The Philadelphia Folk Festival, which has been around for 54 years, isn’t your grandfather’s folk festival. While there is still a smattering of venerable acoustic solo folksingers on its program like Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Cockburn and Tom Paxton, the festival has become a great platform for Americana artists of all flavors as well as for […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Jesse Dee
Boston’s Jesse Dee will be closing out the Tweed River Music Festival in fine fashion. The seasoned singer-songwriter has wowed crowds across the US and Europe with his high energy soul revue. On My Mind/In My Heart, his 2013 release, was a Twangville favorite, filled with the kind of soul and R&B that recalls the […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2015 (So Far), the Songs Part 1
For me, at least, this year has been more about songs than albums. Here are just a few of my favorites from the first half of 2015. If Still It Can’t Be Found, Joe Pug (from the Lightning Rod Records release Windfall) A melancholy ode to perseverance and pursuing one’s dreams. Simply magical. Don’t Let […]
Tweed River Talk – A Few Words with Duncan Arsenault of the Curtis Mayflower
New England quintet The Curtis Mayflower are no strangers to the Tweed River Music Festival. They’re regulars, in fact, who never fail to awe the crowd with their intense live performances. If you haven’t heard it, seek out their 2014 full-length debut Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack for a taste of their soulful brand of […]
Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots – Boom Town
Victor Wainwright is relatively new on the national music scene, but his swampy honky tonk piano licks are having an impact in both his solo career and as a member of roots rock, blues and funk “supergroup” Southern Hospitality. Wainwright, who grew up in a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, moved to Daytona Beach, Florida to […]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2015, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH Windfall, by Joe Pug It has been three years since Joe Pug’s last release, a time that found the singer-songwriter coping with the burn-out that comes from years of continuous touring. Sharing one’s music with audiences around the world may be joyous, but the life can be arduous. In that context, […]
SXSW 2015 — the Sounds, Part 2
THE STONE FOXES This San Francisco-based rock band added a new drummer since the last time that I saw them. The change enabled original drummer Shannon Koehler to step out as the band’s primary front-man. It’s a role that suits him well as he fired up an afternoon crowd, bounding around the stage and through […]
Bernard Allison – In The Mix
Bernard Allison has a tough act to follow. The son of legendary bluesman Luther Allison, Bernard Allison has inherited his father’s energy and skill, but he has forged a sound of his own. When I saw the elder Allison perform live in the early 80s, it was like watching pure energy. Luther Allison’s guitar work was […]
Monday Morning Video – The 1967 Stax Volt Soul Revue!
Need a powerful pick-me-up for a Monday morning? It won’t get much better than this classic set of performances from 1967. Booker T. & the MGs, Sam and Dave and a host of stars from the legendary Stax label. And did I mention Otis Redding? It doesn’t get much better than this. Performances include: Booker […]
JJ Grey & Mofro – Ol’ Glory
Southern swamp funk-blues band JJ Grey & Mofro have a unique sound forged in the backwaters of Florida. Grey, the band’s leader, is well established as a songwriter, and the band’s recordings and live performances are among the most dependably enjoyable in the business. Grey & Mofro’s reputation grew steadily since the band recorded its first […]