John Hiatt’s 20th album “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” continues his remarkable streak of consistently solid recordings. It feels like an extension of last year’s “The Open Road,” with a few more songs about regrets and a couple of compelling compositions about transportation. The album opens with “Damn This Town,” a vow to leave everything and everyone behind. The arrangement echoes…
All Things Considered visits Fox Hollow
NPR’s “All Things Considered” recently featured “I Love: Songs of Fox Hollow,” the Red Beet tribute to Tom T. Hall and his classic kids’ record. You’ll find the audio report here and the Sun209: Americana Music Journal review in our archives.
Dave Alvin: Eleven Eleven
What’s the deal with Johnny Ace? A modest figure in R&B history (“Pledging My Love”), Ace achieved some level of pop immortality due to his untimely death in a gun accident on Christmas Day 1954. Nonetheless, he’s inspired two outstanding songs about his demise: Paul Simon’s “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and now Dave Alvin’s “Johnny Ace is Dead.” Alvin’s…
Nick Lowe at the Country Music Hall of Fame
Nick Lowe, a remarkable songwriter and performer who rose to fame as a member of Brinsley Schwarz and as a New Wave artist and producer, will appear at the Country Music Hall of Fame at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, in an interview setting. It’s a treat to see him in any format, but the Country Music Hall of…