Guitarist Eric Gales’ latest album, his sixteenth, is The Bookends (Provogue/Mascot). On the release, Gales’ signature blues style expands to include elements of hip hop, heavy metal, soul, jazz and progressive rock. The disc features collaborations with Emmy winner B. Slade, Eric Clapton sideman, Doyle Bramhall II and vocalist Beth Hart. The songs showcase Gales’ astonishing left-handed playing technique that combines blistering speed with spontaneity and wit. (He plays a right-handed guitar “upside-down” with the bass E string on the bottom).

A highlight of The Bookends is ‘Southpaw Serenade’ a guitar conversation between Gales and Bramhall, two lefties, as they trade off soulful shreds.

Hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MzdL92uDhs

Of the rock sounds on the album, Gales told Guitar.com: “I have been labelled as a blues-guitar player, or a blues-rock guitar player… I am a whole lot more than that.”

Gales’ previous album Middle of the Road, reached #1 on the iTunes Blues chart and #4 on the Billboard Blues chart. The album featured guests, Gary Clark Jr., Lauryn Hill, Raphael Saadiq and Mississippi’s own, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.

Gales grew up in a musical family in Memphis. His brother Eugene was (and is) his mentor and taught Eric left-handed guitar though both are naturally right-handed. Their late brother, Little Jimmy King (Manuel Gales), also played left-handed – a style handed down to the brothers by their Uncle Dempsey Garrett Jr, a righty-playing southpaw.

Gales currently lives in North Carolina.

Helen Ellis is the author of Southern Lady Code (Doubleday), a fiercely funny collection of essays on marriage and manners, thank-you notes and three-ways, ghosts, gunshots, gynecology, and the Calgon-scented, onion-dipped, monogrammed art of living as a Southern Lady.

The Code includes, “If you don’t have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way.” Or, say “weathered” instead of “she looks like a cake left out in the rain.” Also, “early-developed” is code for “brace face and B cups.

“Ellis is a strong, vivid writer—and this book is gut-busting funny.” – Publisher’s Weekly

The Southern Lady Code podcast is available on iTunes.

Ellis’ previous book was the story collection, American Housewife which was called “dark, deadpan and truly inventive,” by The New York Times Book Review. She is also the author of the novel, Eating the Cheshire Cat. An interesting side note: Ellis is a poker player who competes on the national tournament circuit.

Raised in Alabama, Ellis lives with her husband in New York City.

Lilly Hiatt is a singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Her latest CD, is Trinity Lane (New West), an intensely personal collection of songs produced by Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope. The Associated Press described the record as the sound of “a confessional songwriter who rocks out with a twang.” Rolling Stone Country said, “The daughter of John Hiatt, she keeps the family tradition alive, mixing Southern influences – Americana, folk and left-of-center country – with a raw approach that’s better suited to the garage than the saloon.”
The release made the “Best of the Year” lists of Rolling Stone, Paste, Garden and Gun, PopMatters, Glide, Bitter Southerner and Nashville Scene.

Check out her playful ode to vinyl, “Records,” from Trinity Lane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2srUcQJ9UU

Hiatt’s previous CDs include Royal Blue and Let Down.