Author: EKKARN

Sierra Hull and Highway 111 on a “Twang Tuesday”

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sierra hull - secrets album

Originally published Nov 2010 Revised and Updated July 2026


So a while ago I wrote about the great young fiddler Amanda Shaw. When the post was on No Depression one of the comments was that maybe she could team with equally young Sierra Hull, who plays mandolin to form a wunderkid band!

So never having heard of Sierra Hull I visited her website and one of the first things that stood out were these quotes”

“Sierra Hull is without doubt my favorite mandolin player!” – Adam Steffey – pretty high praise from a great mandolin player!

“Every so often, a talent comes along that makes us sit up and take notice. That time is now for Sierra Hull.” -SAM BUSH – again some greater praise from a great picker!

Award Nominations for Sierra Hull

Then I see that Sierra and her band Highway 111 were nominated for two IBMA awards in 2010 first for Emerging Artist Of the Year – Sierra & Highway 111 and then *Mandolin Player Of the Year – Sierra!

Finally, I see that her latest album and first national release Secrets was co-produced by Ron Block,(who’s worked with Alison Kraus and plays on the album along with Barry Bales, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Clay Hess, Rob Ickes, Chris Jones, Jason Moore, Tony Rice, Dan Tyminski, Jim VanCleve, and the remarkably hard-driving seventeen-year-old banjo phenom Cory Walker, who has already played alongside Sierra for several years.

My Thoughts

So needless to say I quickly downloaded the album and have been listening to it for the last week or so and it is a great album. Sierra voice reminds me of a young Alison Kraus. It’s never over powering and fits perfectly with the music, which as expected is very very good.

While I like the whole album the two tracks that do keep catching my attention are the two instrumental tracks “Smashville” and “Hullarious” both dynamite tracks!

So check out the phenom from Byrdstown Tennessee. Oh by the way this young woman who started playing mandolin at eight she just finished high school this year and will be going to Berklee College of Music next year on a full scholarship!

2026 Update

Since this post was written in 2010 Sierra Hull has released four additional albums

  • Daybreak – 2010
  • Weighted Mind (2015)
  • 25 Trips (2020)
  • A Tip Toe High Wire (2025)

In addition she has won numerous awards and honors.

Hull has won ten International Bluegrass Music Association awards between 2010 and 2023, including winning best mandolin player in 6 out of the past 8 years (2016-2023).[13]

Hull received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, on October 19, 2013. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage

The young woman has done really well – now if I had listened to my adivice I’d know those four albums listed abovr! Instead of needing to listen to them now!

Memories Monday – John Mayall – Chicago Line

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Chicago Line= John Mayall


So a few weeks ago as I was researching for a post about Walter Trout’s latest album Common Ground ,I discovered or rediscovered that Walter had played on John Mayall‘s 1988 release Chicago Line.

I say rediscovered because I probably knew in 1988 that Walter played on the album, but by the time I listened to Walter’s solo albums a few years ago, it was something I didn’t remember!

Anyway I went to the CD shelf and pulled out Chicago Line and listened to it. I haven’t listened to it for a while because it currently is not on the iPod. It was ripped a long time ago and now resides on one of the external hard drives that think it is a CD drive!

About Chicago Line

Chicago Line was an old time John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers type album like the albums when Eric Clapton and Peter Green were the guitarists. This time the lead guitar duties were shared by Coco Montoya and the aforementioned Walter Trout. Coco has the first lead guitar solo on the opening track “Chicago Line” a great number to open the album!

On the second track “Gimme One More Day” John shares guitar with Coco. On the third track “One Life to Live” about John’s experiences in the Korean War. Walter takes over lead guitar duty.  

On the cover of Jimmy Rogers’ “The Last Time” Coco takes the first solo and Walter the second. Track 5 “Dream About the Blues” Coco plays lead and Walter provides rhythm and harmonica. Walter takes the 1st solo on “Fascinating Lover” and Coco the 2nd. On one my favorite tracks “Cold Blooded Mama” Coco plays lead and Walter provides finger picking and rhythm guitars. On “The Dirty Dozens” they share guitar duties with Coco in the lead spot on the next track “Tears Came Rolling Down”.

The closing track is a Walter Trout tune “Life in the Jungle” (I used a video of Walter’s version of the song on the Common Ground post) which sounds a little different than Walter’s version!

My Thoughts

Overall it was a great listen to a really good Mayall album with the overall strength of the album coming from the guitars of Coco Montoya and Walter Trout! I must confess that I haven’t listened to much from John since his 2005 release Road Dogs. I see that his latest album Tough is his 57th album and his band is now composed of Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, and Jay Davenport on drums. Guess I have to check it out! Oh, and by the way Chicago Line is now on the iPod! And while it doesn’t make any difference to you it does to me!

Here’s a Mayall performance of “One Life to Live” with Walter on lead and Coco playing rhythm and drinking! Filmed at Iowa State in 1987.

Common Ground- Walter Trout on a “Blues Wednesday”

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Common Ground Walter Trout

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Walter Looks for Common Ground

“If there’s a place where the truth can still be found, Lord, lead us to the common ground.” so sings one of my favorite blues artist Walter Trout on the title track of his new album Common Ground. Common Ground is Trout’s 20th album and only a few are in my collection, but those that are get listened to a lot!

From his website Trout says this about the song

“I am blown away by the polarization and cruelty in the world today,” Trout explains. “It goes beyond my understanding. I wrote the lyrics to that song as an attempt to come to terms with that, and as a wish that somehow — regardless of our faiths and nationalities and politics — we can find a place where truth and compassion can take us beyond our differences.”

Thoughts About Common Ground

Common Ground is another winner of an album by Trout full of great guitar licks and some great songwriting. To me it seems that there my be a little more acoustic guitar intros. Trout says this about making the album,:”I’d play each song for the guys on acoustic guitar, and then everybody would pitch in ideas and we’d cut the tracks while the excitement level was high,”

The guys in this case are band mates Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Elton John, etc.) on drums, Hutch Hutchinson on bass and pianist Jon Cleary (both of Bonnie Raitt’s band), and famed producer John Porter, whose credits span from Brit-pop legends the Smiths to John Lee Hooker and B.B. King to Santana. These are the same guys that played on Trout’s 2008 release The Outsider

Walter’s Influences.

In researching this piece I found this tidbit from Trout’s biography at his website, yet another guitarist influenced by Mike Bloomfield:

For Trout the journey began in 1965 when his brother brought the first album by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band into his family’s New Jersey home. “On the back cover it said, ‘Play this album loud,’ so we cranked it up and we literally had to sit down and stay there with our jaws on the floor.”

The twin guitars of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, and Butterfield’s juggernaut harmonica and voice, worked their magic. And the direction of Trout’s life was determined. Of course, it helped that his parents were musically informed; raising their kids on a diet of sounds that included Hank Williams, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, John Coltrane, Bo Diddley, Ray Charles and more.

Like I said this is one of Trout’s best albums and all the songs from the opening track “Maybe a Fool” to the closing track “Excess Bagge are good. I particularly liked “Hudson had Help” which is not you typically blues number!

What Others Say….

Blues Matter says this about the album: “Walter just keeps getting better….a CD full of master class guitaring, with the signature Trout, gritty impassioned vocal and composed of well structured songwriting. Another cracker!”

Final Thoughts!

So check it out! Oh, and another thing that I learned about Walter he played with John Mayall on several of John’s albums in the 1980s including one of my favorites Chicago Line and I thought that Coco Montoya was the lone guitarist on that album!! and another thing he was born in Ocean City, NJ!!!

The Video

Walter Trout performs” Common Ground” in Stanhope NJ in 2011

Blues Wednesday – James Cotton – Giant

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James Cottom Giant

So sometimes artist fall into that category of you know their name, you know they’re great and yet you’ve never listened to their music. An artist like that for me is the great James Cotton. I’ve known the name since the 60’s then the James Cotton Blues Band, but never really sought out his music only hearing it now and then on the radio’

So when I saw that the 75 year old Cotton had released a new album Giant a few weeks ago I said in my best Toyota Commercial Voice “Now is the Time!” and downloaded the album on to the player and after listening I had one of those “What was I thinking” moments! “Superharp” at 75 has made a great blues album! You can read the press release from Alligator News here

About James Cotton-Giant

Of the 12 tracks on Giant four are new Cotton originals and co-writes. The other tracks include songs made famous by Muddy Waters (with whom Cotton playeds for several years), B.B. King, Ivory Joe Hunter and others. Cotton has always had great bands throughout his career. On Giant his band mates are Slam Allen and Tom Holland who share guitar and vocal duties, Noel Neal on bass (except for one song where Ronnie James Weber plays bass) Kenny Neal, Jr is the drummer.

Throughout the album from the opening track “Buried Alive in the Blues” to the closing track “Blues for Koko” Cotton’s harp work is outstanding. On several of the tracks like, “How Blue Can You Get?” the guitar work also stands out!

So if you like blues harmonica, like I do, don’t put off listening to James Cotton, like I did. Check out Giant, well, because James Cotton is and at 75 he’s still blowing strong!

Thinking about not listening to James Cotton makes me think about the author and book I’m reading now Greg Iles’ True Evil. Iles is one of those authors that when I pick up one of his books and read it I end up saying “wow!” and thinking why don’t I read this author’s new books as soon as they come out!!

Anyway here’s “How Blue Can You Get?” featuring Slam Allen’s guitar work!

Twang Tuesday – John Cowan – The Massenburg Sessions

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John Cowan - The Massenburg Sessions

Originally Post September 2010 Revised and Updated July 2026

Ok so these last few months I’ve spent so much time looking for new musicians that I missed a new album by a favorite! Back in April, John Cowan released a new album The Massenberg Sessions. Originally Posted Swptember 2010 revised and Updated July 2026

About The Massenburg Sessions

For this album John worked with mastering engineer George Massenburg known for his work with folks like Little Feat, Dixie Chicks, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman and others. The album was recorded live in the studio. There was no overdubbing or editing, and the musicians didn’t even use headphones. There was no mixing and the sound on the album came from the placement of the microphones and the instruments in the studio! The result is a great album!!

The album opens with a jump blues classic that I know from B.B. King “Caledonia”! All the tracks are great in their own way, some highlights for me  include: “Black Blizzard” a song where  Cowan’s voice soars accompanied only by  Shad Cobb’s fiddle,  a  cover Paul and Linda McCartney’s ” Heart of the Country” (What that wasn’t a bluegrass song?).  The Del McCourey Band joins John for a cover of  Bill Monroe’s “Can’t You Hear Me Callin'”.

The Voice of John Cowan and Some Great Friends Help Out

I’ve said before that for me there a few voices as great as John Cowan’s!! I loved it when he sang with the New Grass Revival and also his own band !  It’s one of those things, yes, he could sing the phone book and I’d probably love it!!

Anyway thankfully, he has some great songs to work with and musically some help from friends including, Del McCoury, Reese Wynans and Maura O’Connell.

I usually don’t like gospel tracks but again anything John sings sounds great and the a cappella version of “Jesus Gave Me Water” is great. Maura O’Connell joins John on a Cajun, Celtic version of the traditional song “Lakes of the Ponchartrain”  The album ends with the beautiful Cowan and Jon Randall Stewart song  “Soiled Dove”.

Final Thoughts

The album features some good picking but the center of it all is Cowan’s voice and on this album it is at it’s best. I know that the album is going to stay around on the player for a long time. So if you don’t know John Cowan’s voice do your self a favor and listen to what may be Cowan’s best album yet!!

Hey, I’m listening to “Long Road Back to You” another great track! Did I cover every track yet?? No I missed this one “Carry On”!

The Voice

Here’s John performing “Jesus Gave Me Water”

Blues Wednesday – Hubert Sumlin

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About Them SHoes-Hubert Sumlin

Near the end of the day today I put on some Hubert Sumlin from his two albums from the 2000’s About Them Shoes and Heart and Soul and both of the albums have the later heart and soul! Sumlin played guitar for Howlin’ Wolf in the 60’s and is till going strong as a matter of fact he was the winner of The Blues Music Award for Best Tradition Artist of the Year!  You can check out his gallery here with pictures of Hubert with a boat load of stars! Ok so now I’m listening to The London Howlin’ Wolf  Sessions which I think I had on vinyl at one point but don’t know where it is now! Anyway I think I’m going to give that and some other Howlin’ Wolf music a listen tomorrow. Maybe even some Muddy Waters!

Here’s Hubert with one of my favorites “Killing Floor”

Albert Castigilia – Keepin On on a “Blues Wednesday”

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Albert Castigilia - KeePim' On

Originally posted Aug 2010 Revised July 2025

The one blues album that I listened to this was the soon to be released album by Albert Castiligia pronounced (“ka-STEEL-ya)” Keepin On.

This is how it happened

So, we’re at The College of William and Mary sweating and moving my daughter into her new dorm room on the third floor with no air conditioning and thankfully we’re done!

Yesterday was the trip down and tomorrow the trip back a little bit of music listening! The one blues album that I did listen to was the soon to be released album by Albert Castiligia pronounced (“ka-STEEL-ya)” Keepin’ On.

Discovering Albert Castiglia

I had never heard Albert Castigilia’s music until the other day when I turned on the Blues station on XM Radio and they were playing some tracks from an XM live performance and it sounded great. So I came home and listened to his release before his new albumThese are the Days and really liked it, particularly his cover of a favorite of song on mine “Loan Me a Dime”.

About Keepin On

From his website about the new album:

Most of his new CD release, Keepin On, was recorded live with very few overdubs. He enlisted five session musicians to help on the project, including harmonica master Sandy Mack, who played on “I Could Not Ask for More,” a Peter Green song. 

Mack had played on “Ghosts of Mississippi,” a track from Albert’s A Stones Throw album in 2006. According to Castiglia, “He kicked butt then and he picked up where left off on this session.

”Keepin On features five new original tunes, plus other covers of songs by John Lee Hooker, Mack Rice, T-Bone Walker, Robert Nighthawk and Bob Dylan

Castigilia met blues legend Junior Wells in 1996 and became his lead guitar player until Junior’s death in 1998. After Junior’s passing he toured with Sandy Hall and then started a solo career in 2002 with the release of his first CD Burn.

Since then he’s released  three other albums making his new album his fifth. His album These are the Days earned him a Blues Music Award nomination for “Song of the Year” for his original, “Bad Year Blues.” 

Castiglia was nominated again by the Illinois Blues Blast Awards and this time walked away a winner for “Song of the Year” for “Bad Year Blues,” as well as being nominated for the “Sean Costello Rising Star Award.”

I enjoyed Castiglia’s vocals and guitar work throughout the album. Standout tracks include the opening track “Cadillac Assembly Line, the title track “Keep On, Keepin’ On” and the closing track “Closing Time”.  But there’s good work on every track. This CD will be on the player with a while along with These Are the Days when I get home!

Website
Ruf Records
Facebook
Amazon
AllMusic

YouTube

The Video

Here’s “Cadillac Assembly Line” from Keepin’ On by Albert Castigialia

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper Leavin’ Town on a “Twang Tuesday”

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Leavin' Town - Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper

Originally Posted Aug 2010 Revised and Updated July 2026

A Jazzy Beginning Leads To Some Bluesgrass Keepers

A Jazzfter listening to Blackberry Smoke I was doing some writing and needed to listen to something without words, so I put on some Wynton Kelly, piano. Kelly played a lot with Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery and is a fine jazz pianist. I listened to an album of about six songs all very good jazz! 

Then it was time for sone twang I had checked the Roots Music Report and found a couple of names I didn’t know and went to Rhapsody to listen.

Two Bluegrass Discoveries – Michael Cleveland and Frank Solivan


The two artist were Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper and Frank Solivan and the Dirty Kitchen. Both albums were pure bluegrass and really good. I really didn’t listen that closely to all the tracks but the picking and vocals were both really good. Like Blackberry Smoke they both will be downloaded for some further listening.

The Michael Cleveland album that I listened to was Leavin’ Town and like I said I was impressed. When I came home I went to the band’s website and read that the song “Jerusalem Ridge,” won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2009 Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year!

It was great to know that what impresses me also impresses others that know more about music then I do! Cleveland’s other albums have been award winners also Let’er Go Boys (2006)was voted Instrumental Album of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Association. Live at The Ragged Edge the 2004 release by Tom Adams and Michael Cleveland was also Instrumental Album of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Association as was Michael Cleveland’s Flamethrower.

About Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper

Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper band is composed of: Michael Cleveland on fiddle. As I said previously Michael has won all kinds of awards. In addition to the one’s listed above at the 2001 IBMA awards, Mike took his first Fiddle Player of the Year award, and shared the title of Entertainer of the Year with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.

In 2002 Mike rejoined The Dale Ann Bradley Band. That year he won the Fiddle Player of the Year award and again in 2004. And the list goes on and on.

  • Jesse Brock the 2009 IBMA Mandolin Performer of the Year is on mandolin,
  • Tom Adams , vocals and guitar,
  • Marshall Wilborn on bass and vocals and rounding out the band
  • Jesse Baker on banjo.

All in all an impressive lineup and deserving of their awards! So Check them Out! I know I’m going to listen some more to Leavin’ Town and then some of the other albums!

Artist’s Website
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Amazon

The Video


Here’s Michael performing one of my favorite songs “Lee Highway Blues”

Bingo! — Steve Miller Band’s Blues Side

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Bingo! - Steve Miller album cover

So today I went again to the construction site in Voorhees for the new Virtua Hospital to observe the installation of underground stone columns. The columns are designed to make the ground more stable during an earthquake.

So I had the player on shuffle on the way over and back. A good mix from all the music I’ve listened to over the last several weeks was playing a little Gold Heart, The Devil Makes Three, Killbilly, Tommy Castro and then I heard a voice from the past and I had forgotten that I had downloaded his new album actually his first album in seventeen years and that voice belonged to Steve Miller and his new album Bingo!

A little personal footnote: both of my daughter Elizabeth’s children, Emma and Lucas, were born in the hospital I was working at at the time. Needless to say, the site looks a lot different today than it did back then.

Bingo! Becomes the Soundtrack for a Run

So I made the album the soundtrack for my four mile run this evening and both turned out to be good! The 67 year old Miller’s voice is still good as is his guitar playing. I was a Steve Miller Band fan from Sailor through album seven Recall the Beginning and then came The Joker and Fly like an Eagle and I kinda lost interest in the band.

Bingo! Hits No 1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart

The album debuted at No 1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart and Miller graces the cover of the current issue of Guitar Player Magazine. Where Miller and Johns discuss the album, the follow-up album and what people can expect from the band’s tour.

My Thoughts

For me this album works on all levels, even though there’s no new songs! I just like the total vibe of the album it’s more bluesy than some of the rock hits albums and the guitar work really stands out! The album was produced by Andy Johns who is the younger brother of Gyn Johns who produced Miller’s early albums

Tracks that I like included: “Hey Yeah”, a cover of Jimmie Vaughan’s “Don’t Cha Know”,and “Come On (Let the Good Times Roll). A track that caught my attention every time I’ve listened to the album!

Earl King’s “Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)” is a burning solo workout and takes the party jam into an entirely new musical dimension. Vocally, Miller touches on his ’70s persona, but it’s only a glance; the rest is burning blues. – Thom Jurek, Rovi All Music Guide

The main release has ten tracks. The version I put on the player from Rhapsody had four bonus tracks and I like these four tracks as much if not more than the others. They are more blues driven and remind me of the early Steve Miller that I loved. More from the All Music Guide Review:

There are also four bonus tracks, the most notable are readings of Elmore James’ “Look on Yonder Wall” — with a killer vocal from Buffalo — and the closer, Roosevelt Sykes’ “Drivin’ Wheel,” with Miller’s filthiest guitar work of the set. This is a welcome return for Miller, and a must for modern electric blues fans. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi All Music Guid

I agree with Thom Jurek and think that Drivin’ Wheel may be the best track. Anyway if your a blues fan or a Steve Miller fan the album is well worth checking out and I know it will be on my player for a while!

A 6-Pack Playlist from Bingo!

Years after this post and a post Let Your Hair Down I- I had a weird day with Miller’s “Quicksilver Girl” you can read about it here.. Some songs literally stay with you forever!

Ray Wylie Hubbard and a Crazy Friday Night

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Ray Wylie Hubbard -A Enlightenment B eEndarkenedment

Originally Posted July 2010 Updated and Revised July 2026

2026 Update : Since I wrote this post back in 2010, a lot has changed we have iPhones, Kindles and laptops. We’re also empty nesters with two of our children in their forties and another one to reach that milestone in December. We have five grandchild. But Ray Wylie’s still singing “a enlightenment b endarkenment ” via the CD player!

Ray Wylie Hubbard was one of the musicians I discovered while digging through the bargain bins at Tunes. Along the way I also found artists like Nathan Hamilton, Max Stalling, Jimmy LaFave, and many others. Those bargain-bin discoveries became some of the best musical finds of my life, and revisiting them will be one of the ongoing themes of A Sixties-Seventies Man.

How It All Began……

So I was all ready to write a post about Ray Wylie Hubbard last night, I had given up on the Phillies and was enjoying Karin Slaughter’s new book, when the Phillies started their unbelievable comeback. Soon the game was over and Nick went to bed.O

He has been sleeping in the air conditioned back room, which meant I could not get to the computer. My wife was still on the one in the family room and I was still enjoying Broken!

Soon it was almost midnight I tried to start the post but the computer would not cooperate so I went to bed! But I was a happy camper though enjoying the first victory by the Phils after entering the 8th inning behind! Anyway here is the piece about Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Discovering Ray Wylie Hubbard

I first discovered Ray Wylie through Jerry Jeff Walker and Ray’s song “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” but really didn’t follow Ray’s music until he signed with Philo Records in 1997 and his music really became available.

I picked up his second Philo release Crusades of the Restless Knights and became a Ray Wylie fan. I have all of the albums he has released since with the exception of  Delirium Tremolos. While I’ve only listened to it on Rhapsody my favorite album title by Ray Wylie is Lost Train of Thought

Meeting Ray Wylie and Lloyd Maines!

. I saw Ray Wylie live in either 2001 or 2002 with Slaid Cleaves and Terri Hendrix. That was a great night I bought and Ray signed a copy of Live at Ciblio Creek and I got to shake hands with a hero of mine Lloyd Maines who tours with Terri Hendrix!

Anyway I said to Ray you didn’t sing it (meaning Redneck Mother) and he chuckled and said “yeah, I know it was a family show!” His most recent album A Enlightenment, B Endarkenment, hint there is no C was a Christmas present it was pre-ordered and autographed and released in January of 2010. I listened to it several times and just couldn’t get into it. I loved the title track and a “Drunken Poet’s Dream” who  wouldn’t love the lyrics

I gonna get me some mescaline,

then I’m gonna rhyme  it with gasoline

a Drunken poet’s dream

The song I couldn’t get past on the album was “Wasp’s Nest” Well that one came on yesterday in a random shuffle. I listened and said “Hey that ain’t to bad!” so I took the player off of shuffle and listened to the whole album.

Overall my opinion of the album has been upgraded from ok to pretty damn good and I am not alone in my opinion. The Americana Music Association has nominated Ray for the following:

  • ARTIST OF THE YEAR
  • ALBUM OF THE YEAR
  • A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no c) , by Ray Wylie Hubbard
  • SONG OF THE YEAR
  • “Drunken Poets Dream”
  • Written by Hayes Carll and Ray Wylie Hubbard performed by Ray Wylie Hubbard

The Video

Here’s one of my favorite Ray Wylie tracks “Conversations with the Devil”. One of the great things about a live performance are the stories he tells and his great sense of humor which is evident from this clip!

And here’s “One Good Year” by Slaid Cleaves

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