A highlight from the recent Americana Music Conference was the tribute to Muscle Shoals soul sound. Starting at FAME Studios and continuing with the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals became a rock and roll institution. Beyond defining an era in soul and R&B, it became a destination for artists ranging from the Rolling Stones […]
Artists I’m Thankful For (A Fall Collection)
At this time of year, we all like to sit back, reflect, and look at what we are thankful for. Most people around my neck of the woods cite family, freedom, friends, etc., and while I am very thankful for all of those, I’m also pretty thankful for a few musicians that seem to pop […]
Happy Twangsgiving, a 2011 Toast
As Twangville completes it’s 6th year in existence, it’s only right that we pause and raise a glass to all who have made this little site possible again for one more year. It’s artists like Jason Isbell, Will Hoge, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch and Old 97s who continually inspire us to write reviews. The under-the-radar […]
Ryan Adams Playlist: Part 1
Let me start out by saying that I’m a HUGE Ryan Adams Fan: 8 shows, 5 t-shirts, 1,255 songs in iTunes when I type in his name. There’s no way to classify Ryan’s music; rock, folk, punk, country- he does it all. I can find songs that are perfect for every mood that I’m ever […]
Barr Brothers
The Barr Brothers are causing a buzz in the Indie world. Their self-titled debut release is a mostly acoustic journey into the duality of human emotion. They explore the context of our true feelings, and the complex emotions that make us betray them. The Barr brothers are not new on the scene, they are the […]
John Prine – The Singing Mailman Delivers
Forty years. It has been forty years since John Prine released his first, self-titled album, with such classics as “Paradise,” “Angel From Montgomery,” and “Spanish Pipedream.” That first album was one of the few true folk albums included in Rolling Stone‘s 500 greatest albums (a bogus, arbitrary exercise to boost circulation for sure – but John Prine was on […]
Butch Walker/Drinking With Strangers
Butch Walker’s latest release, Drinking With Strangers, opens with the catchy…wait, this isn’t a record… it’s a book. Sorry, I get into a pattern here. Co-Authored with Matt Diehl, this funny tale of Walker’s love/hate relationship with the music industry is pretty much summed up nicely by Walker when he describes his 20 plus career […]
Monday Morning Video: Gordon Gano + Lost Bayou Ramblers
I spent a day at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans a few weeks back and happened upon a set by Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes playing with Lafayette, Louisiana’s Lost Bayou Ramblers. When they launched into the classic “Blister in the Sun,” the crowd erupted. I couldn’t find good footage from Voodoo, […]
Sons Of Fathers – Sons Of Fathers
You have to be pre-disposed to like any album that starts out with a paean to Lawnchair Larry. Â Maybe it’s just a song about a couple of fella’s similarly tempted, but Weather Ballon, the opening cut on the debut album from Austin-based Sons Of Fathers, is an apt metaphor for how quickly this record soars […]
Glossary- Long Live All Of Us
Glossary is a band that I have always defined by their (relatively) more mainstream friends. Lucero, Two Cow Garage, The Hold Steady, the Drive-By Truckers, and Conor Oberst have all praised the band effusively. Despite these endorsements, Glossary has never really broken through to the kind of indie rock-stardom that those friends and mentors have […]