During the height of the post-9/11 national pride boom we were awash with supposed patriotism that questioned anyone who dare suggest a contrary opinion on topics such as the war in Iraq, our addiction to oil or our reputation abroad. In glaring similarity to the Red Scare, the protest spirit was quieted, nearly extinguished. [...]

My pal Todd Snider is attempting to right some wrongs in the world such as the simple fact that no one has ever named an album “Peace Queer” before.
Seriously folks, it’ll be a good one. It’s going to have one of my favorite Kimbrough numbers (”Cape Henry”) on it along with a few protest [...]

WFUV has a streaming interview with Todd Snider in which the barefooted artist describes his efforts on his upcoming yet-to-be-titled album.
The best news to me is that Snider will cover the classic Robert Earl Keen song “Corpus Christi Bay.” The song laments the life of a rigger and his brother caught in the Corpus [...]

Someone on a mailing list was offering criticism for Tom Petty’s new record. While I’ve not heard it I’ve heard the accusations before: mainstream rock kind of stinks and we need the second-coming of grunge.
Sure Tom Petty is among my favorites but it’s not like I expect him to change radio singlehandedly. [...]

2007 is nearly in the books, and I searched hard for the 10 albums you should have heard. Yes, I’m arrogant. It’s how you earn the right to call yourself a critic.
Without further adieu, let me present ten albums I hope you heard:

Magic - Bruce SpringsteenI know I’ve harped on this [...]

The Herald-Zeitung (serving New Braunfels and Comal County) has a nice piece about the upcoming special event at the Cheatham Street Warehouse.
If you don’t know, Kent Finlay’s place out in San Marcos has been a sort of magnet for great songwriters. He’s celebrating that spirit by having a special evening of music on Thursday [...]

I can honestly say that I’ve never played a covers gig in my life. I’ve played an occasional cover ranging from Uncle Tupelo to a rambling version of Reverend Horton Heat’s “Loco Gringos Like a Party.” But never have I been in a cover band nor had the desire to do so.
I don’t [...]

Feeling up for a treasure hunt? You’ll need to be if you want to score free tracks from OhBoy’s catalog.
For a limited time you can download free tracks from John Prine, Todd Snider, Steve Goodman and Dan Reeder. Here’s the best part–aside from being free (as in beer), the songs are also free [...]

In a scene right out of “Office Space” several folks at a company I used to work for were fired today, the rest told their jobs were moving elsewhere with or without them. Upon hearing the news, my first thought was how fortunate I was to have gainful employment to care for my family [...]

Paul Griffith, great drummer and Sharkbitten pal, has hit a sour patch–he’s got a serious illness and while his insurance helps, like many musicians his deductible is somewhere between the stratosphere and heaven. Will Kimbrough, a mutual friend, summarizes the situation here:
Paul Griffith is hospitalized in Key West, after an attack of divurticulitis, and [...]