Probably the fastest growing, but most under-the-radar genre of popular song today is the secular hymn.  This may be because, although church attendance has been on a steady decline for the last forty years or so, society’s need for gospel-like songs has never been greater.

How else do you account for the popularity and prestige of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah? 

Years ago, I read somewhere that there is still debate in the scientific community regarding where all the water on Earth originated.  One prominent theory is that it was carried here by comets that bombarded our planet in its early history.  And for some strange reason, this idea has stuck with me.  Whenever I turn the handle on my kitchen faucet, I can’t help thinking that this isn’t just ordinary tap water filling my glass; it’s four-billion-year-old extraplanetary space juice.

Last summer, I went to see Caleb Stine and his band the Brakemen play a show at Star Bright Farm in White Hall.  It had rained earlier that day and the sky was still overcast, so the late afternoon concert was moved from the lavender gardens into the barn.  It was during his second set that Stine called out to the audience asking if there were any requests.  And what happened next tells you everything you need to know about what kind of person Stine is.

If Jesus walked the Earth today, I think he’d still be a carpenter by trade, but I can see him fronting a bluegrass outfit on nights and weekends.  I can just picture him slapping an upright bass and singing high and lonesome harmonies with the apostles all gathered around a single microphone.  Blasphemous?   Not if I’m imagining they’re playing songs from The New Bluegrass Hymnal. … Continue reading Salvation Through Bluegrass: Rev. Amy Sens Ends the Worship Wars

On January 15, 2022, Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen dropped a nine-pound hammer on his fans.  “It’s with a mysterious concoction of joy and sadness that I want to tell you as of September 4th, 2022, I will no longer tour and perform publicly,” Keen posted on his webpage.  WTF?!?  REK not playing live anymore?  My mind raced to the worst. “I hope he’s not dying.”

Light Behind Light, the seventh album from The Honey Dewdrops (Baltimore-based husband and wife duo of Kagey Parrish and Laura Wortman), might be their best yet.  The songwriting, playing, and production are all first rate.  This is a band that puts a lot of effort into its craft, and it shows!  The harmonies of this real-life couple add a warmth and depth that set them … Continue reading Instant Classic: “Light Behind Light” by The Honey Dewdrops