Twangville

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

Now & Then: Margo Cilker’s Little White Cross and the reach of The Last of the True Believers

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The strongest connection between Margo Cilker and Nanci Griffith is their attention to people whose lives rarely become the subject of a song. Work brings their characters together; circumstances test how long those connections last. On Little White Cross, Cilker approaches that tradition with a particularly sobering view of American life. Griffith’s The Last of the True Believers offers a useful predecessor, showing how country arrangements and closely observed stories can give ordinary lives lasting significance.

Now & Then: The Suitcase Junket’s To Go On and the reach of Bone Machine

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Matt Lorenz’s homemade instruments make The Suitcase Junket easy to recognize. His songwriting gives you a reason to stay. On To Go On, written following the death of his sister and longtime musical collaborator, Kate Lorenz, that distinction matters. Tom Waits’s Bone Machine offers a useful predecessor: a record whose unconventional roots arrangements make room for mortality and tenderness alike. Lorenz’s stated affection for Waits makes the connection more than a critic’s convenient pairing.

Now & Then: Ian Noe’s Canyon Falls Trailer Band and the reach of Grievous Angel

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Country music has always had room for musicians whose ambitions exceed their prospects. Ian Noe gives those musicians a whole album on Canyon Falls Trailer Band, imagining a group taking its shot at a Nashville showcase. Gram Parsons makes a fitting companion: an artist whose attachment to traditional country helped expand what younger songwriters could do with it. The connection becomes especially clear when Noe introduces some interstellar visitors with country music on their minds.

Americanafest 2026, Todd’s Take

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Going into this year’s Americanafest there was no “one big thing” that I had to see. I was open to anything. Sure, there were a few acts that I had on my wish list, but there wasn’t anything as exciting as last year’s Daniel Lanois appearance so I decided not to make much of a […]

2026 Americana Music Awards

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Although the official events of the weeklong Americana Music Association’s AmericanaFest start on Tuesday, the main event is the Honors and Awards show Wednesday evening (Sept 16th) at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. It was streamed live on a variety of sites, and you can see a recap later this fall on PBS. This year’s hosts […]

Now & Then: Rhiannon Giddens’s Hope Is the Thing with Feathers and the reach of Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues

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Rhiannon Giddens has spent much of her career expanding the commonly told history of American folk music, particularly the role Black musicians played in shaping it. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers continues that work while emphasizing ensemble performance and songs connected to North Carolina. Odetta’s 1956 debut, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues, offers a useful earlier reference point. Both records mix interpretation with a strong sense of ownership over the material.

Rita Bliss – One More Winter

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I’d wager that if you asked ten people about the banjo, nine of them would say it’s a hallmark of bluegrass music, or adds highlights to some of the indie-style acoustic music that’s been popular the last couple of decades. But if you go back to the 50’s and 60’s it was an integral part […]

Joanna Connor – Live on 11/11

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Joanna Connor is scary good. I caught her live show in Hagerstown, Maryland some years ago and will never forget her commanding presence. Her new live album, Live on 11/11, shows just how awesome she can be. I’ve gushed over her work before. Connor is an absolute star. Known for her commanding vocals and brazen […]