Martin Anderson

It’s Country music the way we like here at ‘NCW: the spirit of George Jones & Tammy Wynette, the feeling of honky-tonking on the dance floor, the sounds of fiddle, mandolin and pedal steel… Or maybe you call it Soul music? Caleb and Reeb from the Pacific Northwest have put their region on the map as a home for old-school country and old-time music (Foghorn Stringband!), and have co-written most of these songs. Fiddler Joel Savoy, guitarist Chris Scruggs, and others join them on this wonderful album that just ranked #82 in WNCW’s Top 100.

Due to the nature of some of the material discussed here, this article will contain fewer reference links and illustrations than usual. Something noteworthy is currently happening in the AI synthesis community, though its significance may take a while to become clear. Hobbyists are training generative AI video models to reproduce the likenesses of people,...

To date, Facial Attractiveness Prediction (FAP) has primarily been studied in the context of psychological research, in the beauty and cosmetics industry, and in the context of cosmetic surgery. It's a challenging field of study, since standards of beauty tend to be national rather than global. This means that no single effective AI-based dataset is...

Punjabi folk pop is fused with funk, disco, bossa nova, and psychedelia for this wildly eclectic release from this band now in their 14th year together. “Beta” means “son” in Hindi, a reference to drummer Karan Singh recently becoming a father. The band was formed in New Delhi, India around 2010 by the singer Suryakant Sawhney, and they’ve rotated various genres in and out of their sound. As their bio states, “A cat may have nine lives, but Peter Cat Recording Co. has a multitude of dimensions. Just remember, unlike a cat, you’ll never put them in a box.”

Young Atlanta soul singer Brooks Mason is Eddie 9V, a powerhouse performer who packs more energy than what mere 9-volt batteries can muster. He and his band play The Grey Eagle in Asheville on the 24th with Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and The Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on the 26th

One of our favorite music representatives of coastal South Carolina kicks off our New Tunes at 2 series this week. He’s known for his work with Sol Driven Train, Sally & George, Lover's Leap, and most recently Maya DeVitry, so we’re especially excited about Joel’s debut solo album!'Psychedelic Surf Country,' arrives February 7 (CD, vinyl, and digitally). DeVitry, Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope, and Joel’s wife Shelby “Sally” Means (bassist with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway) are among the others joining him.

With our attention turned towards those displaced by and reeling from the multiple wildfires throughout the Los Angeles area, we thought we’d spotlight this L.A. trio’s cool all-instrumental album this week. The “Los Angeles League Of Musicians” are Zac Sokolow on guitar, Jake Faulkner on bass, and Nicholas Baker on drums/percussion, blending an instrumental mix of soul, rockabilly, cumbia, and bolero together for a wonderful representation of West Coast hipness. Zac’s father made a name for himself in the Southern California bluegrass scene. He and Jake have played together for a number of years now, most notably in a rockabilly band. Nick is deeply involved in a variety of Latin rhythms and influences. We enjoyed hosting them in Studio B in November: videos are here: https://www.youtube.com/@WNCWStudioB/search?query=la%20lom

This new archive release from The Stones documents their surprise, rarities-packed 1999 concert at a cozy 1,800 seat London venue. They dug deep into their catalog while warming up for two upcoming shows at London's massive Wembley Stadium. "If you want to see the hits, go to the big place down the road," Mick Jagger told the Shepherd's Bush crowd. Although classics such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Tumbling Dice" were played, the set list also included gems such as "All Down the Line," "Some Girls," "I Got the Blues" and Black and Blue's "Melody" - the latter performed for the first time since 1977.

One of the best known contemporary progressive bluegrass jam bands, Yonder Mountain String Band has helped showcase the great music scene coming out of Colorado for some 26 years now. Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Dave Johnston, and Nick Piccininni are now joined by fiddler Coleman Smith, as well as dobro great Jerry Douglas on three tracks here. Listen on Apple Music