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American Songwriter Interviews Shawna Virago

One could use many words to describe Shawna Virago. She’s a singer/songwriter, filmmaker, artist, trailblazer, activist, and much more. One of the first openly transgender artists, Virago has been recording, touring, and performing as her authentic self since the early ‘90s. So “courageous” would be another fitting modifier. However, those who take time to speak with her would also add “humble” “insightful” and “optimistic” to that list of descriptors.

Earlier this fall, Virago sat down with American Songwriter to discuss her new album, her history in the music scene, and more.

Shawna Virago on Being Trans in the Music Industry

As mentioned above, Shawna Virago has been openly trans since the early ‘90s. So, we asked her for her perspective on how things have changed for trans and queer musicians over the last three decades.

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No Transmission Reviews Conor Donohue’s New Album

New Orleans-based Conor Donohue has a penchant for eschewing specific genre classification, dealing instead in a smorgasbord of pop, indie, rock, electronic, and country, all basted in a vague Americanaesque vibe. The songs on his third album, Stray Dogs, appear to be from a storied life, one keen on picking up observations and redigesting them into an art form. The execution here appeals to the everyperson, with relatable lyrics that play with cliches both earnestly and ironically. There’s also a communal essence to proceedings, with long-time collaborators Tyler Ross on lap steel, Ron Wiltrout on drums, and George Barraeis on bass fleshing out Donohue’s folkish yarns. 

Producers Joel T. Hamilton and Emily Eck also add to the project in numerous ways. Hamilton’s relationship with Donohue goes back to 2011, when the pair penned “Elephants”, a track they’ve revisited on, Stray Dogs, thirteen years later, producing a dreamy psychedelic folk song that’s as innocently fun as it is shaker-heavy. It’s a well-intentioned song (“We take our mistakes and turn them into love”), and its positive mood shines through. Eck, on the other hand, lends sonic trickery via reversed Wurlitzer on “Shape Of Your Hand”, a saccharine tune (“I’ll always love you through thick and thin”) that redeems itself with a jovial jauntiness, exotic slide guitar, and Eck’s hallucinogenic keys.

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Americana UK Reviews Laura Zarougian’s New Double Single

Laura Zarougian was one of our discoveries of last year, with some great songs and now here she is again with a couple of singles, what we might have called in the past a double A-sided release, ‘New Used Car‘ and ‘Double-Sided.’  The two songs deliberatley display differnt sides of her character – folky balladerr and stomping rocker, we’ve gone for stomping rocker today.

Laura Zarougian is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter based in New York’s Hudson Valley.  She calls her music “Armenian Cowgirl,” since it blends Americana and roots music with subtle influences from her Middle Eastern heritage.  Born into a family of refugees and immigrants from the Middle East, Zarougian grew up steeped in Armenian folk traditions. However, it was the American folk tradition that captured her heart, with influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and Tom Rush to Joan Baez.   She says that “Armenian folk songs, much like the American folk tradition, are strongly linked to the land – the mountains, trees, and birds.  These are places that we can’t return to, except through the memories within the music. Songs preserve a place, a moment, or a feeling, in a relatable way.”  Looking ahead, Zarougian hints at incorporating more traditional Armenian instruments into her music. “Down the line, I hope to incorporate oud, douduk, zurna, and other Armenian and Middle Eastern instruments in my music,” she says.  Sounds good.

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Glide Magazine Reviews Conor Donohue’s New Album

Conor Donohue’s latest, Stray Dogs, may be rooted in Americana, but it exists in a genre-agnostic space that sees his music careening from pop to funk to cosmic country to psychedelic rock on any given track. The result is a refreshingly satisfying playlist that sounds more like a soundtrack with contributions from various artists rather than a standard standalone album.

From the drummer’s count off on the opening “Wasteland,” Donohue begins a deceptively strong swagger, though the song is based on the anxiety brought about by forced isolation during the pandemic. He switches to a falsetto on the driving “Feel That Hit,” and equally compelling earworm, before switching gears a few songs later on the psychedelic mid-tempo “Franklin And Royal.”

The vibe of the music is a reflection of what the New Orleans musician was dealing with at the time, suffering from chronic pain and a series of health issues. “I started seeing a functional medicine doctor and really focusing on my health/healing my body,” Donohue says, discussing the influence on his songwriting at the time. You can hear themes of anxiety and uncertainty throughout the record, like on the title track and songs like “Wasteland,” but there are also moments of optimism throughout. 

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Americana UK Reviews Brendan Forrest’s New Album

An impressive mix of bluegrass, blues and Celtic folk with a hint of jazz.

Chicago-born Brendan Forrest has now moved to the mountains of south-west Colorado and on this, his debut album, you can hear the influences of both Chicago blues and the bluegrass of rural America. It is very strong musically with Forrest’s flatpicking guitar complementing the mandolin and fiddle perfectly. The excellent mandolin comes from Grammy-winning young Nashville musician Dominick Leslie. IBMA winner George Jackson shows great flair on the fiddle.

Forrest has been a producer in the past and has also played many shows worldwide. This has caused him to be influenced by the “world” music he has encountered on his travels. This album is a move towards the acoustic folk and bluegrass which he loves and away from the earlier electric sounds of his youth where he had a taste for 70s psychedelic rock.

Five of the nine tracks are instrumentals and they are impressive. Most interesting is ‘D Min Tune’with fiddle providing a Gaelic folk feel but the piece ending with jazzy guitar and bass. However with instrumentals, you lose the chance to either interest, inspire or touch the heart of the listener with your words and so it is the tracks with lyrics that are more memorable here.

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Blog Critics Reviews Mac Leaphart’s Album

Mac Leaphart, Motel Breakfast. It’s been three years since Mac Leaphart’s last album, Music City Joke, on which he sang about how difficult it is to make it in the music business. But the Nashville-based singer/songwriter seems to be doing just that, in the wake of the prior CD’s strong reception.

The mostly self-penned new one—which like its predecessor sounds redolent of Jerry Jeff Walker and Guy Clark—should further widen his audience, thanks largely to sprightly full-band performances and Leaphart’s folksy vocals. Another plus is his witty songwriting, which is exemplified by this couplet in the title track: “They got waffles in the lobby shaped just like Texas / Life is good, let’s go get some breakfast.”

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