News

By larry may

Many rock bands have been accused of lascivious behavior, but most don’t get stuck with the tags of charitable or altruistic. Shinedown is a group that busts the mold of rock stars as louts and insufferable buffoons. The band will be in Birmingham on October 1^st to play a benefit for The Bell Center, an outfit dedicated to helping families with afflicted members cope with the scope and severity of autism, among other maladies. It seems a tad bit odd at first, that a band known for heavy tunes with sincere lyrics would be involved with a...

 A conversation with Shelby Lynne is as enjoyable as listening to one of her records. She is engaging, playful and frank. Her phone voice is as charming as a slow ballad and her perspective on topics reveal a woman comfortable with her career, ability and legacy in the music business. Her new album, “Tears, Lies & Alibis” is her first on her new label and also finds her producing the new batch of songs. The results are undoubtedly determined and reflect an artist hell bent on creating songs that endure and also come together as a snapshot of her...

By Larry May

Talent is a subjective term. While most like to believe that talent resides within each of us, it is usually up to strangers to decide if our attempts are attention worthy or ephemeral dreaming.  There is a school of thought that acclaim is earned through hard work, persistence and some God given talent. Such is the case with Nashville’s Sarah Siskind. She has been writing since she was eleven, and recorded her first album at fourteen. Her parents weaned her on a palate of bluegrass and an esoteric record collection that included traditional gospel and Celtic music....

Robert Randolph and his supreme backing band are hitting Workplay on Tuesday, October 12^th. They will be playing selections from his new album, “We Walk This Road”, and some older favorites. When Robert Randolph comes to town, the discussion is never about the usual who produced the new album (T Bone Burnett) or where did he draw the inspiration for the new songs. It always comes back to ”How in the world does he do that, and what will he do next”?

Fans of Robert Randolph often speak of his records and concerts as an almost...

By Larry May

SIL. You just played Atlanta two nights ago. How hot was it on the stage?

RZ. It wasn’t that bad. It was miserably hot, to be sure. It has been so hot on this tour that it was fine. The hottest show was 117 degrees in Phoenix. When the people in Atlanta said it was 109, we figured no problem. I felt bad for the crowd, because they looked miserable. 

SIL. The first time I went to one of your shows was in 1998, when you played at the International Ballroom with Monster Magnet as support.