Singer-songwriter Dan Bern talks about “The Ballad of Andy Fahrquarth”, the first song that he wrote, and the time he left a tour van in an Oklahoma parking lot.
Monday Morning Video – “Fairytale of New York”
This holiday classic takes on extra meaning this year given the recent passing of songwriter Shane MacGowan. Glen Hasard and Lisa O’Neill led this beautiful performance at MacGowan’s funeral a few weeks ago.
Readers’ Pick: Best Album of 2023
Congratulations to Neil Young’s Chrome Dreams for landing in the top spot of Twangville’s Readers’ Pick of 2023 poll. We should note that Chrome Dreams was completed in 1977, but not released until 2023 for the sole purpose of competing for the Twangville end-of-year Reader’s Pick poll. Congrats, Neil! It was worth waiting for. Full […]
Jolie Holland on Tour Schtick, Weaponized Plagiarism, and Her Side Project “Velour Sewer”
Jolie Holland talks about touring in a microvan, shares an early song lyric, and explains why she is sincerely uninterested in genre .
Monday Morning Video – Jabe Beyer
Jabe Beyer is one of those musicians who we’ve been writing about since the early days of Twangville. And with good reason – his talent is as deep as his musical catalog. Although we got to know him in his Boston days, he later re-established himself in Nashville where he became a go-to collaborator as […]
Philip Lupton of Briscoe on Local Diners and The Experience of Live Music
Philip Lupton of Austin-based Briscoe talks about how the band saves a few bucks on guitar strings and why the love their rehearsal space.
Monday Morning Video – Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash
The legendary Pete Seeger’s name has come up several times over the past few weeks. Seeger, who passed away in 2014, was a cornerstone of folk music for much of his 94 years. He was notable as much for his commitment to humanity as he was for his performances. Seeger was always quick to encourage […]
John Baumann on a Stolen Tour Van and How He Found His First Gig
Texas singer-songwriter John Baumann pleads the 5th in response to one of our questions but talks about his food menu while on tour and rehearsing in an Airbnb.
Bonus Monday Video – Scott Kempner
Last week also brought the news that we lost Scott Kempner, co-founder of The Dictators and The Del-Lords. The former are considered punk rock pioneers while the latter was a gloriously unbridled rock and roll outfit. Kempner epitomized the rock and roll ethos, combining a NYC attitude with raucous guitars. Here are The Del-Lords performing […]
Monday Morning Video – Shane MacGowan
Last week brought the news that Shane MacGowan, co-founder and singer-songwriter for Ireland’s legendary the Pogues, had passed away. MacGowan’s songs, not to mention his interpretations of other folk songs, were as stirring as his life was complex. Even though he had only performed sporadically over the last decade, the impact of his music has […]