Back Roads of RighteousnessWhile The 484 South Band claims to have started in 2005, it really began 20-something years ago in the small paper-mill town of Monticello, Miss.
Reinventing Soul MusicWho do you get when you mix India Arie's soulful voice with Johnnie Taylor's blues style? You get Tasha Taylor, Johnnie Taylor's youngest daughter who is carrying on the family's tradition of musical excellence.
Fear and Loathing at Sneaky FestThe following account may or may not be a truthful re-telling of my day at Sneaky Fest Aug. 27, 2011.
The Out-of-TownersThe month of September has started out as a barnburner for Jackson musicheads like me.
Kosher GospelA young, black man dressed in an embroidered jacket sits at the piano. He belts out a gospel tune in layers of emotion. Sweat pours down his face as he sings a familiar--but not instantly recognizable--religious song with a multi-textured …
JPS Board Members Question Music FundingSome members of the Jackson Public School board said the district is spending too much money on its strings program at a board meeting Tuesday night. The program will get a funding increase of almost $33,000 this year.
BOY is Back in Town"We left Mississippi as men," the invitation teases. "We return as BOY."
Down-Home RecipeBlend tangy, honey-infused mandolin with a simmering string bass, and then add a double-layer of hot, finger-licking guitars. Jackson-based Anna Kline and the Grits and Soul Band satisfy a hunger for some good old-fashioned down-home music. Every tempting offering from …
The Full CircleHe was a tall, kind of goofy-bumbling-professor type who was nice to me, even though I was there to whisk his daughter away. We did not get much time to talk and get to know each other on this first …
Strength from the Old WaysMusic, motherhood, quilts and homemade pickles define Valley Gordon. Her worn guitar case proudly displays a sticker that reads "Old Time Music." Gordon, 34, has played guitar since she was 15.
Festival FallAs a teacher, I dread the beginning of school because of the whirlwind craziness. Thank goodness it only lasts for a couple of weeks. Then I'm in my routine, and everything is much more relaxed. On the plus side, I …
Living Out LoudPryor Graeber calls herself a "colorist," somewhere between an impressionist and an abstract artist. Her signature paintings of two-dimensional rows of trees burst with large strokes of color within a chosen palette.
Engineering WhimsyBetsy Bradley stepped into the construction zone in high heels, looking back at a group of curious art lovers. Behind her, more than 30 adults holding wine glasses and beer bottles followed.
Finding a Musical HomeJohn Paul Keith is not what you'd expect in a Memphis musician. Originally from east Tennessee, the Memphis-based guitarist and singer's music brings together a bunch of roots music styles, including '50s rave-up and honky-tonk. It's a twangier sound more …
Open to Local"Spacewolf," released in May 2011, is the first album of the band Spacewolf, made up of guitarist-vocalist Drew McKercher, bassist Don Hawkins and drummer Murph Caicedo.
Betsy Bradley stepped into the construction zone in high heels, looking back at a group of curious art lovers. Behind her, more than 30 adults holding wine glasses and beer bottles followed.