Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, and Jimmie Vaughan load in to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido on Thursday evening, August 8th for a master class in the blues. It is a rare opportunity to see and hear three of the most influential bluesmen walking the planet today. Their accomplishments read like the who’s […]
The town of Vista, northwest of San Diego proper, seems an unlikely place for Americana-bluegrass stars to be raised. Just seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, it rests among foothills on a pathway to Southern California deserts, valleys, and mountains. But, this is the town where brother and sister Sara and Sean Watkins were nurtured […]
As I sit here in my quaint apartment with a balcony view of Prague’s “Old Town” spires, I can hear a busker below playing Bach’s Fugue in G Minor on the accordion. More likely than not, an accordion busker in America would be performing some ethnic folk dance, and there’s a good chance it came […]
Rufus Wainwright has been called one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. Indeed, it is noteworthy how the 45-year-old Canadian-American excels at each artistic endeavor. Wainwright returns to the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on Sunday, June 9, for a performance that promises to be a night of superlatives […]
There is a seductive rhythm to Mexican singer-songwriter, Lila Downs’ new single, “Clandestino.” At first, it seems like the familiar bounce adapted generations ago from German immigrants in Mexico. Following the sound of that rhythm allows casual listeners to find an ascent into the realm of some fiery kind of reggae/ska music with a distinct […]
Music is mobile. It needs movement and it needs to be released. Not in the record release sense but freed from the chains of commercial interests and categorization. That’s where artists like David Lindley come in to the picture. Deep in the heart of Southern California’s Inland Empire, a few short steps away from the […]
Scott Mulvahill plays a quick triplet that drops down to a low note on his bass. The sound is loose and growly. His right hand makes contact with the ebony fingerboard, producing a sharp slap; he then raps on the body of the bass. He plays a high note, sliding it up and letting it […]
There is a reason why New Orleans is frequently referred to as “the cradle of jazz music.” It’s the place where the ingredients from the original gumbo stew of a historical musical migration took place. An international slavery port in the 1800s, it brought about a unique blend of an indigenous culture with native Americans, […]
The music never ends. When it began, we can’t say. But, listen to the voice of the age and you’ll hear Eric Burdon. Listen. The bass hums and brings on an intense beat that moves in sync with cymbals, a loud surf guitar drones, thunders, and crashes into wall of distortion as cello and violin […]
