His music borders on folk, bluegrass and country…boiled down, I would call it in some ways the “Watchhouse effect”. Songs focused on introspection, with melody and smart instrumentation choices at the core of the music.

A few years back he released a collection of tunes called ‘Cant You See I’m Happy’ and just followed that release up with a single called ‘Too Many Times a Day.’

Its been a while since I had spoken with Andrew as he recently graduated from Dartmouth (about 30 minutes from me), moved back to Montana (not at all 30 minutes from me) for the summer and now finds himself in Indianapolis. We get into writing process, influence and finding our community…something he is finding his footing with right now in his new home base.

I hope you all enjoy…and this marks a semi regular return to some episodes and conversations with musicians…

I’ve been in awe of this band since the very early days and they were even one of the first sessions I ever had (at least at festival) with this take on a Beatles classic.

Since then I have had the privilege of working with them handful of times and each opportunity to see them on stage (or off) is a treat. And to celebrate their decade plus run of brilliance, we will celebrate them all month long as our September artists of the month.

They have truly been the most eclectic and exciting band in the genre that I can really think of since I started this website.

From the band:

Dearest Twisted Pine Fam,

It’s been a truly beautiful and humbling 10+ years of playing, writing, touring, and building towards the dream. From the early days, as our little band grew, we strove to push ourselves and our music into the diverse and wonderful directions that reflected who we were and what we loved about music, and along the way we found you, our greatest believers. We have become who we are as a band because of your continuous love and support, and we are forever thankful.

As our lives and the world change, we have decided to come off the road for an indefinite hiatus. Putting everything you have into running a touring band for so long is not an easy thing, and the time has come for us to step away from this project, for now. We are very proud of what we’ve done: this last year touring our newest record has musically been our best yet and your love and support at all the shows and festivals has dug straight into our hearts. Keep spinning “Love Your Mind” and feel the love that was put into that music for you. That will never go away.

We have one last pair of nights in Maine to play in February 2026. Check our website for those and we’d sure love to see you there. We also have many years of shows and performances documented, and we plan to have a live release in the future. We’ll send that out when we have it. And the last of our discography and tee-shirts will still be available til we sell out the shop.

https://twisted-pine.bandcamp.com

https://www.twistedpineband.com/store

Before we go, we want to thank Signature Sounds Recordings , The Kurland Agency , and Loudmouth Artist Management for all the work these extraordinary teams have done to support our work, our tours, and our music. We are forever grateful.

We love you all and hope you will follow each of us on our own individual journeys. We will see you again.

With love and groove,

Kathleen, Chris, Dan, and Anh

Twisted Pine

Be sure to snatch up some gear and music, support them as they all head onto their next creative endeavor and if you can, get out to the final shows to celebrate an absolutely brilliant collective of musicians and beautiful humans.

Photo credit Jo-Chattman

Billboard premiered “Chicken Dinner” off Blue Mesa and you should check out the story behind this really fun, uptempo rock tune. He co-wrote the song with the late blues singer Lissa Driscoll, to whom he has dedicated Blue Mesa. I love the horns on this tune, too–they add so much texture and muscle and let Winslow-King just have fun.

The brand new track “Love Again” is infused with tubey blues guitar and soulful vocals. Keys gently throb behind a slow blues dance. The tune and general aural aesthetic of the band is indicative of a strong focus on a super solid rhythmic base and beautiful airy and light accoutrements in the shape of high vocal waves and tight harmonies. What is evident is the chemistry that is embedded into the duo’s performance here and the fact that maybe, just maybe not fitting into a certain genre or subset is exactly what all artists need. Even in the course of one track you can tell that the influence between these two individuals spans all sorts of time, genre and space. Its all about the emotion and feel that a particular song calls for and Tolchin and Clifford realize that fully on ‘Love Again’.

Dharmasoul drummer/singer, Kevin Clifford says about the track, “For me, Love Again is about the courage it takes to love. By inviting someone else to share your heart with you, you risk the toll that could be taken on it if it doesn’t work. I don’t know anyone who’s heart hasn’t been broken. If they haven’t, it’s because they haven’t opened themselves to anyone yet. And that is ok because it’s part of the journey. But when you finally do end up on that dark end of the street, it takes tremendous will power to find the strength to get back up and try again.”

Dharmasoul is on tour up and down the east coast throughout March and has some additional dates leading up to the release of their debut record “Lightning Kid”. The album release is May 4th distributed through Redeye Worldwide on Dharmasoul Records and was recorded at Verdant Studios in Athens VT.

Check out their tour schedule and stream “Love Again” below (or add it to you Spotify playlist and stream it again and again…)

The LLOMC has been a launching pad for many, a testing ground for others, but one thing is for certain, it has been a pool of support and community for all that have been a part. Even though the weekly event has the word “challenge” in the title, it feels anything but. People are willing to give input, you meet lifelong friends among the crowd and your fellow songwriter contenders and your loving and humorous host, Mr. Bianchi, keeps the thing rolling with a light hearted attitude…who’s running this thing anyway?

Tonight the Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge will celebrate it’s 500th show. That is something pretty incredible, at one a week that marks it running weekly for nearly a decade. A milestone to be rejoiced and appreciated for its endurance and commitment to giving artists a place to feel appreciated and comfortable.

I would be sorely mistaken if I tried to sum up 500 shows worth of god knows how many musicians crossing the basement stage every Monday night to try out new songs and showcase old ones for the crowd. So, I won’t. Instead, here are just a few thoughts and comments from those who have been there and experienced it night after night. And to you Tom, here’s to 500 more my friend. We love you.

Ryan Montbleau – “Tom Bianchi is one of my favorite people, in addition to being a great bass player, performer, and a pillar of the Cambridge/Somerville music scene. Whenever someone from out of town hits me up asking about gigs in Boston, I send them Tom’s way. He’s like a hub of activity in everything that I love about that music scene. And it’s hard to imagine anyone else running the open mic challenge and keeping it so cool, so supportive of the music.”

Laurence Scudder – “Bianchi, a strong vertebrae in the spine of our creative community. One who is forever encouraging & providing opportunity for others. Thank you isn’t enough.”

Bethel Steele – ‘Tom is a legend in the Boston music scene. He has an uncanny ability to create a listening space where songwriters from all levels can experience the two-song set that will fuel their career. He’s created a precious building block in the community where budding songwriters can step on to the stage the same night a seasoned performer is honing the performance of their latest song. I can’t imagine the Boston music scene with out Tom.”

Anna Rae – “Tom Bianchi has created a space where people turn their curiosity about music into live performance, and where a great many of those have been able to hone their craft and develop a solid music practice and performance career. His daily effort over months and years has filled the music scene in Boston with talent, and served as an example of dedication to art and community to those of us who have interacted with him. Tom is generous with praise and always willing to share whatever he knows that could help someone improve their craft and gain access to the Boston music scene.”

Bob Bradshaw – “The gregarious Mr. Bianchi runs the best open mic I’ve ever been at, and if you want to know whether or not your new song is a turkey, there’s no better place to see if it can fly than the Lizard Lounge Open Mic on a Monday night.”

Shoney Lamar – “When I first started running my own open mic, i basically just did my best Tom Bianchi impression. The man is always gracious and funny, but more importantly supportive. The LLOMC is the easily the top open mic in Boston, in part because the contest aspect really brings out the best in performers, but really, it would be half as important without Tom at the helm. A giant walks amongst us.”

Ryan Sweezey – “Personally, I feel as though I’ve done a lot of growing up on the LLOMC stage. The countless hours Tom puts into not only Lizard Lounge, but the Burren and a whole host of other local-music-community-building spaces are a massive reason why the local scene is so friendly and vibrant. I’m one of hundreds of people who owes a lot to this man and the work he does.”

Emily Mure – “Tom is sort of the Godfather of independent music in Boston it seems.  When I first moved to Boston and was looking for people to connect to, everyone I spoke to gave me his name.  And it’s no wonder, the man is a work horse, and passionately helps artists and their music thrive in this scene.”

Patrick Coman – “The LLOMC is the first place I played on stage in Boston, it’s the first place I met other musicians, and sitting at the bar I booked my first gig in Boston. The longevity of the open mic is a testament to it’s importance as gathering spot for new and veteran songwriters alike and Tom Bianchi is the engine that keeps it all running. I don’t know how he does it all but I am grateful that he does!”

Maxwell Bailey – “Tom is truly a pillar in the Boston music scene. LLOMC has sparked countless connections, inspired creativity and been a sanctuary for songwriters – both old and new to the scene. Tom drives people to hone their talent and feed off of the energy those around them.”

Tice, typically taking a more instrumental approach to his recordings, lends his vocal to a handful of the 11 tracks on ‘Horse County’. A bountiful, pleasant and traditional sounding mix of John Hartford and Jerry Garcia, its almost transcendent…as this music tends to be and when it is expertly crafted and played, it seems to soar with expert musicality in a fashion that feels effortless and comfortable. The natural break in his vocal lets the light seep in, give you a little look into the heart he injects into the songs. That balance between the softness of a voice and the sheer intensity of hardcore pickin’, its a beautiful and exciting thing.

Of the bunch, favorites include “Poor Me”, “Way Downtown”, and the title track, a bluegrass-infused romp of an instrumental that throws solo duties back and forth like a hot potato. It really moves and the band…just wow.

I caught up with Jordan to talk about the new record, being able to call on a cast of characters like he did to record on a project, and his upcoming release tour which stops in at our favorite listening room in the world, Club Passim, on June 6th. You can go ahead and get your tickets RIGHT HERE. But in the meanwhile, read on up about the project, the artist, and whats coming down the track for Tice in 2016.

Last July I was in the Museum at Newport Folk when a pretty blonde in a lace trimmed white romper and tattoos breezed past me. I saw her capture a few shots and thought nothing of it. Then later I saw her work from the festival posted on a friend’s Facebook page and I was completely captivated and overwhelmed with the beauty, mystery and power of Paré’s work. Emilia is able to not just freeze a moment in a frame with her camera, but she somehow manages to truly steal the being of her subjects and put them right there in the frame for you to relive for all of time. There is a magic in her portraits and photographs that is completely unique and alluring. It is difficult to describe, and perhaps thats just the reason why you need to SEE in order to properly understand what I am trying to convey. Some people just see the world differently, deeper, through an inspired and  beauty inducing lens. She doesn’t often go for the obvious composition or follow the ‘rules’ that are printed in the textbooks or have been go to’s for years and decades. She bends those rules to fit how she sees the world and how the image will best suit her personal aesthetic. And the results are breathtaking.

Back in December I named Emilia as one of the 7 photographers that inspired me most in 2015. The year that I truly cemented my love affair with portraiture and shooting live events with a different eye than I had previously. An artist who “an innate ability to perfectly capture the intimacy of the moment” and how she accomplished that sense of intimacy at a festival where there are 10,000 people stomping around and music from all directions, well that is something pretty special. She captures what I can only describe as remarkably human moments. A skill I both admire and envy in large amounts. 2015 also marked a year that saw the artist under a great deal of change, stress and personal growth. From all of that came a beautiful new project called ‘TWENTYTWO” that you can go ahead and purchase for yourself right on over HERE.

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to Emilia about the project and her work in general. To get to hear her story and peer beneath the surface, just a bit, and understand how she sees the world through her own viewfinder. Read on up and check out TWENTYTWO today, its well worth it for your own enjoyment and to support artists who are adding more to the world.

RLR: Tell us a little bit about your project “TWENTYTWO” and where it stemmed from.

EP: Twenty-two was a roller coaster of a year for me. I went through an unexpectedly traumatizing emotional event in the weeks around my 22nd birthday. A celebratory road trip that I had planned with a group of friends suddenly turned into an introspective soul journey & a re-evaluation of everything I’d ever believed about myself & my path in life. That spring, my car was totaled the same week I was asked to move out of my house, so I was without a home or vehicle of my own for 3 months, living & commuting on the good graces of my closest friends – the epitome of a struggling artist. While trying to cope with it all I was making decisions I wasn’t proud of, closing down the bars every night of the week, & seriously fucked up on an important job. I knew if things were going to change around me, there needed to be a change inside as well. I quit drinking in May, jumped in a van bound for Newport Folk Fest in July & from there my entire trajectory shifted. I’m on my second life in Nashville & it’s exactly where I need to be.

But that being said, I didn’t actually decide to turn this year into book until December of 2015. It would be my way of putting that old life to rest & moving onto the next adventure while honoring the moments that led me to this point. I knew immediately that I wanted to release it on my birthday (I’m really into symbolic shit like that) so that gave me just around 8 weeks to pull the whole project together.

RLR:  It seems you have a tight knit group around you in Nashville now and another thing I always ask folks in features here on the website is about community. Guitar pickers and folk singers are a dime a dozen in a music city (Boston or  Nashville or anywhere), but photographers I imagine are a bit harder to find. Something I notice in your work is your subjects are often  times your friends. How does the sense of community around you play into your work? What about that support really, I dunno the right wording, but what is it about that do you love or appreciate?

EP: Having a sense of community is insanely important to me as a human and an artist. Feeling that encouragement in everything from my crazy dreams to last minute international adventures that can only come from fellow creatives. Not being made to feel crazy for constantly leaping with no net in sight. There’s a unity among those with wild minds & uninhibited imaginations. It’s priceless.

RLR: Perhaps selfishly speaking and trying to harness some of that magic (or just nerd out on gear) what are your go to cameras, lenses and gear looking like these days? You do a lot of traveling to shoot so I am making a big assumption in saying there is a “big day out” and a “travel light” version of your set up?

EP: To be honest, I’ve only ever owned 2 lenses! My Canon 85mm is my go to glass – it’s fast & sharp as a knife, especially in the low light situations that I’ve come to love. My other lens is the Canon 50mm that until recently, I was without for over a year after breaking my previous 50 in half on a sheet of ice. I still use that broken lens from time to time – it gives an eery, ethereal feel similar to free-lensing & it’s perfect for certain projects. I shoot on a Canon 5D Mark III that I’ve beaten to hell – it’s a workhorse.

With only that for gear, my setup is always light & as I’ve come to shoot with a more documentary style, it’s perfect for grabbing on the run. I haven’t touched a strobe or flash in a few years & learning to find my light in any situation has been a fun adventure. It’s so much more satisfying to me to walk into a location without the guarantee of perfect lighting. It forces me to think outside the box. When I walk into a studio filled with strobes & modifiers, my creativity just goes to shit!

RLR: So is it safe to assume most waking hours you have a camera in hand? Your style really grasps that “fly on the wall” kind of a feel. Looking at a lot of the shots you took last year at Newport it was more about “the people” and not necessarily the performance. More so the person and being behind that person on stage. Often times I see your work where you won’t even include the subject’s face but still you manage to capture their “essence” in a way. How important is the capturing of someone’s being for you? ….you do it really fucking well!

EP: I don’t have my camera around all day every day, but I do always have my iPhone & I’m a firm believer that those photos are equally important as the ones captured on my DSLR. Many of the photos in my book were captured on my phone & they’re some of my favorites.

With Newport, I didn’t even know I was going until 3 days beforehand. That trip was my first step into this amazing community, so everything & everyone around me was new & exciting. I must have known somewhere in my heart that this would be an important event in my life & I wanted to remember the feeling of that weekend forever. The music was great, but the people… the people were magical.

I’m always aware of the little moments happening around me – the small gestures, the look in a friend’s eye, the way others carry themselves – I’m a sucker for the details. I believe that these moments, moments that may often go unnoticed, carry so much spirit. If the moment is right, lighting, composition, sharpness – it all goes out the window & the only thing left is the feeling. That feeling is what keeps me shooting, keeps me searching for those inevitable moments.

RLR: Art of any form can be a…well, I think we can be blunt here: it can be pretty shitty sometimes. There is a sense of competition in some arenas, there is the inevitable human condition of comparing ourselves to others. What keeps you grounded and wanting to continue to create and keep shooting?

EP: The excitement I feel when I hear the shutter click on a beautiful moment. That’s the only thing that matters to me. There’s a lot of excited “fuuuuuuuck yesssss”‘s & squealing that goes on when I make a photograph that I find especially beautiful. The day I stopped shooting for other people & starting making images that felt good in MY heart, was the day I truly found myself in my art. As competitive as the industry can be – and it’s getting more so each day – when you truly connect with your own art, others will connect with it as well. I create to keep myself sane & I’ll never forget how fortunate I am to be able to build my life around these creations. It helps that I’ve become really good at being broke! Ha!

RLR: Its fairly evidence that you are an observer of all things, capturing intimate moments of all sorts, but being in Nashville, shooting festivals and such there is a lot of ‘musical persuasion’ as a strong thread in the fabric of your work. That being said, who have been a few of your favorite artists, songwriters, or musicians to shoot? Who do you wish you could shoot, the dream subject, and haven’t yet had a chance?

EP: This year I was lucky enough to spend my birthday in Denver photographing Rival Sons as they opened for Black Sabbath in front of 20,000 people. Those are my favorite live photographs to date. So much soul in that band. Watching the Grammy’s from the dressing room as Dave Cobb – their only producer – took home 2 awards before the show was a pretty special moment as well. I’m excited to have a few photographs included in the packaging of their new record, Hollow Bones, out next month.

Other favorites have been that badass mama Margo Price, Yelawolf & everything at the Ryman. The lineup for Desert Trip was just confirmed & I would give my firstborn child or – fuck it – all of my future children, for the chance to photograph that weekend! Lemmy was always a dream subject of mine as well, so much character. Maybe in the next life…

RLR: The TWENTYTWO project seems like it was cathartic in a way. Like so many of your subjects may do as songwriters in writing songs about pain or triumph, you create visual art to portray those emotions. To pull it all together, sum it all up in a way: What do you want people to know most or take home from the TWENTYTWO project?

EP:  Putting out “TWENTYTWO” was a healing process for me, putting to bed an often painful but incredibly eye opening year. I put my soul into that book. My hope is for people to see these photographs & want to know more about the stories behind them. I cope through creativity – and I’m finally ready to talk.

RLR: So, what does the next year look like for you as you move on from TWENTYTWO?

EP: I’d love to start shooting more editorial work, finding a way to bring my love for documentary photography to a more stylized setting while collaborating with other creative minds. This fall I’m planning to do a solo road trip out west, exploring the places I’ve yet to see, photographing & writing along the way.

http://emiliapare.com

Before the show Matt and I dipped into Hollis Greene’s shop (The Music Box) next door to film a quick performance in the space lined with drool worthy axes and a comfy, charming feel. Here is Matt performing his tune “I’m All Done”…and continue below for a Q & A with the songwriter about his music and recording in that same building that he was playing in later in the evenings.

RLR: How do you characterize your music? What drives and inspires you from “other artists” standpoint? Influences?

MY: I grew up loving Lou Reed, The Pixies and Willie Nelson. As I got older, I really fell in love with Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and early Bruce Springsteen. I like doing the noisy bar band thing but also really like doing quieter acoustic type stuff as well. I really don’t love a specific genre, I just like good songs.

RLR: You recently played a show at the Spire and also recorded your latest album at the studio in the same building. How do you think the atmosphere of that place influences a live show and a recording? Its such a brilliant place for music.

MY: I think the Spire is a really great room and only going to continue to grow as more and more artists find out what a terrific sounding room it is and that it’s a room that draws crowds of people that are supportive and that want to see live music. Mark Bryant, who runs Seasound Audio which is in the basement, has been a big part of both places and just has a tremendous spirit and infectious personality. I think that we’re going to see more places like the Spire pop up in other small cities and towns because I think people will support places/artists especially if they don’t have to drive into Boston, pay a fortune for tickets and parking etc.

RLR: A big part of what Red Line Roots stands for is collaboration, community and bringing folks together and fostering an environment where artists help each other. How do you feel about that preservation of unity and family sentiment in the folk music community around your own town or city? How does it play into your own music and where you come from? 

MY: I was very active musically in Cambridge/Boston for a long time and then stepped away from “the scene” for a number of years so in a way it’s hard for me to say. I certainly understand the family aspect of it as I met my wife at a gig we were both playing at the Lizard Lounge fifteen years ago. Having returned to the music world, it’s been fun to reconnect with people that I hadn’t seen in years and music truly is a universal language. As much as the music world has changed in the time I was away, the constant that’s remained is that the best acts are ones that are always working, always supporting other acts/causes and just recognizing that being a musician isn’t just getting up  onstage and singing some songs. It’s sending emails, supporting friends’ bands, spreading the word and playing a part in fostering a creative environment.

RLR: If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) musically, who would it be?

MY: Townes Van Zandt would be high atop that list among those that are no longer with us. I just loved his songwriting and spirit. Other than that, I’d loved to have been around Dylan when he went electric. Of modern acts, I love Kendrick Lamar and what he’s doing although I think my ability to collaborate with King Kendrick would be strictly limited to dancing poorly while he did his thing. I listen to hip-hop a lot and I think there’s a lot of creativity going on in that world.

RLR: Anything else you want to plug?

MY: If people like the video, they can download the song for free at www.mattyorkboston.bandcamp.com (they can also choose to pay a million dollars for the album if they’d prefer). For people on Facebook, please “like” my page atwww.facebook.com/mattyorkmusic. I’m always trying to spread the proverbial word about upcoming shows and stuff that I’ve got going on.