About an hour north of Denver sits Lyons, Colorado, on the banks of the St. Vrain river. Â It’s the home of the Planet Bluegrass organization, Rockygrass, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and other smaller festivals and events. Â Â Which is to say it’s one of the epicenters of Americana music. Â The Enion Pelta-Tiller and David Tiller […]
Monday Morning Video – Jim Croce Live in Concert
The catalog that Jim Croce created during his short life and career is awe-inspiring. From the entertaining storytelling of “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” to the heart-tugging beauty of “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)” he demonstrated a mastery that leaves us wondering what could have been if he hadn’t died in a […]
Music With a Purpose – Revived and Revitalized
Several years back I did a series about music released with an eye towards social impact or change. Called Music With a Purpose, it was one of the more enjoyable series that I’ve written. The starting point was some great music, made all the more significant given the underlying meaning. Well, the time has come […]
The Traveling Ones – Meet Me There
Peanut butter and jelly, Luxardo cherries and good rye whiskey, banjos and mandolins. Â Some things go well together, like Justin Ahmanson and Emily Villareal, a duo that goes by the name The Traveling Ones. Â Their debut album is called Meet Me There and offers plenty of proof that this couple belongs together musically. Philosophically the […]
Monday Morning Video – Greg Trooper
2017 is already off to a rough start with the recent passing of songwriter Greg Trooper. He was very much a songwriter’s songwriter, a storyteller who delved deep into the lives of the characters who inhabited his songs all the while connecting the listener to the universal truths in their tales.
The Twangville 2017 Release Preview
If the albums scheduled for release over the next few months are any indication, we’re in for a fine year of music. Here are just a few forthcoming long-players that we’re highly anticipating. MOUNT RENRAW by OTIS GIBBS (13 January on Wanamaker Recording Company) Otis Gibbs is one of the most thoughtful songwriters in Americana, […]
Monday Morning Video – Glen Hansard Covers Bowie
This week marks the one year anniversary since we lost David Bowie. Here’s Glen Hansard offering two tributes, the first is a bedroom version of “Ashes to Ashes,” the second is a performance of “Golden Years” from a tribute concert that took place shortly after Bowie’s death.
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2016
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2016 back in June (here and here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Stay Gold, Butch Walker (from the Dangerbird Records release Stay Gold) My […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2016
Here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2016. Midnight MotelJack Ingram Rangers & ValentinesTrapper Schoepp Teens of DenialCar Seat Headrest Burn Something BeautifulAlejandro Escovedo Kicked Out of EdenJavier Escovedo My Way HomeEli ‘Paperboy’ Reed Cold SnapAnthony D’Amato LakesideEric Ambel Eric BachmannEric Bachmann The RevealerJesse Dayton BlindfallerMandolin Orange RockinghamBJ Barham American BandDrive-By […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2016, Boston Edition
This has been an exceptional year for music in and around Boston. I hesitate to break these out into a separate regional list as many of these releases would figure prominently on my overall Best of 2016. That said, taken together they make a great statement on the vibrancy of the Boston music scene. The […]