ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 24, 1995 By Steve Newton The first sign that Brother Cane’s long-awaited second release would be a doozy came when the Alabama quartet used material from Seeds to seriously blow Slash’s Snakepit off the stage at the Commodore a while back. Like fellow southerners Collective Soul, Brother … Continue reading Album review: Brother Cane, Seeds (1995)
Tag: Alabama
Funked-up Newt gets down with Lionel Richie, gets back up again
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 19, 1986 By Steve Newton There are two kinds of songs that Lionel Richie can perform as well, if not better, than anyone else in the music world. One is the poignant, yearning love ballad, the type that can choke up even hardened ex-cons with … Continue reading Funked-up Newt gets down with Lionel Richie, gets back up again
Mike Cooley’s killer songs are back full-bore on Truckers’ latest masterpiece
photo by Tim Bugbee By Steve Newton The Drive-By Truckers are normally described as being based in the musical stronghold of Athens, Georgia, but when the time comes to call guitarist-vocalist Mike Cooley he picks up the phone at his sweet home in Birmingham, Alabama. Cooley has never actually lived in Athens—“It’s kind of a … Continue reading Mike Cooley’s killer songs are back full-bore on Truckers’ latest masterpiece
Alabama’s joys and troubles inspire Jason Isbell’s songs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 8, 2011 By Steve Newton Being from Alabama certainly has its benefits, one being the fact that you can really put your heart into it when you sing the chorus of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s biggest hit. But for Jason Isbell, one of the joys of growing up in northern Alabama was being … Continue reading Alabama’s joys and troubles inspire Jason Isbell’s songs