I got a bit carried away with the videos, compiling 26 great videos captured live at SXSW. Not surprisingly, we kick things off with the performance that introduced me to Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven. From there, a three-fer from Alejandro Escovedo’s special Sunday night gig at the legendary Continental Club. We’ve got […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 2
Kasey Anderson & the Honkies Music is often about improvisation. In this case, however, it wasn’t the type of improvisation that one would expect. When the bass drum kept slipping across the cement floor, the band grabbed a keg to hold it in place. When that didn’t work, Anderson took a seat on the keg […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 1
Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven If I were to highlight only one band from SXSW, this would be this one. To say that Ludwig is high energy simply doesn’t do him justice. He exudes enthusiasm with a confidence and maturity that belies his age. His songs have a familiar quality to them, a […]
John’s SXSW Roundup, Starring Alejandro Escovedo, Jesse Malin, and the “Fantastic Four of SXSW 2011”
Given that friends and colleagues always ask upon my return from Austin who were my absolute favorites of the new bands I saw at SXSW each year, I’m going to focus my attentions entirely on the new-to-me bands that I left Austin wishing most fervently that I could see play again right now. As it […]
Brian Wright’s on Fire
Now, I’ll be honest: I still haven’t made my way completely through Brian Wright’s new Sugar Hill album, House on Fire. It’ll be released next week, but what I’ve heard thus far, I really like. See for yourself with these two videos. One shows the softer acoustic side, while the one below it displays a […]
Eddie Spaghetti – Sundowner
In what is shaping up to be the label roster of the year, Bloodshot has released another trademark, insurgent country gem. Eddie Spaghetti, the leader of infamous Seattle group the Supersuckers, stepped away from his buds of over 20 years to craft Sundowner, an album that might have a bit less venom, a tad more […]
Monday Morning Video: Dave Alvin
The arrival of new music from Dave Alvin has sent me scurrying through his impressive back catalog. Here is “Haley’s Comet,†one of my personal favorites from Alvin’s seminal outstanding solo release Blue Blvd. “Do you know who I am,†said Bill Haley in a pancake house near the Rio Grande; the waitress said “I […]
Natalia Zukerman – Gas Station Roses
I really struggled to put into words why I like the latest release from Natalia Zukerman, Gas Station Roses. When I would write down notes on the songs they ended up best summarized by thoughts like “pleasant”, or “comfortable”. But when you put those in a review, it comes off as damning something with faint […]
The Civil Wars – Barton Hallow
The benefits of landing a tune on a prime-time drama can obviously be plentiful, and make no mistake, The Civil Wars, a duo out of Nashville have certainly been reaping those riches in the form of monumental buzz and sold out club shows all over the country. Of course, the side of that which isnt […]
Readers’ Pick: The Wailin’ Jennys, “Bright Morning Starsâ€
READERS PICK: FEBRUARY 2011 Twangville readers recently picked The Wailin’ Jennys Bright Morning Stars as their favorite album of February 2011. Jazz vocalist Heather Masse joins Ruth Moody and Nicky Meht as the third Jenny in their first studio album in 5 years. Each contributed 4 songs each for a total of 12 original songs […]