I live in NYC these days but am fortunate to be connected to the music scenes of two cities in which I previously lived – Boston and Dallas. Artists from both metropolitan areas have released some exceptional music this year. Here are a few favorites. Love it local. LOVE THAT DIRTY WATER (BOSTON YOU’RE MY […]
Monday Morning Video – Steve Cropper
Even if you don’t know his name, you know the songs. “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay.” “Knock on Wood.” “In the Midnight Hour.” “Green Onions.” Those classics are just a slice of what Steve Cropper gave to rock & roll and R&B. The legendary guitarist and songwriter passed away last week, leaving a […]
Bonus Monday Video – Many Rivers to Cross
Apparently I’m not the only one who considers Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross” one of contemporary music’s great compositions. Here are some exceptional performances of the song by Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Annie Lennox, Lissie, Allen Stone & EJ Worland, and Bruce Springsteen.
Monday Morning Video – Jimmy Cliff
We lost another legend lost last week with the passing of Jimmy Cliff. The Jamaican singer-songwriter earned his place in music history as one of reggae’s founding voices, but his artistry always reached beyond any single genre. Songs like “Many Rivers to Cross” stand as timeless standards—simultaneously gospel, folk, and pop, defying easy categorization while […]
GA-20 – Orphans
About 12 years ago I caught a Charlie Musselwhite show at Blues Alley, DC’s great jazz club (that occasionally features blues artists lately). Musselwhite of course was great, but the young lead guitarist, Matthew Stubbs, piqued my intrest so much I sought out his early solo albums – Soul Bender and Medford & Main. What […]
Monday Morning Video – Otis Redding
Music fans have spent decades arguing over which British Invasion band reigns supreme—The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. But leave it to Otis Redding to reframe the question entirely: he simply took songs from both bands and made them his own. Redding had a particular genius for hearing the soul buried inside rock and roll […]
Chestnut Vibes on a Saturday Night – A Boston Playlist
Promised Land, Ward Hayden and the Outliers (from the Faster Horses Recordings release Little By Little) On Little By Little, Ward Hayden and the Outliers take on Bruce Springsteen’s songs with both respect and imagination, reshaping them in their distinctive country style. Hayden’s expressive vocals and the band’s warm, rootsy sound give these classics new […]
AmericanaFest 2025, Mayer’s Picks (Part 1)
kirby baby Two sets from Brooklyn’s kirby baby meant double the proof that his razor-edged indie rock songs are built for live performance. Whether solo or with his full band—I saw both—the material from his new album crackled with the same intensity. JADE BIRD Bird’s magnetic presence commanded Third Man Records’ legendary Blue Room as […]
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 […]
Eli Paperboy Reed on Tour Dynamics and Delivering Flowers
Boston-reared, Brooklyn-based R&B and soul artist Eli Paperboy Reed talks about enjoying local delicacies while on tour, learning how to not break guitar strings, and the first blues song that he wrote.