Cabinet of Obscurities: The Hilltops – “Holler”

An occasional feature showcasing excellent music by little-known artists who (generally) only put out one or two albums. This one is unique, as I’ve never owned the actual album or even seen the cover. I’ve never seen it for sale on ebay, or anywhere else on the Internet. So, yeah, it’s pretty obscure – but Holler,…

Cabinet of Obscurites: “Rock & Roll Summer Camp 98”

An occasional feature showcasing excellent music by little-known artists who (generally) only put out one or two albums. It’s raucous. It’s communal. It’s a rock n’ roll summer camp! Back in the 1990s, Chris Hudson, cousin of Americana/roots band Blue Mountain’s leader Cary Hudson, had a small record label called Black Dog. In the summer of…

The Unexpected Rise of Wilco

Voted “Least Likely to Succeed”. If there was an alt country yearbook for the class of 1994/1995, Jeff Tweedy probably would have received that designation from the critics as well as the record-buying public. Uncle Tupelo, the band he had fronted with Jay Farrar since 1990, had just split up. Tweedy quickly formed Wilco, while…