Edmonton Folk Music Festival- Bluegrass, Old-time, ‘Grassicana, 2023

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival lineup always delivers, and while their definition of folk music is a bit more liberal than mine, I’ve never come away from this meticulously organized festival disappointed. Yes, sometimes the crowd ‘gets’ to me, but almost always the diverse music presented more than makes up for my failures as a…

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Rodney Rice, Rodney Rice review

Rodney Rice Rodney Rice RodneyRice.com Rodney Rice has a way with rhythm and rhyme. He has been writing and singing for quite some time, but I only first encountered him in 2020 with his SAME SHIrT, DIFFERENT DAY release, one of my favourites of that memorable year. That twelve-track album is, in retrospect, even stronger…

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Robbie Fulks- Bluegrass Vacation review

Robbie Fulks Bluegrass Vacation Compass Records Bluegrass Vacation was one of the most highly anticipated roots albums of the year ever since word started leaking that Robbie Fulks was going full-bluegrass on his next album. Okay, maybe only in my house. The Americana Outcast has been delivering spellbinding albums since the late 90s, but has…

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Mike Tod- Mike Tod review

Mike Tod Mike Tod LP MikeTod.com I initially ignored the PR email touting Mike Tod’s album. The information was so sparse I had little reason to explore the barebones download-only files—no notes, no credits, and as minimal a bio as I’ve seen. Nudged by a follow-up, a bit of internet sleuthing led me to learn…

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Steve Dawson- Eyes Closed, Dreaming review

Steve Dawson Eyes Closed, Dreaming Black Hen Music Multi-instrumentalist Steve Dawson’s third release within a year, Eyes Closed, Dreaming may just be the strongest album of the British Columbia-Nashville artist’s lengthy career, and I don’t say that lightly. While the majority of Dawson’s many albums have seen him feature original compositions more frequently than covers,…

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Larry Sparks- It’s Just Me review

Larry Sparks It’s Just Me Rebel Records Imagine, if you will: Larry Sparks stops in at your home one evening, and following a friendly chat over a cup of fresh coffee, he pulls out his aged flattop and starts playing songs. Dream no more, my bluegrass and Americana friends. Larry Sparks does just that—minus the…

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Ian Jones- Results Not Typical review

Ian Jones Results Not Typical IanJonesMusic.com “…I gathered all my courage,I walked up to you and wanted you to danceAnd you walked out in front of me,straight out that door before I got the chance…”  “You’re Gone” Results Not Typical, smooth-voiced, Pacific Northwest troubadour Ian Jones’ debut* recording is not what one necessarily expects to…

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Favourite Roots Albums of Quarter 1, 2023

I’ve encountered some really great roots music these first three months of 2023, and thought I would feature some of the finest as my Favourites of the First Quarter. They are not necessarily in position order from 1 to 12, but they could be… Iris DeMent- Workin’ On A World It has been too many…

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Chris and Sally Jones, Dead Ends Live, Edmonton March 18, 2023

A rare opportunity to see and hear members of the bluegrass family playing an intimate duo gig this evening. DeadEnds Live, a two-day fest of Grateful Dead-related music in downtown Edmonton, made its second appearance this weekend, and all reports from those in attendance were that it was incredible. I managed to convince myself to…

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The Burnt Pines- Don’t Look Down review

The Burnt Pines Don’t Look Down TheBurntPines.com  “Sex and lies make it snow,A burning house behind us…” I’m not exactly sure how those words from “Angels and Violence” work together poetically, but a rather stark image is created within my little mind, one that stuck with me during my (many) visits to The Burnt Pines…

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