Here’s a flashback to this year’s SXSW. Austin rockers The True Believers — featuring singer-songwriter-guitarists Alejandro Escovedo, Javier Escovedo and Jon Dee Graham — let their guitars ring out at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in this set recorded for Seattle public radio station KEXP. This band was meant to be played LOUD. The set list [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

It is hard to describe songs that leave you speechless. The breathtaking tracks on “American Kid” mesmerize from beginning to end. This is Patty Griffin’s first album of original material in six years. Since then she has recorded an album of Gospel songs and hymns, “Downtown Church”, and toured with Robert Plant’s Band of Joy. [...] more »

by Chip Frazier

Here’s a handful that caught my attention in the same season that brought us the Harlem Shake. Pay close attention to the full releases from Mount Moriah, Frontier Ruckus, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, Kingsley Flood, The Stone Foxes, and Holly Williams among others. Album of the Season Mount Moriah, [...] more »

by Tom Osborne

We wrap up our SXSW 2013 coverage with a final set of videos. This collection features several up-and-comers that we’ll be hearing great things from in the years to come. Dawes performing their brilliant song “When My Time Comes” You Won’t playing a song whose title I don’t know (can someone help me and Shazam [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

We continue our celebration of SXSW 2013 with a special Tuesday edition of our Morning Video series. We’ll call this the SXSW classic rock and country showcase, led off by a three-fer featuring Alejandro Escovedo. The True Believers let their guitars do the talking on “She’s Got” and “All Mixed Up” Bobby Bare Sr., joined [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

This week and next week I’ll be featuring some videos from SXSW. We’ll start with a mostly acoustic set, featuring: Steve Earle performing “Someday” The Waterboys performing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” Billy Bragg performing “Handyman Blues” Chuck Ragan and friends performing “Revival Road” Frank Turner covering Blink 182′s “Dammit” Josh Ritter and Emmylou Harris [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

One of my favorite parts of SXSW is the crazy things you see and hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections. ON ARTISTS You laugh, but finding a good band name is still the hardest fucking part, I hope you know that. I mean, Foo Fighters is the stupidest fucking name in [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

The True Believers Austin’s The True Believers were high on, if not at the top of, my list of bands to see at SXSW. Nearly thirty years ago they established a reputation as a powerhouse rock and roll band. Given that I wasn’t attending many rock shows thirty years ago so I was downright giddy [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Patty Griffin One listen to a Patty Griffin song and you’ll understand why she has developed an almost cultish following. She is, quite simply, an extraordinary songwriter. New West Records, her new record label, arranged a private showcase at a South Austin mansion called the Castle to celebrate her forthcoming release. It was an event [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,500 bands and 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even better, it [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

One of the best parts of Twangville is discovering an artist early in their career. It is incredibly satisfying watching said performer build an audience and grow as an artist. In that light, it was great to see Joe Pug when he passed through Boston a few weeks ago. From his early days as an [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Dave Grohl’s documentary on fabled California recording studio Sound City has been garnering a lot of attention lately. One of the classic albums that can trace some of its history to Sound City is Fleetwood Mac’s classic Rumours. Rumours remains one of the biggest selling albums of all time. It is perhaps not a surprise [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Congratulations to I See Hawks in L.A. for winning the annual Twangville Readers’ Pick award for 2012. This always turns out to be a bit of a popularity contest which is fine by us and why we follow up with our Editors’ Picks so that everyone gets a fair shot. The nominees this year were [...] more »

by Tom Osborne

With the Grammy Awards scheduled to take place on Sunday 10 February, this seems a good time to see who the Twangville community would like to see win the Americana Award. To sweeten the pot, everyone who comments will be eligible to win a special prize package. So who do you think should win? Post [...] more »

by Mayer Danzig

Best Album of 2012 THE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS, The Wolf You Feed Austin by way of Denton, these cats can rock. Pour some rock, punk, soul, and twang into the cauldron and you’ll summon THe Riverboat Gamblers. These guys are what the Kinks would sound like if they returned as zombies. The Wolf You Feed is [...] more »

by Tom Osborne