READERS PICK: MARCH 2011 Twangville readers recently picked Lucinda Williams Blessed as their favorite album of March 2011. It seems like each time Williams releases a new album critics call it the best since Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I guess that’s the consequence of having a Grammy-winning album. While comparisons will forever be […]
Monday Morning Video: The Return of the Rainmakers
Long-time followers of Twangville should be familiar with Bob Walkenhorst, one of my favorite songwriters. I first heard Walkenhorst as lead singer and primary songwriter for the Rainmakers. Well, 25 years since their first album — and 15 years since their most recent album — the Rainmakers have returned with a new release. Learn and […]
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Here we Rest
I almost didn’t make it past the first song. “Alabama Pines”. Usually that would have bad conotations, but in this case the song was absolutely mesmerizing. It is a song centered around the area of Alabama where I grew up. It is not the first Isbell penned song to have such an impact. “Dress Blues”, […]
Monday Morning Video: “You Shook Me All Night Long”
New York-based singer-songwriter Mike Errico transforms the AC/DC classic. Download this gem and several other Errico classics here. In particular, I highly recommend the Errico original “When She Walks By,” the brilliant tale of an elderly man reflecting on his biggest regret. Errico has a new album, Wander Away, being released on 12 April 2011.
SXSW 2011: The Video Companion
I got a bit carried away with the videos, compiling 26 great videos captured live at SXSW. Not surprisingly, we kick things off with the performance that introduced me to Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven. From there, a three-fer from Alejandro Escovedo’s special Sunday night gig at the legendary Continental Club. We’ve got […]
Prima Donna: #4 of John’s “Fantastic Four of SXSW 2011”
As noted previously in my post in praise of Biters, I dig me some glam rock. In that earlier post, I referenced T. Rex, since Sir Bolan struck me as being the most apt reference point to the band at hand, but I’m also an ardent admirer of take-no-prisoners gutter glam as practiced by the […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 2
Kasey Anderson & the Honkies Music is often about improvisation. In this case, however, it wasn’t the type of improvisation that one would expect. When the bass drum kept slipping across the cement floor, the band grabbed a keg to hold it in place. When that didn’t work, Anderson took a seat on the keg […]
Hunx & His Punx: #3 of John’s ‘Fantastic Four of SXSW 2011’
In a world where boys who can’t sing aren’t allowed to be lead vocalists in 1960s-style girl groups, only one hero was gay enough to defy the odds: Hunx -eMusic’s capsule description of Too Young To Be In Love, the debut album from Hunx & His Punx I first heard Hunx & His Punx in […]
SXSW 2011: The Sounds, Part 1
Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven If I were to highlight only one band from SXSW, this would be this one. To say that Ludwig is high energy simply doesn’t do him justice. He exudes enthusiasm with a confidence and maturity that belies his age. His songs have a familiar quality to them, a […]
Biters: #2 of John’s “Fantastic Four of SXSW 2011”
It’s no secret that I love me some power pop, so when I was cruising through this year’s SXSW torrent and Biters leaped out of the speakers with “Melody for Lovers” (bar none the best new-to-me power pop song of the torrent, and a shining example of power pop perfection), I snapped to attention immediately. […]