Once one of the surest draws in Austin, Rick Broussard’s band has been off the scene for almost a decade. Back in the day when hipsters waited in line at places like the Black Cat to catch Broussard’s flaming guitar and cowboy punk stage theatrics, a young Jesse Dayton was often in the audience, so [...]

The first-cousins aspect would explain the tight harmonies and like-minded melodic thinking — their mothers were twins, no less — but you have to imagine the fathers had a little to do with the easy skill Jamie Hanna and Jonathan McEuen display in their singing, songwriting and playing. Their dads are Jeff Hanna and John [...]

Lou Rogai knows the virtues of making things small. The full-length debut of his band Lewis & Clarke is a whisper of an album, lovely without being precious, moody without being beleaguering. The band’s only full-time member, Rogai is sheepish and articulate. He’s a mild lyrical eccentric — “The sky is mint green jealousy” — [...]

Nick Moss is the best thing to happen to Chicago blues in a month of Blue Mondays, and Sadie Mae (his fourth album) is his best yet. The kid from the ’burbs learned the music the way you’re supposed to — apprenticing with Jimmy Dawkins, Legendary Blues Band and Jimmy Rogers before going solo in [...]

Continuing the process of lyrical compression and abstraction that has distinguished his releases to date, Jeff Black is back with a strong fourth offering. Those who treasured his 1998 debut Birmingham Road for its narrative tracks may find Tin Lily a disappointment because the disc is short on traditional storytelling. But it’s long on evocation, [...]

If there is a circumstance in ordinary life that isn’t enhanced by this record, I haven’t found it. Jason Lakis’ Bay Area art project is ingeniously subtle, an indie-trimmed exercise in pleasant sound. Amalgamating just enough hints of the familiar to make you feel at home — a few metal references, a hint of lounge, [...]

Louisiana’s Red Stick Ramblers encompass elements of western swing, Cajun music and traditional jazz, among other genres, with plenty of dance rhythms. A lively version of Bob Wills’ “That’s What I Like About The South” kicks off the album, the spirited fiddle work of Linzay Young and Kevin Wimmer giving the song a lift. The [...]