**NOTE: Contest is now closed. You can still participate but will no longer be eligible for the giveaway.** The Drive-by Truckers had to make ‘Brighter Than Creations Dark‘ in the way that they did. Consisting of 19 songs comprising 75 minutes of twanged up tell-it-like-it-is rock n’ roll. I’m sure the band will attribute the […]
Griffin House: Flying Upside Down
In this day and age, Singer-Songwriters are often compared to other similar artists from both past and present. For Nashville-based performer Griffin House (offical / myspace), the chief comparison seems to be Josh Ritter or Ryan Adams. Griffin’s latest offering, Flying Upside Down (April 29 – Nettwerk) opens with the track “Better Than Love†and […]
SXSW 2008 – John’s Sunday Night Highlight: Alejandro Escovedo
For all intents and purposes, SXSW turns into a pumpkin at 2 a.m. Saturday night, but true aficionados know that it ain’t really over until the legendary Alejandro Escovedo leaves the Continental Club stage after his unofficial closing night show on Sunday. We knew going in that this year’s set was going to be something […]
SXSW 2008 – John’s Friday Night Highlight: Lucero
Friday night followed my unintentional afternoon trend of mixing old favorites with new sounds. My preference at South-by is to see almost entirely new-to-me bands, especially during official showcases, but there were just too many favorites to stick to my guns on a day like this. Sue me. In that respect, Friday night truly provided […]
SXSW 2008 – John’s Thursday Afternoon Highlight: Old 97’s / the New West Party
The party of the day on Thursday was –as tends to be the case– the mighty New West soiree at Club DeVille. This was certainly the place to be for the Twangville crew, as all four of our intrepid correspondents posted this invitation-only affair. After all, with a bill featuring likes of the Drams, Old […]
Rodney Parker / Bleu Edmondson Live Concert Webcast
Well, my buddy Cindy over at The Fine Line and I will be webcasting live from the Rodney Parker (Official/Myspace) & Bleu Edmondson show (Official/Myspace) at the Granada Theater in Dallas on Friday night. It is the night of Parker’s excellent new CD release (The Lonesome Dirge), and we’ll be all over that place so […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2008
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Another Country, by Tift Merritt After 2004’s classic Tamborine, Tift Merritt escaped more than her record contract — she fled the country. Relocating temporarily to Paris, she found an apartment with a piano. The record that emerged is a travelogue of a different kind, a search for identity and assuredness. Merritt […]
Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles, On the Run
A short stay in Austin for SXSW 08 didn’t afford me the opportunity to catch any performances by Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles but we did catch up briefly at the Guitartown party at Mother Egan’s on the first day of the music festival. This is one of the hottest acts around. Do yourself […]
Drive-by Truckers on The Interface [Spinner]
Exclusive performance and interview from Drive-By Truckers on Spinner.com. Spinner gets better and better the more they support alt-country. Great to see DBT on board. Full Set ‘A Ghost to Most’ ‘I’m Sorry Huston’ ‘The Homefront’ ‘The Opening Act’ Interview
Cartridge Family – Shine Like a Bottle
“I still remember what you look like, buck naked riding your bike.” I am not a songwriter myself and it is hard to pin down exactly what constitutes a good roots rock song. However, I know this; if you write a song that involves someone getting buck naked and riding something, you have succeeded. The […]