Every year the first weekend of February B. J. Barham hosts American Aquarium’s Road Trip to Raleigh. In fact, this year was the Tenth anniversary of Road Trip. As usual it was held at Lincoln Theater in downtown Raleigh. It was the second time I attended, with last year being my first. One thing for […]
Sean McConnell – SKIN
Statistically speaking, most of the people reading this will live well past 80 years old. So being 40 isn’t quite to the halfway point. Philosophically though, turning 40 causes a lot of people to take stock of where they are in life. You have to admit to yourself that some of the things you did […]
Cristina Vane – Hear My Call
It’s not that unusual for roots artists (blues, rock, bluegrass, country) to develop their sound and hone their chops in America before finding a strong audience in Europe. What’s much rarer is for a musician to find their musical calling in Europe before coming to the US to build their career. That’s just what Cristina […]
“Beautiful Mess” – a Premiere From Olivia Ellen Lloyd
After taking a hiatus from music, Olivia Ellen Lloyd returned to music a few years ago. And it’s a damn good thing that the she did. The Brooklyn by way of West Virginia singer-songwriter is a special talent. She’s fearless in her songwriting, a refreshing reminder of what country music can be. “Beautiful Mess”, her […]
Joel Timmons – Psychedelic Surf Country
I’m generally a fan of debut albums. Without the pressure to follow up an earlier record, or put something out to satisfy the label, an artist can cull from their life’s best work. Sometimes that can go awry, though, when a musician has worked their way through a variety of styles on their way to […]
The Twangville Early 2025 Preview
Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes by Humbird (10 Jan) Humbird’s slow trickling of singles over the past couple months has us primed for their newest full length. Landing somewhere musically between Bjork and Neil Young, these short tunes showcase Siri Undlin’s sweet vocals. (Todd Mathis) Bloom by Larkin Poe (24 Jan) Megan and Rebecca Lovell […]
Shawn’s 25 Favs of 2024
1) Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well She raised her game to a new level. The insight and emotion in some of the songs on this record really do make me think that cardinal was John Prine. I’m not sure there’s been a better song ever about growing up than the title track. 2) Billy Strings […]
Ben Chapman – Downbeat
Road house, honky tonk, dive bar. It doesn’t matter what you call the place, across rural America they’re the name for a drinking establishment with live music, frequently located near the crossroads of a couple of (sort of) major highways. The music can be from a few different genres, but the characteristics of the set […]
Merry Mulligans
I haven’t played golf in 20 years, and when I did play, I was terrible at it. But I gotta say that when I did play I was the master of one particular stroke – the “Mulligan.” That’s when your shot off the tee is so bad you either miss it all together or you […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2024, Part 2
I posted my list of favorite from the first half of 2024 back in June (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this a continuation — the best songs from the second half of 2024. Rosemary and Thieves, Garrett Owen (from the self-released Memoriam) Owen’s tale of fractured relationships is […]