I’m fortunate to live in a city that appreciates and supports great music. Here are a few of my current favorites. Banks of the Mississippi, Jenee Hastead (from the self-released Hollow Bones) “Baby, if we could go to the banks of the Mississippi, watch out I’ll float your body out to sea,” sings Halstead in […]
Shinyribs – Well After Awhile
“I’m a little bit crazy, but I ain’t no fool.” Â Although that’s the chorus for Country Cool, off the Shinyribs debut, Well After Awhile, one suspects it’s a little bit of an autobiographical statement by the driving force of the Shinyribs, Kevin Russell. Â Russell is more known as the front man for The Gourds, one […]
Susan Cowsill – Lighthouse
From the beginning track “Dragonfly,” Susan Cowsill recalls days when she was a kid and youth was full of hope. This uptempo rock song sets a positive mood for the album. Cowsill seems to have recaptures the innocence of youth on lighthouse. The irony of all of this, is the fact her life has recently […]
Editors’ Pick: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
They’re last album finished in the top ten of 2007. Will the latest Grace Potter and the Nocturnals album make the cut in 2010? Here’s what the Twangville editors think of their new self-titled album: Tom says: The album begins with the melodic scream “Ah yeah!” a fitting way to begin their third release on […]
Angie Mattson – Skeleton Arm
The latest effort from Angie Mattson, an EP entitled Skeleton Arm, starts with the sound of insects and jungle drums. Â That first song, Bravery, equates the sacrifices needed for love with bravery and sets a kind of “always hunting” mentality that exists throughout the project. Â At the same time, there’s an undercurrent of the caged […]
Whiskey & Co.- Rust Colors
If Uncle Tupelo had taken themselves less seriously they would have been Whiskey and Co. Oh yeah, and Jay Farrar would had to have been a woman. Some bands are just fun. They express their joy in their music and it’s a beautiful thing. Whiskey and Co. is one of those bands. Their latest effort, […]
Riley Baugus and Tim Eriksen/Winston-Salem, NC/May 22, 2010
I stumbled upon a great show the other night in Winston-Salem, and by stumble, I mean I had to be there to play myself. My band was playing the late show at the Garage, and the early show was a couple of banjo/fiddle players that had composed the soundtrack for the film Cold Mountain. I […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2010, Part 3
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON: Love on the Dial, by Stone River Boys From the depths of tragedy springs a new beginning. When Chris Gaffney, one half of the Hacienda Brothers, was diagnosed with cancer in early 2008, brother Dave Gonzalez led a tour to raise funds for his close friend. Among those who joined for […]
Warren Hood – Live at Amnesia
As a preview to an upcoming mini tour, Warren Hood played an unannounced show last week at Amnesia Bar in San Francisco. Â Featuring his new band, the Goods, the brief-but-very-enjoyable show covered a wider range of material than Warren”s background might otherwise indicate. Â Covering everything from Stevie Wonder to neo-Balkan indie music to a song […]
Joe Pug’s “Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)”
We’re celebrating Memorial Day in the United States today, a chance for us to pay tribute to the men and women, present and past, of the US military. Their sacrifice in service to country is inspiring and worthy of thanks. Yet the day is also a reminder that war and violence persists around the world. […]