I’ve got a left coast alarm clock and a right coast mind–I’ve yet to adjust to my new surroundings which actually was a blessing because I watched the most beautiful sunrise over the mountains this morning. It made me think of Rodney Crowell’s “Song for the Life” which I’ve loved for many years now [...]

I have a brief layover on my way to Las Vegas today in Dallas/Fort Worth. After just a few minutes in the airport I’ve decided that I should rent a car and skip my connecting flight to Las Vegas. Of course I can’t really do that or I’d be letting some other people [...]

Yesterday I made a harrowing last-minute trek to the Suwannee Springfest to take in Rodney Crowell and the Outsiders, the Duhks, Bela Fleck and Guy Clark with my buddy JB. Randy and Beth Judy put together a great show and my new pals, the Fire Brigade, helped us with all the logistics and showed [...]

I’m a techno-geek when it comes to my musical gadgets. Of course I have a host of electronics goodies to go with my guitars, lots of spare parts, plenty of software and hardware to complicate my life (all of which was purchased with the excuse of simplifying my life.)
At the center of my electronic [...]

Roving Sharkbitten associate and guest reporter Keith Merckx graciously spent last week inbibing Austin’s charm and music. Keith reports back that the hit of this year’s festival was none other than our pal and favorite bad influence, Todd Snider.
Here’s Keith’s report:

(AUSTIN) - Nashville based singer/songwriter Todd Snider showed up Friday at the annual South [...]

Rather than lamenting this year’s crop of inductees, I thought I would offer my own list of acts that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but as of yet, are not. I won’t mention those past inductees who in my opinion were not suitable for inclusion–that I shall leave to [...]

Somewhere between the surreal memories of life in the 90s and that timeless country sound that now only exists on oldies stations and in my mind lies Peter Cooper. With a nod toward Don Williams and a foot firmly planted in the irony of our more recent musical past, Cooper writes music as if [...]

The best things in life are free–except in radio. You get what you pay for with your local radio station unless you’re fortunate enough to have one of Americana’s best stations near you.
In this case, XM Radio has two good reasons to open your wallet. First, you can catch a Will Kimbrough broadcast [...]

With St. Patty’s Day nearing I’m conditioning for the big sprint toward the finish line with a strict regimen of beer, cabbage, and brisket. Let’s hope I get there. Until then, here’s some random thoughts on the latest in Americana:

I’ve gotten great feedback regarding the new Amy Loftus disc from radio. Word [...]

I don’t do this often, but I can’t help but promote Wilco. I’m still a little bitter about Jeff Tweedy’s turncoat attitude toward alt-country–but hell the guy’s a genius with some eccentric habits. So I’ll let him slide.
Anyway, the boys at Wilco have a new EP available only to those who purchased the [...]