Tuff Enuff- The Fabulous Thunderbirds
For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.
“We started as a straight blues band”, vocalist and harmonica player Wilson says. “We now incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles. We’re an American music band and we’re much higher energy than we were before.” >> Read more…
-fabulousthunderbirds.com
Tuff Kid- Shawn Colvin
In an era when female singer-songwriters are ever more ubiquitous, Shawn Colvin stands out as a singular and enduring talent. Her songs are slow-release works of craft and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners. As a storyteller, Colvin is both keen and warm-hearted, leavening even the toughest tales with tenderness, empathy, and a searing sense of humor. In the 19 years since the release of her debut album, Colvin has won three Grammy Awards, released eight albums, maintained a non-stop national and international touring schedule, appeared on countless television and radio programs, had her songs featured in major motion pictures, and created a remarkable cannon of work. >> Read more…
-shawncolvin.com
Like It Strong, Like It Tough- Beverly and the Rockabillys
As Oklahoma’s first “Red Dirt Rockabilly” band, Beverly and the Rockabillys have been listened to all over the world on radio stations from England to Australia, Spain, Germany, and Japan as well as here at home. Their debut CD “Dark Side of the Barn” has seen success with the first track “Hank On It” being picked for an 2012 Addy Awards CD and the title track “Dark Side of the Barn” was picked for the Rockabilly Hall of Fame “2012 Burn Out CD”. They have appeared on television, KSBI and OklaVision, and at the Rodeo Opry in Oklahoma City, and for the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands.
Times Are Tough In Rock ‘N Roll- Elizabeth Cook
Country singer/songwriter Elizabeth Cook made her Grand Ole Opry debut on March 17, 2000, appearing repeatedly thereafter — a remarkable achievement considering that, at the time, she was an indie artist with no radio airplay. But such was the excitement generated by her clear, beautiful voice, strong songwriting ability, and live performances, all of which have drawn comparisons to younger, critically respected artists like Kelly Willis and legends such as Dolly Parton.
Cook was born in Wildwood, FL. Her West Virginia-born mother played guitar and mandolin and sang on local radio shows. Her father, a Georgia native, also performed country music and served jail time for running moonshine. Upon his release, he and Elizabeth’s mother played in local bands together, eventually marrying. Elizabeth, born in 1972, moved to Nashville in her twenties and quickly got a publishing deal. Demos recorded between 1997 and 2000 comprised her self-titled, independently released debut … » Read more
-Erik Hage, AllMusic.com
Tougher Than The Rest- Bruce Springsteen
In the decades following his emergence on the national scene in 1975, Bruce Springsteen proved to be that rarity among popular musicians, an artist who maintained his status as a frontline recording and performing star, consistently selling millions of albums and selling out arenas and stadiums around the world year after year, as well as retaining widespread critical approbation, with ecstatic reviews greeting those discs and shows. Although there were a few speed bumps along the way in Springsteen’s career, the wonder of his nearly unbroken string of critical and commercial success is that he achieved it while periodically challenging his listeners by going off in unexpected directions, following his muse even when that meant altering the sound of his music or the composition of his backup band, or making his lyrical message overtly political. Of course, it may have been these very sidesteps that kept his image and his music fresh, especially since he always had the fallback of …
-William Ruhlmann, AllMusic.com
Life Is Tough- The Cash Box Kings
Considered the “Young Turks” of the Chicago blues scene, the Cash box Kings are dedicated tare dedicated to carrying on the spirit of the 1940′s and 50′s post-war Chicago blues sound as well as the Delta blues music of the 20’s and 30’s. But these illustrious torch bearers also add a bravado, energy and freshness to the mix that results in a distinctive musical experience. With a focus on the raw, stripped-down, ensemble playing that was the hallmark of the post-war sound, the band showcases the music of Chess Records and Sun Records while adding a healthy dose of original music that captures the essence of the Memphis and Chicago blues sounds of the 40’s and 50’s.
-cashboxkings.com
Gold Rush Goddess- Melody Walker
Melody Walker is a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist and virtuosic vocalist from Northern California. Starting with piano at age 6 and then guitar at 13, Melody’s classical ear grew alongside the myriad musical tastes of her parents, which ranged from the Beatles to Bill Monroe to Bossa Nova and back again. Soon, she was writing original songs and forming bands with her friends in middle and high school. Melody went on to study piano, voice and world percussion at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California and holds a B.A. in Music.
A musical thrill-seeker of sorts, Melody’s curious ear has led her around the world to study music, most notably in India and Brazil. This travel revealed a greater appreciation for the American traditional music she was raised around and gave her a singular perspective on it’s idiosyncratic beauty.
Melody’s songwriting is strongly rooted in Western folk and pop forms, while her content and delivery draws on more global sounds and themes. Combined with a holistic understanding of music theory and competence on several instruments, she is bringing a new unique voice to the American song. Her songs cut to the crux of the matter and make you remember you came. Melody wont lie and tell you she’s not trying to change the world through music, but she’s taking her time getting there, coating each word with honey so you want to sing along. >> Read more…
Gold Rush Goddess is a beast of a debut record from an unsung new talent. Co-produced and performed by Walker and her musical partner Jacob Groopman, the album reels through folk, pop, rock and bluegrass with an abandon straight out of the soul of this multi-genre songwriter. Equally irrepressible is the talent of multi-instrumentalist Groopman who creates lush textures and solid grooves throughout on mandolin, guitar, bass and drums.
Recorded in a historic general store on a remote sea-cliff in Mendocino County, California, the sounds of brick, rafters, swallows and waves waft in the background of Gold Rush Goddess, imbuing it with an organic realness. >> Read more…
-melodywalker.bandzoogle.com
Been On My Mind- The Dwells
The Dwells were born on the Fourth of July—Paige Califano and Matthew Bean were enjoying the night on a hot, crowded Boston rooftop, but soon found themselves one floor below with some old notebooks and a guitar. Their voices blended minutes into hours and as morning glazed the window, they both left hearing music come to life like they had never heard before. As they dove into new ideas, they slowly crafted their sound and what emerged was a neo-Americana, cosmic folk duo that gave a nod to earlier genre-benders like Gram Parsons and Elliot Smith.
The Dwells are a vocal swirl, drenched in memorable lyrics and infectious songwriting that pull inspiration from drama and expression in all mediums. The combination of their voices has been described as, “haunting yet ultimately heartfelt and vulnerable” and their songs won’t leave you alone. As Boston Band Crush put it, “If this music does not move you then you might be in need of medical attention.”
-thedwells.com
You’ll Be Mine- The 44’s
The 44′s are a Los Angeles-based band who play blues-roots-rock music.The 44′s are one the brightest rising stars on the American blues roots scene. Make no mistake about it. The raw rough and tough sounds generated by these four expert musicians during live performances and in the making of their Sophomore album Americana, on the Rip Cat label, demands to be heard by Blues music fans World Wide. They evidence a genuine gift for creating blues in the moment while at the same time showing loyalty to a remarkable blues-and-r&b tradition that goes back decades through the James Harman Band and the Red Devils to storied greats like Howlin’ Wolf, Albert Collins, and Muddy Waters. They’ve become a favorite band of club and festival crowds across North America.
The 44′s seem to be literally exploding across the Blues scene as a fully formed and functional unit commanding audiences with their in your face, yet highly contagious musical sound. >> Read more…
-the44sband.com
Badly Bent- JP Harris and the Tough Choices
J.P. Harris and The Tough Choices play Country Music. Period. No “pop-,” “alt-,” “rock-,” “folk-,” etc. prefixes. Sick and tired of the modern Pop-Country filth broadcast shamelessly and persistently across our beautiful countrysides, The Tough Choices set out to right the wrongs done to a music so classically and quintessentially American…
…Having hit the road at the young age of 14, J.P. Harris has been living the songs he writes for well over a decade. With a guitar always in his hands, he began playing and singing early country standards around sheep-herding camps in the southwest, and later in hobo jungles and on freight trains across the country. Living and working the past ten years as carpenter, logger, apple-picker, banjo-builder, busker, and a slew of other low-paid, dirty-handed trades in rural Vermont, J.P. decided to take to the road once again as the neon and stage lights beckoned relentlessly. Relocating closer to his home-city of Montgomery, AL in September of 2011, J.P. now calls Music City (Nashville, TN) home.
With no more than a few months at age twelve of music instruction, J.P. Harris is truly a self-taught player and songwriter…his songs are simple recollections of the many paths he’s trod; heartbroken & heart-breaker, gentleman & lowlife, home-bound working man & listless wanderer. With a rare ear for authenticity, J.P. pens Honky Tonk ballads ranging from destitute pleas of the drunkard to upbeat barroom anthems, always maintaining a simplicity and sharp wit only found in a road-worn author. >> Read more…
-ilovehonkytonk.com
Here’s To The Losers- Susie Arioli
Recognized for the gentle, warm voice that she brings to authentic interpretations of jazz and blues numbers, Susie Arioli has carved out a solid reputation for herself in her native Canada and on the international scene: the Montreal singer enjoys an ever widening popularity in France, Japan and the U.S., where her album sales have been in the thousands.
On the heels of the success of her album Christmas Dreaming, a critically acclaimed disc consecrated gold in Canada, she’s taken another step in her rich and inspired career with a new album appropriately titled All the Way. It finds her at the peak of her art, bringing her singular touch and finely modulated voice to thirteen songs from the immortal repertoire of the Great American Songbook. On this seventh studio recording, which gives off a rare quality of emotion, Arioli explores a vocal range that reaches further than ever and yet never strays from the unique sensibility that has been captivating an ever-growing public for many years now. >> Read more…
-susiearioli.com
Hard Luck Woman- Samantha Martin and the Haggard
“You may not know it yet, but Samantha Martin is a rock star, she’ll tear your heart out one note at a time.” Serena Ryder
One of the rising stars in Toronto’s roots-rock scene, Martin and her band can be seen frequently on stage at The Dakota Tavern, Toronto’s most respected Americana/Roots venue. With the release of their self titled debut album, Samantha Martin and The Haggard in March 2012, the band will be taking their music on the road far beyond Toronto. Recorded in July 2011 at Toronto’s Lincoln County Social Club, co-produced by the band and John Dinsmore (producer and multi-instrumentalist with Kathleen Edwards, NQ Arbuckle, Sarah Harmer) The album boldly traverses deep southern soul, roots/reggae and 50′s rock n roll.
Tribute is paid to musical influences including Otis Redding and Robert Johnson, The Rolling Stones, The Staples Singers, CCR and Patsy Cline as well as Reggae artist Delroy Wilson; but the album is distinctly Samantha Martin and The Haggard. Few other artists are able to incorporate such broad genres successfully and present a cohesive sound all their own. >> Read more…
-samanthamartin.ca
Always Keep An Edge On Your Knife- Corb Lund
Corb Lund is a Canadian roots-country singer/songwriter whose third album, Five Dollar Bill (2002), established him as a favorite among critics. Prior to his mainstream breakthrough, he was a member of the Smalls, a punk rock band from Edmonton who never attained commercial success but were a regional favorite during the 1990s. Born in Alberta, where he grew up on his family’s farm in the small town of Taber, Lund moved to Edmonton to study music at Grant MacEwan Community College. In 1990 he co-founded the Smalls with a few college friends. Comprised of Mike Caldwell (vocals), Dug Bevans (guitar), and Terry Johnson (drums) in addition to Lund (bass), the band made its full-length debut in 1990 with the eponymous album The Smalls. Subsequent Smalls albums include To Each a Zone (1992), Waste and Tragedy (1995), and My Dear Little Angle (1999). Meanwhile, Lund founded a band of his own, the Corb Lund Band, with Kurt Ciesla (bass) and Ryan Vikedal (drums) in addition to Lund on vocals … » Read more
-Jason Birchmeier, AllMusic.com
Six Blade Knife- Dire Straits
Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late ’70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band’s music was offset by Knopfler’s lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions from the mid-’80s helped make Dire Straits’ sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band — along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and … » Read more
-Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com
Cut Like A Knife- The Ruff Cutt Blues Band
Ruff Kutt Blues is the name of the project started by James Goode, a Rockabilly Hall of Fame bass player and fan of Texas Blues. The other name you need to know on this project is the name of Texas Blues guitar legend Anson Funderburgh. James and Anson go way back. And together, they have recruited an all-star cast of musicians to work on a special CD called Mill Block Blues.
James is the heart and soul of this project. It was his idea to record a CD to try and help musicians in need. And he wrote the lyrics to all the songs on the CD and helped with the arrangements as well. James is also an accomplished musician in his own right as he is now a full member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame with his old band, The Excels.
James’ role cannot be undersold. He played bass on all the tunes. But he is also the guy that brought all of these fine musicians together and united us on this common goal. Without James, there would be no “Mill Block Blues” CD. The songs on that CD tell the story of James’ life growing up on the Mill Block. The CD and the music are a reflection of James, the man.
-ruffkuttblues.com
You Stabbed Me With A Knife Of Words- The Lonesome Mountaineers
In 1999 three young men from Torsby Sweden started a bluegrass-trio armed with a banjo, guitar, upright bass and ten songs in the key of G. Since the start LM have done some changes and the recent lineup have been intact since 2007.
Lonesome Mountaineers have preformed all over Scandinavia and parts of Europe as well.
In 2003 they were voted number 1 European Bluegrass Band by the audience at the EWOB festival in Holland.
LM have shared the stage with lots of international bands like; Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, BR5-49, The Country Gentlemen, John Moore, The James King Band, Frank Wakefield etc.
-myspace.com
The Randall Knife- Guy Clark
A mere three years after Boats to Build, Guy Clark offered Dublin Blues, a record filled with sizzle, inspiration, and his best batch of songs in years. Teaming with Miles Wilkinson for the third time and using in the studio for the first time his road band — which includes über guitarist and singer Darrell Scott — Clark delivers a batch of searing portraits, intimate observations, first-person narratives, and one dumb throwaway cut (“Baby Went to Memphis in a Limo”). As usual, some old friends return to the fold — Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Verlon Thompson, Kenny Malone, and Suzy Ragsdale — but there are new faces as well like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Nanci Griffith, and Kathy Mattea. The magic begins with the title track. Haunted Celtic melodies played on the fiddle and a mandolin with an acoustic guitar usher in a country song that could be from the countryside of Ireland. With Mattea on the backing vocals, the listener is transported between worlds in time and space. “Black Diamond Strings” is a friendly little number about what else: guitar strings! Its catchy hook and singalong chorus make it a Clark winner. “Shut Up and Talk to Me” features Scott playing …
» Read more-Thom Jurek, AllMusic.com
Mack The Knife- Bobby Darin
There’s been considerable discussion about whether Bobby Darin should be classified as a rock & roll singer, a Vegas hipster cat, an interpreter of popular standards, or even a folk-rocker. He was all of these and none of these. Throughout his career he made a point of not becoming committed to any one style at the exclusion of others; at the height of his nightclub fame he incorporated a folk set into his act. When it appeared he could have gone on indefinitely as a sort of junior version of Frank Sinatra, he would periodically record pop/rock and folk-rock singles whose principal appeal lay outside of the adult pop market. At one point he started calling himself Bob Darin and recorded songs with vague anti-establishment overtones that could be said to be biting the largely bourgeois hands that fed his highest-paying gigs. It may be most accurate to say that Darin was, above all, a singer who wanted to do a lot of things, rather than make his mark as a particular stylist. That may …
-Richie Unterberger, AllMusic.com
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