The Whipsaws are a bar band…. a glorious, alt. country ass kicking bar band. Just listen to the tossed off rock and roll of their sophomore effort, 60 Watt Avenue.  Though Neil Young is the easiest influence to infer as the band moves from Crazy Horse style rockers to Harvest-era ballads with...

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Light of X , by Miranda Lee Richards LA-based Richards is a testament to persistence. Eight years have passed since The Herethereafter, her 2001 debut release. Yet in 2009 Richards picks up right where she last left us. Light of X is steeped in the Gram Parsons Laurel Canyon-sou...

I’ve seen many good posts with favorite albums of 2008, so I thought I’d change things up a bit and cover the best live sets I saw last year.  First, a word to the wary.  I don’t care much for shows where the artist does a greatest hits compilation or plays the new album more-or-...

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 releases currently...

#1. MATTHEW RYAN, Matthew Ryan Vs. the Silver State (00:02:59) Whether he’s performing a ballad or a rock song, Ryan’s intelligence and intensity course through this release. (Twangville review, mp3s and video here.) #2. THE HOLD STEADY, Stay Positive (Vagrant) They rock, they roll and then they...

Duets, Rachel Yamagata featuring Ray Lamontagne (from the Warner Brothers release Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart ) As sparse as it is breathtaking, this acoustic ballad finds two weary lovers quietly trying to reclaim a faded relationship. Yamagata and Lamontagne’s breathy vocals are a magi...

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH: Sycamore Meadows , by Butch Walker Are you familiar with the old adage of giving an artist the hook? It usually signifies the need to drag a talentless performer from the stage. For Butch Walker, however, it carries a whole different meaning. Walker has established a reputation ...

From the Drive-By Truckers web site: UNCLE PHIL AND AUNT PHYLLIS IN THE MONTH AFTER THE ELECTION I wrote this song the week after the 2004 Presidential Election. I was in a state of semi-shock and near-depression as my daughter’s birth was impending and I was depressed to think of her born int...

Longwave...

In the late-nineties and early in this current millennium, the Texas-Country scene exploded, not only in the Lone Star State, but throughout the South. The vast scope of the music attracted many listeners, as the movement represented an alternative to the product that was being churned out in Nashvi...