Martin Johnson

Anaïs Mitchell “Hadestown – Original Broadway Cast Recording”

February 21, 2024 Martin Johnson 0

A journey to hell can be surprisingly uplifting and still relevant to today’s challenges. I doubt Anaïs Mitchell had any inkling when she started to write her folk opera ‘Hadestown’ in 2006 that it would become […]

Interview: Smoke Fairies’ Katherine Blamire on being “Carried In Sound”

February 20, 2024 Martin Johnson 0

Learning production techniques from Head, Jack White and Phil EK and playing bin lids. Smoke Fairies, Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies have been releasing music for over 16 years and have been friends for much longer. […]

Interview: Clive Carroll on celebrating John Renbourn with “The Abbot”

February 16, 2024 Martin Johnson 0

Renaissance music in the morning, Oliver Messiaen for lunch, and Merle Haggard at night. Clive Carroll is a leading British guitarist who was educated at London’s Trinity College of Music. However, he hasn’t let a formal […]

The Song Remains: Mojo Nixon (1957-2024)

February 12, 2024 Martin Johnson 2

From cow punk court jester to mainstream anarchist. Death is one of the few certainties in life, and the best any of us can hope for is a happy death, unfortunately, that is far from the […]

Interview: Ben De La Cour on “Sweet Anhedonia” and Jim White

February 6, 2024 Martin Johnson 2

How literature and heavy metal led to Kerrville and gothic americana. Ben De La Cour has been on a slow burn since leaving home at seventeen for various dead-end jobs before landing in Nashville in 2013 […]

Interview: Frank Turner reflects on 20 years of Campfire Punkrock

August 11, 2026 0

Remarkably, it is twenty years since Frank Turner released his first solo EP: Campfire Punkrock. The very title was both a statement of intent and a conscious identifier, defining his sound and the purpose of his […]

The Legendary Trainhoppers “A Conspiracy of Ravens”

August 11, 2026 0

The new Legendary Trainhoppers is a foray into studied presence and simple things cherished Indiana based band The Legendary Trainhoppers have been at it since their 2006 release, Ramble On. This latest release, A Conspiracy of […]

More People Really Should Know About: Erik Koskinen

August 11, 2026 0

America’s 250th birthday was a low key affair for me, although my updated Spotify Independence Day playlist – ‘USA 250’ – received some airtime. Joining the usual suspects on this quintessential semiquincentennial version were some new […]

Articles by Martin Johnson

Anaïs Mitchell “Hadestown – Original Broadway Cast Recording”

Interview: Smoke Fairies’ Katherine Blamire on being “Carried In Sound”

Interview: Clive Carroll on celebrating John Renbourn with “The Abbot”

The Song Remains: Mojo Nixon (1957-2024)

Interview: Ben De La Cour on “Sweet Anhedonia” and Jim White

Interview: Frank Turner reflects on 20 years of Campfire Punkrock

The Legendary Trainhoppers “A Conspiracy of Ravens”

More People Really Should Know About: Erik Koskinen

Cajun Corner – Summer 2026

Jeffrey Halford and The Healers “Used Parts”