Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Gerry Spehar – I Hold Gravity

By

Distances in western America can be vast.  You have to decide on a philosophy: are you about the journey or the destination.  Focus on the goal and you can embrace the trance of picket fence telephone poles and the sporadic interruption of small towns.  A day, two, three and you’re there with no trauma beyond […]

Monday Morning Video – K Phillips

By

There’s something about sitting outside listening to music on a hot summer night. All the better when the performer is someone like K Phillips. Dirty Wonder, his latest release, veers from straight-on rock to Texas red dirt country to hook-heavy pop, all with the soulful swagger that has become the singer-songwriter’s hallmark. Here’s a tasty […]

Back in the Saddle Again – a Special Twangville Playlist, Part 3

By

Battle Born, Matthew Ryan (from the self-released Hustle Up Starling) I tend to judge the quality of a year in part based on the caliber of new music unleashed within them. In that light, any year that we get a new album from Matthew Ryan is well on its way to being a good one. […]

Steve Earle – So You Wannabe An Outlaw

By

Steve Earle is back. He may have never really left, but “So You Wannabe An Outlaw” stands beside his best albums (and there are many). It sounds like his classic period from the 80s up through his classic Transcendental Blues in 2000 (without the early 90s records during his descent into drug addiction). Earle has […]

Emerging Artist – Courtney Marie Andrews’ Honest Life

By

Catching up on missed music is not what I thought that a newborn would allow me to do this summer. But the late nights, and the missed sleep between feedings, seemed only like a time when I would just wish I could sleep through the night. But there I was, 3:30 AM on a Tuesday, […]

Monday Morning Video – The Vandoliers

By

I’ve been slowly exploring the Dallas music scene but I can say that the Vandoliers, my first local discovery, remain a favorite. Here’s a pair of videos to wet your whistle. The first selection showcases their punk rock roots while the second unleashes their penchant for Texas Red Dirt party music. What doesn’t quite come […]

Slaid Cleaves – Ghost On the Car Radio

By

I first saw Slaid Cleaves back in the 90’s at the Cactus Cafe in Austin.  That’s back when Grif was still booking the acts and it was a live music institution going back to Dylan and Baez in the 60’s.  I remember being blown away by the richness of the stories Slaid sang about.  Not just the […]

Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires – Youth Detention

By

There is only one way to listen to a Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires album…. LOUD!!! Don’t worry about disturbing the neighbors. Just crank it up and wake up the whole neighborhood. On their new album, Youth Detention, the band combines their power chord driven Southern Rock and Blues influences with a Punk […]

Rachel Baiman – Shame

By

Woody Guthrie famously wrote “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar. He and his protege, Pete Seeger, composed and sang protest songs that wore their emotions on their sleeve.  There’s not much confusion about Woody’s views in This Land Is Your Land.  And don’t get me started about Old Man Trump.  The other kind of […]