HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Buddy Mondlock Buddy Mondlock writes songs. He does it so well that some great songwriters have recorded his songs on their own albums. Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, and Janis Ian, to name just a few. You might’ve heard his song “The Kid” (recorded by David Wilcox, Peter, […]
Various Artists Tribute to a Song Poet: Songs of Eric Andersen Y&T Music / EARecords This massive 3-CD and digital tribute to the living legend folk artist Eric Andersen has been available since early in 2023 but we’d be remiss not to inform you about it, even now. It’s a staggering list of artists paying […]
Buddy Mondlock Filament Self-released Buddy Mondlock is one of the better, albeit lesser known Nashville-based singer songwriters. After all, any songwriter who co-writes with Guy Clark is in a lofty category, just be virtue of that. Yet, there’s much more here on Mondlock’s latest, Filament, than just “The Dark,” the co-write with Clark. The album […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Scott Allen As a Minnesota music fan, singer/bassist and live sound engineer, Scott’s had a unique exposure to Minnesota music and the artists performing it. On the bass and backing vocals, he’s played in bands with songwriters like Tom Mason, Mark Hasbrouch (Surahoolies), Phil Solem (The […]
The Shootouts Stampede Soundly Music The Shootouts never expected to engage in this level of glittering hoedown showdown, and certainly not so quickly following the success of their 2021 Top 10 Americana album, Bullseye. But they could not get out of the way of this Stampede, certainly not with Ray Benson driving it. The renowned […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Laura Zucker Singer-songwriter Laura Zucker wins audiences over with a hard-won perspective and a positive spin. The powerful imagery of her songs and stories ring so true you might think she’s read your diary – and you’ll find yourself humming her infectious melodies for days to […]
Helene Cronin Landmarks Self-released Landmarks is the follow-up to singer-songwriter Helene Cronin’s acclaimed 2019 debut, Old Ghosts and Lost Causes, yet she brings a more fully realized louder and denser sound to this effort. Comparing the two, one notices several similarities though as the main drivers for both are Cronin and producer Matt King who […]
Pocono Jones & The Bear Live at Cambridge Sound Studios Self-released This is our second review for Pennsylvania-based folk/blues artist Paul Wilkinson, billed here as the The Bear in keeping with the solo effort from 2021, 400 Bears. He is joined by Pocono Jones, aka Brad Hinton for a live acoustic performance that took place […]
Jim Brunberg Songs of Stupid Hope Self-released Portland-based singer-songwriter Jim Brunberg is no newcomer though he has been out of the limelight in terms of recorded music for the past fifteen years, but he hasn’t strayed from some aspect of music. He’s long been an owner of multiple music venues in Portland and has composed […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Austin Mayse Texas-born singer-songwriter Austin Mayse has returned to the studio for his second full-length album, Bridges & Kerosene. Produced by Hill Country music ace Chris Beall and engineered by Ron Flynt, it features songs that Mayse has brought to soulful solo life onstage in recent […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Humbletown Humbletown is a folk/bluegrass duo featuring Morgan Carnes on clawhammer banjo and Dylan Lewis on flatpick guitar and mandolin. The duo primarily writes their own songs in eclectic styles but also plays traditional songs, fiddle tunes, and folk and country covers. The duo prides itself […]
Gail Ceasar Guitar Woman Blues Music Maker Foundation Gail Ceasar is a self-taught Piedmont blues and bluegrass singer/guitarist, who through the help of the Music Maker Foundation is releasing an authentic blues album. Ceasar has been playing this regional style blend of bluegrass and the blues, learned from her uncle Joe, since she was ten […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Turn Turn Turn Turn Turn Turn is a trio who bonded over their mutual love of close harmony 60s and 70s country, folk, and pop music and formed an original Americana band. To create their distinctive sound, the band “turns” to the distant past of early […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with John Fusco John Fusco is the writer-producer of 12 motion pictures, including “Crossroads”, “Young Guns”, “Thunderheart,” “Hidalgo”, “The Forbidden Kingdom,” the sequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and the Academy Award-nominated “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.” Some of his other film productions include “The Shack” starring Octavia […]
The Gibson Brothers Darkest Hour Bull Run / Rainmaker Music The Gibson Brothers began recording their 15th album just as everything hit the fan. But from that Darkest Hour came the purest expression of what makes The Gibson Brothers the multiple award-winning bluegrass vocal duo and band leaders that they are. As produced by the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Barrel Flash Sitting in the corner of a pub, your tapping foot follows a country beat. Suddenly, an unexpected melody and a turn of phrase hits you in the gut where the whiskey burns and that melancholy feeling (the one you thought you left at the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Preston Gunderson Gunderson has been a fixture in the Minneapolis music scene for 10 years. He started his career early at the age of 15 playing in the bars of Northern Minnesota, a place known as the “Iron Range.” He has since forged his songwriting and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with Kelley Smith Spoken words have never come easy for folk musician Kelley Smith, so in her late 30’s she decided to become an artist. “I was tired of being tongue-tied,” she says, “…I just wanted to paint little word pictures of what was in my […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Madeline Rosene Madeline Rosene is an “indie pop-n-roll” singer/songwriter known for her clever lyrics, catchy melodies, and genre-fluid style. She has been played on the radio throughout the US and performed at venues such as Hotel Cafe, Los Globos, The Echo, and The Viper Room. Her […]
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 […]
Amelia White Rocket Rearview Self-released Amelia White is a singer-songwriter who has emerged as one of the most honest and direct in the talented field of Americana artists, many of whom, like White, call East Nashville their hometown. Rocket Rearview is White’s eighth album, her pandemic album (just about all artists have one of those, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Charlie Treat Before becoming one of East Nashville’s most genre-bending songwriters, Charlie Treat grew up on a farm in New England, listening to old-school crooners whose songs reflected his own rural surroundings. Years later, he salutes those influences with Into The Wild Mystic Mountain, an imaginative […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Dan Israel With Social Media Anxiety Disorder, Minnesota singer-songwriter Dan Israel returns with his 15th studio album, a mere 17 months after his acclaimed 2018 release You’re Free. Social Media Anxiety Disorder was recorded in the spring and summer of 2019 at two different Twin Cities studios, featuring […]
Vince Herman Enjoy the Ride LoHi The epitome of the Americana sound is present of Vince Herman’s Enjoy the Ride, the first solo album from the frontman of Leftover Salmon, a band that’s been with us for thirty years. Melding country, bluegrass, tinges of blues, and the kind of songs that echo John Prine and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Doyle Turner Doyle learned to love music listening to his father play guitar and listening to AM radio and 8 track tapes. He found a voice that’s gotten stronger through the years, as he’s realized he’s beholding to effort, listening close, and grace. The music that’s […]
Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview Mary Gantley Mary Gantley is a trained piano player at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She also started life playing church organ in her home town of Tullyallen, Co.Louth amazingly at the young age of 10. An extraordinary talent who’s songwriting and voice now excels as much as her […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene presents an Interview with Andrew Browning Truly gritty, west-coast-noir dripping with creosote, this dusty Outlaw Country might be the unlikely result of a 20-year hiatus to hang up his gear, change careers and raise a family. But this band and these songs snuck up on Andrew Browning and hit him […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Present Company Present Company is an indie-alternative band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eddie Chisham (lead vocals, guitar, synth) and Christian Nelson (lead vocals, guitar, synth) came together in 2018. They were joined by Seth Lemmon (bass) in 2019 and Berin Joseph (drums) in 2020. Present Company […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Stephen Jacques A rising star in the Alt-Rock scene, frontman Stephen Jacques & legendary indie producers Alan Weatherhead and John Morand, collaborate on this prolific body of work. A manifestation of material Stephen gathered throughout his career as engineer, custom builder, and actor. Over 300 Radio […]
The Lone Bellow Love Songs for Losers Dualtone After delivering four highly acclaimed albums with reputable, decorated producers, the harmonious trio, The Lone Bellow have self-produced their fifth album, Love Songs for Losers. Recorded in the possibly haunted former home of Roy Orbison, this album weaves in some pain with the unbridled joy that characterized […]
Kenny Shore Time Stands Still Hawida Music North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Kenny Shore courses through several styles from folk-pop to soul to bluegrass to rock n’ roll and even a bit of zydeco on his hook-filled Time Stands Still. It comes across easy, but the emotions are far ranging throughout on this warm, intimate effort. An […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Brian Blake Currently based out of North Mississippi near Memphis, Tennessee, Brian Blake is a songwriter who has been active in the Memphis-area music scene for more than 25 years. With musical influences and roots stemming from both Texas and Tennessee, Brian writes heartfelt and thought-provoking […]
HOME Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Stefan Prigmore Stefan has been creating and performing music since his teenage years, following his father into the business in the same way he learned from his father in the woods and the river. The joy Stefan finds in the outdoors and the gratitude he shows on […]
Luke LeBlanc Fugue State 145 Entertainment Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter Luke LeBlanc delivers his fourth full-length effort with Fugue State, which is more outwardly focused than LeBlanc’s 2022 Only Human. LeBlanc gets elite support from Erik Koskinen, who in addition to playing a slew of instruments, produced, mixed, and engineered the album. Other musicians include Ryan Young […]
Yates McKendree Buchanan Lane Qualified It was the singer-songwriter Kevin Gordon who first sang Yates McKendree’s praises to this writer, describing Yates’ searing guitar playing on one of Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beach Cruises. Whether the 2019 clip of Yates’ thumb work on “Sweet Little Angel” is the right one or not (it was likely even […]
Joe Ely Flatland Lullaby Rack ‘Em This is not the Joe Ely album you expect. Flatland Lullaby, recorded in Ely’s home studio in 1984, is a treasured recording that has never been made public until now. It is not a re-issue, it’s not a rocker, it’s not one of those early collaborations with the Clash […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kenny Shore He recently showcased at the APCA Regional Fall Conference in Orlando, FL and again at the APCA National Conference in Hershey, PA. He grew up in North Carolina and wrote his first song after his grandfather gave him a homemade banjo at the age of 10. As a […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Ben Reel Since his debut album `This Is the Movie’ back in 1999, Ben has reinvented himself from album to album, influenced by different styles of music over the years. As one critic said, ” He’s not afraid to throw in some in folk, soul, reggae […]
Jessey Jackson Gypsy Willow The human voice can have a range of emotions on display depending on the tone and the level of intensity displayed. Some voices are easily recognizable from the opening bars of a song . Having a unique voice and style of delivery helps you stand out from the crowd and be […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Jaime Kyle Before Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert, there was Jaime Kyle. Jaime was the first female rock artist to be signed to a major record deal out of Nashville. Her albums “The Passionate Kind” (Atco/Atlantic), “Back from Hollywood” (Now and Then, England) and “The […]
Ben Reel Locked In & Live Self-released Irish singer-songwriter Ben Reel is releasing Locked in & Live, an album of eighteen songs, eight live with a full band, three live solo acoustic, and seven studio songs that he recorded during the pandemic, hence “locked in” as part of the title. Two of the acoustic songs […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mae Simpson The Mae Simpson Band is a band with a focus on creating music that seamlessly explores a huge range of styles. Some bands are quite stuck into their own definitions. However, others are actually keen on setting the bar higher and looking for new […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Tyler Edwards Beginning his career in 2008, Tyler wrote and performed with the South Carolina rock band, I Anthem. After releasing two EPs and an LP, the band had multiple songs break the Top 10 on Billboard’s Rock Charts and music featured on MTV and NASCAR. […]
John McCutcheon Leap! Appalseed In discussions this summer about the Newport Folk Festival and Philly Folk, this writer, viewing these lineups commented that “there just aren’t that many real folk singers left.” Well, John McCutcheon is indeed one of those few real folk singers putting out vital material as he’s been doing for five decades […]
Steve Yanek Long Overdue Primitive The title suggests recognition that’s been a while in coming. The credits reveal impressive names, beckoning us to listen. Singer-songwriter Steve Yanek has talented friends in producer Jeff Pevar of the Crosby Stills and Nash touring band on acoustic, electric, and resonator guitar, lap steel, bass, and backing vocals, along […]
Mark Miller Standing on Shoulders Self- released Singer-songwriter Mark Miller has released one the most impressive independent Americana story albums. New to this writer, we’ve learned that the Georgia- born Miller had almost a 20-year career in Contemporary Christian and Gospel music but he has returned to roots music to make a deeply personal record. […]
Kris Kristofferson Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 1981 New West Where have 41 years gone? Kris Kristofferson’s Live at Gilley’s – Pasadena, TX: September 1981 is here to remind us of how great his songs were. Heck, most of us probably still know the lyrics and can sing along. For those of you […]
Tiffany Williams All Those Days of Drinking Dust Self-released A gifted new singer-songwriter, Tiffany Williams, has arrived with her distinctive literate songs and a head turning vocal performance. All of Those Days of Drinking Dust is often a hypnotic listen with spare accompaniment, varied tempos, and aching vocals that captivate the listener. Williams offers a […]
Skye Pollard Masquerade Hailing from the Ozark mountains in Eureka Springs, Arkansas is Skye Pollard, an artist who I just recently became aware of. His latest release, Masquerade is such a fine-crafted work, I took to it immediately. With song-writing chops that equally match his musicianship, his masterful lyrics beautifully flow along a country-roots-rock stream. With Pollard on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Nolen Sellwood Nolen is young artist with an old soul. His beautifully crafted singing and songwriting skills are captured on his freshman album, to be released soon. Newcomer to the Minneapolis music scene, we cannot wait to see what his bright future in music looks like. […]
