Rick Bayles

The Unsung Heroes of Americana – Bakersfield, California

September 16, 2021 Rick Bayles 0

We’re back from our Summer Break with a new article in our Unsung Heroes of Americana series and we’re kicking off with a big one – a whole city, as we celebrate the importance of Bakersfield, […]

Interview: Leonard Podolak on home routes, Canadian folk music and what really happened to The Duhks

September 8, 2021 Rick Bayles 1

The Duhks may have faltered but their ethos is alive and well and they may make a comeback. Leonard Podolak is an Old-Time banjo player who was founder and leader of Canadian band The Duhks, He’s […]

Whatever Happened to… The Kennedys/The Strangelings

September 7, 2021 Rick Bayles 0

We’re back from our summer recess with a new round of “Whatever Happened to…” and we kick off with a name that resonates loudly in American folk circles without registering a great deal of awareness on […]

James McMurtry “The Horses & the Hounds”

August 24, 2021 Rick Bayles 1

More reflective but just as incisive. Has James McMurtry ever made a bad album? Or even a mediocre one? It seems that his writing continually goes from strength to strength and, while his wry and often […]

Book Review: Alec Wightman “Music In My Life: Notes From A Longtime Fan”

August 24, 2021 Rick Bayles 0

A life-long music fan writes. This is an interesting book to have come across the review desk, in the wake of some quite weighty submissions of late. In complete contrast to some of the heavily journalistic […]