News & Updates — Video

The first "folk" guitarist I got really into was John Fahey and his curious Takoma albums. Fahey's music combined blues, country, classical, avant-garde and finger-pickin' roots styles and other international folk musics all together. From dissonant to haunting, country blues to modal epics, it covered a lot worth hearing. Takoma was his label, started with money saved from his gas-pumping gig and it went on to be a very influential independent label, releasing many classics not only by Fahey, but also records by Bukka White, Robbie Basho, Leo Kottke, Canned Heat, Charlie Nothing, Bola Sete, George Winston and others. He...

A birthday shout-out to the Man In Black, Johnny Cash! He was the first "country" artist I ever respected and I always loved his baritone voice and shuffling-yet-soulful '50s tunes. The fact that he did concerts for incarcerated people, opposed the Vietnam war and included topics (and actions) in respect to indigenous culture gave him a lot of real cred, in my opinion. His music had just the right amounts of country, rockabilly, gospel, blues, folk and even mariachi and he totally OWNED that Nine Inch Nails song. There was nothing artsy about his style, just a direct approach with...

Our man Ray Lugo has a new solo album out! Ray is one of the talents behind Terrificos (2xLP available now on Peace & Rhythm, order here for vinyl, and here for digital), Kokolo and Boogaloo Destroyers. His brand new release, Now, is available from Little Boat Records. The beautiful "Hold You" is the sixth song on the album. The album is available on ITunes, Amazon, Spotify, Google Play. Check out all of Ray's videos on his YouTube channel. http://raylugo.com/ Check out "Hold You": Related: https://www.peaceandrhythm.com/blogs/news/video-ray-lugo-now And check out our 2014 interview with the man here.

We are excited to be joining the Hartford-based funk band West End Blend for a groovy party at The Root Cellar in Greenfield MA on Friday, March 3. Peace & Rhythm's DJ Andujar and Studebaker Hawk will be spinning funky vinyl before and between band sets. Grab your tickets here. West End Blend are a critically-acclaimed ten-piece group who have toured all over the Eastern US. Fronted by the supremely talented vocalist Erica Bryan, the band's sound is rooted in '70s soul and funk. If you are a fan of groups like Orgone, Diplomats of Solid Sounds, The Dap-Kings and...

The "Jimi Hendrix of the accordion", Steve Jordan in fact claimed to play 35 instruments (he even played guitar in Willie Bobo's band in the mid-'60s!). He was also a good singer and could even play the cello. He was born to migrant farm workers in Texas and learned accordion as a partially-blind kid, becoming professional at a very young age although he didn't record until the late '50s. He recorded some great soul, blues and even doo-wop early on (check out his version of "Ain't No Big Thing" by The Radiants). He took his conjunto's music and fused it...