In January 1961, a 19-year-old Bob Dylan made his first New York City appearance at Cafe Wha? on MacDougal Street. That same year, he turned up in Cambridge at Club 47 — now Club Passim — and talked his way onto the stage between another act’s sets. Both rooms are still standing, still booking songwriters. […]
Paula Fong – A Bird on the Wing
I’m sometimes amazed by the extent to which a youthful interest can lay the foundation for a lifetime of passionate involvement in something. Such is the case with Los Angeles artist Paula Fong. Her fascination with music began with summertime explorations of Brittany as a child being exposed to Celtic songs, and Breton folk in […]
“Sweet Song” – a Premiere from Leah Tash
From the very first bar, Leah Tash’s “Sweet Song” brings the kind of charm that’s impossible to ignore. A bright, plinky piano sets the backdrop, but it’s the infectious, happy-go-lucky melody that immediately hooks you in. It takes a special talent to balance classic country influences without sounding dated. Tash drew inspiration for her new […]
Twangville x Dial Back Sound: Live in Boston & NYC
While not often discussed, the choice of recording studio has a profound impact on a record. Great music rarely comes from sterile, assembly-line spaces—it comes from studios with character and warmth, filled with vintage gear and musical mojo in the walls. That mindset is at the heart of Dial Back Sound, located in the quiet […]
Monday Morning Video – Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin’s “Top of the World” is a deathbed reckoning — a life examined right at the end, loss and regret laid out plain. Here it’s just her acoustic guitar and voice, with a subtle electric guitar underneath adding to the song’s melancholy and beauty. If anything, the sparse arrangement makes the regret harder to […]
RJ Chesney – A Southern Man
Sweet tea. Kudzu wrapped around anything that doesn’t move. Wearing a short sleeve shirt with a tie to church. While you can experience those things many places (less so the kudzu), growing up with their ubiquity is part of a cultural perspective that lends definition to the idea of being a southerner. In a similar […]
Twangville On The Road: The Fall Showcase Series
We’re taking Twangville on the road this fall — and you’re invited! We’re thrilled to unveil our Fall Showcase Series: seven distinct nights of live music across three states. We’ve put together an exceptional lineup of songwriters, roots revivalists, and road-tested troubadours, from folk to rock ’n’ roll and plenty in between. From a cozy […]
Clayton Nile Young on Working at the Mayo Clinic and Learning to Talk While Tuning
Singer-songwriter Clayton Nile Young talks about his tour meal strategy — since he doesn’t hit the road often, he treats touring like a vacation and eats accordingly. He recalls the 2023 house show in Jacksonville that became his first gig, which left him instantly hooked. Young also shares the story behind his first song, “Heart vs Mind,” written while he was in radiation therapy school.
Afton Wolfe & the Snake Hunters Video Premiere – Cyclone
I think everyone knows someone who, when they enter the room, starts to add color to the discussion. Not the primary color, Jackson Pollack splat of conspiracy or disproven theory, but the rich tint that binds various hues together into a well-formed montage. Nashvillian, by way of several points in the Deep South, Afton Wolfe […]
Norwegian-Americana: Nashville on Her Mind, Norway in Her Bones
Before there was Tennessee, there was Stavanger. Before the highways, honky-tonks and imagined horizons of America, there was the Norwegian coastline—cold water, hard wind, immense mountains and a young girl searching for where she belonged. Maren Davidsen’s music exists in that distance between two worlds. A Norwegian singer-songwriter drawn to the emotional honesty of Americana, […]