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 […]
Monday Morning Video – Tim Finn “Persuasion”
The video may not be great but the song certainly is. It’s hard not to be impressed when the audience turns it into an impromptu sing-along. “Persuasion” was co-written by Finn and Richard Thompson.
Monday Morning Video – Celebrating the Boston Music Awards
For nearly 30 years, the Boston Music Awards have celebrated all the great music that emanates from, well, Boston. This year’s event was held last week and a number of Twangville faves walked out as winners. The Silks were selected blues artist of the year while Julie Rhodes took the best new artist crown. Old […]
Silas Lowe – Wandering Father, Forgotten Son
“My poor, poor body; my poor, poor soul. Regret rules my life now that I’m old.”  So goes the beginning of the chorus of About A Dying Father, on the new release from Silas Lowe; Wandering Father, Forgotten Son. In sort of a tribute to Lowe’s father, a 60’s musician who left the family when Silas […]
A Video Premiere from Flagship Romance
I’m generally not a fan of lyric videos and don’t post them but I’m going to make an exception for Flagship Romance. I’m sure that most would agree that one of the greatest feelings a music fan can have comes in that moment when he or she discovers a new favorite artist. I had one […]
I Will Remember Massachusetts, Part 2 – A Special Boston Playlist
Good Old Wind, Kingsley Flood (from the self-released Another Other) There’s been a recent trend of artists producing EPs rather than full-length LPs. The economics make sense, certainly for independent artists, in the context of the continuously evolving music industry. I also appreciate the possibility of getting more frequent, albeit shorter, releases from my favorite […]
Monday Morning Video – Alejandro Escovedo “Sister Lost Soul”
Alejandro Escovedo (rock band edition) just passed through Boston for a post-Thanksgiving extravaganza. In the midst of an otherwise rocking set that leaned heavily on the just-released Burn Something Beautiful, Escovedo took a solemn moment to reflect on the many musicians that we’ve lost this year. He celebrated their memory with a moving version of […]
I Will Remember Massachusetts – A Special Boston Playlist
Monroe, Ian Fitzgerald (from the self-released You Won’t Even Know I’m Gone) For many a year Fitzgerald has plied his trade as a folk singer, a troubadour with an acoustic guitar. Over that time he has earned the respect of fellow musicians, always a good indicator that an artist warrants attention. Let’s give credit where […]