So here it is halfway through 2010 and I’m in (mostly) a rock and roll mood. Here’s what has been blasting my speakers of late: The Hold Steady/Heaven is Whenever: The band just keeps getting better with each release still kickin’ out the positive jams with more conviction and enthusiasm as ever. And there are […]
Terri Hendrix – Cry Till You Laugh
Running on all cylinders. In the groove. Hitting the sweet spot. All are descriptors about when everything comes together and suddenly the sum is greater than the parts. They’re also good descriptions of the latest album from the queen of San Marcos, Texas, Terri Hendrix. Her latest release, Cry Till You Laugh, with long-time collaborator […]
Joe Pug- “Burn and Shine”
Ok, so this post was suppose to be a review of Sunset / Sunrise by the Seattle based band Duchess and the Duke. However, unfortunately (or fortunately) I got Leeroy Stagger’s new record, Acoustic Vol. 1, in the mail yesterday. I listened to pretty much nothing else last night. But fear not faithful Twangville readers, […]
Marah – Life is a Problem
It wasn’t too long ago when Stephen King declared that Marah “is probably the best rock band in America that nobody knows†after their 2005 record “If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry.†The band has seen changes in their lineup and sound since that comment was made and “Life is a Problem” reflects that. Serge […]
Merle Haggard, with Kris Kristofferson – Live at Mountain Winery
Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. There we were, all 1800 of us, singing along with Joan Baez, that darling of the counterculture, “We don’t let our hair grow long and shaggy, like the hippies out in San Francisco do. And I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.” The occasion was the […]
The Constellations – Southern Gothic
Down in the dirty, dirty south there’s a new band hitting the scene that’s about to change everything. Atlanta is probably one of the unlikeliest places you’ll hear this particular brand of freakadelia. The South has always had a sordid tale to tell and it’s been told many times over. This time around the storyteller […]
Justin Currie – Acoustic Live
Okay, I admit that I’m a little late to the Justin Currie/Del Amitri band wagon. Okay, a lot late. Maybe it’s slowed a bit in this decade. I should have known that the Scottish and their hundreds of lochs, brutal weather and amazing accents are really like the U.S. Pacific Northwest for irresistible rock-pop. Glasgow […]
Listen Up & Win Big: Matthew Ryan
As good as last year’s electric Dear Lover was, this year’s acoustic companion is even better. The sparse arrangements showcase the tenderness and vulnerability of Ryan’s lyrics without losing any of the intensity. The hushed whisper of “The World Is†illuminates the songs frailty, making Ryan’s quiet optimism that much more evocative. “The world is […]
Heading Home: Family, Friends, Beer, and MUSIC
I recently spent three weeks back home in South Carolina. The weeks were filled with family, friends, beer, and some righteous rock and roll music. The first show I caught was Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses w/Guilt Ridden Troubadour at the Pour House in Charleston. It was the single most packed show I’ve been […]
Shippin’ Up to Boston: A Special Playlist
I’m fortunate to live in a city that appreciates and supports great music. Here are a few of my current favorites. Banks of the Mississippi, Jenee Hastead (from the self-released Hollow Bones) “Baby, if we could go to the banks of the Mississippi, watch out I’ll float your body out to sea,” sings Halstead in […]