I get to take my new daughter home from the hospital today… and this song has been running through my mind repeatedly in the two days since she arrived. Scott Miller wrote it for a friend on the occasion of his son’s birth, and it’s full of heartfelt well wishes for a newborn child.
Archive for July, 2010
Random Weekend Post: "Anchor" on Letterman
Posted in Alejandro Escovedo on July 24, 2010 by AmericanaPulseI’m going to try to keep up with my YouTube posts while on my little sabbatical. Thanks to Sally for sending me the link to Alejandro Escovedo on the David Letterman show earlier this week.
ReviewShine Wednesday: The Redemption Center & Time for a Break…
Posted in The Redemption Center on July 21, 2010 by AmericanaPulseAs you’ve probably noticed, things have slowed down a bit around here lately. I’ve mentioned that my wife and I are expecting our first child next week, and I’ve spent a lot of time recently preparing for her arrival. With that in mind, this will likely be my final post here for the next few weeks. I plan to take a couple of weeks off from work getting to know my daughter, and I think it best to take some time off here as well.
I’ll keep listening to new stuff, and I may pop in with a short post or a weekend YouTube posting every now and then… but it will be pretty quiet here for most of August. Keep me bookmarked, though. I’ll be back.
With that…
Every Wednesday, I feature a brief review of at least one album that has been submitted to me through the ReviewShine website. I have cleverly titled this recurring segment “ReviewShine Wednesday.”
Today, we feature The Redemption Center from Rochester, NY. The band is the product of a collaboration between songwriters J. Stephen Smith and Jesse Sprinkle. The two have worked together for over a decade with the New York based record label, Blind Records. Sprinkle was a recording artist signed to Blind, and Smith worked directly for the label. The new album Land of Plenty marks their first attempt at working together in a creative capacity with Smith providing the majority of the lyrics and Sprinkle serving as producer. The result is a punchy collection of Americana tunes that is simply a lot of fun to listen to. Smith and Sprinkle have assembled a fine collection of musicians around them and sound perfectly comfortable singing and playing together.
Random Weekend Post: The Velvet Underground
Posted in The Velvet Underground on July 17, 2010 by AmericanaPulseI’m not sure where it came from, but I really got on a Velvet Underground kick Friday night…
ReviewShine Wednesday: Anchor in the Valley & The Back Row Baptists
Posted in Anchor in the Valley, The Back Row Baptists on July 14, 2010 by AmericanaPulseEvery Wednesday, I feature a brief review of at least one album that has been submitted to me through the ReviewShine website. I have cleverly titled this recurring segment “ReviewShine Wednesday.”
We’ll start today with 22-year-old singer/songwriter Kelsey Waldon. Waldon hails from Western Kentucky and records under the name Anchor in the Valley. Waldon’s newest effort as Anchor in the Valley is a self-titled release that inhabits some fairly mellow territory. Waldon’s sound is built on easy folk melodies and fleshed out with various indie elements that add a fullness to her sound. Although she claims influences from the past such as Emmylou Harris and Neil Young, it’s not hard to hear a bit present day artists such as She & Him mixed in as well. I can really hear the latter’s influence in the album opening “It Takes Three Words.”
Our second band today is a self-proclaimed “Outlaw Gospel” outfit from Birmingham called The Back Row Baptists. Having been raised in a southern Freewill Baptist church myself, I am well aware of the connotation that their name brings. It’s harder for the preacher (and maybe God himself) to see what you’re doing (or what you’ve done) if you aren’t up front and center.
Drunk on Crutches on WDVX Blue Plate Special
Posted in Drunk on Crutches on July 12, 2010 by AmericanaPulseBack in March, I introduced you to a really cool roots/rock band out of L.A. called Drunk on Crutches.
Random Weekend Post: Crooked Still
Posted in Crooked Still on July 10, 2010 by AmericanaPulseYou can read my review of the new album from Crooked Still over at Country Standard Time. And while you’re doing that… here are a couple of YouTube videos of songs from the album.