“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly — they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.† So said Aldous Huxley in A Brave New World, one of the most vividly descriptive books I’ve read. Words can also elevate a good song into a great one; a song that embeds itself into […]
William Wild – Dreamin’ Video Premiere
We here at Twangville are excited to premiere the new video from William Wild for the track “Dreamin’.” The song features lovely lap steel and slide guitar work with a booming pre-chorus and chorus that kicks in nicely. The excellent new EP entitled Steady Now is available via I-Tunes and other outlets.
Old Salt Union – Cut and Run
The moments that surprise us are the ones that stay with us the longest. In my many years of going to see live music the sundry collection of those moments are etched forever in my memory. I encountered an event of that magnitude at the Evening Muse in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. I […]
Monday Morning Video – Stevie Wonder Honoring “Sir Duke”
I’ve been on a bit of a Stevie Wonder binge of late. Here’s one of my favorites, Wonder’s tribute to the legendary Duke Ellington.
Luther Dickinson – Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook Volumes I & II)
When I caught Luther Dickinson’s show last month in Philadelphia, it was in the smaller of the two halls at World Cafe Live. There were maybe 100 or so patrons there, and the tickets were reasonably priced under $20. He and his “Cooperators” couldn’t have walked away with more than $2,000 from the evening. After […]
Frank Solivan – Family, Friends & Heroes
For the record, I’d like to state I wish I was related to Frank Solivan.  The Solivan family reunions must be the ultimate bluegrass festival/jam session you could ever imagine.  Along with that family, and some additional friends, Solivan is recreating the spirit of that figurative event on his latest record, Family, Friends & Heroes.  The […]
Say What?! Winter 2015-2016 Edition
One of my favorite things about seeing live shows (well, after the music) are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from the winter of 2015-2016. You can live on pie and whiskey but you won’t live very long. Vance Gilbert. I went to the school of […]
Brett Harris Talks About Proposing to His Wife in a Song and Why He Tours With a Set of Running Shoes
Brett Harris talks about why he was more nervous for his first solo gig than he was singing in front of a large crowd at the National Cathedral and a particularly memorable – and meaningful – first song.
Monday Morning Video – Chris Knight was “Framed”
I like to put the ol’ iPod on shuffle and let it surprise me. It came through in spades this past weekend, kicking of a killer playlist with this Chris Knight classic. I don’t know if this qualifies as a murder ballad, but it makes for one damn entertaining story.
Dead Winter Carpenters – Washoe
For most travelers, the next stop out of Bakersfield is either the high desert and Las Vegas, or the sprawl of Los Angeles. Â Musically, Bakersfield leads to the honky tonk of rural California, or the alternative rock and roll sprouting out of the Mojave. Â There’s a third path, though, north to the mountains and the […]