Jonathan Wilson - Dixie BlurMulti-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson returns with Dixie Blur, a new studio album of lush folk-rock tracks that cement the artist as one of the most exciting songwriters in the scene today. Produced by Wilcos Pat Sansone in Nashville, the record boasts a Southern sound, leaning on a vaguely country backing throughout. Delicate,...

Watch genre spanning artists cover Dead classics in recent months.Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley - Brown-Eyed WomanBluegrass master Rob Ickes performs with guitar prodigy Trey Hensley on this Grateful Dead cover. Predictably more country than the original, the old-time lyrics lend themselves to the genre perfectly, resulting in this emotional and infectious single. ...

So many publications offer so many end of the year album lists, so why do most of them look like they are written in a foreign language? Sure a handful of my favorites records find themselves in the "lists that matter", but even after looking at Rob Mitchum's incredible aggregation work, I still find myself...

At 36 years of age, William Tyler has arrived at an enviable artistic space.He is a writer and performer who combines the inventiveness of youth with the confidence and singular expressiveness of somebody who has found his voice after decades of practice.  An oft unsettling combination of fearlessness and wisdom, it is embodied in...

By: Aaron Stein (@neddyo)We are in the golden age of guitar players.Thats something Ive been saying/writing/tweeting for several years now, but its as true now as its ever been. For me, the first six months of 2016 has been a perfect distillation of this golden age: a steady flow of albums...

By: Heidi Peters PhotographyMountain Goats. What is it? A band? A person? Possiblya small cult?In any case, it was clear from the get-go that the fans are "all in", knowing words and subtleties acrossa vast catalog of songs.Prolific songwriter John Darnielle assembled crew of crack musicians for this run, with drummer Jon Wurster,...

By: Alex WoodWith recent releases The Whole Love and Star Wars, Wilco moved increasingly further from their classic sound, utilizing ambience and electronics in the former and raw guitar work and noise in the latter.Following the release of Star Wars, Wilco sent email subscribers a list of recommended records based on the bands taste,...

Welcome to the ninth edition of the The Barns These Are My Jams series. To see what this is all about, check out Volume One and for more jams, our landing page for the entire series.I've been slowly been chipping away at getting caught up with posting these summaries. What's amazing about this run...

Words / Photos: Alex WoodAs Califone walked on stage, drummers Joe Westerlund and Rachel Blumberg fiddled with a hodgepodge of small, electronic noisemakers, opening the show with layers of gurgling electronic noise.Out of these noises came Dont Let Me Die Nervous from 2000s Califone EP, a track that showcases the bands full range of dynamics...

Here's a follow up to our Best Of The First Half of 2013 post. Thanks again to @WeirScrewed for contributing the first part of this list (the six albums with the more detailed write-ups).I (Steve - @thebarnpresents) have added some additional selections, and some one-liners of my own, at the end of the post. You...