April is shaping up as a difficult world in the world of music. This past week we lost Jesse Winchester, whose soft-spoken style belied the power of his songs. Here are two magical Winchester performances. The first is an early (and often covered) classic “Defying Gravity.” The second is the celebrated appearance on Elvis Costello’s […]
SXSW 2014 — Say What?!
One of my favorite parts of SXSW is the crazy things you see and hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections. We’ve got about 20 minutes to make you love us. Chris Masterson stating what could be the SXSW mantra. One in, one out. The other SXSW mantra, overheard at the men’s […]
SXSW 2014 — The Sounds, Part 2
DAVE AND PHIL ALVIN I’m a big Dave Alvin fan. Unfortunately for me I discovered the Blasters, the seminal band co-founded by Dave and his brother Phil, after they went their separate ways. I was hooked, though, on their encyclopedic knowledge of American music — everything from folk to country and from blues to vintage […]
SXSW 2014 — The Sounds, Part 1
THE HOLD STEADY While I may not be as crazy as my friend who chased the band around Austin for the band’s 7 planned shows, I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to see the Brooklyn rockers celebrate their first album in 4 years. I accompanied said friend to the front of the stage […]
SXSW 2014 — The Scene
For me, the true harbinger of spring is the arrival of the SXSW Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Or rather, spring begins for me when I arrive in Austin for SXSW. With upwards of 2,500 bands and 20,000 attendees from around the world, SXSW is the world’s premiere music conference. Even better, it […]
In Memoriam – Dave Lamb
Dave Lamb of the Providence, RI-based duo Brown Bird passed away this past weekend. The circumstances are heart-wrenching. Lamb fell ill with mysterious symptoms while touring Texas last year. In a tale that is all too familiar, Lamb had no insurance. Fortunately, he was able to get home and secure insurance for what became a […]
Pete Seeger, 1919 – 2014
We lost a legend yesterday, a man who changed the world with both his spirit and his song. Here are two videos to celebrate Pete Seeger’s legacy. First, Seeger leads Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson and the entire audience in a version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” at the […]
Best Albums of 2013, Official Twangville Editors’ Picks
Official Twangville Album of 2013: No drumroll necessary, it’s Jason Isbell’s Southeastern with the runaway pick for the official Twangville best album of 2013. This list combines best of year picks from our Twangville authors plus the Readers’ Top 20 which you helped us create. Congrats to all the finalists. Official Twangville Top 20 of […]
Eli’s Favorite Records of 2013
2013 was a pretty crazy year for me. Personally, professionally, and music listening habit-wise, it was all over the map. At different points during the year, I obsessed over the back catalogs of The Clash, Emmylou Harris (again), Tom Waits, Kevin Gordon, Superchunk (again), Kanye West (weirdly), Paul Westerberg solo records (again), and finally The Bottle Rockets. […]
Tom’s Picks: Best of 2013
Album of the Year: Jason Isbell – Southeastern Jason Isbell is quickly establishing himself as one of the greatest singer/songwriters alive today. He’s cleaned up, remarried, and recording without the 400 Unit (his backing band from the last few years). Southeastern is one of those albums I imagine we’ll look back on some day as […]