While a good portion of Boston converged on a Somerville club on the off chance that U2 would make an appearance, I did the opposite and went into Boston to catch Ike Reilly. Damn glad that I did (and it has nothing to do with the fact that U2 didn”t show up in Somerville). Reilly […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2015 (So Far), the Songs Part 1
For me, at least, this year has been more about songs than albums. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2015. If Still It Can’t Be Found, Joe Pug (from the Lightning Rod Records release Windfall) A melancholy ode to perseverance and pursuing one’s dreams. Simply magical. Don’t Let […]
Tweed River Talk – a Few Words with Lydia Loveless
Lydia Loveless is no stranger to Twangville. We’ve long been fans and she continues to impress. Somewhere Else, her most recent release, was among our favorite albums from 2014 and we are eagerly awaiting the follow-up. The Ohio native, along with her band, are making their first visit to the Tweed River Music Festival this […]
Monday Morning Video – Eilen Jewell Covers the Ronettes
Singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell has a fine new album out (Sundown Over Ghost Town). Before we get to that, though, we thought we’d share this beautiful rendition of the Ronette’s “Be My Baby.” Jewell and her band, accompanied by the Sweetback Sisters, performed the song late last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her label, […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Christopher Paul Stelling
You have to appreciate an artist who invites himself to a festival (see below for the full story). Of course, in this case, the festival organizers welcomed him with open, arguably ecstatic, arms. And why shouldn’t they? Christopher Paul Stelling is a compelling live performer who will undoubtedly captivate the Tweed River Music Festival crowd. […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2015 (So Far), the Albums
Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2015. COMPLICATED GAME by JAMES MCMURTRY As he celebrates the release of his first album in six years, there’s a part of me that wishes that McMurtry was more prolific. Then I remember that it takes time to craft […]
Monday Morning Video – Greg Trooper’s Tribute to the Weekend
Sure, it’s Monday but let’s have Greg Trooper bring us back to the weekend with this pair of classics, “Another Shitty Saturday Night” and “These Sunday Nights.” Hopefully your weekend was better than those of the characters that inhabit these songs. Trooper has just released a new album, Live at the Rock Room. Captured at […]
Hey Baby, It’s the 4th of July (Dave Alvin & X)
Let’s celebrate the fourth of July with one of my favorite songs. Originally written by Dave Alvin, it was popularized by the punk band X on their 1987 album See How We Are. Here are two versions of the song. The first is Dave Alvin performing the song with his band the Guilty Ones. The […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Dan Blakeslee
Our latest interview is with Somerville, MA-based folk troubadour Dan Blakeslee. Blakeslee has released numerous albums, the most recent of which is 2014’s Owed to the Tangled Wind. The album was recorded at the Columbus Theatre in Providence, RI by Ben Knox Miller and Jeffrey Prystowsky (The Low Anthem) and earned Blakeslee recognition as the […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Duncan Arsenault of the Curtis Mayflower
New England quintet The Curtis Mayflower are no strangers to the Tweed River Music Festival. They’re regulars, in fact, who never fail to awe the crowd with their intense live performances. If you haven’t heard it, seek out their 2014 full-length debut Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack for a taste of their soulful brand of […]