Los Angeles-based singer/guitarist Rod Melancon likes to write songs about his formative years growing up in Louisiana. These are richly colorful tales, or more to the point vivid characters, often based on real people and occurrences. If his debut album from focused on the youthful innocence (and exuberance), his sophomore release takes on much darker […]
A Twangville Premiere: Celebrating Father’s Day with Matthew Logan Vasquez
I don’t have any kids of my own but, from what I’ve heard from those that do, there’s a certain irony to the title of Matthew Logan Vasquez’s new album entitled Does What He Wants. The idea that a new-ish parent, rock musician or not, can do what he or she wants when there is […]
Back in the Saddle Again – a Special Twangville Playlist, Part 2
It’s time to get back in the playlist game. After a not-so-brief hiatus during which I opened the Twangville office in Dallas, I’m ready to get back to the playlists. And, given that the last one appeared in August of last year (!), let’s just say that I’ve got some catching up to do. To […]
Yonder Mountain String Band – Love. Ain’t Love
Lazy, sunny days in a natural amphitheater in the mountains. Â A warm night with the sounds of crickets and cicadas. Â A bluegrass band with its joyful mandolin and happy banjo. Â These are all elements of summer in my experience, and require some of that bluegrass in my playlist. Â One of the best things I heard […]
In the Groove with Susan Cattaneo
Sometimes a project takes on a life of its own. Just ask Boston artist Susan Cattaneo. The Hammer and the Heart, her forthcoming release, started as a single album (to use the old vernacular) with the intent of collaborating with musician friends that she admired. Well, as the project progressed the list of collaborators grew […]
Monday Morning Video – Glen Campbell
It doesn’t feel right to refer to an album as being a “farewell†release but such is the case with Glen Campbell’s Adios. The 81-year old legend was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years ago, a devastating illness that robs its victims of memory and so much more. Knowing what the future would hold, Campbell […]
Back in the Saddle Again – a Special Twangville Playlist
It’s time to get back in the playlist game. After a not-so-brief hiatus during which I opened the Twangville office in Dallas, I’m ready to get back to the playlists. And, given that the last one appeared in August of last year(!), let’s just say that I’ve got some catching up to do. To that […]
Monday Morning Video – Jameson Elder
I wish I could remember where I stumbled across Jameson Elder. Although the Nashville by way of Atlanta singer-songwriter sings with tremendous confidence there is a vulnerability and melancholy that runs deep in his lyrics. “I swear this house is haunted,” he sings in this gem from Prodigals & Thieves, his most recent release. In […]
Pokey LaFarge – Manic Revelations
Pokey LaFarge is a musical iconoclast. Â Watch him on stage or listen superficially to his music, in particular his new release, Manic Revelations, and you get a throwback to a musical era when most songs were intended to be happy dance songs. Â Music was an escape, not a medium for a message. Â Listen more closely, […]
A Twangville Premiere – Cowbell Ask “What Am I Supposed to Do?”
It’s certainly summer music season and here’s another for your seasonal playlist. The track, “What Am I Supposed To Do†comes from UK-based band Cowbell. The duo, comprised of Jack Sandham and Wednesday Lyle, betray their geographical roots by running with a decidedly American sound. Imagine traipsing the dusty backroads on a path that parallels […]