Covering the likes of Radiohead and Edgar Allen Poe in addition to her own superb songwriting, the single word to describe the latest effort from Sarah Jarosz would have to be “diversity”. Â With a supporting cast of Americana and pop stars seemingly unavailable to any other musician under 70 years of age (Sarah was 19 […]
MilkDrive – Road From Home
Being able to pigeonhole a band’s sound is useful to a music reviewer. Â It lets you describe them quickly before a blog reader clic…. Â But for those of you still with me, MilkDrive, and their latest album, Road From Home, spans not just 3-4 genres of music, but 3-4 eras of music. The first cut, […]
The Lost Pines – Sweet Honey
Summertime requires some bluegrass on the Most Played list on the iPod of any hard-core Americana fan. Â You just can’t beat the combination of instrumental jams and light-hearted harmonies with some gin-laced lemonade on a sunny weekend afternoon. Â With that in mind, it’s good timing for the release of Austin-based The Lost Pines second album, […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2011 Review
Every year at this time, a couple of weeks after all the glitterati have left South By, one of the best music festivals in the country kicks off 20 minutes outside of Austin: the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â It’s a great mix of old and new talent, with enough people to get a good vibe […]
The Band Of Heathens – Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son
I’m beginning to think The Band of Heathens are a little bit like Benjamin Button. Â Many well-known bands start with critically acclaimed albums, move to spending more time on the road, then abandon studio releases all together to milk their live performances. Â The Heathens started as a live-only phenomena and now, with their third release, […]
Natalia Zukerman – Gas Station Roses
I really struggled to put into words why I like the latest release from Natalia Zukerman, Gas Station Roses. When I would write down notes on the songs they ended up best summarized by thoughts like “pleasant”, or “comfortable”. But when you put those in a review, it comes off as damning something with faint […]
Justin Townes Earle – Live At the Rio Theater
A couple of months ago, the collective conscience here at Twangville voted Justin Townes Earle’s latest record our album of the year. Â On a chilly night in Santa Cruz, Earle stopped through on a west coast swing of appearances to play at the Rio Theater. Â Dressed in a dark suit and skinny tie, with well […]
Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle – We Still Love Our Country
Every now and then you get a reminder you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Â I downloaded the Carrie Rodriguez/Ben Kyle collaboration, We Still Love Our Country, with a little trepidation. Â I’m thinking, are they going to try to outdo Toby Keith by gushing on an entire album? Â Never fear, it should really be […]
Wanda Jackson – The Party Ain’t Over
Experiencing Wanda Jackson’s latest album, The Party Ain’t Over, with collaborator and producer Jack White, is a little bit like riding a modern roller coaster. Â Your brain tells you it’s safe, you can see it’s in good working order, it’s not at all dangerous; but when you get off the ride your palms are still […]
The Acoustic Burgoo – Soul Bucket
Sometimes it’s amazing how changing just one instrument changes the whole sound of a band. Â You can hear that happen a few times in the latest release from The Acoustic Burgoo, Soul Bucket. Â From the folky, acoustic, harmonies of Appalachia, band member Rudy Bzdyk (sic) chimes in with his trumpet and suddenly you’re down in […]