Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Central Time” by Pokey Lafarge Everything old is new again…and while it seems the world has gone apeshit over supposed wood and string groups like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, Pokey Lafarge is the genuine real deal. As a youth growing up in Illinois, Pokey Lafarge (real name Andrew Heissler) mixed his interest in history and the literature of John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway with a love for blues, swing and old-time bluegrass music by the likes of Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys, Milton Brown & his Musical Brownies, The Mississippi Sheiks, The Skillet Lickers, Carolina Tar Heels, Howlin Wolf and Jimmie Rodgers, coming up with a sound...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#867 in the Series) is Josh Halverson, One Shot When you are applying your trade in a neighborhood that many consider to be the hottest breeding ground of stellar artists this side of Brooklyn or Glasgow, and hang up your performing shingle in Austin, Texas, a city that bills itself as “The Live Music Capitol of the World,” it takes a lot of mojo and a boat-load of talent to set yourself apart, and Josh Halverson has both. From the opening track, “Take Me to Forever,” from his excellent new album, One Shot, your ears perk up to the point that would make a Doberman Pinscher proud as you are treated to a...

Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Stop The World And Let Me Off” by John Doe & The Sadies I got an email a few weeks ago from Yep Roc Records alerting me to a $5.00 CD sale they were having for a limited time. Well, since I may be one of the last few hold outs in music for physical product over downloads, I couldn’t pass up a look see to find out what they had to offer. Well, several of the featured titles were interesting to me, and at that price I figured how could I go wrong, so I took the plunge and ordered myself a handful of semi-new music. The $5.00 treats that...

  Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Most People” by Dawes Dawes make musical catnip circa 1976 for Mumford-loving, aging boomers who are desperately trying to stay musically relevant, while never ever leaving their musical comfort zone. And along with Fleet Foxes, Dawes have created a sound that is grounded in well-written songs, hummable melodies, plush harmonies and poetic lyrics that are chock full of credibility, offering a welcome relief from the jingoistic sing-a-long fare provided by musical peers like Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers who dominate the charts these days with their brand of feel-good pep rally music. Too bad it isn’t 1976, for if it was, Dawes’ latest album Stories Don’t End would be...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#854 in the Series) is Old Man Markley, Down Side Up (Fat Wreck Chords) There is an interesting thing happening in the pop music world these days. The more things change, the more they stay the same….and yet they still keep changing. Not entirely sure what that means, but this much is true: traditionally defined genres are blending, sometimes being deconstructed altogether, and new fusions are emerging. Especially in the Nashville/ACM scene, groups like Gloriana and Lady Antebellum have managed to get mass market crossover appeal while still winning several critical accolades with a not-exactly-country, not-exactly-pop, just pretty-darn-good sound. Enter Old Man Markley, with a style dubbed “newgrass.”.Energetic without being overly gritty...

  Today’s Cool album of the day (#849 in the Series) is The Black Lillies, Runaway Freeway Blues. This marks the band’s third album and I’ll say right here that you should go ahead and not just buy this new one, but first two , Whiskey Angel and 100 Miles of Wreckage  as well. You will not be disappointed. It might make sense to tell you a little about the band itself and then get to the details of this new album. The Black Lillies are an independent “Americana” band. They consist of Cruz Contreras – lead vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin; Trisha Gene Brady – vocals, guitar, ukulele, hand percussion; Tom Pryor – electric guitar, pedal steel, dobro, banjo;...

  Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Mercy Seat” by Johnny Cash By the year 2000 and the third album in the American series, Johnny Cash had reestablished himself as one of the greatest singers, not just in country music, but in all music. Producer, Rick Rubin, began working with him several years before and allowed Johnny Cash do what he did best in the studio…be JOHNNY CASH! Cash began working with Rick Rubin in 1994. Rubin was the founder  of Def Jam Records, and was responsible for producing seminal recordings by Public Enemy and The Beastie Boys. It must have taken quite a leap of faith for Johnny Cash to, not only work with Rick...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#823 in the Series) is Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne had been a recording artist for quite a while by the time this album came out but I think it’s fair to say that things hadn’t been going quite the way she would have liked up until that point. It seemed the time was right for her to take control, make a stand, and get things back on track. Hence the title of this, quite wonderful, album: I Am Shelby Lynne, a definitive statement if ever there was one. It was actually her sixth album, although the first in almost five years, and not so much a comeback as...

  Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I Lost My Job Of Loving You” by Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale – Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale are both superb songwriters and troubadours. They are country music journeymen who spend their life on the road making music, supporting other musicians and supporting each other. Miller has recorded many records with his wife Julie (under the moniker Buddy & Julie Miller), and has worked with Robert Plant, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Solomon Burke and numerous others. Lauderdale has won Grammy Awards and has worked with and or written songs for George Strait, Dwight Yoakam, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Ralph Stanley (of The Stanley...

  Since leaving the bluegrass music band The Henhouse Prowlers in January, guitar-master, singer/songwriter, and music educator, Eric Lambert, has been on the move. From Chicago, IL, Eric Lambert has built a distinguished career writing, performing, recording, and teaching music, spanning 15 countries and with talented artists such as George Strait, Virgil Kane, Valerie Smith, and Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Tom Constanten. Eric is currently touring the Midwest with Terrapin Flyer featuring Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Tom Constanten and members of Cornmeal. Eric Lambert has been pickin’ and grinnin’ his way into people’s hearts for over 40 years. Specializing in the fiery art of flatpicking. Traces of rock, folk, bluegrass, country, and blues can be...