We met Steve Poltz in Nashville on July 4th, 2017 when he happened to walk into a local club where we were holding one of our free speech in music nights. He wasn’t on the bill, but about two minutes into his visit, he committed to performing. That spontaneity and commitment show up big time on his just-released album “Shine…
Interview: Sarah Potenza and her “Road to Rome”
Paul T. Mueller talks with Sarah Potenza about her new album “Road to Rome” before she takes the stage at the Mucky Duck in Houston.
Americana One #32 Michael McDermott embraces his “Orphans”
In this week’s Americana One podcast, Michael McDermott talks about his rich career, his personal struggles and his new “Orphans” album, an engaging collection of songs that didn’t quite fit elsewhere.
Cayamo 2019: An All-Star music cruise
The Cayamo music cruise, which just wrapped up its 12th sailing, returning to Tampa on the Norwegian Pearl on Feb. 17 after a week in warm Caribbean waters. Dozens of artists, mostly singer-songwriters, took part in 130-plus shows, many playing multiple sets and sitting in with other performers
Yola previews new album “Walk Through Fire” on WMOT’s Wired In
Previewing her new album “Walk Through Fire” – to be released tomorrow – Yola elicited quick comparisons to the ’70s soul of Dusty Springfield, no small accomplishment.
Previewing 2019 Cayamo Cruise
2019 marks an even dozen for the Cayamo music cruise. The 12th edition of the festival at sea, produced by Atlanta-based Sixthman aboard the Norwegian Pearl, will head south from Tampa for a week of music.
Merle Hazard’s atonal salute
Merle Hazard ‘s new video on atonal music is brilliantly weird, and features a great line-up of Alison Brown, Tammy Rogers King, Trey Hensley, Claire Lynch and Missy Raines.
The Strategic Songwriting of Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle knows how to pace himself. In a wide-ranging conversation at the 30A Songwriters Festival, Justin told us how he writes a new album: 12 songs written over the span of a year and astonishingly, in the exact order they show up on the finished collection. In this excerpt, he talks about how it all comes together. The…
Michael McDermott on writing the truth
We visited with Michael McDermott about his new collection “Orphans” at the 30A Songwriters Festival, but also spoke about his truthful songwriting and his penchant for performing the National Anthem. Here’s an excerpt: The full interview will be available soon on the Americana Music News Podcast (find it on iTunes) and broadcast on WMOT Roots Radio.
Steve Poltz at the 30A Songwriters Festival
Steve Poltz has something that most of the artists at the 30A Songwriters Festival can only dream of – an honest to goodness hit song. But his “You Were Meant For Me,” co-written and recorded by Jewel in the mid-’90s, was actually a bit of an impediment as Poltz tried to develop his own solo career. In this interview excerpt…
Aaron Lee Tasjan, New York Doll
We all know of Aaron Lee Tasjan’s success as an Americana music artist fresh off his success with “Karma for Cheap” and “Silver Tears,” but few know that he played guitar with the legendary New York Dolls. We caught up with Aaron Lee at the 30A Songwriters Festival to talk about his music and career, but couldn’t resist asking about…
Livingston Taylor at 30A Songwriters Festival
The 30A Songwriters Festival is heading into its big weekend with shows featuring Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash and dozens of other Americana, country and folk artists. Yesterday’s shows didn’t disappoint, and it was a special treat to catch up with Livingston Taylor, who is celebrating 50 years as an artist. In his set last night at Bud and Alley’s, he…
Clare Dunn’s surprising path to success
Clare Dunn is a country artist and songwriter with a bright future and we spent some time with her at the 30A Songwriters Festival. We
Tenth Annual 30A Songwriters Festival remains deep in talent
For us, the year’s music festivals kick off with the always diverse and engaging line-up at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Walton County Florida Jan. 18-21.
Alejandro Escovedo at the Heights Theater in Houston
Alejandro Escovedo turned 68 on January 10, but at an age when many people have retired or at least are planning to, the singer-songwriter-force-of-nature shows little sign of slowing down.
Show # 31 Darrell Scott
We’re pleased to kick off the 2019 Americana Music Podcast season with Darrell Scott, an outstanding singer-songwriter whose body of work includes “It’s A Great Day to Be Alive” and “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”
New: Bill Lloyd’s “Working the Long Game”
Americana Music News – Nashville’s Bill Lloyd is following up his engaging “It’s Happening Now” with “Working the Long Game,” a collection of compelling new songs, including co-writes with pop songwriting legend Graham Gouldman (“Bus Stop,” “For Your Love”) Aaron Lee Tasjan, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, Freedy Johnston, Buddy Mondlock, Pat Buchanan, David Surface and more. This trailer offers a quick spin through the new album.
Our Favorite Podcasts of 2018
It’s been a fun and rewarding year on the Americana Music News Podcast, featuring visits with some of the most vibrant artists in the field. Here are the five we’ll remember particularly fondly: Tony Joe White – We were honored to speak with Tony Joe White about his new album Bad Mouthin’ at the Americana Music Festival. Sadly, he passed…
Top singles of 2018 from Americana Music Association
The annual list of top Americana singles from the Americana Music Association is always revelatory. While the top 10 is populated by a number of usual suspects – John Prine, Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton – we wouldn’t have guessed that Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats would have the 2 most-played songs of the year. Rounding out the…
Americana Grammy Nominees unveiled
The just-released Grammy nominations are a big win for Americana long before the final ballots are announced. Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves are front and center in the most prominent categories in the music industry.