Fine, Bonnie Whitmore (from the Aviatrix Records release Last Will & Testament) Bonnie Whitmore lulls you in with a chorus of harmonies on the opening track to her latest album. But before one can settle into the lushness, a fuzzy bass, quickly joined by ominous strings and a resonating electric guitar, interrupts to create a […]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2020
I already knew the Hellman family had challenged the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass staff to come up with a worthy alternative to the annual musical gathering in Golden Gate Park the first weekend in October. I knew they had been shooting video with various artists in music towns like Austin, Nashville, and of course San Francisco. […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2020, Part 1
Remember It, The Northern Belle (from the Die With Your Boots On Records release We Wither, We Bloom) You’d never know from their music that The Northern Belle hails from Norway. Their brand of Americana is bathed in Southern California sunshine in more ways than one. This is music warm and lavish, not to mention […]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Preview
Twenty years ago next week a San Francisco musician and financier, Warren Hellman, arranged a birthday concert for his sister, a big bluegrass fan. The next year, as part of a bid to get Emmylou to play, Hellman included a modifier to the concert’s name, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass was official. Since then the event […]
Austin Lucas Reflects on The Times – A Twangville Premiere
Austin Lucas has never been one to pull his punches so one shouldn’t expect him to do so now. Alive in the Hot Zone, his forthcoming album, finds him reflecting on the jarring tumult of 2020 from a unique viewpoint – an American sequestered in Germany. There, isolated from family and friends at home, he’s […]
It’s Alright Just to Be – a Premiere from Isaac Hoskins
Songs really don’t come much better than “It’s Alright Just to Be”. The acoustic ballad starts with a random encounter between the singer and a drunk man at a bar. As the man’s heartbreaking story emerges, the singer considers the false assumptions he made about the man. A musical pause transitions the song into a […]
Monday Morning Video: Kevin Gordon Goes Back to the Well
There’s something special about hearing songs in their truest form. Kevin Gordon’s recent release of the demos from his 2000 release Down to the Well is a fine case in point. Sure, it’s nice to hear Lucinda Williams adding her voice to the album version of the title track. The original demo, however, bristles with […]
Sean Danger Smith – Space Camp
He calls it “music to think to.” Sean Danger Smith’s music is introspective and interesting. Introspective, these days, with many of us unemployed and shut in at home, might just be where it’s at. I was turned on to Sean Danger Smith by a young friend of mine in Philadelphia. Smith has released a new […]
When the Lawn Gets Dark – a Premiere from Jackson Emmer
You can hear lots of musical touchpoints in Jackson Emmer’s music. There’s the lyrical perceptiveness of Jackson Browne, the melodic air of fellow Colorado artist John Denver, and the occasional flash of wit reminiscent of Todd Snider. It all comes together quite nicely on Alpine Coda, Emmer’s forthcoming new album (arriving 2 Oct). “When the […]
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2020 (So Far), the Songs
No Time for Love Songs, The Mastersons (from the Red House Records release No Time for Love Songs) I love you so much but it’s no time for love songs We’re starting to unravel at the seams Maybe I care too much and this world is hard enough How come everybody’s gotta be so mean? […]