For close to six years the independently run Wood ‘n’ Lips Open Mic has enjoyed the hospitality of Mike and Leslie Emmons at their Santee Kaffee Meister location. Alas, all good things come to an end. The Emmonses have been fighting the good battle of running a coffee house. Being musicians themselves, they took on […]
Hello Troubadourians! Journalism is a funny business. When you read this column sometime in February, remember that I wrote it in mid-January. I forgot that time discrepancy when I wrote last month’s column. I was thinking that since my next column would be February, I would have already attended the 2019 NAMM Show and would […]
Many musicians go the solo route. Some take their place in a band. But for some, it’s when they find the right musical partner that their career really blossoms. Such is the case of the January Berry Band, based around the guitar work of John January and the vocals of Linda Berry. Though considered a […]
Recently, I happened upon this “sidebar” that was included within an article about recording vocals that I wrote for Recording magazine in the spring of 2013. It’s incredibly specific in its references to the tools and techniques used, which is most notable for the fact that I no longer use any of these products except […]
San Diego’s Jessica Lerner has a new EP, After (H) Ours, a self-produced disc of five originals that fit snugly in the piano-based relationship ballad mold. She is a capable singer and pianist, and despite the mix, which tends to swamp her vocal in spots, Lerner steps out effectively; the overall somber feel of the […]
Carlsbad’s Red Fox Tails are a veteran instrumental quartet that has built a sound upon influences that has included surf guitar, brass band, jazz, and funk. Their latest EP is Abeuelos, and it gives listeners a broad sampling of the group’s versatility. The six songs are all group originals, played by J.P. Balmat (sax, clarinet), […]
Up until 1966 my connections with old-time blues had been mostly in collecting blues records and going to concerts and festivals. In the ’50s and ’60s I managed to see live a good many important treasures of that music, including Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, […]
Intersections is the debut EP by San Diegan Evan Diamond, a young indie singer/songwriter who plays with a pair of accompanists known as the Library (Scott Sigler on bass, John Coreano guitar). She wrote the five songs, her music in most respects fitting into the burgeoning category of Wronged Woman Pop, bemoaning the psychological abuse […]
