A Free Man

Crikey (to use the local parlance), that was a longer break than I had intended. A Free Man is settled in Oz, but still lacking a proper internet connection. So, posting will continue to be sparse for the short term. But today, we’re back with an interview of talented new singer-songwriter whose music appeared in […]

When I was a younger man I lived in Athens, Georgia and worked behind the counter of a popular coffee house. It was a wonderful job because built into it was the opportunity to meet and chat with the illuminati of the Classic City. One of them, the lead singer of a rock band who […]

“Well, he came without warning
like 10,000 men swarming.
Right out of the sky, like a torch
in the night.
The rocks were screaming, and
the sand it was breathing.
I’ve been here before,
When I was killed in a war.”
-The Black Angels - “The Return (a warning to prepare)”
Austin’s The Black Angels sophomore LP stomped its’ way on to the interwebs […]

There are some bands that just shouldn’t make a comeback, beautifully illustrated by the recent release of The B-52s’ “Funplex” - their first original album in nearly two decades. There’s nothing wrong with the music, at least what I’ve heard, it sounds a lot like the last B-52s’ record “Good Stuff”. I just don’t see […]

“There are nights when I think Sal Paradise was right.
Boys and Girls in America have such a sad time together.
She was a really cool kisser and she wasn’t all that strict of a Christian.
She was a damn good dancer but she wasn’t all that great of a girlfriend.
She likes the warm feeling but she’s tired […]

OK, these songs have nothing to do with Easter but are some of the best tracks zipping around the interweb this week. They are late and sparse due to an iMac meltdown. Hey Apple, I thought your OS was meant to be stable?!
Liam Finn, son of Crowded House front man Neil Finn, released his […]

I fear that with my Antipodean explorations, I’ve sent A Free Man careening uncontrollably down an indie-pop trail. Well, it is time to take the wheel again and steer us temporarily back onto that long open highway of Americana.
I remember talking alt-country one night with a slightly older friend who took great pleasure in lecturing […]

I’ve read about SxSW ad nauseum today and can read no more about it. One of the bands that’s getting pretty much universal praise after the goings on in Austin is Portland’s Blitzen Trapper. I’m not one to gloat (actually I kind of am), but I covered these guys last summer on my personal blog. […]

Portland must be a fantastic place to be for a music fan these days. I have managed to stumble into “hot” music scenes throughout my life - I lived in Seattle in the early 90’s and Athens, Georgia in the latter part of that decade. These places pale in comparison to the musical Mecca that […]

I listened to k.d. lang’s album “Drag” on repeat while I was quitting smoking last year, so she’ll always have a special place in my heart. Her new LP, “Watershed” came out in January and what I’ve heard of it is outstanding. The steel guitar alone on “I Dream of Spring”, an appropriate track for […]