Joan Shelley “The Spur” Photo by Amber Thieneman Joan Shelley hails from Kentucky and there’s something very rural and very real about her sound. Her musical influences range from the traditional music of the United Kingdom to the familiar names from the world of country music like Tom T. Hall, Dolly Parton, and Roger Miller. My own personal take: Joan Shelley is Gillian Welch meets Sandy Denny. There’s something translucent about her songs–the lyrics and the music weave in and out and allows you to absorb every last nuance as you listen. Joan’s latest album, The Spur is Americana at its best ..read more

Jim Lauderdale’s music spans many genres and his musical resume is most impressive. He is admired by stellar musicians across the musical spectrum. Elvis Costello says of Jim: “He’s a man of great style, an exceptional songwriter and tremendous singer.” Country superstar George Strait says “Jim Lauderdale is a consummate entertainer, a sharp dressed man as well, a terrific songwriter and a great singer.” It was a thrill to present him in concert in 2010 and since that time, I’m pleased to say that his name has become much more commonplace across the country and the world. You may recognize him ..read more

Jake himself describes himself: “Violinist-composer Jake Armerding creates an unholy racket of 80’s pop, Suzuki classical and New England bluegrass.”  I’d have to say that the word “unholy” could be replaced with a number of synonyms that mean “splendid, fabulous, magical, etc.” The interview below took place in October 2006. There’s a lot of catching up to do with Jake since that time, but first a little back history: Jake first came into my consciousness as a member of Northern Lights, an extremely popular Northeast bluegrass band who took that musical form to a new level.  Jake h ..read more

Dave Rowe’s name is intrinsically tied to water. I’ve known Dave for a long time and am well aware of his family history chronicling the tales of sailors and boats of yore in song. His dad’s band, Schooner Fare, kept those songs alive and delighted audiences who adored hearing about dangerous voyages, hard-working sailors and those they left behind and oh-so-much more that are relayed in that particular niche in the world of folk music. Knowing that Dave continues his family legacy by not only singing those songs but the fact the he does it in his own unique and sometimes unexpected way makes ..read more

Before creating Everything Sundry, I was producing and curating the same kind of interviews that appear here on the me&thee website. They’re kind of tucked away without images and video links so I thought it might be a good idea to re-purpose those interviews, add some new content and re-introduce you to the artists I interviewed back in the day. I hope this will be as much fun for you as it will be for me! Don’t worry. I’ll still be producing new content with new interviewees! I first became aware of Jake as part of the bluegrass band, Northern Lights, which was led by his father, Taylor ..read more

Liv Greene is yet another musician introduced to me through Club Passim and its annual Campfire Festival. She’s been a club favorite and it’s easy to see why. Liv’s natural talent comes through on stage as a solo artist and as a part of any ensemble. Liv grew up in Washington, D.C. but soon found herself headed north to attend Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Miles of Music Camp in New Hampshire and New England Conservatory in Boston. She has been a student of songwriting since she was very young and continues to impress listeners with her astute lyrics and emotive instrumentation. To lea ..read more

I distinctly remember first discovering Naomi Sommers about 15 years ago—when she and Lisa Bastoni were playing together as a duo called Gray Sky Girls. I remember digging their name and their homey “slowgrass” vibe in which they incorporated some great songs from yesteryear and their own contemporary themed songs. Then they seemed to disappear from my radar and I wondered what happened to them. Fast forward about a decade and Lisa Bastoni started popping up here and there in the Boston scene and that made me wonder about Naomi Sommers! She’s been making music with family and friends and relea ..read more

Grain Thief has become a Boston area favorite band with its unique and innovative string music.  The Hartford Courant astutely describes their sound like an “amalgamation of influences, including pulling freely from various corners of country music…Certainly not afraid to throw off any genre shackles.” The freedom to throw off those shackles is what makes Grain Thief’s music so exciting and fun.  The group members are Patrick Mulroy (guitar, vocals), Zach Meyer (mandolin, vocals), Michael Harmon (bass, vocals), Tom Farrell (lead guitar) and Alex Barstow (fiddle). Take a listen to the ..read more

I started to hear the buzz about Oliver Esposito quite a while ago but it wasn’t until this past November that I had the opportunity to experience their music live.  To say that Oliver was jaw-droppingly good would be an understatement.  Oliver totally engrossed the audience with powerful songs with sensitive yet powerful lyrics and virtuosic playing. Keep an eye on this Berklee College of Music freshman. To learn more about Oliver, visit their website. Check out some of the quotes from music luminaries like Mary Gauthier and Langhorne Slim. Here’s a video of Oliver playing “Pass On ..read more

It has been a while since I last posted an episode of the podcast “Through the Musical Cosmos” over here on my blog. My colleague in musical crime, Mary Reines, featured the music of Hawthorn and Big Thief.  We’ve both had the pleasure of seeing Hawthorn live at Club Passim and we both have Big Thief on our “must catch live” list! Upcoming hometown record release for Hawthorn is at the Lizard Lounge on April 12.  Other dates are on their website.  Big Thief will be playing everywhere or nearly everywhere this year.  Check out these dates. I featured the music of The Barefoo ..read more