It’s strange to say a 32-year-old returned to form, but that’s exactly what Robert Francis just did. His first three albums, One by One, Before Nightfall, and Strangers in the First Place, were brilliant beyond Francis’ years. Each one showed a unique and progressing voice. The next three records, Heaven, Fire Engine Red, and Indian […]
Marshall Chapman – Songs I Can’t Live Without
Less is more. People talk a lot about that, but I find more often less is simply less. Not so for the new record from Marshall Chapman, Songs I Can’t Live Without. These aren’t her songs, but they’re all meaningful to her from various points in her life. Some of them so interwoven into her […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2020, Part 3
FEATURED ALBUM I’m Learning How to Tell Myself the Truth, John Moreland (from the Old Omens/Thirty Tigers release LP5) John Moreland is still searching for that which eludes him. I wouldn’t call it happiness, but rather contentmen. It’s a quest to find understanding, if not meaning, in the world. Much of his latest release centers […]
Andy Frasco on Gas Station Fruit, Destroying Pianos, and Touring Relentlessly
Andy Frasco reveals how many pianos he destroys a year and how many miles he drives each year while touring.
Jesse Daniel on His Litany of Day Jobs and Why Cool Points Don’t Matter
Jesse Daniel talks about his steady upward climb in both life and tour vehicles.
Monday Morning Video – Little Richard
Another legend gone…
Readers’ Pick: Steve Forbert – Early Morning Rain
You picked Steve Forbert – Early Morning Rain as your favorite new release for the week of May 1, 2020. New Releases Did we miss something? If you feel a new release is missing from our current poll, please let us know in the comments. Readers’ Tops Winter & Spring 2020 Robert Vincent – In […]
Socially Single – A Special Twangville Playlist
It is times like these where we most need artists. And they are rising to the occasion. Many a music fan has watched some of the flood of online streaming shows that have – and continue – to occur. While these events are a crucial source of income to artists in an era where most […]
….All Others Pay Cash – a Premiere from Ben de la Cour
Nashville-based Ben de la Cour may have ventured north to Canada to record the forthcoming Shadow Land, but the album is steeped in the Southern gothic storytelling tradition. De la Cour’s songs are filled with troubled souls, sometimes the result of their environs and other times the consequence of questionable decisions. While the lyrics – […]
EP Two-For – Kyle LaLone & Dead Winter Carpenters
From Boston to New York City to Los Angeles, Kyle LaLone has played lead guitar and been a sought-after session man for bands probably too numerous to count. Along the way he’s mastered numerous styles and played everything from dive bars to stadiums. All those life experiences have finally pushed LaLone to release an EP […]





