Some records feel assembled; Delusions of Grandeur feels inherited. The Family is Dylan LeBlanc, his father James LeBlanc and James wife and stepson Angela Hacker and Bay Simpson. The album carries the unmistakable weight of shared history, where blood ties matter less than the lived experiences that shape every lyric and harmony. Recorded at Muscle […]
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Get Over It, Underdog
Success as an artist can be hard to quantify. Many of the greatest painters the world has ever known died penniless. Most of us have favorite musicians that we’re mystified why they haven’t become superstars. The flip side of that coin is when some success does come, it can be hard to understand why you […]
“Start a Band” – A Premiere from Bleu
LA popmeister Bleu doesn’t release a lot of his own music these days — he’s too busy writing and producing for television, film, and other artists. But personal experience provided the impetus for his new album: a tribute to two close friends he lost, longtime studio partner Ducky Carlisle and college best friend Alex Scutro. […]
Chris Pierce on His Old Ford Bronco and His “Lone Wolf” Years
Singer-songwriter Chris Pierce recalls landing his first gig at age 7 or 8 after spotting a classified ad in the L.A. Times, and later working as a music professor during the pandemic. He also talks about stocking up on water while on tour, and the value of building and nurturing relationships in the music business.
Monday Morning Video – William Matheny
William Matheny’s new album, Material Witness, was released earlier this month. It’s great songwriting with real rock and roll grit. The title track gets the live-in-studio treatment for this week’s video — just Matheny and his band, no overdubs to hide behind. Matheny played NYC last night, a show I appropriated as my birthday party. […]
Now & Then: John R. Miller’s The Great Unknowing and the reach of The Poet Game
John R. Miller’s The Great Unknowing expands his country-rooted songwriting without leaving its working-class concerns behind. The album moves between acoustic character studies, honky-tonk arrangements, and louder electric passages, but Miller’s focus stays on people dealing with disappointment, economic pressure, and their own bad habits. Greg Brown’s 1994 album The Poet Game offers a useful earlier model. Brown also built songs from ordinary lives and local details, then allowed broader social concerns to emerge without turning the writing into commentary first and music second.
Readers’ Pick: John R. Miller – The Great Unknowing
You picked John R. Miller – The Great Unknowing as your favorite new release for the week of July 10, 2026.
Effie Zilch – Higher Calling
Back in the middle of the 20th century, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper had a legendary columnist, Herb Caen, who wrote about the issues of the day affecting the working and middle class families that called the City home. To make sure he didn’t veer off into pedantic topics of interest only to insiders or […]
The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio – Welcome to the Family
In this day and age of social media, where influencers constantly woo sponsors and opinions are carefully crafted to enrage, it seems the willingness to not take oneself too seriously is becoming a lost art form. Southern California’s Mike Jacoby is a light in that darkness. From an album cover shamelessly imitating Elvis and The […]
The Twangville 2026 Album Preview-Side B
Here are some albums that we’re looking forward to hearing in the back half of 2026… Material Witness by William Matheny (10 July) William Matheny brings pure rock and roll spirit to Material Witness, leaning heavy on electric guitars and hearty, driving rhythms. His lyrics crackle with authenticity and a wisened view, proving there’s still […]