Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds The Sinclair, Cambridge MA: December 2013 My friend Josh Myers started playing bass in a band that I had recently started hearing buzz about and he informed me that they were playing near by. I showed up at The Sinclair in Cambridge on a Friday night not knowing what […]
Macy Blackman & The Mighty Fines – I Didn’t Want To Do It
Macy Blackman’s piano playing is a treat for those who enjoy swampy, down home boogie-woogie. His new album, I Didn’t Want To Do It, takes a page from Dr. John’s playbook, featuring spirited New Orleans style boogie-woogie piano – but without the trippier side of the Dr. John experience. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Blackman did […]
Eric Bibb – Jericho Road
Eric Bibb is one of the elite handful of African-American blues musicians who have built on the legacy of the great post-World War II generation of bluesmen who brought the music form from the back woods of the Mississippi Delta to the streets of Chicago and beyond. About a decade younger than Taj Mahal, who […]
Johnny Rawls – Remembering O.V.
Soul blues is a form of blues that, as its name implies, fuses soul music with traditional blues music. It is a form of blues that was pioneered by African-American musicians in the South. Among the music form’s early champions were the late Bobby “Blue” Bland and Z.Z. HIll. Although a number of prominent blues musicians, such […]
Americana 2013: The Sounds, Part 1
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 four days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. PATRICK SWEANY Sweany delivered what was, hands down, my favorite showcase […]
Amy Black — The Muscle Shoals Session
Remember a few weeks ago when Amy Black wrote about her experience recording at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals? Well, now you can hear the results for yourself. Even better, Black is sharing the ep — for free — via her web site. Black recorded four songs in Muscle Shoals. The tracks span […]
MonkeyJunk – All Frequencies
In those odd moments when you’re craving funk, I mean, the lost art of funk seventies style, with the rhythm and beat that make you want to groove, MonkeyJunk can fill that prescription. The Ottawa, Canada-based trio of Steve Marriner, Tony D and Matt Sobb are called blues rockers, but their latest release, All Frequencies, […]
Monday Morning Video: The Ponderosa Stomp!
Hot on the heels of our celebration of Muscle Shoals, we’ll turn our attention to another legendary music city: New Orleans. The Ponderosa Stomp music festival, to be held in New Orleans from October 3-5, bills itself as “celebrating the unsung heroes of American music.” It is an appropriate way to describe a weekend celebration […]
Monday Morning Video: Muscle Shoals, the Movie
Many would say that the “Muscle Shoals sound†began with the founding of FAME Studios. From humble beginnings above a drug store, the studio became an institution that spawned countless legendary recordings. A mind-blowing array of artists made the pilgrimage to Muscle Shoals to record at FAME and nearby Muscle Shoals Sounds. In the early […]
The Muscle Shoals Music Guide, Part 2
Twangville has teamed up with Muscle Shoals musician Jimbo Hart, known to many for his work with Jason Isbell and others, to highlight the many great artists that call Muscle Shoals home. THE POLLIESTwangville Says: With fuzzed out guitars, a touch of twang, and an unmistakable R&B swing, The Pollies sound like this generation’s great […]