In 2018 I had the opportunity to attend Tape Camp at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, then stay over for a few days and record. Chris and his team were nothing less than fantastic and the place is a wonderland for bands to explore. I recently reached out and asked if he would answer our […]
South Carolina Roundup
I often get a few local bands on my radar spinning around the Columbia area and beyond. Here are a few I think you should check out. The Water Kickers – With beautiful melodies and interesting arrangements the Water Kickers feature husband and wife duo Kelley and Brody fronting the band. They are strong enough […]
Studio Spotlight/Chillhouse Studios, Will Holland
Location: Charlestown/Boston, Mass. Chillhouse is a purpose built 2 level recording studio in a storefront/building in a neighborhood and business district in Boston. Notable Artists: Pixies,Dead Can Dance, Toasters, Banks and Steelz, Fall Out Boy, Rhett Miller, Ryan Montbleau, Hayley Thompson-King, Wanito, Floramay Holliday, The New Bohemians, Shelly King, The Skatalites, Berklee College of Music, […]
Studio Spotlight/The Fidelitorium, Mitch Easter
In late 2009 and into 2010 I had the opportunity to record at the Fidelitorium with Mitch Easter with my band American Gun, and with my friend Paul’s band faster stereo. I also was able to go up for a couple of other sessions Paul was producing just to be a fly on the wall. […]
Studio Spotlight/Cowboy Technical Services Recording Rig, Eric Ambel
This month we’re talking with Eric Ambel who was kind enough to do our interview. I originally knew about Eric from his guitar slinging with Steve Earle but then learned of his prowess with The Del-Lords, The Yahoos and Joan Jett. These days he may be found on stage with Boston’s Sarah Borges or in […]
Studio Spotlight/Dial Back Sound, Bobby Matt
We’re taking on a new series about recording studios here at Twangville where we talk to owners, producers, engineers and the like. In the streaming age a lot of these folks don’t get the recognition that they used to when there were album credits and the like. And with the growing popularity of home recording, […]
Todd’s Best of 2024
I had never paid much attention to Katie Crutchfield prior to this year. A friend sent over the video to “Right Back To It” not long after it came out and I was off and running, sucking up Tiger’s Blood listen after listen, then back to her other recordings. Where had I been? Why wasn’t […]
Jacob Johnson – “The Goodnight Chorus” Video Premiere
Wearing out his Takamine’s strings (and other portions of the guitar), South Carolina’s Jacob Johnson brings us a live video featuring a track from Surviving the Dream, his release from last month. “I wrote this song with my friend Gray Lee as sort of a “closing down the bar”-type song. It’s served as sort of […]
Wayne Graham/Bastion
“We Could’ve Been Friends” (hauntingly similar to the Dandy Warhol’s “We Used to Be Friends”) begins the new release, Bastion, from Kentucky’s Wayne Graham, an album that I’ve listened to no less than 15 times the last couple of weeks. The Dandy influence doesn’t end there, but on the remainder of the album it’s sprinkled […]
Todd’s Americanafest 2024
Below is a diary style breakdown of my Americanafest with a playlist (in order of appearance) of the acts I was fortunate enough to catch this year that made an impression on me. This was my third year attending, and 2024 was just as good as the other years. Plus, I’ve learned a few things […]