Serving as a mile marker pacing the fifteen-year collaboration between Finnigan and Colemine Records, this is a nice collection of rare takes and flip sides, while also showing Finnigan’s evolution as an artist, producer, and vocalist. “It's nice to reintroduce material that really was the beginning of my relationship with Terry and Colemine,” says Finnigan. “And so, it made perfect sense to look at a B-side by my group called Destruments and a song called ‘Freedom’… There's so much focus on [the early work of] Monophonics that [Destruments] gets overshadowed and forgotten about, so I'm happy to reintroduce it.”

Following Rodney Crowell’s string of 2001’s Houston Kid, 2003’s Fate’s Right Hand, and 2005’s The Outsider, he continued with a 2005 studio session with the same band, including Steuart Smith on guitar and Benmont Tench joining on organ. But he decided to move on from it before approving its release…until now! He now finds it has a great deal of relevance, and with a few modern touches he’s added to it, it just might rank as one of his finest albums.

Since forming in 2016, when Quentin Baxter, Quiana Parler, Charlton Singleton, Clay Ross, and Kevin Hamilton—all seasoned musicians from the Charleston, South Carolina area—decided to form this band, Ranky Tanky has earned acclaim for their interpretations of Gullah spirituals and original music that pulls from jazz and folk traditions. They’ve certainly put the rich traditions of the Gullah Geechee people of the South Carolina and Georgia coast on the musical map for many across the country. Their self-titled 2017 debut topped Billboard’s jazz chart, while the 2019 album Good Time won a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album—the first time an album of Gullah music received the honor. We loved hosting them in Studio B back in 2022. They return to our area for a Charlotte show on Saturday, September 12th.

On September 25th, Leon Bridges will release his new album, Happiness Anytime, produced by J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of British trio Jungle and out via Columbia Records. Following in the footsteps of his collaborations with Khruangbin, this one conjures echoes and grooves of Fela Kuti, Jorge Ben, and Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints. Dig in to the first of three 4-song EP’s that will ultimately complete the 12-song album.

GRAMMY-winning guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have shared “OurHome,” the title track from their forthcoming album of the same name – recorded in Japan -- due September 18th via ATO Records. More than any other song on the record, “OurHome” embodies the album’s central idea: that home is less a place than a state of being rooted in purpose, presence, and inner peace. A tender piece that opens the album, it brings an exquisite subtlety to the kinetic exchange between Rodrigo Sánchez’s lightning-quick lead guitar lines and Gabriela Quintero’s hypnotic, hard-hitting rhythms. Eddie 9V announces a new album called Down Here coming out on November 6, on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sounds label. This first single, “Blowin’ Up”, is described as “a swaggering blast of country-fried funk, greasy slide guitar, and deep-pocket grooves which captures Eddie 9V doing what he does best — locking into a feel and letting the personality fly.” Finally, Eli “Paperboy” Reed announces a new album called Getting There, coming out September 11th via Yep Roc Records. The single “Love You More” features up-and-coming country/R&B singer Zaniah, as well as the pedal steel work of Jonny Lam, which was inspired by players in the sacred steel tradition like Calvin Cooke and Aubrey Ghent. The album was produced by Swamp Dogg.

Introducing a new album of bluegrass, old-time, and traditional country out of… Quebec! Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and Leandre Joly-Pelletier share the vocal duties, with Catherine being the primary songwriter and Leandre showcasing his guitar chops and arrangement skills. Fellow Canadians here are Kieran Poile on fiddle, Johnny Slapper on bass, Joe Grass on mandolin (and production), and Frank Evans (of the Slocan Ramblers) on banjo.

This San Francisco-based band was founded in 2007 by guitarist/songwriter Anthony Paule after a phone call from his friend, Noel Hayes. The call was requesting a backing band for Philadelphia soul and blues singer, Frank Bey, who was coming to the area to perform at Biscuits and Blues. Now, nineteen years after that fateful call, the APSO has earned multiple nominations and widespread recognition as a respected musical powerhouse, driven by horns and inspired by authentic Soul and Blues recordings of the '60s and '70s. "What Can We Do? is the culmination of many songwriting sessions, sitting around our dining room table with Christine Vitale, Larry Batiste, and Willy Jordan," says Paule. "Sometimes we have a musical idea, like a progression, or just a guitar riff. Other times we have a hook, or simply a line for a song. It's a wonderful and gratifying experience to watch the seed of an idea go from our dining room table, to the recording studio, and then out into the world as part of a finished album.”

This quartet from Birmingham, Alabama received the 2025 IBMA Momentum Band of the Year award and have been named Saving Country Music's 2025 Breakout Artist of the Year. They release their debut album this year, and have a Grand Ole Opry debut! They will be performing at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival at the Tryon International Equestrian Center on September 6th. Billy Strings says this about the guitarist Luke Black: “Kinda rude of him to be this good, honestly… Luckily for me we’re on the same team.”

We’ve enjoyed her work with Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago, and the quartet Our Native Daughters; now we have her 3rd solo release. Far from being entirely solo, however, this one shows her sincere desire for collaboration. In fact, the theme of the album’s songs is a plea for connection in this time of alienation, isolation, and dread. Allison Russell performs at The Orange Peel in Asheville on October 15th.

Charley surprised everyone with this new release, recorded in Clovis, NM, back at the end of April, less than a month after he’d released his *other* new 2026 album Age of the Ram, on Island Records. Age of the Ram had wrapped up his trilogy of albums about the American West. Label contract disputes forced it to be pulled from circulation, but it's now available digitally again thanks to a new deal with Atlantic Outpost, which Charley considers a win: “Sometimes you need to fight. Goliath vs Goliath. On this 250th birthday for America, I’m reminded that freedom is something you continue to fight for. A war that never ends. Today, we win one battle. Clovis is out on the 4th of July weekend on Atlantic Outpost. Let’s ride.” Co-produced by Shooter Jennings. Charley performs in Charlotte on September 24th.