This month we have two “Five Questions” interviews, with singer-songwriter Lori Aguilar Wilson and Phil Lozano of Bump City Brass, plus a few reviews. Formed in 2014, 15-piece funk and soul band Bump City Brass has been packing dance floors around San Diego with a great set of cover tunes, ranging from Tower of Power […]
Line in the Sand is the new EP by Barrie Dempsey, a well-traveled singer-songwriter who started out in New Jersey and transplanted to the Left Coast in the seventies. He played locally while with the band Amber, getting recognition for his songwriting and gigging all over the country. His music is soft folk rock, playing […]
Smitty and Julija are from Ojai, and have combined with the talents of central coast artists on a number of projects that have included discs released by keyboardist Smitty West, and a previous Leonard Cohen tribute EP that garnered attention. The Cohen connection ties into the latest release, Openings, which is a laid-back, eclectic collection […]
Award-winning local blues and jazz guitar whiz Robin Henkel has a dozen previous album releases, but none featuring his Robin Henkel Band with Horns until now. The self-titled project is an unusual recording that gathers 11 tracks composed and arranged by Henkel, played by a crew that includes Henkel’s guitar, Steve Ebner on trumpet and […]
These days it’s rare to find an album that allows the listener to transparently trace its roots, influences, and aspirations to a realized completion of what may be a minor pop masterpiece. Rob Bonfiglio’s latest solo release, Trouble Again, is a rich tapestry of skillfully written, arranged, and produced power-infused pop-rock songs. Contained within are […]
Jon Garner sits back in his chair. “Cowboy, bebop, Gypsy crawl, that’s us. That’s what is says on our website.” He speaks a bit on the slow side, as though he were explaining a chemical formula to a student. Lorelei Garner chimes in, her brown eyes lighting up as she speaks. “We’re not contented to […]
I was about two years old when I heard my first favorite song, “Rock & Roll Woman” by the Buffalo Springfield… even then I was a music junkie. Followed closely by anything from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, or any harmony-driven music like the Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel, music was almost always blaring […]
The annual Summergrass Bluegrass Festival is just around the corner—August 16-18. The event takes place at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista. There will be top concerts on the main stage, workshops, vendors, camping, a kid’s music academy, jamming, a beginners slow jam, an adult boot camp, and more. If you have […]
Hello Troubadourians! Last month we explored the idea of a new guitar. Need vs. want and how to know the difference. I’d like to go a little deeper into that but from a different direction. Let’s say you’ve decided that a new guitar is the answer for you. Let’s narrow that down a little more. […]
