Patty Larkin Continues The Storytelling Tradition
“I
think that folk music is storytelling that draws from everyday life. It is
music that talks about everyday life,” says folk singer / songwriter Patty
Larkin. “I decided way back twenty years ago, that to avoid talking about
things with which I felt uncomfortable, or that made other people
uncomfortable, would make people feel sad, or was politically oriented, was
going to be a sin of omission. I was not going to avoid talking about issues
that I felt were important.”
Larkin’s song, “The Streets Of Birmingham Are Burning,” was written to draw attention to the working poor in America, and particularly in the Alabama city of Birmingham. “At the time that I wrote it, I knew that it was the state where you could earn the least amount of money, and still pay income tax on it.
Defining Lauren Monroe's Music
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As singer, songwriter, and percussionist Lauren Monroe and I discussed her new album The Freedom Sessions, the conversation turned to the third track, “My Love.” “I think that “My Love,” taps into a very vulnerable, personal journey (for me). It is a delicate place about loving someone or something, and then letting it go. I sang it with Moon Calhoun, who is an amazing human being. He is a drummer who has played with The Gap Band, Rufus, Neil Young and Michael Thompson. He is one of the most amazing percussionists,” observes Monroe, who also happens to be married to a pretty amazing drummer, in Rick Allen, from Def Leppard.
Pursuing the topic of Calhoun for a moment longer, Monroe says, “He was in an accident fourteen years ago, and now he is a paraplegic. He is in a wheelchair and his life has changed tremendously. I wrote “My Love,” right after I met him.
The Band Of Heathens
Out of the swamp, the creature raises its greasy, filthy head—Stop, Cut—this is not a B grade horror flick, but it does provide an accurate description for the music of one of our country’s hottest Americana bands, The Band Of Heathens. Guitarist, dobro player and singer/songwriter Colin Brooks sat down recently, with Riveting Riffs Magazine and talked about the band’s origins, their music and in particular The Band Of Heathens’ current, self-titled CD.
Brooks describes The Band Of Heathens’ music as, “It sounds swampy. Our music has lots of swampy, filthy grooves. It is kind of like white people trying to play black music. The stiffness of those grooves renders a certain charm to them. Most of the time, lyrically, we have a commitment to some kind of story.”
Romance, Wedding Rings And Rodeos
When you combine swaggering lyrics with great guitar licks, and a good dose of southern charm, you know there is a good chance that you are going to catch someone’s eye, or in this case their ear, and that is exactly what is happening to Texas native Owen Temple, whose country tunes from his current CD Two Thousand Miles have made a solid impression on the Texas radio market. The album released in January of this year features Asleep At The Wheel’s David Grissom on guitar, is produced by Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks, Terry Allen), and country songstress Terri Hendrix contributed harmony vocals on several of the tracks.
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