The Lagniappe Sessions :: Dark Canyon

For his premiere Lagniappe Session, Mike Novak takes the cinematic reverberation of Dark Canyon and infuses it into the compositions of Lee Hazelwood – another musician who was no stranger to the spectral sounds of lonesome desert towns.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Jon McKiel

Jon McKiel is responsible for one of our favorite records of 2020, the wildly hypnotic collection of songs that is Bobby Joe Hope. In anticipation of its follow-up, we caught up with the Canadian musician as he lays down his inaugural Lagniappe Session, paying tribute to both a ’70s childhood AM radio staple and what is sure to become a future classic.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Taylor Zachry & Erin Rae

Erin Rae returns to AD with her third Lagniappe Session, this time as a duo with Taylor Zachry. A callback of sorts to her initial session from 2019, this installment once again finds the Nashville based singer-songwriter paying tribute to the enduring work of the late Gene Clark, covering “Out On The Side” and “Polly” – both tunes via Clark’s own late sixties collaboration with banjo player Doug Dillard.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Elkhorn

With the remarkable On The Whole Universe In All Directions, Elkhorn continues its constant state of growth and mutation. Built on a solid foundation of drums, vibraphone, and booming 12-string guitar, it charts a path from American primitive folk-isms toward galactic, psychedelic cosmic vistas. The duo’s first Lagniappe Session offered a grab bag of interpretations of songs by the Dead, Sonic Youth, and Robbie Basho, but this one devotes itself fully to just one, epic-length composition: a cover of David Crosby’s “Guinnevere,” as played by Miles Davis.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Healing Potpourri

Released last year, Healing Potpourri’s Paradise came across like an introspective deep dive, drawing upon all that inspired the band’s orchestral brew of infectious chamber pop. The recording project of Bay Area multi-instrumentalist Simi Sohota and collaborators, the group’s inaugural Lagniappe Session dives head first into these avant-pop sensibilities.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Gabriel da Rosa

Shaping up to be one of our most played albums this spring, Gabriel da Rosa made his full-length debut in February with É O Que A Casa Oferece, courtesy of Stones Throw Records. Sounding like a lost seventies samba album, from the likes of Paulinho da Viola or Martinho da Vila, da Rosa makes his Lagniappe debut via a pair of Brazilian staples: Geraldo Pereira and Tom Jobim with Vinícius de Moraes.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Fruit Bats

On the heels of their exceptional tenth LP, A River Running To Your Heart, Eric D. Johnson’s long-running Fruit Bats return to AD with their second Lagniappe Session. While the 2014 entry found Johnson and co. covering the likes of Richard and Linda Thompson (along with ’80s avatar Joe Jackson), this new installment pays tribute to both the lyricism of Ewan MacColl and Fred Neil as well as the enduring nature of the chosen pair of tunes. Giants, both.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Tim Hill

The inaugural Lagniappe Session from songwriter Tim Hill arrives on the heels of his sophomore effort Giant, a cozy collection of songs rooted in the traditions of LA troubadours like Warren Zevon and Neil Young. Also a Whittier, California-based ranch worker and known as the touring keyboardist for Allah-Lahs, Hill continues to brew his own craft of cowboy originals rooted in worn and dusty standards.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Courtney Marie Andrews

The Lagniappe Sessions return in 2023 with Courtney Marie Andrews. Recorded last fall around the release of her Sam Evian produced LP, Loose Future, the following set finds Andrews taking on late-era Leonard Cohen, along with a low key rendering of the ubiquitous late 90s radio smash that was Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One”.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Takuro Okada

As 2022 winds to a close, we are wrapping up this year’s installment of the Lagniappe Sessions with the Tokyo based artist Takuro Okada. The set finds Okada on the heels of his first album in two years, Betsu No Jikan, which features a heavy murderers’ row of of guest players including Jim O’Rourke, Shun Ishiwaka, Nels Cline, Sam Gendel, and Carlos Niño. No stranger to covers (the LP kicks off with Okada and co.’s transfiguration of Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”), the following session finds the artist paying tribute to fellow countryman Haruomi Hosono, and the title track from Don Cherry’s 1975 LP, Brown Rice.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Scott Hirsch

Scott Hirsch dons a number of hats: singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer. Based in Ojai, CA, where he mans Echo Magic studios, the multi-hyphenate artist joins us for his second Lagniappe rodeo following up his 2019 session. While that installment found Hirsch reconfiguring the likes of Dire Straits, Dylan and Commander Cody, the following focuses solely on the sonic wizardry of one space cowboy, Steve Miller.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Yohei 鹿野洋平

Fresh off of a long summer on the road, the multi-instrumentalist recorded his inaugural Lagniappe Session soaked in the California sun of his outdoor garden studio (background cricket ambiance and all). In addition to tackling Jonathan Richman’s interpretation of fantasy exotica, the selections play tribute to his many lifelong influences dating back to childhood in Japan: deep cuts from the limitless worlds of Haruomi Hosono and Eiichi Ohtaki.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Sagittaire

For his first Lagniappe Session, the musician who named his debut album after Robert Ashley’s record label surprised no one by selecting a pair of deep cuts to reinterpret. The Necessaries’ “More Real” receives a dubby deconstruction with Mairesse stepping in for Arthur Russell, while his cover of Leslie Winer’s “John Says” is a welcome introduction to the musician and poet called “The Godmother of Trip Hop” by John Peel.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Maston

An American expat based in Paris, Frank Maston crafts sonic worlds of singular origin. Reminiscent of the deepest crates of library music and vintage Italian film scores, Maston’s output (four LPs to date beginning with 2013’s Shadows) feels at once widescreen and cinematic, yet intimate. Following up last year’s collaboration with Swiss septet L’Eclair, Souvenir, this month sees the release of Panorama via the London based Be With Records. To accompany the album’s release, Maston laid down his first Lagniappe Session in Paris, paying tribute to Dutch popper Alice Deejay, along with a tune via a 1966 episode of Star Trek.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Lee Baggett

Lee Baggett’s Just a Minute, released earlier this year, marks his first outing under his own name after decades in the West Coast underground. For his first-ever Lagniappe Session, he breaks out selections from Def Leppard, The English Beat, and Van Halen, reflecting on the cuts as he goes along.