Sam Baker appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in 2004 with his glorious debut Mercy, which in turn was followed my favorite record of 2007 Pretty World. Baker’s late life music career is remarkable considering any variety of factors, but perhaps the most impressive is his near deafness. In 1986 while traveling in Peru, Baker was […]
Readers’ Pick: Acousticueticals by Plain & Simple
Twangville readers picked fan write-in Acousticueticals by Plain & Simple as their favorite release for week of August 11, 2009. Plain & Simple is the work of B.J. Purnell a middle-America father of five who appears to live up to the “plain and simple” moniker. The album contains 11 original songs written by Purnell accompanied […]
The Big Surprise Show – Justin Townes Earle, The Felice Brothers, Dave Rawlings Machine, Old Crow Medicine Show
When four Americana torch-bearers come together to give a show some may call it a festival, some may call it an old-time medicine show, but I just call it a hell of a good night. For a fan of Americana music, the lineup was pretty hard to believe. Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch rarely play […]
Grant Langston – Stand Up Man
When I first looked at the CD and saw a song called “Shiner Bock and Vicodin†I thought it had possibilities. Then I listened to the song, which featured a naked guy in a wedding, and knew that Stand Up Man couldn’t miss. Then I remembered that Grant Langston was the guy who dared to […]
Indie Hour: Brendan Benson
With The Raconteurs, his side-project with friend Jack White, on a hiatus, Brendan Benson returns to his solo roots to unleash a power pop bonanza with My Old, Familiar Friend. Opener “A Whole Lot Better†sets the tone with a rash of electric guitars powered by an urgent beat and walking baseline. “I fell in […]
Readers Pick: Tribute To by Yim Yames
Twangville readers picked the new EP by Yim Yames titled Tribute To as their favorite release for week of August 4, 2009. Tribute To is a six song EP from My Morning Jacket’s singer Jim James recorded as a ‘tribute to’ George Harrison. The record came together shortly after Harrison passed away back in 2001. […]
2009 Newport Folk Festival- Day Two
The second day of the 2009 Newport Folk Festival dawned with an overcast sky that slowly bled into sunshine for an excellent Sunday of folk music. My first choice would be a difficult one. Josh Ritter was playing the main stage directly opposite the David Rawlings Machine at the harbourside stage. I elected to begin […]
2009 Newport Folk Festival- Day One
The 2009 Newport Folk Festival, officially entitled George Wein’s Folk Festival 50, was quite unlike any music festival I had previously attended. Located in the beautiful town of Newport, Rhode Island at Fort Adams State Park, the Festival clearly has a sense of place. With the 3 stages located on the outer rim of the […]
Mayer’s Playlist from July 2009
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Lean Forward, by The Bottle Rockets Now that summer has finally arrived, it’s a good time to pick out the summer albums. It starts with the latest from the pride of Festus, Missouri, The Bottle Rockets. Lead songwriter Brian Henneman is a pop songwriter masquerading as an alt-country musician. And summer […]
Plain & Simple – Acousticueticals
When a critic hears about a new act in music, a relative unknown, often the excitement at discovery is tempered by trepidation at the disappointment. Still, as music writers we attempt to somehow divide our time between trusted acts, the possibility of a new discovery that no one else has heard. With these same ambivalent […]