In conjunction with our November/December issue, American Songwriter proudly presents The Muse November Sampler, featuring 12 must-hear tracks from some of our favorite artists. And the best thing about it? It’s free! You can download the sampler by going to this url: http://americansongwriter2.bandcamp.com/album/the-muse-november-sampler Dwight Yoakam, “Trying” “I’ve been trying for so long,” goes the opening [...]

Here at American Songwriter, we’ve long been fans of all things Felice Brothers. Their folk-punk swagger and dark romanticism jibes with the rhythms of our own feral hearts. So we were naturally thrilled when one of the brothers, Simone, stopped by our office to play a few tunes. Simone, who left The Felice Brothers band [...]

Grammy-winning recording artist and Band drummer/vocalist Levon Helm was buried in Woodstock Cemetery in Woodstock, New York on April 27. Members of Helm’s Midnight Ramble band were in attendance, and a musical procession and drum line helped lay the rock great to rest. Helm was buried next to Band bassist Rick Danko, who died in [...]

We were all worried when we learned that Simone Felice, the talented author and singer-songwriter from the Felice Brothers and The Duke and The King, had to have emergency open heart surgery a month ago. Well, according to his Facebook page, Felice is on the mend and ready to resume touring, with a “new chrome [...]

Paul McCartney was honored last night at the White House, where he received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. “You start with a black hole and if you’re lucky, a couple hours later there’ll be a song waiting there,” said McCartney. “That mystery, that magic is still the same for me.” During the ceremonial concert, [...]

The morning that I get to hell The devil will take me up in his Ferris wheel Show me all the scenes below Tapping a tick tack tack on his black high heels With all his pretty ones, dancing in the fire They’re singing lie oh lie oh lie oh lie oh lie. –written by [...]

The Duke and the King play The Basement, Nashville. Aug. 10, 2009 (Photos by Avalon Peacock) Before launching into “Union Street” at The Basement Monday night, Simone Felice of the Duke and the King said the song recalled a time when Genesis and Cyndi Lauper ruled his headphones. The tune, which is off the band’s [...]