I’ve been on a bit of a Stevie Wonder binge of late. Here’s one of my favorites, Wonder’s tribute to the legendary Duke Ellington.
Say What?! Winter 2015-2016 Edition
One of my favorite things about seeing live shows (well, after the music) are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from the winter of 2015-2016. You can live on pie and whiskey but you won’t live very long. Vance Gilbert. I went to the school of […]
Monday Morning Video – Chris Knight was “Framed”
I like to put the ol’ iPod on shuffle and let it surprise me. It came through in spades this past weekend, kicking of a killer playlist with this Chris Knight classic. I don’t know if this qualifies as a murder ballad, but it makes for one damn entertaining story.
Monday Morning Video – Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg is one of those exceptional songwriters who can move you to tears with a heartbreaking ballad one minute and fire you up with some blistering social and political commentary the next minute. Proof in point, here are “Must I Paint You a Picture” and “Waiting for the Great Leap Forward” from his 1988 […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – The Video Companion
Actual videos of our fave Folk Alliance performances are hard to come by, well at least good quality ones. So we decided to go with the next best thing – videos of these performers captured in other, sometimes unique, locations. Featured in this video playlist are: The Show Ponies, Parsonsfield, Aoife O’Donovan, Session Americana, Bob […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – 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 Folk Alliance Conference. It’s no fun listening to someone tune a banjo, but it’s even less fun listening to an out of tune one. Parsonsfield […]
Folk Alliance Conference 2016 – The Scene and the Sounds
Twangville returned to Kansas City two weeks ago for the annual Folk Alliance Conference. As we wrote last year, Folk Alliance is a different than your typical music conference or festival. For starters, the attendees are overwhelming musicians (save party crashers like us). This translates into an all music, all the time philosophy. This comes […]
Monday Morning Video – Courtney Barnett Pays Tribute to You Am I
Aussie singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett celebrates her fellow countrymen — and Twangville faves — You Am I by covering their brilliant song “Heavy Heart.” What’s not to like about a song with lines like “I’m like a waterlogged ball that no one wants to kick around anymore.” Sad, but certainly vivid. As a bonus, scroll down […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2016, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Meridian Rising by Paul Burch Paul Burch is a musician’s musician in the truest sense of the word. Admired by peers (who regularly lend their talents to his recordings), he is also ambitious with his musical exploration. Case in point – his latest release is a fictionalized take on the life […]
Monday Morning Video – Reed Foehl’s “Strange Days”
Former Acoustic Junction singer-songwriter Reed Foehl shines on this solo acoustic version of a song that he originally recorded with his old compadres.