
On the canvas of my mind, I paint the summerself as a towheaded Tom Sawyer, barefoot and fancy free. And though I cannot see into the infinite minds that share my world, it's healthy, I think, to imagine that we all recreate our childhoods as such. But there was little point in going unshod in my suburban childhood. A walk meant pavement, not sidewalks, and on the street, the threat of broken glass or ancient gravel shards was everpresent. Even our own backyard was sparse and prickly, [...]

James Jackson Toth I like artists who sound a little like a lot of people but always like themselves. James Jackson Toth fits that category: he sounds at once like himself but at times like Tanya Tucker, Jim Ford, Tommy Bolin, Keef Hartley Band, Peter Ivers Band, Throbbing Gristle, Rusty & Doug Kershaw, Vietnam Veterans, Conway Twitty, George Brigman, Buff Medways, Violent Femmes, Alex Chilton, Ron Wood, John Carpenter, Bobby Womack, Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan, Roxy Music, Souled American, Junior Kimbrough, Godz, Fushitsusha, Dead Moon and Black Oak Arkansas (all of whom [...]

We're going through some exciting times here at Cover Lay Down. Just yesterday we announced a thrilling new partnership with Philly folk artist Denison Witmer ; today, I'm thrilled to be kicking off a week-long exploration of Dylan Covers over at Star Maker Machine , where I am proud to be a regular contributor. So far, covers have included everything from Manfred Mann to U2 to Sonic Youth, not to mention not one but two Jimi Hendrix covers, neither one of which is the one you're thinking of; not a bad early mix [...]

Now that my email inbox is finally back to ground zero, it's time to take a look at the best of the recent crop of shiny plastic that has once again begun to pile up beside the alumni mags and kitchen counter catalogues. Here's the top tier, some new releases and a handful of exclusive, previously unblogged covers from three well-respected singer-songwriters still on the cusp of full-blown fame: Mark Erelli , Carrie Rodriguez , and Eilen Jewell's new country gospel project The Sacred Shakers . Regular reader of [...]

Some of my all time favorite records over the last decade or five have been gospel influenced, which is strange because I'm actually indifferent about the traditional genre known as "Gospel Music". Whether it's Johnny Cash singing gospel hymns or Gordon Gano hashing through his religious beliefs or even Iris Dement's small little gospel record she released five years back, these albums with their celebration of life complete with all it's ups and downs are very attractive to me. One of the new era gospel records I have been looking forward to is the one being put [...]