Category Archives: Music

Kaia Kater’s Nine Pin

Kaia Kater’s follow-up to her strong 2014 debut disc Sorrow Bound fulfills that album’s promise and more. The African-Canadian banjo player, singer and songwriter has delivered a personal and social manifesto on Nine Pin. In the tradition of Carolina Chocolate … Continue reading

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Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley, and Charlie Pilzer’s Hambo in the Snow 

Ahhh, Nordic traditional music. There’s  no better to listen to on a cold, snowy day when a good book beckons and there’s no place one has to be. Hambo in the Snow certainly has now made my list of Nordic music for a winter’s … Continue reading

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Amy Farris’ Anyway 

Amy Farris joins a rather elite group of female singer-songwriter fiddle players — including Alison Krauss and Farris’ Yep Roc labelmate Caitlin Cary — with her debut, Anyway. This CD does a good job of introducing the artist by showcasing the … Continue reading

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John Doe’s Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet 

Since the seminal Los Angeles punk band X stopped creating new material (though it does occasional “reunion” tours) in the mid-90s, John Doe has put out a series of somewhat erratic solo albums, sometimes under his own name, sometimes as … Continue reading

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Various artists’ 25 Years Of Celtic Music 

No’am Newman penned this review. Quoting violinist Kevin Burke’s urbane sleeve notes: “25 years ago, to most people in the United States, the phrase ‘Irish Music’ conjured up images of a jolly red-faced lounge singer wearing a sparkly green jacket … Continue reading

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Anna Tivel’s Heroes Waking Up

Anna Tivel sings her songs of world-weariness and hope in a voice that sounds a lot younger than her words. The Northwest-raised Tivel currently calls Portland home, but she’s spent a lot of time on the road and with her … Continue reading

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Tara Nevins’ Mule to Ride 

Brendan Foreman penned this review. Rather than bask in the typical “vanity press” atmosphere of most solo outings, Tara Nevin — fiddler and lead vocalist of Donna the Buffalo (see our review of Rockin’ in A Weary World) — acts here … Continue reading

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Donna the Buffalo’s Rockin’ in the Weary Land

Chris Woods penned this review. Wow! What an incredible debut album from this New York based six piece band. It’s not often I play a CD by a band I have never heard of and am captivated within seconds. Plenty of … Continue reading

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Shane K. Bernard’s The Cajuns: Americanization of a People 

In the United States and many other countries, for a time in the mid- to late-1980s, you couldn’t swing a polecat without hitting something that said Cajun on it. It started with Cajun cooking, particularly Chef Paul Prudhomme’s blackened redfish, … Continue reading

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Tab Benoit’s These Blues Are All Mine

When I started this review, I had no idea who Tab Benoit was. None whatsoever. All I had to go on was the title of the album and the assumption that he/she/it was a blues singer. Luckily, Tab Benoit has … Continue reading

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