I’m fortunate to be able to explore and enjoy the music scenes of two cities – Boston and Dallas. Artists from both metropolitan areas have released some exceptional music this year. Here are a few favorites. Love it local. DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS Quiet Lives by Garrett Owen Gorgeous and entrancing are the […]
Bonus Monday Video – Tom Waits
Tom Waits presents two holiday classics – one an original and one a cover.
Monday Morning Video – A Holiday Tradition
One of these years, I’d love to make it to Dublin for Glen Hansard’s annual Christmas eve busking session on Grafton Street. The event raises funds for The Simon Community, an organization that raises funds and runs programs to assist the homeless. This year, global pandemic and all, the event became a live broadcast on […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2020
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2020.
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2020, the Albums
What a year it has been! Thankfully there’s been some great music to help sustain us. Here are my picks for the best albums of 2020. 11. Consider the Speed by Terra Lightfoot Another rock and roll tour de force from Terra Lightfoot. Consider the Speed is brimming with fervent guitars and musical bravado, not […]
Monday Morning Video – Charley Pride
Another legend lost. Here are two Charley Pride classics to celebrate his life and contributions to country music.
Monday Morning Video – Devil’s Sooty Brother
Dallas musicians Joshua Ray Walker and Nathan Mongol Wells – aka Devil’s Sooty Brother – sure do like to perform. The two originally joined forces as part of Ottoman Turks, a loud and rowdy quartet. When that wasn’t enough, they started a monthly residency as Devil’s Sooty Brother, mixing originals into sets filled with classic […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 5
The Contractor, John Calvin Abney (from the Black Mesa Records release Familiar Ground) Familiar Ground, like John Calvin Abney’s previous albums, possesses a beautiful spirituality that is comforting and uplifting. Case in point – he opens this latest release with the heartening “When This Blows Over”, a song that serves as a quiet anthem for the […]
Monday Morning Video – George Porter, Jr.
Let’s start the week with George Porter Jr. performing “Sailin’ Shoes” by Little Feat and “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” by Allen Toussaint on the Green Vibes stage at Gathering of the Vibes Music and Art Festival 2012.
“The Somerville Lights” – A Twangville Premiere from Dan Blakeslee
Christmasland Jubilee is a dream fulfilled for Dan Blakeslee. As he tells it, he started recording Christmas songs on his meager home recording gear in 2006 to share with his family as gifts. Those humble beginnings sparked his desire to record a full Christmas album with his band the Calabash Club. That process began in 2019 […]