Before there was country as we know it, there was old-time, the sound that had developed in the hollers and farms, a hybrid of English, Irish and Scottish folk styles, heavily peppered with the music of other countries. It was, really, the first real American music, and it developed a long way — think of [...]

Can Brits play any sort of country? Can blue men sing the whites? Can you tell margarine from butter? The last two remain mysteries of the universe, but the answer to the first, if this is the evidence, is an emphatic NO. Given the fact that communications have improved beyond the carrier pigeon, you’d think [...]

My guess is that these Portland, Oregon, folks have spent more than a few minutes playing their old Stones albums. They’ve got that Keef rhythm down to a tee, and on the opening track, “Held Against You”, they’ve even got the fairly direct influence (okay, so they borrowed it) of “Dead Flowers”, speeding away from [...]