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Mark Fosson has been playing guitar for almost fifty years and his mastery of the instrument is undeniable! Take "Once Was A Time" for instance -- his bristling, fluid action evokes an ebullient energy motoring down an endless, melodic highway. Fosson's playing conjures the sound of a string quartet, each strum and pluck harmoniously amalgamating to create a stunningly centripetal sound sure to explode even the heaviest heads out there. That golden, eternal promise of the guitar is exactly what Mark delivers: the air... (read more)

Somebody call the Junkie Nurse, it's about to get messy! Royal Trux's new "LIVE" album, Platinum Tips + Ice Cream, is now streaming on NPR's First Listen! Exploring the hidden corners and dark recesses of their influences and absolutely turning them on their head has always been the formula to Trux's success (sic), and with Platinum Tips + Ice Cream that bitches brew is on full display! Hear brand new versions of RTX favorites, deconstructed and split into a zillion pieces: Jennifer... (read more)

Call his new album The Comeback Kid if you will, but Chicago born John Mulaney is no kid! For the past decade, he's performed stand-up comedy on stages around the world, written for Saturday Night Live and Documentary, Now!, and starred in his very own cancelled sitcom! So our John's a man-ish boy, then! The Comeback Kid is an all-audio recording of his Netflix special of the same name - his third album overall and first ever on vinyl! That works good, since The... (read more)

A Drag City steamroom session serves to remind us of the raw emotive possibilities revealed by performances in simple settings. In this case, it's stark, solitary guitar bouncing off the white tiled walls of the steam room found deep within the DCHQ bunker! Yup, Chicago local Bill MacKay stopped by our steamy shower setting to lay down a refined take on a select cut from his fresh new solo album, Esker!

Bill performed "Twilight", a graceful exploration of harmonics and melodics executed... (read more)

AH, yes, it's a brand new month and another season on earth! Given today's climate, who knows how many more seasons we've got but that's all the more reason to ACT NOW and join Meg Baird for some upcoming shows! That's right, Meg's got a loaded six string on her back and is headed down the southeast corridor of these fine fifty states stopping in cities like Richmond and Atlanta before looping west towards Texas! Meg's carefully constructed ballads are brimming with vibrancy, taking... (read more)

Back from the dead again, Papa M has a new video for one of last fall's Highway Songs to remind us of the tumult and triumph found in those rare grooves. If you can recall all the way to last year (we can't),  Highway Songs heaved contradictions and curveballs right at our ears, exploding like  electric magma while exploring  intrinsic moments of existence via an audio-diary vérité. An episodic shot to the heart (through the best way to Papa M's heart, the guts), delivered with... (read more)

Look up in the sky! That's a flying megabus full of the most insane Truxian goods en route to Europe! And while said goods most certainly include the most dangerous band in the universe, Royal Trux, they ALSO contain some dangerously wearable contraband in the form of limited edition, exclusive-to-the-European-tour T-shirts (short and long sleeve!) and Hoodies! Here's a special sneak peek so all you punters can be prepared - make sure you wipe the drool from your face before you enter the... (read more)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's new release Best Troubador flips through the Merle Haggard songbook, landing on pages unmoored from their time and located anew. With such a prolific catalog of resplendent songs spanning a nearly fifty year career, Bonnie and the Bonafide United Musicians were tasked with undertaking the singular and unwavering creativity of such a figure. Best Troubador does just that, representing an earnest and faithful reworking of Haggard's great songs. Released on one of Merle's lesser known albums, 1996, "No Time to Cry"... (read more)

Faun Fables are back on the road--full of life with a renewed vibrancy, sparkling with the wonder and playfulness that the (now) family band is known for! Continuing their song-telling tradition, Faun Fables'  most recent album Born of the Sun is exploding with Dawn McCarthy's striking vocals, contrapuntal harmonies and breathy unison chants. And while all that is something to behold on record, it can be particularly striking in concert!

With summer vacation on the horizon, Dawn, Nils and the... (read more)

Introducing The Peacers! Since the release of a self-titled album in 2015, all new members (Shayde Sartin, Mike Shoun and Bo Moore) have reformed around Mike Donovan, and they've been gigging in and around SF consistently. In the spirit of (at least partial) reboot, the dudes have even added the aforementioned "The" to their name!

Introducing The Crimsmen (again, das reboot) brims like a bottomless sack of great tunes flecked with hazy shade and splashing watery sunshine on the back of... (read more)