Battle Born, Matthew Ryan (from the self-released Hustle Up Starling) I tend to judge the quality of a year in part based on the caliber of new music unleashed within them. In that light, any year that we get a new album from Matthew Ryan is well on its way to being a good one. […]
Back in the Saddle Again – a Special Twangville Playlist, Part 2
It’s time to get back in the playlist game. After a not-so-brief hiatus during which I opened the Twangville office in Dallas, I’m ready to get back to the playlists. And, given that the last one appeared in August of last year (!), let’s just say that I’ve got some catching up to do. To […]
Back in the Saddle Again – a Special Twangville Playlist
It’s time to get back in the playlist game. After a not-so-brief hiatus during which I opened the Twangville office in Dallas, I’m ready to get back to the playlists. And, given that the last one appeared in August of last year(!), let’s just say that I’ve got some catching up to do. To that […]
Monday Morning Video – Jameson Elder
I wish I could remember where I stumbled across Jameson Elder. Although the Nashville by way of Atlanta singer-songwriter sings with tremendous confidence there is a vulnerability and melancholy that runs deep in his lyrics. “I swear this house is haunted,” he sings in this gem from Prodigals & Thieves, his most recent release. In […]
The Sounds of Summer – A Premiere from Trapper Schoepp
What’s more summer than an amusement park? Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp is inclined to agree and is helping us ring in this year’s summer season with Bay Beach Amusement Park, a six-song concept ep tribute to a Green Bay, WI institution. Not surprisingly, the ep rings out with a youthful innocence and enthusiasm as Schoepp […]
Twangville Premiere: Brett Newski’s “Songs To Sink the American Dream”
Back in a earlier time (e.g. 2 years ago), Tuesday was widely known among US music aficionados as album release day. Then the world changed when the music industry decided that Friday would be a much better day to unleash new music. Well, with an ode to that bygone Tuesday era, Twangville if offering up […]
Twangville Premiere: Ronnie Fauss covers Merle Haggard
Back in a earlier time (e.g. 2 years ago), Tuesday was widely known among US music aficionados as album release day. Then the world changed when the music industry decided that Friday would be a much better day to unleash new music. Well, with an ode to that bygone Tuesday era, Twangville if offering up […]
Twangville Presents Austin Lucas and Dan Blakeslee in Concert (Cambridge, MA)
It’s easy to forget that being a professional musician is about more than music. This is even more true for the independent artist who will spend the day doing everything from stuffing merch envelopes and hanging show posters to trying to coordinate tour logistics from behind the wheel of the tour van. With that as […]
Mike Errico’s Sinking Ship – A Twangville Premiere
I still remember, and have previously written about, my introduction to Mike Errico. I, along with a room full of holiday revelers, were relegated to a stunned silence as Errico performed solo with his acoustic guitar at a NYC show. With one song, Errico secured a spot on my top ten list of concert experiences. […]
Eric Bibb – Migration Blues
The plight of troubled people on the move seeking a new, safe home is the theme of Eric Bibb’s heartfelt Migration Blues. It tells the tale of various peoples – refugees and migrants – who have hit the road to escape violence or grinding hardship. With the album, Bibb says he hopes to “encourage us all […]