Dallas Texas doesn’t get near the acclaim or pub that its more trendy neighbor to the south gets in Austin. In fact, Denton Texas seems to get more love than Dallas, thanks to the emergence of indie faves Doug Burr, St. Vincent & Midlake. The New Frontiers are a band that will surely help people […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Video Companion Part 2
How do you spell pop music? I spell it “Jim Boggia.” This video companion features a few from the pop maestro. Keep going to find live performances from Willie Nile, Chris Knight, Air Traffic, the Avett Brothers and a classic from Todd Snider. Finally we’ve got a special interview and performance video from Randy Newman.
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Misadventures in Stereo, by Jim Boggia Jim Boggia is a pop classicist extraordinaire. He takes simple and sublime melodies and packages them in intricate yet accessible arrangements. It is a skill to admire and a treat to enjoy. Take “To and Fro,” a rollicking ode to complicated relationships in which Boggia […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 1 Video Companion
Summer ended with a bang thanks to some fine new music. We kick off our August/September video bonanza with some, well, sweet live performances by Matthew Sweet, one of our featured artists. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll get live concert footage from Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, British Sea Power, Chris Knight and […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Aug/Sept 2008, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Sunshine Lies, by Matthew Sweet “’cause we’re already good and we’re already evil, unfazed by a world of constant upheaval,” sings Matthew Sweet on “Let’s Love” from his latest release. It’s a moment that carries meaning beyond the song’s intended topic. In the nearly fifteen years since Sweet’s seminal Girlfriend, the […]
Moonlighters Extraordinaire: Results Are In
With all due respect to all the excellent comments of moonlighting band members (see below for the full list), the best of the bunch went unmentioned. To wit I submit Steven Van Zandt. After building a reputation as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Van Zandt unleashed his criminally-overlooked solo debut, Men Without […]
Bel Air – Pole to Pole
For years, it seemed as though it was the louder, more rocking bands that garnered the majority of attention and buzz from indie-kids and the music media in general (see: grunge, or the recent “garage-rock” revival with the Strokes, or even the alleged “reinvention” of rock by Radiohead, Beck and/or The White Stripes, etc…). With […]
Win Big! Albert Hammond, Jr.
For some artists, just being in one band is not enough. The creative juices run free with these folks and they crave the outlets for release. Put Albert Hammond, Jr. in this category. Not content with a new release every two to three years with the Strokes, Hammond has just released his second solo album […]
The Hold Steady @ Chelsea’s Cafe in Baton Rouge, LA 8-7
The Hold Steady are known as a quintessential live band. I never doubted this but until I saw it for myself I never realized how true it is. Since I am currently Sequestered (but not subpoenaed) in Baton Rouge during the weeknights, when I saw that The Hold Steady was playing at a cozy venue […]
Your Favorites in 2008… So Far
The residents of Twangville have spoken! Here are some of your favorites from the first half of the year. The Band of Heathens, The Band of Heathens Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers Elbow, Seldom Seen Kid Eleven Hundred […]