Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Can music be humorous and still be considered timeless and meaningful? I say yes. Look at performers such as Todd Snider, John Prine, The Replacements, The Drive By Truckers, and Bob Dylan. All the aforementioned are able to successfully insert humor in their music without making it trite or gimmicky. It is not easy to do. Just ask Ray Stevens, a regular on the Doctor Demento show. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Very nice release from Pickxen, a Georgia outfit. Pickxen is a very catchy and clever name. Pickxen is made up of Dixie, Pixie, and MixC. Well those are just their nicknames, but I really like the monikers. These folks aren’t only good musicians, but they are intelligent and humorous. The full line up is as follows: Laura “Dixie” Monk – lead vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar, ukulele, banjo, and hand percussion; John “Pixie” Monk – bass; Michael “MixC” Garvey – electric and acoustic guitar. harmonies, harmonica, keyboard, and drum programming. These guys are multi-taskers.  (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

This release by Patrick Storedahl is brand spankin’ new, having just been released on January 24th. It is clear to hear the difference in style and the musical growth between Ink Block Fingerprint in 2004 and Honey, Won’t You Spare Some Bills in 2017. The latter album has many more musical instruments including horns than Ink Block did. Certainly, a fuller and richer sound than was on Ink Block. That is by no means meant as a slight. It is a huge compliment. No artist can be successful or fulfilled if they continue to release the same album over and over. If you listen to any artist with musical longevity, their tenth album never sounds anything like the first album. If the sound never changed, there wouldn’t be a tenth album. This is a true testament to Storedahl’s talent and vision that Honey, Won’t You Spare Some Bills sounds different than Ink Block Fingerprint. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Wow! I love it when my mining pays off. All that scouring of Bandcamp and Reverbnation has reaped dividends. I feel like I just found a five carat canary diamond. This is like listening to Badfinger, Cheap Trick, Alex Chilton and Big Star at their best. This is a bit poppy due to the great hooks and vocals. But, it is also edgy and experimental using instrumentation and noise not normally heard in pop songs. Also, the subject matter on Ink Block Fingerprint is a little darker than most pop music. But it is just as infectious as any pop songs I have ever heard. This music is heavy and thought provoking with staying power. Whereas most pop is here today, gone tomorrow. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Just to let you know, LongShot in the title is not a typo. That is the way Bob Frey has it on his album so I wanted to keep the authenticity alive.

If you mix insightful and intelligent songwriting with unique and soothing vocals, you will get a good snapshot of Bob Frey. I mentioned that I seem to review and gravitate to an inordinate number of performers from Ohio. Although Bob Frey has spent the last 24 years in Minneapolis, he is a native of Cleveland. Another one to add to the ever growing list. This is a little bit on the folk side of things but has an attitude and great musicianship that differentiates LongShot Deal from your standard folk performers. At times it sounds like Dylan, Dire Straights, and maybe Cat Stephens. Although the influences are there, Bob Frey fuses these influences into his own style. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

I seem to have been spending quite a bit of time in the state of Ohio both literally and figuratively. There is a ton of great music being produced in Ohio. There have been quite a few I have reviewed for Twangri-La. Add Calumet to the list. They are from Cincinnati and they play some really good Americana. The most immediate thing that stands out on all tracks is the wonderful harmonizing on every track. After that, I would say their ability to craft beautiful songs also stands out.  (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Loud and in your face. That is what The Good Fight says to me. It has both types of music, punk and country. Actually, it is more complex than that. The Whiskey Daredevils also delve into blues and even some jug band music. It’s Just Jail (Track 3) is straight up jug music. Alright, they use electric guitars which weren’t around when jug music was popular in the 30’s and 40’s. Beside that fact, this song definitely has that jug band/vaudeville sound and even has a kazoo solo! It also  has a priceless line in it, “I don’t want to go to prison, baby it’s just jail”. I like how they put a positive spin on the big house. The glass is definitely half full with these guys. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

It is hard to articulate a genre of music. If someone asked me to define country music, I would have a hard time putting that into words. I would say it needs to have some twang, honesty, and possibly fiddle and pedal steel. Putting a written definition to something sonic is difficult. It is difficult to do that for any art, period. Instead of trying to give a wordy definition of what country music is, I offer you this: Killbuck is country music. It has it all. It’s got energy, looseness, impeccable songwriting, great vocals, and a real DIY feel to it. Absolutely pristine. (more…)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Did you ever wonder if there was music made from 30 or 40 years ago that was so unbelievable but for whatever reason, it was never heard by the masses? Well, you are in luck because Watch Out by Wells Fargo fits that bill. They aren’t from a place you would probably consider. These cats hailed from Rhodesia. In what is now Zimbabwe, young people created a rock and roll counterculture that drew inspiration from hippie ideals and the sounds of Hendrix and Deep Purple. (more…)