“On the gorgeous “Pirate Jenny”, a sort of slow-motion sea shanty, McNally furnishes a sultry counterpoint to Allen’s spoken-word intonations, and on the Tom Waits’ish “Death Of The Last Stripper”, her backing vocals gently light up the mournful choruses like the headlights on the hearse.” – Uncut
Read MoreThe simple melody of “City of Vampires” will linger in your head for days and the sheer beauty of McNally and Jo Harvey Allen on “Harmony Two” is a soothing touch.
Read Morehough it would be near impossible to claim any one of Allen’s records as his pièce de résistance, his latest album, Just Like Moby Dick — his first original collection since 2013’s Bottom of the World — may vie for that title. The self-professed “sequel” to Lubbock, Just Like Moby Dick is an LP full of stunning music crafted by an inimitable cast of characters that make up The Panhandle Mystery Band: Allen’s wife Jo Harvey, Bukka Allen, Kru Allen, Bale Creek Allen, Charlie Sexton (who co-produced with Terry), Shannon McNally, Lloyd Maines, Richard Bowden, Davis McLarty, Glenn Fukunaga, and Brian Standefer.
Read MoreThis year’s festival is set to run Friday through Sunday, Jan. 24 to 26. The Friday concert will be headlined by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Shannon McNally, with the New Orleans Catahoulas and their focus on Crescent City rhythm-and-blues. Saturday will feature psychedelic soul from Kalu and the Electric Joint, along with Birds of Chicago and their distinctive folk-informed brand of Americana.
Read MoreThat was true well before the moment near the end of the second set when Allen introduced his good friend David Byrne as a guest singer on the last few songs. Wonderful a surprise as that may have been, by then we’d already been treated to almost two hours of music by a splendid cast of mostly local musicians with world-class credentials. There was Charlie Sexton, off the road with Bob Dylan to work similar magic with Allen’s songs. There was Lloyd Maines, producer for the Dixie Chicks and countless others who’s worked with Allen for 40 years. There was a sublime new recruit, New Orleans singer Shannon McNally, an accomplished Americana artist whose voice and persona were a perfect fit for this ensemble.
Read MoreTerry’s sons, Bukka and Bale Allen, add a close family touch on keyboards, accordion and percussion. Cap it all off with Shannon McNally, a Nashville-based singer who’s made some of the best Americana records of the last 20 years, and this latest lineup of Allen’s storied Panhandle Mystery Band might just be the best ensemble in American roots music today.
Read MoreBelow is a Spotify Playlist consisting of Neal’s seven previously unavailable solo records, plus the 1999 album he recorded with Kenny Roby, Black River Sides, and 2002’s collaborative album with Shannon McNally, Ran On Pure Lightning. The playlist presents the prior available Casal solo albums, 1995’s Fade Away Diamond Time, 2005’s Return In Kind and 2012’s Sweeten The Distance, as well.
Read MoreSelected solo albums of Neal Casal—the late singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was a member of the Cardinals and passed away earlier this year—are now available on streaming services for the first time. Rain, Wind & Speed (1996), The Sun Rises Here (1998), Field Recordings (1997), Basement Dreams (1998), Black River Sides with Kenny Roby (1999), Anytime Tomorrow (2000), Ran On Pure Lightning with Shannon McNally (2002), No Wish To Reminisce (2006), and All Directions (2007) can now be found on Spotify and Apple Music.
Read MoreThe expansive digital release of Casal’s solo catalog includes 1996’s Rain, Wind & Speed, 1997’s Field Recordings, 1998’s The Sun Rises Here, 1998’s Basement Dreams, 1999’s Black River Sides (with Kenny Roby), 2000’s Anytime Tomorrow, 2002’s Ran On Pure Lightning (with Shannon McNally), 2006’s No Wish To Reminisce, and 2007’s All Directions.
Read MoreShannon McNally is a native New Yorker who found her most creative self in Louisiana. After spending five years in New Orleans, she moved to Nashville to further her music career. As a new resident of the South, she opened herself up to its many different music styles. In 2013, she released Small Town Talk, a tribute album to the Louisiana native songwriter Bobby Charles. Her most recent record, Black Irish, encapsulates the heartbreak of a divorce and terminally ill mother as well as the triumph of the birth of her daughter.
Read MoreThe 2019 event will once again be hosted by The Milk Carton Kids and Buddy Miller will serve as the musical director with his Americana All-Star Band featuring Brady Blade, Ian Fitchuk, Jim Hoke, Shannon McNally, Dirk Powell, Don Was, and the McCrary Sisters.
Read MoreRoots music’s rhythmic hold winds like a vine through singer/songwriter Shannon McNally’s music. The Grammy-nominated blues-Americana performer was born in New York, but logged years in Mississippi, known as the birthplace of America’s music, and she absorbed the rich vibe that comes with such submersion. She’s back to share that and more in a July 25 concert at Duling Hall in Jackson. Now primarily in Nashville where she’s at work on upcoming albums, McNally will pull a cross-section from her ample musical catalogue, including her most recent “Black Irish,” and “Small Town Talk,” her tribute to songwriter Bobby Charles with Dr. John.
Read MoreSaturday: Shannon McNally at Sam’s Town Point. A native of upstate New York who’s lived everywhere from Los Angeles to New Orleans and Mississippi before settling in Nashville a couple of years ago, singer-songwriter McNally also has deep ties to Austin. She collaborated with Charlie Sexton on a 2006 EP and recently worked with him again at Arlyn Studios on an upcoming Terry Allen album.
Read MoreUpon finding out her interviewer's affinity for punk rock music, however, McNally excitedly explains the core connections between punk, country and really, all music. "There's a lot of intersections between punk rock and country music," she says. "Most of the Texas country musicians are pretty punk rock when it comes down to it. They're not playing overdrive guitars and racing real fast, but they do exist on the other side of convention."
Read MoreFriday night Railroad Earth pulled into Birmingham, Alabama for a gig at Avondale Brewing. The craft brewery, which is housed in a historic building that was once a pharmacy, saloon and brothel, also hosts concerts along with serving up their beers. Last night’s double-bill featured the Americana jamband along with their current support act singer-songwriter Shannon McNally. The New Jersey-based band delivered a two-set affair that saw them once again team up with McNally along with inviting keyboardist Matt Slocum to join them throughout the night.
Read MoreShannon McNally sings with a sultry Southern blend of country soul, twang and grit. A New York native, she’s dwelled in the humid South for nearly 20 years — five years in New Orleans, 12 in north Mississippi and, for the past two years, Nashville.
Read MoreThe Grammy-nominated Shannon McNally is another impressive addition to the MeadowGrass roster, a poetic, bluesy, often transcendent roots artist currently touring with Steve Earle. Idaho-based singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell will also likely bring a bluesy edge to the proceedings, if her 2017 LP Down Hearted Blues is any indication — an intoxicating collection of vintage material from the likes of Willie Dixon and Memphis Minnie.
Read MoreMcNally's set drew nicely from her latest album, 2017's Black Irish, a collection of songs on which she covered Harris and worked closely with country singer Rodney Crowell. "I've still got a crush on this. That's what happens with new songs," she said on stage at City Winery. From that record, "Banshee Moan" was particularly effective, referencing the Me Too movement, and name checking Harvey Weinstein. "I hope we get a real grasp on the consequence of power," McNally said.
Read MoreSteve Earle feels right at home in New York and at City Winery. He grew up in Texas, was a songwriter in Nashville and lived in New Orleans, but he’s called New York City home for the past 14 years. As part of the Winery’s “residency” program, Earle regularly performs a series of solo shows throughout the year. This past Monday, February 11th, he concluded his winter residency, joined by native New Yorker Shannon McNally.
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