Rich KassirerDec 8, 20154 minFavorites of 2015My end of the year extravaganza is called Favorites of 2015 because I just don’t listen to enough new music through the year to warrant c...
Rich KassirerJun 1, 20152 minIssue 39: The bus came by...First, let me just say that I have never had so much fun putting together an issue of Modern Acoustic! I want to offer a huge thanks to e...
Rich KassirerJan 28, 20156 minInterview with Zack Hickman of Barnstar!When last we saw the boys of Barnstar!, they were dressed as a band of pirates riding the high seas of Boston Harbor and performing to a ...
Rich KassirerDec 10, 20144 minFavorites of 2014FAVORITE ALBUMS “Numbered Doors,” by Lori McKenna and “Milltowns,” by Mark Erelli These two locally produced albums are as authentic and ...
Rich KassirerDec 10, 20148 minLook out Nashville, Lori McKenna has arrived… (But she still belongs to Boston!)A recording session is stopped abruptly, and a new-to-town songwriter is introduced, brought in to “fix” the projected hit song for Miss ...
Rich KassirerDec 9, 20143 minIssue 38: Boston's Queen of FolkI have a plot idea for the TV show “Nashville” to save it from cancellation. But before we go there, I have admit something that may make...
Rich KassirerNov 8, 20142 minOne music fan's boycott of SpotifyI won’t listen to Spotify. In fact, I am personally boycotting it. I’m sure the music streaming executives are quaking in their collectiv...
Rich KassirerAug 14, 20143 minTwo New England festivals are all about the musicHere in the New England, we have no Bonnaroo, no Coachella, no Lollapalooza, no New Orleans Jazz Festival: summer music extravaganzas wit...
Rich KassirerJul 30, 20144 minGetting to Know… Brendan Hogan, WUMB-FM DJIf you live in the Boston area and like folk, blues and singer-songwriters – both current and classic – there’s a good chance you already...
Rich KassirerJul 30, 20147 minAn ode to songs with dates in themA video was posted of Bobbie Gentry’s classic “Ode to Billie Joe” on June 3rd, the date prominently mentioned in the song. It got us thin...
Rich KassirerJul 30, 20145 minWhat happens when a band on the rise finds out its name is an obscure racial stereotype?Meet Parsonsfield (formerly Poor Old Shine) For Poor Old Shine, it started with a song… a traditional prison work song of the American So...
Rich KassirerJul 29, 20143 minIssue 37: What's in a Name?When I started Modern Acoustic, way back in 2004, one of my main objectives was not to be like every other music magazine, which fills th...
Rich KassirerJun 22, 20144 minConcert Review: Patty Griffin, Parker Millsap in Portsmouth 6/21/14It was one of those most magical of evenings. Outside, 70 or so degrees, beside the ocean, sun about to set, your favorite concert buddie...
Rich KassirerJan 30, 20145 minThree music thoughts in 4 daysHopefully, people will read this and won’t think, “wow, this guy is old and cranky.” That is not true – at least the second part. It just...
Rich KassirerJan 15, 20143 minJoan's arcIn praise of the underappreciated Joan Osborne I recently went to see a band called Trigger Hippy at a concert hall in Boston. As a band,...
Rich KassirerDec 17, 20132 minThe Lone CureThe Lone Bellow made quite an impression in 2013 – even winning over the guy with a bad case of Americana Exhaustion I complained a lot t...
Rich KassirerDec 17, 20133 minIssue 36: Dynamic TrioThis year, Hanukkah came early. My musical inspiration came very late, but I’m very excited about this gift. All year, I had been looking...
Rich KassirerDec 13, 20135 minFavorites of 2013Favorite Album: Patty Griffin, “American Kid’’ Anyone who follows Modern Acoustic knows just where I stand on Patty. Two words: voice cru...
Rich KassirerJul 19, 20132 minFurthur, more or lessReturning to the scene of the Dead 30 years later I went back with some misgivings – no Jerry Garcia will do that to even the most ardent...
Rich KassirerJul 16, 20135 minCan musicians get fans to put down their cameras?“At the request of Matt and Zooey, we ask that people not use their cell phones to take pictures and video, but instead enjoy the show th...