Promoting my new online single ‘O Palestine’, a collaboration with my son Tyler (beatboxer The Wiz-RD) on which I play all the instruments — except for the beatboxing. Recorded with the great Charlie Hart, I’m releasing it as the clock ticks inexorably towards the unforgivable second anniversary of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, in two days’ time, and as Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be doing all in his power to wreck the “Peace Plan” pushed by Donald Trump. I hope you appreciate th...| Andy Worthington
One would presume a music festival called AmericanaFest would feature great acts from the United States. And that was certainly true at this year’s event, held in Nashville from September 9–13. But, surprisingly, some of the best music came from artists from other countries. That shouldn’t be a shock. Americana music, like the U.S. itself,| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
How do you follow up winning the Northern Ireland Music Prize Album of the year with your debut release? Problem Patterns’ Blouse Club stormed the 2024 awards and they have been garnering a lot of attention since, both locally, national and internationally since. Air play on Radio 6 Music, appearances at Glastonbury and high-profile support […] The post Problem Patterns – Boring Songs for Boring People appeared first on Chordblossom.| Chordblossom
Someone once said that the only good thing to come out of Lurgan was the train to Belfast; they obviously had never encountered the Bonnevilles, a band that are synonymous with high energy, in-your-face blues/punk/garage/thrash; one thing is for certain, Andrew McGibbon Jr on guitar and Christopher McMullan on drums know how to make noise […] The post The Bonnevilles – Age of Monsters appeared first on Chordblossom.| Chordblossom
Apologies for the non-folk horror content today, but to be fair, I have written previously about Matt Berry’s music in a folk horror context, so please indulge me while I review his latest release, the excellent Heard Noises (also, I asked the Folk Horror Police for permission to post this, and they said yes). When […]| The Harvest Maid’s Revenge
One of the toughest things audiophiles must face is the reality that some of their favorite music hasn’t been recorded perfectly. If you are used to listening to beautifully executed modern recordings, many of the great old tunes sound pretty rough in comparison. Recently, my designer friend and I have been experimenting with replacing his| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
A review of the book “Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run,” plus critiques of two new reggae CDs from luminous performers.| By Jeff Burger
After months of searching off the beaten path for musical gems, I’ve distilled this 13-song, 52-minute playlist that includes tunes from alternative, singer-songwriter, house, folk, indie pop, and world categories. The order follows the sequence that I would play it if it were on my Fringe Toast radio show. To listen to full free tracks,| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
The first-ever Iowa City Songwriters Festival (September 4-6) was something worth singing about. The event brought together nationally known artists such as Jeff Tweedy and Joy Oladokun with local musicians like Dave Moore and Deb Talan and up-and-coming songwriters including Ken Pomeroy and Margo Cilker to celebrate the craft of songwriting through thoughtful talks and| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Back in 1980 I was in an art-punk-new-wave band with my graduate school professors Jim and Jo Hockenhull along with fellow MFA student Charlie Nathan. We called ourselves Zuzu. Who or what was Zuzu? I can’t really say, it just sounded like a good band name. Jim and I wrote the tunes, mostly songs about […] The post Long live Zuzu! appeared first on Troll Art.| Troll Art
Reviews: Box sets collects work of England’s Pale Fountains and Kinks, plus the Feelies, and Kissing Other Ppl.| By Jeff Burger
The Iowa City Songwriters Festival (ICSF), an intimate three-day music festival centered around the craft of songwriting, premieres September 4–6 at the Englert Theatre and other small venues in downtown Iowa City. Showcasing world-class songwriters through cozy performances, the festival has a stellar lineup that includes Jeff Tweedy, Courtney Marie Andrews, Loudon Wainwright III, and| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Community choirs are one of the simplest, most joyful means available to turn strangers into neighbors. These choirs lift moods, tune bodies into a shared rhythm, and give every participant a front-row seat to the miracle of harmony. As composer John Rutter says, “Choral singing is not a frill—it’s the heart of our humanity." Walk into a| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Reviews: Counting Crows delivers its first full-length studio album in more than a decade, plus Freedy Johnston and Mike Henderson.| By Jeff Burger
Hinterland did not just grow this year—it exploded. The festival grounds in St. Charles, Iowa, tripled in size, stretching over 1 million square feet and 250 acres, with more of everything: water stations, shade, camping, parking, and creature comforts. But the real headline at the August 1–3 event was . . . well, the headliners.| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
After a long wait, the Belfast-based quartet’s eponymous debut EP arrives with a clatter. Following on from two tremendous support| Chordblossom
Lizzie No is both a musician and a political activist, and she doesn’t see a difference be-tween these roles. The job of the artist is to help people see their place in the world more clearly. As a queer Black woman and a self-described communist working in the larger white folk-country-Americana field, Lizzie No understands| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
A beloved figure in the gaming world, Walter Day of Fairfield is the subject of a new movie, Arcades & Love Songs: The Ballad of Walter Day, now streaming worldwide. The founder of Twin Galaxies, an organization that tracks world records for video games and conducts electronic-gaming promotions, Day was dubbed the “Father of eSports”| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Jackie Venson was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and still lives there. Her music incorporates many of the diverse genres (blues, soul, rock, hip-hop, electronica) that have found a home in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” as the town’s official slogan proclaims. She said the Midwest is more responsible for the growth| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
I didn’t know I cared about jazz. Sure, I’d gotten caught in a “Heavenly” Harry Connick Jr. wave in the early ’90s—my teenage self swooned over his velvety voice and big-band sound—but it wasn’t until 1996, when a crew of chain-smoking college-age hipsters invited me to their poker game that jazz began to rewire my| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by blacksmithing - specifically, the process of smithing a sword. I think| Chordblossom
Drew and Ellie Holcomb have been married for almost 20 years and, for the most part, they have kept their musical identities separate. While Ellie began as a backup singer with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors in 2008, she launched her own successful career as a Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) performer. She has won several| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Every day is a holiday. Don’t believe me (or Katy Perry’s 2015 hit)—you can check for yourself. Just log on to your computer and ask what we commemorate today (or whenever). There’s always something being celebrated by someone somewhere. Most people know that February is the month of Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and even Groundhog| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Let’s get one thing straight: Susi Pagel isn’t here to blend in. Belfast’s reigning pink pop princess has just unleashed| Chordblossom
While some artists are satisfied circling the shadows, TRAMP are poised front and centre, flaunting Bimbofication. Their sound is perplexing| Chordblossom
David Gilmour visits 1973 early in the set with a crowd-pleasing trio of "Speak to Me", "Breath (In the Air)", and "Time" from The Dark Side of the Moon.| PopMatters
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” —William Shakespeare The band Silverada is best known as Mike and the Moonpies, the former name under which the group recorded and toured for some 20 years. Country music critics consider it one of the best live| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
Winona Fighter is a power punk trio from Nashville that features frontwoman Chloe Kinnon on vocals, Dan Fuson on guitar, and Austin Luther on bass. The band enjoys a reputation for high-energy shows. Whether the group performs for 20,000 people, as at their recent opening gig for the Offspring, or at a small rock club| Iowa Source - Iowa's Enlightening Magazine
You don’t have to be a jerk to be an apologist. In fact, if you’re being a jerk, you’re not doing apologetics in a biblical way.| Timothy Paul Jones
Why do atheists see the problems of evil as such a problem for Christians? And is the problem of evil really as problematic as some atheists seem to think? Those are a few of the many questions that Timothy explores in this episode with Mary Jo Sharp. A former atheist who’s now a faithful follower of […] The post Mary Jo Sharp: A Former Atheist Looks at the Problem of Evil + “One of Us” (Joan Osborne) appeared first on Timothy Paul Jones.| Timothy Paul Jones
