We’ll book-end this edition with two clips from the Low Anthem. “Boeing 737,” the opener, features clips of the band recording in the abandoned pasta sauce factory while “Apothecary Love,” the closer, was recorded live in Grand Central Station. In-between you get Lucinda William’s acoustic take on “Buttercup,” the David Wax Museum performing “The Least […]
Mayer’s Playlist from February 2011
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Blessed, by Lucinda Williams Ah, Lucinda, you lost me a bit with your last couple of releases. Not that I can hold it against you. Car Wheels and some of the earlier works set the bar so high that it would be hard to imagine being able to sustain that momentum. […]
Justin Townes Earle – Live At the Rio Theater
A couple of months ago, the collective conscience here at Twangville voted Justin Townes Earle’s latest record our album of the year. Â On a chilly night in Santa Cruz, Earle stopped through on a west coast swing of appearances to play at the Rio Theater. Â Dressed in a dark suit and skinny tie, with well […]
Lucinda Williams – Blessed
Some albums have lyrics with an emotional impact, but more often than not, the music impacts me more than the lyrics. So it is always special to find an album that does both. Then there is Lucinda Williams’ new project Blessed , which has great musicianship delivering a Soulful Blues with deep roots. Even More impressively, the […]
Dave Alvin Visits Harlan County, KY
I dub this a good day, since any day that we get new music from Dave Alvin is a good day to me. Alvin wrote and recorded the track for the FX series “Justified.” Alvin will also appear in the episode, which is based in the fictional town of Harlan County, KY. For those of […]
Live From Daryl’s House
For over three years Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame) has been inviting musicians – both strangers and friends – to his house for conversation and music. The show, “Live From Daryl’s House,†is a great example of web-only programming. While I don’t watch it all that often, it was hard not to get […]
Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
Producing some stellar, if not downright seminal, works can be a real pain for an artist. Ask Lucinda Williams what’s it been like to answer questions about why each of her albums can’t be Car Wheels on a Gravel Road? Ryan Adams has tried for years to overcome the “Where’s the next Heartbreaker?” stigma. Classic […]
Cee Lo Green/The Lady Killer
I realize Mr. Mayer included the tune “Fuck You” (or “Forget You” for you pop radio listeners out there) in his Best of 2010, but I was a little late to the party, as usual, and just got a copy of The Lady Killer a couple of weeks ago. I have to say I wasn’t […]
Win Big: Unbelievable Johnny Cash Prize Package
An original demo of “I Walk the Line.†Early recordings with Sam Phillips. A solo acoustic version of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene.†If one every wanted to understand why Johnny Cash is a legend, this collection of 57 tracks from speaks volumes. Cash had a voice that commanded authority. The demos captured here – more than […]
The Drive-By Truckers- Go Go Boots
We here at Twangville have always loved us some Drive-By Truckers. So rather than limit ourselves to a single reviewer giving you his take, we’ve teamed together to give you this monster review. Hope you enjoy….. “In Muscle Shoals the love the Swampers, They’ve been gone to pick a song or two”, are familiar words […]