On March 20, as the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting to be understood, indie music retailer Bandcamp made the bold choice of waiving their share of revenue for artists and labels who were cancelling shows and delaying album releases left and right. The result was more music bought by more fans than any day on the site, a record broken on the first Friday of May. Bandcamp Fridays have since taken place in June, July and August - plus the first of an annual occurrence when the
Woody Guthrie remains one of the most significant figures in folk music. His legendary songs of freedom and struggle laid the groundwork for the folk revival that arose in the fifties and sixties, and his music endures as part of America's rich musical heritage. In 1970, renowned folk artists like Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Earl Robinson, The Band, and Woody's son Arlo Guthrie, convened to pay tribute to the legendary songwriter,
Looking for our usual Release Round-Up? Alas, there's not much new in the way of catalogue music this Friday (and we've already filled you in on Billy Paul and Leon Russell!), but for a very good reason: tomorrow sees releases a-plenty as part of Record Store Day! Without further ado, welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's RSD event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent
And the hits just keep on comin'! Record Store Day is almost upon us - Saturday, April 13 - and Omnivore Recordings isn't going to miss out on all the fun. The label has just announced a quartet of titles set to reach your local independent record store. The label's four new vinyl titles include I Don't Like the Way This World's A-Treatin' Me, a four-song tribute to Woody Guthrie featuring a rare Guthrie demo plus Jeff Tweedy, Ryan Harvey with Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello, and U.S. Elevator;
May 3rd will mark 100 years since the birth of Pete Seeger. He was a musician of incalculable influence, an activist, lyricist, banjo picker, and, most significantly, a unifier of the masses. Like a Johnny Appleseed of music, Pete Seeger spent his life spreading music to all that would listen. From "We Shall Overcome" and "If I Had A Hammer," and "The Bells of Rhymney," to "Turn! Turn! Turn!" "Wimoweh," and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," Seeger left an indelible mark on music history that
Bob Dylan once said that, upon hearing Woody Guthrie's songs, "it was like I had been in the dark and someone had turned on the main switch of a lightning conductor." Steve Earle opined that "Woody is my hero of heroes and the only person on earth that I will go to my grave regretting that I never met." No less a literary eminence than John Steinbeck noted, "Woody is just Woody," before explaining, "Harsh voiced and nasal, his guitar hanging like a tire iron on a rusty rim, there is nothing
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Who, Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Eagle Rock) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. In spring 2017, in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, The Who played the classic Tommy in full, plus an encore set of seven greatest hits at London's historic Royal Albert Hall. This release includes every song from