Landry from his work with Old Crow Medicine Show, but if not, start catching up by listening to his upcoming self titled album Gill Landry. Landry recorded and self-produced the album in Nashville, playing most of the instruments. There are some guest appearances, notably Robert Ellis playing a mean guitar in Fennario, Mumford and Sons trumpet player Nick Etwell in Lost Love, and Laura Marling in Take This Body. Yet the album is uniquely Landry; honest, soft spoken, and descriptive - based on his wandering experiences across this country. The aforementioned Take This Body is reason enough to procure this release, with the easy melody in Just Like You and the overall impact of Fennario, close seconds. Born in Louisiana, pair this album with Louisiana Spirits, makers of Bayou Rum situated not far from Landry's hometown of Lake Charles

Album Review: The Vespers - Sisters and Brothers

It's been a long time since I first heard The Vespers when they opened a show for Cadillac Sky. The young quartet has just released their third album, Sisters and Brothers - which I listened to a Brite Revolution.The title is relevant since the band is comprised of two pairs of siblings - the Cryar sisters and Jones brothers.  The band started out as a roots folk band with some bluegrass; but their latest expands into more of a rock-pop sound. A perfect example is "Cynical Soul" with it's acoustic instruments, but pop melodies. I like how the album begins, with the slow opening in "Break the Cycle" and "Signs" has a rockin' Black Keys feel. I suspect one power-pop song that will be popular is "You Leave Me" - but for my tastes - I like the old Vespers sound. Cheers.

Album Review: Parker McCollum - The Limestone Kid

For the past few weeks I've kept  Sirius Radio turned off while I've listened to Parker McCollum's upcoming album - The Limestone Kid.  There's something special about this release that I can't really pinpoint. Initially my thoughts were, "yea - pleasant tracks". But something kept inciting me to return again and again. Only in his early twenties, McCollum provides solid vocals and the lyrics are interesting. (He wrote or co-wrote nine of the eleven songs.)  But I think it's the ensemble that makes this release attractive. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Corby Schaub must take a lot of this credit with help from lead guitarist Kurt Grien and bassist Jason Newberry. With McCollum on the acoustic guitar and harmonica - this is a tight outfit.  Look forward to the February 24th release date and pair with Conroe Texas' two breweries: B-52 Brewing or Southern Star Brewing.

• Happy New Year - most pop-ish of the collection
• Lucy - classic rock and roll song - love the electric guitar
• Meet You in the Middle - great rhythm
• All Day - the only mention of The Limestone Kid
• Prohibition Rose - written by brother Tyler McCollum with Lloyd Maines on steel guitar
• The Tune - one intricate tune
• Galveston Bay - penned by cousin Austen Biggers; my favorite with a waltzy feel and a soothing fiddle
• Who's Laughing Now - remove the female harmonies and I hear Sons of Bill; another favorite track
• High Above the Water - more solid electric guitar with repeating melodic vocals (it works for me)
• New Orleans - runs like a fast moving Mississippi River; love the line: "babe, you're the only thing as heartless as me"
• Silhouette - the album concludes with a ballad - tight musicianship

Album Review: Norman Blake - Wood, Wire & Words

Hopefully readers are familiar with folk legend Norman Blake. At the very least you are familiar with his projects with the Johnny Cash Show, Kris Kristofferson, Dylan's Nashville Skyline, John Hartford's Aereo-Plain, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, or O Brother, Where Art Thou?.  Well, he's out with a solo acoustic album titled Wood, Wire & Words - just Blake and his guitar with one harmony from his wife Nancy.  The album is his first release of original material in 30 years and consists of outlaw and old time folk songs. In many instances Blake gives a brief introduction on the song's background as in a live performance. My favorites are the rags, just Blake picking his guitar.  Every song chronicles a piece of history so for those who like to remember and honor the past, this release is for you. Coming January 20th on Plectrafone Records. Cheers.

Brendan Taaffe & The New Line's African Reimagining of Irish & Appalachian Tunes - Can't Hold the Wheel

Zimbabwean mbiras

For the past week, I have not been able to stop listing to Brendan Taaffe & The New Line's new release Can't Hold the Wheel. Taaffe has taken traditional folk songs and rearranged them with a blend of African rhythms many by using the Zimbabwean mbira. This instrument is a series of tuned metal keys fixed to a resonator. Taaffe currently resides in Vermont and has assembled a very talented cast of New England roots musicians for The New Line consisting of Adam Hurt on gourd banjo, Stefan Amidon on percussion and vocals, Colin McCaffrey on electric guitar and bass, Mike Olson on trumpet, and Heather Masse on vocals. Masse's vocals on Doc Watson's Red Rocking Chair and harmonies in The Old Churchyard and Goodnight Irene are sweet. Olson's trumpet in Nobody 'Cept You is like a lulliby and I think Hurt's soft banjo throughout helps blend the African rhythms to American folk. Fall On My Knees, Red Rocking Chair, and Train on the Island are my favorite tracks. For folk lovers, you will enjoy this release. Pair with and enjoy the live music at Brattleboro Vermont's Whetstone Station Brewery. Cheers.

Album Review: Lost & Nameless - When You Walked Into the Room

Not wasting any time Lost & Nameless is out with their second release of the year, this time When You Walked Into the Room (release date September 6th). We reviewed Empty Spaces this Spring and the latest is a continuation of this folk-fiddle-rockn' sound. The six songs feature Patrick Conway on vocals, guitars and banjo; Chris E. Peterson on mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Nathan Quiring on piano, organ, accordion and vocals; and Peterson’s protégé, Kimberly Zielnicki, on vocals, fiddle, bass and piano. The title track attracts your attention as Conway describes love at first sight while the next track (Say Goodbye) juxtaposes that thought by describing a relation's end. She has quite the voice and a way with melodies, doesn't she? Harmonies are the theme in Have We Lost and May I is an interesting track as it is a 2,000-year-old Buddhist prayer set to music. The EP finishes with a rousing instrumental combining “Matthew’s Reel” by Erin Shrader and “Reel a Levis Beaulieu”, a traditional French Canadian fiddle tune. Cheers to good music.

Album Review: Brian Pounds - Strikes and Gutters

When I received the Strikes and Gutters EP from Brian Pounds, I was immediately impressed by his smooth, soulful vocals. I guess The Voice was a relevant venue to display his talents.  Then you add in the pedal steel and I'm hooked. The pedal steel is played by Brian Douglas Phillips (also the producer) and I enjoy listening to the interplay between Pounds' vocals and the country twang of the instrument. Pounds' songwriting is also passionate and honest, the opening track reminds me of the late Brad Payne, whereas I feel Keep My Hands to Myself was written for JJ Grey. Fred Mandujand (drums), Matt Wiley (electric guitar), and Billy Masters (electric guitar) round out the supporting cast; and I looking forward to following this obviously upward mobile musician. Pair with Austin's Adelbert's Brewery. Cheers.

Album Review: The Slambovian Circus of Dreams - A Box of Everything

A Box of Everything is pretty much what you get with this latest from Tthe Slambovian Circus of Dreams. The opening track Rocket is a Tom Petty-ish rhythmic kaleidoscopic entry into the album which then leads into the title track - a more 70's-ish orchestra rock song.  The band was formed in Sleepy Hollow, New York - a pretty interesting place in itself - and is fronted by Joziah Longo (guitar/harmonica) accompanied by Sharkey McEwen guitarist/mandolin); Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, uke, theremin, melodica); and Eric Puente (Percussion).


 There's a lot going on in the album - just look at the instruments played by Lloyd. A Petty sounds returns with Tink (I Know I'ts You) with some solid guitar work by McEwen; followed by some early slide guitar in my favorite track - The Trans-Siberian BiPolar Express. Sunday In The Rain is another cool track; as is Lost Highway. And that's just the first half of the release; there are 13 cool and entertaining songs with the second half lending itself to some fantasy (see Talkin' To The Buddha) - probably a Sleep Hollow thing. Pair with local Prospero Winery.

Album Review: Carolina Story - Chapter II

I missed Chapter I from Carolina Story but will be revisiting the dual after listening to the followup EP: Chapter II. Apparently Chapter I dealt with courtship and Chapter II marriage, but regardless this couple has great chemistry, starting with their harmonies and down to penning interesting songs - see Crash and Burn. The EP was produced by GRAMMY award-winning producer Blake Chancey and includes several stellar Nashville-based musicians: Chad Cromwell on drums, bass player Michael Rhodes, Billy Panda on guitar, steel player Dan Dugmore, and award-winning artist/songwriter Darrell Scott on mandolin/acoustic guitar/bouzouki. Yes, that Darrell Scott. Quite a cast. This one deserves some Arkansas Cynthiana from Chateux Aux Arc. Cheers.

Best Monday Night Concert -> Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers & The Hello Strangers at Jammin Java

What to do on a Monday night? Next week the answer is clear. Check out Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers & The Hello Strangers at Jammin' Java. It's roots, Americana, Texas roots rock night. Muth hails from the pacific Northwest where she is known as "Seattle’s Emmylou". Her latest release is World of Strangers and just listening to the opening track confirms this billing. "Mama Needs a Margarita" is another good one. Need confirmation? Check out the video below. Hope to hear that song Monday night.


The Hello Strangers are two sisters who have brought their Austin sound to western Pennsylvania. I spent some time at their website listening to the stream of their latest songs - most off their upcoming self-titled CD. These songs are tight - in  particular, check out "What It Takes to Break a Heart", "Caribou",  and "Never Roam Again". The sisters can harmonize and are backed by more than capable musicians. Their inclusion of "Que Sera, Sera" throws you off a little until you learn that it's inclusion pays tribute to their grandfather, Ronald Chace, who sang with Doris Day. You will enjoy this release and pair with Knob Hall Winery where they play later this summer.

Album Review: Robert Sarazin Blake

I noticed that Blue Ridge Outdoors had included Robert Sarazin Blake song Dingle To Tralee in their March Trail Mix and I had forgotten that I had received the self titled album in which this song is the opening track. This is definitely an appropriate song to include in the compilation since its my favorite track - as the remainder of the CD is hit or miss. At times Blake uses the spoken tradition of folk, and these seemed to incorporate most of the misses. Yet throughout, he delivers intricate guitar and it's obvious each song is written and performed from the heart. Jefferson Hamer, Eamon O’Leary, Jacob Silver, and Rob MacMillan provide the msuical support, but don't miss Anaïs Mitchell's harmonies in Our Winter in New York. Pair with Bellingham Washington's Boundary Bay Brewery beer and live music provider. Cheers. 

Album Review: Lost & Nameless - Empty Spaces

Lost & Nameless - basically that was my expression when I first received their Empty Spaces CD. Who are these guys and gal? Well, they are Patrick Conway, Chris Peterson, Nathan Quiring, and Kimberly Zielnicki and they play an interesting style of folk rock bordering on Pop and Americana. Interesting also describes their musical pairings - organ, fiddle, guitars, lap steel, mandolin, accordion, banjo, bass - basically you never know what you will get in any one song.  Little Tornado is a good representation of their sound as is the next track, Proud. They also prove that they can slow it down in Aiden's Lullaby which showcases Zielnicki's vocals and then Coffee/Lime Rock showcases her fiddle. This probably isn't a release that I would seek out; but I'm glad that it landed on my doorstep because it's entertaining - and my son really enjoys it. I'd guess their shows are quite entertaining as well. Here's how you can get to know the band a little more before the March 18th release date. Cheers.

Album Review: Amy Speace - How To Sleep In A Stormy Boat

I'm about a year behind this album, but I just got word that Amy Speace is releasing a new deluxe edition of How To Sleep In A Stormy Boat which includes the companion CD, Same Old Storm - for $25. This is a serious compilation - particularly in the songwriting; but also fragile in its composition. Speace has an enchanting voice - Bring Me Back My Heart - and she can delivery it in multiple fashions - folk, celtic, bluesy - all gracefully.  Being a Baltimore native, pair with the elegant Pinot Noir from Elk Run Vineyards. Cheers.

Album Review: Chase Gassaway - Certain Circles

If I ever found the courage to write songs, Chase Gassaway, would be the songwriter I would try to emulate; he is the antithesis of the mindless pop-country crap now in fashion. His upcoming release - Certain Circles - is a must listen as it contains songs with meaning, songs that lead to self-inspection, and songs that inspire.  Coming at the beginning of a new year when most of us review the previous year and seek to make changes in the new, this Austin based musician provides some lessons. There are self-inspecting words such as: "when the conversation in your heart makes you question everything you are" or "I think I'm overrated, I have no excuse, nothing seems to make me inspired.." or  "when the ship goes down, who will you save, ...will the lifeboat hold all of your silver or all of your gold?"

Then there are the clever lyrics - "I don't need fast machines or TV screens if I have you" or "I've got stories that you will never know, some of them are mine, some of the better ones I stole" or "its got its bruises, everyone was earned, sometimes getting hurt is the only way you learn".

But there is also hope - "we can turn this thing around" and my favorite "there is nothing wrong for feeling good - everybody cries and everybody should but there's nothing wrong for feeling good". I couldn't have said it better myself. And I can't get the opening track Turn This Thing Around - out of my mind - great advice throughout the entire song - show them what you are worth and we can turn this thing around.

All these observations are wrapped in a folksy-pop sound that make the lessons entertaining.  Look out for the January 21st release. I'll be revisiting this CD throughout the year to see how I'm fairing. Pair with Austin based Argus Cidery. Cheers.

Dom Flemons is the "American Songster" and our National Musical Historian

We were fortunate to have Grace & Tony (check out their new CD November) invite us to Jammin' Java to hear them open for the very talented Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  Flemons bills himself as " the 'American Songster,' pulling from traditions of old-time folk music to create new sounds". I have no argument with that description; all it takes is attending one performance or listening to American Songster. In fact he is our National Musical Historian. Who else has mastered the banjo, guitar, harmonica, fife, bones, bass drum, snare drum and quills? Who else covers lost musicians from the first half of the 19th century like Flemons and brings them to life as his own. Who else can get my son's undivided attention for an entire hour - now that's talent. (Truth be told, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band can as well). Pair with Music Maker Relief Foundation and brews from Mystery Brewing Company.