Justin Townes Earle
Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now
Bloodshot

That Justin Townes Earle would begin his career in the shadow of other great songwriters was unavoidable; after all, his father is Steve Earle, and he carries the name of late Texas songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Last night's performances by Lydia Loveless, Rum Drum Ramblers and the Hackensaw Boys at the Duck Room were undoubtedly among the best I have seen in a while.

Neo-soul heroes JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound return to St. Louis to battle the winter blues.

Call the sound of Ha Ha Tonka folky indie rock; call it Southern rock; call it Ozark-steeped-blues-rock. What the labels don't convey is the band's sense of raw power and four-part harmonies. On Friday night, Ha Ha Tonka broke out the harmony and more.

A freight train barrels out of the drum kit. Spanning the distance between mandolin and bass guitar, this rhythmic drive sustains Ha Ha Tonka's delicate harmonies.

Stealing your heart -- and a few beers from the fridge -- Lydia Loveless is like the girlfriend who jacks your El Camino and leaves you in the dust. Then, for some reason you still love her for it.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound
"Want More"
Bloodshot

The Chicago-based quartet is back in a big way with the release of its second album, "Want More."

On "Not So Loud," the Bottle Rockets completely transform their sound, trading in guitar-heavy, bluesy rock for a stripped-down take on alt-country.   

Robbie Fulks follows his own path. Trying for years to break into the country music scene in Nashville, Fulks eventually gave up, striking out on his own and releasing Country Love Songs in 1996. Never looking back, the twists and turns of his career have been as unconventional as his songwriting.

On Friday night, amid tornado sirens and bouts of torrential down pour, college frat boys, rained-out Cardinal fans and music revelers alike made it to Off Broadway for a whiskey-filled tribute to Missouri roots and southern rock.

These are hard times, and hard times are often hardest on the working man. And Whitey Morgan and the 78's, a honky tonk band from Flint, Mich., are from a city that's seen its share of tough luck.

With its latest album, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South, Ha Ha Tonka invites listeners on a literate and rocking tour of the Southern Midwestern past and present.