Southern Hospitality has served up a southern fried delicacy with its debut album, East Livin’. Produced by Louisiana blues guitar-slinger Tab Benoit, “SOHO” members J.P. Soars, Damon Fowler and Victor Wainwright, have followed a swampy gumbo recipe reminiscent of classic southern rockers Little Feat (during the Lowell George years) with a selection ranging from soul-inflected blues, to country, to […]
The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher – Secretly Famous
Upon learning that the “Rev.” Jimmie Bratcher is an ordained minister, those of us who prefer our entertainment to be taken separately from our religion might become a little skeptical.  But Bratcher’s Secretly Famous provides straight-forward blues-rock with some inspired guitar, keeping the preaching down to a bare minimum and letting the music instead do the talking. […]
Tom McBride – Morning in Glen Burnie / Live
It’s rare for influential records to bring together an artists’ sound quite so well. In our phone conversation, Tom’s first two of the albeit clichéd interview question were Willie Nelson – Stardust and Stevie Wonder – Musiquarium. These two records bring together Tom’s best elements.  He mentioned “Whiter Shade of Pale Color” in particular. A […]
Monday Morning Video: Tim Easton
Talk about stripping your artistry down to the core. Here’s Tim Easton, sans microphone and armed with just his acoustic guitar, delivering an energetic performance of his song “Broke My Heart.” If you like what you hear, New West Records has just released Before the Revolution – The Best Of 1998-2011 an impressive collection that […]
Friday Morning Video: Holly Williams
This was suppose to be an elegant review of the excellent new album from Caitlin Rose. Unfortunately, one of the Twangville posse (me) fell down on the job. So instead you get a video from the artist who caused me to lose all sense of time and place this week. Meet Holly Williams.
Son Volt – Honky Tonk
Son Volt released their latest album, Honky Tonk, earlier this week.  Eli and I both are liking it, so we’re going to offer you two reviews for the price of one.  First, here are Eli’s thoughts. “There is a world of wisdom inside a fiddle tuneâ€- Jay Farrar, Down the Highway Honky Tonk is a […]
Mayer’s Playlist for February 2013, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH On My Mind, In My Heart, by Jesse Dee Who’d have thought that a kid from Arlington Massachusetts could so brilliantly channel Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Al Green? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jesse Dee. Over the course of 11 tracks, Dee rocks, rolls, reels and strolls as if he was […]
Duck Tape Saves Lives: Old 97’s- Too Far to Care [15th Anniversary Edition]
Here is another entry in the recurring feature that demolishes the normal review protocol in favor of cheap jokes, extended digressions, and an occasional interesting thought or two. Duck Tape Saves Lives is inspired by long back and forth emails between myself, fellow Twangviller Todd Mathis, and my twin brother Kyle Petersen. We only intend […]
Monday Morning Video: Kevin Gordon
The word “epic†probably gets bandied about a bit too much. It seems appropriate, however, when discussing Kevin Gordon’s “Colfax/Step in Time.†With a brilliant literary style, Gordon chronicles a young boy in the South during the 1970’s. As the song progresses, he touches on everything from young lust to the dark side of the […]
Corey Harris – Fulton Blues
After many years experimenting with roots music styles from reggae to ragtime, Corey Harris has emerged as a master.  Fulton Blues, a self-produced collection of mainly acoustic blues, represents a return to Harris’ musical roots. As a musical adventurer, Harris can be compared with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. He first gained notice with a pure Delta blues […]