Vinyl Musings
Gary U.S. Bonds threatened to fade into obscurity after a brief run of hits in the early '60s before Bruce Springsteen resuscitated Bonds' career twenty years after its heyday by pairing him with the E Street Band. The E Street Band was firing on all cylinders when they went into the studio with Bonds and… Continue reading Now Spinning: Gary U.S. Bonds – On The Line
Recorded live during the height of the San Francisco rock scene at the historic Fillmore West, this album captures the magical collaborative spirit that represents the best of the late sixties San Francisco scene. Starting with the front cover, no specific artist is credited, with all the musicians who performed listed along with concert photos… Continue reading Now Spinning: Live at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West
After Delaney & Bonnie ended their marriage and band in 1973, Bonnie Bramlett launched an all too short-lived solo career that despite a lack of attention or acclaim, produced three albums culminating with this sorely overlooked southern soul classic, It's Time. Fairly or not, Delaney & Bonnie are often best remembered for who joined their… Continue reading Now Spinning: Bonnie Bramlett – It’s Time
Blaze Foley, affectionately referred to as the Duct Tape Messiah thanks to his habit of decorating his outfits with duct tape, toiled in near-complete obscurity during his life but recently his music has had a minor renaissance moment due to a growing underground buzz, with popular culminating in 2018 with the Ethan Hawke-produced biopic, Blaze.… Continue reading Now Spinning: Blaze Foley – Duct Tape Messiah
Though The Byrds music was consistently centered around Roger McGuinn's jangly 12-string guitar and folky voice supported by pristine harmonies, few bands can rival their musical creativity, as they jumped between genres and band lineups with ease, spearheading the development of folk rock, psychedelia and country rock. Perhaps there was just too much talent in… Continue reading Now Spinning: The Byrds Sanctuary III
The words above were spoken by Dom Flemons describing his musical approach during his Sunday afternoon set at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, but could just as easily serve as the mantra for the festival itself. Having just wrapped up its 58th year, the longest continuously running festival in the country offers a diverse lineup of… Continue reading Philadelphia Folk Festival: Building the Future by Learning from the Past
Inexplicably never released on CD or MP3, this live album finds one of bluegrass' most seminal and innovative groups performing a largely career retrospective set in 1981. The Osborne Brothers are most famous for their quirky bluegrass hit 'Rocky Top' (performed in all its frantic glory here), which has been covered by everyone from Dillard… Continue reading Now Spinning: Bluegrass Spectacular Featuring The Osborne Brothers
