It was just a few years ago that Drayton Farley was recording songs in his bedroom. His new release, A Heavy Duty Heart, boldly announces that though they were recent those days are long in the rearview. Like his previous album, the project was produced by Sadler Vaden, guitarist for Jason Isbell and the 400 […]
Rick Vito – Slidemaster
If you’re like me, and you love some slide guitar, commsummate musician and sideman Rick Vito has an offering for you. Vito, who was a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1987 until 1991, and who toured or sat in on recordings with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, John Fogerty, Bob Seger (Vito played […]
Now & Then: The Steel Wheels’ The Steel Wheels and the reach of Tomorrow the Green Grass
Some self-titled albums feel like a debut all over again. Others feel like a band planting a flag after years on the road. The Steel Wheels’ The Steel Wheels lands somewhere in between, sounding like a group confident enough to reintroduce itself without pretending it has become something entirely new. That makes The Jayhawks’ 1995 Tomorrow the Green Grass a useful “Then” match: another record by a roots-minded band that widened its reach without losing its center.
Now & Then: Reese McHenry’s Forever and the reach of Furnace Room Lullaby
Some records show up as a comeback, some as a coronation. Released posthumously, Forever arrives with a sadder kind of gravity, but it does not feel hushed or fragile from the outside. Even the title has a little swagger. So do the songs gathered under it. McHenry’s work always carried that useful contradiction, where the voice could sound world-weary and ready to laugh at the same time, and where a tune could feel lived-in without ever slumping into the sounds of a polite singer-songwriter.
SONG PREMIERE – Nocona “How Do You Feel?” (Featuring Rosie Flores)
We at Twangville are proud to premier the new single by west coast Country Rockers Nocona. “How Do You Feel?” is a dueling guitar extravaganza featuring the legendary Rosie Flores. It is certainly fitting to fuse the edgy Rockabilly of Flores with the edgy Roots Rock of Nocona. The song will be available March 13th […]
Now & Then: Rose’s Pawn Shop’s American Seams and the reach of Southern Rock Opera
There’s a specific kind of American band that always sounds like it’s been driving all night, even when it’s standing perfectly still. The rhythm section has road dust in its pockets. The harmonies feel like the front porch light got left on. The songs smile at you, but they’re squinting, like they’ve seen how the sausage gets made.
Alan Williams – Floating On the Dreamline
If Alan Williams’ life-to-date was a Hollywood movie, it would be one of those where it starts at the end. In this case, it’s his combination retirement/record release party later this month. The album is his third solo release, Floating On the Dreamline. The retirement is from being a professor of music at the University […]
Now & Then: The Band of Heathens’ Country Sides and the reach of Golden Smog’s Down by the Old Mainstream
Some bands age like cast iron: the scratches add flavor, and somehow the thing gets more useful the longer you keep it around. The Band of Heathens have always played like they were born in a room where somebody left the Wurlitzer on, the amps warm, and the door cracked for whoever has a harmony part.
Tim Easton – fIREHORSE
I’m a sucker for a good story. Sure, there are plenty of great songs that aren’t much beyond a chant and a chord progression. But the ones that germinate in your mind to become a part of your worldview; they’re relatable in a way that goes all the way back Aesop. Someone who’s a master […]
Now & Then: Clay Street Unit’s Sin & Squalor and the reach of The Devil Makes Three
There’s a certain kind of roots record that doesn’t want to be reviewed so much as spilled. You know the type: beer-ring on the lyric sheet, boot-scuff on the melody, a chorus built to survive a room full of people talking over it until they suddenly aren’t.