The Lil Smokies provide the perfect antidote

On a night when the world seems to be falling further apart thanks to coronavirus (this would be the night the NBA postponed the season), there stood The Lil Smokies to at least in some small measure save the day. The quintet is part of a generation of musicians with bluegrass as the basis, but not ...

White makes the case for himself, no matter how dark the music

John Paul White opined with a glint in his eyes that his songs were not of the uplifting variety. In fact, they were downright dark. How else to explain "The Long Way" with the line "long way home back to you." Or "James," a song inspired by his grandfather who suffered from dementia. ...

Friedman showcases his usual, engaging self

Kinky Friedman was his usual, engaging self while playing to a small - but attentive - crowd in one of Orange County's wealthiest cities. Campus Jax is so close to John Wayne Airport, even Friedman became momentarily distracted by the sound of a jet plane either taking off or landing overhead. ...

Rateliff comes out from the shadows

The darkly lit stage should have been no surprise given what was to come from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. There were perhaps about 20 lanterns dotting the stage with Rateliff up front and his backing octet physically well behind him and somewhat in the shadows. So, it was left to Rateliff ...