I write a lot of really nice things about a lot of different bands and artists on this website. This is partly because we here at Twangville are more about sharing and shining the light on good music, rather than being merciless critics sitting on our high horses. It’s also because there are no specific […]
This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark
This One’s for Him is a tribute to one of America’s greatest songwriters, Guy Clark. It was one of my favorite records released last year, though I am just now getting around to a review. It contains, by far, the strongest songwriting of any record released last year. But to be fair, no one else […]
Reader’s Pick: Micah Schnabel, “I’m Dead, Serious”
I’m Dead, Serious is the second solo record from Two Cow Garage frontman Micah Schnabel. It follows 2010’s acoustic bombshell, When The Stage Lights Go Dim. In between the two, Two Cow Garage put out their fifth record Sweet Saint Me. So, dude’s been busy. His lyrics, as always, are phenomenal, opening with a chorus […]
Mud, Blood, and Beer- Gone for Good
If you want to get a Twangville reviewer’s attention, mentions of beer, whiskey, or other spirits will usually go a long way. When songwriter and guitarist Jess Hoefner floated me a bottle of bourbon the other week, I knew I had to fulfill my long put off promise of reviewing his band’s latest EP, Gone […]
Eli’s Picks: Best of 2011
2011 was another pretty damn good year for music. #1 was the easiest pick on the whole list. Frank Turner blew my mind this year. I re-discovered his back catalog just prior to the release of England Keep My Bones and now have a new favorite songwriter. Other notables on the list include several “new” […]
Glossary- Long Live All Of Us
Glossary is a band that I have always defined by their (relatively) more mainstream friends. Lucero, Two Cow Garage, The Hold Steady, the Drive-By Truckers, and Conor Oberst have all praised the band effusively. Despite these endorsements, Glossary has never really broken through to the kind of indie rock-stardom that those friends and mentors have […]
The Alabama Shakes- The Alabama Shakes [EP]
So a couple weeks ago I had this odd dream that Al Green had gotten My Morning Jacket to back him on a classic 1970’s record. It turns out it wasn’t a dream, only Al Green was a woman, My Morning Jacket were the Alabama Shakes, and the record was recorded in 2011. Formerly known […]
Steve Earle- Tarrytown Music Hall (08.11.11)
I’ve been attempting to write this review of the Steve Earle/Dukes and Duchesses tour for going on 3 months now. Partly this was because I am an irredeemable procrastinator. Partly it was due to my utter inability to decide what I wanted to write about. It would have been easy enough to give you the […]
Grace Potter Sharpie(s) It Pink
Grace Potter has been everywhere recently. Besides singing in the commercial for the new network TV show Pan AM, she’s even making me like Kenny Chesney. But more importantly, Potter and her Nocturnals are continuing their already impressive track record in supporting some pretty worthy charities. Potter has announced that she’s collaborating with City of […]
Frank Turner- England Keep My Bones
I could say a lot of things about England Keep My Bones. I could tell you it’s by a British folk singer named Frank Turner. I could tell you that Frank Turner used to front a post-hardcore band called the Million Dead. I could tell you that Turner’s 2008 record Love, Ire & Song has […]