Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

SXSW 2012: The Scene

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For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,200 bands and 19,000 attendees, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even better, it is one heck of […]

The Acoustic Burgoo – Word.

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If the saying “variety is the spice of life” is true, The Acoustic Burgoo is the equivalent of my grandmother’s cooking drawer.  There was a lot of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and other baking flavors for a comforting dish.  There were plenty of herbs for savory dishes, and some pepper for bite.  And a couple of […]

Couch By Couchwest, the Alternative to SXSW

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While a couple of thousand bands converged on Austin, Texas for SXSW, a few hundred more took over couches, porches and even bathrooms for Couch By Couchwest. Participating artists produced and submitted live performance videos for all to enjoy. Below are a few favorites from artists like Mic Harrison & the High Score, Doc Dailey, […]

Melody Walker – Gold Rush Goddess

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Kris Kristofferson famously wrote “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”.  Although it became an anthem for a certain lifestyle back in the 70’s, Kristofferson himself would probably admit life’s a little more nuanced than that.  Whether consciously or not, Melody Walker seems to be exploring a lot of those shades of gray […]

Monday Morning Video: Frank Turner

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Here are two sides of Frank Turner playing one of my favorites from his excellent catalog. The first finds him playing a large outdoor festival in Germany while in the second he is playing someone’s sweaty basement in Philadelphia. Talk about taking your music to the people… And I won’t sit down And I won’t […]

Katie Glassman – Snapshot

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Chocolate covered bacon.  Spam sushi.  Over easy eggs on pizza.  I’m a fan of things that, at first, don’t seem to go well together, and yet when you actually try it’s pretty darn good.  That’s the kind of surprise I got when listening to Katie Glassman’s latest release, Snapshot.  It’s bluegrass and vintage jazz.  A […]

I See Hawks In L.A. – New Kind Of Lonely

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Driving east out of Bakersfield you see it long before you get there, the heat shimmer distorting lines and colors, and yet somehow it kind of sneaks up on you.  One minute you’re in civilization, the next…nowhere.  California’s high desert has inspired musicians from Gram Parsons and the Eagles to Ted Nugent and Queens of […]

Monday Morning Video: Kasey Anderson

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To help us get in the mood for the upcoming Twangville showcase, here is a video from featured artist Kasey Anderson. Anderson will be joined by Lydia Loveless, Mooncussers and American Gun for a special night of music on 10 March 2012 at The New Brookland Tavern in Columbia, South Carolina. Details on the show […]

Win (Really) Big: Paul Kelly Box Set

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If ever there was a Twangville give-away that I would want to win, this would be it. Several years ago Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly began playing multi-night shows during which he performed songs from his catalog in alphabetical order. The shows begat plans for a box set; the planned box set begat a book. Although […]