Busting out of Oklahoma, The Turnpike Troubadours are here to breathe new life into what is too often a stale environment in the world of Red Dirt music. Sure, this quintet does their fair share of rocking out, why wouldn’t they? It’s the added country (shocking!) dimensions of their tunes that lend the album, and […]
Kickstart American Gun’s New Record
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
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 […]
Drive-By Truckers Put On Their Boots
Go-Go Boots by The Drive-By Truckers, coming 15 February 2011.
Nicole Atkins Digs Bonnie and the Beard
In October I stumbled upon a righteous crew called Bonnie and the Beard at the Larimer Lounge in Denver. Tip your bartender, because if you’re in Denver and love music, you’ll be here again and again. They do it right. Rising star Bonnie and the Beard opened for risen star Nicole Atkins and the Sea—the […]
6 Day Bender – E’ville Fuzz
If you’ve been reading Twangville for more than a couple of weeks, chances are you have your favorite roots/southern/alt-country rock band. It might be Drive By Truckers, The Hold Steady, Gaslight Anthem, whatever. Regardless of who your favorite is, you’re going to hear some of them in the latest release from 6 Day Bender, E’ville […]
The Restoration/Constance
While listening to the latest release from South Carolina’s The Restoration, one almost wishes there was a novel accompanying the disc. While I’m guessing that one does in fact exist, it may never leave the mind of brainchild Daniel Machado. Not the whole novel, anyway. Many pieces and parts of it are scattered throughout, but […]
Two Cow Garage- Sweet Saint Me
Sweet Saint Me is Two Cow Garage’s fifth record. This is significant. Craig Finn of the Hold Steady recently expounded on the fifth album concept. Upon the release of his band’s latest opus and fifth record, he talked about the significance of a fifth album for a band, noting that most bands-even the successful ones- […]
You Pick It: Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”
What is it about Bruce Springsteen songs? Judging from these performances, they are as much fun for the artists to perform as they are for the audience to enjoy. Here’s a collection of artists taking on the stark “Atlantic City.” I’m partial to Levon Helm — who makes the song his own. I also like […]
EP Round-Up (Jill Andrews, Cary Ann Hearst, Hannah Miller, Jon Drake, and Luke Elliot)
Jill Andrews- S/T Jill Andrews was half of the late-great, under-the-radar band The Everybodyfields. With partner in crime Sam Quinn, Andrews created up beat yet haunting folk music. Their three records together were a sublime synthesis of folk, bluegrass, rock, and indie influences. They grew a fairly devoted cult like fan base before calling it […]