
Despite the excellence of Jewell 's second album with its refined songs, subtle musicianship and compelling vocal performances it will undoubtedly draw comparisons with Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams . The implication being that ' Sinners & Strangers' is not the equal to those she is likened to. Nothing could be further from the truth as her blend of old time country, folk and blues elevates Jewell to being the equal of such esteemed company, no question. From opener 'Rich Man's World' through to 'Blue Highway' each song sways and twangs its way into a [...]
The ongoing and surprisingly successful Songs:Illinois House Concert Series is back this Sunday, September 16. We've got a great lineup and you're not invited. Well not exactly but if you do live within an hours drive of Chicago, and you just have to come out, email me at cbonnell@gmail.com and we'll see what we can do. To help the artists we raise as much money as possible by passing the proverbial hat and I also promise to spread a little more ink about the groups we feature. Of course the groups we feature [...]
I heard this song on WUMB and had to wait until they published their playlist to find the singer. Eilen Jewell is Boston based which make me feel just a bit silly not knowing her. This is from Letters from Sinners and Strangers, her national debut album released in July. Song Illinois had a posting on her I missed which is too bad as I would have found her sooner. MP3 File

C'est en me disant : "BAahhhh on est dimanche, et demain c'est la reprise..." que ces deux mots "reprise" et "dimanche" m'ont vaguement rappelé un truc... J'ai cherché longtemps...puis je me suis souvenu qu'à l'époque, j'avais un blog, avec un gars, comment il s'appelait déjà ? Michelfugain, je crois... Alors, j'ai voulu prendre le train pour rejoindre la civilisation, mais, manque de pot, je l'ai raté. J'ai par conséquent emprunté la ligne de chemin de fer à pied, comme Eilen Jewell emprunte la trace de Bob Dylan... J'ai écouté cet album (et un autre dont je [...]

Eilen Jewell is another Bean Town artist who sounds like she comes from further south. She blends folk, blues, jazz and little twang. Her songs sound timeless. Like they have been around for ages. And some have. She covers Bob Dylan, Charile Rich and Eric Anderson on her latest release: Letters From Sinners & Strangers. It was Vin Scelsa that first turned me onto Eilen (rhymes with "feelin'"). Then her PR lady dropped me a line to let me know she was coming to Musikfest. Sometimes, things just lined up perfectly and it seems as if the whole [...]

Musikfest starts today. What is Musikfest? Only the coolest, most awesome 10 days of music (mostly for free) on the East Coast. Maybe anywhere. If you are in Bethlehem over the next 10 days, maybe check out one of performers below. Or just get some of those wonderful Musikfest money-tickets, buy a 22 ounce beer and POLKA all night long!!! Either way, look for The Duke, The Duchess and Duke Jr. to be traipsing around the 'fest. To get you excited, I made this mix of mp3s [...]
L ate yesterday evening I got a phone call from my former Allister bandmate Scottie (currently of The Get Go ) and we were discussing our plans for band practice tomorrow afternoon during which Scottie mentioned something about the practice space being near where Santa's Village was in a rented storage unit that Allister used to practice in. Huh? He didn't have an address or know anything other than "It is right next to Santa's Village in Dundee." Brilliant and typical. So typical of the old Allister days. Now I actually have to [...]

If I could blame one man for making my record collection swell, it would be Vin Scelsa. Host of Sirius' "Vin Scelsa's Idiots Delight". The best show on any radio, any where. Vin's Wiki. Here are seven artists/bands Vin has introduced me to this year. Eilen Jewell ~ Where They Never Say Your Name The Avett Brothers ~ Die Die Die Kelly Flint ~ Blood and Bone Nathan ~ [...]

I've been sitting on the new Eilen Jewell record for what seems like months. It's release date is still a ways off (July 17 on Signature Sounds ), but I can't hold my peace any longer. Eilen Jewell's self released debut literally stopped me in my tracks . Her new record Letters From Sinners & Strangers is a mix of smoky ballads and up tempo, nearly western-swing country. "Where They Never Say Your Name" is a good mix of these two styles, it shows the strength of Eilen's voice [...]

Eilen Jewell's joined in on the fun with this report from SXSW. For a very short time Eilen Jewell ( here ) was one of the best unsigned acts in the country. Then the great New England folk label Signature Sounds decided to pick up distribuion of her self released disc, then they wised up and signed her to a full fledged contract. Her new record, Letters From Sinners and Strangers , is due out in June. Here's a great video of the band. And here's her song "Back [...]