For nearly 30 years, the Boston Music Awards have celebrated all the great music that emanates from, well, Boston. This year’s event was held last week and a number of Twangville faves walked out as winners. The Silks were selected blues artist of the year while Julie Rhodes took the best new artist crown. Old […]
Silas Lowe – Wandering Father, Forgotten Son
“My poor, poor body; my poor, poor soul. Regret rules my life now that I’m old.”  So goes the beginning of the chorus of About A Dying Father, on the new release from Silas Lowe; Wandering Father, Forgotten Son. In sort of a tribute to Lowe’s father, a 60’s musician who left the family when Silas […]
Adam Carroll on Avoiding Complacency and His Envy of Darrell Scott’s RV Camper
Texas singer-songwriter Adam Carroll talks about not (yet) being fired as a sideman in his wife’s band and why his tour vehicles are SUVs rather than RVs.
I Will Remember Massachusetts, Part 2 – A Special Boston Playlist
Good Old Wind, Kingsley Flood (from the self-released Another Other) There’s been a recent trend of artists producing EPs rather than full-length LPs. The economics make sense, certainly for independent artists, in the context of the continuously evolving music industry. I also appreciate the possibility of getting more frequent, albeit shorter, releases from my favorite […]
Monday Morning Video – Alejandro Escovedo “Sister Lost Soul”
Alejandro Escovedo (rock band edition) just passed through Boston for a post-Thanksgiving extravaganza. In the midst of an otherwise rocking set that leaned heavily on the just-released Burn Something Beautiful, Escovedo took a solemn moment to reflect on the many musicians that we’ve lost this year. He celebrated their memory with a moving version of […]
Beaver Nelson Reflects on a Career Spent Painting Houses and Making Records
Austin singer-songwriter Beaver Nelson talks about bartering for guitar strings, the virtues of good gas mileage and touring with massive amounts of Diet Cokes and granola bars in the trunk.
I Will Remember Massachusetts – A Special Boston Playlist
Monroe, Ian Fitzgerald (from the self-released You Won’t Even Know I’m Gone) For many a year Fitzgerald has plied his trade as a folk singer, a troubadour with an acoustic guitar. Over that time he has earned the respect of fellow musicians, always a good indicator that an artist warrants attention. Let’s give credit where […]
Monday Morning Video – Grant-Lee Phillips “Cry Cry”
Apparently this is what happens when you invite an artist into a bookstore. Grant-Lee Phillips brought his guitar to Purple Crow Books in Hillsborough, NC and songs ensued. Here he performs “Cry, Cry,” his moving tale of the Native American Trail of Tears. The song can be found on The Narrows, his latest release.
The Sadies – Riverview Fog Premiere
A few years ago I opined The Sadies were the best rock and roll band coming out of Canada.  Like Canadian pathfinders, The Band, they adhere to a storyline that’s about seizing opportunity.  Some days it’s collaborating with stellar musicians like Neko Case, Jon Langford, or John Doe.  Other days it’s about brothers Travis and Dallas Good […]
Just Like Ringing a Bell – A Special Boston Playlist
Over the past few years there’s been a rush of overdue attention paid to the studio musicians responsible for some of the finest music of the rock and roll era. The Swampers in Muscle Schoals. The Wrecking Crew in LA. The Funk Brothers in Motown. I expect that many places, even today, have a collection […]