Just when it seems utterly impossible for one more tribute album even to be defensible, much less listenable, somebody in Minnesota dug up a batch of old John Denver albums, and we’re off to the races. Happily off to the races, I regret to add. Yes, John Denver. Look, the guy wrote [...]

In this age of dangerously excessive nostalgia, one might be tempted to cast a jaundiced eye upon anything having to do with a road as recently (though belatedly) hyped as old U.S. 66. But even the most ardent pop culture cynic will find it hard to resist the tug of the Mother Road after [...]

With nearly 40 years of memory in place to dull the edges, and with a couple of really boring Linda Ronstadt covers to trivialize his significance, Buddy Holly is too often preserved in today’s popular culture as that geeky, four-eyed, sweater-wearin’ ‘50s kid who hiccupped a lot and died in a plane crash. The [...]

At this point if Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Erwin wanted to record “Happy Birthday” I’d probably run out and buy it. Something about the way their voices nestle together is an unapproachably beautiful as dew on a mountain meadow. Even so, this single, following release of their brilliant Old Paint, is probably [...]

Let’s count up our alternative-country supergroups. Sure, we’ve got our highwaymen, our Golden Smog …. And if we’re willing to stretch the definition a little to a self-described “bourbon-soaked weekend collaboration” between David Lowery (Cracker, Camper von Beethoven), Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, Lambchop’s Paul Niehaus and Kurt Wagner, and Vic Chesnutt – well, then, we’ve [...]

Though largely unknown, Kansas City’s Starkweathers were among the best ND bands around. As fans of both Merle Haggard and Joe Strummer, frontman Rich Smith and bassist Mike Ireland sang unironically, in gorgeous Louvin Brothers-styled harmonies, about the lives and loves of America’s dispossessed. At their finest – Ireland’s mournful “Danny Taylor” from [...]

It’s going on 10 years since Bill Lloyd released his debut, Feeling The Elephant, to an unsuspecting and (if you base success on record sales) uninterested public. The collection of mid-‘80s demos predated his 15 minutes of fame with country-rockers Foster & Lloyd and displayed an adroit pop sense that grafted ringing guitar passages [...]

As a member of the now semi-legendary Green On Red, Chris Cacavas used his unique keyboard stylings to add color and richness to Dan Stuart’s start storytelling. But his solo outings have proven that Cacavas can write and sing with the best of them.
New Improved Pain, available only as an import on the German [...]

It’s rather remarkable to ponder, in retrospect, the amount of talent that was gathered in Green On Red, considering the present offshoots of its various alumni. There’s Dan Stuart, whose solo debut of last fall, Canowarms, showed continued songwriting excellence as well as artistic growth. There’s Chris Cacavas, who has put out a [...]

Maturity’s a funny thing, and sometimes people don’t want it. In the early ‘80s, Scotsman Jackie Leven was not even thinking about settling down. He was living the high life, fronting a mildly successful glam/punk band called Doll By Doll. They made five albums, staggered from limos to the stage to the [...]