Tag Archives: Americana music

Various artists’ Cajun & Creole Music 1934/1937, vols. I and II

Between 1934 and 1937 father and son folklorists John and Alan Lomax recorded Cajun and Creole musicians in Louisiana, as part of a national project for the Library of Congress. Musicians from the region have been mining that treasure trove … Continue reading

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Kurt Wolff’s Country Music: The Rough Guide

The turn of the Millennium seems as good a time as any to release this sort of book, and a better time than any in the past two decades. Country music has been in a transition period since the early … Continue reading

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Caitlin Cary’s Waltzie EP

Caitlin Cary plays fiddle and sings harmony in the alt country band Whiskeytown, which is currently on hiatus. With frontman Ryan Adams recording a critically acclaimed solo effort, Cary has stepped into her own little corner of the spotlight with … Continue reading

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The Holy Modal Rounders’ Last Round

Slowly but surely, the Holy Modal Rounders back catalog is being reissued. The latest to be dragged squinting and blinking into the light of day is 1978’s Last Round. Even more than the original Rounders’ first two acoustic discs reissued … Continue reading

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The Holy Modal Rounders’ Too Much Fun!

The Holy Modal Rounders’ new disc scares my dog. Now, ol’ Agnes Of Dog puts up with a lot, from Richard Thompson to Social Distortion, bagpipes to ragas to blasting guitar, with nary a whimper. Well, she does whine a … Continue reading

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John McCutcheon’s Storied Ground

John McCutcheon is one of America’s great traveling troubadours. For a quarter of a century, he has criss-crossed the country and circled the globe, delivering his signature brand of thoughtful, heartfelt folk music. In that time, he has averaged about … Continue reading

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Various artists’ No Electric Guitars

This is a mostly successful sampler of works by a loose-knit community of musicians in the Philadelphia area. Despite the title, it ranges from acoustic singer-songwriter fare to flat-out rockers, with a generous helping of alterna-folk and funky roots rock … Continue reading

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Red Star Belgrade’s Telescope

Bill Curry, the singer-songwriter behind North Carolina’s Red Star Belgrade, is pushing country-rock into some unexpected places. Telescope, the husband-wife duo’s third full-length CD in six years, lyrically travels some dark territory. Sonically, the group draws on influences as diverse … Continue reading

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Frog Holler’s Adams Hotel Road

Of all the groups that have gone on record since Uncle Tupelo got the alternative country movement rolling in the early 1990s, this septet from Pennsylvania may come the closest to picking up where that group left off when it … Continue reading

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Austin Lounge Lizards’ Never an Adult Moment

The Austin Lounge Lizards marked their 20th anniversary of making satiric bluegrass music with the release of their eighth record, the aptly titled Never an Adult Moment. After all these years, the Lizards have their shtick down pat, and you … Continue reading

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