Wednesday, May 13, 2026
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Jason Shrum

Rawlings New Record “I Fixed It All”

I am enamored by the depth of his song that he titles ‘Teeny Tiny’.  Rawlings says of the track, “This is by far the hardest song to put out. Because it attempts to address the end of innocence, something I feel too guilty to speak about regularly.” When I told him that I thought the song was gorgeous, but that I wanted to know about the story behind the song he went on to tell me, “Thanks for saying that. It is based on the truth. We should make time to discuss this song in more detail. I couldn’t do the truth justice without dedicating time to give you the background.”  So, I will have to dive deeper into that with Rawlings in a future interview as we were cut short for time when I brought up the inquiry. 

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Jason Shrum

The Criticals Return Home to Nashville

The Criticals at this show consisted of Christian Kaplan (drums), Cole Shugart (lead guitar), Augustus Carroll (rhythm guitar), Henry Henson (baritone guitar, keys), Michael Meadows (bass) and Parker Forbes (lead vocals).  The band is listed as a duo of Forbes and Shugart but implements an array of these players that appear both on the album and on tour.  The six-piece ensemble came out to face the overjoyed audience with gleaming smiles of their own.  Happy to be home?  Excited that the long tour was finally over? Feeling gratitude to be surrounded by not only their fans, but also their friends and family?  It seems that all these things were in play and that they were more than ready to give a brilliant performance.  Which they most certainly did. 

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Jason Shrum

Standout Guitarist Leilani Kilgore Releases Her Debut Album

Leilani Kilgore has already been praised by Guitar World magazine for her “killer vibe and chops to back it up.” Kilgore, touted as a “must-see live performer” by Loud Hailer Magazine, has hundreds of live shows and festivals notched in her belt, both in the U.S. and overseas, including headlining slots on legendary stages like Sturgis Buffalo Chip and Summerfest, and she has opened for such renowned acts as Buddy Guy, Lita Ford, 38 Special, The Dead Daisies (feat. Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich) and Tommy Castro. So yeah, she is doing her thing, and we need to all listen. Her sound is certainly engrained in rock and roll, but this bluesy underbelly pads the backbone of the blistering and raucous forefront.  

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Jason Shrum

The Staggering Expanse of Man

The song’s beginning challenges the impact of our global footprint with its prose.  The band is screaming for us to listen and take heed, but our consumption may be drowning those cries out.  So, there is a musical shift that happens and the song structure slows as if to appeal to us with another approach.  This is one of those many layers that the trio brings to the forefront of their efforts.  With tightknit precision and playing, the group captures their audience in mystical undertones that float beneath rough and metallic surfaces.  It is absolutely gorgeous to listen to the transition from heavy to soft without losing the engagement of the audience.  It might have been three separate songs if conceptualized differently, but it works as one opus and only for a few seconds are we fluttering in this softened sonic status before being hurled back into a deeper sound. And for all this, we are just :40 seconds into our journey. 

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Jason Shrum

Dann Huff | When Words Aren’t Enough | Album Review 

I must imagine that putting together a record of this magnitude would be daunting.  That is, to say what you want to say in one short playlist, oh, and it’s all instrumental.  I am not a guitar player or a musician of any sort, but I do understand the complexities of music to a degree.  I can hear the storytelling and grasp the imagery of the bard. I can close my eyes and be swept away sonically, as easily as the next and I know what I like.  I really like this record. 

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ALBUM REVIEWSFEATUREDMUSIC NEWS
Jason Shrum

Bruce Almighty

Springsteen is STILL digging through his back-catalogue and is now talking about a follow-up to the already new box -set. Tracks II is a heap of previously never heard material already, but he says there is still more to share. “Tracks III, is already finished,” Springsteen told The New York Times. He said the next set will return to sessions dating from his 1973 debut, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., and include music recorded as recently as 2024. “It’s basically what was left in the vault,” Springsteen added. “So there was a lot of good music left. There are five full albums of music.” If you’re a fan of The Boss this is a great time to to be alive.

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