When we last saw Tara Nevins, do her own thing, outside of the Donna the Buffalo “herd”, it was an award winning Bluegrass album, but it has been over 10 years since Mule to Ride. On her new release, Wood and Stone, she showcases a broader stroke of the Americana landscape. On the surface it invokes a similar territory travelled by Donna, […]
Monday Morning Video: Mar/Apr 2011 Playlist
How about some videos to accompany the recent March/April 2011 Playlist? Lots of goodness from Mike Errico, Jason Isbell, Jill Sobule & John Doe, The Damnwells, Ha Ha Tonka, Jeremy Messersmith, The Trews, Black Joe Lewis, Ted Russell Camp, The Biters, Andy Clockwise and Fences. Whew. The videos are below and the written playlist can […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Mar/April 2011, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Wander Away, by Mike Errico I can think of less than a handful of times where I have seen an artist silence a room with a song. One of the most impressive was watching Errico, armed with just his guitar, silence a rowdy New York audience with just a single song. […]
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Let’s get this much out of the way: Everyone’s right about the new Fleet Foxes album, Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop). It’s astonishing. Sorry. It’s a safe bet that many out there were hoping the gentle, bearded, harmonizing folkies form the Northwest would fall flat on their nature loving faces. But, alas, they stand triumphantly, even […]
Win Big: Bloodshot Records Live @ 15
How was your Record Store Day? Mine was fine, thanks. Our friends at Bloodshot made it all the better with an awesome live release, recorded at their 15th Anniversary celebration in Chicago on September 12th, 2009. Beyond being a great music collection, it’s a great reminder as to why Bloodshot is one of our favorite […]
The Lost Pines – Sweet Honey
Summertime requires some bluegrass on the Most Played list on the iPod of any hard-core Americana fan. Â You just can’t beat the combination of instrumental jams and light-hearted harmonies with some gin-laced lemonade on a sunny weekend afternoon. Â With that in mind, it’s good timing for the release of Austin-based The Lost Pines second album, […]
Mayer's Playlist for Mar/Apr 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: A Day at the Pass, by Jill Sobule and John Doe What happens when you take two distinctive singer-songwriters and put them in the studio for a day with a group of talented musicians. Get your hands on a copy of this stellar release and you’ll have your answer. The collection […]
Monday Morning Video: American Gun “Therapy”
Given that American Gun singer-songwriter Todd Mathis is a long-time contributor to Twangville, I’ll admit to a bit of bias when it comes to the band’s latest release. But there is only a bit of bias when I say that this is the way that rock and roll is supposed to be played. And by […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2011 Review
Every year at this time, a couple of weeks after all the glitterati have left South By, one of the best music festivals in the country kicks off 20 minutes outside of Austin: the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â It’s a great mix of old and new talent, with enough people to get a good vibe […]
Readers’ Pick: Lucinda Williams, “Blessedâ€
READERS PICK: MARCH 2011 Twangville readers recently picked Lucinda Williams Blessed as their favorite album of March 2011. It seems like each time Williams releases a new album critics call it the best since Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I guess that’s the consequence of having a Grammy-winning album. While comparisons will forever be […]