Get ready for Record Store Day this Saturday, April 18th. Started in 2007 to promote independent record stores, it has grown into a celebration of independent music and the hearty souls that support it. Across the country and around the world Independent Record Stores will be hosting special in-store performances. You’ll likely find me at […]
Play Ball!
Justin Townes Earle on Justin Townes Earle
Our friends at Vimby were kind enough to share this video interview with Twangville favorite Justin Townes Earle. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see Earle live in concert, this is a good introduction to his down-home style and the sharp wit that he inherited from his father. VIMBY – Justin Townes Earle
The Legacy of Townes and Sir Douglas
Spring brings us two phenomenal releases honoring the legacy of Texas music pioneers Doug Sahm and Townes Van Zandt. The recently released Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm (Vanguard Records) pays tribute to San Antonio native Doug Sahm. Sahm established himself in 1965 as leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet, a band whose […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2009, a Video Companion
We book-end this month’s video playlist with Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys), opening with a rocking take on “My Last Mistake” and closing with a special acoustic performance of “Trouble Weighs a Ton.” In between we’ve got live performances from Alex Dezen (The Damnwells), Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Justin Townes Earle, Sam […]
The Day the Music Died
Fifty years ago tonight, the music world lost some shining lights. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died when their plane crashed into a field on February 2nd, 1959. We’ll never fully know what they would have accomplished had they lived. Yet there is little doubt of the impact that they’ve had on […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, a Video Companion
What’s a playlist without a video companion? We kick things off with Otis Gibbs and Miranda Lee Richards, our featured artists this month. From there we’ve got live clips from the Gourds, Gary Louris & Mark Olson, Joe Ely and A.C. Newman, plus videos from Frank Turner and Bruce Springsteen. We close out this month […]
Best Albums of 2008, Official Twangville Picks
This is our second year aggregate of our year-end best album lists representing another great year in music. This year we’ve broadened the list to include our Reader’s Picks and Bobby K’s annual picks. Scoring was based on 10 points for a #1 pick working its way down to 1 point for a #10 pick. […]
Ray Charles Says It All
A Few Words from Dion
I’m one of those poor stiffs working today as the United States celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. That doesn’t mean, however, that I can’t honor the moment with the legendary Dion DiMucci performing his classic “Abraham, Martin and John”.