It’s that time of year again. A time to stuff ourselves with stuffing (of course) but more importantly a time of gratitude and reflection. Here at Twangville, like elsewhere in the states as well as other parts of the globe, that’s what we like to do. As Twangville enters its 10th year of existence in 2015, I thought I’d use this opportunity to share a little about the origins.
Roughly ten years ago, I started Twangville.com while living with some close friends. My wife and I were in the middle of moving from Boston to Washington, DC for my new job. We didn’t yet have a place to call home. In what felt like we might be overstaying our welcome, my wife took our 2-year-old son and newborn daughter to Florida to stay with our parents while I searched for our next home. During the evening, the friends I was staying with (having a young family of their own) were occupied with bedtimes and other family duties as you might expect. Other than searching real estate listings, I didn’t have much to do.
So I tinkered. I was intrigued by the relatively new blogging phenomenon. I wanted to learn more about it so I started messing around. I left Boston having a new appreciation for music, particularly folk and alt-country genres, largely due to mixes that Mayer Danzig had been sharing with me at work. He created the playlists. I designed his CD covers. I thought, what better than to create a place to share playlists and some of this music I was discovering on my own. I eventually started writing CD reviews and when my review of Susan Tedeschi’s Hope & Desire drew notice, I realized I might be up to something bigger than I expected.
I contacted Mayer to join in on the fun. Back then, I felt I had a vast knowledge of talented artists and bands that most had never heard of. If I did, Mayer knew 100x more than I. He was my biggest source of discovery a decade ago, and still is today. We then started inviting other friends to contribute. Some came and went. Then something I never expected began happening. People we had never met started asking to contribute. One fan noticed I might live in a nearby town. The next thing I knew I was having lunch with Chip in our company cafeteria—we worked in the same building. We’ve been friends ever since.
This is all to say that Twangville has become something far more than I ever thought it would. Not only a place to share longtime favs and new discoveries, but a place to strike up new friendships. In recent years, gatherings have taken place at our our music showcases in Columbia and Boston. Nothing could make me happier than to see connections being made because of this little endeavor.
So, as 2014 winds down and 2015 begins, let’s raise a glass. Here’s to you. Thanks for visiting our tiny town and for being a part of this nine year journey. Thanks to Mayer, Todd, Chip, Eli, Shawn, Jeff, Suzanne, and Bill for helping to make Twangville a community and place people want to visit. More importantly, thanks to the many artists who have provided so much joy for us over the years. Buy their music, their merch, and go to their shows!
Our Top 10 Reviews 2014
- Robert Francis – Heaven
- Music With a Purpose — Matthew Ryan’s “An Anthem for the Brokenâ€
- The Stray Birds – Pass Me the Guitar
- John Mayall – A Special Life
- Levi Lowrey – Levi Lowrey
- Kathryn Caine And The Small Band
- Jackson Browne – One Man / Twenty Guitars
- Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson – For Pops: A Tribute to Muddy Waters
- Honeylark – Heavy
- Eliza Gilkyson – The Nocturne Diaries
More best of year lists like this will be coming soon. Stay tuned.
About the author: Washington, D.C. area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.