Savannah Georgia’s The Train Wrecks’ recently released sophomore disc entitled Saddle Up is an alt-country effort that hits all the right spots. Opening with the Cash-inspired “Tennessee Mare” and featuring one of the tightest rhythm sections this side of the Mason-Dixon line in Markus Kuhlmann and Eric Dunn, along with singer Jason Bible’s rusty vocals [...] more »

by Todd Mathis

A couple of months ago, I was driving somewhere with my twin brother.  He’s yammering on and on about this new songwriter that I have to listen to.  Now my brother has pretty good taste and has introduced me to many if not most of my favorite artists, but he’s still my brother–so I mostly [...] more »

by Eli Petersen

Our friends at Vimby were kind enough to share this video interview with Twangville favorite Justin Townes Earle. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see Earle live in concert, this is a good introduction to his down-home style and the sharp wit that he inherited from his father. VIMBY – Justin Townes Earle more »

by Mayer Danzig

Recently I was lucky enough to score an interview with the great Eddie Floyd. As a major Soul fan interviewing Eddie Floyd is a big deal. Though when mentioning mister Floyd to friends I got a shocking amount of raised eye brows from people in their thirties, Floyd was at the cradle of what we [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

Some 30 years ago, when Springsteen released his seminal Darkness on the Edge of Town, John Lyon, better known as Southside Johnny did the same with his Hearts of Stone. Though the album didn’t sell all that well at the time years later Rolling Stone magazine would vote it as one of the best albums [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

“The Fabled City” is Tom Morello’s second solo outing as the Nightwatchman. Though Morello admittedly performed a lot of these songs “amidst the tear gas attacks at the G8 protest,” there is, again, little common ground between this solo album and his work with Rage Against the Machine. Though in both projects Morello presents himself [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

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by Mayer Danzig

RICHARD JULIAN, Sunday Morning in Saturday’s Shoes (Manhattan) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) | iTunes One album you might find under the radar this year comes from New York City’s Richard Julian, a singer-songwriter whom you may know from his recent work with close friend Norah Jones in a side project called The [...] more »

by Tom Osborne

“(C)2008 Jelmer de Haas” July 19th – Waiting for William Bell at an Amsterdam hotel, I was sipping on some coffee while all the classic Soul hits played in the background. The records from Stax and Motown, that once shook the world, struck me as the perfect background to interview the man who was a [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

I first became familiar with the Swingin’ Medallions when I bought the Rhino Nuggets boxed set, a continuation of the infamous ’75 double LP with liner notes by Lenny Kaye, guitar player for the Patti Smith group. The box was filled with one-hit wonders and obscure R&R trail blazers I had never heard off. Though [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

Some artists embody America’s rich music history in the strangest and most surprising ways. As a big Springsteen fan I first learned about Mark Wright when he announced a cover project of Springsteen songs. When I decided to investigate a little further I stumbled in one surprise after another. Aside from covering Springsteen, Mark Wright [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

Economics 101 with Professor Hoge “It’s foolish to try to fight digital music,” exclaims Hoge, “it’s like horse carriages versus cars – quit trying to stop it!” Like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails among others, Hoge has been experimenting with music downloads as a means of exposing his music to new listeners. He wants people [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

“Songwriting is a damn mystery,” says Will Hoge as we discuss “Draw the Curtain” his restrained yet compelling current release. It’s kind of like the Wizard of Oz, he continues, “you don’t want to know what is behind the curtain.” Although Hoge reunited with producer Ken Coomer, producer of 2006’s explosive The Man Who Killed [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Dave Marsh, the biographer of the Boss, has dubbed  Springsteen fans the cult. Springsteen fans habitually follow the guy around. Waiting in line at a show, waiting for the gates to open it is not uncommon to hear a cacophony of accents and languages. Some more than others. Natives from New Jersey and Italians tend to [...] more »

by Alex Verhoeff

Josh Ritter is on tour again, this time stopping in small towns and quirky venues all over this great nation (and a few in Canada, if I’m not mistaken). If you are lucky enough to be attending one of these shows, I envy you, but I also encourage you to take a pen and paper, [...] more »

by Sarah Davis