Bill Mallonee’s 50th release (that is not a typo by the way) is one of his most impassioned. I realize that is a bold statement when the referenced artist has such a large body of work. The lyrics on “Amber Waves” are full of pain and loss. However, there is an underlying hope in these […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2013
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Battles, by Kingsley Flood Battles is the sound of a band hitting stride. Kingsley Flood have always delivered rock solid songs and performances. Their latest release, however, packages their most potent songwriting to date with some equally powerful arrangements. There’s a real edge to the songs across this release. The title […]
Bill Mallonee – Live House Concert
To say that Bill Mallonee is prolific in his songwriting is an understatement. Between traditional releases and online releases, he has recorded 50 albums. Based in Athens, he came on the scene in the late 80’s as the front man for the Vigilantes of Love, but has primarily been a solo-act for the better part […]
Skinny Molly – Haywire Riot
Welcome to 1978. Hardworking, hard rocking Skinny Molly’s new release, Haywire Riot, is an unabashed throwback in the tradition of southern rock bands Molly Hatchet and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Led by frontman Mike Estes, a member of latter-day iterations of Lynyrd Skynyrd since the mid-1990s, the band was intended as a fun diversion but Estes said it became his […]
Carrie Rodriguez – Give Me All You Got
I’ll get straight to the point here. Â Carrie Rodriguez has finally captured the energy, or spirit, or je ne sais quoi, or whatever you want to call it, of seeing her live, on a record. Â I’ve enjoyed Carrie’s previous records. Â But they tended to be sort of introspective. Â Go to a live show, though, and […]
Jeff’s Favorite Records of 2012
1. Robert Francis – Strangers in the First Place After his major-label debut in 2009, I thought Robert Francis would be my little secret no longer. But strangely, neither 2009’s Warner release Before Nightfall or this year’s vanguard release Strangers in the First Place brought the kind of attention that I thought. This hasn’t dulled […]
Best of 2012, Tom’s Picks
Best Album of 2012 THE RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS, The Wolf You Feed Austin by way of Denton, these cats can rock. Pour some rock, punk, soul, and twang into the cauldron and you’ll summon THe Riverboat Gamblers. These guys are what the Kinks would sound like if they returned as zombies. The Wolf You Feed is […]
Todd’s Tops of 2012
There were a lot of songs from 2012 that I enjoyed, but not a lot of albums. Maybe because I can only listen to so much new music without getting jaded or maybe it is still a time for singles. Or maybe, just maybe, I didn’t hear your favorite record yet and haven’t been converted. All of my top […]
Shawn’s Favorite Albums of 2012
Unlike Eli, I struggled to pick my top choices for music last year. Â Any one of my top 4 or 5 might have won out at a different time. Â That’s an indicator that it was a good year for music though, with a good mix of long-time Twangville and chart favorites as well as some […]
Eli’s Favorite Records of 2012
1. Langhorne Slim- The Way We Move The #1 record of the year is traditionally an easy pick for me to make. This year was no exception. The Way We Move is Langhorne Slim’s definitive statement. The band rollicks from stumbling soul music to acoustic folk rock anthems and finally captures the insane energy of […]