Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band House of Blues, Boston MA February 19, 2016 On a cold night in February, I walked out of the sweaty House of Blues feeling like I had just been to some sort of a therapy session (and I am a therapist as my day job!) and my spirits […]
Monday Morning Video – Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg is one of those exceptional songwriters who can move you to tears with a heartbreaking ballad one minute and fire you up with some blistering social and political commentary the next minute. Proof in point, here are “Must I Paint You a Picture” and “Waiting for the Great Leap Forward” from his 1988 […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – The Video Companion
Actual videos of our fave Folk Alliance performances are hard to come by, well at least good quality ones. So we decided to go with the next best thing – videos of these performers captured in other, sometimes unique, locations. Featured in this video playlist are: The Show Ponies, Parsonsfield, Aoife O’Donovan, Session Americana, Bob […]
Shawn’s 2016 Folk Alliance Favorites
For what I’m certain won’t be the last time, I headed to Kansas City for the Folk Alliance International conference (and musical extravaganza). Â With nearly half of the 2500 attendees being musicians, you could barely round a corner in any public area and not find impromptu jams. As you might expect, there were a number […]
Folk Alliance Conference 2016 – The Scene and the Sounds
Twangville returned to Kansas City two weeks ago for the annual Folk Alliance Conference. As we wrote last year, Folk Alliance is a different than your typical music conference or festival. For starters, the attendees are overwhelming musicians (save party crashers like us). This translates into an all music, all the time philosophy. This comes […]
Monday Morning Video – Reed Foehl’s “Strange Days”
Former Acoustic Junction singer-songwriter Reed Foehl shines on this solo acoustic version of a song that he originally recorded with his old compadres.
Robert Earl Keen is Coming Home
Texas hill country singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen has a tendency to mix humor, sometimes dark humor, into his songs. He plays it straight-up, however, on this tender love song “I’m Coming Home.” “Ain’t nothin’ better than your own backyard, I’m comin’ home to you.” Here is an early performance of the song taken from a […]
Dori Freeman – Dori Freeman
From purely a songwriting perspective, I sometimes feel like many an artist’s best work is their debut album. Â The songs have been crafted over years and found their voice right along with the artist. It’s also frequently the case that you get a broader range of styles before fans and personal preferences start driving to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2016
ALBUM OF THE MONTH You’re Dreaming by The Cactus Blossoms There was a time when brotherly harmonies dominated the musical airwaves. From the Everly Brothers in pop to the Louvin Brothers in country, it was a sound that was both soothing and satisfying. Despite the fact that this music was a touchstone for many artists […]
Monday Morning Video – Joe Ely and Billy the Kid Never Got Along
Joe Ely has long been one of Americana’s most colorful storytellers. Here he sings about some imagined escapades with legendary outlaw Billy the Kid (as well as Billy’s girlfriend) while John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett look on with rapt attention.