Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Danzig vs. Springsteen

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Its not what you think. In advance of Bruce Springsteen and Glenn Danzig both playing concerts in the Bay area over the next week, the San Francisco Weekly is running an entertaining story pitting the two Jersey boys against one another. The article features a full “tale of the tape,” of which my favorite is: […]

Who Shook You All Night Long?

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There will always be great debates in rock and roll. What was the first rock and roll song? Who was responsible for the Beatles break-up? What do the lyrics of “Louie Louie” really mean? Who was the better vocalist for AC/DC, Bon Scott or Brian Johnson? Associate Professor Robert Oxoby of the University of Calgary […]

Mayer’s Playlist for September 2007, A Video Companion

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Lots of great videos this month including a bunch of two-fers that showcase artists in traditional videos as well as performing live. We’ve got pairs from Jeremy Fisher, Mike Viola (Candy Butchers), Rilo Kiley and Watershed, plus single shots from Emerson Hart, the Office, Mark Knopfler, The Go! Team, Admiral Freebee, and Gomez. And be […]

And the REM Contest Winner Is…

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The new REM live cd/dvd, aptly titled REM Live hit the streets this past Tuesday but one person doesn’t need to buy it. The winner of the Twangville REM contest is Chris McDonald of St. Catharines, ON, Canada. The word on Main Street in Twangville is that the band is planning to release a new […]

Mayer’s Playlist for September 2007

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THE ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Goodbye Blue Monday, by Jeremy Fisher Canada’s Fisher is a fresh voice on the scene with a sound that falls somewhere between folk and acoustic pop. The opening track “Scar That Never Heals” recalls Simon & Garfunkel’s “Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and Simon-esque songwriting percolates throughout the […]

Get Back to Rockville: A REM Contest

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Michael Stipe and REM are in an elite group of lyricists and songwriters. Sometimes oblique but always engaging, the band catalogue has captured listeners attention globally for more than 25 years. The band will release a performance cd/dvd, the aptly titled “REM Live,” on October 16th. The show was recorded at Dublin’s Point Theater in […]

And the Winner of the Mark Knopfler Contest Is…

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Thanks to the Twangville community for an impressive array of comments on Mark Knopfler’s career. I’ve re-posted the comments below as they are as thoughtful as they are diverse. Congratulations to Chris McDonald of St. Catharines, ON, Canada. Chris will be receiving a copy of Mark Knopfler’s new cd, courtesy of Knopfler and 820 Media. […]

Mayer’s Playlist for August 2007, A Video Companion

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Another great month of music, another fine collection of videos. And speaking of videos, how about Justin Timberlake at the VMAs imploring MTV to play more videos. Rock on, Justin, rock on. Highlights this month include a dynamic duo of live Josh Ritter performance and a double shot and short documentary from new faves Stonehoney. […]

Twangville Recommends: Will Kimbrough

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I look to Fortune Magazine for a lot of things, but music has never been one of them. Hence my surprise to be flipping through the magazine several years back and finding a snippet about Will Kimbrough’s debut solo release, This. I’d known about Kimbrough for several years, most notably through his work slinging guitar […]