Following celebrated musical collaborations with Americana singer Lilly Winwood (daughter of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood) and accomplished chef and musician Sean Brock, Nashville’s beloved country-rocker Boo Ray is releasing another album. READ MORE…
If you do a deep dive into the resumés of the members of Grand Canyon, the L.A. folk-rockers qualify as a supergroup, even if not one of them is a household name. They have been side players and/or session musicians for a freeway full of artists in a wide array of genres, and on the sextet’s debut album, “Le Grand Cañon,” they find a sweet spot in harmony-rich and richly narrative classic rock, 1970s style.
The touchstones here are the likes of Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Fleetwood Mac and even Warren Zevon, but Grand Canyon’s style is not so much a nostalgia trip as it is a natural vehicle for their big-hearted stories. The band, fronted by singer-guitarist Casey Shea and vocalist Amy Wilcox and featuring songwriting by Shea and guitarist Joe Guese, finds plenty of topical currency on “Le Grand Cañon,” whether in “Lucinda” and “Theory of Everything” (the emotional ballads that bookend the album), “Made in LA” (a tale of drugs and the Valley) or the Petty-esque open-road rocker “Standing in the Shadows.”
Here’s to the wanderers and wonderers, and all the in-betweeners: Patrick Damphier’s “Odd Man Out” shines with infectious energy in its jangling embrace of keeping outside the norm and going against the grain. An underground or underdog anthem depending on how you hear it, “Odd Man Out” affirms Damphier’s place as an artist-to-watch over the coming year. READ MORE…
People’s Blues of Richmond (or PBR as they are affectionately referred to by their fans) is one of those rare three-pieces that somehow conjures the sonic power and visual intensity of a thunderstorm. Think Jimi Hendrix Experience meets MC5. They take psychedelic blues rock to a different level with a lyrical element seldom found in the genre. Think Bob Dylan writing lyrics for Black Sabbath songs. It’s hard to imagine until it’s right in your face. Then it’s hard to forget. READ MORE…
In “Airwaves,” the title track of his upcoming sophomore album (whose video is premiering exclusively below), Nashville rocker Andrew Leahey laments being part of “the last generation raised on FM” — and specifically on album-oriented rock radio. That tells you a lot about the rest of the album, a heartfelt homage to Leahey’s rock heroes such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, R.E.M. and others.
“They’re kind of leaning on that Reagan-era rock n’ roll sound,” Leahey tells Billboard about Airwaves‘ 11 tracks. “I made a playlist and gave it to my producer (Paul Ebersol). R.E.M. was on there, the Jayhawks were on there, Bruce and Tom Petty, the War on Drugs and even more recent Ryan Adams tunes.” But Leahey adds that he had no interest in making an entirely retro record, either.
“We didn’t want to be too on the nose with it,” says Leahey, a Virginia native who’s played guitar for Elizabeth Cook, Rodney Crowell, Drew Holcomb and Will Hoge. “That was the good thing Paul did; He would really scale it back. When I was pleading for tons of reverb he would remind me that we want to make an album that doesn’t necessarily sound like ’88 — or 2018. We just want to make our own of album. I’m glad he had that perspective, ’cause he was right.” READ MORE…
“The album begins and ends with songs that tell the same story, but from different perspectives. ‘We Live & We Die’ is a plea to be seen, to be understood, and to understand. It’s a story told from the perspective of someone who’s withering away. You can breathe the same air and still feel invisible.” – McArthur