Rediscover: Buddy Miller

Buddy Miller is probably one of the best known musicians you've never heard of. Consistently playing with the likes of Levon Helm, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin as well as producing albums for The Wood Brothers and The Devil Makes Three, this guy knows his stuff... He's one of those musicians where it's hard to tell where the music ends and he begins.

I was fortunate enough to get to see him and his wife, Julie, perform at the Variety Playhouse about 10 or 11 years ago and I'd have to say it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It was also the first concert I ever went to where everyone sat down the entire time. Such a departure from the rock concerts I was used to going to, it was stripped down, unadulterated, honest, pure musical perfection. If I ever get the chance, I'll go see them again. And if you get the chance to see them/him, do it.

Discover: Shakey Graves

So, I've featured a few two-piece bands on here, but today's post is our first one-man band: Shakey Graves. I really like his bluesy/alt-country/make-shift/stripped-down sound. I'm not sure how versatile a single person can be, but who says you need versatility? Everclear played the same three chords for years! ;p If you like what you hear/see, head on over to his website and buy an album or two!

Discover: Shovels & Rope

I discovered Shovels & Rope about a year and a half ago and was instantly sucked in by their sound, energy, and how rough around the edges they are (both live and on their album). There's a lot of gritty, pretty noise coming from this two-piece and I love it. You can taste the dirt coming off the kick and snare on "Tickin' Bomb" and the swagger of the horns on "Hail Hail" will make anyone want to shake their hips... even if they hate dancing. If you happen to be one of those non-dancing folk and prefer to have your heart ripped out of your chest instead, "This Means War" will do the trick. It's all here. A perfect sound track to this dirty, wonderful, painful, amazing thing we call life.

Learn more about Shovels & Rope here.