Archive for July, 2011
Song Premiere: Musikanto, “Take What You Need”
For his latest record, Sky of Dresses, orchestral folk artist Musikanto spent many long hours commuting back and forth from his home in Chicago to Milwaukee, to take advantage of the ambiance in his friend’s home recording studio. His goal? To create his best, and most personal, album yet. But perfection was hard to come [...]
Styx And Yes Rock Oklahoma City
Despite claims they stumbled on-stage a couple weeks back, progressive rock pioneers Yes roared with confidence and inspiration Saturday, July 23, at the Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Even with the piercing sun still hovering in the sky – and the fact that Yes played as openers, not headliners, before Styx that night, Yes [...]
Vetiver, “Worse For Wear”
Andy Cabic has always been a storyteller. On his band Vetiver‘s 2006 album To Find Me Gone, he imagines himself as a century-old porter, though he also inhabits modern day San Francisco, riding the bus (“the 14 or the 49″) to meet Devendra Banhart for his weekly DJ night in the autobiographical “Down At El [...]
The Apache Relay Invade NAMM 2011
For our second day at Summer NAMM 2011, American Songwriter brought along the guys from Apache Relay to have some fun and test out some new gear. We hit all of the big names, playing some high-end Martin acoustics, messing around with some of Electro Harmonix’s latest toys, playing stainless steel instruments and checking out [...]
Alela Diane
“I have had a lifetime of folks mispronouncing my name,” says Alela Diane… and so she put it in a song. The Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter leads a band that includes her husband, Tom, and her Dad, also named Tom. We asked Diane, who was recently handpicked to open for Fleet Foxes, about her new album, [...]
R.I.P. Amy Winehouse, Troubled Superstar
British pop star Amy Winehouse has been found dead of unexplained causes in her North London home. The troubled artist last checked into a treatment facility for her addiction issues on May, on the advice of her father Mitch. Winehouse, who achieved fame with the retro soul classic “Rehab,” which earned her a Grammy in [...]
Bob Dylan’s Grandson, Pablo Dylan, Has A Rap Album
The times, they are a-changin’. Bob Dylan’s 15-year-old grandson, rapper Pablo Dylan (the son of director Jesse Dylan), has debuted his first mix tape, 10 Minutes. On the new track “Top Of The World,” the Eminem-influenced youngster raps: “I’m the grandson of a man nothing less than legendary/that’s a lot of pressure so I Berry [...]
Video Premiere: Joshua Black Wilkins w/ Amanda Shires, “Northern Lights”
Nashville musician and photographer Joshua Black Wilkins has filmed a new video for his song “Northern Lights,” featuring singer-songwriter Amanda Shires on guest vocals. The song comes from 2010′s While You Wait by Joshua Black Wilkins & The Forty Volts. In the video, Shires plays Wilkins’ counterpart during the portions shot on location in Nashville. [...]
Inside The 2011 Summer NAMM Expo: Hot New Gear
Musical merchants and vendors packed the Nashville Convention Center Thursday morning for the Summer 2011 National Association of Musical Merchants Show. The show is not only a venue for merchants and dealers to meet, but also where several of the top music companies can showcase their new products to potential clients, the press and the [...]
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