Search Results for joe ely

Songwriters

Texas Legend Joe Ely Talks About His Recent Accolades, His Songcraft, and His Love of Guitars

Last year was a big one for Joe Ely. He was named the 2016 official Texas State Musician, and he was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association Hall of Fame.

Mark Kemp
October 11, 2017

Lessons, Sing and Play

Texas Gold: Joe Ely’s ‘Cold Black Hammer’

On “Cold Black Hammer,” from his 2015 album, Panhandle Rambler, the singer-songwriter Joe Ely evokes the tension between pumps and environment in the oil fields of his native Texas. The song is in the key of E minor. Its four…

Adam Perlmutter
October 3, 2017

Album Reviews

Joe Henry and Friends Collaborate on the Enigmatic but Satisfying ‘All the Eye Can See’

The songs on Joe Henry’s latest album 'All the Eye Can See' refuse to give up their mysteries, the melodies wandering like question marks with the lyrics threading a thin line between knowing and unknowing.

Kenny Berkowitz
March 21, 2023

Album Reviews

Joe Robinson Explores New Directions on the Eclectic ‘The Prize’

With his 7th full-length album, The Prize, Joe Robinson is reaching for the biggest prize of all: writing songs that are as good as his guitar playing.

Kenny Berkowitz
December 20, 2022

Album Reviews

Aoife O’Donovan’s ‘Age of Apathy’ is an Introspective Album Completely of Its Time

Aoife O’Donovan's Age of Apathy is a different kind of pandemic album: engaged, ambitious, expansive.

Kenny Berkowitz
February 15, 2022

Songwriters

Guitar Talk: Joe Henry’s ‘Thrum’ Album Called for Serious Spontaneity

Henry chats about 'Thrum,' the guitars he used on it, and what he plays as a live performer.

Blair Jackson
February 26, 2018

Album Reviews

Joe Bonamassa Mostly Sticks to Rhythm on Live Disc

For years, Joe Bonamassa used to sneak three or four acoustic songs into the middle of his live shows. That changed in 2013, when he retooled his back catalog for An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House, and four…

Kenny Berkowitz
September 25, 2017

Play Like Your Favorite Guitarists, Slide

Video Lesson: Exploring Kelly Joe Phelps’ Slide Work in Open Tunings

Kelly Joe Phelps sitting outside with his resonator guitar

Prewar blues is just a stepping-off point for Phelps’ intricate fingerpicking and soulful vocals. In this lesson, you'll adapt his open-D ideas to bottleneck style.