If you are looking for hot, fun country music by folks who are playing it because they love it, The Little Willies’ newest release, For the Good Times, should be your destination.   A side project by several artists on separate musical paths, the best known of whom is the enchanting Norah Jones, this second album by The [...] more »

by Bill Wilcox

 1) R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now: OK, I’m willing to admit maybe this was a little bit of a sentimental choice for me since it may be their last album.  But darn it, I still think this is their best effort since the 80′s and 91′s Out Of Time.  The jangly guitars, the inexplicable Stipe [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Too Drunk to Truck, by Roy Sludge This album was tailor-made for Twangville. Old school in all the best ways, it might as well be a collection of lost classics from the Sun Studios archive. The title track kicks off the album with a strong indication of what will follow. Yup, [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Just under the wire for 2011, Michael Donner introduces himself on his first solo album.No Better Time. What an introduction! Donner is certainly going to take listeners by surprise when they discover this collection of well crafted songs. This is not only one of the best under the radar releases of the year, it is [...] more »

by Chip Frazier

The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson.  What do they have in common?  Anthems about being a free spirit.  You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird.  In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street.  Stylistically the song is [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

The hands-down highlight of the Conference was the annual Americana Music Awards. In this instance, the words for such a magical evening are hard to come by. Set aside any the speeches and performances, the event was held in the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Originally built for religious revivalist meetings, it achieved great fame as the [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

It is time for another collaborative review here at Twangville. So here are a few perspectives on the Jayhawks new release Mockingbird Time: Eli – I am surprised by how much I like Mockingbird Time. Now you may be asking yourself “surprised? really? what’s wrong with this sap—it’s the Jayhawks—the original line-up with Louris and [...] more »

by Chip Frazier

“Got a twenty on the bar, and the world on a string.  Hanging out ’til the brass bell rings.”  I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a better description of what it’s like to be young and full of expectations for what life will bring.  That’s a verse from Brass Bell, the first cut on the [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

The Lydia Loveless experience begins before one even listens to a note – the cover art is an illustration of a red-headed girl chugging from what appears to be a gas can. If that isn’t an indication of what is to come, I’m not sure what is. Loveless is a spit-fire 21-year-old from Columbus, Ohio [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: The Duke & The King, by The Duke & The King I’ll admit to not knowing much about the Duke and the King. I was aware that Simon Felice had moved on from the Felice Brothers and had formed this new outfit, but little more. Let’s just say that I’ve corrected [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

We here at Twangville get to hear tons of great music. We share as much of it as we can with you and just hope that you like it as much or more than we do. On a personal note, in the past year or so, I’ve had a hard time getting as excited about [...] more »

by Kelly Dearmore

As much as it pains me to say it, MTV had a good idea.  It was back in the 90′s and someone there decided it would be unique to hear a rock band playing acoustic and unplugged.  And very quickly, the better bands discovered they could turn that opportunity into a new sound; something that [...] more »

by Shawn Underwood

It is hard to believe that summer is nearly over. How do I know this? I was at a music club on Saturday that had changed over their Sam Adams tap from Summer to Octoberfest. Talk about jumping the gun! Anyway, the next few weeks will unleash an abundance of great new music just in [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

A few months ago, we took an initial look at the latest record from Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO (And Other American Stories), and decided that yes, it was worth having and was indeed a good record, but wasn’t the greatest record of Carll’s young career. Well, a few months later, those feelings haven’t necessarily changed, [...] more »

by Kelly Dearmore

By now, surely it’s no secret that country and punk go together about as good as peanut butter and chocolate. And typically, when these two classic American forms of music are welded together, the result seems to resemble a harder, thrashing product. Of course, the overall ethos attached to artists that practice either style in [...] more »

by Kelly Dearmore