The Americana Music Association Conference and Awards made a welcome return from the virtual world this year. The annual event showcased several hundred artists who collectively illustrate the breadth of the Americana umbrella. Here are some of my highlights from Americana 2022. CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM Ingram is now in the category of “when you can […]
Monday Morning Video – Dallas House Show Preview
In Dallas-Ft. Worth? Can you get to Dallas-Ft. Worth? If so, come join Twangville next Sunday as we host a backyard concert with a few stellar artists – Alex Wong from Nashville, TN, Wood Willow from Oklahoma City, OK, and DFW’s own Brandon Callies. Here’s a preview playlist that highlights songs from each artist’s latest […]
Monday Morning Video – “Show Yourself”, A Benefit Residency
Keepsake House, producers of the “From Story to Song” show that I wrote about earlier this year, are back with an even more ambitious undertaking: they’ve partnered with Nashville musician Alex Wong to host the month-long “Show Yourself: A Benefit Residency Celebrating AAPI Stories”. The series. emcompassing five shows, kicked off last Monday with Wong, […]
Monday Morning Video – Keepsake House “From Story to Song”
A chance encounter at the Americana Conference in Nashville last September led to me to the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center in NYC in October. The occasion was an event called “From Story to Song“, produced by NYC-based Keepsake House. The premise of the event was to pair a storyteller with a musical artist and […]
Monday Morning Video – Alex Wong
I’ll admit that I’d lost touch with Alex Wong’s music for awhile. Although I recall his early days as part of the Animators, I hadn’t kept up with his solo output. I re-connected with his music with 2019’s Kivalina, a joint EP with Jesse Terry and, thanks to a chance meeting in Nashville this past […]
Mayer’s Picks – Best of 2019, The EPs
As more and more artists are transitioning from albums to EPs, I thought I’d highlight a few of my faves in that medium. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite EPs of 2019 GOODNIGHT, TEXAS, The Senseless Age JESSE TERRY + ALEX WONG, Kivalina ANTHONY D’AMATO, Five Songs from New Orleans RADICAL […]