It’s time to get back in the playlist game. After a not-so-brief hiatus during which I opened the Twangville office in Dallas, I’m ready to get back to the playlists. And, given that the last one appeared in August of last year(!), let’s just say that I’ve got some catching up to do. To that […]
Monday Morning Video – Jameson Elder
I wish I could remember where I stumbled across Jameson Elder. Although the Nashville by way of Atlanta singer-songwriter sings with tremendous confidence there is a vulnerability and melancholy that runs deep in his lyrics. “I swear this house is haunted,” he sings in this gem from Prodigals & Thieves, his most recent release. In […]
The Sounds of Summer – A Premiere from Trapper Schoepp
What’s more summer than an amusement park? Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp is inclined to agree and is helping us ring in this year’s summer season with Bay Beach Amusement Park, a six-song concept ep tribute to a Green Bay, WI institution. Not surprisingly, the ep rings out with a youthful innocence and enthusiasm as Schoepp […]
Twangville Premiere: Brett Newski’s “Songs To Sink the American Dream”
Back in a earlier time (e.g. 2 years ago), Tuesday was widely known among US music aficionados as album release day. Then the world changed when the music industry decided that Friday would be a much better day to unleash new music. Well, with an ode to that bygone Tuesday era, Twangville if offering up […]
Mike Errico’s Sinking Ship – A Twangville Premiere
I still remember, and have previously written about, my introduction to Mike Errico. I, along with a room full of holiday revelers, were relegated to a stunned silence as Errico performed solo with his acoustic guitar at a NYC show. With one song, Errico secured a spot on my top ten list of concert experiences. […]
SXSW 2017, The Sounds – Part 3
MATTHEW LOGAN VASQUEZ The former (?) Delta Spirit frontman sure likes to rock. I caught him a few times over the week and it he fired up the crowd each time. He suffered from poor sound at one show, but the energy carried him through. Like many an artist, he was showcasing songs from the […]
SXSW 2017 – The Sounds, Part 2
AUSTIN LUCAS Lucas snuck into Austin to play a single afternoon solo acoustic show. To say that he attacked his guitar wouldn’t be an overstatement. He alternated between channeling Johnny Cash in his fiery moments and Blaze Foley’s mellow stylings. It was a powerful performance from start to finish. RON GALLO Gallo was a contender […]
SXSW 2017 – The Sounds, Part 1
LANGHORNE SLIM This was the best of the best, my favorite musical moment of the week. Langhorne Slim sitting in a chair on the floor, the audience arrayed cross-legged on the floor around him. A campfire festival without the campfire. His late-night performance was a freewheeling gem that included a few impromptu requests, all delivered […]
Monday Morning Video – Play Ball!
Forget the groundhog, the surest sign of spring is the arrival of a new baseball season. Sure, you may be tempted to say Spring Training is the milestone moment, but the weather will often step in to say otherwise. (Heck, there’s a reason Spring Training takes place in Florida and Arizona.) Many of you will […]
Music With a Purpose – Revived and Revitalized
Several years back I did a series about music released with an eye towards social impact or change. Called Music With a Purpose, it was one of the more enjoyable series that I’ve written. The starting point was some great music, made all the more significant given the underlying meaning. Well, the time has come […]