ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: On a Clear Night, by Missy Higgins The first thing that you’ll notice about Australia’s Missy Higgins is her stunning voice, a magical blend of confidence and uneasiness. Opening track “Where I Stood” epitomizes this dichotomy. The song captures the moment where a woman realizes that, despite her emotional attachment to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Traveling and Unraveling, by Steve Poltz Poltz proves himself to be a genuine musical instigator across two concurrent releases, blending a comedic wit and biting lyrics with instantly hummable acoustic melodies. Who else would react to life’s frustrations by asking the semi-serious question “What would Ghandi do in this situation, go […]
Old 97s + More, Releases 5/13
The story behind the Old 97’s new album ‘Blame It On Gravity’. OLD 97’s, Blame It On Gravity (New West)Official Site | MySpace | Samples And then entered the contender. Dallas based band The Old 97’s are back in a big way. Teaming up with talented producer Salim Nourallah ‘Blame It On Gravity’ is the […]
Joe Pug – Nation of Heat
Chicago, by way of North Carolina & Maryland troubadour, Joe Pug would like to apologize to the innocent folks now living in the houses that he helped construct while working as a carpenter. He is likely expressing his remorse for the hours he seems to have spent humming possible melodies and arranging lyrics in his […]
Justin Trawick Live at IOTA
Justin Trawick Group performing “Sunshine” For those hitting the Bob Schneider show at the Birchmere in Alexandria tonight (Friday, May 9), you may want to also reserve your Saturday (May 10) night for DC’s own Justin Trawick at IOTA who will be celebrating the release of his new live CD recorded at the very same […]
Todd’s Review Roundup APRIL
Ok, I’ve been in more of a “rock” mood recently so for some of you twangvillers, these albums may have too much kick. Well, maybe not…we’ll see.    Hints of BRMC, The Tender Idols and Primal Scream abound on Saturna’s new album Some Delicious Enemy. Lush guitars, delay and feedback mixed with pulsing drums make the Portland, Oregon band […]
Elvis Costello + More, Releases 5/6
Elvis Costello performing classic “Radio Radio” while touring for new album ‘Momofuku’. ELVIS COSTELLO, Momofuku (Lost Highway)Official Site | MySpace | Samples At Twangville there’s very little that Elvis Costello can do wrong. The lastest from Costello and his merry band of Imposters appears to be no different. Adding to the fun the band teams […]
The Middle Class – Deep in Debt
Some call it Old-Timey, New-Grass, Jam-Grass, Rootsy, Pre-WWII, Folk or hell, some label junkies may even dream up a title like Appalachian Dumpsta-Funk (not bad actually, can’t it be as useful as “Alt-Country”?) The fact is, in the last few years we have witnessed an Ellis Island-style rush of young, unique, and quality hard-to-define acts […]
Griffin House + More, Releases 4/29
“Live To Be Free” from new album ‘Flying Upside Down’ GRIFFIN HOUSE, Flying Upside Down (Nettwerk) Official Site | MySpace | Stream Out of Ohio comes Nashville-based singer-songwriter Griffin House with his latest record titled ‘Flying Upside Down’ available on Nettwerk Records. House draws well-warranted comparisons to Ryan Adams (in a good way) as well […]
The Daylight Hours- How To Make A Mess of Things
The Daylight Hours is Columbia, SC’s own David Adedokun. Adedokun has been slowly but surely working on How To Make A Mess Of Things for over two years, since the break-up of his former band, Courage Riley. It was worth the wait. Adedokun blends an array of influences into an Americana-indie-pop dream, all the while […]