The benefits of landing a tune on a prime-time drama can obviously be plentiful, and make no mistake, The Civil Wars, a duo out of Nashville have certainly been reaping those riches in the form of monumental buzz and sold out club shows all over the country. Of course, the side of that which isnt […]
Readers’ Pick: The Wailin’ Jennys, “Bright Morning Starsâ€
READERS PICK: FEBRUARY 2011 Twangville readers recently picked The Wailin’ Jennys Bright Morning Stars as their favorite album of February 2011. Jazz vocalist Heather Masse joins Ruth Moody and Nicky Meht as the third Jenny in their first studio album in 5 years. Each contributed 4 songs each for a total of 12 original songs […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2011, a Video Companion
We’ll book-end this edition with two clips from the Low Anthem. “Boeing 737,” the opener, features clips of the band recording in the abandoned pasta sauce factory while “Apothecary Love,” the closer, was recorded live in Grand Central Station. In-between you get Lucinda William’s acoustic take on “Buttercup,” the David Wax Museum performing “The Least […]
Mayer’s Playlist from February 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Blessed, by Lucinda Williams Ah, Lucinda, you lost me a bit with your last couple of releases. Not that I can hold it against you. Car Wheels and some of the earlier works set the bar so high that it would be hard to imagine being able to sustain that momentum. […]
Justin Townes Earle – Live At the Rio Theater
A couple of months ago, the collective conscience here at Twangville voted Justin Townes Earle’s latest record our album of the year. Â On a chilly night in Santa Cruz, Earle stopped through on a west coast swing of appearances to play at the Rio Theater. Â Dressed in a dark suit and skinny tie, with well […]
Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
Producing some stellar, if not downright seminal, works can be a real pain for an artist. Ask Lucinda Williams what’s it been like to answer questions about why each of her albums can’t be Car Wheels on a Gravel Road? Ryan Adams has tried for years to overcome the “Where’s the next Heartbreaker?” stigma. Classic […]
Susan James – Highways, Ghosts, Hearts and Home
Susan James has gained a lot of well known fans over the last few years. Bob Weir and Rob Wassrerman heard her, and asked her to open for Ratdog. She has also opened for for Son Volt, Rufus Wainright, Richard Thompson and Lindsey Buckingham among others. She has been playing guitar since she was eight. […]
Readers’ Pick: The Decemberists, “The King Is Dead”
READERS PICK: JANUARY 2011 Twangville readers recently picked The Decemberists‘ The King is Dead as their favorite album of January 2011. To record album number six The Decemberists shacked up in a remote barn outside of their Portland, OR base. For this release, the band shied away from their common concept album format to do […]
Listen Up: Joey’s Song
I’ve always taken a mixed view of benefit compilations. Yet there’s something special about this one. On first listen I was immediately struck by the consistent feel of the song selection. Every track is heartfelt and uplifting, undoubtedly reflecting the spirit of Joey Gomoll, the young boy who inspired this collection. Among my favorite tracks […]
Olin & The Moon – Footsteps
It’s been said by many, including myself, that tons of alt-country records sound the same, and those are the records that give weight to the arguments that alt-country, roots-rock or whatever it’s called, is a dying art-form. Here’s the thing: Sadly, that is the case for the bad, bland records that suffer from a lack […]