You could probably argue that all music, regardless of genre, falls into two categories.  There’s music celebrating (or bemoaning) the here and now, and there are songs that take you back to a time or place.  The latest release from Colorado-based Taarka, Making Tracks Home, does a superb job of exploring both of those buckets in […]
Kiss Off — A Special Twangville Playlist, Part 6
A few years back I put together a series of special playlists featuring my favorite kiss off songs. Despite what some may think, I’m really not that cynical. Rather, I just appreciate how some songwriters can tackle the topic with humor and bite. It’s kind of like a genre unto itself. Over the past year […]
Bernard Allison – In The Mix
Bernard Allison has a tough act to follow. The son of legendary bluesman Luther Allison, Bernard Allison has inherited his father’s energy and skill, but he has forged a sound of his own. When I saw the elder Allison perform live in the early 80s, it was like watching pure energy. Luther Allison’s guitar work was […]
Readers’ Pick: JOE PUG, Windfall
JOE PUG, Windfall beats out TOM PAXTON, Redemption Road by 8 votes as your favorite for the week of March 10, 2015. Poll Results Readers’ Top 25 – Winter 2015 JAMES MCMURTRY, Complicated Game (26) STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES, Terraplane (18) JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, Absent Fathers (17) JOE PUG, Windfall (14) THE […]
Miles Nielsen Talks Tour Strategies and Why There Are Seven Members of his Five Piece Band
Miles Nielsen talks about how he might have approached touring differently when he started his career in music and why he is more focused on the financial side of music.
Monday Morning Video – Josh Ritter “Snow Is Gone”
So yesterday we broke the record for seasonal snowfall in Boston. That means we can transition to spring now, right? Well, we’re not quite there yet, but this classic from Josh Ritter seems appropriate. Or is it just wishful thinking?
Hearing Things
So I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately, new and old. Here’s a rundown: The Vagaband/Medicine for the Soul – If you’ve been craving some vintage Wilco with a touch of The Felice Brothers thrown in, have I got the band for you. “Black Sheep†will have your toes tapping and singing along […]
Lilly Hiatt – Royal Blue
The skeptics tend to come out of the woodwork when the progeny of a well-known musician launches a career. To be true, their caution is often warranted. One listen to Lilly Hiatt’s new release “Royal Blue†silences all doubt. This is her second album; and it firmly establishes Hiatt as a gifted artist who is […]
Readers’ Pick: The Firewatcher’s Daughter by Brandi Carlile
BRANDI CARLILE, The Firewatcher’s Daughter beats out ANDREW COMBS, All These Dreams and ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys by 4 votes as your favorite for the week of March 3, 2015. Poll Results Readers’ Top 25 – Winter 2015 JAMES MCMURTRY, Complicated […]
Josh Erwin of Packway Handle Band Talks Hotel Breakfasts and Why Bands Are Like Communist Organizations
Josh Erwin of Athens, GA’s Packway Handle Band chats about engine troubles with the group’s Ford passenger van, a rather interesting day job and the distractions to be found while rehearsing at musician Jim White’s house.