Standing in a meadow at 10,000 feet, the first thing you notice is how the air is so incredibly clear. Â Objects, even distant ones, have a sharpness that doesn’t seem quite normal. Â Then there’s the vegetation; a surprising amount but it’s never lush. Â Everything has some white, whether it’s the bark of the aspen, the […]
Monday Morning Video — a Premiere from Don DiLego
Yeah, I know that seeing a musician play in a bar is fairly commonplace. There’s something special about this video, however. NYC songwriter Don DiLego spent an afternoon sitting at an East Village bar with his guitar in hand. The feel of the room matches the melancholy of his song “Midnight Train,” taken from last […]
Jonathan Warren & the Billy Goats – On This Very Evening
What if Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers wrote music instead of making movies? Â I think it would sound like Jonathan Warren & the Billy Goats. Â There’s a simple story line to the music, yet the cast of characters and quirky delivery make for something unique that keeps your rapt attention. Â Their latest album, On […]
Americana 2013, the Sounds, Part 2
Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through four days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. LUCINDA WILLIAMS The Americana Conference instituted a new tradition this year: […]
Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman – We Made It Home
“Heaven is right here, if you’re doing it right.” Â Those words lead the chorus of Black Grace, a song that won Melody Walker the songwriting contest last year at Merlefest. Â She and partner Jacob Groopman have just released We Made It Home that includes Black Grace and number of other treasures. Â Produced by bluegrass virtuoso […]
Monday Morning Video: An Encore from John Hiatt
We’re going to stick with John Hiatt again this week. This humorous ditty is taken from a 1989 songwriters showcase that also featured John Prine, Guy Clark and Joe Ely. Hiatt’s introduction about the pressures of writing a hit song is classic. It is almost as memorable as the song that follows.
Wicked Saints – Don’t Kill the Blackbird
One of my favorite recent discoveries from the random music that finds it’s way to me is an EP from earlier this year of the Wicked Saints, Don’t Kill the Blackbird. Â So I was happy when Paul McCarty, leader and bedrock of the band, sent me a note the full length version was due out […]
Music with a Purpose: Songs for the World’s Bravest Kids
This post continues our series of posts about music that serves a higher purpose. This music reaches beyond pure listening enjoyment, raising awareness about important issues that affects countless people in their day-to-day lives. Alastair Moock had built a successful career as a folk musician when cancer struck. It didn’t strike him, but rather his […]
The Band Of Heathens – Sunday Morning Record
Sunday Morning Record. Â The title of the latest from The Band Of Heathens does as good a job of describing the recording as just about anything anyone writes. Â Those early morning hours when the night before is still ringing in your ears and the warm morning sun commands something a little less energetic and little […]
The Muscle Shoals Music Guide, Part 2
Twangville has teamed up with Muscle Shoals musician Jimbo Hart, known to many for his work with Jason Isbell and others, to highlight the many great artists that call Muscle Shoals home. THE POLLIESTwangville Says: With fuzzed out guitars, a touch of twang, and an unmistakable R&B swing, The Pollies sound like this generation’s great […]