Blog

Stewart Ransom Miller II (born September 6, 1970), better-known as Rhett Miller, is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97’s and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark’s School of Texas, a private boys’ school in Dallas, in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative writing scholarship […]

After rising to fame at the helm of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant enjoyed even greater success as a solo artist during the mid-’90s. Her literate, socially conscious songs established her among the preeminent women in pop music, while her solo debut — 1995’s Tigerlily — helped pave the way for a […]

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Bob Mould was initially a member of Hüsker Dü, one of the most influential American bands of the ’80s. Hüsker Dü was a post-hardcore punk band that helped define the sound and ideals of alternative rock. After Hüsker Dü broke up, Mould signed a solo contract with Virgin Records in 1988. The following year […]

Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics. Mudcrutch’s lineup consisted of Tom Petty (bass and vocals), Tom Leadon (guitar and vocals), Jim Lenehan (lead vocals), Randall Marsh (drums) and Mike Campbell (guitar). Leadon and Lenehan left the band in 1972 […]

Moreland & Arbuckle (guitarist Aaron Moreland, vocalist/Harmonicist/blues harp Dustin Arbuckle, and drummer Kendall Newby) are an American Electric Blues/roots rock trio. Moreland describes their music as “gritty blues and roots rock from the heartland.”After six previous releases, the band signed with Alligator Records in 2015. The label debut, Promised Land Or Bust, will be released […]

Starting in the late ’90s and throughout the 2000s and 2010s, My Morning Jacket expanded on their rock and country roots, embracing everything from neo-psychedelia to funk, prog, and reggae in their sonic experimentation. By the time Evil Urges arrived in mid-2008, they had successfully molded themselves into Kentucky’s answer to Wilco: a band rooted […]

Russell Morris is one of Australia’s most enduring singers. A major pop star in the late ’60s, he went on to become one of the country’s first singer/songwriters. Both ends of his career feature predominantly in the soundtrack to the movie The Dish. Morris’ career started in September 1966 with the formation of the Melbourne […]

Moby was one of the most controversial figures in techno music, alternately praised for bringing a face to the notoriously anonymous electronic genre and scorned by hordes of techno artists and fans for diluting and trivializing the form. In either case, Moby was one of the most important dance music figures of the early ’90s, […]

When Beyoncé included the country-dipped song “Daddy Lessons” on Lemonade, some seemed surprised — which was weird. Queen Bey is from Houston, where (as in most of the South) the word “country” is sometimes thrown around as an insult meaning “unsophisticated.” And her song, with its street-corner beat and hot guitar, reminded listeners that rootsy […]

Get used to hearing the tag of “heartland” music when surveying the latter half of John Mellencamp’s music blend of Stonesy hard rock and folk. He’s earned it. Mellencamp was born in Seymour, Indiana in 1951, afflicted with spina bifida and had corrective surgery as an infant. Music found him at an early age. Mellencamp […]