Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By FYI: I'm going to take a break next weekend from writing the blog post. I'm exhausted--I'm worried about finding a job, and it's affected what little mental health I had, so I'm going to rest next weekend. So, the next thing for the blog will be in two weeks--I'll do both the blog post and the podcast then. Leatherbag, "Tennessee" (I got permission from

3/28/08 Come April 17th, Randy "Leatherbag" Reynolds, will be releasing his new album, Love and Harm with a show at the Cactus Cafe. If you've had the opportunity to catch any recent Leatherbag shows, than you're probably prepared for the eclectic sweep of the album, everything from banjo ballads to pure Sixties pop jangle to gritty garage rockers. Yet even given the wide range, Reynolds is also a heavy-handed editor when it comes to honing his own music, and this fantastic track didn't make the cut for the upcoming release. Leatherbag has, however, allowed us to [...]

If you've been reading a while then you'll know how much we like Leatherbag around here. Love Me Like the Devil stood head and shoulders above most of what we heard last year and we really struggled to choose one song to post for our list of 2007 favourites. And the good news is that Mr. Randy Reynolds is releasing a new album, Love and Harm, in April. The sound has filled out and there are more upbeat songs, with a definite Velvet Underground/Dylan feel running through the album. It could be just the thing [...]

This is the second showcase we'll be a part of at SXSW! We already announced our participation with Bloodshot Records SXSW 2008 Showcase on Friday at Yard Dog. On Wednesday, we'll also be a sponsor at Go Entertainment's SXSW 2008 Showcase at Scoot Inn. They have a great mix of bands full rock and roll, some singer-songwriter, and a dash of twang. I don't think this is the final schedule, so don't hold us to it. Leatherbag and a few other bands were added since this schedule was released. You can sample the [...]
This one is for Martin. So I felt the need to redeem myself since I've been posting somewhat "poppy" artist as of late. Now just to clarify below I said the song 'sewn' was in my head but not that I particularly appreciated the fact that it was in my head. So let's get on with new/old better things. Leatherbag isn't new this year to the folk world but he is new to me. Some of you may already know of him since songs:illinois posted about him back in March of 2007. [...]

We debated about whether or not to publish an end of year list, but we couldn't resist. As we've both said before, Lonesome is a bit like a published version of the kind of chat we'd have anyway, so here we are to share it with you. So picture us all down the pub, (two pints of Guinness, please), and take this list as our way of asking "have you heard this?". Catherine Howe - What a Beautiful Place Easily the most listened to in the car, for the [...]

Hey Austin, no one cares about Arkansas State. The game will be over in the 1st Quarter. Get yourself over to the Scoot Inn as soon as possible on Saturday for the First Annual Austin Sound Off. Here's the word: AustinSound.net is celebrating its one year anniversary with the first annual Austin Sound Off Festival , an all-day party at the Scoot Inn with some of our favorite local bands and bloggers. On tap to peform are Golden Bear, Peel, Brazos, Black Before Red, Leatherbag, The Black, Sunset, Charles Potts Magic Windmill [...]

Looking at the photographs on the inside of the CD, it takes a lot of musicians to help make Leatherbag (him in the photo) to make music this sparse. Leatherbag play with the slow motion of an acoustic Codeine, bringing to mind Spain's magnificent first album with added Nebraska / Tom Joad Springsteen, a little Spiritualized, the sparsity of Plush's More becomes you , more than a touch of early Dylan and the pacing of early Red House Painters . 'Cellos wheeze, guitars strum and you'll think 'I've [...]

The online Austin music-centric blog, Austin Sounds , has just put together it's first sampler. They've purposefully stayed away from both the bigger indie bands and the breaking indie bands. With 1500 groups currently calling Austin home they still had plenty to choose from. For Songs:Illinois readers I thought that Leatherbag , whose new record just came out on SuperPopRecords , had all the elements that my readers might like. If only I knew what those were. Anyway on "Sister" lead singer Randy Reynolds channels Bob Dylan's nasally drawl but [...]