Devil in Me, Anderson East (from the Low Country Sound/Elektra Records release Delilah) There’s something special about that old-school soul sound. It’s all the more impressive when it is created by a young whippersnapper like Anderson East. The Nashville by way of Alabama singer-songwriter serves up an exhilarating debut album that is steeped in Muscle […]
Peace, Love and Twang at the Philadelphia Folk Festival
The Philadelphia Folk Festival, which has been around for 54 years, isn’t your grandfather’s folk festival. While there is still a smattering of venerable acoustic solo folksingers on its program like Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Cockburn and Tom Paxton, the festival has become a great platform for Americana artists of all flavors as well as for […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with JP Harris
Nashville by way of Alabama musician JP Harris is pretty clear about what type of music he plays – country music. His most recent release, 2014’s Home Is Where the Hurt Is, hearkens back to the genre’s classic era with tales of hard livin’ and heartache. The self-taught musician promises to bring the honky-tonk to […]
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
Although Larry Campbell has released a number of his own recordings, he is known more for his associations than solo work. He is such a versatile musician it would almost be easier to list instruments he does not play. Most recently he garnered acclaim as a producer for Levon Helm’s final albums. Both albums, “Dirt […]
Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots – Boom Town
Victor Wainwright is relatively new on the national music scene, but his swampy honky tonk piano licks are having an impact in both his solo career and as a member of roots rock, blues and funk “supergroup” Southern Hospitality. Wainwright, who grew up in a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to […]
Sour Bridges – Sour Bridges
The simple fact is, some bands are better when they’re in the studio and some are better out on a stage.  Ray LaMontagne literally made me squirm at a show given how obviously uncomfortable he was on the stage.  Carrie Rodriguez has never managed to capture the magic of her stage charisma on a record. I […]
Leaf Rapids – Lucky Stars
“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.†William Faulkner was known not just for long sentences, but also his ability to so luridly set […]
The Lonesome Band – Running Alone
I used to have a friend who referred to himself as a redneck libertarian. Â He didn’t much like people who drank wine, but felt people should be able to make, and consume, as much beer and whisky as they wanted without the government taxing it. Â He’s no longer with us, but I think he would […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2015 Edition
My favorite weekend of the year has come and gone again. Â A couple of weeks after the over-sized crowds, egos, and marketing campaigns of SXSW comes a music festival in the hill country outside Austin that’s just about the music. Â With only 15,000 attendees, and a couple of stages, you can see at least a […]
Dwight Yoakam CD Giveaway!!!
The kind folks over at Yoakam’s digital marketing team (Girlilla) have sent us a copy of Dwight’s latest Second Hand Heart to give away to one lucky Twangville denizen. It’s definitely a killer album. I’ve see advance clips with things such as “Best album from Dwight in years!†etc. etc., but I’m kind of the […]