If this isn’t a testament to the power of music – and Aretha – than I don’t know what is. The crowd reactions to this performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” from the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors say it all.
The Twangville Early 2024 Preview
Halfsies by Lizzie No (19 Jan) Brooklyn’s Lizzie No showcases the breadth of her talent on her forthcoming album. From folk to rock to pop – there’s a little bit of everything, all with an engaging indie vibe. Letting the Lions In by Dinty Child (19 Jan) Dinty Child is a mainstay of the Boston […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall/Winter 2023, Part 1
Toothache, Lydia Loveless (from the Bloodshot Records release Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again) Relationships are messy and few songwriters capture that fact better than Lydia Loveless. One need look no further than “Song About You”, the confessional ballad that opens their latest album. Against the backdrop that is mostly a lone electric guitar, […]
When It’s Twilight in Boston – a Special Twangville Playlist
Bulletproof Man, The Bluest Sky (from the self-released The Bluest Sky) Chuck Melchin first appeared on our radar a number of years ago as the Bean Picker’s Union. Essentially a solo artist surrounding himself with a loose collective of acoustic players, he wrote songs that oozed melancholy and were tied to quiet and captivating melodies. […]
Monday Morning Video – Dr. John
The Last Waltz, the all-star farewell concert by The Band on Thanksgiving night back in 1976 is the stuff of legend. As we wrap up the holiday weekend, here’s one of my favorite performances from that show – “Such a Night” by the late Dr. John.
Barrence Whitfield and Peter Greenberg of Barrence Whitfield & the Savages on Record Stores and Performance Royalties
Barrence Whitfield and Peter Greenberg of Barrence Whitfield & the Savages talk about finding rehearsal spaces and tour meals in Europe, how the band got its start, and the benefit of not having expectations.
Honey Island Swamp Band – Custom Deluxe
Back in the 60’s Stax Records famously plowed the fertile ground of the overlap between early rock & roll and rhythm & blues. That sound became identified with Memphis, but like the stone thrown in still water, its effects spread across the south from Muscle Shoals all the way to the Atlantic seaboard. Along the […]
Robert Finley – Black Bayou
Robert Finley is releasing his fourth album “Black Bayou”, but still there are a lot of people unfamiliar with him and his unusual backstory. In fact, Finley didn’t even take up music full time until he was in his sixties. This on the face of it doesn’t seem like the most opportune time in his […]
Monday Morning Video – Julie Rhodes
New England singer-songwriter Julie Rhodes is a powerhouse performer. Don’t believe me? Check out this performance.
Monday Morning Video – Otis Redding
If I could go back in time, Otis Redding is one of the performers that I’d most like to see. Here he is in 1966 performing a cover of The Temptations’ “My Girl” (written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracle Ronald White) followed by Redding’s own “Respect” (most notably covered by Aretha Franklin). One great […]