If Night One was about the late night party, night two was about the tributes. Most of the headliners – most notably Metallica and the Jeff Beck Band – mixed a healthy dose of covers into their sets, many with special guests along for the ride. Similar to Night One, the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis […]
The Rock Hall @ 25: Night One (Part 2)
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts, Night One 29 October 2009 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City Headliners: Crosby, Stills & Nash; Paul Simon; Simon & Garfunkel; Stevie Wonder; Bruce Springsteen Guests: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Dion DiMucci, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Smokey Robinson, John […]
Springsteen Gets Socially Distorted
Bruce Springsteen unleashed his inner punk with special guest and Twangville fave Mike Ness of Social Distortion last week in L.A. This is the sound of four guitars a blazin’. Click here for a bigger fix of Social D. Thanks to Between Love and Like for the tip-off.
The Legacy of Townes and Sir Douglas
Spring brings us two phenomenal releases honoring the legacy of Texas music pioneers Doug Sahm and Townes Van Zandt. The recently released Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm (Vanguard Records) pays tribute to San Antonio native Doug Sahm. Sahm established himself in 1965 as leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet, a band whose […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, a Video Companion
What’s a playlist without a video companion? We kick things off with Otis Gibbs and Miranda Lee Richards, our featured artists this month. From there we’ve got live clips from the Gourds, Gary Louris & Mark Olson, Joe Ely and A.C. Newman, plus videos from Frank Turner and Bruce Springsteen. We close out this month […]
Mayer’s Playlist for January ’09, Part 1
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Grandpa Walked a Picketline, by Otis Gibbs Otis Gibbs is an American original, a gruff musical journeyman who is unafraid to tell it like he see’s it. With a matter of fact lyrical style, he spins tales of the back roads and the folks that wander them. “Caroline,” for example, tells […]
Nine for ’09
I can’t speak for the economy, but 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for music. Pay particular attention to March. It seems that every year the stars align on a single day and we get an embarrassment of riches. This year that day is March 3rd. Here are some of the incredible […]
“For You” A Biography Of A Cult
Dave Marsh, the biographer of the Boss, has dubbed Springsteen fans the cult. Springsteen fans habitually follow the guy around. Waiting in line at a show, waiting for the gates to open it is not uncommon to hear a cacophony of accents and languages. Some more than others. Natives from New Jersey and Italians tend to […]
Alejandro Escovedo and the E Street Band!
Oh, to have been in Houston last night… If you read my recent post on Alejandro Escovedo’s Sunday night performance at SXSW, you know what a fan I am of the man. If you followed my entire South-by “highlights reel,” you also know that the Replacements are my all-time favorite band. What I haven’t yet […]
SXSW 2008 – John’s Wednesday Afternoon Highlight: Matthew Ryan
With apologies for the tardiness of the appearance of this, the beginning of my 2008 SXSW highlights reel, we’re off to the races now. This post is the first in a nine- (possibly ten-) part series which will be coming your way regularly over the coming days, so please don’t be shy about chiming in […]