We lost another great talent this past week with the passing of Dallas Good, co-founder of Canada’s treasured The Sadies. In addition to the group’s own prodigious output, they have collaborated with countless friends and admirers, including Neko Case, John Doe, Justin Townes Earle, Gord Downie, and countless others. Good’s passing is another tragic loss […]
The Sound of the Sea – A Premiere from Mary Lee’s Corvette
I’ve never attended the Outlaw Country Cruise but I’ve no doubt it’s an amazing experience. The line-up is always filled with an incredible array of artists – a who’s who of Twangville faves. Among those appearing this year is Brooklyn-based Mary Lee’s Corvette. Mary Lee Kortes is apparently so excited about the cruise that she […]
Monday Morning Video – Kasey Chambers
Let’s kick off the week with an intense musical performance, courtesy of Kasey Chambers. In 2018 she was inducted into the ARIA (Australia Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame. Amy Sheppard, Kate Miller-Heidke & Missy Higgins pay tribute with a moving take on Chambers’ “Not Pretty Enough” before Chambers electrifies with the intense emotion of […]
Monday Morning Video – Trey Johnson
Dallas lost one of the cornerstones of its music scene last week with the passing of Trey Johnson. Sorta, the band Johnson co-founded in 2000, quickly established themselves as local favorites and achieved some national recognition before disbanding in 2008. Johnson went on to co-found State Fair Records, the Dallas label that launched the careers […]
Monday Morning Video – Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was a songwriter’s songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Willie Nelson. Here’s the master performing a few himself, including “Banana Republics” and “City of New Orleans”, the latter of which earned Goodman a posthumous Grammy when Nelson covered it in 1984.
Monday Morning Video – Bendigo Fletcher
In search of one last morsel of music late one night at last fall’s Americana Conference, I stumbled across Louisville, Kentucky’s Bendigo Fletcher. Although I only caught a couple of songs, the band’s melodic (and harmonic) charm and lyrical intensity stuck with me. I finally got to see a full and proper set on the […]
Monday Morning Video – Ronnie Spector
With the passing of Ronnie Spector, another rock and roll legend has been taken from us. Spector leaves behind a tremendous musical legacy, one that led to the Ronettes being inducted into the Hall of Fame (with an induction speech by Keith Richards). Below is that night’s performances of the group’s signature “Be My Baby”. […]
The Twangville Early 2022 Release Preview
Meet the new year. Same as the old? Not so much on the music front with a great batch of new music on the horizon. Here are some releases eagerly anticipated by the Twangville posse. Hell on Church Street by Punch Brothers (14 January) The virtuoso string quintet remind us yet again why they are […]
Monday Morning Video – Hayes Carll
While preparing year-in-review posts, it’s fun to reconnect with songs that were somewhat over-looked or have faded from memory. Hayes Carll’s wonderful ballad “If It Was Up to Me” is a prime example for me. The wistful song mixes regret for mistakes made with an idealistic hopefulness. If it was up to meMy mistakes would […]
Ward Hayden & the Outliers Have “Nothing To Do” – a Twangville Premiere
Though the title lends itself to our Covid lives, certainly these days as Omicron wreaks havoc around the world, “Nothing To Do (For Real This Time)” is about something entirely different. The song, from Ward Hayden & the Outliers‘ outstanding 2021 release Free Country, considers the experience of returning to one’s hometown after time spent […]