Man, there have been a ton of great records released this year that can be placed into the relatively ambiguous class of “modern folk” or “acoustic pop”, or whatever. We have seen the records from The Low Anthem, Langhorne Slim, The Swell Season and A.A. Bondy, among others, already considered to be among many peoples […]
The Swell Season – Strict Joy
I have always been beyond hesitant to call any of my posts “reviews”. For one, I’m not much of a writer, for two, I am basically just trying to tell you about a record that I really like, so I don’t feel the need to dress it up as anything more journalistic and formal than […]
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2009
Move over Bonnaroo. Step aside Coachella. With crowd estimates hovering around 750,000 this year, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is now the country’s largest music event. And it’s free. Three days, 6 stages, 80 acts with a broad range of appeal, all courtesy of Warren Hellman, a local investment banker and philanthropist. With that many sets of […]
Michael Ford Jr. & The Apache Relay
The record by relatively new act, Michael Ford Jr. & The Apache Relay, 1988, is a really focused and well performed set of tunes for a band that hasn’t been together for very long. The bio of the band really enhances the overall experience of listening to 1988. When you find that Michael Ford Jr. […]
Readers’ Pick: Trailer II by Chris Knight
Twangville readers picked ‘Trailer II’ by Chris Knight as their favorite release for week of September 15, 2009. Recorded back in 1996 in a singlewide trailer parked near his hometown of Slaughters, Kentucky, ‘Trailer II’ is part two of a now legendary set of recordings. Their legend has grown through various bootlegs, leaks, and performances […]
Guy Clark- Somedays the Song Writes You
There are songwriters that are so prolific, that they write a song a day. Maybe once a week, they write a good one. The difficulty then comes in figuring which ones are really good. Guy Clark is not that kind of songwriter. He is a true craftsman in every sense of the word. Working on […]
From Texas to Nashville: Seth James & Amanda Shires
A couple of recent releases have provided great examples of records that were made by Texan artists in Music City. People often mistakenly – and lazily – equate any country music made in Nashville to the slick pop style that is featured on Top 40 Country radio. For those paying attention, these two albums should […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2009, a Video Companion
We’ll cut right to the chase with this live performance only edition of the Video Companion. The Drive-By Truckers burst out of the gate with Patterson Hood’s fiesty “The Righteous Path” followed by Austin’s (by way of Somerville) Porterdavis singing “Smack You Back.” We carry on with Ian Hunter, Delbert McClinton, Sam Baker, These United […]
An Interview With Joe Pug
A couple of months ago, I was driving somewhere with my twin brother. Â He’s yammering on and on about this new songwriter that I have to listen to. Â Now my brother has pretty good taste and has introduced me to many if not most of my favorite artists, but he’s still my brother–so I mostly […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2009, part 2
Showerhead, Rachelle Van Zanten (from the RZV Records release Where Your Garden Grows) Canada’s Van Zanten sure can play a mean guitar. What really caught my ear, however, was the confidence and brawn in this track. Mix the rawness of a Lucinda Williams tune with the slide guitar chops of Bonnie Raitt and a touch […]