okkervil river

dead man winter

Smashing country rock by the side project of the Minnesota Bluegrass band, Trampled By Turtles. 

From their new album 'Bright Lights'

ramsay midwood

i'm drawn to the South. it started with dixie jazz and a few books; Amstrong, Harper Lee, Cole Porter, Gone with the Wind, Gershwin, and The Mississippi Rag. but i've deviated since then, not too far though, into marshland and rootsy folk blues. 


the South still pulls me. but now purely for its swampy gospel-laced blues for inspired barflies and wide spaced bluegrass. music with laid back, quiet, and languid vocals. Ramsay Midwood is everything South. his surroundings are clearly evident in his music; he was raised in Arlington, Virginia, the son of a tuba-playing father and a mother interested in folk and roots music. there's so much i love about this little heard of Texan. his sound is a drunk lazy country romp, perfect to go with a thirsty summer evening and a big waiting sky. the South comes alive in his vocals like a smoked-out bastard murderer, staggering into a diner in the purple small hours.


Shoot Out at the OK Chinese Restaurant 'is decidedly lo-fi and feels as authentic as a country preacher stoned on truth serum', says a reviewer.  

trampled by turtles

Trampled by Turtles does bluegrass the way it's meant to be. old school and quiet. their new album Palomino has some beautiful compositions complete with the heart-breaking ballad 'Widower's Heart' and the country number 'Victory'.

here's what my favourite reviewer has to say about them:  

Palomino is a brilliant record that balances furious energy, calming ballads, frantic finger-picking, three-part harmonies, and startlingly good songwriting. 

Dave Simonett - guitar/vocals

Ryan Young - fiddle 

Erik Berry - mandolin/vocals 

Dave Carroll - banjo, vocals 

Tim Saxhaug - bass/vocals

Trampled By Turtles - Widower's Heart from HearYa.com on Vimeo.


what a lovely video!

buxter hoot'n

don't have words enough.
one tip though. watch out for the cunning layers in 'Mariel'

j. roddy walston and the business

i've been listening to j for a while now. but these new songs and old renditions have me stumped. these boys rock.


What’s more important to you – a perfect studio sound, or a raucous live show?


J: Live show for sure music should be live …. recordings are just a bi-product of something real.


nuf said.












an oldie