With the release of Steven Spielberg’s new movie “Lincoln,” it seemed only fitting to make this song a Monday Morning Video selection. The song was written by Chip Robinson and originally recorded by his then band, Raleigh, North Carolina’s The Backsliders. Fast forward a few years and American Aquarium, themselves from Raleigh, revived the song […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2012, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Little Victories, by Chris Knight This has been the season for political commentary and focused exploration of the American spirit. Lots of people will attempt to describe it, but few will come as close as Chris Knight. His songs ring out with an unparalleled authenticity, with music as well worn as […]
Monday Morning Video: The Mavericks at the Americana Music Awards
PBS will be featuring highlights from the 2012 Americana Music Awards on the Austin City Limits program this week. Look below for the performances in the episode, all recorded at the awards ceremony held September 12 at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Here’s a preview: the reunited Mavericks tearing up the Ryman with a […]
Eric Bibb & Habib Koite – Brothers in Bamako
Bluesman Eric Bibb is the latest in a succession of American musicians to get his passport stamped in Mali since Ry Cooder and the late Ali Farka Toure won the Grammy for Best World Music Recording in 1994. Bibb’s fine collaboration with Malian Habib Koite, Brothers in Bamako, stands up well next to Cooder and Toure’s Talking Timbuktu; […]
The Wood Brothers – Live, Volume 1 & 2
The best find for me in September’s AMA awards was a couple of live discs from the Wood Brothers that were included in the swag bag. Â Volume 1 is entitled Sky High, and Volume 2 is Nail & Tooth. Â Regardless of the separate names and release dates, these discs are like, well, two brothers. Â Chris […]
Monday Morning Video: Joe Pug and Jason Isbell
I usually try to stick with amateur-recorded videos for our Monday Morning Video, but we’ll make a worthwhile exception this week. Two Twangville favorites — Joe Pug and Jason Isbell — both released new videos this past week. Joe’s video is for “Hymn #76,” a fine track from his most recent album titled Great Despiser. […]
Music With a Purpose: A Tribute to Springsteen’s Nebraska
Musicians have a long tradition of giving. Sure, they give to all of us with the music that they share. Yet they also have a penchant for supporting meaningful causes. Over the next few weeks we will highlight several releases that demonstrate this giving spirit. Bruce Springsteen has long supported food banks and hunger charities […]
Monday Morning Video: Kasey Anderson
The VH-1 series “Behind the Music†has long chronicled tales of musical excess and success. Yet, for many musicians, the real story is far less glamorous for many musicians. Music is both an art and a business, and the latter can be daunting. Kasey Anderson knows the story well. For more than five years he […]
Craig Chaquico – Fire Red Moon
Craig Chaquico has made the transition from ethereal to earthy in his first blues album, Fire Red Moon. Chaquico has successfully joined the legion of ex-rockers-turned blues musicians with his latest effort. But he may be the only one whose path to the blues led through new age music after having spent almost two decades churning out […]
Monday Morning Video: 2012 Americana Music Conference Highlights
As we wrap up our 2012 AMA coverage, here is a playlist highlighting some of the official showcases. We kick things off with a special treat — Richard Thompson telling an amusing story about Robert Plant. We move quickly into the tunes with Hayes Carll, Jason Isbell and Patterson Hood paying tribute to Levon Helm […]