HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an interview with The Stetson Family! The Stetson Family walk the line between alt-country and bluegrass with their free-wheeling, spirited songs, awash with soaring harmonies. Described in American Songwriter Magazine as “champions of fresh bluegrass but with a bedraggled soul of rock and roots,” the band takes their […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Twins of Franklin The Twins of Franklin are not in fact twins, but best friends who fell in love belting show tunes and classical arias together in a dorm room. In the fifteen years since, they still have a lot in common. They’ve both become […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Trapper Schoepp “What’s most important to me is to be a link in the chain of folks singers before and after my time,” Trapper Schoepp says in light of his forthcoming album, Siren Songs. Recorded at Johnny Cash’s Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN, Trapper continues down the trail trod […]
Kaia Kater Strange Medicine Free Dirt There’s been a buzz on social media lately led by Rhiannon Giddens about the importance of the ‘Black banjo.’ In that sense banjoist Kaia Kater’s Strange Medicine is certainly timely. Beyond that it shows the immense possibilities of the instrument beyond conventional ‘Americana’ or hybrid bluegrass or blues. Consider […]
Greensky Bluegrass The Iceland Sessions with Holly Bowling Thirty Tigers Handmade music this multifaceted, fearless, and inspiring, guarantees a listener’s immersion in the experience right along with the players—repeatedly. Greensky Bluegrass, out of Kalamazoo, Michigan 24 years ago, somehow manage to raise their own bar each time they record. Last summer, they took to a […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with Ryan David Green A graduate of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, Ryan David Green has performed on four continents, been profiled in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and twice been named “Best Guitarist” in the Tucson Music Awards (where he currently resides). His original compositions have received numerous film and TV […]
Little Feat Sam’s Place Hot Tomato Productions / MRI Little Feat’s 55 years have encompassed a colorful mélange of seven configurations, 13 members including nine singers, and six of them principal lead singers. Their music has traversed a spectrum from garage rock and roll to the blues, country, impressionistic jazz, and swamp-drenched and New Orleans-styled […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Teresa Storch Band In 2020 Teresa Storch Band began recording a full length album with drummer Travis Moberg (Sylva, Dang’o) and producer Tony Dickinson, who tours with the rock-arena show Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Initial recordings were done at Chimaera Sound Studios, with overdubs done with current drummer Chris Wright at Cinder Sound Studio. The result is the […]
Dana Cooper The Ghost of Tucumcari Self-released Dana Cooper is treating The Ghost of Tucumcari as a celebration of 50 years in the music business and these luminaries – Lyle Lovett, Shake Russell, Hayes Carll, Susan Gibson, Libby Koch, Mando Saena, Darden Smith, David Starr, and Gillian Tuite all participate. Another key aspect of this […]
Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kristian Montgomery of Kristian Montgomery and the Winterkill Band If this is the age of the outsider, Kristian Montgomery might be starting to fit in… but don’t tell him that. Montgomery grew up poor, prefers to catch his own meals on the waters off Cape Cod and has […]
Stephanie Sammons Time and Evolution Self-released Time and Evolution is the full-length debut for Texas-based singer-songwriter Stephanie Sammons, produced by provocative singer-songwriter Mary Bragg with an assist on certain songs from Guy Clark sidekick, Verlon Thompson. Those two lend some cred but these folk-based songs are all from Sammons’ pen, a set of honest, thought-provoking […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Katie Oates Katie Oates knows how to sing. She’s been singing for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a preacher, she belted hymns from her crib as a toddler to wake up her parents. Over the years she has trained with vocal coaches […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with John Shipe Spring of 2024 marks my 33rd year in the Biz with the release of my 13 project – Water This Dark. It has been a surprisingly fruitful stretch since my last release, The Beast Is Back (considering the COVID Pandemic and a dormant […]
Heather Little By Now Need To Know Heather Little was a new name to this writer and to most of you. She’s only released one album, 2013’s Wings Like These. Yet, when viewing the musicians and vocalists in the liners, the likes of Audley Freed, Duke Levine, Jared Tyler, Paul Griffith, Eamon McLoughlin, Patty Griffin, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Hollis Dorian Hollis Dorian is an Award-Winning Country Music Singer/Songwriter from Central Florida. His latest EP ‘Country By Birthright’ garnered him an award for Country Song Of The Year (Multiple Writers) at the 2023 Josie Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee for the single ‘Country […]
Old 97s American Primitive ATO One of Americana’s most enduring bands, The Old 97’s celebrate their 30th anniversary with American Primitive, their 13th album. These guys have been around before the term Americana became a ‘thing,” labeled originally as an alt-country outfit. The Old 97s have always painted a realistic, though daunting picture of our […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with Jubal Lee Young! There are generally certain expectations that accompany the careers of any offspring born to famous parents. After all, it’s naturally assumed that the bloodline will assure the gene pool remains intact. Consider then the anticipation that might greet the son of not […]
Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams All This Time Royal Potato Family The husband-and-wife duo of Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams return with their fourth album, and All This Time just feels different than the others. It’s as if the duo is no longer in the shadow of Levon Helm or Bob Dylan, two artists that […]
Cris Jacobs One of These Days Soundly Music From 2001 until a final Thanksgiving bash ten years later, the highly gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist Cris Jacobs led Baltimore’s The Bridge, a sextet that linked rock, blues, funk, folk, and bluegrass in unique, jam-inspired style. The band generated enough critical acclaim and wide appeal to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The HawtThorns! Envision and believe in your own universe, and it will eventually form around you. The HawtThorns are reimagining their universe in their latest recording adventures. The sun-kissed songwriting, deft guitar work, and lush vocal harmonies that have been at the core of their sound […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Pi Jacobs Pi Jacobs is a lifer. Born in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, she’s spent two decades onstage and on the road, creating a rhythmic, rootsy sound that’s every bit as diverse as her own upbringing. “My dad’s Filipino, my mom’s white, and my step-grandmother and cousins are […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Amanda Grace! Amanda is a Minnesota native and has released music drifting between folk, alt- pop/rock and Americana. With roots as a pianist her writing is thematically varied with an emphasis on melody; with ballads wrapped in warm vocals. In 2016 she received a Front Of […]
Lauren White Making It Up As We Go Along Café Pacific Vocalist Lauren White returns with her fifth album, Making It Up As We Go Along, a follow-up to her 2021 Ever Since the World Ended, which we covered here. White, though not a composer, is a lover of lyrics and spoken words, having worked […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Matt Blake Matt Blake is a decidedly self-effacing sort of guy. He paid his dues, working his way up the proverbial ladder, gaining practical music business experience while cultivating what it takes to write songs that resonate with others, just like his musical heroes continue to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Weekend Lovers Good vibes, great friendships, and a love for all things funky — these are the ingredients that brought The Weekend Lovers together in the spring of 2022.Each of the group’s members — Noelle Vocelka (lead vocals), Zach Sutton (lead guitar, vocals) Brennan Fussman […]
Claudia Gibson The Fields of Chazy Self-released Claudia Gibson is an Austin-based singer-songwriter that doesn’t always sound very Texan as she’s not a native, but one drawn to a city of songwriters. Instead, her mostly folk based music embraces Celtic and that traditional folk sound we associate with the British Isles. Yet, her environs do […]
Lynne Arriale Trio Being Human Challenge In addition to being compassionate about causes, and by all accounts a sincere and caring person, pianist and composer Lynne Arriale, delivers some of the most lyrical pianism today. Many have likened her to a musical poet. Her compositions ring with both beauty and emotion, and, as the title […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Caitlin Cannon Caitlin Cannon’s upcoming release, Beggar (a four-song EP set to debut on April 5, 2024 as a standalone precursor to her forthcoming full-length album Love Addict) is all songwriting chops and vibe. With cinematic soundscapes, nostalgic atmospheres, and words that are a testament to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Domenic Cicala Hailing from the D.C. area, Domenic Cicala – A singer/songwriter with a love for the 3 minute song. Largely influenced by the holy musical trinity of Hank, Elvis and Bruce and owing all his musical acumen to the sagely philosophy of Woody Guthrie “If […]
Amigo The Devil Yours Until the War Is Over Regime Music Group This rather bizarre dirge-like music from the Austin-based artist with the moniker Amigo the Devil (Danny Kiranos) is perhaps not for everybody but this iconoclastic artist has amassed a considerable following for his singular approach. His songwriting bears similarities to Leonard Cohen, Tom […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents interview with Jennifer Porter Jennifer Porter is an award-winning singer, actor and screenwriter. A musician’s musician blessed with a beautiful voice, Jennifer has performed a repertoire that spans from Jazz and Blues to Country and Opera. She has sung with Classical and Jazz Orchestras, including the world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. […]
Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Lars Nagel When Atlanta alt-country / Americana veteran, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Lars Nagel was kicking around titles for his new solo album, he kept coming back to a familiar three-word phrase and well-known Ringo Starr-ism: Tomorrow Never Knows. “I was of course hesitant about using the name of […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Claudia Gibson Claudia Gibson’s musical path to her second full-length album The Fields of Chazy has been anything but straight. From her teenage club-playing days to formal college music study to fronting bands in her 20s, Claudia never envisioned doing much else besides playing music. But life – […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Naomi Ashley With her cream and Kahlua voice, Chicago singer-songwriter Naomi Ashley captivates audiences, breathing vibrant life into her diverse range of songs. Navigating seamlessly through Americana, classic country, folk, blues, and rock, Ashley’s lyrically layered compositions charm with humor and a poignant understanding of the […]
Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Rachael Bawn Well-versed in the world of music, Canadian, Toronto-based Singer / Songwriter Rachael Bawn is adopting a new role as an independent artist, bringing with her years as a BMG (NYC) recording artist. A long line of radio tours, performances across Canada and the US, as well […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Cassidy Paris Australian rocker Cassidy Paris has a very bright future ahead of her. Raised on classic hard rock and inspired by female rockers such as Lzzy Hale, Joan Jett, Pink, Pat Benatar & Avril Lavigne, the fiercely determined young woman is on a […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an interview with Scott Sean White Suffice it to say, Scott Sean White is a dedicated singer/songwriter and an artist that exudes emotion. His music is borne from real life experience, complete with the hopes, heartaches and happenstance that define that journey and the revelations that occur along […]
Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes Self-titled Color Red Guitarist Eddie Roberts steps away from his The New Mastersounds and other jazz-funk related projects that typically appear on the label Color Red, to step into southern rock with a new group of musicians who are debuting on the label. Dubbed The Lucky Strokes, the band […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Stoll Vaughan Originally hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Stoll Vaughan’s career in music began in the late 1990s. Upon graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy, he worked at Echo Park Studios in Bloomington, Indiana. Mike Wanchic, producer and longtime guitarist for John Mellencamp, discovered Stoll, took him under […]
Diane Coll Old Ghosts Happy Fish Atlanta-based folk singer-songwriter Diane Coll brings us her second release, Old Ghosts, which follows her debut in 2022, Happy Fish and other Delights and her 2023 EP Into the Fire. While the initial impression of the album may be dark and moody, certainly introspective, there are multiple healing messages […]
Mark Winkler The Rules Don’t Apply Café Pacific The Rules Don’t Apply is the 21st album for vocalist and songwriter, the L.A. based Mark Winkler. This is the fifth time this writer has reviewed a Winkler effort, one a year since beginning to write on these pages. To his credit, he brings a different configuration […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Charlie McGettigan Charlie McGettigan is a folk singer, has released a few CDs, lives in a proper small town and by the way, in 1994 won the Eurovision Song Contest together with his musical partner Paul Harrington. So overall no big deal for an […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Sam Wilbur Samuel Wilbur, is an environmentally conscious Minneapolis based singer/songwriter/educator. A high school social studies teacher by day, and rock star by night, Samuel Wilbur has been writing and recording his own music since he was 16 years old. Wilbur’s music, which is over-stuffed with lush […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with D’Lakes d’Lakes has a new album and it’s amazing! It has a specular title too “HEAVEN IS A SILENT DISCO.” I can’t wait for you to hear it! I really appreciate all the chances and direction that Drew and his band took on this album. It’s […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Stephan Jacques A true artist and songwriter world-renowned for his prolific, heartfelt alt-rock love songs, Stephen has released ten albums to date, with his eleventh on the way. He is produced by Steve Albini. His body of work was culled from a lifetime of experiences, including […]
Uncle Lucius Like It’s the Last One Left Boo Clap/Thirty Tigers The Austin, TX band Uncle Lucius returns after a five-year hiatus with Like It’s the Last One Left. Essentially this is the story of a fan base that just wouldn’t let this band fade away. Yet, there were other fortuitous factors at play as […]
Bloodkin Out of State Plates World Will Turn This reissued, remastered, remixed, and appended Bloodkin’s Out of State Plates revisits the band’s 1999 effort, their third album and the first produced by the near legendary David Barbe. Barbe is the main culprit here as well, as he gained permission from co-founder Eric Carter and the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Michelle Malone about her new Hot Toddies Christmas Release A mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years, Michelle Malone has built an award-winning career as a singer, songwriter, and road warrior. Her music is ingrained in the soundtrack of the American South, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Tommy Womack Right, I’m not going to say it stinks, am I. If you like me, you’ll love this new one. If you don’t like me, you might be surprised. If you’ve never heard of me (that’s most of you), this could be the start […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Sunflower Fox and the Chicken Leg In the beginning, or at least following the Big Bang of 1970s FM radio more than 50 years ago, there were three elements: Olympia beer, shag carpeting you can’t possibly vacuum, and unpasteurized rock and roll. Over the years, […]
