Tag Archives: texas

Album Review- Sue Foley –  Live at the El Mocambo

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A woman in a pink leather jacket, a guitar strapped around her shoulder, looks slightly off to the left of the viewer.

I was looking around for some good blues guitar to listen to and managed to cross paths with this release which just came out in early December 2025.  I had previously heard her 2021 album Pinky’s Blues which has a great song on it (“Stop These Teardrops”) which also appears on this El Mocambo record.  

There are those artists who put out good albums and then you see them live (or in this case heard a recording) and that just elevates your appreciation of their craft.  Foley has a great voice to begin with but it gains a special edge and depth in this live environment.  

The twelve tracks on this are solid all the way through from bluesy groovers like “Sue’s Boogaloo” to the meditative “Mediterranean Breakfast” and rippers like “Hurricane Girl.”  There are some great jam moments along the way as well which is always a high point for me and the final track “Lightnin’ Boogie” closes it out just that way and in good style.  You can spend a very happy hour or so listening your way through this album.  

Musicians on this are: Sue Foley (guitar, vocals), Jon Penner (bass, vocals), Corey Keller (drums, vocals)

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://suefoley1.bandcamp.com/album/sue-foley-live-at-the-el-mocambo

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think!

Please remember to support that fantastic community you have all around you 🙂 

Album Review – Helene Cronin – Maybe New Mexico

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A woman, dressed in a black jacket, jeans and tall boots, sits against a red brick wall. She is smiling and looking slightly off to the viewers left.

Yes indeed…I am late in getting around to this album (and I mean really late….more than 9 months!).  I was fortunate to have Adam Dawson from Broken Jukebox Media send out an end-of-year “in case you missed it” email with this and other releases included.  There are some others that were also detailed within that comm which I hope to get to soon but I started with this one as I recognized her name from an interview I read several years ago.  

The album leads off with “Copperhill” and a great opening guitar riff that sets a little bit of an edgy vibe for the song.   There is a punchy drum that drives the music and it is joined by the nice interplay of several guitars.  The lyrics really set the scene for the story here and are delivered by Cronin in a voice that has strength and feeling behind it.  

Another favorite of mine on this is the title track which has a wistful tone to it which evokes New Mexico in a way that is hard to explain if you have not found yourself wandering around that slightly mystical state.  The guitar on this song is subdued with a slow bass line that complements the reflective mood set by the vocal delivery.  

There are ten other tracks on Maybe New Mexico which range from the uplifting power of “Maker’s Mark” to the therapeutic “Dear Life” and the immersive storytelling of “Rifleman.”  All of the songs on this album as well-arranged and highlight the skills of the musicians involved  (who I unfortunately could not find a definitive list of anywhere).  Cronin’s voice is also a major feature of course and she delivers these songs with clarity, emotion and an openness that is sometimes startling in its depth.  

You can find this on all of your streaming channels of course (and if you do please think about purchasing when you can :).  You can also check out her website here:

https://www.helenecronin.com/home

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Album Review —Terry Klein – Hill Country Folk Music

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A man in a flannel shirt looks toward the camera.

I have to admit that prior to the press release from Broken Jukebox Media hitting my inbox I was not familiar with Terry Klein.  Based on that lack of knowledge I was not sure what to expect from an album titled Hill Country Folk Music.  It is set to drop November 7th but I had the good fortune to get a sneak peek.  There are many avenues down the folk highway so I hit play to find out which one this album was traveling along. 

The lead-off track here is “Try” which comes in nice and easy with country music slow-dance vibes and a catchy mandolin accompaniment.  Klein’s vocals are earnest and direct, telling a simple but poignant story of keeping on through adversity.  It almost has a defiant tone about overcoming challenges.  There is also an alternate version of this song (“Try Again”) as the final selection on the album which changes the energy from hopeful to weary and worn out.  It is an interesting study in the ways a tune can be molded by an artist though musical composition and vocal delivery.  

That song is followed by “I Used to Be Cool” which is the first single and already available to stream.  It has a different style than “Try” with guitars right away and a subtle drum – kind of an alt-county feel.  The topic here is what you might expect (getting older and associated things) but told with some heartfelt nostalgia.  

Nine more tracks follow and one of the most interesting things about all of them collectively is that these range in style, tone and pace.  You get a good mix of the two styles already mentioned above along with some Americana, bluegrass and one that could easily fit in a pop song rotation.  I think it is mission accomplished for Klein who is quoted as saying this about how he thinks is regard to song mix on his albums: 

“I scrupulously avoid making my records all one thing, all one sound.  Dynamics are important.”

This is an engaging album that keeps you on your toes throughout and delivers good songs while telling stories about real people, their lives and experiences.  

Check that single out on your favorite streaming channel – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

You can keep an eye out for any pre-order / pre-save info that might come out via Klein’s website terrykleinmusic.com

Remember all of the cool things about your own local community!

Song Review –  Mugger – “This is Ours” off the upcoming album Want the World 

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A black and white photo of two women and two men in front of a convenience store.

To go back in time first (as I am prone to do so often) let’s revisit sometime in late 2015 (maybe early 2016?) when I first stumbled upon the band Creepoid and an album called Cemetery Highrise Slum.  You know those moments when you are merrily clicking your way through the used CD’s and muttering to yourself…magical times for sure.  In this case I was out in Santa Cruz having a grand old time of things.  Anyway, I stopped short on this one mostly because of the title as I do like an interesting string of words.  I had never heard of the band but of course purchased it anyway.  It took a bit after that for it to make it to “play” position in my stack of CD’s and vinyl but when it did it was quite the interesting listening session.  It is music that is hard to put a label on and psychedelic-groovy-alt-punk is not really close but let’s go with that for now.  It is still available on Bandcamp (including a 10 year anniversary re-issue of the vinyl).  

All of that to say – Anna (vocals) and Patrick (drums) Troxwell from Creepoid are currently part of Mugger and lend their talents to this early single from the upcoming EP.  There is a heavy vibe to this track with some grungy, distorted guitars & bass and a nice hardcore style with just a touch of heavy metal mixed into the sound.   Clocking in at a quick 1:27 it is a purposeful and direct blast of energy.  

Other musicians on this are: Lisa Alley (bass) and Daniel Fried (guitar). 

You can pre-order this EP (due October 24th from Quiet Panic) here:

https://mugger-tx.bandcamp.com/album/want-the-world

And please remember to support your local community 🙂 

Song Review- Stray View “Vivid”

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So, this is a new band for me and I happened to come across them as I was browsing through the Hopeless Records website on a check for some new sounds.  As a side note, Hopeless has a great collection of artists with some killer music – to name just a few; All Time Low, Tigers Jaw, Sincere Engineer and the Used.  Direct link here and they have it set up so it is pretty easy to do a quick listen if a band catches your fancy: 

https://www.hopelessrecords.com/artists

After I did a first listen through to this song I was initially intrigued by the vocals.  I have a conflicted relationship with some of the stylistic elements of vocals that edge over into primal screams and guttural exclamations.  Sometimes I really like it, sometimes not really – I think it has a lot to do with the quality of the singer and the way those harder vocal elements are woven into the song.   Stray View have a great singer in Dave Escamilla and the mix here is a good one from my point of view.   

This track starts on a soft, quiet note and then builds slowly to a full power feast of steady, loud drums, soaring guitars, and an ominous bass.  The bridge (opened up by a unique drum solo) is quite the volume experience with some hard but tightly controlled energy delivering a nice punch.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://hopelessrecords.bandcamp.com/track/vivid-1

If you get time, take a little walk around and meet your local businesses – community is powerful! 

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Song Review- Gentlemen Rogues – “Half Empty, Half Fool”

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Let’s first go back in time in regard to these gentlemen.  They had an album back in 2013 with a big owl on the front…I went back and checked and this release is cleverly called “Gentlemen Rogues.”  On one of many late night listening sessions back then I somehow came across that album.  I do not quite remember how or where but it happened.  The first song from that eponymous offering is the one I still remember to this day.  “Run from the Light” has two things that made it memorable.  First, a part of the lyrics reference a voice being like an EVP.  I had no idea what that was when I heard it so…learning experience.  Secondly, there is this very long intro, I swear it goes on for a minute at least, way past the point where you start thinking, “Ok, an instrumental track to lead-off is odd and weird.”  Of course, weird things make me happy so that all turned out well (and it is not an entire instrumental track- it just has a long and wonderful intro).  I am going back to listen to that entire EP as soon as I can.  

Back to this new new single…Note that this song also appears on their 2024 album Surface Noises.

It starts with a great bass and drum front with a melody line playing in the background.  This cycles for about 30 seconds before the vocals kick in.  It stays pretty rhythm forward throughout but there are some nice guitar riffs along the way.  Great line of this one for me, “I can’t carry on borrowing trouble, I’m too deep in debt to be devil-may-care.”   A solid alt-rocker here played right in the usual groove of the GR’s.  

There is a nice B-side also – a cover of “Children of the Revolution” (T.Rex) – definitely worth a listen.

Random thought for anyone listening in the booking world…someone has to get these guys on a bill with High on Stress…because that would be an awesome show.   As it is, The Gentlemen Rogues are coming to one of the best places in Minneapolis (Cloudland) and I have got to try to get myself there.  

If you go out and give “Half Empty, Half Fool” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful!