HeyJaredLow Down and Dirty
Interviews and insights, mostly about rock and blues music, but also sports, fatherhood and expat life from 3X New York Times best-selling author Alan Paul. “A one-man music mag from rock’s finest narrative storyteller.” – Ted Drozdowski, Premier Guitar
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 14
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 7, 2026
Latest issues
"Filling up my passport excites me." Catching Up with Derek Trucks in Shanghai (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Watching Eric Clapton join Tedeschi Trucks Band on stage to play “Layla” at the Crossroads Festival stage got me thinking about one of my favorite stories I ever wrote over decades of Guitar World journalism. That was in 2007 when I was living in Beijing and Clapton’s world tour brought him to Shanghai. Here’s what I wrote about it in my The Expat Life column for The Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Clapton’s current band includes two guitarists I have long admired, Doyle Bramhall 2, and Derek Trucks.
Thanks, I needed that. Gov't Mule warms up a frigid New York night (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I needed my Mule, so I skipped out on two other obligations to drive to the southeast tip of Manhattan to see Gov’t Mule and Ziggy Marley last night. It was time and effort well spent, except for my rookie mistake of underdressing. The upside of Pier 17 is that it’s gorgeous, with sweeping views of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Brooklyn Bridge, which is right behind the stage.It’s just a stunning locale, but because it sits right on the water’s edge, it is totally exposed—it’s like being on a boa
Duane Betts was named after a legend. On Isle Of Hope, he's writing his own story. (opens the original)
Read excerpt
This profile of Duane Betts first appeared in Guitar World. I have added a couple of clips from our interview here. Stay tuned for the full video.Duane Betts’ new album, Isle of Hope, is his most intimate, personal work to date. After almost a decade as an established solo artist, Betts leans into Americana songwriting on the recording, which is produced by Dave Cobb, known for his work with Sturgill Simpson, John Prine, Marcus King, and many others.“I wanted to show my life’s experiences,” says
Marcus King Sends Out An SOS (opens the original)
Read excerpt
“The more we speak about it, the more open we are about it, the less stigma there is to it. It’s really important to speak to these things and to share your own journeys, and to have an open ear and an open heart to other people’s journeys.” —Marcus King<s
My wife covered 9/11 for the Wall Street Journal. I'm still thinking about the ones who didn't come home. (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Thanks for reading. I know, of course, that this post is rather afield from my usual fare. But it means a lot to me.<img alt="" class="sizing-normal" height="654.0732984293194" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WZ8z!,w_1456,c_li
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.