Let’s continue with the “and friends” theme that we started last week. Next up is a three-fer from the great Mavis Staples. First, a 1988 performance of the Staples Singers classic “I’ll Take You There” that features Dr. John and Jeff Healey. Second, a 2011 backstage rehearsal of the Band’s “The Weight” with Wilco and […]
The Northern Belle’s “Kaleidoscope Dream” – A Twangville Premiere
Earlier this year Norway’s The Northern Belle honored John Prine with an exquisite version of the late singer-songwriter’s “Summer’s Endâ€. Now that summer really is coming to an end, the group is marking the occasion with the release of a new mini-album called The Women In Me. The album’s opening track really sets the tone for the collection. […]
Matthew Stubbs of GA-20 on the “Road Condo” and How the Band Has Evolved
Guitarist Matt Stubbs of blues band GA-20 talks about bringing t-shirts to the people, selling cell phones, and rehearsing in a renovated hair salon. And he has a request of you, dear reader.
“Indiana” – A Premiere from Ward Hayden and the Outliers
Boston’s Ward Hayden has never been one to pull his punches, especially in recent years. On the band’s forthcoming Free Country, he directs it somewhere unexpected: at the state of Indiana. We’ll let Hayden explain: This is the meanest song I’ve written. I’ve spent 15 years of my life touring and traveling the country. I […]
Monday Morning Video – Randy Newman and Friends
Randy Newman is an American treasure. Whether cynical or sentimental, his songs brilliantly capture the characters and moments that inhabit them. Here’s Newman, accompanied by Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, and an all-star band performing his classic anthem “I Love L.A”. I wish they alternated the verses that Jackson Browne and John Fogerty sang […]
I See Hawks In L.A. – On Our Way
There’s an otherworldliness that inhabits the deserts of California. It’s not just the inhospitable environment, it’s also a sense of realness that comes to the improbable. From the conspiracy theorists outside China Lake to the mystics in Joshua Tree, some of the inhabitants embrace that difference in life. With their roots in the high desert […]
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on embracing the Blues
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram plays a mean guitar for a guy barely old enough to drink in most states. And he has a reverence for the Blues that is uncommon in an artist so young. I reached out to Ingram recently as he was preparing to go out on tour, finally, in support of his new […]
Divine Horsemen on Tour Vans, Record Labels and Self-Promotion
Chris Desjardins (a.k.a. Chris D.) and Julie Christensen of Divine Horsemen recall the time their tour van got stolen and share some of their early day jobs and gigs.
Darrin Bradbury on “Chevy Van Halen” and Why He Doesn’t Look Back
Singer-songwriter Darrin Bradbury talks about the NJ open mic scene, delivering antique furniture, and why expectations are like assumptions.
Monday Morning Video – ZZ Top
Set aside a catalog that is the envy of many a rock band, it’s hard to fathom a group that whose original line-up performed together for more than 50 years. Rest in peace, Dusty Hill. Your musical legacy is gonna keep us rockin’ for years to come.