You picked Eagle Rock Fire by Joe Purdy as your favorite for the week of Jul 8, 2014. Readers’ Top Picks (last 4 weeks) Counterfeit Blues by Corb Lund (82) Remedy by Old Crow Medicine Show (13) Heal by Strand of Oaks (10) Good Luck Charm by The Mastersons (8) Favorite Waitress by Felice Brothers […]
Monday Morning Video: James Booker
A friend introduced me to the music and legend of the late New Orleans pianist James Booker. The “Bayou Maharajah,” as he was called, lived a flamboyant life. While he never found true commercial success, he built gained popularity in Europe and even played a couple of shows with the Jerry Garcia Band (before being […]
Twang for your Inbox
Want to receive a weekly recap of the week’s posts? Sure ‘ya do. Now you can with our new weekly email newsletter. Every Saturday you’ll receive an email highlighting all the previous week’s posts. Yup, a full week’s worth of twang delivered to you. Ready to sign-up? Fill out the form below and we’ll add […]
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, […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2014, So Far (the Albums)
The year is off to a strong start and I expect that it will only get better. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2014. SOMEWHERE ELSE by LYDIA LOVELESS “Simply bad-ass” is the phrase that overwhelms my thinking every time I give this album a […]
Readers’ Pick: Counterfeit Blues by Corb Lund
You picked Counterfeit Blues by Corb Lund as your favorite for the week of Jul 1, 2014. Readers’ Top Picks (last 4 weeks) Counterfeit Blues by Corb Lund (82) Remedy by Old Crow Medicine Show (13) MARY GAUTHIER, Trouble & Love (11) Heal by Strand of Oaks (10) JACK WHITE, Lazaretto (10) Good Luck Charm […]
Monday Morning Video: Locals Covering Locals ’round Boston
Our friends at Red Line Roots spearheaded a really cool project this past spring. With support from the Club Passim Iguana Fund, they invited a plethora of local artists to cover one another’s songs. Locals Covering Locals, the resulting collection, is now available for download. Even better, you can get it for free here. I […]
Celebrate the 4th with the Blasters
I usually like to celebrate the 4th of July by posting Dave Alvin’s “4th of July” but this year I’m going to break with tradition. Well, at least a bit. Dave and his brother Phil founded legendary rock band the Blasters nearly thirty-five years ago. The group was born from — and brought life to […]
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’ […]
Twang in South Carolina
Although we twangers are located all across this great United States of America, and while Boston often gets a little more recognition on this blog thanks to the tireless efforts of Mayer, little ole’ me takes up residence in the capital city of South Carolina. Being a college town, we get our share of young […]