Here’s the second installment of our special “Kiss Off” playlist, country and folk edition: So Long Baby Goodbye, The Blasters There was a cold wind blowing on the night we met, The leaves fell from the trees, You made a lot of promises I ain’t seen yet, And I ain’t gonna ask you please. You […]
Austin Here I Come: Mayer’s SXSW preview
Recession, what recession? The 2009 SXSW Music Conference and Festival begins this Wednesday and, as far as I can tell, the event shows no signs of a slow down. Over 1,800 bands are expected to descend on Austin Texas for nearly five days of non-stop activity. The day parties are as plentiful as ever, filling […]
Kiss Off! A Special Playlist, Part 1
At one point or another we’ve all been on the wrong side of a break-up. So why not celebrate it? Every Tuesday for the next few weeks I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite break-up songs in a special Twangville playlist. And its all dedicated to you, ___________ (INSERT NAME HERE). See You Around, Javier […]
SXSW 2009 Preview
March madness is upon us once again. Not the kind that involves a hoop and a ball, I’m talking about the Austin version of madness that is SXSW. Every year in the middle of March tens of thousands of musicians and fans settle upon the Longhorn town to celebrate the best of American music festivals. […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2009, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit There’s something satisfying about watching a performer mature before your eyes. Though Jason Isbell has long been a Twangville favorite, his latest showcases his tremendous growth as a songwriter and performer. Exhibit A is “Soldiers Get Strange,” the […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2009, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: One Last Century, by The Damnwells “Somewhere between nothing and something is everything,” sings Alex Dezen about halfway through the band’s latest release. It seems an apt, if cryptic, explanation for his decision to make the album freely available on the internet. Freed from music industry obligations but still possessed by […]
Joe Purdy’s Tribute to Danny Federici
Longtime E Street Band organist Danny Federici passed in 2008 after a battle with cancer. Before he died, Federici and his family established the Danny Fund to educate people on the dangers of sun exposure and melanoma. The organization is also raising funds to support research in search of a cure. Los Angeles musician Joe […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Light of X, by Miranda Lee Richards LA-based Richards is a testament to persistence. Eight years have passed since The Herethereafter, her 2001 debut release. Yet in 2009 Richards picks up right where she last left us. Light of X is steeped in the Gram Parsons Laurel Canyon-sound, layered with a […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, Part 1
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Grandpa Walked a Picketline, by Otis Gibbs Otis Gibbs is an American original, a gruff musical journeyman who is unafraid to tell it like he see’s it. With a matter of fact lyrical style, he spins tales of the back roads and the folks that wander them. “Caroline,” for example, tells […]
Listen Up: The Low Anthem
It would be easy to describe the Low Anthem’s Oh My God, Charlie Darwin as ambitious. The term, however, doesn’t do it justice. It is one thing to be ambitious (right Axl Rose?) it is quite another to realize musical ambition and make it seem effortless. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Low Anthem. The mystical […]