Check out this incredible essay by Tom Russell on the El Paso, TX/Juarez, Mexico border, the culture, the drug wars, his own travels, and what drew him to move there. It chronicles his own travels in that region, the bar where the margarita was invented and the current bloody struggles taking place.
Tom's new album Blood and Candle Smoke, recorded w/members of Calexico, is stunning. Here is a free download of one song from the album, "Santa Ana Wind."
Will Hoge is earning new fans by the droves. The attention he's getting as of late seems to be married to the same common question, "Where has this guy been?" Well, he's been busy making great music and telling wonderful stories. The Wreckage, his latest release, is actually his seventh full-length album in just over eight years. But don't feel like you're late to the party, just c'mon in and get down all night!
We caught up with Will before his set at The 8X10 in Baltimore, a cozy club with a dedication to incredibly clean sound and a true love for the music---we really enjoy working with these folks. The green room upstairs was the perfect spot for a one-on-one performance from Will. Clear your palate and get ready to soak-in the pictures he paints in your head while singing "Even If It Breaks Your Heart," which is featured on his new album.
I run into her at weird places---a wiener dog ranch, on the plane returning home from Nashville, various and sundry other times when I don't expect to.
Her website has unexpected cartoons of her. I think her new album, Heat Sin Water Skin is, in a way, unexpected too. Produced by Gurf Morlix, it has all the grit and groove he brings, but Betty's voice rings through, too. She is heading to Europe later this month, where I am sure she will amaze and delight. Which she did when she came up on the bus during Americana week festivities.
