​Paul Cauthen (from the album Book of Paul available on Velvet Rose Records/Thirty Tigers) (by Danny McCloskey)

Describing Book of Paul, his recent release, Paul Cauthen lists the activities of a lifetime spent living. Beginning the song on the lines ‘I've cussed, I've drank, I've kicked the lights out. I've toked, I've coked, I blew the house down’, referencing ‘dancing with the devil with a bible in my hand’, and summing up the results as ‘wined and dined, plenty of fines, ruined hotel rooms’, he shows off the song as an audio photo album cataloging night-time crawls. Paul Cathen puts his actions into the good and bad decisions of the chorus, singing out about ‘black-label nights and red-label mornings. Wrongs and the rights keep writing the stories. Lessons and curses, chapters and verses, if you want the truth of it all, well, it's all in the Book of Paul’. The words of the tune are delivered by the deep, resonating voice of a man born to preach his gospel while “Book of Paul” (the song) sets the standard for the album bearing the same name.

As in his nature, Paul Cauthen delivers Book of Paul with Country Music as a code rather than a genre. He proudly points the way towards a future for the style that is more encompassing of all views, and the ways of presenting the music. On a rhythmic rumble, Paul Cauthen spells out his “Texas Swagger” while he tenderly pens a promise into “Road Dog”. He struts to a revolving drum beat wearing the skin of a “Dark Horse” and hammers out a groove for forced incarceration in “Breakaway” as he slows his musical horse to a trot for the working man beat of “Blue Denim & Black Gold”. 
Part of his appeal is Paul Cauthen’s faith in the sound he has branded. Full commitment in words and music. Friends stop by to lend voices to the album when Delaney Ramsdell joins in “Chain Smoking” and Jake Worthington for the funky groove of “Tossin’ Back Time”. Traveling a “Texas Gravel Road”, Book of Paul dances on a triphammer beat as Paul Cauthen follows a train whistle, using the rhythm of the rails for the rhythms of “Ain’t Now Crime” before exiting the album on the ambient musical bed that cradles “The Voice Inside (Silence)”. (by Danny McCloskey)
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​Joe Pernice (from the album Sunny, I Was Wrong available on New West Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
The common ground for the multiple projects he has been involved in is Joe Pernice, and his ability to craft perfect Pop songs in the Alt Country, Folk Rock, and Americana genres. From the Scud Mountain Boys, The Pernice Brothers, Chappaquiddick Style, and Big Tobacco, Joe Pernice has guided each project with tasteful tunes. He returns with a solo effort, Sunny, I Was Wrong, featuring a long list of fellow artists, including Aimee Mann (solo, ‘Til Tuesday) Rodney Crowell, Jimmy Webb, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), and Mike Belitsky (The Sadies), who join him in the studio for the project.

The album opens with revolving rhythms when Sunny, I Was Wrong suggests an exit from his personal living space, a plan that promise better days, with “Peace in Our Home”. Doo-Wop-style harmonies ooh and ahh behind Joe Pernice when he questions “Is It Serious” while he layers on a full-frontal arrangement to pointedly issue warnings and pleas for “If You Go Back to California”. 
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Sunny, I Was Wrong uses sugary Pop melodies when the album juggles a balance in extremes for “The Black and the Blue” while slow strums quiet the rhythms in “I’d Rather Look Away” as he welcomes The Pernice Brothers in for the title track. Sunny, I Was Wrong slowly strums rhythms when he is joined by Aimee Mann for “Deep into the Dawn”, verifying “It Won’t Be Me” alongside Rodney Crowell before exiting the album as his voice rises above the acoustic guitar bed that supports the memories in “It Got Away from Me”. (by Danny McCloskey)
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​The Builders and The Butchers (from the album No Tomorrow available on Badman Recording Company) (by Danny McCloskey)
The rumble of “World’s on Fire” rolls like a wagon wheel when The Builders and The Butchers open No Tomorrow by steering the song into the first track spot on their recent album release. Soft acoustics are the bed for “Fire in the Sky” as cacophonous beats and electric blasts accent the melodies when No Tomorrow strums caffeinated guitar strums for the fears-based questions and inspirational answers in “A Wall/A Fire”. 
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Beginning their career as a band, The Builders and The Butchers began busking around their Portland, Oregon homebase. Early shows included house concerts and setting up to play anywhere that people gathered. Dubbed ‘white knuckle Americana’ by Stephen Thompson (NPR), The Builders and The Butchers shake, rattle, and roll the rhythms of No Tomorrow with a full band force of both acoustic and electric instruments. A musical march holds “Bad Blood” in its grasp as “Rise My Son” rides an electric rumble encouraged on by a defiant banjo groove. An effervescent drumbeat wraps around the distorted hum in “Cold Fire Hymn” while the plaintive cries of “Save Me” are supported by the consistent beat from the band’s rhythmic blasts. Picking out a front porch jam, No Tomorrowwhispers a request to “Mother Mary” and walks with a confident stride across “Blood/Death” while The Builders and The Butchers relate the tale of living life as a “One-Winged Bird”. (by Danny McCloskey)
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​Odd Marshall (from the album Seconds available on Odd Marshall Music) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
An audio warning label is affixed to Seconds, the recent release from Odd Marshall, when a simple one-word caution is administered in the first track on the album. “Run” arrives on a determined beat that courses underneath a tale that demands action by fanning the flames of fear; finger-pointing one liners that spare no feelings as they paint ‘you better run motherfucker, run motherfucker run’ in big letters that speak of action. An edgy rhythm drives the questions of “Somebody New” as a gentle breeze groove carries a traveling man, drawn like a moth to flame with lustful wishes and a hefty backbeat that propels the choices of a youth growing into manhood with “Wreck Your Life (For Rock’n’Roll)”.
Eight unique stories add words and music to the song roster on Seconds, the recent release from Odd Marshall. The after-dark sagas that live in Seconds are driven by a soundtrack that mixes Rock’n’Roll, Americana, and Folk Rock. Produced and mixed by Roger Stevens and Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon), who lend guitar work to a backing band that includes Rami Jaffe (Foo Fighters) on keyboards and Mathias Schneeberger (The Afghan Whigs) on clavinet. A sense of urgency fuels the undertow groove that thrusts “Way Out” forward as Seconds slowly unravels the rhythms of “Hold Me Together” and confidently strides across “On My Way”. Heading out of the album on a high-step, Odd Marshall exits bidding a goodbye on a Southern Rock blast for “Outta Here”. (by Danny McCloskey)
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​Sons of Town Hall (from the album Of Ghosts and Gods available as a self-release) (by Bryant Liggett)
Don’t be fooled by the size. The duo Sons of Town Hall are in fact a pair, but they remain a pair that can prove less is more as David Berkely and Ben Parker do a lot with a little. Lush, layered, and warm, Of Ghosts and Gods is a dramatic release that dabbles in sea shanty Folk and on-the-road acoustics, a record that’s plays as both a score and a concept album.

There’s the album opener, “Gods”, a ballad that begins with piano before the orchestral elements gently stroll in, setting a tone that’s soft and floating. The Sea Shanty Folk comes alive via “How to Build a Boat”, Sons of Town Hall’s vocals coming off as both dramatic and dire, singing instructions for building a boat, conveying escape by singing ‘we’ll break free, this time’. File under Folk but this is so much more, heard in a cut like “Whalebone” where their brand of Folk comes with a subtle push to a world that’s hauntingly Psychedelic. “The Rocky Shores of England” feature lovely harmonies scatted more than sung, and “Antarctica” is glorious in its gradual growth, the two voices of Berkeley and Parker expanding to a full choir. 
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A quick listen might reveal simplicity, but the layered vocals and sly instrumentational fills reveal more. “Mutiny” returns to that seafaring vibe while a line like ‘all I need is the open road and my banjo, I’ll be fine’ from “In My Arms Once More” shows off a catch a ride road cut. Of Ghosts and Gods is an album of surprises, a warm dose of experimental Folk that will play to the side of you that digs on literature as much as lyrics. It’s simple; the more you listen, the more you’ll like. (by Bryant Liggett)
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​Ed Alstrom (from the album This Idea of Humanity… available as a self-release) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Stomping Rock’n’Soul fuel the soundtrack for This Idea of Humanity…, the recent release from NYC-based Bluesman Ed Alstrom. He claims his heritage when Ed Alstrom strides into “All I’m Gonna Do” with a plan of ‘all I gonna do is play The Blues’. A mighty rhythm creates the full-force current that courses through “Party Planner” when Jimmy Vivino steps up to join Ed Alstrom at the microphone. A stuttering groove supports the advice of “Nothing Good to Say” and a caffeinated beat percolates underneath the confessions, and the frenetic piano playing. of “Got to Stop”. 
 
In addition to his role as head honcho for This Idea of Humanity… Ed Alstrom is piano master, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and songwriter for the album. He spends summers at Yankee Stadium in his role as organist for the games. Scratchy guitar notes peal back the door the opens into the late-night groove of “The Way Back” while “Worry” cruises on a skittering rhythm and “So Hard” hammers out an ode to minimum wage heroes. Ed Alstrom immerses himself in vintage Blues for the modern era with This Idea of Humanity… slowly wrapping the rhythms around the observations on “Humans”; striding down the aisle with a shimmy and a sway to sing a song for the “Bridesmaid”. Piano boogie opens up the album when Ed Alstrom vows to “Put You First” while the beat smooths out to a Jazz patter for the tale in “Blues Keeps Coming Back” and slows to a steady marching rhythm to offer some “Understanding”. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
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​Ashley Monroe (from the album Dear Nashville available on Mountainrose Sparrow) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Titling her latest release Dear Nashville, Ashley Monroe kicks off the album with an open letter in “I Hate Nashville”. The track, and the album, are themed by Ashley Monroe’s 23-year love/hate relationship with Music City. Co-produced, and co-written, with Luke Laird, Dear Nashville airs the constant questions circling in the head of a career musician when it asks “What Are We” as a low rumble of rhythm wraps like a swirling mist surrounding “Haunted”. The slowly unraveling melodies of “Steal” laundry lists a series of characters wandering through the last-night city story as Ashley Monroe finger-points accusations as she takes a seat on the roller-coaster ride of Nashville, Tennessee.
 
The idea for the real-life that became a guiding light for Dear Nashville came from a songwriting session. Ashley Monroe recalled that ‘I had a writing session on the books with Luke and I’d woken up that morning with a storm in my heart, like, ‘my gosh, have I done this all for nothing?’. When I got to Luke's house that day, I knew I had to address my hurt feelings and get it out of my system. I told him the idea of “I Hate Nashville” and he loved it. That song put everything into motion. We felt the window of all the muses open, and decided that I’m going to say what I feel and make it a whole project’.
 
The music hushes underneath the whispered confessions in “Getting’ Out of Hand” as a revolving rhythm cradles “Having It Bad”; Dear Nashville closing its doors on the final track that puts the fears, the insecurity, the hopes, and the faith in her chosen home in “Quittin’”. While the stories revolve around the professional side of the music business, there is a romantic spin in the songs. Ashley Monroe feels that ‘the bottom line of the album is I wish you loved me like I love you’. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
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Selwyn Birchwood (from the album Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues available on Alligator Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
As an overture, Selwyn Birchwood provides a symphonic electric guitar solo for “The Eagle Has Landed”. The track opens, and leads the way, into the title track for The Church of Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues, the latest release from Bluesman. He claims that ‘music is the mission’, setting the standard with the Psychedelic Soul sermon in “The Church of Swamp Funkin’ Electric Blues”. The man behind the guitar speaks/sings troubles that come in the form of bad news for “Should’ve Never Gotten Out of Bed” as he slows the electric guitar riffs to a sizzle that wrap around the inspirational advice of “Soulmate”.
 
On his seventh album release for Alligator Records, Selwyn Birchwood adds another credit to his resume when he comes on board as producer for The Church of Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues, sharing that ‘producing allowed me to really take the wheel and steer the music to the exact destinations that I wanted to go. It allowed me to present these songs with the full, three-dimensional sound that I have wanted all along…sharing songs with this much honesty allows us all to connect to music on a higher level…to feel a little less isolated and a little more ‘seen’ in what can be a hard life at times’. 
 
The studio tracks recorded for the album have the feel of a live show, the songs holding the same force as when his 6’3” frame roams the stage barefoot during performances. His mind wanders when Selwyn Birchwood has a conversation with himself, attempting to work out the hurdles in a long-term relationship with “Labour of Love”. The story spins in real time for “All Hail the Algorithm” as he bares his heart for the unbridled self-assessment honesty of “Damaged Goods”. Recorded in his home state of Florida, The Church of Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues stacks ten tunes from a modern-day Bluesman that masterfully weaves experimentation into tradition. The groove is funky from the first note when he weighs in the current news report sideshow with “Talking Heads”. Selwyn Birchwood strolls and sways on the rhythms asking “What Have I Been Accused Of” before exiting the album speaking of the tribulations of a lifetime lived as a black man in America with “The Struggle is Real”. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
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​Frank Viele (from the E.P. The Silo available as a self-release) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
The Roots run deep in the music of Frank Viele. On the title track (and opening cut) for his recent E.P., The Silo, the soundtrack is ominous. A patter of notes leads the way into song as dark clouds of melody rise above the guiding force of vocals that tell a tall of love containing a similar darkness. Based in Connecticut, Frank Viele strums an Americana that shows its influences as wide as the land they represent while songs build a brand for the singer forged in the passion of his delivery and the drive of his rhythms.
 
While “We Can’t Have It All” seems to spell out a dead end, Frank Viele rescues the story with the inspiration of his words and music. The Silo picks out notes on a lonely church basement piano to begin “She Sleeps Better in the Rain” as the beat steadily ascends with his commanding presence, tenderly whispering its fears in “Better Late Than Too Soon”. Closing out The Silo with a cover, Frank Viele borrows a tune from Bob Seger, slowing the rhythm of “Against the Wind” to a meandering memory played out over a stripped back sound that showcases a man and his guitar. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
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​Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners (from the E.P. Moonshine & Other Spirits available as a self-release) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Rotating rhythms cycle underneath the thoughts of love and mortality that are the topics in the story of “My Baby’s Happy”. Elisa Smith joins Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners on the cut, the E.P. opener for Moonshine & Other Spirits, the recent release from the New England-based band. The Kettle Burners shake, rattle, and roll rhythms underneath the tuneful growl of Kier Byrnes as he sits behind the wheel of a raucous road tune, “Goin’ Down in Style”. 
 
Tentative guitar notes lead the way into the back-alley Gypsy Jazz of “Impossible” while Moonshine & Other Spirits borrows a tune from Tyler Childers for the Rock’n’Roll, The Kettle Burners conjure up for their take of “Whitehouse Road”. Closing out the Moonshine & Other Spirits E.P, Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners make an exit on a frenetic shuffle in “Make Me Wanna Dance (Moonshine Shuffle)”. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
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