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, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with the Rockford Mules They are a band molded from the days when being in a band meant more and went beyond just playing music together. Music formed from friendships and friendships molded by music, The Rockford Mules are a throwback to a day when bandmates were […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mark Joseph American Soul is a fitting brand for Mark Joseph; since his 2017 album by that title, he has charted a relentless and soulful course through America, and Americana, from blues to country to psychedelic rock and everything in between. On his newest offering, “Palisade […]
Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels The Last Roundup: Live from the Bijou Café in Philadelphia March 16th, 1973 Amoeba Music Fifty years after Gram Parsons’ passing, Amoeba Music and Polly Parsons have unearthed the only live-to-an-audience recording of Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels – The Last Roundup: Live from the Bijou Café in […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Karyn Oliver 2020 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriters’ Competition winner Karyn Oliver is part Joan Osborne, a touch of Janis Joplin and a bit of Emmylou Harris – effortlessly oscillating from bluesy to country and back. Her musical inspirations come primarily from the eclectic mix of […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Joshua Ray Hudson Award winning singer-songwriter, Joshua Ray Hudson was born in the rural mountain town of Casar, North Carolina. Winning the Don Gibson singer songwriter award three times, writing over 350 songs and recording four studio albums, Joshua is already an accomplished musician on the rise.
Dori Freeman Do You Recall Blue Hens Music Do You Recall is the fifth album from evolving singer-songwriter Dori Freeman. Here first three were recorded in NYC and produced by Teddy Thompson but Freeman began to blend electric with acoustic sonics on her 2021 Ten Thousand Roses and continues in that direction with this electrified […]
Ned Hill Band Thousand Watt Town Self-released Troubadour Ned Hill delivers a country-tinged rock n’ roll record with a touch of his native Kentucky twang. Even the opening chords of “Gotta Get Out of This Town” will evoke Steve Earle’s Guitar Town or Copperhead Road. On Hill’s Thousand Watt Town the singer-songwriter collaborates with the […]
Michelle Malone & The Hot Toddies Toddie Time SBS Records/BFD Snowflakes float on a chilly upstate New York Halloween morning, and this cheery and bluesy Christmas album creates a perfect soundtrack. Atlanta’s Michelle Malone & the Hot Toddies’ Toddie Time features inspired twists on the tried and true. Malone croons “Jingle Bells” clearly and with […]
Noah Zacharin Points of Light Self-released Noah Zacharin is a Canadian singer-songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist who delivers his ninth album with Points of Light. Although this is mostly a quiet, acoustic based folk album, there are elements of blues and rock as this adept guitarist exhibits few boundaries. At times he is completely mesmerizing in […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Charlotte Morris Charlotte discovered her passion for music at a young age. After starting violin lessons at the age of four, Morris taught herself how to play the guitar, piano (and melodica), ukulele, banjo, acoustic bass guitar and mandolin, and began taking her songwriting seriously by […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with “The Common Practice” The Common Practice have a brand new album titled: “Theater Kids” … from pop/funk dance beats, to tender ballads, to classic rock, to alt-country, all while maintaining a signature sound glued together by the orchestral strings and four part harmonies! I mean What? […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Skarlett Woods Entwining Swing and Jazz into folk-themed stories of love, she has a stage presence that demands the attention of a oom. Taking her listeners on up-beat rhythmic rides over heart- swelling arrangements of originals and covers, Skarlett has simply become more comfortable showing herself […]
Randy Lee Riviere Blues Sky New Wilderness Blues Sky represents a shift for singer-songwriter Randy Lee Riviere, teaming again with the acclaimed producer Kevin McKendree who produced, engineered, and mixed the album. The last time we visited Riviere he and McKendree delivered a western tinged Americana effort, 2021’s Wyoming. Before that, under the moniker Mad […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Alex Miller Rising Country star Alex Miller isn’t pondering life after college graduation or a future foray into the work force. Instead, the 6’ 6” singer/songwriter from rural Lancaster, Kentucky is referring to this year as “Alex 2.0” and awaiting the upcoming release of his EP, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus Over the first two years of the pandemic, Patton joined his longtime producer Ron Flynt in Jumping Dog Studio to record twenty songs they later narrowed to the eleven (plus a coda) on the album. Patton’s new songs, while not directly […]
Anton O’Donnell Tomber Sur PRW Need to Know Trust that this, though the artist may be and certainly the title is unfamiliar, is a terrific singer-songwriter album. Now for the explanations: 1) Anton O’Donnell is a Scottish musician who somehow connected with longtime producer Brian Brinkerhoff who helmed this album with 18 musicians participating spread […]
Chest Fever Music from Big Pink Blind Owl Let’s get the prerequisite qualifier down first; this writer has made an exception and is covering a cover band. It’s only happened three times before, and for the same reason – love and respect for the music of The Band. Two of these were with Jim Weider-led […]
Robert Rex Waller Jr. See the Big Man Cry Have Harmony, Will Travel See the Big Man Cry is the second album from I See Hawks in L.A. frontman Robert Rex Waller Jr., who collaborated with Carla Olson to record this wide-ranging effort. The two have long sung together in shows around L.A. and each […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Miles and Mafale Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale are married co-conspirators in song. They are two scoops of modern folk with a generous sprinkling of pop-catchiness, topped off with the wit and flair that comes of their theater backgrounds. Catherine’s voice – resonant, expressive, a powerhouse. She’s got […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Martin Zellar If you ask singer-songwriter Martin Zellar what he’s most proud of over his long career, he answers, “I guess that I’ve managed to support my family by writing, recording, and performing music for over 35 years. It hasn’t always been easy or glamorous, but […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you a review from Jared Dustin Griffin Jared Dustin Griffin is a singer-songwriter with influences coming from Americana, Blues, and Country music. Raised in the west he took to the road at an early age, traveling across the country and abroad to carve his voice out of the roots […]
Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon Together Appalseed This collaboration between two giants of folk music, Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon, seems predestined but still may not have happened if it weren’t for the intervention of the pandemic. Though a series of conversation via ZOOM, the reminiscing and sports talk soon turned to songwriting, resulting in […]
Steve Gellman All You Need Self-released Multiple award-winning Maryland singer-songwriter Steve Gellman has released his thirteenth album, All You Need. The album carries the ambience of an authentic folk singer backed by an impressive casts including members of The Seldom Scene, guitarist Nina Gerber, Chao Tian (a special star on this album), Grammy winners Cathy […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Slyboots Slyboots’ unique yet cohesive sound can be attributed to their different tastes, but similar inspirations. Despite their wide-ranging influences: The Beatles, The Kinks, The Smiths, The Cure – their shared admiration for strong females that have paved the way, e.g., Talking Heads’ Tina […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Customers The Customers are a rock band formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1995 by Ryan Sexton. A demo of Sexton’s songs found its way onto the desk of Neil Young’s manager, Elliot Roberts, who was then in the process of launching Young’s fledgling label, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with The International Treasures Doyle Turner and Ted Hajnasiewicz are two gifted musicians who have come together to create something truly extraordinary. There is a palpable synergy when they appear together on stage. Tugging on heartstrings and bringing smiles to faces since 2020, your Minnesota neighbors […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jeff Plankenhorn Jeff Plankenhorn’s songwriting, expressive vocals, and musicianship are front and center on his latest album, Alone At Sea, produced by Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Keb Mo.) New sonic territory is explored on this gem of a long player. The title track, “Alone at Sea,” is […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Ben Gage Ben Gage is a songwriter from Akron, OH blending folk and roots blues. Ben Gage grew up in the rust belt of Northeast Ohio, spread out in the countryside along the great Lake Erie. His roots run deep alongside the hard working blue collars […]
Heather Lynne Horton Get Me to a Nunnery Pauper Sky Singer-songwriter Heather Lynne Horton delivers the richly ethereal Get Me to a Nunnery, transporting us to some otherworldly place that seems cushioned by clouds and sounds that echo well beyond mere earthly realms. It’s a sound forged by her violin, layered voices, and the keyboards […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Chris Murphy For 25 years, and with no sign of slowing, violinist Chris Murphy has made a living by writing, performing and recording original music. For Murphy, the path forward is charted by looking backward, to the troubadours and minstrels of ages past. Forget the exaggerated […]
Will Bernard & Beth Custer SKY Dreck-to-Disk Guitarist and composer Will Bernard should be a familiar name to readers of these pages as we’ve covered him on straight-ahead trio, organ trio, and ensemble releases for Posi-Tone, and his 2022 exploratory effort Pond Life. The ever-adventurous Bernard now goes in yet a different direction, with his […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Ed Sweeney Ed Sweeney honors people and their histories by presenting music that entertains and educates. Through his musical expertise, breadth of knowledge, and wonderful sense of humor, he helps listeners, understand the motivations, stories, and culture that have made us who and what we are […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Dwight Twilley Dwight Twilley and partner Phil Seymour created an enduring and highly memorable brand of power pop that blended Beatlesque pop and Sun rockabilly “slapback” echo. Only a fraction of the band’s early output was made available at the time, but these records are highly […]
Home Page Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Brynn Andre Minneapolis singer/songwriter Brynn Andre released her debut in 2010 chronicling the twenty-something dance between liberation and loneliness. Her upcoming release goes deeper. Like a sequel, Honeymoon faces a woman’s next chapter, whispering: what happens after the honeymoon? The songs find Brynn married to the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Robby Vee! Robby Vee “The Prince Of Twang” was born Robert Velline named after his father Bobby Vee. He is recognized by both the American & Canadian Rockabilly Hall of Fames and in 2019 he was recognized by the IRRMA for a Iowa Rock n Roll […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mary Strand Writers often say they always knew they wanted to be a writer when they grew up. Ha. I wanted to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Or skate with the Ice Follies. Or be a U.S. Senator. Women often say they had this secret desire […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Bob Halligan Jr of Ceili Rain CEILI RAIN is an original, innovative blend of pop-rock music with a dash of Celtic/Irish flavor and a subtle, but sincere, uplifting/joyful message. The band is led by front man, Bob Halligan Jr. As a songwriter, Bob Halligan, Jr., has had over […]
Hiss Golden Messenger Jump for Joy Merge Jump for Joy is the tenth album for the North Carolina-based Hiss Golden Messenger (HGM), led by frontman and singer-songwriter M.C. Taylor. The band first hit the scene in 2009 and have been consistent since, delivering their trademark mix of folk, pop, and modern-day cosmic country. Over the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Payson Lyon Payson Lyon’s songs speak volumes beyond the words and music. Long Day’s Journey Into Light is a more than apt title, as this debut album has truly been a long time coming. Although he’s been writing songs and playing music for over 50 years, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Fathom Lane Led by acclaimed songwriter Michael Ferrier, Minneapolis folk rockers Fathom Lane return with their first album since 2017. IN THE DRIFTLESS is a poetic and nuanced blend of country, folk, pop, and rock with lyrics exploring themes of loss, isolation, addiction, discovery, and ultimately: […]
