The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson. Â What do they have in common? Â Anthems about being a free spirit. Â You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird. Â In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street. Â Stylistically the song is […]
Americana 2011: The Awards
The hands-down highlight of the Conference was the annual Americana Music Awards. In this instance, the words for such a magical evening are hard to come by. Set aside any the speeches and performances, the event was held in the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Originally built for religious revivalist meetings, it achieved great fame as the […]
The Jayhawks – Mockingbird Time
It is time for another collaborative review here at Twangville. So here are a few perspectives on the Jayhawks new release Mockingbird Time: Eli – I am surprised by how much I like Mockingbird Time. Now you may be asking yourself “surprised? really? what’s wrong with this sap—it’s the Jayhawks—the original line-up with Louris and […]
Butchers Blind – Play For the Films
“Got a twenty on the bar, and the world on a string. Â Hanging out ’til the brass bell rings.” Â I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a better description of what it’s like to be young and full of expectations for what life will bring. Â That’s a verse from Brass Bell, the first cut on the […]
Listen Up: Lydia Loveless
The Lydia Loveless experience begins before one even listens to a note – the cover art is an illustration of a red-headed girl chugging from what appears to be a gas can. If that isn’t an indication of what is to come, I’m not sure what is. Loveless is a spit-fire 21-year-old from Columbus, Ohio […]
Mayer’s Playlist for August 2011, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: The Duke & The King, by The Duke & The King I’ll admit to not knowing much about the Duke and the King. I was aware that Simon Felice had moved on from the Felice Brothers and had formed this new outfit, but little more. Let’s just say that I’ve corrected […]
Great Twangy Hopes
We here at Twangville get to hear tons of great music. We share as much of it as we can with you and just hope that you like it as much or more than we do. On a personal note, in the past year or so, I’ve had a hard time getting as excited about […]
Bottle Rockets – Not So Loud: An Acoustic Evening With the Bottle Rockets
As much as it pains me to say it, MTV had a good idea. Â It was back in the 90’s and someone there decided it would be unique to hear a rock band playing acoustic and unplugged. Â And very quickly, the better bands discovered they could turn that opportunity into a new sound; something that […]
Fall 2011 Release Preview
It is hard to believe that summer is nearly over. How do I know this? I was at a music club on Saturday that had changed over their Sam Adams tap from Summer to Octoberfest. Talk about jumping the gun! Anyway, the next few weeks will unleash an abundance of great new music just in […]
Hayes Carll Vinyl Giveaway!
A few months ago, we took an initial look at the latest record from Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO (And Other American Stories), and decided that yes, it was worth having and was indeed a good record, but wasn’t the greatest record of Carll’s young career. Well, a few months later, those feelings haven’t necessarily changed, […]