In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I like this music review gig. Â While mainstream “country” has become nothing but American Idolized pop delivered with a nasaly inflection or high school stereotyped Bro’ Country, there’s still a strong undercurrent of lyrically rich, musically infectious Americana releases available if you look for them. Â Luckily, a […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2015, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Windfall, by Joe Pug It has been three years since Joe Pug’s last release, a time that found the singer-songwriter coping with the burn-out that comes from years of continuous touring. Sharing one’s music with audiences around the world may be joyous, but the life can be arduous. In that context, […]
MilkDrive – Places You’ve Not Been
“Sophisticated” and “bluegrass”. Â Not often you see those two words paired. Â On Places You’ve Not Been, the latest album from Austin-based MilkDrive, however, the two adjectives clearly belong together. Â The disc certainly holds its own blasting as background rolling down the highway on a sunny California day. Â But it really rewards you when you take […]
Ray Wylie Hubbard On Finding Success Beyond “Hobby Status” After a Series of Unique Day Jobs
Ray Wylie Hubbard talks about a memorable (but profitable) first gig, a unique job as a bank robbing gun fighter and what he wishes he knew when he started a career in music.
Monday Morning Video – Couch By Couchwest 2015
Coinciding with SXSW is the annual Couch By Couchwest Festival. What’s not to like about a festival with the tagline “where the beer is cheaper and the only hipster is you.”? (Far be it for me to quible, but some of the beer at SXSW is free. Just sayin’.) Here’s how it works. Artists — […]
SXSW 2015 — The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,200 bands and more than 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even […]
Adam Turla of Murder By Death On Logging More Than 1 Million Miles on the Road to Success
Murder By Death’s Adam Turla talks about diner breakfasts with the crew and what it means to hit stride after 8-10 years in the music business.
Session Americana “Pack Up the Circus”
Every once in awhile, there is an artist whose album is so anticipated by the Twangville Posse that a number of us pile on for a team review. Put Session Americana’s Pack Up the Circus in that category. SHAWN’S TAKE Pack Up the Circus, the latest album from Session Americana, seems a nearly perfect name […]
Taarka – Making Tracks Home
You could probably argue that all music, regardless of genre, falls into two categories.  There’s music celebrating (or bemoaning) the here and now, and there are songs that take you back to a time or place.  The latest release from Colorado-based Taarka, Making Tracks Home, does a superb job of exploring both of those buckets in […]
Kiss Off — A Special Twangville Playlist, Part 6
A few years back I put together a series of special playlists featuring my favorite kiss off songs. Despite what some may think, I’m really not that cynical. Rather, I just appreciate how some songwriters can tackle the topic with humor and bite. It’s kind of like a genre unto itself. Over the past year […]