Every once in awhile you come across a show that simultaneously offers the highest and lowest of expectations. My first visit to Zack Hickman’s House of Ill Repute, a month-long residency in Cambridge’s Lizard Lounge was that kind of show. Hickman, the mustachioed bassist for Twangville fave Josh Ritter and several others, has been inviting […]
MySpace Secret Shows Hit Boston
After a long wait, the MySpace Secret Shows finally hit Boston last week. In earlier editions, New York got Neil Diamond at the small but legendary Bitter End while Eagle Rock California got Rilo Kiley at a bowling alley. Heck, even Billings Montana got the Hold Steady. Boston got… Chicago punk band Rise Against. Gotta […]
Live in Twangville: Grateful Dead Give-Away
In my mind, there is no denying that The Grateful Dead is a classic, iconic American band. In my opinion, the Dead represented a true alternative to mainstream rock of the 60’s and 70’s and were in the forefront of blending rock, country, funk and even jazz into a concoction that few people knew what […]
Happy Anniversary to the Bottle Rockets
The first time that I heard the Bottle Rockets was in an Atlanta recording studio. It was one of the intimate in-studio performances that had about 15 of us sitting on the floor while the band played a brief stripped-down set. Drummer Mark Ortmann played a guitar case. The song that stood out for me […]
Joseph Arthur + More, Releases 9/30
Joseph Arthur playing “Temporary People” from his SXSW performance at Red Fez on March 15th, 2008. JOSEPH ARTHUR & THE ASTRONAUTS, Temporary People (Lonely Astronauts) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Joseph Arthur has been dropping EPs all year long and now we have a full length to chew on. As if the video […]
Do You Know What “Mondegreen” Means?
We get a lot of interesting press releases in our virtual Twangville mailboxes. Some are so entertaining that they should be shared in their entirety. Anybody got any other mondegreens? Celebrate Punctuation Day with the iTunes Playlist from SpinVox Party Down with Culture Club’s “Comma Chameleon,†Rihanna’s “Bracket Off†and More. Atlanta – 24 September […]
Old Crow Medicine Show + More, Releases 9/23
Old Crow playing an upbeat version of Caroline at Merlefest. OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, Tennessee Pusher (Nettwerk) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (imeem) Known for their live shows and throwback sound, Nashville’s Old Crow Medicine Show delivers their third album on Nettwerk Records. If Bob Dylan were ever holed up deep in the hills […]
New Music from Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan was kind enough to forward this astonishing new song, Some Streets Lead Nowhere.” It is an astonishing performance that highlights his ability to wrap emotional intensity in delicate arrangements. Equally impressive is Ryan’s essay about the song’s original and meaning, provided below. You can download “Some Streets Lead Nowhere” via iTunes. Matthew Ryan, […]
Marc Broussard + More, Releases 9/16
Marc Broussard performs “Real Good Thing” live at Paste Studios. MARC BROUSSARD, Keep Coming Back (Atlantic) Official Site | MySpace | Preview (AOL Music) I’m positively giddy about this new set of original tunes from Carencro, Lousiana’s Marc Broussard. Its his debut album on Atlantic records and is sure to continue to raise his neo-soul […]
The Legend of Sir Lattimore Brown
It’s Such A Sad, Sad World Who you might say? That’s what I thought when I first saw this name pop up over at the “B” Side, Red Kelly’s excellent blog. These days the net is swarming with Internet publications, blogging is so easily accessible that anybody with a half functioning computer can work it […]