August 11 — LOOKEY YONDER COMIN’, Hank Williams III (2013)

August 11, 2017 by Russ Florence

Sometimes you don’t know what you’re craving. Your diet’s just been missing something. So you look around. You open cabinets and cupboards and the refrigerator. Something salty or sweet, or maybe a good apple is what you need. You scroll through playlists and podcasts, you check today’s new album releases, and you zip through the satellite radio channels. And then there it is. The answer is a combination you never would have put your finger on if you hadn’t run […]

Categories: 2010s

August 5 — LET’S BE STILL, The Head and the Heart (2013)

August 5, 2017 by Russ Florence

It’s the last weekend of this short, fast summer before school starts. By 8 this morning, Luke and I were at Brown’s Bakery for our monthly father-son donut date. By 9, we arrived at Coffee and Cars, our monthly viewing of the coolest cars in Oklahoma City. Before 10 we were at a park near Lake Hefner, sliding and swinging. At 10:30, we met Lauren for Luke’s last swim lesson of the summer. By noon, we were having cheeseburgers with […]

Categories: 2010s, Family

July 28 — THE CITY NOWADAYS, L.A. Salami (2016)

July 28, 2017 by Russ Florence

The Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island has officially been added to my bucket list. During a podcast this morning, NPR’s Bob Boilen interviewed executive producer Jay Sweet about the festival’s legacy as an event that’s all about the music. A “cross between summer camp and a family reunion,” Sweet says there are no sideshows, no after-hours dance parties, no football games simulcast on the big screen. Just four stages of compelling, interesting music. New artists draw as big of […]

Categories: 2010s

July 21 — MEET ME ON THE STREET, Sheer Mag (2017)

July 21, 2017 by Russ Florence

Sheer Mag’s full-length debut is all muscle and sweat. It’s a throwback to an era when songs were anthems, meant to be played at a volume rivaling The Who, in arenas with “Coliseum” in the name. The band formed in Philadelphia three years ago, grabbing the attention of Rolling Stone as one of “Ten New Artists You Need to Know.” It’s got a punk facade with a classic rock interior, spewing something that combines the Runaways with Thin Lizzy. I […]

Categories: 2010s

July 14 — TWENTY MILES, Deer Tick (2010)

July 14, 2017 by Russ Florence

Today I had an epiphany: In the alterlife, I want to drive around a lot and listen to music. Oh, I’ll pull over occasionally. A man needs a cup of coffee now and again. A man needs to stop a while and read. But getting there — or not getting anywhere — is half the fun. That’s the revelation I had today in the car. It happened while listening to Deer Tick.  

Categories: 2010s

July 13 — CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, Wrinkle Neck Mules (2012)

July 13, 2017 by Russ Florence

It’s time more of the world knew about Wrinkle Neck Mules. The band formed on a porch near the University of Virginia in 1999 and has released six full-length records. And yet — even though this song was featured in a Geico commercial featuring a dancing lizard — the band has never achieved more than cult status. Principal songwriter Chase Heard, who plays banjo, bass and guitar, is also an accomplished painter and architect. And because the band’s creative force […]

Categories: 2010s

July 5 — THE MAGICIAN, Andy Shauf (2016)

July 5, 2017 by Russ Florence

For my discovery of Andy Shauf, give the assist to SiriusXM deejay Chris Muckley. He’s a master at stringing together songs whose tone, pace and atmosphere work in tandem. That’s how I met Andy Shauf. Raised in Canada, Shauf got his start in contemporary Christian bands before venturing into a solo career, which eventually led to an opening spot for the Lumineers. Shauf’s music doesn’t bust into a room. It seeps in quietly, after you realize you’ve been drifting in […]

Categories: 2010s

June 27 — THE HOUSE THAT HEAVEN BUILT, Japandroids (2012)

June 27, 2017 by Russ Florence

For a few years, I’ve lamented that the sensitive-indies have taken the noise out of rock ‘n roll. NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts.” Digital production. Mumford and Sons. Bob Stinson is probably smashing his guitar and spewing beer in rock heaven. Turns out, my hunch was right. According to a story in the Washington Post, electric guitar sales are on the decline. Hobbyists who grew up on Hendrix and Zeppelin are aging out, and there’s no one there to replace them. […]

Categories: 2010s

June 23 — HOPE THE HIGH ROAD, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2017)

June 23, 2017 by Russ Florence

A respectable list of artists have made at least three consecutive five-star albums: Miles Davis in the ’50s, the Stones from the late ’60s through early ’70s, the Clash in the late ’70s, the Replacements in the mid ’80s, Uncle Tupelo in the early ’90s, Dylan over several stretches. The commonality is that each artist’s work has stood the test of time, withstood trends, and held up for years as one of its generation’s brightest beacons. With “The Nashville Sound,” […]

Categories: 2010s

June 13 — THIRTEEN SILVER DOLLARS, Colter Wall (2017)

June 13, 2017 by Russ Florence

Driving 305 miles today — OKC, Pawhuska, Tulsa, OKC — gave me time to catch up on some albums that been stacking up. In the process I discovered one of my favorite records of the year. A few weeks ago a work colleague told me about Colter Wall. It seems the music industry has been buzzing about his full-length debut. Steve Earle, who’s not an easy sell, said Walls’ songs are “stunning.” Lucinda Williams invited him to open for her […]

Categories: 2010s