Emily Hurd releases a full-length live studio album of original Christmas music on December 7th, 2012. The cost of the album is $10 and is available through the artist’s website and cdbaby.com.

Country duo Joey+Rory have released a video for “Josephine” -  a poignant Civil War story song featured on their latest Sugar Hill Release His & Hers.  Robert K.

“I wanted to think of a different way of working that would inspire me and keep me motivated,” Marshall Crenshaw says of his newest endeavor: a subscription-only service that addresses the recent seismic changes in the music-industry landscape by cutting out the record-company middle man to distribute his new recordings directly to fans.

Dear Strange Arrangement,Your Pre-Thanksgiving day bash is going to be off the hook.  I know this because I’m still toasty from the sweater of love you gifted me from your last Park West show in January.  The sassy sweaty sexy highway has been driving me through 2012.  When I count my Thanksgiving blessings I count you 3 xs! Chicago Farmer! Greensky!

Small venues are a mixed bag. Maybe it’s due to the prevalence of festivals popping up over the land or just the trend of me attending more concerts in larger venues, but smaller venues don’t sound quite as good as they did before. Don’t get me wrong, Cafe du Nord is a wonderful place. As mentioned before, it’s a really charming former speakeasy, but its’ intimacy is a gift and a curse. Tuesday’s Generationals show was a perfect example for why this is so.