Mark your calendars, Texas: the Twangville Sunday Social is back! A cherished twice-a-year tradition, we’re gathering in the Dallas backyard for another crisp autumn afternoon of world-class songcraft, cold refreshments, and great company. There’s a distinct magic to songwriters sharing a back porch—where raw talent takes center stage in the round, and the tales behind […]
Brody Price on Camping While on Tour and Terry Allen’s Day-Job Rule
Singer-songwriter Brody Price recalls trying to “do the Todd Snider/Guy Clark thing” by playing their old rooms like the Cactus Cafe and Old Quarter, and shares the three rules he and his band maintain.
Now & Then: Buddy Miller’s Buddy Miller and the reach of Do Right Man
Buddy Miller’s self-titled album makes an easy case for pairing with Dan Penn’s 1994 Do Right Man. Both records sit where country, soul and gospel overlap, but the stronger connection is in how they treat songs and singers. Penn appears on Miller’s new album, which makes the lineage unusually direct.
Twangville Presents: Joelton Mayfield and Ben de la Cour
In January 1961, a 19-year-old Bob Dylan made his first New York City appearance at Cafe Wha? on MacDougal Street. That same year, he turned up in Cambridge at Club 47 — now Club Passim — and talked his way onto the stage between another act’s sets. Both rooms are still standing, still booking songwriters. […]
Paula Fong – A Bird on the Wing
I’m sometimes amazed by the extent to which a youthful interest can lay the foundation for a lifetime of passionate involvement in something. Such is the case with Los Angeles artist Paula Fong. Her fascination with music began with summertime explorations of Brittany as a child being exposed to Celtic songs, and Breton folk in […]
“Sweet Song” – a Premiere from Leah Tash
From the very first bar, Leah Tash’s “Sweet Song” brings the kind of charm that’s impossible to ignore. A bright, plinky piano sets the backdrop, but it’s the infectious, happy-go-lucky melody that immediately hooks you in. It takes a special talent to balance classic country influences without sounding dated. Tash drew inspiration for her new […]
Twangville x Dial Back Sound: Live in Boston & NYC
While not often discussed, the choice of recording studio has a profound impact on a record. Great music rarely comes from sterile, assembly-line spaces—it comes from studios with character and warmth, filled with vintage gear and musical mojo in the walls. That mindset is at the heart of Dial Back Sound, located in the quiet […]
Leon Majcen on Record Release Strategies and the Downside of Truck Leases
Leon Majcen recalls getting overpaid at his first gig at 13, describes his old day job at a Nashville tree company, and explains why he tailors every show to the room that he’s playing.
Monday Morning Video – Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin’s “Top of the World” is a deathbed reckoning — a life examined right at the end, loss and regret laid out plain. Here it’s just her acoustic guitar and voice, with a subtle electric guitar underneath adding to the song’s melancholy and beauty. If anything, the sparse arrangement makes the regret harder to […]
RJ Chesney – A Southern Man
Sweet tea. Kudzu wrapped around anything that doesn’t move. Wearing a short sleeve shirt with a tie to church. While you can experience those things many places (less so the kudzu), growing up with their ubiquity is part of a cultural perspective that lends definition to the idea of being a southerner. In a similar […]