What do I mean by that? I'm talking about the fertile yet relatively unexplored territory that lies West of Madonna and Britney but East of Radiohead and Animal Collective and South of Lil' Wayne and Fifty Cent. It's the place where Memphis Soul and New Orleans Funk and Urban Blues can be found. It's where Cajun and Zydeco artists bend genres and contemporary bluegrass pickers dazzle with their musicianship and harmonies. It's where so-called alt.country and Americana and Roots music thrives alongside rockabilly and roadhouse blues and Southern Stoner rock. It's also where Hawaiian slack key guitar meets Portugese fado and Cape Verdean and African rhythms joyfully coexist with Brazilian samba, Tex Mex conjunto and Colombian cumbia.
There's a whole world of amazing music out there that's rarely noticed by mainstream media. Despite the ongoing meltdown of the traditional music industry, artists are putting out more great tunes than ever before. How to find them? I'm a compulsive browser in independent record stores and reader of publications like Mojo, Relix, Dirty Linen, Fretboard Journal, Songlines, and No Depression. For several years now, I've been putting together an annual "top ten" list of my favorite releases of the past year for my friends. At their urging, I've decided to expand my efforts to a more year-round endeavor. This blog is a first step in that direction.
You're not going to read here about the latest releases from U2 or The Boss. You don't need me to find out about them. Rather, my beat is the somewhat more obscure artists that record on independent labels who are making music that I believe you'll love as much as I do. That's my goal.
I'm always eager to hear about new artists, so please share your tips and I'll be happy to pass them along via this venue. Your feedback is always welcome!
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