Some may know the story of Jesse Malin. The longtime cornerstone of New York’s East Village music scene suffered a traumatic spinal stroke in 2023, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The singer-songwriter, who has long preached “positive mental attitude”, persevered through months of medical treatments and physical therapy with the hope of returning […]
Shawn’s 25 Favs of 2024
1) Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well She raised her game to a new level. The insight and emotion in some of the songs on this record really do make me think that cardinal was John Prine. I’m not sure there’s been a better song ever about growing up than the title track. 2) Billy Strings […]
Readers’ Pick: Best Album of 2024
Congratulations to Shelby Lynne’s Consequences of the Crown for landing in the top spot of Twangville’s Readers’ Pick of 2024 poll.
Todd’s Best of 2024
I had never paid much attention to Katie Crutchfield prior to this year. A friend sent over the video to “Right Back To It” not long after it came out and I was off and running, sucking up Tiger’s Blood listen after listen, then back to her other recordings. Where had I been? Why wasn’t […]
Ben Chapman – Downbeat
Road house, honky tonk, dive bar. It doesn’t matter what you call the place, across rural America they’re the name for a drinking establishment with live music, frequently located near the crossroads of a couple of (sort of) major highways. The music can be from a few different genres, but the characteristics of the set […]
Sarah McCombie of Chatham Rabbits on Venue Merch Cuts, Authenticity, and Touring in “The Rig”
Sarah McCombie of North Carolina folk duo Chatham Rabbits shares the story behind how they found their tour RV and talks about the good old days.
Bonus Monday Video – More on Buddy Holly
Rounding out Buddy Holly Monday, here are Dion, Graham Nash, Paul McCartney, and Ronnie Wood talking about the legendary Lubbock, Texas artist. Dion talks about time spent with Holly and sings “Rave On”. Nash talks about and plays Holly’s guitar, crooning “Peggy Sue”. McCartney and Wood dissect and perform “Peggy Sue”.
Monday Morning Video – Buddy Holly “Not Fade Away”
I fell down a Buddy Holly rabbit hole this weekend. It had been a while, but it was great to remind myself of how impressive a talent Holly was. And how inspirational. Below is a playlist that features a jaw-dropping collection of artists performing just a single song from the Holly catalog – “Not Fade […]
Merry Mulligans
I haven’t played golf in 20 years, and when I did play, I was terrible at it. But I gotta say that when I did play I was the master of one particular stroke – the “Mulligan.” That’s when your shot off the tee is so bad you either miss it all together or you […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2024, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2024 back in June (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of 2024. Rosemary and Thieves, Garrett Owen (from the self-released Memoriam) Owen’s tale of fractured relationships is […]