From the first notes of Candice Ivory’s New Southern Village, it’s obvious she’s no shrinking violet. She’s in your face and unabashed, reminiscent of a young Tina Turner. Ivory, who daylights as a music instructor at Washington University in St. Louis, says she understands that blues is a global music with roots in the American […]
The Pleasures – Enemy Of My Enemy
At last year’s Folk Alliance I had the pleasure (pun intended) of seeing a new-ish duo from Australia, Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan, who now perform as The Pleasures. Both had already established themselves at solo artists, Britt as an internationally respected country music award winner, and Bryan as a veteran rock and roll road […]
Rory Block – Heavy On The Blues
I lost track when I was trying to count just how many albums Rory Block has released through the years. Suffice it to say the number is around 40, and she’s been a fixture in the blues since her solo debut 50 years ago. Originally from Manhattan, Block has been passionate about the blues since […]
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country – Horizons
Daniel Dontato’s Cosmic Country is releasing a new album Horizons tomorrow. This is one I have been looking forward to. Although, before I jump into Daniel Donato’s new project, a little etymology on the term Cosmic Country is in order. Before you can appreciate what Donato refers to as Cosmic Country you need to understand […]
Chip’s Best of 2025 – So Far
I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. My year end best of is a daunting task, so I am going to cut the challenge in half and try to get the Twangville readers to think about what their favorites are so far in 2025. No better to do that than give you […]
The Dang-It Bobbys – Early Riser
With July 4th just passed the cultural calendar is firmly planted in summer styles. The literary publications are full of reviews of beach reads. Hollywood is rolling out their summer blockbusters, a category which, if the critics are to be believed, pretty much originated 50 years ago with a story about a beach and a […]
Maria Muldaur – One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey
Sometimes music can act as a time machine, delivering us back to some previous time or place. Maria Muldaur’s latest tribute to Victoria Spivey takes her listeners back to the “Roaring Twenties,” a time when Spivey’s saucy lyrics and jaunty rhythms played a big part of the counter-culture of the day. Born in Houston in […]
Moonshroom – Take A Trip
There’s no doubt choosing a life as a professional musician requires you to chart your own path. That’s pretty evident with Kansas born-and-raised songwriters Lily B Moonflower and Jake Keegan. Growing up a few miles apart, but not meeting until years later, they had similar musical experiences that fed their creative streaks. While still fronting […]
The Shootouts – Switchback
Some people collect old vinyl records. Some people collect autographs. As far as I can tell, Ryan Humbert and his bandmates in The Shootouts collect guest stars. They just released their 4th album, Switchback, and it includes appearances from Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, and Sam Bush, among others. Their previous records have featured Chuck Mead, […]
Adam Chaffins on Being Patient and the Sound of New Guitar Strings
Nashville by way of Kentucky artist Adam Chaffins talks about touring in a former church van, post-show beers and pizza, and a day job that he would have worked forever.