Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2025.
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2025 (So Far), the Songs
Wrong End & Black Snake, Mojave Blues, Balto (from the self-released No Hard Feeling) These two songs represent the scope of Balto’s musical power – the unbridled rock and roll fury of “Black Snake, Mojave Blues” and the powerful emotion of “Wrong End”, the band’s seeming farewell to music: I don’t believe in songs no moreIn the long dead horse […]
Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2025 (So Far), the Albums
No Hard Feeling by Balto Released quietly in late December 2024, Balto’s surprise album opened 2025 on an incredibly powerful note—impassioned, defiant, and beautifully crafted. From the slow-burning heartbreak of “Big City” to the searing catharsis of “Black Snake, Mojave Blues,” the band channels their frustrations and fading faith in music into a collection that’s […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2025, Part 2
True Believer, Jason Isbell (from the Southeastern Records release Foxes in the Snow) Foxes in the Snow finds Jason Isbell in a raw, reflective space, drawing from the emotional wreckage of heartbreak and the cautious hope of starting over. These songs live in the aftermath—where pain lingers, memories echo, and new love emerges slowly, shaped […]
Monday Morning Video – Andy Frasco and the U.N.
Ain’t no party like an Andy Frasco party… I caught Frasco and company in NYC a few weeks ago and the crew put on one hell of a show. Here’s a clip of the band performing “Dancin’ Around My Grave” from their Boston show a few nights prior. The sound quality is not pristine but […]
Kiss Off – a Special Twangville Playlist, Part 7
A few times over the years 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. There have […]
Monday Morning Video – Andy Frasco and the U.N.
Andy Frasco and the U.N. brought a party to Brooklyn this past weekend. And what a party it was – I don’t think it was possible to walk out of the venue after the show without a big ol’ smile on one’s face. Frasco and company interspersed fun covers (ranging from TLC to Nirvana to […]
Mayer’s Picks – More Favorites from 2020
Here, in no particular order, are more favorites from 2020.
Mayer’s Picks – The Best of 2020 (So Far), the Songs
No Time for Love Songs, The Mastersons (from the Red House Records release No Time for Love Songs) I love you so much but it’s no time for love songs We’re starting to unravel at the seams Maybe I care too much and this world is hard enough How come everybody’s gotta be so mean? […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2020, Part 3
FEATURED ALBUM I’m Learning How to Tell Myself the Truth, John Moreland (from the Old Omens/Thirty Tigers release LP5) John Moreland is still searching for that which eludes him. I wouldn’t call it happiness, but rather contentmen. It’s a quest to find understanding, if not meaning, in the world. Much of his latest release centers […]