Many weeks ago I was on the road for a meeting in San Francisco.  In between the long hours of multi-day workshops, what seemed like never-ending presentations, and catching up with friends and colleagues, I took a break by ducking out of the meeting one evening and headed into the mission district to Aquarius Records and an in-store performance from neo-traditionalist acoustic guitarist Marisa Anderson.

Being a former record store owner myself, I know how hard the folks at Aquarius work.  They put together an awesome bi-weekly list of new releases with very enthusiastic and detailed reviews of the releases.  These bi-weekly lists (and sometimes weekly themed lists) are archived on their website, which you should check out.

Marisa Anderson resides in Portland, Oregon, a city close to my heart, but I didn’t know her from my time in Portland.  Her outstanding new record The Golden Hour, was recorded and mixed by friends and put on wax from other friends at Mississippi Records – a label and brick and mortar store equally wonderful as Aquarius records – and one which gets its namesake from its location on Mississippi Avenue.