It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is looking quite nice, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2018. HOW TO BE OK ALONE by BRENT COWLES Cowles shares a debut solo full-length that is […]
Blue Yonder – Rough And Ready Heart
In the middle part of the last century, most of rural America centered their social lives around their church and the local Grange Hall.  The Grange became the logical choice for Saturday night dances, which weren’t appropriate for a church.  Here, a variety of local and regional touring bands played country waltzes, western swing songs, and […]
Ray Wylie Hubbard – Live at Songbirds
At one point early in his set Ray Wylie Hubbard borrowed a line form one of his songs and said, “Any day my gratitude is above my expectations is a good day. Today has been a good dayâ€. It was indeed a good night. The event took place at Songbirds in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Songbirds is […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 2
Heartbreak Man, Sam Morrow (from the Forty Below Records release Concrete and Mud) Concrete and Mud is the sound of an artist hitting stride. Sam Morrow’s previous two albums were solid outings but there was a certain restraint, a tentativeness of an artist in the process of finding his voice. One can actually see that […]
Monday Morning Video – Garrett Owen
Twangville hosted a house concert in Dallas/Ft Worth several weeks back. Ft Worth’s Garrett Owen was one of our featured artists that day. The reaction of the audience you see in this video matches that of the audience at our show. Owen captivated with the purity of his voice and guitar-playing, not to mention the […]
I See Hawks In LA – Live And Never Learn
One of the things John Prine is so admired for is his ability to take a snippet of an ordinary person’s daily existence and turn it into a story you listen to again and again, complete with a life lesson.  Similarly, southern California’s I See Hawks In LA can take a place (frequently in California) and […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 1
The Fold, Brent Cowles (from the Dine Alone Records release How To Be OK Alone) One doesn’t need to tell Brent Cowles that life is a struggle. The Denver singer-songwriter isn’t afraid to bare his soul, a fact that is evident from the fervent opening moments of “The Fold” to the quiet closing moments of […]
Sarah White – “Carry Me Over” Song Premiere
 Sometimes you go to a restaurant you’ve never been to so you can order their homemade biscuits.  It’s still comfort food, but with a little variety over your normal routine.  That’s the analogy I’m going to use for the soon-to-be-released album from Virginia native Sarah White.  High Flyer has the folk and country and Americana […]
Coco O’Connor – This Ol’ War Song Premiere
Some of the best music coming out of Nashville these days is from artists who have trouble really connecting with Nashville. Â The collection of Americana talent there is tremendous, and you can find a lot of empathetic soul mates. Â But it just never seems like home. Â That’s the situation with Santa Fe artist Coco O’Connor. […]
Mark Otis Selby – Naked Sessions
I’m a sucker for a really good cover song. Â The best ones take the same chord progressions and lyrics and convey an entirely different experience. Â Think Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower compared to the original Dylan version. Â Now turn that around, where you’ve heard the second version, and now you get the original, lightly […]