A couple of years ago, at AmericanaFest, one of my highlights was seeing a trio that later called themselves Wonder Women Of Country; Kelly Willis, Brennan Leigh, and Melissa Carper. I was familiar with the beautiful voices of Willis and Leigh, but Carper was new to me. She added an authenticity and balance to the […]
Alice Wallace – Here I Am
Back in the day, the normal way to make an album was for the vocalist to go into the studio with musicians that did little else besides play on recordings being made for the name on the cover. Whether or not they knew the singer didn’t matter: they were musical craftsmen punching a time clock. […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2024
So Glad You Made It, Fantastic Cat (from the Missing Piece Group Records release Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat) Fantastic Cat showcase their humor by maintaining a countdown clock until they’re eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, prominently displayed at their shows. Yet, it’s not entirely a joke – if […]
Nick Taylor – Not Alone
Over the years I’ve developed a knack for figuring out if I’m going to like a record pretty quickly. If it doesn’t pull me in after 10-15 minutes, another listen or two isn’t going to change my mind. Where I do get tricked occasionally is in the mood or style of the music. Bluegrass is […]
Matt Hillyer – Bright Skyline
One of the by-products of our social media driven lives is that nothing can be just OK anymore. You can’t be good at something, you have to be fantastic. There’s no such thing as a bad day; it was terrible. Despite the sparkle from your feed, the unfortunate reality is most of us are just […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2024
Lay By Your Side, Christopher Paul Stelling (from the self-released Forgotten but Not Gone and Few and Far Between) I’ve never been through a divorce but, listening to Christopher Paul Stelling’s new Forgotten but Not Gone and Few and Far Between, I have greater insight into the explosion of emotions that occur. Stelling has long […]
Jenny Don’t & the Spurs – Broken Hearted Blue
Sound-color synesthesia is when a certain sound causes you to see things in a certain color. I don’t have it, but I experience a related effect when I listen to the latest from Portland, Oregon, based Jenny Don’t & the Spurs. It’s called Broken Hearted Blue and evokes the washed-out, slightly sepia-toned tint of an […]
Grant Langston – aLAbama
There’s an axis on the songwriting philosophy spectrum that ranges from serious and important to fun and lighthearted. Country musician Grant Langston, originally from Alabama, but residing in LA for the last couple of decades, has spanned that entire range. His first couple of records leaned toward serious ballads, but his new one, aLAbama is […]
Monday Morning Video – Twangville in NYC on June 6th
We may have a show problem. The problem is that we can’t help showcasing great artists, both new and long-time faves, that we’ve encountered on our musical journey. Case in point, we’re taking over New York City’s The Bowery Electric on June 6th for a special showcase featuring Ward Hayden & the Outliers, The FBR, […]
The Texas Trio – The Texas Trio
You could probably write a pretty interesting book on how bands were formed. It runs the gamut from high school friends to answering ads in newspapers or from guitar shop bulletin boards. In the case of Texas trio Kyle Park, Jason Roberts, and John Michael Whitby, thoughtfully named The Texas Trio, they’ve been playing one-off […]