Corb Lund built a time machine. Â He took his long-time band, The Hurtin’ Albertans, down to Memphis and recorded a number of his live show staples and made them sound more original and rootsy than when they first laid down the tracks 8 – 10 years ago. Â Retransmitting the ambience of the famed Sun Studios, […]
Missy Werner – Turn This Heart Around
You just can’t have a good summer mix tape without some bluegrass. Â Whether you’re getting liquored up at a festival down at the fairgrounds or spending some quality time with the family at the annual church picnic, bluegrass just sounds like a carefree, sunny day. Â Yes, there are plenty of songs about heartbreak and angst, […]
Madisons – You Can Take Your Sorry Ass Back To West Texas!
If there is such a musical genre as Americana Noir, the Austin-based Madisons may be one of the leading disciples.  Front man, and sole songwriter for the band, Dominic Solis has imbued their second album, You Can Take Your Sorry Ass Back To West Texas! with a darkness that is equal parts fear and curiosity.  Solis’ […]
Classic African American Songsters from Smithsonian Folkways
It’s often said that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Â The implication is this is a bad thing. Â It may be in many settings, but in music it’s more the case that those who know history love to repeat it. Â Shortly after World War II there was a concerted effort to […]
Amy McCarley – Jet Engines
There must be something in the air or water again in northern Alabama.  Home to the legendary Fame studio in Muscle Shoals, site of innumerable hits in the 60’s and 70’s, this part of the country is breeding future stars again.  This time, though, it’s not the studio musicians adding brilliance to an outsider’s record, but […]
Anna Lynch – Anna Lynch
In the last couple of weeks I’ve written about North Of Nashville and True North. Â Unwittingly, I was leading up to this week’s review–Anna Lynch. Â As residents of Anchorage, Alaska, Anna and her bandmates are waaaay north of Nashville. Â You’d never know that by listening to Anna’s self-titled release, though. Â It has love songs and […]
True North – Elsebound
For the first few decades of bluegrass music, it tended to lean toward the high, lonesome sound invented by Bill Monroe, or an old-timey vibe like the Carter Family or the Osborne Brothers.  Then in the 70’s a few artists emerged that pushed the boundaries of the genre; John Hartford, New Grass Revival, Hot Rize, to name […]
North Of Nashville – North Of Nashville
Sometimes the music we listen to, and write about, here on Twangville is a little light on the twang. Â That would not be the case with the debut album from Maine duo North Of Nashville. Â From the opening chord of the opening song, The Lady And the Outlaw, this is the music that propelled country […]
Joseph Huber – The Hanging Road
Joseph Huber is a 21st century cowboy. Â Back in the middle of the 19th century, a type of individual emerged in the American West who learned to take advantage of a new opportunity. Â No longer did you have to live within sight of your neighbor and define yourself by your community. Â You could go live […]
Old Settler’s Music Fest – 2014 Edition
Every spring, a couple of weeks after the madhouse of SXSW, the music festival season kicks off with Old Settler’s Music Festival, about a half hour outside of Austin. Â Started as a bluegrass festival, Old Settler’s now embraces a broad spectrum of Americana. Â Organizer Jean Spivey has a magic touch for consistently mixing old with […]