Bob Fish

Whether it’s a full choir or just a man and his guitar, the passion of Lessons of War cannot be denied. Matt McGinn’s collection of songs deserves to be heard again and again, until we finally learn the lesson and begin to find new ways to resolve the problems that confront us.

With Early Bright, Seamus Egan has produced a master class in capturing the attention by playing to his strengths as a writer and performer, while never overplaying his hand.

Bob Fish catches up with Richard Thompson as he passes through Evanston, Illinois on tour. He talks about urban myths, fanatics, his influences, writing process, jamming with Jimi Hendrix and more.

As a photographer, Knox’s pictures tend to be of a world without people, the landscape of a still Chicago late at night. Reflecting those same qualities in his music, I Had A Wonderful Time, creates an impressionistic landscape that enthrals and mystifies.

Through the course of nine songs in just over thirty minutes, Kelly Steward Illustrates a world that isn’t always perfect, but during that time the music and her incredible voice leave you transfixed.

Proving yet again why she is considered one of the finest players of her generation, Natalie MacMaster has given us a gift for the cold months ahead.

At the end of the day perhaps The Inevitable Train Wreck isn’t so inevitable. Hope is where you find it and for Beans on Toast it’s there if you look hard enough and work for change. How do you like them beans?

It’s not enough just to have faith in yourself, you have to have talent too. Like We’re Talking is an album of subtle beauty and proves Betsy Phillips has plenty of both.

What makes this collection most remarkable is her ability to share the details of her life in a way that makes us all a little stronger, and a hopefully a little more understanding.

Again and again, Chadwick Stokes and The Pintos take the musical landscape and find ways to stand it on its head. Spanning centuries in a single disc, Stokes proves that making serious music doesn’t always need to be treated so seriously. Amen.

Rife with longing, the new single from Ardentjohn, I Wasn’t There, is a melancholy look at events missed and lives lived separately. Watch the accompanying video here.

Over the course of forty minutes, in what often feels more like a piece by Steve Reich than disciples of Jerry, Garcia Peoples stake out new territory building on what has gone before while firmly headed toward the future.