Singled Out: Kyle O’Brien “Good Time Old Time” Interviews Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - February 4, 2021February 4, 20210 It took me a bit to draw some kind of line between what exactly Old Time vs Bluegrass vs Trad music is in the realm of American Roots. But its one of those things you know when you feel the vibe. Kyle O'Brien's new single straddles the lines between the lot, but with instrumental breaks bordering on the old time edge, sing-songy speed in the verses and a holler along chorus that is infectious, it doesn't matter what you call it. Its just music that gets you moving and makes you want to listen over and over. Its tunes like "Good Time" that keep me hopeful (but longing) for those late night jams at festivals. Dancing in the field to
Fresh Track: Ben Cosgrove “The Machine in the Garden” Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - February 2, 2021February 2, 20210 There is something completely transportive that is done to my mind and soul when I listen to Ben Cosgrove's compositions. There is a lifting feeling, a feeling of being pulled away from the drudgery of the day and forced into a different frame of mind. Immersive. Enlightening. Enchanting. That is not to say that all of Ben's songs are bright yellow, blinding sunshine rays of jubilance. There are, of course, some of those in his arsenal, but it's the lilt and the drone, the pushing and pulling of opposing forces, the flow and blue-gray tapestry of his heavier arrangements that I find myself drawn deeply into. All that considered, it's the very fact that the brush he paints his sonic landscapes
Show Review: Hiss Golden Messenger at Cat’s Cradle (January 11, 2020) Concert Reviews Music Features Reviews by Ken Templeton - January 13, 20200 Saturday felt good. My family and I moved to Durham, North Carolina last summer. I spent the morning volunteering for a donation drive for families displaced by substandard living conditions in one of the city’s largest housing projects--the outpouring of support was humbling. And I got to see Hiss Golden Messenger play in a venue where the crowd knows when not to sing during “Heart Like A Levee.” I mean, it’s so standard for audiences to keep singing when they’re not supposed to on that song that MC Taylor was ready to say, “Gotcha,” and then had to stop the song because the not-singing threw him off. “I just want to congratulate you for knowing not to sing there,” he
Concert Review: John Prine, Durham Performing Arts Center, November 1, 2019 Concert Reviews Music Features Reviews by Ken Templeton - November 6, 20190 Until last weekend, I’d only seen John Prine play at festivals. He has become a staple at Newport over the past few years, and was a highlight at The Cook Brothers’ after show in 2018. The other festival I saw John play was the Fleadh in London in the spring of 2004. It was raining that misty British rain and there were about 300 of us crammed into a tent while most of the festival crowd watched a very drunk Adam Durwitz and The Counting Crows suck at music. John started that set with “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” saying, “I wrote this song during the Vietnam War and I stopped playing it for a while.
Concert Review: The Black Pumas Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC (September 10, 2019) Concert Reviews Music Features by Ken Templeton - September 12, 20190 The Black Pumas perform with a collective joy that seems to stem from a few things: a rhythm section that is driving and inventive, songs that create tension and release, and a quiet confidence that they are a very good band. At Cat’s Cradle the other night, they came onto the stage in an understated way--no introduction or music that cut off or lights dimming, just folks wandering onto the stage with little waves of acknowledgement and nods to the crowd that was already grinning at them with anticipation. Of course, the audience had high hopes, because The Black Pumas’ debut record is stunning. And we were not disappointed. Eric Burton’s range as a singer is totally captivating and inspiring, but
Newport Folk Festival, 2019 Music Features Reviews by Ken Templeton - August 29, 20190 “This might be the most ‘Newport’ thing ever,” MC Taylor said when he joined the stage as part of the multi-artist performance of Graham Nash’s 1971 album, Songs for Beginners. Kyle Craft and his band formed the house band for the set and it featured a revolving door of singers and players: Taylor, Jonathan Wilson, Mountain Man, The Tallest Man on Earth, Lake Street Dive, Ballroom Thieves, Amy Ray, The Milk Carton Kids, Colin Meloy, and Anais Mitchell all jumped on stage for different tunes. So if that was the most “Newport” thing ever, 2019 was the most “Newport” Newport Folk Festival I’ve attended. It had this beautiful spirit of inclusivity, belonging, collaboration, and joy that Pete Seeger always preached. I
Honest to Goodness: Tyler Childers’ “Country Squire” Cuts Deep Album Reviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 2, 20190 "Oh the days are dark down in the holler / Waiting for the sun to shine / On the back you've been breaking / Trying to earn peace of mind " I'll do my best here to not regurgitate what has already been said about Tyler Childers' music. Another 'savior in the saving of country music'...you know, things like that, do of course, carry a large amount of truth and weight to them in respect to the singer songwriter. Such a statement is pretty damn bold, but if you have experience his music and felt "that thing" that creeps up your spine when the first crackling breathe of fire leaves Tyler's mouth, you know how much water it truly holds. But
First Listen: Erin Cassels-Brown “Dreamin’ On Overdrive” Album Reviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 2, 20190 From the first note Cassel's-Brown shatters my idea of what his music has been and has grown and evolved to be. 2017's Northern Lights EP was heavily carried by a more lo-fi feel, a strummed acoustic guitar driving the rhythm forward and only one of the tracks having that shit kicking, country swing that pairs so sweetly with his emotive vocal style. It was poignant, a bit quiet overall and let the words bleed out just a bit more until that last track, which was perhaps a signal of what was to come...on this latest release we get thrown right into the fire and the Vermont based singer-songwriter is holding nothing back. We lean in hard with punchy drums and electric
Breakdown: Green River Festival – Saturday in Photos Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - July 15, 2019July 29, 20190 I only made it out for Saturday this year at Green River Fest's annual blow out weekend, but just one day was more than enough to fill my heart and soothe my soul with great music, sun and good vibes for a full year between 2019 and 2020's events. A slightly late start had me missing out on some wonderful earlier acts and friends including Mamma's Marmalade and Little Roots' first set, but I got there in time to catch a couple of Heather Maloney's final tunes and then to plant my butt firmly in an aisle seat under the Parlor Room Stage tent for Ali McGuirk and Session Americana. Maloney is a favorite of the Northampton area that the Parlor Room
Song Premiere: “Talking to Your Ghost,” The Reconstructed Interviews Music Features Track Reviews by Ken Templeton - June 28, 2019July 1, 20190 The Reconstructed just released its latest album, Great North Wind, and it’s full of the paradoxes and tensions that make people sit down and write songs to try to make sense of the world. “Talking to Your Ghost” is emblematic of the record, in a way. At first listen, you’re immediately taken in by a great hook; and after multiple spins, you really hear how much space the players in this band allow each other—there’s so much happening beyond the basic rhythm and melody of the song, little notes here and there to add depth and texture. There’s a wryness to the lyrics that I just love: “You tell me that you’re telling a lie, but I don’t believe you.” Songwriter