Although we tend to think of the rebellion against the slick production values that Nashville country music is perhaps best known for as a fairly recent phenomena, it dates back over 50 years to a group of artists, and a Capitol Records producer, that called Bakersfield, California, home. Â The Bakersfield Sound eschewed the strings and […]
Monday Morning Video: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott on the Johnny Cash Show
Last week’s Ramblin’ Jack Elliott video was so much fun that we’re going to bring him back again this week. This time it is a 1969 performance of “If I Was a Carpenter” from the Johnny Cash Show. You gotta love Johnny’s intro, “He’s got a song and friend for every mile behind him.”
Photos that ROCK! Barnstar!
Barnstar! at the Outside the Box Festival July 15, 2013- Boston, MA C’mon! Besides being the name of their album, this is a phrase that you can often hear bassist Zack Hickman holler during a rollicking bluegrass solo. And as he pointed out, their name isn’t Barnstar, it’s Barnstar! This is fitting for a band […]
Slaid Cleaves Reinvents the Rocking Coffeehouse
Though “Club Passim” in Cambridge has a generally laidback vibe, it took the homey comfort of a prodigal son to turn it into a what a coffeehouse should be. Slaid Claves played his highly literate tunes in front of capacity crowd of about 100. Square tables, appetizers and friendly stories made Cleaves’ feel like a […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2013, So Far (the Albums)
This has been a great musical year and we’ve still got several months — and some highly anticipated releases — to go before it ends. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2013. You’ll see that I’ve listed my favorite Boston releases as a group. Each […]
Ducktape Saves Lives- Frank Turner’s Recovery
Another entry in our recurring feature, Ducktape Saves Lives demolishes the normal review protocol in favor of cheap jokes, extended digressions, and an occasional interesting thought or two. Inspired by long back and forth emails between myself, fellow Twangviller Todd Mathis, and my twin brother Kyle Petersen, Ductape Saves Lives is intend for ‘big’(ger) records […]
Monday Morning Video: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Friends Perform Woody Guthrie
Here’s a great one from the archives. Legendary folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is joined by Marty Stuart, Joe Henry, Kelly Hogan and Billy Bragg to perform a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd” from SXSW back in 2006.
Jonas Friddle & the Majority – Use Your Voice
I once heard a comment, that I agree with, at a Calexico concert that anytime there’s both a trumpet and a slide guitar on the same stage it’s going to be a good show. Â Having listened now to the latest from Jonas Friddle & the Majority, Use Your Voice, I’m going to say that the […]
Win Big: Signed Twangville Music Festival Poster
So, the Twangville posse is just about recovered from last month’s Twangville Music Festival, a weekend’s worth of fantastic performances from six incredible artists. We’re not done yet, however. We’re giving away a couple of limited edition Festival posters. Even better, the posters are signed by each of the musicians who performed at the Festival: […]
Drive By Truckers – Live at Track 29 in Chattanooga, TN
I woke up June 28th and all the signs were there. My ears were ringing. My voice was gone, and my head hurt. It wasn’t the flu. I had been to see the Drive-By Truckers the night before. Track 29 is a converted skating rink behind the ubiquitous Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel. When the Truckers took […]