Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Mayer’s Picks: Best Songs of 2013

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I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2013 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. Closed Hand, Full of Friends, Foy Vance (from the Glassnote Records release Joy of […]

Mayer’s Picks: More Favorites from 2013

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I had a tough time narrowing down my list of favorite albums to just ten. So here, in no particular order, are a few more favorites from 2013. Blunderstone RookeryStephen Kellogg Close to the FloorPatrick Sweany Stay RecklessAustin Lucas StudebakerMando Saenz The MooringsAndrew Duhon Truth Be SoldLeeroy Stagger ElectricRichard Thompson American RideWillie Nile Small Town […]

Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2013

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This has been a great year in music, a feast for the ears but a challenge when it comes to picking my favorite albums for the year. A good problem to have, I suppose. Without further ado…. #1. JASON ISBELL, Southeastern The demons in these songs are no match for a songwriter of Isbell’s talent. […]

Still Love That Dirty Water: A Boston Playlist

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FEATURED ALBUM Common Courtesy, by Rusty Belle I don’t often quote artist bios, but this was too good not to share: They were raised on the Beatles and the Band, went to high school with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, dated Miles Davis and Tom Waits in college and keep a Lightnin’ Hopkins, Kinks or […]

Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2013, Part 3

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ALBUMS OF THE SEASON Stay Reckless, by Austin Lucas Some may disagree with my classification, but this is my kind of country. It starts with Lucas’s voice, which has just the right amount of relaxed drawl. When he sings, “I don’t want to be alone in Memphis, I don’t want to be alone in New […]

Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2013, Part 2

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ALBUMS OF THE SEASON The Death of the Self-Preservation Society, by Two Cow Garage Two Cow Garage have a well-earned reputation as road warriors who put on ferocious live performances. Their shows are always intense, sweaty and raucous, the way rock is meant to be enjoyed. What sets these guys apart, however, is the strength […]

Eric Bibb – Jericho Road

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Eric Bibb is one of the elite handful of African-American blues musicians who have built on the legacy of the great post-World War II generation of bluesmen who brought the music form from the back woods of the Mississippi Delta to the streets of Chicago and beyond. About a decade younger than Taj Mahal, who […]

Breting Engel – Breting Engel

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Standing in a meadow at 10,000 feet, the first thing you notice is how the air is so incredibly clear.  Objects, even distant ones, have a sharpness that doesn’t seem quite normal.  Then there’s the vegetation; a surprising amount but it’s never lush.  Everything has some white, whether it’s the bark of the aspen, the […]

Jonathan Warren & the Billy Goats – On This Very Evening

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What if Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers wrote music instead of making movies?  I think it would sound like Jonathan Warren & the Billy Goats.  There’s a simple story line to the music, yet the cast of characters and quirky delivery make for something unique that keeps your rapt attention.  Their latest album, On […]