50 years old. At that age, you’d think that most people would be settling into their career. Yet Patterson Hood still seems like he’s got lots new to say. He and Mike Cooley may be a little bit older, but they’ve definitely still got a hard-edged guitar attack and a heck of a lot of […]
SXSW 2014 — The Sounds, Part 1
THE HOLD STEADY While I may not be as crazy as my friend who chased the band around Austin for the band’s 7 planned shows, I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to see the Brooklyn rockers celebrate their first album in 4 years. I accompanied said friend to the front of the stage […]
Southern Soul Assembly at the Saenger Theatre, Mobile, Alabama
So I’m in Mobile, AL this week for my day job. As I’m eating lunch Tuesday I look up and see a poster for the Southern Soul Assembly, featuring JJ Grey, Luther Dickinson, Anders Osborne and Marc Broussard. And it’s that night at the Saenger Theatre about a block from my hotel. I rush out […]
Nickel Creek – A Dotted Line
Nine year itch? Well nine years can’t come fast enough. Nickel Creek albums have instrumental brilliance throughout, folky, experimental, bluegrass, and true band dynamics. The albums can be uneven at times, but such sheer brilliance shines through each album. So I thought that a reunion album would be the diet coke of Nickel Creek. Strangely, […]
The Annie Ford Band
The PR blurb that came with the release talks about how Annie Ford was reared in the “sparse, rustic darkness of rural America.” Â One of the notes from my first listen to the release was, “what David Lynch would have used if he chose bluegrass for Twin Peaks.” Â From those two comments I think you […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Feb/Mar 2014, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTHS English Oceans, by Drive-By Truckers I suppose that this review could be titled “Cooley Steps Out.” The band co-founder, who has historically contributed only a couple of songs per release, is credited with six songs on English Oceans. Ever better, they are some of his strongest songs in years. The opening […]
Nick Moss Band – Time Ain’t Free
Nick Moss paid his dues, working as a side man for veteran Chicago bluesmen, including Buddy Scott, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and former Muddy Waters drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Those blues chops, hard earned, provided the backbone for Moss to lead his own formidable blues outfit for more than a decade. A student of […]
The Grass is Always Bluer – The Seldom Scene
At twangville, we love our rootsy music but thus far we haven’t given one of the most distinct strains of country its due. And that will change today. I’ve had my own personal bluegrass renaissance and at the hands of the skilled pickers of the  Seldom Scene. The band has made a habit of bringing […]
Lost & Nameless, Cody Jasper
Empty Spaces, the latest EP from Lost & Nameless opens with a title track that is perhaps best described as an Americana tango. Â So right from the get-go you know this is going to be an interesting listen. Â The remainder of the record does not disappoint. Â Lost & Nameless is an Austin-based group composed of […]
Josh Ritter’s Acoustic Magic
Josh Ritter Acoustic Trio @ The Somerville Theatre Somerville, MA: March 6, 2014 Joy. It’s just the first word that comes to mind when I think of this show, Josh Ritter’s face, the songs played, the energy between the 3 men on stage. Ritter has been touring for nearly 1 year straight since the release […]