With the passing of one year and the start of another, we at Twangville relish the opportunity to reflect on our favorite music of the past year. Over the next week I’ll be highlighting my favorite albums and songs from 2006, culminating with a preview of some highly anticipated 2007 releases. 10. Rebels, Rogues & […]
Best Albums of 2006 (Tom’s Picks)
Here they are, my favorite albums of 2006. American Myth by Jackie Greene The back of the American Myth album cover pictures Jackie Greene sitting in a bedroom smoking a cigarette. Behind him are three concert posters. The headliners for those concerts are Rolling Stones, Hank Williams and Muddy Waters. These obvious influences are what […]
Klausner Music Newsletter, Year-End Musings by Bobby K
Someday I’ll be able to convince Bobby Klausner to become a contributor on Twangville. He’s a friend of Mayer’s which makes him a friend on mine. I’ve never met Bobby but I know him for at least 2 reasons. At the end of every year he sends out a very thoughtful newsletter covering his favorite […]
The New, Weird America: The Harry Smith Project Revisited
“My dream came true. I saw America changed through music.” As a Grammy Awards audience acknowledged his genius, a frail Harry Smith, months before his death, basked in the recognition that had eluded him for a half century. The importance of his landmark Anthology of American Folk Music cannot be overstated: it is often credited […]
Loomer – Songs of the Wild West Island
When asked about remaking his favorite songs, Scott Loomer remarked, “You don’t cover ‘Crazy’ unless you’re Patsy Cline, which we’re not.” That’s a taste of the wit and wisdom that makes Loomer (the band) so appealing. No flash, no pretense, Songs from the Wild West Island is just a solid batch of songs that pierce […]
San Saba County’s “Its Not the Fall that Hurts”, At a Glance
SXSW darlings, San Saba County, take us on an around-the-world bar hop from the saloon to the cantina then back to the saloon with their latest album, Its Not the Fall That Hurts. The beechwood-aged twangers’ second full-length album is thematically heavy on heartbreak and audibly represents a diversity of Texicano influences giving it a […]
Jamie Cullum & Josh Ritter live in Florida
Let me begin by saying that the talent on this tour is immense. Even the roadies play classical piano and jump in here and there when the band members are busy trading off on other instruments (it seems they all play at least 2 or 3 professionally). Add to that the fact that the frontmen, […]
Pogues Reissues
Rhino does it again! Remastered, repackaged and revived editions of the first five Pogues albums were released in America last week (their entire catalog was reissued in the UK in 2005). Supervised by the band, the remastered sound is sterling, and the 29 bonus tracks should satisfy any completist — they include the entire Poguetry […]
Twangville Recommends: Bob Walkenhorst
Bob Walkenhorst is among the most impressive songwriters that I’ve heard, a vibrant and literate lyricist who packs his songs with social commentary. As the lead singer and songwriter for Missouri’s Rainmakers in the late 1980’s, he matched intelligent lyrics with the force of classic rock and roll. Although I didn’t share his political views […]
John Gorka – Writing in the Margins, Reviewed
I was reminded of John Gorka while watching a Judy Garland biography on PBS last week; he wrote a character sketch of the actress on his first album, detailing the movie studio mistreatment that contributed to her tragic struggles. It was a fledgling example of his ability to report the human condition with keen insight […]