Artist Information
Biography
MoTwang, yeah. The original idea was something like MoTown + Twang, and that's sorta happened, but it's more than that now: MoTwang is country, blues, folk, R&B, a pinch of gospel, and a whole lotta rock'n'roll. Roots music with all the roots showing. Of course, that's not exactly it, either. MoTwang isn't some kind of museum-without-walls. Live, they can sometimes sound kinda like Etta James backed by Jimi Hendrix and Robert Randolph; other times like a country-rock band from 30 years ago--except a lot tougher! Roanne also reminds some people of Chrissie Hynde and Bonnie Raitt. And the reference to Robert Randolph notwithstanding, with all respect, there just isn't anybody who rocks out on pedal steel like Larry.
They call the music “Urban Americana.” A MoTwang show will feature about half original material with the rest covers of songs from people like Roseanne Cash, Joan Osborne, Marshall Chapman, Steve Earle, John Hiatt, and Tom Waits.
Mostly, MoTwang shows are fun. When you see a band of folks who love to sing and play and have a good time, it's hard not to have a good time yourself. That's what it's all about, really.
Instrumentation
Roanne Welsh, vocals and guitar
Ray Soave, guitar, banjo, and vocals
Larry Weaver, pedal steel guitar and vocals
Bob Butcher, bass and vocals
Skip Metheny, drums
Discography
You can hear our stuff on MySpace, GarageBand, SoundClick (for a while we were Big In Oslo), and at our homepage. We have four original songs up: Everyone Was Dancing, Crash Landing, Columbus and Time Bomb
Video
Press
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Mo music: take 5 weekend HOTpicks MoTwang is a mix of folk, gospel, soul, country, and lots of ro...
Setlist
With three singer/songwriters, we like to do our own material. But we like a lot of other stuff, too. So we play some of it. Some of these tunes are “covers,” in the usual sense. Some, like Gillian Welch's “Elvis Presley Blues,” and The Band's “The Weight” have been completely reworked.
For club work, we do whatever the contract calls for; typically three 75-minute sets.
The following list is ALPHABETICAL!
Amerika v6.0 (The Best We Can Do) (Steve Earle)
Burn Down This Town (Rosanne Cash)
Columbus (MoTwang)
Crash Landing (MoTwang)
Dolphin Street (MoTwang)
Don't Put A Lock On My Heart (Joe Ely)
Elvis Presley Blues (Gillian Welch)
Everyone Was Dancing (MoTwang)
I Feel Alright (Steve Earle)
Just To Torture Myself (Marshall Chapman)
Lay Down Your Arms (MoTwang)
Lie No Better (Delbert McClinton)
Lift Up Every Stone (John Hiatt)
Love Slave (Marshall Chapman)
Nobody's Fault But Mine (traditional)
Pretty Little Stranger (Joan Osborne)
Save My Soul (MoTwang)
Sign This (MoTwang)
Temptation (Tom Waits)
The Weight (The Band)
Time Bomb (MoTwang)
Two More Bottles of Wine (Delbert McLinton)
Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits)
You're The Kind Of Trouble (Solomon Burke/Patty Loveless)
...and lots more.
