Autumn Souvenir

Right in the heart of the 90s alt.country "movement" there was Oxford, Mississippi's Blue Mountain. Fronted by Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt, if there was ever a band to grab the Americana mantle, it was Blue Mountain. 1995's Dog Days remains one of the best records not just of the alt.country (re)birth, but of the 90s, all told. And live? Wow. Cary Hudson is one of the best frontmen from that time and the threesome played with a Southern fury like I'd never heard or seen before. When I think of Southern Rock, Blue Mountain is the pinnacle. They went on to release a number of records on Roadrunner, before calling it quits, then re-forming, then finally calling it a day again. Once a national touring act, Hudson now generally sticks around Mississippi, playing solo shows throughout the deep South. His solo records, most notably, The Phoenix , are worth exploration. Favorite record : Dog Days (1995) Where are they now? Hudson continues to play, largely ...

Throughout this list, you'll likely hear a refrain of, "how could this band have not been huge?" I'm not sure any artist I'll mention is more perplexing, on this front, than Kelly Willis. After leaving (getting bounced from?) MCA just three years into her recording career, Willis went on to release her three best records on the always-great Rykodisc. Her first, 1999's What I Deserve , remains one of my favorite records, simply perfect from top-to-bottom. Her two subsequent Ryko releaseas are nearly as good, and it remains mind-boggling that Kelly Willis wasn't (isn't) a massive star. An incredible voice, matched with beautiful songs and a stage presence that made you feel as though you were standing before one of the greats, Willis' reach should be far greater than it is. She's a treasure and her songs have and will stand the test of time. Favorite record : What I Deserve (1999) Where are they now?  Willis hasn't recorded a proper ...

I first saw Joe Pernice in 1995, when his first outfit, Scud Mountain Boys, were the first of three bands, followed by Blue Mountain and Wilco, to take the stage at New York City's Tramps. Pernice and his band sat around candle-lit tables strumming beautiful tracks from the first few Scuds records. I was hooked. Massachusetts still stands as one of the best records in my collection. When he wrapped the Scuds (for then), and started the Pernice Brothers, expectations were high. The first Pernice record, Overcome by Happiness , released in 1998 on Seattle's Sub Pop, remains their best. Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman cites Happiness as the one record in the Sub Pop catalog that never really got its due. When I think of this record, I think of West Virginia. One of those records that remains stapled to a moment in time. I was driving from New Jersey to Cincinnati in 1999 or so to visit my brother, and I clearly recall pulling off an exit in W. Virginia and hearing my car...

Over the next month or two, I'm going to count down my favorite 40 acts of all-time. I'm doing this, well, because I love lists, and because I want to pay heed to some artists that may not have hit the masses, but have had a huge and lasting impact on my life.  Before starting the countdown, here are 20 that just missed the cut: Fleetwood Mac Luna Beck Whiskeytown Johnny Cash Bap Kennedy Jackson Browne The Velvet Underground Tim Easton The Kinks Freedy Johnston Marah Tom Waits T. Rex The Byrds Public Enemy Yo La Tengo The Clash Richard and Linda Thompson Elton John Low

This is truly a thing of beauty:

Looking back on 2017.... I've finally started to travel a bit (Colombia, Japan): I got to see my nephew grow up: Endless hours with: The Equality March in DC: My third Solid Sound in Massachusetts: Many great shows (Luna, Springsteen on Broadway): But nothing this year, or any year in memory, can top what I experienced on January 29th. I was in LA and, intentionally, left for the airport early. And below is what I saw. The moment I stepped off the elevator, into the sea of people, I lost it. I instinctively called my mother and told her that I was, "experiencing everything I've ever believed in, in a single moment. This is one of the most important moments of my life." I will never, ever forget it.

9.5 In a few days, Wilco will release deluxe versions of their first two records, A.M. and Being There . Both records played enormous roles in my, well, life. That may sound like an overstatement, but Wilco's first three records specifically, were so influential in how I view music and art, while also introducing me to countless new friends, many of whom I talk to regularly to this day.  A.M. , their first, was certainly well received, but it was their sophomore effort, the sprawling and adventurous Being There that quickly escalated the role that music, both recorded and live, played in my life. Being There was released on October 29, 1996. I was just a few months into my first job, post-college, and rumors were swirling in the corners of the (early) internet that Wilco's second album would be a huge departure from the alt.country label that was attached Uncle Tupelo and A.M. I was hearing influences from band names I'd never heard before: Pere Ubu, Captain Beefhe...