Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Dave Keller – Every Soul’s a Star

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Soul Blues journeyman Dave Keller has played with some of the best of the genre, and it is paying dividends in his performance. Having worked with Ronnie Earl and Johnny Rawls, the Vermont-based Keller’s soul blues pedigree is well established. In 2009, Keller composed with Ronnie Earl the song “Love, Love, Love,” which appeared on […]

Tanked Up on Elm Street – a Special Dallas Playlist

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Polite Conversation, Cut Throat Finches (from the Hand Drawn Records release Polite Conversation) The best music offers a thoughtful, and often marked, point of view. In that context, the Cut Throat Finches latest hits pretty hard, lambasting the social upheaval that grips our world today. The make their point quite clearly on “New Age,” the […]

Steve Poltz Wins AMERICANAFEST 2018

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As a newbie to AMERICANAFEST I have to say that looking at the schedule beforehand I was a bit overwhelmed. Throw in the fact that it had been about 10 years since I’d been to Nashville and that made it even more so.  But once I got there and settled into the pace and learned […]

Americana 2018: Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)

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Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the annual Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances […]

Americana Music Awards – 2018 Edition

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As has become tradition in the middle of September, the Americana Music Festival rolled into Nashville earlier this month.  The opening of the festival used to be the Awards show at the fabulous Ryman Auditorium, but over the past couple of years the festival has outgrown its 4 day window and this year you could start […]

Mayer’s Playlist for Summer 2018, Part 1

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Right On Time, Kevin Gordon (from the Crowville Media release Tilt And Shine) Kevin Gordon has long been one of contemporary music’s most compelling storytellers. He fills his songs with colorful characters and literary tales, all set to music that has more than a few gloriously jagged edges. Tilt And Shine steps beyond the more […]

Bonus Monday Video – Ted Hawkins

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I previously wrote about my experience seeing Hawkins when he made a rare visit to Boston’s Faneuil Hall. There was nothing, however, like seeing him on his home turf – entertaining crowds on Venice Beach, California. Here’s a short but wonderful taste of what it was like.

Monday Morning Video – Ted Hawkins

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The Ted Hawkins story is among the most unique in American music. The Biloxi Mississippi native spent years as a street busker, most notably serenading passers-by on Venice Beach, CA while perched on a milk crate. He was “discovered” several times but never found significant success. His graveled voice and insistent guitar were his calling […]