Upcoming Shows

~~Abe Partridge, The Slow Harvest~~ POSTPONED

TodayOctober 3, 20248:00pm $15.00

TALLAN's 10th Annual Life Without You: Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan

TomorrowOctober 4, 20248:00pm $15 advance / $20 door

Celebrate the legacy of the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan with Life Without You: Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan Event taking place at Shank Hall in Milwaukee, WI on Oct 4th. This event promises to be an unforgettable....

Mike Viola, L.A. Exes

SaturdayOctober 5, 20248:00pm $20.00

Mike Viola is a producer, musician, songwriter and singer. Viola may be best known for his work with Panic! at the Disco, Andrew Bird, Dawes, Ryan Adams and Jenny Lewis, but his solo career stands on its own starting with a number of acclaimed records as the leader of New York based cult favorite Candy Butchers and 8....

Recently Added Shows

French Cassettes, Holy Pinto, Lunde

TuesdayOctober 15, 20248:00pm $15.00

The album title for French Cassettes' new album Benzene--is neither an allusion to the dangerous fossil fuel byproduct, nor is it a nod to the anti-anxiety drug Benzos, but rather a twist on Huerta's family nickname, 'Benz'. "I wish I had a better explanation," Huerta admits. "I guess I should have Googled it....

The Fog, Sulek

FridayNovember 1, 20248:00pm $10.00

Pullstring, Boiled in Lead, West Nile Crows

FridayNovember 15, 20248:00pm $12 advance / $15 door

Ike Reilly Assassination

TuesdayNovember 26, 20248:00pm $20.00

Pat McCurdy

FridayNovember 29, 20248:00pm $8.00

Pat McCurdy is a singer/song writer from Wisconsin. He tours the mid-western part of the USA, his shows usually consisting of just him and his guitar. While the majority of his audience is made up of a college-age crowd, McCurdy manages to appeal to a large number of people of all ages with his interactive shows.....

The Hungry Williams

SaturdayNovember 30, 20248:00pm $15.00

The Sleighriders

MondayDecember 16, 20247:00pm $25.00

Forty of the best, most experienced, most professional musicians of the Milwaukee music scene join together again for the annual Sleighriders show and charity auction! These musicians join forces in one gigantic rockin' band. It's a very special holiday event that you don't want to miss and a true Milwaukee tradition. For....

Sam Llanas Band

FridayDecember 27, 20248:00pm $25.00

Sam Llanas is an iconic American singer, acoustic guitarist, and songwriter. Best known for his unique and distinctively soulful voice, Llanas burst onto the national music scene in 1986 as part of a popular Milwaukee area band. Their debut album, which was produced by T Bone Burnett, became one of the most critically....

Jimmy the Arm

FridayFebruary 21, 20258:00pm $15.00

"Jimmy the Arm" is a beloved Milwaukee-based band founded by brothers Michael, Jerome, and Kevin Linn. With Dwayne Williams on Bass, Charlie Collins and Rob Mangan on Guitar, and Jerry Barker on Keyboards, the band delivers energetic cover songs from the 70s through today.

Michael McDermott

SaturdayFebruary 22, 20258:00pm $25.00

Eilen Jewell

SaturdayMarch 8, 20258:00pm $20.00

Hypnotized: The Music of Fleetwood Mac

SaturdayApril 19, 20258:00pm $20 advance / $25 door

Hypnotized is a tribute group performing in homage to Fleetwood Mac, one of the bestselling rock and roll bands of all time. Evoking the spirit and sound of the 70s, Hypnotized performs album tracks, deep cuts and chart topping hits from Rumours, Tusk, Tango In The Night, Mirage, Mystery To Me and more. With steady....

Take It Easy: A Tribute to the Eagles

SaturdayMay 17, 20258:00pm $20 advance / $25 door

In honor of one of the best country rock bands of all time, Take It Easy performs hit after chart topping hit from the vast catalog of music created by the Eagles. From their debut Witchy Woman to their climactic #1 Hotel California, Take It Easy covers the bases. Touching on the solo careers of each artist as well this....

Alternative Concert Group Presents

Billy Bragg

SundayOctober 6, 20247:30pm $50 | $75

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

John Hiatt, Jim Hoehn

SundayOctober 13, 20247:30pm $55 | $75

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Rick Wakeman

SaturdayOctober 19, 20248:00pm

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Gregorian: Pure Chants

FridayNovember 22, 20247:00pm

At Coronado Theatre, Rockford, IL.

Tickets on sale at here.

Gregorian: Pure Chants

SaturdayNovember 23, 20248:00pm $45 / $55 / $150

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Jesse Cook

WednesdayApril 30, 20257:30pm $35 | $50

At the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI.

Tickets on sale at barrymorelive.com or by phone at 608-241-8633 (Mon-Fri noon-5pm).

Jesse Cook

ThursdayMay 1, 20257:30pm $49 | $76

At South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Tickets on sale online, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office or by phone at 414-766-5049.

Quick Calendar

Abe Partridge is a heralded musician, singer/songwriter, visual artist, and podcaster based in Mobile, Alabama. His 2018 debut, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days earned him rave reviews, with Tony Paris saying in The Bitter Southerner: "He plays guitar the same way he writes lyrics, bashing the strings with abandon until they are just about to come loose, then beautifully picking the notes until every last word falls into place. More to the point, Partridge writes to make you sit up and think. He wants to jar your reality. Sometimes, his lyrics are sly and subtle. Sometimes they come at you with a roar and thunder, as if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were approaching, and the heavens were opening up to herald a warning."

Since the release of his debut, Partridge has toured relentlessly, including several tours of the Netherlands and the U.K. developing a reputation for moving, passionate, and sometimes comedic, performances at prestigious songwriter festivals such as 30A Songwriters Festival, Frank Brown Songwriters Festival, and Americanafest. He is a regular at the Bluebird Café in Nashville and Eddie's Attic in Decatur. He has performed on the syndicated radio programs, Mountain Stage and Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. He has shared the stage with Morgan Wade, Paul Thorn, Steve Poltz, Dan Bern, Jerry Joseph, Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Tommy Stinson, Shawn Mullins, John Fullbright, and more.

Most recently, Partridge and co-producer Ferrill Gibbs released the Alabama Astronaut podcast, where they explore songs previously undocumented at churches in Appalachia. The podcast finds Partridge chatting with Holiness preachers and looking into the practice of snake handling. It was in the Top Ten documentary podcasts on Apple Podcasts within days of its release and now has over 50k downloads and a 4.9-star rating.

When Partridge is not writing or touring, he is also a highly acclaimed visual artist. His paintings, primarily acrylic on tarred board and watercolors, now hang in art galleries around the southeast and in the private collections of Tyler Childers, Mike Wolfe (American Pickers), Rick Hirsch (Wet Willie), and Tommy Prine. His artwork was featured in Stephen King's 2019 sequel to The Shining - Dr. Sleep. He painted the cover art for Charlie Parr's, Last Of The Better Days Ahead (Smithsonian Folkways). He also created art for Tyler Childers' 2022 release, Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?

American Songwriter Magazine said, "Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast."

In November of 2022, Partridge released the EP Alabama Skies on Baldwin Co. Public Records label which includes "Abe Partridge's 403d Freakout". Partridge told Songfacts the story behind the song: " 'Abe Partridge's 403d Freakout' was a song I wrote in about 20 minutes. It took me two weeks to make it rhyme, and then it took me about six months to learn it. I just sat and wrote a couple of pages of thoughts as they came to me. It was my attempt at describing my thoughts chronologically as they sometimes occur in my head before I filter them. It is those thoughts that I often have if I allow myself to mentally wander."

Partridge's exhibit With Signs Following was on exhibition at the Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile, AL from January 13 - May 20 of 2023 and is expected to travel to other city contemporary art centers in the next few years. His full-length studio album, Love In The Dark, on BCPR label, was released on May 12, 2023.

A German heavy metal outfit founded and fronted by powerhouse vocalist , U.D.O. emerged in the late '80s after exited the popular power metal group . Beginning with 1987's Animal House, and a rotating cast of players carved out a huge swath of heavy metal real estate, averaging a full-length LP every year or so (2021's Game Over was the group's 17th full-length effort) and touring on the strength of an impressive catalog of European power metal that also included classics like "Balls to the Wall" and "Fast as a Shark."

Following his departure from in 1987, formed U.D.O. with guitarists Peter Szigeti and Mathias Dieth, bassist Frank Rittel, and drummer Tomas Franke. The group's debut album, Animal House, was in fact written by 's former bandmates in , and by the time of its 1988 follow-up Mean Machine, Szigeti, Rittel, and had all been dismissed, replaced by guitarist , bassist Thomas Smuszynski, and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. himself was out of U.D.O. for 1990's Faceless World, replaced by guitarist Wolla B�hm; the same roster who recorded 1991's Time Bomb, although the band split in the wake of a subsequent tour, with rejoining from 1992 to 1996. He re-formed U.D.O. with Dieth, Schwarzmann, guitarist Stefan Kaufmann, and bassist Michael Voss to contribute a track to the tribute album Legends of Metal; only Schwarzmann and Kaufmann remained on board for 1997's full-length Solid, which featured new guitarist J�rgen Graf-Biardi and bassist Fitty Wienhold. No Limits followed a year later, and in 1999 U.D.O. resurfaced with the punishing Holy, which saw the group delivering their most visceral LP in years. 2002's Man and Machine featured the hit "Dancing with an Angel," a duet with vocalist Doro Pesch, and was followed by a string of hard-hitting studio albums: Thunderball (2004), Mission No. X (2005), Mastercutor (2007), Dominator (2009), and Rev-Raptor (2011). The following year saw the departure of guitarist Stefan Kaufmann, who had to leave the fold for health reasons. He was replaced by Andrey Smirnov, who made his first studio appearance with the group on 2013's Steelhammer. Decadent, the band's 15th long-player, arrived in a timely fashion in early 2015. Later that year, announced that he would be embarking on a massive tour comprising only songs, with the intention of retiring the material. A double-live LP, Back to the Roots: Accepted, chronicled the tour in 2017. U.D.O. returned with their 16th studio long-player Steelfactory in 2018. Two years later they released the follow-up We Are One, an orchestral album written and recorded in collaboration with the Concert Band of the German Armed Forces, followed in 2021 by Game Over.

"The hardest thing to do," says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, "is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you." Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him. Since his solo debut in 1994, he's made 16 albums--the last seven for Alligator--each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped-down rock 'n' roll, each release is solidly built upon Castro's unshakable musical foundation--a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro's grab-you-by-the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Blues Revue declared, "Tommy Castro can do no wrong."

For Castro's new album, a roots music odyssey entitled Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, he tells a timeless story. This special project was composed by Castro along with Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Hambridge. Through its 13 songs, A Bluesman Came To Town tells the tale of a young man working on his family farm who gets bitten by the blues bug. He masters the guitar and heads out on the road seeking fame and fortune, only to find what he's left behind is the treasure he's been looking for. Each memorable song--from the blistering title track to the pleading Child Don't Go to the hopeful I Caught A Break to the emotional Blues Prisoner--stands on its own, as well as contributing to the larger story.

"I like to keep things fresh and interesting," says Castro, "Tom and I have talked about making a record together for a long time. Collaborating with him was even better than I imagined. I had an outline for the story and then Tom and I talked it out and the songs just started to organically grow out of each other." Castro continues, "A Bluesman Came To Town isn't a story about me. It's pulled from some of my friends' and my experiences though. I've seen first-hand for a lot of years what it's like out there on the road."

The road has always been Castro's home away from home. He'll instantly ignite a crowd, turn them into loyal fans and then keep those fans coming back for more. He has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and performed thousands of gigs, leading his bands at clubs, concert halls, and festivals all over the world. Famed guitarist Joe Bonamassa says, "Tommy has always been top of the heap among blues guitar players. He always puts on a great show."

Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He fell under the spell of Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield and other blues artists of the day. Almost every major rock and soul act, from Ike and Tina Turner to Janis Joplin to the J. Geils Band to Tower Of Power, toured through the area, and Castro was at every show. He saw John Lee Hooker, Albert King, and Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at the same local blues bar, JJ's, where he often jammed, dreaming of one day busting out. Mixing the blues and rock and roll he loved and the soul music he heard blasting from lowriders in his neighborhood Tommy started to create his own personal sound and style. He honed his guitar skills and intense, gritty vocals, learning how to capture an audience as he performed on San Francisco's highly competitive club scene. As his reputation spread, Tommy played in a variety of Bay Area bands, soon making a name for himself as a hotter-than-hot live artist bursting at the seams with talent. In 1985, he was recruited to become lead singer and guitarist for the regionally popular blues band NiteCry, gigging regularly throughout Northern California. Castro joined Warner Brothers' artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s, performing all over the country. He formed the first Tommy Castro Band in 1992 and has not stopped touring since. In 1995, soon after releasing his first album on Blind Pig Records, The Tommy Castro Band was selected as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television's Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live). The show brought him in front of millions of viewers every week and cemented his reputation as a not-to-be-missed, nationally touring live performer.

After a series of successful releases on the Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street labels, Tommy Castro joined Alligator Records in 2009. His label debut, Hard Believer, was released to massive popular and critical acclaim. With the album, Castro won four of his six career Blues Music Awards, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive). In 2012, Castro stripped his music down to its raw essence, creating a high-energy, larger-than-life sound with the formation of The Painkillers. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers' initial release, The Devil You Know,was embraced by his legion of fans and discovered by hordes of new ones. With the current version of The Painkillers (bassist Randy McDonald, drummer Bowen Brown and keyboardist Michael Emerson), Castro released Method To My Madness in 2015, Stompin' Ground in 2017, and the irresistible Killin' It--Live in 2019, with critics shouting praise and admirers cheering the group's every move. The band has coalesced into one of the telepathically tightest units Castro has ever assembled, making them one of the mostin-demand live roots music acts performing today, delivering soul-shaking, muscular music.

Castro's relentless road-dog approach--gig after gig, night after night--has won him loyal, lifelong fans everywhere he plays. The Washington Post says Castro is "phenomenal and funky" with "soulful vocals and inspired blues guitar." The San Francisco Chronicle describes Castro's music as, "funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rock...silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh." No Depression says "Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway train...a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits."

Upon release of A Bluesman Came To Town, Castro will hit the road with The Painkillers, performing fan favorites as well as songs from the new album. "I've made seven albums for Alligator," Castro says, "and I've never made the same record twice. I will always try to be my most authentic self. I give it all I've got every time we hit the stage!

Since first forming The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling in 2016, master blues guitarist Nick Moss and world class harmonica virtuoso Dennis Gruenling have become torchbearers for traditional electric blues. But rather than repeating what's come before, the band's high-energy take on old school Chicago, Texas and West Coast sounds is completely their own. With their new Alligator Records album (their third for the label), Get Your Back Into It!, Chicago native Moss and New Jersey native Gruenling - together with Rodrigo Mantovani on bass, Taylor Streiff on keyboards and Pierce Downer on drums - deliver a deeply rooted, timeless blue collar blues album.

AllMusic says the band, winners of the 2020 Blues Music Award for Blues Band Of The Year, "makes the case for the vitality of old-fashioned Chicago electric blues in the 21st century." They are among the world's very best old school blues ensembles, with each musician expertly playing off the others. "We are a rare breed as far as how authentic we like to keep the music," says Moss. The guitarist proudly represents the city of Chicago as one of the few bluesmen working today to have learned his craft firsthand, directly from many of the genre's original creators.

Get Your Back Into It! was produced by Moss and Mantovani and contains fourteen original songs: twelve by Moss and two by Gruenling. Guests include saxophonist "Sax" Gordon Beadle and, on Out Of The Woods, organist "Brother" John Kattke. The album is inspired by the electrifying blues sounds of 1940s through 1960s, and is performed with taste, restraint, sly humor and pure joy. The stylistically distinct songs - including three wild instrumentals that simply dare you to stay seated - are all connected by Moss' and Gruenling's shared musical vision. "We like to push ourselves out of our comfort zone," Moss says of the songs and performances on the new album, "and I feel like we accomplished that."

From the life lessons espoused in The Bait In The Snare, Losing Ground and Choose Wisely to the hard blues of Aurelie and Living In Heartache to the lighthearted ode to the band's Brazilian bass player, It Shocks Me Out, Moss makes clear, in addition to his unparalleled guitar work and soulful singing voice, he is also an award-winning songwriter with the rare Willie Dixon-like ability to write and sing the blues' honest truth.

Authenticity has never been a problem for Moss, who first made a name for himself playing bass for bluesman Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins. Dawkins encouraged Nick to unleash his fire and passion. From there, Moss was chosen by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith to join his Legendary Blues Band, but Smith insisted Moss switch to guitar. Blues icon Jimmy Rogers (whose best known songs included Walking By Myself and Ludella) hired Moss as his touring guitarist, mentoring him on the blues lifestyle along the way. Today, Moss' blistering fretwork, impassioned, soul-charged vocals and memorable original songs place him in a league of his own.

Growing up in Chicago and standing tall at 6'2", the teenage Moss dreamed of playing both music and sports. His mother was a huge blues fan, even taking a young Nick to see Muddy Waters live in concert. At 18, sudden, emergency kidney surgery sidelined his athletic hopes and left the youngster feeling blue. To lift his spirits, Nick's brother snuck him out of the hospital to see Alligator artists Little Charlie & The Nightcats perform. Nick was blown away by the show and by meeting the band, and it was then and there that he decided on a career as a bluesman. After his years working with and learning from true blues royalty, Nick formed his first band in 1997 and released his debut album a year later on his own independent Blue Bella label. Since then, he's earned legions of fans, playing over 100 shows a year. Moss has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Gary Clark, Jr., David Hidalgo and many others, and is an in-demand guest, always welcome to sit in with his musician friends around the world. He and the band have crisscrossed the United States and Canada multiple times, and have performed in the UK, Norway, Belgium, France, Spain, Latvia, Poland and other European countries.

Dennis Gruenling, Moss' friend of over 20 years, is considered among today's most innovative and creative blues harmonica players. His high-energy, full-throttle reed work has earned him comparisons to many of the greats including the late James Cotton. As a teen he heard the Alligator recording Harp Attack! (a summit meeting of Cotton, Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy Branch) and decided that blues harmonica was his life's calling. In addition to Cotton, Gruenling was inspired by blues harp masters Little Walter and George "Harmonica" Smith as well as by saxophonists, including Lester Young and Red Prysock. A self-taught player and a natural entertainer with seven solo albums and numerous guest appearances to his credit, Gruenling's giant, fat-toned harp work, raw-boned singing and untamed energy are a perfect foil for Moss' inspired guitar playing and straight-from-the-shoulder blues vocals. Vintage Guitar says, "Gruenling's harp, along with the Midwestern intensity of Moss' blues guitar, is pure ecstasy."

With the release of their Alligator Records debut, The High Cost Of Low Living, in 2018, The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling announced their arrival, as fans and critics were amazed by the band's dynamic sound. 2019's Lucky Guy! took them even higher, as the album hit blues radio by storm, finishing Top 10 on the Living Blues Radio Chart's Top 50 Albums of 2019. Internationally, the album peaked on blues charts at #1 in Australia, #3 in France and #7 in the UK. Songs from Lucky Guy! were also prominently featured on BBC2 in Britain and CBC in Canada. The title track became one of the most played songs on SiriusXM's Bluesville. Additionally, Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour invited the band to perform live on its nationally syndicated public radio broadcast.

Moss, Gruenling and the band have received a total of five Blues Music Awards, with wins in 2020 for Band Of The Year, Song Of The Year (Lucky Guy) and Traditional Blues Album Of The Year (Lucky Guy!), and in 2019 for Traditional Blues Male Artist (Moss) and Instrumentalist--Harmonica (Gruenling). Blues Music Magazine says, "Nick Moss is a major force in contemporary blues. Dennis Gruenling plays soaring harp...infectious and finger-snappin'."

Now, with Get Your Back Into It! and upcoming North American and European tours in the works, The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling will bring their brash and exciting blues to old fans and new. Performing at clubs, concert halls and on festival stages across the country and around the world, the band ignites an irresistible, musical firestorm onstage. "When we get together, the music takes over," says Moss. "We can't hold back, and the energy just comes pouring out. We get carried away and the audience gets carried away with us."

Following the release of Everything Harmony, which garnered acclaim from Questlove, Iggy Pop, Anthony Fantano, The Guardian, and countless others, The Lemon Twigs--the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario--have once again captured the attention of the music listening public. They are in their premature "comeback" stage, and coming back this early has its benefits; the brothers have the energy of 24- and 26- year-olds, plus the experience and songwriting chops of seasoned musicians, having recorded their first album, Do Hollywood, nearly a decade ago at ages 15 and 17.

Set for release less than a year after their last album, A Dream Is All We Know is a joyous affair. As the title suggests, it's less of a sober look at the darker side of life, and more a hopeful sojourn into the realm of dreams. The tone has shifted away from dreary melancholic ballads and moody power pop. Brian and Michael are revisiting their "1968" sound. This album feels closely related to Do Hollywood, but their songwriting and recording techniques have vastly improved over the course of five albums.

The brothers combine elements of the Merseybeat sound, the California Beach Boy harmony sound, and Bubblegum to create a unique collection of pop nuggets. (They say it's part of a new "Merseybeach" movement, sure to catch on, though that fact remains to be seen.)

The sense of urgency imbued in lead single "My Golden Years" comes in part from the jangly 12-string guitars and driving drums, but also from the anxiety of a narrator who can feel their "golden years" slipping away from them. Michael's line, "In time I hope that I can show all the world the love in my mind," can serve as a statement of intent for the whole collection of songs, as the brothers race against time to create as much quality pop material as possible.

"They Don't Know How To Fall In Place" propels the album forward into bubblegum paradise with its euphoric harmonies and biting clavinet, while the Roy Wood inspired "Church Bells" takes you on a journey in its two-minute and nine-second run time. At every turn you're introduced to a new instrument, and as Michael sings "ring goes the bell," the drummer switches to the bell of the ride cymbal and the song reveals itself as a pop tone poem, complete with cellos, mandolin and trumpets, all played by Brian. Not to mention the fun Mersey pun, using famous drummer Ringo's name in a song that conflates images of the west side of Manhattan with the atmosphere of northern England. Next comes the titular "A Dream Is All I Know," an existential space age epic, followed by the baroque pocket-prog of "Sweet Vibration."

Equipped with the songwriting chops of a lost era (somewhere between The Brill Building and 10452 Bellagio Road) the new record was carefully arranged and produced entirely analog in the brothers' Brooklyn recording studio. Most of the tracks were constructed with the two brothers swapping instruments and layering all the parts themselves. One of the exceptions to that rule was "In The Eyes Of The Girl," co-produced by Sean Ono Lennon in his upstate New York studio, which had the brothers tracking drums and piano while Lennon handled bass duties. On top of that, the brothers add multilayered harmonies that bring to mind The Beach Boys, The Four Freshman, and The Free Design.

Side two's opener "If You And I Are Not Wise," has the brothers channeling the Everlys' close harmonies while seeking spiritual illumination with the line, "I wish that someone could tell me what my soul knows that I don't know." Brother Brian says, "There's definitely an escapist bend to this album. Joyous music can take you out of the world when things get too heavy, which everyone needs sometimes. "

"How Can I Love Her More?" is a whirlwind of musical flights of fancy. Blaring horns and strings set the stage before the song settles into a rollicking shuffle, complete with two drum sets, an adventurous bass part, theremin, flutes and harpsichord. It's a kitchen sink approach, full of left turns, but never bordering on cacophony. It segues directly into the peaceful, sparser "Ember Days," propelled by a meditative nylon string pattern that's part bossa nova, part Nick Drake. The peace doesn't last long though, as "Peppermint Roses" erupts with a menacing Farfisa into a two-part nightmare comedy that doesn't let up. The album unwinds with the dreamy "I Should've Known Right From The Start." It's like a forgotten piece of French Pop that just happens to be sung in English, complete with arpeggiated acoustic guitar, melodic bass and catchy drum hooks.

While the album is chock full of progressive pop ideas, it closes with an ode to early rock and roll on"Rock On (Over and Over)." "Rock On" contextualizes the band as part of a lineage of rock and roll that's never really stopped. In every decade there have been bands that have put their own spin on the music and "push(ed) it on down to the line." But none have done it with the attention to detail and raw talent of these brothers. For The Lemon Twigs, it took almost a decade for critics and audiences alike to present them with the major accolades they've earned this past year. While their initial records were appreciated for the musical proficiency they displayed, the brothers' past few records have communicated their ideas with more clarity and emotional resonance. In other words, "It took too long to say 'rock on.'"

In the heart of the rock and roll, The FOG stands as an enduring presence, breathing life into the classics while forging their path through the musical landscape with original compositions that are as powerful as they are timeless. This versatile band, formed in 2005, is a celebration of rock's enduring spirit and an embodiment of its electrifying energy.

The FOG came together with a shared love for the legends of rock and a burning desire to pay homage to their heroes while creating something uniquely their own. Born from the diverse artistic backgrounds of its members, The FOG came together with a shared vision: to create music that transcends genres and resonates with the soul. A diverse group of capable musicians, each member brings their flavor to the mix, blending influences from classic rock, blues, punk, pop and alternative into a harmonious fusion that both pays tribute to the past and points toward the future.

The FOG has performed at diverse venues, festivals and private events as well as unique opportunities such as playing at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. In 2018 The FOG won the Peoples Choice award at Gathering on the Green in Mequon. Individual members of the FOG have been fortunate to share a stage with members of REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Night Rangers. The FOG has also had original songs reach strong notoriety on social media. The FOG is currently writing material for their first commercial album designed to showcase their songwriting prowess and willingness to push the boundaries of the genre.

Get ready to embark on a sonic journey that spans the ages. The FOG crafts electrifying covers that honor the original artists while infusing their personal energy into every note. And when it comes to their original compositions, expect nothing less than a modern-day rock and roll revolution, fueled by introspective lyrics and heart-pounding melodies. With a fan base that spans generations and continents, The FOG is on a mission to keep the flames of rock and roll burning bright. Prepare to be transported through the annals of rock history. The FOG is not just a band; they are a living, breathing testament to the enduring power of rock and roll.

Sulek was formed in 2005 by a couple of self-taught teenage musicians in singer Patrick Hoctor's childhood home in Wheaton, Illinois. They began by playing covers of their favorite bands (The Beatles, The White Stripes, Guster) on whatever instruments they could get their hands on. They started writing and recording songs at that time that would eventually be included on their first album.

In college, Patrick befriended a local animator, Grey Gerling, whose animations (under the name of Barfquestion) featured Sulek's early recordings. It was this relationship that bolstered and solidified the band's online fanbase and lead to the release of the band's debut album in 2008, Songs From The Doctors Office.

The band continued writing and recording, and released The Supervillain EP in 2008, and their second album, Believer's Lane, in 2009, seeing the band branch into a more refined sound than their debut.

In 2010, Sulek retained the line-up that it has today with founding members Patrick Hoctor (lead singer, guitarist, cellist) and Chris Winberg (drummer) as well as Ruthie Hoctor (vocalist). Together they realized 2011's Birds in The Attic which featured a continued embrace of the Americana genre with sparks of a grittier blues-rock throughout songs about love and loss.

The band's most recent release, 2012's Unbound At Last, took that directional change they had found on Birds in the Attic and honed it into their most cohesive effort yet. With themes of love lost and grief still being present, the band explored persevering and breaking free from those restraints. The album and the band were finalists for several 88.9 music awards in Milwaukee that year.

Throughout their career the band has maintained a steady presence in Milwaukee through their live shows, performances on Radio Milwaukee and NPR, and articles in The Shephard Express and The Onion. The band's current live performance is as electrifying as ever, spattered with new material and even some of their favorite covers that saw the band's beginnings almost 20 years ago.

Pullstring is the modern everyday man rock band putting to words what it's like to be a young adult. Hailing from the Twin Cities of Minnesota, they arrived on the music scene as venues began to open up following the lockdowns of the COVID19 pandemic. Their brand of MN Power Pop is influenced by many artists throughout the decades and brings what fans call "nostalgic vibes" to listeners. Pullstring's palette of sounds ranges from bittersweet melancholy to upbeat anthems.

In the past couple years as a band, Pullstring has gone on tours and played to packed venues around the Midwest including 7th St Entry, Turf Club, and the Maintenance Shop. Pullstring has already been on festival lineups such as Eau Claire Fall Fest, KURE Fest, and Northwoods Rock Rally. Pullstring has opened for large touring acts such as ALEXSUCKS, George Clanton, The Melismatics, and We Are Scientists.

What will Pullstring do next?

It's been a bit more than 40 years since pioneering Celtic-punk-folk band Boiled In Lead's first show at the Upper Deck in 1983. With their star still on the wall, BiL return to the stage and studio with new material and radical rearrangements of old favorites.

Boiled In Lead is the longest-running Celtic punk band in America, and an important part of the foundation of what became Minnesota punk rock. Bob Mould was among those who praised the band's first self-released LP ("Even the fiddles rock,") and the Hüskers invited the band to play an early show at Goofy's Upper Deck. Today, the band's star is still on the wall at First Avenue.

While in high school, bass player and founder Drew Miller became obsessed with traditional folk. He started the band in 1983 to turn the volume up and bring those tunes and songs to new audiences. Following their first LP, he met guitarist / vocalist Todd Menton at an Irish session. With distribution from TwinTone, the band was soon playing the First Avenue Mainroom, the Winnipeg Folk Festival; that led to a UK record deal and tours in Europe and around the country. The group and the individual musicians have won many Minnesota Music Awards, and toured throughout the US and in Europe.

Over the years, the band's sound has changed with its membership. Violinist David Stenshoel, who passed away in 2021, pushed the band to expand beyond Ireland to tackle many world folk music traditions. Menton says: "...when we play... the very coolest thing is the tune itself. The original tradition is the power."

Re-visioned for the band's 40th Anniversary, core members Todd Menton and Drew Miller add drummer Mo Engel and violinist Haley Olson to the lineup, moving forward with a wealthy of new material, as well as looking backward to reframe old tunes.

Enthusiastic, powerful, technically brilliant, playing a wealth of instruments with extreme dynamics, Boiled In Lead routinely demolishes genres with its highly-identifiable sound. An Onion A&E quote describes the band's approach well: "...the prime purveyor of a style of Celtic music infused with punk-rock attitude, developing over the years with a hard-driving swirl that combined Irish folk with heavy rock and elements of styles from all over the world. ...one of the best bands Minnesota's ever produced. ...even without amplification, Boiled In Lead can summon up furious punk-folk energy."

Todd Menton (vocals, guitar, mandolin, bodhran, whistle) joined BiL soon after their 1st LP, and was the lead singer on the classic albums From the Ladle to the Grave and Orb. After a hiatus, he rejoined the band in 2005. He's currently an instructor at the Center For Irish Music in St. Paul.

Drew Miller (bass guitar) founded the band in 1983. He anchors the low end with a hint of distortion, and sometimes plays solid-body dulcimer. Recently he formed Kinda Fonda Wanda, a high-energy roots-rockabilly outfit inspired by Wanda Jackson. He has been profiled in Bass Player Magazine. and runs a record store in White Bear Lake Minnesota.

Mo Engel (drum kit) is a versatile Twin Cities music vet. He and Drew found their groove together in Kinda Fonda Wanda. Also a member of Retrofizz, Kings of Cole, and Saddle Sores, Mo keeps the beat going and chimes in on harmonies.

Haley Olson's (violin, vocals) love of traditional music has led her to learn an ever-increasing range of musical styles. She has performed on Lake Superior, in the Smokey Mountains, and other places nationally and internationally.

West Nile Crows is a Milwaukee-based, 4-piece rock band w/ roots in a wide range of genres, including 60s & 70s psychedelic rock, 80s dream pop, and early 2000s indie pop/rock & shoegaze. West Nile Crows are: Hans Jaeger as lead vocalist and on lead guitar, Ryan Sablay on rhythm guitar and synth, Tyler Zachow on bass guitar, and Garrett Holm behind the drum kit.

Working outside the confines of the traditional music industry, Adam Ezra and his bandmates -- Corinna Smith (fiddle), Alex Martin (drums), Poche Ponce (bass) - built a community of fans through sheer grit and determination, regularly performing hundreds of shows a year for the past two decades without any major label or mainstream radio support. Fusing folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm, the band first emerged from Boston in the early 2000s and quickly garnered widespread acclaim for their bold, insightful songwriting and interactive, euphoric performances. From hole in the wall bars and house concerts to sold-out headline shows and dates with the likes of Little Big Town, The Wallflowers, Gavin DeGraw, Train, and The Wailers, Ezra and his bandmates treated every single gig like their last, attracting a die-hard following that believed not just in the music, but in their commitment to activism and social change, as well.

After their tour was cancelled at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ezra brought the show online to continue this commitment and created The Gathering Series which to-date has reached a cumulative audience of 15 million viewers. The bands ongoing daily livestreams since March of 2020 stands as a testament not only to Ezra's artistic endurance, but also his ability to connect with viewers and provide an accepting and supportive space for newcomers to join his tight-knit community of fans. Through his own experience with COVID, his move across the country, and even his wedding day, Ezra has broadcasted without fail from wherever he found himself each night at 7pm Eastern. In addition to bringing The Gathering Series to the real world as they performed nearly 50 safe, socially distanced shows in parks and backyards around the United States to bring light to fans through music, the band didn't stop there. Their homegrown festival, The Ramble, hosted by RallySound, raises money and marshals resources to help homeless veterans find safe and dignified housing for the last ten years. While the band was unable to bring the festival to fans live in the year of COVID, they instead incorporated it into The Gathering Series and hosted a 24-hour, nonstop livestream where they raised enough money to help house 64 veterans.

The Adam Ezra Group hit their 500th Live stream show on July 25th, 2021. They have also played an additional 50 backyard socially distanced shows, and are starting to tour heavily again in traditional and outdoor venues. As if this wasn't enough to keep them busy, the band also embarked on an ambitious new recording series dubbed 'The Album Project' which will see the band releasing at least 19 new singles over the next few years. What comes next for the Adam Ezra Group? The future is anyone's guess right now, and the only thing the Adam Ezra Group knows for sure, is they'll be out there making music however and whenever they can.

"I'm the king of Music Row," says Ike Reilly. Standing on the stoop of his recording studio with his arms wide open, the songwriter claims the whole street as his musical kingdom. For the former gravedigger and doorman, Music Row is just one house. It's the 100-year-old bungalow wedged between a nail salon and an insurance agency in Libertyville, Illinois. This is where Reilly now makes his records.

Libertyville is about 38 miles north of Chicago, and it's the hometown of Marlon Brando, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Adam Jones of Tool, Maureen Herman of Babes in Toyland, and many other successful artists and musicians. These folks have all fled town. Reilly never left. He has lived there his entire life, and he has churned out song after song, album after album, all the while maintaining a seemingly together family life and touring America both as a lone troubadour and while leading his greasy band, The Ike Reilly Assassination. While Libertyville certainly appears idyllic, the stories that Reilly mines from it, and from people and places all over the world, clearly are not. Tom Morello, also a Libertyville native, says, "These homogeneous Midwestern towns like Libertyville can forge rebels, and Ike Reilly is just that. He's somebody who sees through the veil of bullsh*t, and you can hear it in all his songs."

Since his explosive major label debut, Salesmen and Racists, Reilly has been creating rebellious punk/folk/country/blues-influenced rock 'n' roll records that are poetic and cinematic. Critical praise for his work has been plentiful, and he has garnered a wildly loyal fan base -- from faithful fans in the dirty bars and rock clubs in the middle of nowhere to legendary authors. Reilly's songs have a unique universality that affects people. Author Stephen King wrote that Reilly's travel band saga, "Boltcutter," was "the best new song to come out of the Trump era." The New York Times called Reilly's longtime band, The Assassination, one of the best live bands in America, and once again they show their dexterity and growth on Reilly's new offering, Because the Angels.

This compelling batch of new Reilly songs/tales required both a lighter touch and a ferocity that mirror the depth of Reilly's writing and the varied nature of his songs. On "Ashes to Ashes," the band slams away and yet still holds down the groove to this Ray-Charles-on-speed track. As the band rocks, rolls, and rumbles, Reilly sings of the cursed and the blessed, the loved and the hurt, and he assures us that nobody escapes death. Sure, it's dark, but ya might die trying not to move to this track.

Of his work, Reilly dismisses it and says, "My songs are either lies or apologies." Because the Angels may reveal more truth than maybe he would like. "Trick of the Light," the first single released off of the new album, is a dark-pop-celebration of family dysfunction. Here, we find Reilly ironically sharing lead vocal duties with three of his own children. There is a festive innocence and a wise resignation in the vocal delivery as Reilly and his boys trade lines and ask questions about faith, hope, family, money, and fate.

Reilly said, "My boys singing on this album with us came about for really no other reason than we were f*cking locked up together during this pandemic. I had to take to Internet hustling-busking-begging to make ends meet, and the boys joined me on The Ike Reilly Family Quarantine Hour. We got comfortable singing together, and when we cut some of these songs, it felt natural for them to sing with the band on many of them. Their vocals really helped shape this record." Like all related singers, there is a distinctive quality in the voices of Shane, Kevin, and Mickey Reilly -- similarly raspy to their father yet not as torn up. This genetic connection is even more compelling given the seeking nature of "Trick of the Light."

Like on all of Reilly's records, the imagery, the locations, and the characters are authentic, unique, and unforgettable. Because the Angels is home to racist girlfriends, killer cops, drunken candidates, swindled mothers, slandered brothers, and struggling lovers, all right here in the modern era. The locations are mostly American -- the police shooting and subsequent riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin inspired "Someday Tonight." In "The Muhammad Ali Museum," the lonesome main character, after searching unsuccessfully for weed in downtown Louisville, decides to go into the Ali Museum and is brought to new depths of anguish as he compares his own mundane life to the life of The Champ.

Blown-out speakers, marijuana shoes, tire fires, and abandoned driers all litter the suicide highways in the final track of Because the Angels, the epic "Racquel Blue." This broken-beat, dubstep-tinged folk song could be on the soundtrack to some lost spaghetti western, but the song itself is too powerful and majestic to take a back seat to any film. Once again, the band proves their agility in handling the space in this musical mystery. Guitarist Phil Karnats paints the sonic landscapes with his signature swells and runs and never gets in the way of the narrative. Is Racquel Blue a woman? Is Racquel Blue a drug? Maybe Racquel Blue is a mythical destination? Who knows. But within the mystery, there is a grandiosity and familiarity. An unlikely place for "hooks," "Racquel Blue" has one of Reilly's most timeless and memorable choruses, and a haunting group vocal "B" section, sung by Reilly's own children, that is certain to generate communal singing wherever "Racquel Blue" is performed or played.

Says Reilly, "'Racquel Blue' is our f*cking thing -- nobody else could do it. Actually, all of this music is our thing. This thing of ours! Cosa Nostra! Seriously, nobody plays like Phil. Nobody plays like Phil, Dave, Pete, and Adam. Ya take these stories and that band, and then throw my boys singing on top of it. F*ck, we know we made a great record. Don't need anybody to tell us that. Just listen to it."

The King of Music Row has spoken.

Back in 1995, Milwaukee-based drummer John Carr heard a great CD playing at a bar, and asked the bartender what it was. Behold, it was the recently released Chess New Orleans anthology. At that precise moment, The Hungry Williams was born; and now they bring to the world their new CD, Let's Go!, releasing September 9th on Rochelle Records. Distribution for the new album will be through AMPED (ampeddistribution.com).

John Carr bought a copy of the New Orleans anthology that week, thus beginning a fascination with '50s R&B music. Carr knew lots of New Orleans music, such as Lee Dorsey, Huey "Piano" Smith, Allen Toussaint, and the Meters. But this was a whole different vibe. It SWINGS, hard. There's a Caribbean flavor, too, that was nothing like he'd heard before. THAT is the sound Carr has chased ever since. In fact, The Hungry Williams just might be the best New Orleans-sounding band NOT from the Crescent City that you've ever heard!

By 2015, Carr had played with everyone and anyone in town, earning the reputation as "Milwaukee's Ringo." But the itch for a hard swinging, horn driven band with that Latin flair had never subsided. He had a name picked out, in honor of one of the best New Orleans drummers ever, Charles "Hungry" Williams. But most importantly, Carr knew who to create a band with.

First up were vocalist Kelli Gonzalez and bassist Mike Sieger. Carr and Sieger have been playing together in various incarnations since 1991. No rhythm section is tighter and livelier than these two. "Mike and I play joined at the hip," enthuses Carr. "We each have our own flavor of keeping the beat, and the simpatico between us means we come up with something relaxed and happy." Sieger recruited Carr into a zydeco outfit featuring Kelli Gonzalez as lead vocalist. There, Carr found in Gonzalez someone who knew '50s R&B even better than he does.

Next came Carr's good friend and guitarist/vocalist Joe Vent. They'd come up together in the '80s, playing the New Wave guitar-based pop of the day. In the '90s, Vent led his own band and ran Don't Records, at the time the home of local heroes Paul Cebar and Willy Porter. By 2015, Vent was ready for a change of pace.

So was keyboardist Jack Stewart, former bandmate of Carr's in local jump bluesers, The Uptown Savages. Stewart started in the '60s playing in blues-based jam bands, then in the '70s he started Milwaukee's first punk rock band, Death. The Uptown Savages played for nearly 20 years, and when that was done, Stewart happily agreed to join Carr's new project.

The core was in place: a group of like-minded musicians ready to bring the swing to the masses that don't know what they'd been missing. They played a couple hundred shows and recorded an album. Things were looking good until ... COVID.

Plans to promote their 2019 debut, Brand New Thing, were derailed. A Christmas EP, Mambo Santa Mambo, was in the can, and was released mid-pandemic. But, what to do in the meantime? Figure out how to practice online (which they did, eventually), and maybe write some originals. Carr, Vent, and Gonzalez started sharing their ideas electronically, and lo and behold, four new tunes emerged; plus a lot of great new covers worked out together, in cyberspace. Carr decided a new album is in order.

One day, Carr heard a song by the California Honeydrops that gave him chills, because it was the sound he'd always had in his head: a relaxed, authentic performance, the sound of instruments together in a room, along with the warmth that vinyl collectors love. Thanks to the internet, within 24 hours Carr was in touch with Jacob LaCally, the engineer behind that sound. A plan was hatched: LaCally would come to Milwaukee in September, 2021, to spend three days recording an album, all together, in one room, without headphones. Carr nearly wept with gratitude. This could be the album he always knew he could make, but didn't know how.

For the Let's Go! Recording sessions, Carr brought in their favorite saxes: Jason Goldsmith on tenor, and Casimir Riley on baritone. Fun fact: Carr is the second in a three generation line of Milwaukee drummers. Goldsmith came from Carr's dad's 18 piece jazz orchestra; Riley from Carr's son's band. Like they say, it takes a village.

The recording process was a joy, Joe Vent says. "Once we got the room and the vibe locked-in, we were nailing takes. It was the best recording situation: no thinking, just playing. The lines between instruments were incidental; we played these songs as a band, not individuals. That's always been our goal."

LaCally's influence was key. Jack Stewart says, "It was great recording as a band and allowing the room sound to be present and not isolated. Along with being a great engineer, Jacob LaCally has a true understanding of the music we play. His input and suggestions on the music itself, not just the recording process, were on the money and enhanced the overall product."

Michael McDermott burst onto the scene in his early 20s with his exceptional debut, 620 W. Surf and subsequently found himself touted as Rock's 'Next Big Thing'. MTV, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and even author, Stephen King added their appreciative nods and having the backing of Giant Records and prestigious producers like, Brian Koppelman and Don Gehman, seemed to go a long way towards assuring his success - overnight success.

The missteps and failures that followed, the collapse of an industry that once embraced him as its next sensation, are troubles and travails that either ruin a person completely, or they force a change of attitude and staunch determination to gather one's resolve to not only survive, but overcome. McDermott vowed to do both. Ten albums in, it's resulted in Willow Springs (Pauper Sky, June 17, 2016), one of the most honest, daring and defiant recordings of McDermott's career. Named for the small town where he now resides with his wife and young daughter, it reflects a certain circumspect about his life, the situations he's encountered, while realizing that ultimately, his fate resided in his own hands.

"This is an album of reckoning I suppose," McDermott reflects. "There was a real cacophony of change going on in my life at the time... being a new father, losing my own father, leaving the city for the country, dealing with sobriety, grief, death, mortality, shame and forgiveness. It was a veritable emotional tsunami and yet somehow I had to navigate through it all. That journey is reflected in these songs. Willow Springs is the name of the place where I took refuge and had to confront a lot of things".

Recorded at his home in the country and fan-funded, Willow Springs finds McDermott behind the boards as producer for the first time with longtime producer and collaborator, Lex Price doing the mix. Having enlisted a stellar support group of musicians -- including multi-instrumentalist, Price; guitarist, Will Kimbrough; keyboard player, John Deaderick ; sax player Rich Parenteau; and McDermott's wife, Heather Horton on backing vocals - McDermott found himself able to craft the unassuming yet cutting sound he envisioned.

Indeed, the results bear out the fact that Willow Springs is the most honest and expressive album of McDermott's extraordinary 25 year career. Songs such as, 'These Last Few Days', 'Getaway Car', 'Half Empty Kinda Guy', 'One Minus One' and the title track, convey all at once, a sound that's both reflective and confessional - borne by stark emotion and a tattered, battered delivery that's both sobering and sublime. McDermott remains more determined than ever, and Willow Springs is the result. "My enthusiasm is only matched by my desire to continue to evolve as an artist" he insists.

Accolades and kudos can be accumulated one minute and quickly dissipate the next. After all, the music biz is a fickle beast and it doesn't matter how much you pleased the masses last year, last month or even last week, but rather, about what you offer today.

Today, McDermott has offered his best.

Kudos to Michael McDermott - overnight success.

Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriter's fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017's critically acclaimed Trophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen's multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeney's finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing.

Married Alone began as most of Sweeney's projects do: with a visit to her deep vault of unreleased songs. Since debuting with Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame in 2006, Sweeney has been a prolific writer, writing whatever is on her heart rather than with a particular project in mind. That habit afforded her a rich well of material for Married Alone, some of which is over a decade old.

"I have a lot of older songs that still make the cut of like, 'Am I gonna put this on a record?' And I always start with those songs, songs that have been important to me for whatever reason. And then I try to build around that. It doesn't necessarily have to be around a theme, but sometimes it turns out to be that there is one."

Opener "Tie Me Up" declares that, despite its loose theme, Married Alone is not a somber record, with Sweeney in full spitfire mode and cheekily declaring to a would-be suitor, "You can tie me up, but baby you can't tie me down." Cauthen's and Bedford's production especially shines on the track, which would sound at home at a roadside juke joint or in front of thousands of fans at a festival.

Cauthen joins Sweeney on "A Song Can't Fix Everything," one of the album's rawer moments. "That song can't bring my mother back to life," Sweeney sings at the song's start, before recounting the many ways that music may be able to transport us to the past but can never fix it. "Want You to Miss Me" is an honest take on the complexities of a difficult breakup, with Sweeney's nimble vocal wavering between defiance and doubt. "Easy as Hello" is Sweeney's writing at its finest, channeling the heartache that comes with the end of a treasured relationship, for a track that recalls -- vocally and lyrically -- the work of Stevie Nicks.

"Someday You'll Call My Name" reads as a break-up kiss-off -- and it's a great one, at that -- but the song, pulled from Sweeney's vault, was originally inspired by her early days as a musician, longing to be recognized by major country institutions like the Grand Ole Opry. She and co-writer Brennen Leigh reworked their 10-year-old version of the track to better fit Married Alone, and that session helped set the tone for what would become the full album.

The full potential of the album really revealed itself, though, when a friend sent Sweeney a demo of what would become its title track, "Married Alone." Though she wasn't a co-writer on the track, Sweeney felt her own story reflected in its lyrics. The song, which features a particularly emotional guest vocal from living country legend Vince Gill, charts the painful moments sometimes experienced in marriages that have run their course.

"There may be rings on our fingers, but we're married alone," she and Gill sing, over weeping pedal steel and reverbed guitar.

"My jaw hit the floor when I heard that song, because I had just gone through my second divorce, which is also cliche of a country singer," Sweeney says, with a laugh. "I was still pretty raw about my divorce, but also very candid and trying to find levity in the situation. You have to be able to laugh at yourself at some point and not let it just totally get you down."

A few months after securing the song and mining her own vault for a track list, Sweeney traveled to Dallas, TX, to record -- alongside Cauthen and Bedford -- what would become Married Alone.

Sweeney and team planned for Jeff Saenz to mix the album, but in the summer of 2021 -- a few days before mixing would start -- the widely loved, Dallas-based producer was electrocuted in a freak accident that left him without use of his arms. The group put the album on hold until they had word Saenz would pull through. While Sweeney was anxious to get her new music out, Saenz's accident shifted her priorities.

"Jeff lost his arms," she says. "His arms. Jeff's never going to hold his fianc�e's hand again, never going to hold his baby again. I had a major, major turning point with his accident, personally, as did most of our friends that know him."

About eight months later, Bedford had a surprise for Sweeney. When she arrived at the studio for one of their final mixing sessions, Bedford had brought Saenz along. Saenz was able to help the group finish up the album, a full-circle moment that was especially emotional for Sweeney.

"It was exactly how it should have been," she says. "And it was really, really emotional. Jeff definitely is a part of this album; I really wanted him to be a part of the album. And Beau knew that. So, Beau went and he made that happen."

In addition to releasing Married Alone, Sweeney is marking a new chapter in her professional life with a brand-new team by her side, most of whom are women. While it wasn't a conscious choice, Sweeney says, she feels like she's surrounded by the right group of people, who just happen to be "badass women."

Like the narrator of "Someday You'll Call My Name," Sweeney is not the kind of artist you come across then forget. With Married Alone, she further cements her status as one of country music's finest storytellers.

"They say things have to get worse before they can get better," Eilen Jewell reflects. "And for a while there, everything got worse."

Indeed, in the span of just a few months, Jewell watched as her marriage, her band, and what felt like her entire career fell apart in a series of spectacular, heartbreaking implosions. By the time the dust had finally settled, the critically acclaimed singer and songwriter was grieving and shocked, living in a remote cabin in the mountains and unsure if she'd ever get to make music again.

"Up to that point, I'd just been going with the flow and letting outside forces dictate the path of my life," Jewell explains. "Losing so much so fast forced me to figure out what really mattered. It made me realize that I've only got this one life, and I'd better get behind the wheel if I want to make the most of it."

With Get Behind The Wheel, her ninth studio album, Jewell does precisely that, planting herself firmly in the driver's seat as she picks up the pieces and finds new purpose and meaning in the process. Co-produced by multi-instrumental wizard Will Kimbrough (Todd Snider, Hayes Carll), the collection pushes Jewell's trademark blend of vintage roots-noir into more psychedelic territory, with spacious, cinematic arrangements complementing her revelatory explorations of grief, loss, resilience, and redemption. The band's performances are truly electrifying here, blending elements of early rock and rockabilly with old school country and soul, and Jewell's delivery is timeless to match, her voice effortlessly moving from unguarded intimacy to icy cool and back, sometimes within the very same song. The result is Jewell's boldest album yet, a powerful work of artistic alchemy that transforms heartache into genuine creative rebirth.

"I never wanted to make something that just wallowed in its misery because that's not what I got from this whole experience," Jewell says. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tough, but I survived and I've come out so much stronger and more in tune with myself, and that's the journey I wanted to capture in these songs."

Hailed as "one of America's most intriguing, creative, and idiosyncratic voices" by American Songwriter, Jewell built her career the old fashioned way, touring relentlessly with the kind of undeniable live show that converts the uninitiated into instant acolytes. Over the course of nearly two decades on the road, the Idaho native has crisscrossed the US, Europe, and Australia countless times, playing an endless series of headline and festival dates in addition to sharing bills with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. Rolling Stone lauded Jewell's "clever writing," while NPR declared that she has a "sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the shiny surface," and The Washington Post mused that "if Neko Case, Madeleine Peyroux and Billie Holiday had a baby girl who grew up to front a rockabilly band, she'd probably sound a lot like Eilen Jewell."

"From the outside, I'm sure everything looked very fun and exciting," Jewell reflects, "but somewhere along the way I started to feel like I was stuck in a life that wasn't my own, and I started drinking too much to escape all the stress."

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic brought touring and recording to a grinding halt, things were nearing a breaking point at home, and Jewell and her husband of roughly a decade decided to call it quits.

"My husband was also my drummer and my manager," Jewell explains, "so in one fell swoop, it felt like I'd lost everything."

The untimely deaths of several close friends and family members followed shortly after, and Jewell soon found herself in the midst of a painful period of transition and self-examination. She left her home in Boise for a small cabin in the Idaho mountains, where she dove deep into meditation. She went for long hikes in the wilderness to stave off the constant threat of panic attacks, and she began experimenting with psychedelics in a search for clarity amidst the chaos.

"When I'm going through something big, I just instinctively start writing," says Jewell, who began documenting her journey through lyrics and melodies. "I didn't think I'd get to make another record, but I needed to write anyway just for the catharsis of it."

The songs proved to be some of the finest, most arresting and emotionally nuanced writing of Jewell's careers so far. Her ex-husband agreed

"He really loved the songs, too," Jewell explains, "and he ultimately decided to stay with the band and come back on as my manager. We've always worked well together, and we co-parent really well, too, so when it was time to record, I think we were all just excited to get back to something that felt like normal."

That excitement is palpable on Get Behind The Wheel, which opens with the slow-burning "Alive." Raw and brooding, the track builds from a whisper to a gritty roar as it revels in the crucible-like quality of complete reinvention. "You gotta get behind the wheel / You gotta drive," Jewell sings over blistering guitars. "Baby how you feel? / I feel so alive." Like much of the album, the song grapples with a complicated swirl: longing, sadness, freedom, and fierce determination all churn just beneath the surface. The searing "Lethal Love" reckons with the dark side of romance, while the bittersweet "You Were A Friend Of Mine" contemplates loss and regret, and the soulful "Come Home Soon" finds new faith in the power of human connection.

"I used to think I was a natural hermit," Jewell reflects, "but I had some really profound experiences with complete strangers over the past few years that made me realize how important the bonds we share with other people are. We're all social creatures just trying to find home, and we need each other for that."

Such revelations help keep the album from ever drifting too far into despair. The playful "Winnemucca," for instance, embraces an openhearted joy. The instant classic "Crooked River" finds fervent hope in the possibility of a fresh start. The dreamy "Silver Wheels and Wings" sheds the trappings of the self to find buried spiritual treasure.

"I recently got engaged to someone I've known since I was a kid," Jewell says, "and I think that's a big part of the joyful element in this record. Sure, there's a lot of heaviness and loss here, but there's also a lot of hope and love and redemption, too. There's a phoenix rising from the ashes."

Things had to get worse before they could get better, and for Eilen Jewell, the best, it seems, is still to come.

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