Sharing this performance not because John Hiatt is a masterful songwriter (although he is) but rather for a particular lyrical reference. Now I’m in my carI got the radio downAn’ I’m a’yellin’ at the kids in the back‘Cause they’re bangin’ like’a Charlie Watts This performance, featuring Sonny Landreth (tucked away in the back on slide […]
Bill’s Blues-Based Best of 2020
Well, it’s over. We got through it, and, while it 2020 was a monster in so many ways, there were some choice blues albums that hit the street. Below is a dozen of my favorite blues (or ‘bluesy’) albums of 2020. Sonny Landreth – Blacktop Run. It’s a great album for when you’re on the […]
Sonny Landreth – Blacktop Run
Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth is a great musician who doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Blacktop Run is a great addition to Landreth’s prolific output. Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, Landreth got his first gig in the 1970s as a sideman to zydeco king Clifton Chenier. It was that job that prepared him for a lifetime […]
Monday Morning Video – John Hiatt and the Goners
With one notable exception, my live concert year is off to a phenomenal start. The most recent addition to the list was John Hiatt, joined by Sonny Landreth and the Goners. The foursome revisited Hiatt’s seminal album Slow Turning in its entirety, every musical nook and cranny resounding with an infectious energy. Landreth, in particular, […]
Bill’s Blues-Based Best – 2015
There’s no way we can claim to track all the new music that comes out in a year. But we’re wired to find what we like. While I certainly enjoy the alt. country artists so popular on Twangville (caught Jason Isbell’s show at the Electric Factory last summer – fantastic!) I tend to write more […]
John Mayall – Find a Way to Care
John Mayall is often called the “Godfather of British Blues,†but his legacy may include so much more than just pioneering the British blues. By introducing a generation of rock fans to the blues, he arguably had a hand in saving blues as a viable music form at a time in the 1960s when elderly bluesmen […]
Readers’ Pick: Bound By The Blues by Sonny Landreth
SONNY LANDRETH, Bound By The Blues beats out HONEYHONEY, 3 by 9 votes as your favorite for the week of June 9, 2015. Poll Results Readers’ Top 25 – Spring 2015 THE SIDESHOW TRAGEDY, Capital (50) RAY WYLIE HUBBARD, Ruffian’s Misfortune (22) DWIGHT YOAKAM, Second Hand Heart (21) EILEN JEWELL, Sundown Over Ghost […]
Monday Morning Video: John Hiatt
We’ll start this week with a gem from the John Hiatt catalog. The song tells the tale of a guy who “borrows” one of Elvis Presley’s Cadillacs and the consequences thereof. And, yes, that is the amazing Sonny Landreth on guitar.
Mike Zito – Gone To Texas
Mike Zito is an ambitious young blues rocker who brings a gritty yet soulful edge to his music. A member of Royal Southern Brotherhood (which also features Cyril Neville and Devon Allman), Zito is fast making a name for himself in the blues world. A St. Louis native now based in Beaumont, Texas, Zito is […]
Your Favorites in 2008… So Far
The residents of Twangville have spoken! Here are some of your favorites from the first half of the year. The Band of Heathens, The Band of Heathens Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers Elbow, Seldom Seen Kid Eleven Hundred […]