"Roots based music is a favorite genre of mine because the songwriting speaks to me. It has those wonderful elements of truth, vulnerability, and hope that I inject in my songs."

Alec Fraser, Jr: On The Wings of the Wind

Multi-award-winning producer/musician Alec Fraser, Jr. has, at long last, released his first solo recording, On The…

"Real music can’t help but reflect the social climate in which it was constructed. I feel that this band sets out to either tell a story or unpack a problem. That may sound depressing, but truth is, singing about these problems and flawed characters allows us to come together and make that a joyous occasion."

Aris Paul Band: Red-Eyed, Road Rock…

"There is a stigma of race when it comes to the blues. The color of your skin has nothing to do whether you have the blues or not, everyone has the blues one way or another."

Doug Jones: Music City Emotions

Doug Jones is songwriter, and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. Doug says: "My sound is a reflection of listening to…

"One of the most important things I have learned playing music to people is that music often has a much greater impact than I have realized. I have received many messages from people who told me how deeply my music has affected them and helped them through difficult times."

Ed Gerhard: The World of Roots Music

Performing on 6-string, 12-string,…

"If you put something of a high enough quality out into the world, there WILL be people out there with whom it resonates. That can lead to a wonderfully symbiotic relationship with people and places you would never have otherwise encountered."

District 97: Expect The Unexpected

Chicago prog rock band District 97 will be releasing a new live album…

"Believe in yourself and pursue music and not fame."

Joe Macre: American Garage Dream

Joe Macre is best known as the original bassist for the progressive rock band “Crack The Sky”, whose debut was voted album of the year in Rolling Stone Magazine and is still included in the top 50 progressive rock albums of all time. The new release from Joe…

"There is a wonderful quote from the great writer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, who said “In the woods we return to reason and faith”. For me there are no more truer words. Being in nature as much as I am provides a balance in my life."

Chuck Leavell: The Trees & The Music Man

Chuck Leavell, whose piano…

"The blues is a type of music that is able to communicate with people and that excites in a very simple and direct way. Especially after this difficult moment, the blues and music in general will help people to rediscover the joy of being together, being close and getting excited. I think blues is perfect for this. There is clearly also a more social interpretation of blues music. A music of struggle and revenge. Personally, it allows me never to forget the…

"I wanted to make people realize that, under the skin, we are all the same: "If you prick me do, I not bleed?". The blues springs from human experience: that experience is common to us all, black or white. It is an expression of hope and I hope it helps to end racial prejudice."

Dave Thomas: The Blues Spirituality

Dave Thomas is the…

"Music, especially if we are to consider music without lyrics, does not have a political agenda, does not speak to race or class nor is restricted by language.  In that sense it communicates the human experience in the most profound way, connects us together as one species, and in that commonality, proves that we all want the same basic things for ourselves. We need to operate from that sensibility."…

"I believe music has the power to uplift the spirit and that’s the energy I want to impart. There is a little part toward the end of the title song “Sundial” that everybody I’ve played it for smiles when they hear it. It’s a combination of the background vocals swelling up against the major chord and the lead vocal… I live for that!"

Carl Verheyen: The Joy of Music…

"The blues can mean pretty much anything in real life - you know, normally it's about somebody's lost loved one or somebody's lost love, or tragedies within themselves, or no work, no money. Then they turn to drinking and drugs and they write the blues, that's the blues within themselves. They say that the blues had a baby and they called it rock 'n roll, which is very true: rock 'n roll was born out of the blues from the Mississippi all the way to Chicago.…

"People to understand each other and not be at each other’s throat all the time, that we can find common ground, that we don’t have to be constantly at war with each other, that we don’t have to be concerned with how somebody else lives, that everyone’s different – I’d love to see that. Let’s give each other some room."

Charlie Daniels: The Southern Legend…