Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Graham Weber/ Slaid Cleaves- Live at St. Stephen’s

By

Everyone knows you can’t throw a whiskey bottle in Austin, TX without hitting two great songwriters. Now I know you can’t even throw the whiskey bottle unless you’re a kick-ass songwriter. Where do these guys come from? Does Austin offer free beer to songwriters? I’m talking about Graham Weber, who blew me away last night […]

You Pick It: Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”

By

Does anyone not consider this song a classic? It is certainly hard to argue with the impressive array of artists who have covered the Bob Marley classic. In this edition of our “You Pick It” series, we get Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer; Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros; Ziggy Marley & the Chieftains; Bono, Bob […]

Paul Thorn – Pimps & Preachers

By

You can always count on Paul Thorn to provide a picture of life in the margins. His new effort Pimps and Preachers paints many different portraits. There are catchy singer-songwriter story songs like the opener “You’re Not the Only One”, which shows that the problems and trials of life are not unique to the family […]

Mayer's Playlist for October/November 2010, Part 1

By

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: The Bottom of the Sky, by Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck After listening to this release, it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that Thayer has played with Levon Helm (although it was really the reverse – Helm played drums on Thayer’s 2006 release). They are kindred spirits, men whose music […]

Hoots & Hellmouth – Singin’ Up in the Trees

By

For my second experience at the uber-intimate Treehouse literally just steps from the DC/MD border, I had the pleasure of enjoying a bluegrass spiritual. Now I’ve seen Sean Hoots & the boys on a few other occasions but this time it was something special. A living room filled with approximately 30 seats felt just right. […]

The White Buffalo – Prepare for Black & Blue

By

Wow. Upon seeing the name, The White Buffalo, visions of indie-hipsters attempting achieve some sort of irony for irony’s sake, were dancing through my head. Thankfully, an irony-seeking hipster The White Buffalo isn’t. It was too good to be true that The White Buffalo would be this artist’s given name. According to our friends at […]

Kickstart American Gun’s New Record

By

Twangville house band and all around bad-asses American Gun are looking for a little help getting their 4th full length off the ground. Recorded in producer Mitch Easter’s (REM, Pavement, Suzanne Vega) North Carolina studio The Fidelitorium, the album promises to find the band moving in new directions. The departure of co-founding singer-songwriter Donald Merckle […]

Michael Quinn & the Bourbon Kings – Whiskey Rebellion

By

Irreverence can have many forms. There’s the quiet humor in the face of strict authority. The passive-aggressiveness of simply ignoring a direct order from a superior. And then there’s the kind Michael Quinn & the Bourbon Kings sing about in their latest release, Whiskey Rebellion. Having had one more toke for the road, they tell […]