New Articles Hither And Yon

I've got a few new articles published in a few places that were published in the last few days.

I did a profile of the hip-hop group Nappy Roots for the Jackson-Free Press. While I'm admittedly not very well-versed (heh-heh) in hip-hop, I had fun learning more about these guys, and I like 'em. You may or may not remember their hit "Aw, Naw," where their record company made them dress up in overalls and straw hats because they're from Kentucky and they wanted to play up the "country" angle. Nappy Roots went along with it, but they've got their own label now and a new album coming out. You can read that story here:

Who Are The Nappy Roots?

Also, the new Local Voice is out today. My "Speed of Sound" column this issue addresses the recent spate of geezer shows (Smothers Brothers, Joan Baez) at the Ford Center, and then suggests that readers go out to see 60-year old George Porter Jr funkify their life. He's in town with his trio Porter, Batiste & Stoltz, aka PBS. There's also mention of the Hill Country Review, the new group from the Luther-less NMAS & Company. The paper is not available online, but you can download a pdf of the it here:

The Local Voice #51


Over at Honest Tune, our new April issue is up. I did an interview with Donna Jean Godcheaux-McKay, formerly of The Grateful Dead and currently with Donna Jean & The Tricksters. Her new band, made up mostly of folks from The Zen Tricksters, made a swing through our area last week, but had to cancel their Memphis show. Still, we had fun talking about synchronicity, pyramids and singing in the Grateful Dead while 8 months pregnant. That article is here:

The Music Never Stopped: The Musical Journey of Donna Jean Godcheaux-McKay


In the same issue, I reviewed new records by The Black Keys and Hymns. I like 'em both.

Read them here:

Black Keys: Attack & Release

Hymns: Travel In Herds



Of course I suggest you check out all of the other fine content in this month's Honest Tune, including a great story on the Rev. Jeff Mosier, an interview with Jerry Joseph about his new band Denmark Veseys, and a report from the Langerado Festival.

It's all available at HonestTune.com

Here's Neil Young: