Posted in February, 2020

Geoffrey Downes-Christopher Braide

Relatively intimate and smoky, with tendrils of icicle lights crawling across the walls like softly incandescent ivy, Trading Boundaries in East Sussex, England, played host in 2018 to the first-ever … Read more

Midtown Social

With eyes wide open, smooth indie-soul operators Midtown Social see their troubled hometown of San Francisco as it really is on Fantastic Colors, an homage of sorts to the place … Read more

The SteelDrivers

Surviving the departure of a lead singer and songwriter of Chris Stapleton’s towering caliber is one thing. Losing the richly versatile mandolinist, guitarist, and writer Mike Henderson soon after, and … Read more

Phantom Blues Band

The title is welcome: it’s been eight years since we’ve last heard a recording from the Phantom Blues Band. Once an eclectic group of musicians cobbled together to back Taj Mahal, these … Read more

Premiere: Bee Appleseed, All Is Forgiven

Bee Appleseed, who has a decade’s worth of touring and lo-fi bootleg folk recordings under his belt, returns with his sophomore solo effort, a coming-of-age in songcraft and lyricism that … Read more

Michael Doucet

Michael Doucet says of this his latest release that he hopes it’s fun and enjoyed by listeners. And fun it certainly is, much as might be expected from this Louisiana … Read more

Tami Neilson

Although being promoted primarily as a rockabilly record, about halfway through it, you become aware there is a lot more than just reverb, primal guitar, and an attitude propelled by … Read more

Jonathan Ng

There’s a swinging jazz party going on over at The Sphynx, where violinist and bandleader Jonathan Ng is holding court like it’s the 1930s or ‘40s again. Exuding a warm, … Read more