Twangville

A music blog featuring Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues. Est. 2005.

Mark Otis Selby – Naked Sessions

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I’m a sucker for a really good cover song.  The best ones take the same chord progressions and lyrics and convey an entirely different experience.  Think Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower compared to the original Dylan version.  Now turn that around, where you’ve heard the second version, and now you get the original, lightly […]

Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son

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In a somber chat between Jesus Christ and Woody Guthrie, Jesus cautions Woody that the “engine of hate” that fueled Woody’s struggles last century was back again and “you good people better get together or you ain’t got a chance anymore.” That sums up how Ry Cooder paints today’s world in “Jesus and Woody,” one […]

Monday Morning Video – Brother Dege

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Late Saturday night at this year’s SXSW, I was making my way back to the hotel after the official showcases had wound down. Or so I thought. Walking by Antone’s I heard the unmistakable sound of a slide guitar. It would have been wrong to not step in and check it out, right? Inside I […]

Readers’ Pick: Tom Rush – Voices

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You picked Voices by folk singer-songwriter, Tom Rush, as your favorite new release for the week of April 27, 2018. Poll Results 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 2018 CALEB CAUDLE, […]

Deep Ellum Blues – A Special Dallas Playlist

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Good Luck, Garrett Owen (from the self-released Sad Eyed-Son) To call Fort Worth’s Garrett Owen a captivating performer just doesn’t do him justice. Even as he sings songs about heartbreak and loss, he somehow pulls in listeners with an enthralling allure. There’s a melancholy that hangs over his music – he sings achingly of heartache, […]

Wood & Wire – North Of Despair

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The best artistic efforts have the ability to hit you on many levels–strikingly beautiful at even the first glance, and then building your appreciation as you peel back the layers and get more and more out of it.  I found that to be the case with the latest record from Austin-based Wood & Wire.  It […]

Josh Ward – More Than I Deserve

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Sometimes it is about how/where you were raised.  After time on the rodeo circuit and then a stint in the Texas oilfields, Josh Ward decided to pursue his passion, albeit in a slightly safer profession as a country music singer.  When he sings about perseverance in A Cowboy Can, it’s coming from deep in the heart. […]

Michael Flynn Pretend Like

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I first heard Mr. Flynn around 2004 with the release of Slow Runner’s no disassemble. I’ve been a big fan ever since. I’m not sure how to categorize his style/music, I just know I like it. I guess mid-tempo, introspective, thought provoking, self-deprecating, often sexy, sometimes funny, pop music would be a good place to […]

Monday Morning Video – Travis Meadows Is Waitin’ on Springsteen

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Travis Meadows recently provided a welcome reminder that some of the best songs come directly from the artist’s own life experience. At a Dallas show a few weeks ago, Meadows introduced this song with tales of his youthful quest for love cruising the streets of his Mississippi hometown while listening to classic rock on the […]