ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Blessed, by Lucinda Williams Ah, Lucinda, you lost me a bit with your last couple of releases. Not that I can hold it against you. Car Wheels and some of the earlier works set the bar so high that it would be hard to imagine being able to sustain that momentum. […]
Justin Townes Earle – Live At the Rio Theater
A couple of months ago, the collective conscience here at Twangville voted Justin Townes Earle’s latest record our album of the year. Â On a chilly night in Santa Cruz, Earle stopped through on a west coast swing of appearances to play at the Rio Theater. Â Dressed in a dark suit and skinny tie, with well […]
Lucinda Williams – Blessed
Some albums have lyrics with an emotional impact, but more often than not, the music impacts me more than the lyrics. So it is always special to find an album that does both. Then there is Lucinda Williams’ new project Blessed , which has great musicianship delivering a Soulful Blues with deep roots. Even More impressively, the […]
Dave Alvin Visits Harlan County, KY
I dub this a good day, since any day that we get new music from Dave Alvin is a good day to me. Alvin wrote and recorded the track for the FX series “Justified.” Alvin will also appear in the episode, which is based in the fictional town of Harlan County, KY. For those of […]
Live From Daryl’s House
For over three years Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame) has been inviting musicians – both strangers and friends – to his house for conversation and music. The show, “Live From Daryl’s House,†is a great example of web-only programming. While I don’t watch it all that often, it was hard not to get […]
Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
Producing some stellar, if not downright seminal, works can be a real pain for an artist. Ask Lucinda Williams what’s it been like to answer questions about why each of her albums can’t be Car Wheels on a Gravel Road? Ryan Adams has tried for years to overcome the “Where’s the next Heartbreaker?” stigma. Classic […]
Win Big: Unbelievable Johnny Cash Prize Package
An original demo of “I Walk the Line.†Early recordings with Sam Phillips. A solo acoustic version of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene.†If one every wanted to understand why Johnny Cash is a legend, this collection of 57 tracks from speaks volumes. Cash had a voice that commanded authority. The demos captured here – more than […]
Monday Morning Video: Justin Townes Earle covers Springsteen
Here’s a recent performance of Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing In the Street” by Justin Townes Earle to start your week. Happy Monday.
Susan James – Highways, Ghosts, Hearts and Home
Susan James has gained a lot of well known fans over the last few years. Bob Weir and Rob Wassrerman heard her, and asked her to open for Ratdog. She has also opened for for Son Volt, Rufus Wainright, Richard Thompson and Lindsey Buckingham among others. She has been playing guitar since she was eight. […]
Readers’ Pick: The Decemberists, “The King Is Dead”
READERS PICK: JANUARY 2011 Twangville readers recently picked The Decemberists‘ The King is Dead as their favorite album of January 2011. To record album number six The Decemberists shacked up in a remote barn outside of their Portland, OR base. For this release, the band shied away from their common concept album format to do […]