Billy Talbot Band On the Road to Spearfish (Vapor) Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars Neil Young’s long time bass playing compadre in Crazy Horse isn’t the most prolific frontman; this is only his second solo album and it comes nearly a decade after his debut. It’s also a long way from sounding Crazy [...]

The dwindling days until summer signify one thing for music fans: the approach of Festival Season. Festival veterans know that music festivals, though exciting, can sometimes feel rushed and hectic. Trying to cram as many bands as possible into one weekend proves quite the challenge, often involving difficult choices when multiple bands have sets at [...]

Well into a North Carolina night in late April, the Steep Canyon Rangers are gathered around in the back of their tour bus, no more than an hour after their headlining performance at MerleFest, the famed traditional-plus music festival in Wilkesboro. Still in their trademark suits, the Rangers settle as best as they’re able into [...]

It’s sort of an answer record to an answer record. Or maybe it’s the last act in a trilogy. Whatever you want to call it, “Ronnie And Neil” by Drive-By Truckers is part of a continuum of rock songs that deal with the rich, complicated history of the American South and the way that history [...]

They Might Be Giants’ new album Nanobots boasts 25 songs in 45 minutes, an impressive feat for the duo’s sixteenth album. American Songwriter sat down with singer/guitarist John Flansburgh before the band’s show in Nashville to talk about Nanobots, the band’s songwriting process, and the strangest thing he’s ever had thrown at him while performing. Let’s [...]

Neil Young took Everest, one of his favorite new bands, on the road with him during his Psychedelic Pill Tour. Check out these exclusive photos from the last leg of the tour.

Veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen has been named the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy. On February 8 in Los Angeles, Mumford & Sons, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, Jim James, Tom Morello, Alabama Shakes, Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris, Kenny Chesney, Sting, John Legend and Natalie Maines will gather to pay tribute to [...]

Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Heumann, Baltimore’s Arbouretum plays expansive neo-classic rock in a style true to ‘90s Neil Young acolytes Papa M (née David Pajo) and Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham), and — of course — the man himself. Over the phone — en route, appropriately, to a Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert in [...]

Our Writer of the Week Paloma Faith chats with us about her dream collaboration, her songwriting and her current album. More Happy 63rd Birthday to rock music icon Tom Waits. More Delve into our T0p 50 Albums of 2012. More We also count down the Top 50 songs of 2012. See if your favorites made [...]

50. Diamond Rugs, “Christmas In A Chinese Restaurant” John McCauley gets drunk, finds an out-of-tune piano, and sings the loneliest, saddest Christmas carol imaginable, somehow managing to rhyme “how’s the ham?” with “moo goo gai pan.” Best part: a street-corner Santa digs a saxophone out of a dumpster and solos on the bridge. 49. Beach [...]

  50. Band of Horses: Mirage Rock Even back when Band of Horses were writing soaring and dreamy indie rock epics like “The Funeral,” beneath the shimmer and sheen of their Pacific Northwestern façade, there was a gritty, folky Southern rock band. Increasingly that’s become all the more a part of the band’s identity, and the [...]

“We’ll go around the world, and then be back in the US next spring and summer. There’s a lot of areas to cover, places that aren’t right on the head of the pin but are still worthy places to play. We’re about to go to Australia; I know we’re going to Eastern Europe. We’ll cover [...]