With The Raconteurs, his side-project with friend Jack White, on a hiatus, Brendan Benson returns to his solo roots to unleash a power pop bonanza with My Old, Familiar Friend. Opener “A Whole Lot Better†sets the tone with a rash of electric guitars powered by an urgent beat and walking baseline. “I fell in […]
The Restoration/Faulknerian chamber pop from Lexington, South Carolina
Readers Pick: Tribute To by Yim Yames
Twangville readers picked the new EP by Yim Yames titled Tribute To as their favorite release for week of August 4, 2009. Tribute To is a six song EP from My Morning Jacket’s singer Jim James recorded as a ‘tribute to’ George Harrison. The record came together shortly after Harrison passed away back in 2001. […]
Mayer’s Playlist from July 2009, a Video Companion
So my quest for a Bottle Rockets video from the new release turned up empty. That won’t, however, stop us from watching the boys rock out with David Bowie’s “Suffragette City.” From there we run through a string of great live performances from Daddy (Will Kimbrough & Tommy Womack), Jones Street Station, Those Darlins, Ketch […]
Zac Brown Band – Live From Bonnaroo
The Zac Brown Band is perhaps the biggest story of surprising success in the realm of popular music in the last year or two. The ZBB was a hard working, relentlessly touring band who found themselves being signed by Atlantic Records and then watched their record, The Foundation get re-released (after selling a good amount […]
Mayer’s Playlist from July 2009
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Lean Forward, by The Bottle Rockets Now that summer has finally arrived, it’s a good time to pick out the summer albums. It starts with the latest from the pride of Festus, Missouri, The Bottle Rockets. Lead songwriter Brian Henneman is a pop songwriter masquerading as an alt-country musician. And summer […]
The Bottle Rockets – Lean Forward
Hailing from the St. Louis area, The Bottle Rockets show some of the same influences that inspired Uncle Tupelo and their progeny. In Lean Forward , their tenth release, the Rockets have a record that’s a rich bouquet of rock and roll, but nonetheless retaining some twangy alt country aromas. What distinguishes many of the […]
Grant Langston – Stand Up Man
These days, there seems to be a retro honky-tonk style act pop-up every 10 minutes. I regularly listen to acts that really want to be Dale Watson, or really wish that they were as rebelliously reckless as they try to be. I also get plenty of albums that showcase lyrics that are supposed to be […]
Joe Pug, American Troubadour
Chicago musician Joe Pug has spent the better part of the past year with a guitar over his shoulder. Since releasing his debut ep Nation of Heat in spring of 2008, Pug has followed in the figurative footsteps of Woody Guthrie by performing his music whenever and wherever he can. And like the great folk […]
Scott Warren – Quick Fix Bandage
I have really enjoyed digging into the new album from Californias’ Scott Warren. Quick Fix Bandage (Jungular Music), is one of those great singer/songwriter albums that deftly tosses folk, rock, country and pop into a wholly satisfying creation. Warren’s vocals contain a gentle rasp that seems to help the fusion of different styles, much in […]