Wikipedia defines Americana as “artifacts related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States.” By that, the latest effort from The Band Of Heathens is about as close to a definitive musical interpretation of Americana as you can get. One Foot In The Ether has a little something for everyone who’s […]
The Takers – Taker Easy
Being an obnoxious Texan, it’s often easy to assume that the majority of bands who know how to produce some seriously rockin’ country music reside within the boundaries of my great state. That’s as untrue as it is untrue, I admit. There are many guitar slingin’ outlaws that know how to cry in their beer […]
Readers’ Pick: Trailer II by Chris Knight
Twangville readers picked ‘Trailer II’ by Chris Knight as their favorite release for week of September 15, 2009. Recorded back in 1996 in a singlewide trailer parked near his hometown of Slaughters, Kentucky, ‘Trailer II’ is part two of a now legendary set of recordings. Their legend has grown through various bootlegs, leaks, and performances […]
Can’t Hardly Wait for New Westerberg
Win Big: Rosanne Cash
It is hard to top the story behind Rosanne Cash‘s latest release entitled The List. Her father, the legendary Johnny Cash, was concerned that a young Rosanne wasn’t connecting with the rich country music heritage. So he made her a list.
Guy Clark- Somedays the Song Writes You
There are songwriters that are so prolific, that they write a song a day. Maybe once a week, they write a good one. The difficulty then comes in figuring which ones are really good. Guy Clark is not that kind of songwriter. He is a true craftsman in every sense of the word. Working on […]
Judith Edelman – Clear Glass Jar
Back in 1998 while touring in support of Only Son, Judith Edelman offered some advice to aspiring songwriters that they should write a song every day. Some would not be very good, but some would be surprisingly good. And as proof of the latter she offered up her song, Library Card, about, literally, her library […]
From Texas to Nashville: Seth James & Amanda Shires
A couple of recent releases have provided great examples of records that were made by Texan artists in Music City. People often mistakenly – and lazily – equate any country music made in Nashville to the slick pop style that is featured on Top 40 Country radio. For those paying attention, these two albums should […]
Reader’s Pick: The Bear by Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
Twangville readers picked ‘The Bear’ by Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers as their favorite release for week of September 8, 2009. With their fifth full release the SK6ERS solidify what they’ve always done well… plain-and-simple rock-n-roll! Chock full of layered instrumentation and pop hooks The Bear should be a recipe for how to produce a […]
Kieran Kane – Somewhere Beyond the Roses
An album doesn’t have to have great lyrics for me to connect with it. A good song doesn’t need to possess deep meaning for me to enjoy it. In fact there is nothing more formulaic and boring than a guy with an acoustic guitar pretending to hold the meaning of life. However, when I come […]