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When Bill Wyman left the Rolling Stones in 1992, fans of the septuagenarian bassist thought he would simply retire and concentrate on Sticky Fingers, his United States-themed cafe (according to Keith Richards’ best-selling autobiography) and his signature metal detector. However, nothing could be further from the truth. He has kept quite busy with his Rhythm Kings, a band he founded in 1998 with longtime musical partner Terry Taylor. Read the rest of this entry »

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Everyone has a friend they were close with who moved away. Sometimes years pass between meetings, even as each interim conversation is nothing other than pleasant. But finally getting together with a friend you grew up with in the suburbs and finding this person attired in cowboy garb is troublesome. That’s what John Doe’s career feels like. Ditching home for Los Angeles back in the seventies, Doe hooked up with some local punky characters to form X and record a few of the most thoughtfully crafted albums of the punk era. Read the rest of this entry »

During this time of year, music stores and their online counterparts get filled with rereleases that range from remastered versions of holiday classics from Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to not-so-great offerings from the likes of Christina Aguilera and even former Beatle Ringo Starr (who made a whole album about a decade ago). And then again there are those faux-humorous songs about daddy getting drunk at Christmas while grandma was run over by a reindeer. While some of these examples are genuinely enjoyable, many are better left where they belong—in the bargain bin.

But the truth remains that for many people a Christmas party is not quite complete without holiday music, so there definitely is always a market for these albums—even if we have been hearing them day in and day out at the local grocery store since late October. In spite of that sensory overload, some new
releases deserve to be checked out, especially for artists who decide to present these classics from a different perspective. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Old Town School of Folk Music has been the stage for countless performances for its half-century existence, hosting concerts that run the gamut from Americana to folk-rock and world music and in the meantime giving lesser-known artists a chance to showcase their talents to appreciative audiences that might not be reached otherwise.

To celebrate this, the school is releasing a four-disc box set of recordings made during these shows—some made on the sound board and others captured during radio broadcasts. The full package includes as many as 127 songs that had to be individually cleared with each artist or their estates. Read the rest of this entry »

By Eric Lutz

Back in 2008, The Giving Tree Band gave themselves a challenge: record a carbon-neutral album.

The group is very into the environment. Nature permeates all their songs. So this seemed like a natural–no pun intended–extension.

The Chicago-connected folk-rockers went up to Baraboo, Wisconsin, and set up a recording studio in the solar-powered Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. They worked exhausting twelve-hour days. They slept at a campground ten miles away, biking to and from the studio, eating vegetarian meals donated by a local farm. Flooding that summer brought record-level mosquitoes, as well as ticks. Recording took a month. Read the rest of this entry »

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On the new record by Nation Beat, a Brazilian-inspired band led by Brooklyn-based percussionist Scott Kettner, the group goes beyond its Maracatu roots to explore more sounds from Northeastern Brazil—principally forro (pronounced Fo-HO), a syncopated beat that is highly popular in the region, especially in the state of Ceara, where vocalist Liliana Araujo hails from. Read the rest of this entry »

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Settling in to hear any of Glenn Jones’ solo albums (he’s up to four with “The Wanting” being the latest entered into his catalog), it’s easy to lose track of what’s playing. Is it old or new? Something you’ve heard before? Between 2004 and now, Jones, who initially came to prominence with Boston’s Cul de Sac, has laid waste to finger-styled antecedents, adding his own personal graces along the way. “Of Its Own Kind” and the song’s title hint at that concept. On its surface, the composition isn’t detached from the Takoma school of guitar players with a lazy drone that feels only slightly different than work from earlier players. Maybe lazy isn’t the right word, but rather all-knowing or well-fitted. Read the rest of this entry »

Mavis Staples

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Saying goodbye to summer means a farewell to beaches, outdoor seating and, perhaps the saddest of all, festivals. Fear not! The Hideout is squeezing the last out of the festival fun with the return of its legendary block party after a two-year absence. Perhaps the most impressive element of the festival is the diversity of style of the artists. The ten-hour event is a variable platter of sound, and it all looks delicious.

Andrew Bird, the biggest name on the bill, will provide the intricate indie tunes he’s known for. Lofty soul calling your name? Mavis Staples and her syrupy low voice at your service. To take that one step further, Booker T. Jones will be around to inject some serious funk into said soul. Read the rest of this entry »

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Duluth’s Charlie Parr, who began releasing albums around 2002, hasn’t hit the big time, although an appearance at Portland’s Pickathon Festival as well as a song of his being used in Australian advertisements point to a surprisingly sturdy career. Putting off full-time music-making until the halfway mark in his life seems to have imbued Parr’s gruff voice and solemn picking–on a vintage resonator, twelve-string guitar or banjo–with a weariness that escapes Band of Horses and other younger groups taken with traditional American music. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Marcin Grzegorczyk

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Though one might see Poland as a pretty homogenous nation—there are no big linguistic differences between each side of the country, for example—its folk music is quite surprising. Polish folk sounds bear influences from the music of Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic depending on what part of the country they come from.

Which brings us to Dikanda, a group that has been around since 1997 but is only touring the U.S. for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »