One of the signs I look for in really good musicians is their ability to play to the audience, both the crowd that particular night as well as the nuances of a venue. The Belleville Outfit played Yoshi’s jazz club in San Francisco Monday night and became my poster child for just how to execute […]
An Interview With Joe Pug
A couple of months ago, I was driving somewhere with my twin brother. Â He’s yammering on and on about this new songwriter that I have to listen to. Â Now my brother has pretty good taste and has introduced me to many if not most of my favorite artists, but he’s still my brother–so I mostly […]
Drive-By Truckers/The Fine Print
The Fine Print is an unreleased (until now) collection of Drive-By Truckers tunes recorded over the last few years and mostly culled from the Dirty South era. While it is not as strong as that record, or Decoration Day, I”m guessing the die hard Trucker fan will snatch up these “b-sides” and cover tunes. For […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2009, part 2
Showerhead, Rachelle Van Zanten (from the RZV Records release Where Your Garden Grows) Canada’s Van Zanten sure can play a mean guitar. What really caught my ear, however, was the confidence and brawn in this track. Mix the rawness of a Lucinda Williams tune with the slide guitar chops of Bonnie Raitt and a touch […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2009, part 1
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Late Music, by Dennis Diken with the Bell Sound Who knew? After nearly 30 years sitting behind the drums with the Smithereens Dennis Diken emerges as a pop maestro. Diken and collaborator Pete DiBella shine with an album that brims with echoes of the Beach Boys and the Who, circa the […]
Deryl Dodd – Together Again
To say that Deryl Dodd is a “survivor” is to be extremely un-original (I have no problem admitting that, as I definitely have no problems calling Dodd a survivor). After finding success in Nashville with several songs that garnered high chart positions, Dodd then found himself in a sick-bed for quite some time with a […]
Readers’ Pick: Flower Petals by The Subdudes
Twangville readers picked ‘Flower Petals’ by The Subdudes as their favorite release for week of August 18, 2009. Deep in the heart of New Orleans is where you’ll find The Subdudes, a band that uses a tambourine in place of drums. They played together for 9 years before reuniting in 2002 to give it another […]
Win Big: Signed Bloodshot Records Poster
The Bloodshot Records day party is a traditional highlight of every SXSW. Held behind the Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery in Austin Texas, it is a relaxed afternoon of filled with beer, food, merriment and, of course, great music. To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the folks at Bloodshot decided to take that experience on the […]
Malcolm Holcombe- For the Mission Baby
Malcolm Holcombe growls in a characteristic rasp that has defined Bob Dylan’s latter career, but there is an intensity there that makes the listener sit up and take notice. “For the Mission Babyâ€, to be released on Echo Mountain Records, follows a string of critically acclaimed Holcombe records, mostly recorded in North Carolina after Holcombe’s […]
A.A. Bondy – When The Devil’s Loose
A.A. Bondy’s new album, When the Devil’s Loose (Fat Possum – due next week), is absolutely beautiful. I would like to come up with a more elaborate way of explaing how I feel about the album – and rest assured I will – but for the most part it’s just really beautiful. Bondy employs his […]