From Matthew Perryman Jones ' excellent Land of the Living album comes this rather haunting Jeff Wilson-directed video for "Stones From the Riverbed". And below that, in case you missed it, check the superb duet "Anymore of This" with Matthew and Mindy Smith. Only a one-off, but we're hoping for more. Please. [...]

As we noted late last week in The Year's Best Coverfolk, Vol. 1: Tribute Albums and Cover Compilations , it’s been a reasonably good year for full-album coverage. But although tracks from tributes continue to overwhelm singletons in my collection, as in previous years, a significant majority of the songs that lingered came from a mixed bag of borderline genre albums and single shot coverfolk releases, via the usual sources: YouTube and Soundcloud, in-studio sessions, website and bandcamp singles, full folk albums, and more. That we continue to find so much of our favorite coverage of [...]

It's official. The world now knows what we've all known for a long time; Nashville has a fantastic music scene beyond mainstream country such as T-Swift and our more radio-friendly rock friends like Jack White, The Black Keys, and Kings of Leon. And now there's a carefully curated iTunes playlist that you can share with friends to prove how nationally viable your local taste happens to be! So get ready to both be validated and (admit it) a little annoyed when your favorite local indie act breaks it big! The complete list [...]
Friday fun: ► Maximo Park rolled in with the second wave of British post-punk bands last decade, and the quintet shows on its fourth album, "The National Health" (which came out in June), that it's still at the top of its game. They visit the El Rey Theatre tonight, supported by the Neighbourhood and Zambri. That's Maximo park's video for "Hips and Lips," above. Go ahead, try it at home. ► Austin rockers the Bright Light Social Hour roar into the Bootleg Theater, supported by Wake Up Lucid [...]
While you get psyched for the XPoNential Fest this weekend, check out some of these awesome shows happening tonight: A hot new band from Chicago who call themselves Gold Motel have been playing together for three years creating vivacious indie pop sounds for your summer playlist. Tonight they play at North Star Bar along with ... Continue reading

With Easter approaching, here's a third mix of songs that relate in some way or another to the Christian faith, following the Saved! 1 and Saved! 2 mixes. The first drew from verious ages and genres of music, the second comprised soul musicians doing God music. This lot comes from rock, folk, country and indie backgrounds. Some artists featured here are devout believers, some are sceptics, some are people one wouldn't necessarily have down as being even remotely religious (Cave, Waits). Most are original songs, a few are covers (for example, Wilco covers Woody [...]
I hope that you all have recovered from Coachella weekend, or whatever else you did last weekend. I'm sure you went to plenty of shows... But you aren't sick of them, are you? Good. Thursday, April 21st OFF!, Culture Kids, Ecoli at Eagle Tavern This LA punk rock super group consists of Keith Morris of [...]

My maternal grandfather was a huge Frank Sinatra fan: one of my most powerful memories of him, in fact, is of my grandparents dancing in their Florida living room, strangely graceful and oblivious to the watching world, their wistful smiles and laugh lines framing faces aglow with an otherwise unseen affection, the swell of strings and Sinatra's voice pouring from the record player like a fog. A year later, they would give up the house, move North, and start their relatively short decline towards death, but it's here where I would remember them best: gliding in rare partnership, recapturing a lifetime I can only imagine. [...]

One of my favorite Christmas themes is homecoming. The concentrated call for togetherness, whether wistful or wanton, is tied tightly to the seasonal trend towards family and friends, the desire for closeness around hearth and heart, a ward against the chill and the commercialism. The intimacy that results - just us and the tree, or perhaps the crowd brought into the home - frames a set of a songs that celebrate being home, or express a longing for it, depending on the narrative stance. But in all cases, the motif [...]

You may not recognize the name Jim Sampas, but true-blue coverfans know his work: as the guiding light behind two of the decade's strongest album-centered tribute albums - turn-of-the-century alt-country-to-popfolk Springsteen tribute Badlands and 2005 indie Beatles tribute This Bird Has Flown - the producer has made an unparalleled mark on the evolving world of coverage. In the past year, Sampas has started new label ReImagine Music as a vehicle for his ongoing pursuit of all things coverage, and his first solo project, Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan's 'Bringing It All [...]

I first came across Mindy Smith back when Tower Records was still around. I remember they had a shelf labeled Artists to Watch For and Smith was described as having a voice like that of Emmylou Harris. That was all that I needed to hear… I picked up her debut album, One Moment More, and it didn’t leave my CD player for a good few weeks. Smith released her third album, Stupid Love, last year and although it seemed that she was headed towards a more pop direction, her sense of longing remained. There’s something about [...]
We’ve had a blast taking over The Vinyl District this week. To leave our mark and part on good terms, we’d like to share some of our recent and upcoming artists with you all… Myspace | Facebook | Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - A (With Love) (Mp3) Shady Esperanto And The Young ... [...]
She might be better known today for her flamboyant style, plastic surgery excesses and dumb blond stage persona, but before she became a pop-culture caricature, Dolly Parton was a tremendous singer, under-rated songwriter and country music ambassador to the world. By the age of 13, Parton had already been signed to a label and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and was well on her way to being dubbed the "Queen of Country Music". To date, she has 25 number-one singles and a record 41 top-10 country albums. Along with classics like "Coat of [...]
Coachella was announced today. Pretty good. Pretty much on the other side of the state. And four months away. Musicians work far more often than that. Why don't you seen them cold and indoors? Sorry that I don't have Grace Jones to offer you, but here are other things! Wednesday, January 20th Winston Tong, The Grave Brothers [...]
You can finally exhale: here are my top 20 albums of 2009. Apart from the two top spots, the order is rather random. Ask me in ten minutes’ time, and Grizzly Bear or M. Ward might sit at number 3 and 4. I’ve put sample tracks of each album on a mix; the song titles appear at the end each abstract. . 1. Richard Hawley - Truelove’s Gutter I didn't expect Hawley to top [...]
While the hype machine forever proclaims this or that new artist to be "unique," "original," or "a fresh new voice," most of the time what you hear is more of the same old, same old. Thus, it is a rare joy to hear a newcomer that actually qualifies as all of the above. Mindy Smith fits loosely in the alt-country genre but adds some distinctive touches that set her apart from the field. A
I might be a little bit in love with Mindy Smith so hopefully that doesn't disappoint. I put Passion Pit 's vinyl release in there just cause Sean loves them so much. And someone please tell me why I should even try with the new Thrice release. They haven't been interesting to me since Artist in the Ambulance . Why do people still love them? :: Anna Ternheim , Leaving On a Mayday (Verve Forecast) :: Behemoth , Evangelion [...]
In possession of a lovely crystalline voice that can easily impart both innocence and vulnerablity, Mindy Smith has quietly but assuredly emerged as one of our finest singer songwriters. Crafting songs that dig deep into relationships, heartbreak and the wisdom gleaned from the emotional experience, the Long Island born Nashville resident returns August 11 with her fourth album Stupid Love . Since the release of her debut One Moment More in 2004, Smith has quickly joined the upper echelons of female folk/pop performers, winning critical praise as well as Best New [...]
With a lovely crystalline voice that can easily impart both innocence and vulnerablity, Mindy Smith has quietly but assuredly emerged as one of our finest singer songwriters. Crafting songs that dig deep into relationships, heartbreak and the wisdom gleaned from the emotional experience, the Long Island born Nashville resident returns with her fourth album Stupid Love for an August 11 street. Since the release of her debut One Moment More in 2004, Smith has quickly joined the upper echelons of female folk/pop performers, winning critical praise as well [...]