Brooklyn’s Mel and the Tall Boys tap into something timeless with “The Breeze.” Singer-songwriter Mel Johnston fuses the pop classicism of Peggy Lee with the melodic edge of Mary Weiss and the Shangri-Las, deftly channeling that lineage with confidence and grace. Lush instrumentation, including strings, piano, and percussion, adds rhythmic drive and cinematic color behind […]
Monday Morning Video – Karl Wallinger and World Party
This week we’ll celebrate the late Karl Wallinger, who would have turned 68 yesterday. As the creative force behind World Party, Wallinger had a gift for writing songs that were simple and sublime yet deeply moving. “She’s the One” is a perfect example: a love song that builds into something transcendent, carried by his distinctive […]
Twangville Turns 20: Anniversary Shows in Dallas and NYC
We started Twangville twenty years ago to champion the artists creating songs with craft and conviction—the kind that deserve your attention. This month, we’re marking two decades with three shows that capture everything we’ve been about from day one. Dallas gets two this weekend, New York City gets one on the 24th. Here’s the lineup. […]
Monday Morning Video – John Prine “Pretty Good”
Any week that starts with some John Prine feels a little more bearable, doesn’t it? Prine, who would have turned 79 last week, left behind a catalog full of songs that notice what the rest of us miss—the loneliness in a mundane conversation, the dignity in just getting by, the whole emotional landscape hidden in […]
Monday Morning Video – Adeem the Artist
A favorite song from a few years back, courtesy of Adeem the Artist: “Books and Records” from White Trash Revelry. It’s humble and heartbreaking in equal measure.
Chestnut Vibes on a Saturday Night – A Boston Playlist
Promised Land, Ward Hayden and the Outliers (from the Faster Horses Recordings release Little By Little) On Little By Little, Ward Hayden and the Outliers take on Bruce Springsteen’s songs with both respect and imagination, reshaping them in their distinctive country style. Hayden’s expressive vocals and the band’s warm, rootsy sound give these classics new […]
Celebrate 20 Years of Twangville in Dallas on Oct 17
GET TICKETS You only turn 20 once! So before we raise a glass at our Sunday Social in Dallas on October 19th, we’re blowing the roof off the Double Wide on Friday, October 17th to kick off our anniversary weekend. The only thing that would make it better? Seeing you there! Join us at Double […]
Monday Morning Video – John Fogerty at the Americana Music Awards
Let’s close out Twangville’s coverage of this year’s AmericanaFest, the Americana Music Association’s annual gathering in Nashville, with one of the week’s highlights. Rock legend John Fogerty took to the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, an institution unto itself, to close out the annual Americana Honors and Awards program. And he didn’t do it alone. […]
AmericanaFest 2025, Say What?!
One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s AmericanaFest. If you’re gonna sign to a major label, do it in the 1990’s – it’s the best. Rhett Miller offering advice as he and […]
AmericanaFest 2025, Mayer’s Picks (Part 2)
SOPHIE GAULT Sophie Gault kept busy at AmericanaFest this year. I managed to catch her three times—solo, with the SiriusXM house band, and with her own crew—each performance more electrifying than the previous. There’s something about an artist finally making music on her own terms, and the new songs she previewed suggest her 2026 album […]