I once made my fiancé a mix CD of Damien Jurardo songs that she refused to listen to because of the songs of his I’d played for her before. She liked a lot of them, but stated they were “so sad.†A few months later I was having a discussion with her dad about Jason […]
Clay McClinton – Bitin’ At the Bit
“I started out the night with good intentions, but ended up getting sideways drinking wine…”  Clay McClinton does a cover of his dad’s most famous song, Victim Of Life’s Circumstances, about halfway through his latest release, Bitin’ At the Bit.  It’s not only a welcome bit of deja vu, it also serves as a convenient […]
Monday Morning Video: Lydia Loveless
Twangville fave Lydia Loveless has a new album hitting the streets tomorrow and it’s a rocker. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on it shortly but, in the meantime, here’s Loveless and the crew performing an early favorite called “Wine Lips.”
Happy Valentine’s Day: Radio Sweetheart from Sarah Borges
Every once in awhile, there is an artist whose album is so anticipated by everyone in the Twangville Posse that a few of us pile on for a team review. Put Sarah Borges’ “Radio Sweetheart” into that category. SUZANNE’S TAKE There’s one word to describe Sarah Borges: BADASS. When I was growing up, I always […]
Steve Dawson – Rattlesnake Cage
Canadian roots music master Steve Dawson’s Rattlesnake Cage showcases Dawson’s astonishing guitar skills as they should be – intimate and acoustic. Dawson, whose passion for roots music prompted him to found the Black Hen Music label in 1995, has been a force in the Canadian music scene and now, having relocated to Nashville, his star […]
Monday Morning Video: Chris Mills
I wrote about Mills’s latest release last week. Alexandria is one of those albums that gets better and better with each subsequent listen. Here’s a track that didn’t jupm out at me upon the first few listens but now floors me each time that I hear it.
Mayer’s Playlist for January 2014, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Alexandria, by Chris Mills “I have wandered in the wild places,” sings Mills in the opening track of his latest release. It is a fitting line for a musician whose music continues to evolve in exquisite fashion. Mills has always impressed on many levels. His songwriting has always had a romantic […]
Kathryn Caine And The Small Band
From the opening chords of the first song on Kathryn Caine’s latest album, Kathryn Caine And The Small Band, there’s a definite throwback feeling. Â That song, Beacon, has a rock feeling that’s rooted in the style of soaring vocals set to guitar ala the Wilson sisters in Heart or LInda Ronstadt when she was topping […]
Mark T. Small – Smokin’ Blues
New Englander Mark T. Small’s lightning fast guitar picking skills are on display on the all-acoustic Smokin’ Blues. Small, whose background includes a stint in the 1980s with the Indiana-based “newgrass” band called The Brown County Band and a dozen years as leader of Chicago-style electric blues band The Lonesome Strangers, has managed to fuse the extraordinary dexterity required […]
More Video Fun from Sarah Borges, Amy Black and Girls Guns & Glory
Earlier today I wrote about Amy Black, Sarah Borges and Girls Guns & Glory, all of whom are about to host shows to celebrate their new releases. In addition to their own songs, all three of these artist’s are known to do some exceptional covers. Here’s the proof.