At first, a collaboration between Bill Paxton (of Twister fame) and Seymour Stein (founder of Sire Records and outgoing president of Elektra Entertainment) seems a bit far-fetched. What claim do a Hollywood darling and a record label mogul have to a collection of old country, pop and R&B remakes? As it turns out, plenty. The [...]

Both revered and vilified, the Austin-based live music club chain (who have now spread to Dallas I hear) Emo’s is one of maybe three venues a touring band absolutely must play when coming through town. Because of that, they put out some records and with some pretty good live talent to boot. Seemingly broken up [...]

Any survey of Southern music which opens with Brownie McGhee with Sonny Terry and segues into the Allman Brothers is bent on taking a broad view. And bent will do for a characterization of this enhanced CD (because I’ve not hooked up the CD-rom drive yet, only the musical charms are apparent), swerving wildly as [...]

Maybe it was my age. Maybe it was my way of life. Of course, maybe it was just wishful thinking. I always looked to the writings of Jack Kerouac, not necessarily for answers, but for inspiration, for verve. If you were susceptible to such things, it was hard not to read On The Road or [...]

A compilation from Louisville, Kentucky? Before you city slickers start laughing up your sleeves, consider this. Sourmash kicks things off with a previously unreleased tune by Will Oldham’s Palace Brothers, and the whole project is held together by Mark Gordon and Wink O’Bannon. Gordon has been an mainstay of the Louisville scene since the late [...]

Country guitar instrumentals may not be as much in vogue as they used to be, but hopefully this magnificent all-instrumental album will bring attention to a neglected part of country history. Produced by guitarist Jim Stringer and featuring some of Austin’s finest twang guitarists, Travis County Pickin’ features all original compositions that often pay homage [...]

From A.P. Carter to Iris DeMent, the history of country music is filled with artists who first raised their voices in song within the walls of some tiny church. In fact, it was through the Southern white gospel traditions of shape-note singing, singing schools, and hymn books such as Sacred Harp that the use of [...]