Blog Profile / Twangville
| URL : | http://twangville.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Music / Country | |
| Posts on Regator: | 1067 | |
| Posts / Week: | 4 | |
| Archived Since: | April 1, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Josh Ritter is Boston Strong
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band House of Blues Boston, May 18 2013 It’s clear that Josh Ritter has a special place in his heart for Boston. This was a hometown show for band members Zack Hickman, Austin Nevins, and Sam Kassirer. Ritter brought his A-game and gave the Boston fans a lot to [...]
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell- Old Yellow Moon
“We’ve both grown tired/ Of running from each other/ Here we are/ Darling, here we are”- Rodney Crowell Old Yellow Moon feels lived in. The record feels instantly comfortable, like an old pair of shoes that align perfectly with the arches of your feet. Harris and Crowell’s musical partnership dates back a quarter of century [...]
Monday Morning Video: The True Believers
Here’s a flashback to this year’s SXSW. Austin rockers The True Believers — featuring singer-songwriter-guitarists Alejandro Escovedo, Javier Escovedo and Jon Dee Graham — let their guitars ring out at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in this set recorded for Seattle public radio station KEXP. This band was meant to be played LOUD. The set list [...]
Eastbound Jesus – Northern Rock
Click, whirrr. Click, whirrr. Like some aural Polaroid the recently released third album from upstate New York band Eastbound Jesus spits out snapshots of life in northern rural America that quickly take on the patina of nostalgia even when they’re new. Northern Rock is as much about stories set to music as it is songwriting. [...]
Randall Bramblett – The Bright Spots
Randall Bramblett is generally known as much for his associations as he is for his own body of work. That is largely due to the innate talent that made him a coveted session and touring musician, who primarily wrote and created for others. While he released a couple of solo records in the 70’s, it [...]
Monday Morning Video: John Prine with Kris Kristofferson and Joan Baez
It occurred to me that we haven’t written much, at least lately, about John Prine. Well, I went searching for a good song to share and stumbled across this incredible video. It features Kris Kristofferson and Joan Baez singing alongside Prine on the his classic “Hello In There.” ‘Ya gotta love Baez’s comment as she [...]
3 EP Gems; Wicked Saints, Western Youth, Shawn Nelson
Shawn Nelson and The Good Buds – Enough Back in 2011 I reviewed San Juan Street from Shawn Nelson and was enamored of the protagonist perspective in many of his songs along with the variety of musical influences. So I was happy to see he has an EP out with his band, now known as [...]
With the Radio On: A Special Boston Playlist
It is only May and it has already been an amazing year for Boston music. Below are some of the highlights from some of the impressive releases making for a mighty fine musical spring in Beantown. FEATURED ALBUMS Waterfall, by Todd Thibaud Thibaud’s latest album is a bit of a paradox. For all it’s upbeat [...]
Monday Morning Video: Barnstar! Takes on “Handle With Care”
This week’s video finds Twangville faves Barnstar! in the studio recording their bluegrass cover of the Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care.” The song appeared on their spirited 2011 release C’mon!. As a special bonus, here’s Barnstar! taking on the Dawes gem “When My Time Comes.” An enchanting performance of a magical song.
Shinyribs – Gulf Coast Museum
Kevin Russell is an enigma. As lead singer and songwriter for The Gourds, he led one of the biggest party bands in Texas history. Just try to find someone in central Texas who doesn’t know the words to Gin & Juice (written by Snoop Dogg: a good example of why you shouldn’t get locked into [...]
Patty Griffin – American Kid
It is hard to describe songs that leave you speechless. The breathtaking tracks on “American Kid” mesmerize from beginning to end. This is Patty Griffin’s first album of original material in six years. Since then she has recorded an album of Gospel songs and hymns, “Downtown Church”, and toured with Robert Plant’s Band of Joy. [...]
George Glenn Jones (1931-2013)
“I would give anything if I could sing like George Jones. If we could all sound like we wanted to, we’d sound like George Jones.” -Waylon Jennings Growing up in flyover country in the 70?s George Jones represented what I hated so much about country music, particularly with his wife at the time, Tammy Wynette. [...]
Monday Morning Video: George Jones
Country music lost a giant late week. George Jones, you’ll be greatly missed. Here’s a collection of four videos — two recorded in his early years and two from his later years — that feature some of his biggest hits.
Deadstring Brothers- Cannery Row
Look. It only took me eleven words to drop in my Exile On Main Street reference. Sorry Kurt Marschke, you ain’t never out running that one. The Deadstring Brothers front man and sole surviving member has had his music compared to the golden era of the glimmer twins for so long he probably thinks “Moves [...]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2013
In the middle of April, a few weeks after the madness of SXSW, one of the more under appreciated events on the Austin music scene happens about 30 miles southwest of town; The Old Settler’s Music Festival. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s festivities. Who Was That Band? Festivals like this always [...]
Monday Morning Video: Neil Diamond at Fenway Park
It’s been an emotional and frightening week for the greater Boston area. Neil Diamond lent his voice to support the community by flying to Boston for Saturday’s Red Sox game, the first home game since last Monday’s tragedy. Diamond apparently showed up at Fenway unannounced just prior to game time and said “I’m here.” Fenway [...]
Caitlin Rose- The Stand-In
Writing this review is difficult for me, and not because my feelings about the album are ambiguous. I almost uniformly adore the record. The difficulty arises in attempting to write about the record. Because, despite my adoration of The Stand-In, I can’t really put my finger on the reason why. Every thought comes across as [...]
Lisa Biales – Singing In My Soul
Lisa Biales (pronounced “Be-Alice”) has a uniquely clear voice reminiscent of Patsy Cline, whom she once portrayed in a community theater musical production. That clear, soothing voice of hers is a fresh change from the scorching vocals of many country and blues singers today. The Oxford, Ohio based Biales has independently released seven previous albums [...]
Mayer’s Playlist for March/April 2013, Part 2
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH The Other Life, by Shooter Jennings I’ll admit that I haven’t spent much time with Shooter’s previous releases. No real explanation, his music just never made it into my rotation. My bad. His latest is one of the most refreshing country records that I’ve heard in quite some time. Shooter and [...]
Kim Richey – Thorn In My Heart
Here’s a question for you. Who’s the female John Hiatt, or Randy Newman, or Willie Nelson? All are people who were super well-known in the music business for the quality of their songs long before they hit the public eye. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s maybe pointless to discuss the sex of [...]