A couple of CD’s have been sitting atop my pile for a few weeks–demanding attention, but not in my usual review write-up kind-of-way.  I finally realized, like chicken and waffles, they complement each other as sensory bookends. The first is Hemingway, by Texas songwriter and author Dan Johnson.  This is not an album to be handled […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2018, Part 1
Right On Time, Kevin Gordon (from the Crowville Media release Tilt And Shine) Kevin Gordon has long been one of contemporary music’s most compelling storytellers. He fills his songs with colorful characters and literary tales, all set to music that has more than a few gloriously jagged edges. Tilt And Shine steps beyond the more […]
Slocan Ramblers – “Mississippi Heavy Water Blues” Song Premiere
It’s festival season here in North America, and every weekend between now and early September will have an Americana music festival of some sort within about a 2 hour drive for probably 98% of the population of the U.S. and Canada.  Many of those events will have a side stage or campground stage that highlights traditional […]
Pharis and Jason Romero – Sweet Old Religion
The sun comes up over the pine trees, darkness and shadowy forms give way to the crispness of the air and the glint reflected off the lake. Daylight accentuates the feeling that it’s going to be a beautiful day with nothing but great things on the horizon, regardless of the distresses of yesterday. Â That’s the […]
Trampled by Turtles – Life Is Good On the Open Road
I’m sure you’ve seen this before. Â The special effects people take an explosion and play it backwards, in slow motion. Â The result is a whole bunch of disparate, seemingly unrelated, pieces all come together to form the perfect whole. Â That’s the kind of experience I had with the new album from Trampled by Turtles, Life […]
Wood & Wire – North Of Despair
The best artistic efforts have the ability to hit you on many levels–strikingly beautiful at even the first glance, and then building your appreciation as you peel back the layers and get more and more out of it. Â I found that to be the case with the latest record from Austin-based Wood & Wire. Â It […]
2018 Old Settler’s Music Festival
For me, one of the surest indicators of spring is when I leave for my annual trip to Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â Now in its 31st year, and having moved into new digs near Lockhart, Texas, OSMF epitomizes the perfect festival mix of hot, new acts; crowd-pleasing old favorites; and a crowd size that lets […]
Folk Alliance 2018 – Mayer’s Picks, Part 1
The Accidentals I first saw this young trio from Michigan at Folk Alliance a few years ago. They were certainly talented then but several more years of writing and performing have propelled them into another musical stratosphere. I caught them several times — at least once a day — during the course of the conference, […]
Steep Canyon Rangers – Out In the Open
One of the more anticipated albums recently around the Twangville offices is the new one from Steep Canyon Rangers.  Out In the Open finally hit our hard drives a couple of weeks ago andI got a chance to ask banjo player and lead vocalist Graham Sharp a few questions about the record.  What really came through […]
True North – Open Road, Broken Heart
Kris Kristofferson famously wrote that “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Â Kristen Grainger, lead singer & songwriter for True North, writes a corollary, “you call it leaving, but she calls it freedom”, on One Way Ticket, the opening track on their latest album. Â While Me And Bobby McGee was about the journey […]