“A rock band in a folk suit,” The Ballroom Thieves 

Calin “Callie” Peters (vocals, cello, bass), Martin Earley (vocals, guitar), and Devin Mauch (vocals, percussion) – released their third album Unlovely on February 14, 2020.  With subject matters ranging from female empowerment, to love in a committed relationship, to their fury about the current state of American leadership, this collection of tracks is the distillation of the band’s personal and political passions.  Songs like “Vanity Trip” and title track “Unlovely” boil over with exasperation and disgust, in protest of today’s status quo.  As the first album entirely co-written by Peters and Earley, Unlovely is also a tangible reflection of their evolution from band members to life partners, as heard in songs like “Love Is Easy.”

Incorporating musical styles that range from Motown to classic rock, Unlovely maintains the recognizable, nostalgia-tinged sound of The Ballroom Thieves’ previous outputs while pushing a heightened brashness.  Since the release of their first EP and debut full-length, A Wolf in the Doorway, The Ballroom Thieves have consistently and skillfully crossed genres, joining artists like CAAMP, Langhorne Slim and Shakey Graves to bridge the gap between folk, rock, and soul.  It’s their unique brand of powerful and harmonious music, while never shying away from topics and ideas they are passionate about, that has charmed fans around the country, while gaining a loyal live following and selling out shows. (Nettwerk Music Group)

Peter Himmelman

is a man of many talents and accomplishments who is known to those who have heard of him, but haven’t heard him, as Bob Dylan’s son-in-law. He has been playing in and with bands since sixth grade in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. (Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, Sen. Al Franken, and New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman are also SLP natives.) He has released a dozen rock albums since 1986�the first half dozen on major corporate record labels, others on smaller indies, others self-released�all of which have received love from critics and none of which have sold well. The only Billboard chart on which he has ever appeared is the Heatseekers chart, limited to artists who have never had an album in the top 200. But the quality of his work has never flagged, and lately he has released some of his finest work, including Imperfect World (2005) and The Mystery and the Hum (2010). There is also an intentional oddity called Flimsy (2011), a collection of spoken-word songs ranging from the absurd to the heartbreaking. His new album, The Boat That Carries Us, now available on his own Himmelsongs label, is about motion, or being in motion, by air (“33K Feet”), by car (“Green Mexican Dreams”), or in spirit (“Angels Die”). (Read more at peterhimmelman.com)

Irwin Finger

As Roaming the Arts followers may have already guessed, I support artists both known and overlooked. RTA especially supports artists seen or known from personal connections. Irwin Finger has delighted folk audiences for over fifty years. Most recently he has performed a “live song” every morning for all of us cranky shut-ins.

Along that line and the recent passing of John Prine check out his sweet rendition of “Hello in There.”