Song of the Day

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November 5, 2019

Terry Allen and The Panhandle Mystery Band: “City of the Vampires”

By: Jack Anderson

For those of us who’ve spent a good amount of time in Texas, the name Terry Allen has a household recognition. It’s been about four and a half decades since the release of his debut LP Juarez, throughout which Allen’s maintained a legacy of excellence not only in highly critical country music but also dissident visual art. And on the the fortieth anniversary of his breakout album Lubbock (on everything), Terry Allen and his trusty Panhandle Mystery Band have just announced their first record since 2013, Just Like Moby Dick.

Channeling the lengthy gamut of its Melvillian namesake, Just Like Moby Dick provides Allen’s commentary on humanity, tragedy, and memory, featuring occasional vocals from Shannon McNally, writing contributions from longtime friends Dave Alvin and Joe Ely, and co-production, guitar, vocals from Charlie Sexton. Just Like Moby Dick is out January 24th 2020, and you can expect a documentary, art exhibits, and tour dates shortly thereafter. For today though you can forget about Ahab and Starbuck, and instead hop on the blood-suck with one of Just Like Moby Dick‘s two lead singles, “City of the Vampires”!


Episodes

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Rett Smith: “Sunsets”

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Ruel Thomas: “I Am Today”

Any profession requires quotas…whether that’s how many tickets you write or how many kids pass your class. And when music is your source of income, the obvious metric to measure by is quantity of shows played. But as with any creative endeavor, there’s an opportunity to move the needle in many directions, which makes “success” […]

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Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors: “Suffering”

The very nature of Americana is rooted in traditional music. But it also lies at the crossroads between folk, country, and rock. So if an Americana act decides to veer into new lanes, the choices are limited and somewhat predictable. And yet it’s still such a joy to hear an artist explore new sonic territory, […]

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Melotheory: “Breathe”

When you have roommates, at least good ones you get along with, group activities naturally arise around the house. For most folks, it’s watching TV, recreational smoking and drinking, or maybe the occasional board game. For musicians, however, having a practice space within eyeshot of your bedroom door is too good of a scenario to […]

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