While there is no lack of great songs that honor love, acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Cris Jacobs offers a heartfelt and unique perspective on marriage and committed relationships on his lively new track “Lifetime To Go,” featuring Lee Ann Womack. The song appears on his first album in five years, One Of These Days
Jillian Matundan’s first full-length album bursts forward with an energy and honesty rooted in navigating life’s highs and lows. Singing to the Moon was primarily written during the COVID pandemic, which forced all of us to fully stop for the first time in our lives. Jillian was just returning to writing and performing her own music —after 15 years of putting it on the shelf—and found herself in the same place as everyone else on the planet, with space and time to face herself.
Despite the absences of some past exhibitors, NAMM 2024 was awesome. The numbers show 62,000 attendees, 33% more than in 2023, but still far from the record 115000 attendees in 2020. The number of exhibitors also increased: 33% more than in 2023.
The String Revolution’s Janet Robin thanked the Recording Academy for their support in winning the Grammy for Best Arrangement (Instrumental or A cappella) of their collaboration of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” with guitar superstar Tommy Emmanuel.
Brian Tarquin has won 3 Emmy’s for “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series” and has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times. In 2022 & 2023 the Josie Music Awards nominated Tarquin for “Musician of the Year (Guitar)” and “Music Producer of the Year.”
Recently, Gruene Guitars shipped Guitar International one of its newer dreadnaughts for review, a prototype D-18 model named a “Saratoga”. Upon arrival I let it acclimate to its new surroundings, after its flight from San Antonio, Texas, the headquarters of the guitar company.
JOI Guitars only produces a handful of instruments a year with some of the most unique, rare and unorthodox materials in the world. Each has a one-of-a-kind story to match. He’s crafted acoustic guitars using a legendary mahogany called “The Tree”, hempwood, and even wooden boards handpicked from Jimi Hendrix’s dismantled childhood home.
The upcoming release of The Benefit Concert Volume 20 by Warren Haynes includes a spectacular highlight: the first-ever–and only to date–performance of Dave Grohl’s 23-minute instrumental epic, “Play,” which extends to an extraordinary 36 minutes in its live rendition. This live performance is now available, offering fans the opportunity to witness “Play” being brought to life on that unforgettable evening.
After the lead track, other standouts show off Durwood’s impressive range and versatility, including an original take on “Marshmallow World” with a trap-infused back beat, a more somber, indie rock cover of The Killers’ “Christmas In L.A.,” and a gorgeous, stirring version of the Irving Berlin ballad, “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep).”
This album is a gift to my wife, Virginie, who loves Christmas and Christmas music as much as I do. The idea was to do something different and fresh, with a bluesy twist, instead of just a “traditional” approach to some of the Christmas classics. It was the “Christmas with Chet Atkins” album that inspired me…
