Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat by Fantastic Cat The sum is greater than the part with this collective of four singer-songwriters. Each of the four brings their own personality and songwriting style to the group, but they compliment one another beautifully. The songs crackle with intelligence and humor, all the better when the […]
SXSW 2024 – Say What?!
One of my favorite things about SXSW (well, after the music) are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from SXSW 2024. Concert, hit play. Matthew Caws kicking off his set a few minutes early That’s how I do the requests. I just wait for someone to […]
SXSW 2024: The Sounds, Part 3
The Lottery Winners My last official SXSW set was delivered by one of my fave new artist discoveries – England’s The Lottery Winners. The band’s energy, combined with the positivity of their songs, made for a cathartic experience. Ben Kweller Kweller treated a Friday night crowd to a set filled with rockin’ fan favorites. Power […]
SXSW 2024: The Sounds, Part 2
Alejandro Escovedo I’d like to say that Escovedo is the elder statesman of SXSW, which he undoubtedly is, but it really doesn’t do him justice. He rocked SXSW as hard, arguably harder, than musicians a fraction of his age. I caught him three times through the week, each appearance unique. The stand-out was a small […]
SXSW 2024: The Sounds, Part 1
Kathleen Edwards I don’t recall this ever happening before, but this year I kicked off SXSW with one of my favorite sets of the week. Kathleen Edwards performed solo (save a brief appearance by Lauren Morrow on harmony vocals), highlighting songs from throughout her illustrious career plus a new one. Attitude, charm, and great music. […]
SXSW 2024: The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for the annual event. With upwards of 1,500 artists and tens of thousands of attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even better, […]
Folk Alliance 2024 – Musical Highlights
As noted in my previous post, a big part of the Folk Alliance International annual conference are the showcases, both official and unofficial. The official performances take place from around 6pm to 10pm in hotel ballrooms, with professional sound and lighting. Depending on the size of the room attendance can go from a few dozen […]
2024 Folk Alliance International Conference
There are many organizations set up to serve the music industry, from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy people) and their non-profit, MusiCares, to industry organizations for various segments, to local music societies. I’m certain none of them come close to the broad offerings of Folk Alliance International. FAI is a […]
Todd’s Tops of 2023
Another year, another “Best Of” list. I think in the 80s/90s I could tell what I listened to the most that year by the drag of the tape on the cassette. Enter the late mid-90s/2000s, the skips in the CD. Now, it’s a Spotify list of the most played artist. And while yes, Taylor Swift […]
Twangville’s 2023 Favorites are…
The Twangville pick for Best New Album of 2023 is Weathervanes by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit.