It wasn't until I saw the Avett Brothers live that I understood the big fuss surrounding this stripped-down roots band. The recorded songs I liked from 2009's I and You and Love I attributed to Rick Rubin's studio wizardry, not to the magic of two North Carolinian brothers. After giving a good vinyl listen to … Continue reading Concert Review: Avett Brothers at the Cumberland County Civic Center (3.3.14)
Music
Jason Isbell’s “Elephant” is the Best Song of 2013
"She said, 'Andy, you're better than your past' / Winked at me and drained her glass / Cross-legged on the barstool like nobody sits anymore." In these opening lines, Jason Isbell culls his listener with the vivid imagery, authentic voice, and sexual tension that spills from the edges of "Elephant." The words reach out of … Continue reading Jason Isbell’s “Elephant” is the Best Song of 2013
Mumford and Sons Video Injects Humor Into An Earnest Brand
Imagine a world where twenty and thirty-somethings are clad in dusty boots, tight fitting dungarees, suspenders, suit vests, and handle-bar mustaches. A world where bands play in barns with all acoustic instruments, ne'er a synthesizer is to be heard. This, my friends, is what Portlandia calls the Dream of the 1890's. (You really need to … Continue reading Mumford and Sons Video Injects Humor Into An Earnest Brand
Concert Review: Lake Street Dive at the LL Bean Concert Series (7.20.13)
The name Lake Street Dive doesn't exactly invoke classy connotations. The band name makes me think of smoky bars in backwoods towns where shiftless people drink cloudy beer and think shiftless thoughts. The band that hit LL Bean's outdoor stage on Saturday night (7.20.13) was anything but shiftless. With lush, tasteful harmonies, beautiful pop grooves, … Continue reading Concert Review: Lake Street Dive at the LL Bean Concert Series (7.20.13)
Album Review: American Kid, Patty Griffin
We all ache at our own frequency. Maybe it's the suffering Buddhism talks about. Maybe it's Christianity's Original Sin. Maybe it's simply the pain of being on a lone planet in an ever-expanding universe. Whatever you want to call it, the important fact is that it's there at the edge of all our moments of … Continue reading Album Review: American Kid, Patty Griffin
Album Review: Wrote a Song For Everyone, John Fogerty
Tribute albums can be the saddest damn things. Music executives shamelessly trying to squeeze every last gold nugget out of beautiful music. Aging rock stars with plastic faces struggling to hit notes they once reached with ease. Flat duets with a new top ten sensation. Tribute albums reek of the cheap perfume of sloppy nostalgia … Continue reading Album Review: Wrote a Song For Everyone, John Fogerty
Concert Review: Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band Reach New Heights
If you've found yourself on my blog before, then you most likely read the post where I gush over Josh Ritter. Gush might be too minor a word. Lyrically, the guy can ne'er do wrong in my ears. I'm even willing to let slide the occasional musical shortcoming because atop that shortcoming is usually a … Continue reading Concert Review: Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band Reach New Heights
The Felice Brothers Destroy the Boundaries of Americana Music
Now in the throes of the Americana music revolution, there are a glut of bands making the same stripped-down, down-home sound. With any musical movement that is generating revenue, the market gets flooded with opportunistic bands trying to ride the high cresting wave and make a living as artists. (For the record, I begrudge no … Continue reading The Felice Brothers Destroy the Boundaries of Americana Music
Album Review: Stories Don’t End, Dawes
I wanted to hate Dawes. Badly. Before I heard a note from leadman Taylor Goldsmith's guitar marinated in Neil Young fuzz, I only knew that they were the darlings of the rock and roll old guard. They've received nods from Jackson Browne and Heartbreaker organist Bentmont Tench who both play on Nothing is Wrong. Chris … Continue reading Album Review: Stories Don’t End, Dawes
Concert Review: John Prine Live at Portsmouth Music Hall (4.20.13)
Some voices don't age well. Dylan's once mercurial croon is now a raspy drone. And will someone tell Roger Daltrey to please stop. His days of properly belting "Baba O'Riley" are long gone. Some voices, though, seem to grow into their songs as the singer ages. Case in point: the American songwriting genius John Prine. … Continue reading Concert Review: John Prine Live at Portsmouth Music Hall (4.20.13)
DAVE PATTERSON 