Bearing witness to friends and collaborators Aoife OāDonovan and Sara Watkins in conversation is reminiscent of listening to their frequent musical partnerships, like their trio Iām With Her (with Sarah Jarosz). In moments, they blend perfectly, finishing each otherās sentences. They dance around each other, giving space for thoughtful responses and further questions. In an…
There's a confidence and ease to Aoife O'Donovan's music making, brought forward throughout her career by her languid, tender, and emotive voice. Just as striking and crystalline as it is cozy and comforting, her voice is a truly iconic instrument in Americana, bluegrass, and new acoustic music. Still, as she readies her new solo album,…
ļ»æ On an auspicious Leap Day and the final day of February we want to bid adieu to our Artist of the Month, Willi Carlisle ā and as it happens, he's dropped a brand new music video as if to celebrate the occasion. Shot by Mike Vanata of the hugely popular series Western AF, the…
The first time I saw Willi Carlisle was in Buffalo, New York, in the tiny basement of an old protestant church that Ani DiFranco bought. There couldnāt have been more than thirty or so people there ā a queer couple or two holding hands, a mom and a dad plus their kid, a cluster of…
It's not hard to imagine Willi Carlisle'sĀ latest album, Critterland, as a decrepit-but-lovable roadside attraction, but here, the side show has decidedly taken center stage. Carlisle, a folksy, pastoral poet and songsmith, has invited all of us inside the big tent he pitched with his last record, Peculiar, Missouri,Ā and to celebrate all of the beautiful ugliness…