Gillian Welch: Am I Bluegrass?

A black Mercedes S.U.V. recently whizzed past me with its stereo blasting, of all things, the bluegrass song “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Such is the bizarre reach of the surprise platinum-selling soundtrack to the Coen brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? –this century’s musical-reeducation equivalent of The Blues Brothers soundtrack.

Just as The Blues Brothers Read More

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Sam

God is watching you. When you walk out of a record store without a Sam Phillips record, God is watching you. When you skip over a review of a new Sam Phillips record, God is watching you. This holy scrutiny is more Ms. Phillips’ trip than mine. I’m just paraphrasing the last overtly religious song Read More