Jan 1, 2013
Photos that ROCK! Best of 2012 I am crazy lucky that I get to show up at concerts and take photos of musicians. Here are some of my favorite shoots from 2012, all around Boston. Happy new year! Love Canon @ Club Passim, January 2012 (See my review of their second album here) Mojo Kick [...] more »
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Suzanne in Reviews
Dec 31, 2012
Josh Ritter is gearing up to release a new album this coming March. While we wait with anticipation, here's one from the archives. This performance of "Empty Heart" took place in Belfast back in 2009 with an accompanying string trio billed as the "Love Cannon String Band." It's hard to tell who was having more [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Videos
Dec 28, 2012
Over the last 6 months or so I've come across a few albums or EP's that I enjoyed, but for one reason or another didn't do a full review. As the year winds down I figured it's a good time to collect a few of those into a single post. Wasabi - Wide Open An [...] more »
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Shawn Underwood in Acoustic, Americana, Blues, Country, Folk, Jazz, Reviews
Dec 27, 2012
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2012 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the continuation -- the best songs from the second half of the year. Love Changes Everything, Session Americana (from the self-released Love and Dirt) Session Americana wrap [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Americana, Best of Year, Downloads, Pop, Reviews, Rock, Streams
Dec 26, 2012
It's been a great year of music in Boston. I've been fortunate to see lots of great local favorites live, from Todd Thibaud to Old Jack to Dennis Brennan to the Rationales. It was also a great year for new Boston music, as evidenced by the fine, fine releases below. SESSION AMERICANA, Love and Dirt [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Americana, Best of Year, Pop, Reviews, Rock, Roots
Dec 25, 2012
This video would be worthy of posting based on the song's merit alone. Paul Kelly's melancholy ode to Christmas is a masterpiece. Hearing Kelly tell the story behind the song is a bonus worthy of sharing. "I've got a Christmas song, but it doesn't have a chorus and it's set in prison." http://youtu.be/PxugNpP3e5s?t=3m56s more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Videos
Dec 24, 2012
I looked around to find a good cover of this song but finally came to my senses. There's no replacing the original. Here's Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues performing "Fairytale of New York." more »
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Mayer Danzig in Roots, Videos
Dec 21, 2012
Several of my favorite releases from this year were 5-6 song sets rather than 8-10+ song full-length releases. Here, in no particular order, are a few favorite EPs from 2012. THE VANSADERS, The Vansaders If you like your rock-and-roll raucous and whiskey-soaked, you’ll be hard-pressed to find music better than the Vansaders. I’ll take mine [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Americana, Best of Year, Reviews, Rock
Dec 20, 2012
Most years there is one record that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Things were different this year as three albums vied for the top of my favorites list. I gave up trying to pick one – I’m declaring it a tie. #1 (tie). BRANDI CARLILE, Bear Creek Carlile recorded her latest release in [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Americana, Best of Year, Folk, Indie, Pop, Reviews, Rock
Dec 17, 2012
With a career as varied Mark Erelli, you really could get anything at his show. He brought 3/5 of his bluegrass outfit, the higher pitched parts to this one to this one in two generations of Armerdings (Jake & Taylor). They provided harmony vocals, mandolin and fiddle. The Armerdings took the lead vocals for a [...] more »
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Jeff McMahon in Reviews
Dec 17, 2012
Now here's an impressive line-up: Steve Earle, Loudon Wainwright III, Mike Scott of the Waterboys and host John Wesley Harding leading a cover of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere." The performance was captured at Harding's eclectic "Cabinet of Wonders" series in New York City last month. more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Folk, Videos
Dec 14, 2012
Normally a reissue of an old record isn't such a big deal, but the December 2012 reissue of John Hartford's Aereo Plain/Morning Bugle CD was a big deal for bluegrass fans because Aereo Plain, one of the most important records of the bluegrass - or "New Grass" - revival in the 1970s, had been almost impossible [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox in Acoustic, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Reviews
Dec 12, 2012
It is a collaboration that has been a long time coming. In fact, it is so natural that it is hard to believe this is their first album together, especially since they are old friends who have run in the same musical circles for decades. “Buddy and Jim” is a very straightforward album. Lauderdale has [...] more »
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Chip Frazier in Reviews
Dec 10, 2012
This One's For Him , the all-star tribute to Guy Clark, continues to garner recognition. Fresh from its Album of the Year award at the Americana Music Awards, the collection has just been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Folk Album category. Here's Clark performing the strikingly beautiful "My Favorite Picture of You." The [...] more »
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Mayer Danzig in Acoustic, Folk, Videos
Dec 7, 2012
As we begin to gather our Editors' Picks for best of the year, we'd love to hear from you first. Throughout the year we host a weekly poll in which you can vote for your favorite new release of the week. From that list we've taken the albums that you voted for the most plus [...] more »
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Tom Osborne in Best of Year, News, Readers' Pick