When asked which musical artists he aspires to, Austin’s Ben Ballinger answers simply, “The Gods,” by which he means Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and the like. He goes on to convey his deep respect for more contemporary artists like Fiona Apple and Father John Misty. Also, he adds, Nina Simone, […]
Austin, Tex.
Soulful Not Solitary
Switching effortlessly between guitar, fiddle and banjo, one-man-band Possessed by Paul James is as raw as they come. Named for a combination of his grandfather, Paul Wert and his father, James, his music has an old-timey country vibrato, telling stories about 38-year-old cocktail waitresses, growing old, growing up, perfume letters, loving and losing. All the […]

