By Noah W. Bailey
Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category.
Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper's fantastic Furr smells more like the Kinks than Neil Young. [Editor's note: That's why we put it on our indie-rock list.] We likewise discarded Shearwater's near-masterpiece Rook, despite the
Bonnie Prince Billy (a.k.a. Will Oldham) doing what he does best.
I've never seen Modified Arts as packed as it was last night during Will Oldham's performance as Bonnie Prince Billy. And it's no surprise why. More than 60 people jammed into the downtown Phoenix music venue to watch the iconic and enigmatic indie folk hero's long, powerful concert that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.
Two of Will Oldham's biggest fans: Sean Bonnette (left) and Shane Kennedy.But no one seemed to
Wait! Before you check out all the content from our weekend coverage, grab a big cup of coffee and relax. It was a big weekend and as such, there's a lot here. Take it in and enjoy it.
Tempe Music Fest 2009
This weekend Tempe Music Fest 2009 united us once again from scattered Valley citizenry to one cohesive force bent on rocking the hell out. This year Fergie and My Chemical Romance got traded in for straight ahead rock-'n'-rollers Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down with a couple of All-American Re
