Joshua Ray Walker: What Comes Next
Aint Dead Yet isn't just a macabre finger to the sky, it's also a promise. A plea to get back to it. At the time of his cancer diagnosis, Walker was on track to become one of the best and biggest voices in the independent Americana/country music scene. Indeed, his cancer didn't change that, he still is. But how to reconnect the dots? Enduring is only part of it. What comes next is sometimes even harder.
Heartbreak, Triumph, and Hardscrabble Heart: Shane Smith & The Saints Party Across the 15-Year Mark
The first time I crossed paths with Shane Smith & The Saints was nearing midnight at the Great Northern Bar & Grill on Central Avenue in Whitefish, Montana. The high-octane alt-country act jumped onstage during the late-night party for the 2023 Under the Big Sky music festival.
Summer Dean Isn’t Waiting To Be Let In
“Feels damn good today / To be a thousand miles away,” country singer/songwriter Summer Dean observes in her song “A Thousand Miles Away.” Though superficially a breakup song, it easily doubles as a reflection on Dean’s career, as well: “I guess I could have settled down / and kept pretending I was someone I couldn’t be / Lived my life in just one town / But who’s to say that’s what a woman really needs,” she sings.