Everybody Talkin’ ’bout the All American, JD McPherson (from the Rounder Records release Let The Good Times Roll) Let’s just call this the dance hit of the year. One listen and you’ll know what I mean. You Got To Me, James McMurtry (from the Complicated Game Records release Complicated Game) On a given day I’d […]
Monday Morning Video – Ike Reilly
While a good portion of Boston converged on a Somerville club on the off chance that U2 would make an appearance, I did the opposite and went into Boston to catch Ike Reilly. Damn glad that I did (and it has nothing to do with the fact that U2 didn”t show up in Somerville). Reilly […]
FY5 – Eat the Moon
An hour north of Denver in a bend of the St. Vrain river sits a beautiful amphitheater and campground, home to Rockygrass and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, among other events. Â The far bank of the river is a cliff of Colorado red rock that positively glows in the afternoon sun. Â The river itself has […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2015 (So Far), the Songs Part 1
For me, at least, this year has been more about songs than albums. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2015. If Still It Can’t Be Found, Joe Pug (from the Lightning Rod Records release Windfall) A melancholy ode to perseverance and pursuing one’s dreams. Simply magical. Don’t Let […]
Tweed River Talk – a Few Words with Lydia Loveless
Lydia Loveless is no stranger to Twangville. We’ve long been fans and she continues to impress. Somewhere Else, her most recent release, was among our favorite albums from 2014 and we are eagerly awaiting the follow-up. The Ohio native, along with her band, are making their first visit to the Tweed River Music Festival this […]
Miss Tess on the Virtues of Pho and the Realities of a Life in the Music Business
Miss Tess talks about the virtues of pho and the hazards of humidity, dealing with a broken down van while listening to Bill Frisell and the benefit of blindly throwing herself into the music business.
Monday Morning Video – Eilen Jewell Covers the Ronettes
Singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell has a fine new album out (Sundown Over Ghost Town). Before we get to that, though, we thought we’d share this beautiful rendition of the Ronette’s “Be My Baby.” Jewell and her band, accompanied by the Sweetback Sisters, performed the song late last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her label, […]
Shinyribs – Okra Candy
On various patches of land continuously testing the boundaries of wet and dry in the sea level portions of southeast Texas, southwest Mississippi and southern Louisiana live a breed of men thriving on the margins of humanity.  For a 2 week stretch they manage to semi-control their impulses enough to be trusted by others of their […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Christopher Paul Stelling
You have to appreciate an artist who invites himself to a festival (see below for the full story). Of course, in this case, the festival organizers welcomed him with open, arguably ecstatic, arms. And why shouldn’t they? Christopher Paul Stelling is a compelling live performer who will undoubtedly captivate the Tweed River Music Festival crowd. […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2015 (So Far), the Albums
Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2015. COMPLICATED GAME by JAMES MCMURTRY As he celebrates the release of his first album in six years, there’s a part of me that wishes that McMurtry was more prolific. Then I remember that it takes time to craft […]