Larkin Poe have sprinkled a few renditions of old blues songs into their tracklistings from time to time, but their forthcoming album Kindred Spirits finds them filling an entire album with cover versions, largely selected from the classic rock display case in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The project stems from the Georgia… Continue reading Larkin Poe Convene with Kindred Spirits
Tag: Heartland Rock
Jackson County Line Gets It Across
Taking into consideration the geographic and demographic makeup of Georgia, Jackson County is a bit of a backwoodsy place peppered with picturesque small towns such as Jefferson and Maysville, but it’s not like it’s that far out in the sticks. Its border nudges Gwinnett County to the west and rests alongside Clarke County (Athens) to… Continue reading Jackson County Line Gets It Across
Sadler Vaden
Hodge, Podge, Strained Through a Leslie: Sadler Vaden is Getting Out There Guitarist Sadler Vaden has been a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit since 2013. He’s part of the Grammy-winning team that made 2015’s Something More Than Free and the band’s 2017 album The Nashville Sound, both of which earned Best Americana Album awards… Continue reading Sadler Vaden
Drive-By Truckers Peddle Another Grievance List
Somehow, in the midst of an ongoing record-breaking United States economy, Drive-By Truckers continue to grow even more miserable and infuriated by the day. Patterson Hood, who loves to throw words like “duality” around as if he’s some thoughtful philosophical commentator, moans that he’s spent the last three-and-a-half years “watching so many things we care… Continue reading Drive-By Truckers Peddle Another Grievance List
Sadler Vaden Wants to Get Next to You
Sadler Vaden first came to our attention with his Charleston, South Carolina power trio Leslie. Later on, his guitar prowess played a big role in revitalizing Drivin’ N Cryin’ in the first few years of this decade. Since then he’s been a key member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit. He also released a damn good… Continue reading Sadler Vaden Wants to Get Next to You
Bitteroots Go Off the Rails for 11th Anniversary
Decatur-based roots-rockers The Bitteroots celebrate 11 years together this spring with a new album and a multi-set party at Eddie’s Attic. Their latest record, Derailer, arrived March 15 and brings us six new, horn-driven cuts comparable to the Tedeschi Trucks Band – if they invited Melissa Ethridge onstage to handle lead vocals. As is, they’re a jam… Continue reading Bitteroots Go Off the Rails for 11th Anniversary
Gin Blossoms – Mixed Reality
Of all the earnest jangle-rock bands to sprout up in the wake of R.E.M., Arizona’s Gin Blossoms are one of the few whose songs still resonate deeply with me. Though at the time I didn’t pay it much mind, I’ve since come to cherish 1992’s (eventually) inescapable New Miserable Experience as an unflashy yet genuinely… Continue reading Gin Blossoms – Mixed Reality
Blackberry Smoke Tones Things Down
Skynyd-loving, globe-trotting Southern rockers Blackberry Smoke’s acoustic EP The Southern Ground Sessions, out Oct. 26 on Three Legged Records, is, for lack of a better bad pun, Nuthin’ Fancy. The group and a couple of high-profile pals met in Nashville to cut five prior album tracks and a Tom Petty cover that sound more like… Continue reading Blackberry Smoke Tones Things Down
Petty Box Focuses on Rare, Deep Cuts
The 60-track, career-spanning Tom Petty box set An American Treasure will be loaded down with newly discovered recordings from the vaults. Light on the hits (that’s not the point of this project), with more emphasis on deeper, overlooked or in some cases unheard material, the bulk of American Treasure consists of previously unreleased recordings, live… Continue reading Petty Box Focuses on Rare, Deep Cuts
Ron Pope is Working It Out
Count on an Atlanta-via-Nashville artist to further my argument about modern Americana. In my view, the best music exemplifying that broad term usually comes from 20 and 30-somethings who actually remember decent rock music on commercial radio. Those same impressionable kids grew up to better appreciate their parents’ country and folk tastes, blending that proven form of storytelling with… Continue reading Ron Pope is Working It Out
Gin Blossoms
As Long As It Matters: Gin Blossoms Make the Most of Their Experience Guitarist Scott Johnson almost missed out on a career path that saw him taking over for the lead guitarist in a band right as it broke through. Had he not taken some advice from an older musician, Johnson might not have even… Continue reading Gin Blossoms
Blitzen Trapper Gets Wild & Reckless
Portland band Blitzen Trapper have been among the more rewarding American musical combos in recent memory, producing a solid string of sturdy, poetic, rootsy rock ‘n’ roll songs and albums. In concert, they prove even stronger, with frontman Eric Earley exuding a scruffy Dylanesque charisma. Out Nov. 3rd, the band’s new album, Wild & Reckless,… Continue reading Blitzen Trapper Gets Wild & Reckless
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Nearing completion, Axis: Bold as Love needed cover graphics, so Jimi Hendrix was asked, “What do you want the gatefold to look like?” and he responded, “Make it something Indian!” When he first saw the completed sleeve, his reaction was “What the fuck!” because he’d been misunderstood and the cover reflected Hindu mysticism. Now I get it,… Continue reading Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Petty: The Biography
Petty: The Biography By Warren Zanes [Henry Holt & Co.] “The first time you count four, and suddenly, rock and roll is playing – it’s bigger than life itself.” And so begins one of America’s most beloved rock ‘n’ roll stories; the story of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Warren Zanes successfully threads what is… Continue reading Petty: The Biography
Fortunate Son
Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music By John Fogerty with Jimmy McDonough [Little, Brown & Co.] “To me a record is a presentation,” writes John Fogerty. “You’ve thought all about it, the arrangement, the mix – that’s why you can hear the singer a little louder that the drum or the bass. You’ve prepared this.… Continue reading Fortunate Son
Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus Forever! Jersey Boys (and Girl) Strike a Chord “On this subject I do not wish to speak, think or write with moderation. I am in earnest, I will not equivocate, I will not excuse, I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard.” – William… Continue reading Titus Andronicus
The War on Drugs
Eyes to the Wind: The War On Drugs Dream a Little Dream If you ever plan to expand your horizons westward, consider yourself obligated to visit one of the three branches of the California music emporium Amoeba Records. It’s a mandatory pilgrimage, a vinyl collector’s wet dream. Musicians of note often drop in to its… Continue reading The War on Drugs
The Bongos – Phantom Train
As he tells the story, Richard Barone first met RuPaul around 1985 in New York City. The lead singer for The Bongos had already been told about RuPaul – who, back then, was a young man rollerskating around in a mohawk. In fact, a writer at Rolling Stone had told Barone that RuPaul should cover… Continue reading The Bongos – Phantom Train
Kurt Vile
Heartland Rock Revival: Kurt Vile is the Answer Few musicians are speaking for the common man these days, despite that there’s arguably more to begrudge now than ever before. There’s as much beauty to bask in too, of course – a natural flipside; the light that creates the gloomy shade. Garage, punk and all sorts… Continue reading Kurt Vile