Ok, I’ve been in more of a “rock” mood recently so for some of you twangvillers, these albums may have too much kick.  Well, maybe not…we’ll see.     Hints of BRMC, The Tender Idols and Primal Scream abound on Saturna’s new album Some Delicious Enemy.  Lush guitars, delay and feedback mixed with pulsing drums make the Portland, Oregon band a [...] more »

Tue, May 06, 2008 | 0 Comments

Some call it Old-Timey, New-Grass, Jam-Grass, Rootsy, Pre-WWII, Folk or hell, some label junkies may even dream up a title like Appalachian Dumpsta-Funk (not bad actually, can’t it be as useful as “Alt-Country”?) The fact is, in the last few years we have witnessed an Ellis Island-style rush of young, unique, and quality hard-to-define [...] more »

Sun, May 04, 2008 | 0 Comments

The Daylight Hours is Columbia, SC’s own David Adedokun. Adedokun has been slowly but surely working on How To Make A Mess Of Things for over two years, since the break-up of his former band, Courage Riley. It was worth the wait. Adedokun blends an array of influences into an Americana-indie-pop dream, all the while [...] more »

Sun, Apr 27, 2008 | 0 Comments

When I pop in a disc from a band based in Virginia (West, or just the plain one) or North Carolina, I get excited and my mind fills with preconceived notions of good ol’ smokey mountain boogie, complete with Dueling Banjos and Foggy Mountain Breakdowns. Unfair? Sure. True? Not really, I [...] more »

Thu, Apr 24, 2008 | 1 Comment

I’m from northern California where “layering” your clothing is a mantra more than a conscious thought. Sure came in handy this year for Old Settler’s Music Festival in Driftwood (Austin), Texas, where there was driving rain, freezing cold (at least it felt that way), and warm, late-spring sunshine. Oh, and lots of good music, which [...] more »

Wed, Apr 23, 2008 | 1 Comment

Under Swing Set’s influences section on their webpage, Teenage Fanclub and George Jones are listed side by side. Just the kind of spirit that has driven the southern rock and roll movement of the last decade or so, a spirit that owes just as much to R.E.M. as Lynrd Skynrd. Swing Set is the solo moniker [...] more »

Sat, Apr 19, 2008 | 0 Comments

I’m delirious from lack of sleep, I can barely stand due to the soreness burning through my legs, I’ve got a blister raging on my big toe and a small scratch has mysteriously appeared on my left hand. Ahh, it must be another Sunday morning at SXSW. Now, many of our colleagues in the media [...] more »

Thu, Apr 17, 2008 | 2 Comments

Oh, to have been in Houston last night… If you read my recent post on Alejandro Escovedo’s Sunday night performance at SXSW, you know what a fan I am of the man. If you followed my entire South-by “highlights reel,” you also know that the Replacements are my all-time favorite band. What I haven’t [...] more »

Tue, Apr 15, 2008 | 2 Comments

In this day and age, Singer-Songwriters are often compared to other similar artists from both past and present. For Nashville-based performer Griffin House (offical / myspace), the chief comparison seems to be Josh Ritter or Ryan Adams. Griffin’s latest offering, Flying Upside Down (April 29 - Nettwerk) opens with the track “Better Than [...] more »

Mon, Apr 14, 2008 | 2 Comments

For all intents and purposes, SXSW turns into a pumpkin at 2 a.m. Saturday night, but true aficionados know that it ain’t really over until the legendary Alejandro Escovedo leaves the Continental Club stage after his unofficial closing night show on Sunday. We knew going in that this year’s set was going to be something special [...] more »

Sun, Apr 13, 2008 | 0 Comments

Friday night followed my unintentional afternoon trend of mixing old favorites with new sounds. My preference at South-by is to see almost entirely new-to-me bands, especially during official showcases, but there were just too many favorites to stick to my guns on a day like this. Sue me. In that respect, Friday night truly [...] more »

Fri, Apr 11, 2008 | 2 Comments

The party of the day on Thursday was –as tends to be the case– the mighty New West soiree at Club DeVille. This was certainly the place to be for the Twangville crew, as all four of our intrepid correspondents posted this invitation-only affair. After all, with a bill featuring likes of the Drams, [...] more »

Thu, Apr 10, 2008 | 5 Comments

With apologies for the tardiness of the appearance of this, the beginning of my 2008 SXSW highlights reel, we’re off to the races now. This post is the first in a nine- (possibly ten-) part series which will be coming your way regularly over the coming days, so please don’t be shy about chiming [...] more »

Wed, Apr 09, 2008 | 1 Comment

HAYES CARLL, Trouble In Mind (Lost Highway) Official Site | MySpace | Preview Known for his dry sense of humor, tell-it-like-it-is songwriting and the first self-released record to reach #1 on the Americana Music Chart (’Little Rock’), Hayes Carll brings us a new album on Lost Highway Records he calls ‘Trouble In Mind’. He’s [...] more »

Mon, Apr 07, 2008 | 1 Comment

New. Video. Kathleen. Edwards. Period. This post also appears on The Gobbler’s Knob. more »

Fri, Apr 04, 2008 | 1 Comment