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Rainbow Rodeo Reviews Shawna Virago’s New Album

Blood In Her Dreams, the latest album by Shawna Virago, is a shining example of what results from opening the door for queer people to places that, historically, have ostracized us. Too often, queer and trans stories are left out of talk about folk, country, and Americana music, despite our experiences being most authentic to the roots of the genre. 

Virago is an iconic San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and transgender woman who’s been performing as her authentic self, as she notes in interviews, since the early ‘90s. Dubbed the ‘fairy godmother of trans country artists,’ Virago’s work is a north star for a genre struggling to connect to its roots.

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WMOT Interviews Jared Deck on The Sting

In a nation beset by disinformation and division, Oklahoma country soul artist Jared Deck has taken his truth, quite deliberately, to the nexus of music and politics. While writing and recording his latest album, he also marched his faith in progressive ideas and civil process to the public stage of the statehouse in Oklahoma City as a Democratic representative from District 44.

The crabby “shut up and sing” crowd simply won’t know what to do with him.

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B-Sides & Badlands Premieres Paula Boggs Band’s Live Performance

“An exorcism, we need it now,” warbles Paula Boggs. That line underscores in bright red ink the very sociopolitical climate today. While “America 2020” specifically reflects the state of things in 2020, it could not be more timely than it is now. With the presidential race heating up, and as Kamala Harris makes her bid for the White House, the track sees a live version that captures the anxieties, displeasures, and aching desires for a better future.

With musician Anton Patzner supplying skin-scratching fiddle, “America 2020” in its live form takes on a powerful new shell. Boggs wields her voice like a torch, offering warmth and light but not skimping on the sheer rage rattling in our collective bones. “When I was little, I pledged the flag / People need symbols, national swag / I don’t begrudge protest or fight,” she sings, her voice steely as a skyscraper. “You see I wore the uniform to protect your right.”

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Adobe & Teardrops Premieres Track From Paula Boggs Band’s New Live Album

Paula Boggs Band knows they’re cool — and they know that has nothing to do with age. “Goo Goo Dolls decries the sorry state of the music industry — and the fact that probably no rock’n’roll band will reach the ascendancy of certain ’90s radio darlings, not to mention those who never got the chance because they weren’t straight white men. On this live recording, the Seattle-based Americana band brings some New Orleans groove to the proceedings, proving that Boggs and her band have what it takes to wow a crowd with their music — if only there was infrastructure to support them.

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Adobe and Teardrops Interviews Mike Montrey Band

Mike Montrey has long been celebrated for his dynamic presence and soulful voice. With Love, Time, Mortality (out August 2nd) the band continues to build on their impressive repertoire, showcasing a rich blend of folk, rock, and Americana influences. Montrey has been a fixture in the music scene long enough to avoid clichés about musical journeys; his work speaks for itself. His previous collaborations with names like Grammy-winning producers Jim Scott and Marc Swersky brought different flavors to his music. However, with Love, Time, Mortality, Montrey brings us into his most personal songwriting yet.

Montrey’s voice was born for punk and is right at home in folk and Americana. Like many before him — Langhorne Slim, Two Cow Garage, John Moreland — there is pleasure in taking things more slowly, and savoring the experience. In our interview, Montrey talks about life on the road and what musicians need to stay there.

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Rock and Roll Globe Premieres New Music From Tai Shan

Fresh off her triumph as a Kerrville Folk finalist, Tai Shan starts the summer right with “Jump On In,” the first single from her forthcoming third album Wildflower Moon.

Produced by Neilson Hubbard (John Prine, Jason Isbell), “Jump on In” blends the swampy feel of vintage Bonnie Raitt with the lyrical poignancy of Joni Mitchell that transports you right into the song’s setting like you’re splashing into an oil painting.

“‘Jump On In’ is a song about swimming,” Shan tells Rock & Roll Globe. “Every summer, my family hits the road and travels across the country playing shows. In the heat of the day, we often take out our phones or consult that tattered Rand McNally Atlas to find a river. Finding access can sometimes be tricky, driving up dirt roads, sandy paths, and mountain roads in our van with our 13 ft trailer bouncing behind. We’ve had a few flats along the way. But as soon as we’re in that water on a cool day, it’s peaceful and fun.”

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