“Lonely as these days are long/ as dark as the night bird’s song/ strange way of living, let my heart cry/ I’m lonesome and too stoned to cryâ€- Andrew Combs, “Too Stoned to Cry” Every once in awhile a voice comes along that is stunning in its capacity to evoke the spirit of Americana. Andrew […]
Eric Bibb & Habib Koite – Brothers in Bamako
Bluesman Eric Bibb is the latest in a succession of American musicians to get his passport stamped in Mali since Ry Cooder and the late Ali Farka Toure won the Grammy for Best World Music Recording in 1994. Bibb’s fine collaboration with Malian Habib Koite, Brothers in Bamako, stands up well next to Cooder and Toure’s Talking Timbuktu; […]
The Wood Brothers – Live, Volume 1 & 2
The best find for me in September’s AMA awards was a couple of live discs from the Wood Brothers that were included in the swag bag. Â Volume 1 is entitled Sky High, and Volume 2 is Nail & Tooth. Â Regardless of the separate names and release dates, these discs are like, well, two brothers. Â Chris […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2012, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Everything’s Up For Grabs, by Christian McNeill and Sea Monsters It has been ten years since Christian McNeill’s last studio release, but it’s not as if he has been absent from the music scene. He has continued to write and perform around Boston, ultimately joining up with a talented crew of […]
The Stray Birds – The Stray Birds
When I think of bluegrass, I often first think of quality instrumental work. String picking, fiddle tunes, mandolin runs, and a driving percussive beat. Rarely do I find the technical prowess of bluegrass instrumentalist and songwriters whose connection to composition merge in a musical vision. This marriage of bluegrass quality instrumentation and songwriting composition is […]
Stray Birds & Three Tall Pines Throwback
While up north certainly has some strong bluegrass players, I found myself at a truly special evening at Club Passim in Cambridge. Before the show, I’d heard both the Three Tall Pines and the Stray Birds and was struck by both. I thought I could easily be somewhere else. The Three Tall Pines are a […]
Music With a Purpose: A Tribute to Springsteen’s Nebraska
Musicians have a long tradition of giving. Sure, they give to all of us with the music that they share. Yet they also have a penchant for supporting meaningful causes. Over the next few weeks we will highlight several releases that demonstrate this giving spirit. Bruce Springsteen has long supported food banks and hunger charities […]
Duct Tape Saves Lives: Thoughts and Opinions From 3 Southerners on Dwight Yoakam’s 3 Pears
Ok Twangville readers, this will hopefully be a recurring feature that switches up our normal review protocol. It was inspired by frequent long email chains over the years between myself, fellow Twangviller Todd Mathis, and my twin brother Kyle Petersen. Though to be fair, the conversation below is a bit cleaner and more serious than […]
James McMurtry at Johnny D’s
From the first few notes his 12-string, I could tell that this would be a treat. A seasoned performer with over 20 years on the road, McMurtry had the kind of stage presence that you can’t get after a few years. And he had the kind of storytelling chops that an English Professor mother and […]
Craig Chaquico – Fire Red Moon
Craig Chaquico has made the transition from ethereal to earthy in his first blues album, Fire Red Moon. Chaquico has successfully joined the legion of ex-rockers-turned blues musicians with his latest effort. But he may be the only one whose path to the blues led through new age music after having spent almost two decades churning out […]