June was a great month for new music with great new offerings from Roman Candle, the Bottle Rockets, the Yayhoos, and a remarkable collaboration between Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint. July is shaping up to be just as good with a host of solid releases. Americanitis, Will Kimbrough (7/25) Known primarily as a side-man and […]
You Never Know Who Will Stop By…
After Pearl Jam finished performing at the Boston Garden recently, Eddie Vedder joins Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at the small Cambridge, Massachusetts club Toad to jam with Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom). Apparently Vedder commented that the club stage was almost as big as Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron’s drum riser. And where was […]
Mayer’s Playlist for May and June
A heavy travel schedule for my day job has kept me from my Twangville musings, not to mention keeping me out of the clubs and record stores. Nonetheless, here’s the long overdue playlist from May and June. Hammer + Nail, Paul Thorn (from the live cd/dvd So Far, So Good: The Best of the Paul […]
Another Classic Will Hoge Rock Show
So my day job has been interfering with my Twangville activities. I hate it when that happens. I was, however, able to get to the rock show this weekend featuring Twangville fave Will Hoge. Rather than tell you about it, here’s a clip from a recent show. What the clip lacks in sound quality it […]
Notable Releases: 6 June 2006
The River in Reverse, Elvis Costello & Alan Touissaint A potent combination inspired by one of America’s disgraceful disasters. Zoysia, The Bottle Rockets The pride of Festus, Missouri rediscover the rock-and-roll side of country. For more on the Bottle Rockets, see the Twangville preview. Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer The English duo were a pleasant surprise at this year’s SXSW. […]
The Return of the Bottle Rockets
The Bottle Rockets are back! Brian Henneman and the boys are Twangville royalty, having delivered some of alt country’s greatest hits. After a three year hiatus, the band makes a welcome return with the forthcoming Zoysia. While Blue Skies, the band’s last album, was a dark album reflective of the personal matters confronting the band, […]
Notable Releases: 30 May 2006
West of the West, Dave Alvin Dave Alvin is an American original. Possessing an encyclopedia-like knowledge of American roots music, he can lead his crack band of Guilty Men from country blues to rock to folk with equal aplomb. His latest release is a tribute to his native California. It features a stirring — and […]
Notable Releases: 23 May 2006
Big Star Small World, Big Star Australia’s Paul Kelly has a classic lyric that, although written about himself, perfectly captures the story of Big Star: “I’m a legend, not a star.†After his stint with the Box Tops (“The Letterâ€), Alex Chilton joined a group of Memphis musicians to form Big Star. Cited as an […]
I Saw The Film Today: Willie Nile
Twangville fave Willie Nile takes us on a tour of the Streets of New York in this video for “Game of Fools”.
Notable Releases: 16 May 2006
Powder Burns, The Twilight Singers You may remember Greg Dulli as the driving force behind the late Afghan Whigs. DullisThe Whigs established their credibility by crafting pop-based melodies in an aggressive and theatrical rock format. There was little coincidence that the production credits were positioned as theatrical credits: Dulli imbibes his music with a cinematic […]