A few years ago a friend of mine told me about a Monday night bluegrass show at Dee’s in East Nashville. He said it was like a romper room for string band musicians, where fun was favored over taking the traditions of bluegrass too seriously. The lineup was always a little different, but had a […]
Rory Block – Heavy On The Blues
I lost track when I was trying to count just how many albums Rory Block has released through the years. Suffice it to say the number is around 40, and she’s been a fixture in the blues since her solo debut 50 years ago. Originally from Manhattan, Block has been passionate about the blues since […]
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country – Horizons
Daniel Dontato’s Cosmic Country is releasing a new album Horizons tomorrow. This is one I have been looking forward to. Although, before I jump into Daniel Donato’s new project, a little etymology on the term Cosmic Country is in order. Before you can appreciate what Donato refers to as Cosmic Country you need to understand […]
KP Hawthorn – Til the Glitter End
Over a decade ago, KP Hawthorn and a few of her friends/musicians decided to put together CALICO the band, a vehicle for their love of the California Country sound. KP, Jaime Wyatt, and Manda Mosher co-wrote several songs and the band’s debut, Rancho California, came out in 2014. Fast forward those ten years and KP […]
Chip’s Best of 2025 – So Far
I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. My year end best of is a daunting task, so I am going to cut the challenge in half and try to get the Twangville readers to think about what their favorites are so far in 2025. No better to do that than give you […]
Hayes Carll – We’re Only Human
I’ve heard several musicians state they don’t know what they would have done if they weren’t musicians. It’s all they’ve ever been any good at, or even really known how to do. I have no idea how Hayes Carll feels about that notion, but I’m pretty sure he could have been a standout comedian or […]
Wild Mountain Mystics – Fire & Honey
I was reading the other day about the Horseshoe Theory, which suggests that the extreme right and extreme left have surprisingly similar points of view on many things. I won’t comment on the political validity of that, but I discovered a musical version of the idea. Imagine combining the DIY aesthetic of punk rock and […]
The Dang-It Bobbys – Early Riser
With July 4th just passed the cultural calendar is firmly planted in summer styles. The literary publications are full of reviews of beach reads. Hollywood is rolling out their summer blockbusters, a category which, if the critics are to be believed, pretty much originated 50 years ago with a story about a beach and a […]
Studio Spotlight/Welcome to 1979, Chris Mara
In 2018 I had the opportunity to attend Tape Camp at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, then stay over for a few days and record. Chris and his team were nothing less than fantastic and the place is a wonderland for bands to explore. I recently reached out and asked if he would answer our […]
Maria Muldaur – One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey
Sometimes music can act as a time machine, delivering us back to some previous time or place. Maria Muldaur’s latest tribute to Victoria Spivey takes her listeners back to the “Roaring Twenties,” a time when Spivey’s saucy lyrics and jaunty rhythms played a big part of the counter-culture of the day. Born in Houston in […]