Emerging indie-R&B singer/songwriter and guitarist Naia Izumi has released his NPR Tiny Desk Contest-winning track, "Soft Spoken," which appears as the first song of his Tiny Desk Concert that aired last week. NPR Music calls "Soft Spoken" "singular and unparalleled," noting that it "speaks to the power inherent in the gentle and quieter voices that are often drowned out by the outspoken and boisterous ones." The genre-spanning track is available now on all digital platforms, including Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Naia Izumi was selected as 2018's Tiny Desk Contest winner from nearly 5,000 entries. NPR Music states, "Naia won us over with his mind-boggling and unique style of guitar playing — a combination of tapping on the fingerboards and soul-filled whammy-bar note bending," adding, "Naia's music draws from so many spheres of sound. There's that punctual, rhythmic, mathematical pulse to what he does, but there's also a fluid, almost African kalimba sound in there as well." Izumi began experimenting with guitar at around 9 years old as a way to express himself due to the social difficulties he experienced living with autism. Originally from Columbus, GA, he was busking on the streets of Los Angeles before winning the Tiny Desk contest, and it was during this time that he wrote "Soft Spoken," which was originally titled "Soft Spoken Woman.” The track is Izumi’s response to the social prejudices he has experienced throughout his life, with lyrics such as, "Don’t judge a book by its cover / Listen and you will learn / I might be a soft spoken person / But I’m aware of a power I have." During a recent interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Izumi divulged, "I was experiencing a lot of people [who would] just kind of over-talk me, or downplay my abilities because of how I presented myself."

Izumi will embark on a nationwide tour presented by NPR Music and Lagunitas Brewing Company that kicks off tomorrow night, May 22, in New York City at Rockwood Music Hall. Izumi will also perform a SoFar Sounds LA session on May 30 and has an upcoming special guest appearance with Fantastic Negrito at the Lagunitas Amphitheater in Petaluma, CA on June 12. Additionally, he will support The Lone Bellow on a 12-show tour this fall. Please see below for full tour details with more dates to be announced soon.

NAIA IZUMI ON TOUR
May 22 - New York City, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (Sold Out)*
May 31 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall (Sold Out)*
June 1 - St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall*
June 4 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
June 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live*
June 11 - Petaluma, CA @ Lagunitas TapRoom*
June 12 - Petaluma, CA @ Lagunitas Amphitheater^
June 13 - Seattle, WA @ The Gathering Space*
June 26 - Chicago, IL @ Lagunitas TapRoom*
October 1 - Phoenix, AZ @ MIM Music Theater+
October 2 - Phoenix, AZ @ MIM Music Theater+
October 21 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios+
October 23 - Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall (Babeville)+
October 25 - Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Hall+
October 27 - Rockport, MA @ Shalin Liu Performance Center+
October 28 - Northampton, MA @ Academy of Music+
October 30 - Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse+
November 1 - Tarrytown, NY @ Tarrytown Music Hall+
November 2 - Westhampton Beach, NY @ Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center+
November 3 - Montclair, NJ @ Outpost in the Burbs+
November 4 - York, PA @ Capitol Theatre+
November 6 - Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap+
November 7 - Vienna, VA @ The Barns at Wolf Trap+

*NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk On The Road” Tour
^special guest appearance with Fantastic Negrito
+appearing with The Lone Bellow

The Underhill Family Orchestra, who released their debut LP, Tell Me That You Love Me (stream at Spotify or Soundcloud) via Skate Mountain Records on May 4th, is back with a highly entertaining new video for album track "When The Trumpet Sounds" which premiered today at Farce The Music.

"This is an Americana band that actually sounds like they're having a great time, and it's infectious," says Farce The Music in the premiere. "Give this video a look - it's hilarious - then give the album a listen - you won't regret it."  Patterned after those super high-tech televsion shows from the 1980s, TUFO takes us on a rollicking ride as they try to fit into the corporate mold. Were they successful? Check out the video here and find out:

The band, which was recently recognized by Playlistplay as one of "4 Artist You Need To Know" from this year's Westport Roots Festival in Kansas City, has been tearing up the highways bringing their raucous energy to stages across the country to support the release of Tell Me That You Love Me. DittyTV calls their live show "one of the most kinetic and absolutely captivating performances…Underhill deliver a wide range of sounds from stomp-and-holler rock to tenderhearted tales of finer feelings betrayed. Their upcoming album...will solidify their reputation as one of Americana’s must-see live bands."

The album, produced by Noah Shain, swirls with soulful harmonies, powerful riffs and gut-punching rhythms; the band's deeply-rooted Southern influences are on full display as the Mobile, Alabama-based collective explores the ideas of togetherness, love, and finding "what makes you a kid again." From New Orleans second-line brass, to swamp-infused blues-rock, nods to spirtuals and spoken recollections from bandmember Joelle Rosen's Maw Maw Ida about meeting, and losing, the love of her life, it's impossible to remain unmoved by Tell Me That You Love Me.

TUFO Tour Dates

June 14 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA

June 15 - The Saturn - Birmingham, AL

June 22 - The Logon Cafe - Beaumont, TX

June 28 - The Commodore - Charleston, SC

June 29 - The Pour House Music Hall - Raleigh, NC

June 30 - The Commodore - Charleston, SC

iTunes - Spotify - Amazon - Apple Music - Google Play

Tell Me That You Love Me Track Listing:

Oak Holler

Chickasaw Fields

When The Trumpet Sounds

Nebraska Town

Wooden Hymnal In C

On The Wind

Oh Spirit, Bring Me Home

Silverhill Church Girl

The Door/The Heart

Holy Roller

Stephen Kellogg is set to release Objects in the Mirror on November 23, 2018. Produced by fellow Americana singer-songwriter Will Hoge, the 12-track set was recorded over the course of a single week in Nashville, TN and tracked live with minimal overdubs. The result is a snapshot of American life in 2018—raw, hopeful, and honest. “I wanted to make an album that sounded and felt like the ones I grew up loving," says Kellogg. "Bob Seger and Cat Stevens, Tom Petty and Rod Stewart. Emotional records where the songs relate to each other and the lyrics are front and center. That’s my true north.” Among the album’s many underlying themes of nostalgia, family, hope, and hard work, is Kellogg's unwavering respect for the influential women of his life—from his four young daughters (to whom he relays a series of tear-jerking fatherly sentiments in “Song For Daughters”) to his beloved late-Grandmother (immortalized in a beautifully nostalgic soundbite at the title track’s opening) to his wife of 16 years (the subject of his new single “Love Of My Life”). The Boot shared "Love Of My Life" today, explaining how Kellogg initially wrote the song for his wife's 40th birthday but was having some difficulty translating it to the version that made it on the record. Kellogg offers, "It seemed simple enough: the notion that a person, if they’re lucky, will have one true romantic love that eclipses all others. It has been the case for me, and I’ve seen it enough to know it’s possible, but for some reason, I was struggling to articulate it." He goes on to divulge that he ultimately found inspiration in a 1946 Gibson guitar and "really the whole song flowed out and in the bridge I said what I should have said all along…'saying it simple doesn’t make it mean less.'"

"Love Of My Life" is out digtially everywhere tomorrow, October 26, and can be heard/shared at the link below. Objects in the Mirror is available for pre-order now via the Kellogg Family Store. Kellogg has also announced an extensive U.S. solo tour throughout the rest of 2018 with support from Taylor Carson, to be followed by a full-band run next spring. Please see below for full tour details.

Last week, American Songwriter featured album track “High Highs, Low Lows” calling it “a slowly building folk anthem with chiming piano, gentle pedal steel and a raw, vulnerable vocal performance from Kellogg.” Of writing the song, Kellogg offered, “It’s is a bit of an ode to perseverance. To finding one’s way through hard times (of which there are plenty), and also having the sense to recognize happiness when it’s in front of us. Like a lot of people, I’m trying to make sense of some of the fractures that have occurred in my life. Music helps with that.”

Over the last decade, Kellogg has performed more than 1500 concerts around the world and released ten studio albums. During that time, he has sang duets with such artists as Sara Bareilles, Josh Ritter, Rosanne Cash, and Pat Monahan of Train, as well as co-penned acclaimed singles like the title track of Robert Randolph's 2017 GRAMMY-nominated Got Soul. He's earned the honor of Armed Forces Entertainer of the Year, been invited to speak to students at Columbine High School about social justice, and delivered a TEDx Talk on job satisfaction. In 2019, Wetware Media will be publishing Kellogg’s first full length book entitled Objects in the Mirror: A Storyteller’s Take On What Matters Most. A fitting companion to the forthcoming album, it’s a collection of essays about the parts of life that belong front and center. From marriage and work to health and forgiveness, nothing is off limits. Like the album that shares its name, the stories of Objects In The Mirror were culled from Kellogg’s own life and will take readers on a journey that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.

Sky Blue, a collection of unreleased songs by one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century, is a time capsule that Townes Van Zandt created forty-six years ago, and we’re only now just unearthing and opening it to find the treasures inside. Scheduled for release by TVZ Records and Fat Possum Records on March 7, 2019—which would have been his 75th birthday—this album shows the artist working out some of his most iconic songs in an intimate, comfortable setting with one of his lifelong confidantes.

Listen to Sky Blue HERE

These tracks will sound both fresh and familiar to even the most avid fans. Sky Blue includes eleven unreleased recordings made in early 1973 with the late Bill Hedgepeth, a journalist, musician, and most crucially a close friend of Townes. The singer-songwriter was splitting his time between Texas, Colorado, and a shack outside Franklin, Tennessee: an itinerant life that informed many of his most famous and beloved tunes. Throughout his life he would often return to Hedgepeth’s home studio in Atlanta, later with family in tow, to record, re-work, and experiment with new songs as well as old favorites.

Pre-order Sky Blue and stream HERE

These versions of “Pancho & Lefty” and “Rex’s Blues” show these songs as early drafts: raw, sorrowful, and as stunningly moving as he ever was, full of clean flat-picking and adept flourishes in just the right places. He emerges as a master of economic songwriting and playing, providing all that’s needed and nothing more, confident that his ideas and emotions would come through more clearly for being so judiciously understated.

In addition to a handful of old favorites, Sky Blue also includes two new songs that have never been heard before—"All I Need” and “Sky Blue”—as well as covers of songs by Richard Dobson and Tom Paxton. There is a smoky version of “Blue Ridge Mountain Blues” and a scarred and scarring interpretation of “Hills of Roane County,” an East Tennessee murder ballad from the 1880s that was popularized by Tony Rice. Van Zandt performs them deftly, sings them intuitively, and displays his delightfully twisted sense of humor on the devious “Snake Song” and the vicious “Dream Spider.”

Conceived by Townes' surviving family—his wife and literary executor Jeanene, along with his children, J.T., Will, and Katie Bell—Sky Blue sounds like an entirely new album rather than a reissue of old recordings. That’s how urgent and invigorated these performances sound, offering a revealing glimpse into Townes’ process, the evolution of his songs as well as the myriad versions he had in his head.

Sky Blue Tracklist

1. All I Need
2. Rex's Blues
3. Hills of Roane County
4. Sky Blue
5. Forever For Always For Certain
6. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Smoky Version)
7. Pancho and Lefty
8. Snake Song
9. Silver Ships of Andilar
10. Dream Spider
11. The Last Thing On My Mind

M. Lockwood Porter's Communion in the Ashes is a rallying cry for the hopeless and heartbroken, its lyrics set to a soundtrack of anthemic heartland rock & roll. This is a record that addresses our modern-day social problems from a perspective of hope, encouraging those who listen to focus on activism and community-building rather than despair. Along the way, Porter delivers some of the most engaging, electrifying songs of his career, rooting these melodic calls-to-action in the stomp and epic swagger of a five-piece road band.

Born into a working-class family in rural Oklahoma, Porter launched his songwriting career after relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area, kicking things off with 2013's Judah's Gone. There, in the nation's most expensive real-estate market, he also taught classes to underprivileged students at an inner-city school, a job that gave him a close-up view of the nation’s growing class divide and its many symptoms, including poverty, gentrification, and homelessness. As his cross-country touring increased, so did the presence of political and social issues within his music, with 2016's How to Dream Again taking influence from the socially-conscious works of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. After writing 2019's Communion in the Ashes, Porter returned to Oklahoma with the goal of contributing to a growing artistic community and, hopefully, affecting social change.

“The tech boom of the last 10 years has totally transformed the whole Bay Area, and has essentially made it a playground for the rich. Working-class folks and artists aren't welcome there anymore, and this has manifested in rising housing costs, closure of music venues, and the proliferation of homeless tent cities,” Porter divulges. “In the last verse of the title track, I can see in hindsight that I was saying a ‘goodbye’ to the Bay Area, even though I didn't know that I'd be leaving at the time.”

With Communion In The Ashes, Porter crystallizes a sound that is uniquely his own: one that gatecrashes the borders between indie rock & roll, singer/songwriter folk, and Americana. Written alone on the acoustic guitar and recorded with Porter's band during a collaborative, five-day studio session in Chico, CA, the album champions togetherness as an antidote to the immense problems we face as a society. On the kinetic title track, a kick drum bangs out a steady pulse while Porter unveils his game plan: "When the bridges are all burned, let's congregate the masses, let's hold a new communion in the ashes." The song doesn't turn a blind eye to the desperation of today's world; instead, it builds something new from the rubble, transforming desolation into hope. A similar feeling imbues the piano-propelled "I Will Do No More A-Prayin’," a secular hymn that nods to Porter's childhood days in the Southern Baptist church. If "I Will Do No More A-Prayin’" evokes the solemnity of Sunday morning, though, the bulk of Communion in the Ashes rustles up the thrill of Saturday night. There are furiously strummed power chords, pounding percussion, vocal harmonies, and 80s-inspired synthesizers, shot through with a voice that's urgent, compelling, and quick to incite. These are songs about revolution and rebuilding, and Porter sings them accordingly, his voice echoing and rattling its way between the electric guitars and upright piano.

Given the album's communal emphasis, it's appropriate that Communion in the Ashes is also Porter's most collaborative release. All five band members contributed to the arrangement process, with drummer Peter Labberton pulling triple-duty as the album's engineer and mixer. The band worked swiftly, foregoing rehearsal in favor of instinctual performances and quick studio decisions. "Get Back to the Wild," the one song not recorded live, gave the band a chance to experiment, building a two-bar drum and piano loop into a spiritually-minded song that examines the distance between human nature and human society. Porter and company looked to their own influences for cues, too, with Communion's touchstones running the gamut from Leonard Cohen’s inventive songwriting and Tom Petty's concise melodies to Wilco's experimentation and War on Drugs' gorgeously textured tones. Even so, this is the most distinctive release in M. Lockwood Porter's catalog — an album that both nods to the past and pushes forward to the future, thanks in part to a full-band attack that lends fire, ferocity, and grit to the tracklist.

“I think the fully collaborative recording process was the biggest musical shift between recording How To Dream Again and Communion In The Ashes,” explains Porter. “Jeremy Lyon has been playing in my live band since 2016, but this was the first M. Lockwood Porter album that he’s worked on, and he brought a much wider palette of guitar tones to this album than I've used on past records. This is also the first time I’ve recorded with synthesizers. I had given the band the vague direction that I wanted us to imagine ourselves as a ‘dystopian gospel band’ before we started recording, and my keyboardist Jeff Hashfield found a sound on his Prophet synthesizer that we ended up dubbing the ‘Blade Runner church organ.’ We ended up using it on nearly every song.”

Throughout Communion In The Ashes, Porter’s electrifying “dystopian gospel band” explores how frightening our world can be. The record’s enthralling cover art — designed by William Schaff, known for his longtime association with Songs: Ohia's Jason Molina — shines a light on that horrifying present, depicting a man (A preacher? An organizer? A demagogue?) addressing a crowd from the foreground of a burning, decaying city. With its Springsteen-sized catharsis, though, Communion in the Ashes offers listeners something new: a soundtrack with which to rise up, rebuild, and renew. Call it protest music if you'd like. Call it a political album if you must. Whatever the description, Communion in the Ashes packs the strongest punch of Porter's career, capturing not just one man's reaction to the present day, but an entire community's opportunity to better their own tomorrows.

M. Lockwood Porter On Tour

Apr 10 Wed

7th Street Station

Reno, NV, United States

RSVP

Apr 11 Thu

Argus Patio & Bar

Chico, CA, United States

RSVP

Apr 12 Fri

Alberta Street Pub

Portland, OR, United States

RSVP

Apr 13 Sat

Conor Byrne

Seattle, WA, United States

RSVP

Apr 18 Thu

The Crêpe Place

Santa Cruz, CA, United States

RSVP

Apr 19 Fri

Amnesia Beer & Music Hall

Sf, CA, United States

RSVP

Apr 20 Sat

Frog & Peach Pub

San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

RSVP

Apr 21 Sun

The Love Song Bar

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Tickets RSVP

Apr 25 Thu

Fassler Hall

Tulsa, OK, United States

RSVP

Apr 26 Fri

Norman Music Festival

Norman, OK, United States

RSVP

Edward and Jane, purveyors of anthemic folk-infused pop, have released a new single, "Blue Ridge Goodbyes." "Haunting and cinematic, 'Blue Ridge Goodbyes'...will leave you breathless and intoxicated. The atmospheric piano and mournful vocals give this new track a dreamlike quality that shows the band heading in a new, exciting direction," says EARMILK in its premiere of the track. "The song’s melancholic beauty is amplified by its lush production and makes the track truly stand out amongst the rest of the husband/wife duos in the pop-folk genre." The song, which is a lament for what's been left behind, show the band moving in a new sonic direction.
 In September 2018, the band released EP Too Early To Tell, a heartfelt five-song set, which artfully continued the band’s tradition of making music that brims with honest lyricism and incredible family band instrumentation. The album beautifully showcased the group's palpable chemistry, harmony-laden hooks, and ability to make even the most stoic listener swoon, as they distill influences from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers-esque classic rock to soul-moving gospel choir sensibilities. Too Early To Tell is a nostalgic journey to freedom that blends the bittersweet pain of departure with the flourishing beauty of independence.

WATCH: Edward and Jane's "Hold Your Own" Music Video

LISTEN: Edward and Jane's Too Early To Tell EP

 Over time, we all learn that the most important things in life are the things that money can’t buy—family, friends, time, love. It is not without exception that Edward and Jane have not only found these things but have inextricably woven these timeless themes into the music they create. The Chattanooga, TN-based six-piece, lead by the gut-punching lyrics and heartstring-tugging harmonies of husband-wife duo Timothy Edward Carpenter and Emilie Jane Creutzinger have continued their tradition of making heartfelt reminders that music is the cloth by which we clean the heart’s window to discover what’s really important in life—those we love most.

"Blue Ridge Goodbyes" can be purchased HERE.

It’s rare that a band founded on pushing sonic boundaries is conscious of not alienating the listener. In the case of Denver-based rockers, Flaural, their music feels like the spoils of deep exploration, brought back down to earth for all to observe in traditional rock outfit form.

Flaural / ˈflɒr(ə)l / is the unified sum of four equal parts. The hypnotic pulse of Nick Berlin’s kraut rock drum grooves crystalize as the backdrop atop which sprawls the band’s ethereal art-pop-songwriting. Connor Birch’s expansive synths and keys, the unique virtuosity and aggression of Noah Pfaff’s guitar playing, and the resonant croon of Colin Johnson’s vocals and driving bass lines all coalesce into experimental psych rock that warmly invites the uninitiated listener into the unknown.

Following a string of EPs — 2015’s Thin King and 2016’s Over Imaginary Cigarettes — Flaural’s debut LP, appropriately titled Postponement, has been three years in the making. Over those three years, the band experienced both communal growth and personal loss while playing shows across the United States. Early pieces of Postponement were initially recorded while touring through the Bay Area at the now defunct Animal Room Studio, but the album arrangements didn’t begin to take form until the band settled back in Denver and linked up with producer / engineer James Barone (Beach House, Tennis). Over the course of the next year and a half, the band found pockets of time to finish the recordings. Time becoming a central theme of the album as a whole.

On March 27th, 2017, frontman Collin Johnson’s father passed away after a long struggle with ALS. The album cover serves as an homage to his death — an image resembling a clock with hands that read 3:27 — and the album’s first single, “The Thinker,” tells the story of his illness. “The Thinker” was originally written following his father's diagnosis, with Johnson singing, “Nobody likes when you’re not well / Come up, come up, and feel better now.” The song's lyrics were reworked after he passed, adding the line, “Unanswered questions still haunt me.” The emotional track ends with a dark, hectic, instrumental frenzy of piercing baritone saxophone squeaks layered over sporadic, aggressive guitar and driving drums.

“‘The Thinker’ definitely set a tone for the album in the sense of hardship and having no way out but just dealing with the way things are,” Johnson recalls. “Trying times have no grace and that manifested as a recurring theme through the rest of album.”

Flaural On Tour

May 8 Wed

Rickshaw Stop

Cellar Doors

Weeed

San Francisco, CA, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 9 Thu

The Wayfarer

Blanco Niño

Cosmo Gold

Costa Mesa, CA, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 10 Fri

The Echo

Sugar Candy Mountain

The Mad Walls

Hooveriii

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 11 Sat

The Crepe Place

Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 13 Mon

Doug Fir Lounge

Candace

Sugar Candy Mountain

Portland, OR, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 15 Wed

Sunset Tavern

Candace

Seattle, WA, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 16 Thu

The Olympic Venue

Boise, ID, United States

Tickets RSVP

May 17 Fri

Kilby Court

Salt Lake City, UT, United States

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May 30 Thu

Bluebird Theater

Denver, CO, United States

Tickets RSVP

Ordinary Elephant, whose forthcoming LP Honest is due out May 3rd via Berkalin Records, has revealed the video for their latest single "The War" via Folk Radio UK. "We’ve been very lucky to have featured some incredible songsmiths recently and that roll continues with this duo who are incredibly gifted storytellers," says Folk Radio's Alex Gallacher of the band. "They more thankably demonstrate this on 'The War,' which takes on both the travesty of what war does to service members and the tragedy of what society does to returning veterans. It also connects the dots between different kinds of trauma and loss. For the song’s protagonist, the war never ended.

 WATCH: "THE WAR"

Inspired by a moving experience at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC, Ordinary Elephant considered those whose names weren't on the wall, the survivors who have struggled and continue to grapple with the after-effects of combat. “The narrator represents the majority of the population, in that he does not know, first-hand, the experience of war,” bandmember Crystal Hariu-Damore notes, “but the story shows him having compassion for this veteran and understanding that some choices are made for you and this can lead to an inability to make good choices for yourself down the line.”

Recorded in Nashville and produced by Neilson Hubbard, the album's eleven tracks explore pressing beyond the confines of others' expectations and pursuing a wholehearted life. "These times are hard and it’s harder to heal; when where you were born decides what you fear, it’s time to be a brother ot my father’s son. I was born to be a bigot, but that don’t mean that I am one," the duo, who won the 2017 International Folk Music Association Artist of the Year Award, sings in the album's lead single "Scars We Keep," about coming to terms with being raised in an area historically entrenched in racism, and refusing to be bound by that. "If you grow up being shown how to hate and fear, it can be hard to go out into the world with love and acceptance. This is sadly the truth that many live," the band told Wide Open Country in its premiere. "Where the hope comes in for us, is that as humans we are capable of being bigger than our environment, and that cycle can be broken. Detangling tradition from any particular negative aspect is complicated, and sometimes impossible. But it's necessary to change the tradition for it to live on and, hopefully, preserve its core as our culture tries to correct its failings." "I can't fault anybody not overcoming," Pete explains. "I'm not in their shoes. I know I can't change them by telling them they're wrong, but I do know that people can change when they see new things.”

WATCH: "SCARS WE KEEP"

LISTEN: "SCARS WE KEEP"

Ordinary Elephant, comprised of Crystal and Pete Damore, set aside the work they'd done previously, as a veterinary cardiologist and a computer programmer, respectively, in order to focus on making music. Several year ago, they threw all caution to the wind and hit the road in their van and travel trailer. In song after song, the Damores take on what it means to follow your heart and eschew all the expectations, assumptions, and limitations projected upon you by others. They also use their own life experience to point out that the “safe” route can be anything but safe. “I had a safe job and was on a safe life trajectory, financially,” Crystal says, “but those things were like a safety rail you reach for — a habit, a comfortable familiarity... something you’re expected to reach for. I was letting those things hold me up instead of learning to stand on my own.” 

With Ordinary Elephant, it's always about telling the story in the truest, kindest way. “You will wonder if it’s worth the weight, the worry that wears you down. Half your life spent figuring out how to make the other half count,” they sing. Honest is worth so much more than its weight, and Ordinary Elephant makes every kind word count. “That is why we do this," they agree. "Songs speak, and they can heal.”

Oridinary Elephant will embark on a string of tour dates throughout the US and Australia this Spring, see below for more information. "The War" will be available for digital streaming on April 5th. Honest is available for pre-order at iTunes, Bandcamp, and at their website.

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Patrick Park returns today with a new full-length, Here/Gone. For Here/Gone, Park tapped producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Kurt Vile, Elliott Smith) for the first time since 2007's acclaimed Everyone's in Everyone, and the pair distilled Park’s introspective folk songs to classic voice and guitar combinations highlighted with string arrangements by Bobby Halvorson (Van Dyke Parks)l. With the sparse production allowing Park’s lyrics to remain front-and-center, the tracks on Here/Gone materialize as letters to his newborn son and aural reckonings with the brevity of life. Rolling Stone Country calls the lead single, "Everything Falls Apart," "an Elliott Smith-worthy folksong." Additionally, Billboard recently premiered album standout, "Love Lover Love," which features guest vocals from Warpaint's Emily Kokal and was recently featured as KCRW's Today's Top Tune.
LISTEN: Patrick Park’s Here/Gone

After wrapping up the tour for his 2014 album, Love Like Swords, the weight of touring alone in a van for months, partnered with the financial realities of being a musician, began to take its toll. Park turned to writing songs for other artists, but despite having success, he wasn’t receiving creative fulfillment from the routine. Instead, Park found solace from the existential dread through meditation and working as a counselor on the suicide hotline. During this time, he began to write music for himself again, and the songs that emerged encapsulate the incessant urge to chase things in life that only bring the most fleeting sense of fulfillment. The resulting Here/Gone contains some of Park’s best work yet, in a stripped-down format that allows his soothing vocals to shine through and proves that raw talent need not hide behind overproduction. The charming ten-track set is a reflection upon how much is poured into hurrying time along when sometimes the most substantial form of fulfillment comes from simply letting go.

“When I play live, I'm always ‘exposed’ in a way, but I've never made a record with that same feeling,” Park divulges. “It just seemed like this was the record to do it with, and these were the songs to do it with, and this was the time to do it.”

The annual Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender presented by Muddy Roots Music will take place from Thursday, May 23rd until Sunday, May 26th in Nashville, Tennessee. Over 40 bands will perform during the festival, with the grand finale taking place on May 26th at the Gaylord Opryland Resort (click HERE for the complete lineup). Muddy Roots Music is excited to announce that his year's headliners are The B-52s, Ronnie Spector & The Ronettes, and JD McPherson.

The Nashville Boogie is a celebration of Mid-Century American music, culture and style. There are several events included with admission: a western fashion show, a vintage vendor market, a pinup contest, a vinyl record convention, and large outdoor car show. There will also be a special guest appearance from Butch Patrick, better known as Eddie Munster from the hit 1960s television show "The Munsters," along with the Munsters' hot rods.

Thirty-five years and over twenty million albums into their career, The B-52s remain the among the most beloved rock stars ever. Any mystery concerning the longevity and ongoing appeal of The B-52s is immediately solved when exposed to their unique concert experience. From timeless gems like "Rock Lobster," "Planet Claire" and "Private Idaho," to the more recent classics of "Channel Z," "Love Shack" and "Roam," their unforgettable dance-rock tunes start a party every time the music begins.

The Brother Brothers have released a new song — "Summer Rain" — ahead of their highly anticipated co-bill with Buck Meek in Brooklyn at The Sultan Room on Saturday, November 16 and an upcoming run across Canada including the legendary Calgary Folk Club. The band have also announced their debut Australian tour to take place in December and January, including a coveted slot at Woodford Folk Festival. The Brother Brothers will return to the US to play Folk Alliance International in New Orleans on January 25 as Official Showcase Artists. The full list of tour dates is detailed below.

Today's song follows several fervently received one-off releases from The Brother Brothers — including the fan-favorited single "Siren Song" which topped Spotify's Fresh Folk and amassed more than seven million streams to date, a charming performance video of album favorite "Colorado" featuring folk star Sarah Jarosz and hailed by Billboard, and the new animated music video for "Banjo Song" created by Taylor Ashton. The Brother Brothers are expected to release their sophomore album in 2020.

The Brother Brothers' first full-length was released in 2018 on Compass Records and drew critical praise from the likes of Rolling Stone Country, NPR, Billboard and more. The band toured their beloved debut extensively, including support runs with Folk Music Awards' Artist of the Year I'm With Her and co-bills with folk darlings Dead Horses. The indie-folk duo have sold out venues in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and more, and made pivotal appearances at NPR's Mountain Stage, SXSW, Folk Alliance International, Nelsonville Music Festival, and Edmonton Folk Festival.

THE BROTHER BROTHERS LIVE

November 14 | Hamilton, NY at Colgate University
November 16 | Brooklyn, NY at The Sultan Room with Buck Meek
November 29 | Calgary, AB at Calgary Folk Club
November 30 | Edmonton, AB at Station on Jasper
December 01 | Sherwood Park, AB at Festival Place Cafe
December 05 | Regina, SK at The Exchange
December 06 | Winnipeg, MB at West End Cultural Centre
December 07 | Quebec City, QB at Le Palais Montcalm
December 08 | Montreal, QB a Casa del Popolo
December 10 | Toronto, ON at The Garrison
December 11 | Rochester, NY at Honest Folk
December 12 | Waltham, MA at Music Series at The Charles River Museum
December 29 - January 1 | Woodfordia, QLD at Woodford Folk Festival
January 3 | Brisbane, QLD at Old Museum
January 4 | Dorrigo, NSW at Dorrigo Gazette Theatre
January 5 | Newcastle, NSW at Live n Cookin' @ Lizotte's
January 7 | Sydney, NSW at The Vanguard
January 8 | Canberra, ACT at Smith's Alternative
January 9 | Melbourne, VIC at The Spotted Mallard
January 10-12 | Cygnet, TAS at Cygnet Folk Festival
January 14 | Hobart, TAS at Salamanca Arts Centre
January 15 | Adventure Bay, TAS at Adventure Bay Hall
January 16 | Sheffield, TAS at Mountain Mojo
January 17-19 | Illawarra, NSW at Illawarra Folk Festival 
January 25 | New Orleans, LA at Folk Alliance International

Petaluma Records recently introduced the newest addition to their growing roster: Nashville-based singer/songwriter, storyteller, and guitarist Sophie Gault. Joined by bandmate and producer Daniel Jones, Gault will make her debut under the full-band moniker Sophie & the Broken Things on January 31 with the release of their self-titled EP. Today, American Songwriter is premiering the band's second single from the forthcoming set, "Kickin' Stereos," praising its "unique sound that balances nicely between Americana and roots rock." Additionally, Wide Open Country previously premiered the lead single, "Paper ID," calling it "a jangly, country-fried tune about feeling isolated in the heart of the city." These songs and more can be heard live at multiple upcoming Nashville performances, including an EP release show at East Nashville staple The 5 Spot on January 31. Full show details below.

Gault grew up on a 10-acre farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in a quiet, rural home miles away from the summertime resort towns that dot the Atlantic coast. Surrounded by country roads, she developed a love of music that reflected the atmosphere around her — from the blue-collar roots-rock of Steve Earle to the raw, ragged country music of Lucinda Williams. She began playing the guitar at age 12 while jamming with her family at backyard parties and privately emulating guitar solos by pickers like Keith Richards and Freddie King. Soon she was writing her own songs and developing an original sound that showcased not only her instrumental chops but also her compelling voice.

While in college, Gault spent a summer in Nashville and decided to stay. It wasn't long until before a visit to Bobby's Idle Hour, one of Nashville's longest-running music venues, led to a chance meeting with Gault’s longtime songwriting idol: award-winning Americana pioneer Julie Miller. The two struck up a long conversation, and Gault left the venue later that evening with a heightened level of inspiration. Recorded months later with bandmate Daniel Jones, Sophie & the Broken Things" self-titled debut EP pays tribute to that influential encounter, under a band name that nods to Julie Miller's own song, "Broken Things."

Gault and Jones decided to record the new songs themselves, using any equipment and experience they had. Will Newcomb assisted Jones as co-producer and engineer at Nashville's Upside Sound, where they even tracked drums in the basement that Gault formerly called home. From the breezy swing of "Paper ID" to the mid-tempo "Kickin' Stereos," Sophie & the Broken Things finds Gault taking stock of the present, the path that brought her to Nashville, and the memories she picked up along the way. It's an EP of original music, rooted in confident guitar playing, Gault's unforced vocals, autobiographical lyrics, and light touches of B3 organ, upright piano, and some beautifully subtle glockenspiel. At the center of it all is Gault herself: a small-town native with a big sound and an even bigger future, making sense of the world around her through song.

Sophie & the Broken Things EP Tracklisting:

1) Paper ID

2) Johnny

3) Kickin' Stereos

4) Tornado

Sophie & the Broken Things Live:

December 14 — True Music Room @ Cambria Hotel — Nashville, TN 
January 10 — Springwater Lounge — Nashville, TN*
January 31 — The 5 Spot — Nashville, TN^

*with Bryan Howell & The Tender Mercies

^EP Release show with w/ Cullen Wade & The Waters

Tré Burt is the newest artist to sign to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, following a serendipitous discovery, Oh Boy’s Jody Whelan found Tré Burt’s music and was immediately enamored. Following Burt’s showcase at Americana Fest in Nashville, he has now become one of only two artists who have been signed to Oh Boy Records in the past 15 years, both signings in 2019. Today they’ve shared the video for the title track from Tré’s debut album Caught It From The Rye. The video is produced by Evan James Atwood and like their previous work, it’s imbued with the indigenous spirit of the Pacific Northwest. The concept for the video was inspired by the opening verse of the song; “The sky then opened up/ and from it came a light / Where have you been? I caught it from the rye / Well I was in a canyon/ mingled with a tribe / Soon became my family as I became their kind”

 During the filming process both Atwood and Burt were invited to a sweat lodge by the caretaker of the land they were filming on which speaks deeply to Burt’s knack for ending up in the most auspicious situations. Speaking to this, and how it interplays with the title track and single Burt says;

“The songs of mine I find most interesting to play are the ones I can't remember writing. Caught It From The Rye is one of those songs. I remember where I was though, and the conditions of that particular time. I was living out of a broken-down car during a warm summer in Portland, OR. I spent a lot of time hanging out in the forest brushes in Washington Park with my guitar. I had just found a fresh box of cigarettes someone must've dropped and was feeling pretty lucky all things considered. I sat down at the base of a tree and when I looked up I saw an unmistakable shape of a butterfly made by a break in the leaves and branches against the blue of the sky. The sun shot down on my lap. When I looked back down at my notebook I wrote the first line,"The sky then opened up and from it came a light". After that, all I remember is rocking back and forth in the dirt in a state of hypnosis."

Burt’s songwriting lends as much to his early education, from the emotional depth of soul music, namely Otis Redding and Nina Simone, as to the radical spirit of folk music embodied by Neil Young, Woody Guthrie and, yes, John Prine, Tré Burt has an eye on the complexity of the modern American experience and writes songs that speak to, and through, it’s nasty nooks and crannies searching for something purer to hold onto. Clear-eyed and succinct, Burt is unflinching in his, sometimes psychedelic, always poignant, songs about the human experience with an eye on what we can do to be better to ourselves and to each other. This signing heralds a sea change for the itinerant musician, including the news that High Road Touring will be representing him, with Brian Jonas taking the reins. Tré Burt is as authentic of a songwriter as you’ll find and this new chapter speaks to his tenacity, determination and craft. You can find Tré Burt on the road this winter with Haley Heynderickx, dates below, with more tour dates TBA in 2020.

Tré Burt Tour Dates

Dec. 3 - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA*

Dec. 8 - BSP Kingston, Kingston, NY*

Dec. 10 - Boot and Saddle - Philadelphia, PA*

Dec. 11 - Columbus Theatre - Providence, RI*

Dec. 12 - SPACE Gallery - Portland,ME*

Dec. 13 - The Word Barn - Exeter, NH*

Dec. 14 - The Sultan Room - Brooklyn, NY*

January 22-26 - Folk Alliance International - New Orleans, LA

Jan. 28 - The Basement - Nashville, TN

Jan. 31st WMOT Finally Friday at 3rd and Lindsley Nashville, TN

July 3-5 - Mariposa Folk Festival - Orillia, ON, Canada

*Supporting Haley Heynderickx

Following the critically acclaimed release of Sky Blue, a collection of unreleased songs by one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century earlier this year, Fat Possum Records are releasing 50th anniversary reissues of Van Zandt’s second and third albums, Our Mother The Mountain and Townes Van Zandt on January 10th, 2020. These recordings include some of Van Zandt’s most iconic, and most covered songs with the eponymous “Our Mother The Mountain”, “Waitin’ Around To Die”, “Tecumseh Valley” and more. For these anniversary editions both albums have been remastered by Chicago Mastering and come on 180 gram black vinyl with a tip-on jacket and board sleeves with lyrics.

Order Our Mother the Mountain HERE // Order Townes Van Zandt HERE

Our Mother The Mountain

1. Be Here to Love Me

2. Kathleen

3. She Came and She Touched Me

4. Like a Summer Thursday

5. Our Mother the Mountain

6. Second Lovers Song

7. St. John the Gambler

8. Tecumseh Valley

9. Snake Mountain Blues

10. My Proud Mountains

11. Why She's Acting This Way

Portland's rising folk pop phenomenon Ezra Bell have released the second single from their highly anticipated new album This Way To Oblivion out April 3 on Dutch Records. Glide Magazine premiered "5th and James" today, noting "With Ben Wuamett’s vocals at the helm and gorgeous harmonies layered in, the song is a rich and dreamy folk nugget with a sense of euphoric optimism that shines throughout. The combination of organ and twangy guitars gives it a soulful, cosmic rock sound that culminates with the chorus, which is sure to linger in your head long after listening." The band will embark upon a national headlining tour in March, playing key shows including hometown Portland on April 4 at Mississippi Studios and New York City on May 29 at Mercury Lounge. The full list of dates is below.

Ezra Bell’s infectious form of folk pop ranges from anthemic to jangling, echoing romp-and-stomp heroes along the likes of Dr. Dog, The Decemberists, Mumford and Sons, and Of Monsters and Men. This six-piece has toured incessantly, organically earning a cult following with their raucous live performances. Their high-spirited songwriting rattles with beautiful recklessness, messily collecting life’s most relatable experiences and alighting them with playful perspective and celebratory melody. Frontman Benjamin Wuamett sings with a compelling rasp like that of Hamilton Leithauser, The Lumineers, or CAAMP, letting every lyric ring with the grating aches and striking joys of humanity.

Ezra Bell say of their new single — ""There is that time in the morning when the sun is just rising and the light is soft but everything is illuminated and beautiful. It is similar to when you have just fallen in love, where everything looks and feels more beautiful than ever ... which is almost like getting out of jail."

STREAM "5TH AND JAMES" 

PRE-ORDER THIS WAY TO OBLIVION

TOUR

March 05 | Chico, CA @ Argus Bar
March 06 | Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
March 07 | Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
March 08 | Mariposa, CA @ Hideout Saloon
March 11 | San Diego, CA @ Casbah
March 13 | Flagstaff, AZ @ Green Room
March 14 | Albuquerque, NM @ Marble Brewery
March 20 | Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
March 21 | Dallas, TX @ Sundown at Granada*
April 02 | Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown
April 03 | Seattle, WA @ The Sunset
April 04 | Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
May 29 | New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
May 22-23 | Buena Vista Lake, CA @ Lightning In A Bottle Festival
May 30 | Beach Haven, NJ @ Hopsauce Festival
May 31 | Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
June 04 | Concord,NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Stage
June 05 | Somerville, MA @ ONCE Ballroom
June 06 | Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot
June 07 | Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy 
June 10 | Richmond, VA @ The Camel
June 11 | Washington, DC @ Pie Shop
June 12 | Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse
June 13 | Asheville, NC @ The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall
June 25 | Chicago, IL @ Martyrs’
June 26-27 | Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest Festival

Today, Ezra Bell releases their highly anticipated new album This Way To Oblivion on Dutch Records. Since album announcement, the Portland band has earned acclaim from KEXP, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, Exclaim, and more, assigning critical affirmation to a preexisting cult following, hard-earned by relentless touring and unforgettable live performances. The rising folk pop phenomenon's updated headlining tour dates are detailed below.

Ezra Bell’s infectious form of folk pop ranges from anthemic to jangling, echoing romp-and-stomp heroes along the likes of Dr. Dog, The Decemberists, Mumford and Sons, and Of Monsters and Men. This six-piece has toured incessantly, organically earning a cult following with their raucous live performances. Their high-spirited songwriting rattles with beautiful recklessness, messily collecting life’s most relatable experiences and alighting them with playful perspective and celebratory melody. Frontman Benjamin Wuamett sings with a compelling rasp like that of Hamilton Leithauser, The Lumineers, or CAAMP, letting every lyric ring with the grating aches and striking joys of humanity. 

STREAM THIS WAY TO OBLIVION

Bio

Ezra Bell was founded late in the summer of 2013. It was warm enough to sit on the porch into the evening and learn a couple of songs.  A lap drum, a banjo, and an out-of-tune guitar. Woodie Guthrie: “A folk singer's job is to comfort the disturbed, and to disturb the comfortable.” That’s what Ezra Bell does. Present day, they’ve put out records and toured the country. In Salt Lake once, a young man told Ben Wuamett (singer/songwriter) he was ‘his hero.’ The hero spent the night on the floor with his overcoat for a blanket, the host and the piano man making love a few steps from his pillow. The floor wasn’t as bad as a cardboard box in a vacant lot. Wuamett smiled. Still at it. Streaming services have worked in Ezra Bell’s favor, suprisingly enough. Tales spinning out of order around disconcerting musical interludes seem to resonate with listeners. Some way some how, a licensing company found and commissioned Ezra Bell to play and record Sam Cooke’s worst song for an insurance commercial. Said company flew Wuamett to Mexico City to record the vocals so as not to be sued by the Sam Cooke Foundation. The commercial aired on Superbowl Sunday. Ezra Bell espouses neither football nor insurance but sold out accordingly for the pittance that was paid, and the exposure. Such is the music industry. Many heartfelt messages from unknown listeners keep Ezra Bell busy writing and recording. At some point, a booking agency caught on to the growing cult following and propped Ezra Bell up in front of audiences outside of Portland, forcing the band to drive thousands of miles, sometimes in a single day, to play for small crowds. Ezra Bell recorded a new album over a year ago, and a record label recently decided to sign it, release it, even make vinyl copies. You’re reading this now because you’re about to encounter that album, suitably titled, This Way to Oblivion.

Ezra Bell is: Aaron Mattison (horns) Maurice Spencer (bass) Honora Hildreth (vocals) Jeremy Asay (keys, guitar) Tom Trotter (drums) and Benjamin Wuamett (vocals).

Grammy Award-winning modern roots band Old Crow Medicine Show has released a new track entitled “Nashville Rising” along with an accompanying video.  The song drops exactly one month after eight deadly tornados ravaged through the state of Tennessee.  Proceeds from the song will directly benefit The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s Emergency Response Fund.  The video which was exclusively premiered via the band’s hometown paper The Tennessean was edited by filmmaker Julia Golonka and illustrates devastation and dedicated volunteers in action. Click HERE to watch.

The Middle Tennessee community was hit hard, and then harder – first by the March 3rd tornados, then followed immediately by the effects of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.  Old Crow’s Ketch Secor spent the early hours of Super Tuesday, huddled in a crawl space with his two kids, not realizing until the next morning the devastation that had occurred only a couple blocks away.

Says Secor, “I love Nashville. I moved here right after the last tornado that really tore through this town and never thought we'd see another. I know most of us never thought we'd see anything like what this last month has been, whether in Music City or elsewhere around the world.  These are the dark times where music can really light the way, the times of immeasurable hardship where music can soothe a troubled soul. I wrote ‘Nashville Rising’ in the hopes that positivity, perseverance, and people power will be just as contagious as COVID-19.”

Old Crow Medicine Show recorded “Nashville Rising” at their own Hartland Studio in East Nashville just days before a city-wide “safer at home” order was issued.  The track features the band, Ketch Secor, Morgan Jahnig, Cory Younts, Joe Andrews, Robert Price, Charlie Worsham, and Jerry Pentecost along with special guests Molly Tuttle (guitar and vocals), Shelly Colvin (harp and vocals) and Skylar Wilson (vibes).

In a city built on music, the instinct for Nashvillians is to help their neighbors through live music.  While a handful of benefit concerts were miraculously performed within days, most upcoming relief efforts have been temporarily stalled.  The same musicians who reached out a hand to help are now experiencing the serious financial effects of not being able to tour.  “Nashville Rising” is a love song to the Nashville community, an anthem of perseverance, and rising together.

Oklahoma singer/songwriter M. Lockwood Porter has shared a new single today called “What We’ve Lost” in order to raise proceeds for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Fund, and Black Mesa Records has pledged to match his donation. Originally recorded during sessions for Porter's 2019 critically acclaimed album Communion In The Ashes, the song will be available exclusively at Bandcamp for the next two weeks before hitting all other DSPs.

In an American Songwriter feature today, Porter offered, “A big theme of this song – and all of Communion in the Ashes really – is the need to rebuild a commitment to the ideas of community, interdependence, and social solidarity in order to solve the big problems we face as a society. I was mostly thinking about climate change when writing the album, but the coronavirus pandemic, unfortunately, illustrates this need as well. In order to stop the spread of the virus and address the cases that exist, we need to cooperate and think about how to protect and care for people we may not even know. It inherently contradicts the market-based logic that things will work themselves out if everyone acts in their own self-interest. And we can see how the short-sightedness of our systems, as well as the greed and self-interest of many of our leaders, has made the pandemic worse. [“What We’ve Lost”] is somewhat dark but, there’s also a sense of hope that we can get our act together. And I also get a similar sense of hope from seeing so many people’s desire to help in whatever way they can right now.”

With Bandcamp’s announcement that they will be waiving their revenue shares on Friday, May 1, fans have an opportunity to contribute the entirety of their pay-what-you-want donation to a great cause, while also receiving a surprise bonus track from an album that NPR Music fittingly deemed “a rallying cry that explores current affairs with hope and activism.”

20-year-old East Texas songman Kolby Cooper has announced the release of his Vol. 2 EP, due out August 15th via Combustion Music.  The follow up to Cooper’s first full-length album, Good Ones Never Last, Vol. 2 features 5 originals that tackle themes of heartbreak, living in the moment, and Cooper’s honest takes on real life relationships. Click HERE to listen to “If I Still Had It”.

Cooper is the rare story of an outlier who achieved his own success without being plugged into any type of “music machine” in a city like LA or Nashville. Cooper, along with a small but mighty team has built a devoted and rabid fan base, selling out shows in Texas and beyond.  His first single “Every Single Kiss” which he wrote at age 15 and released independently in 2017 has over four million streams on Spotify.  Cooper’s followers will be pleased to note that the fan-favorite “Two Words” (Kolby Cooper/Jordan Walker) is being included on Vol. 2.

Growing up in the small town of Bradford, TX, Cooper’s first memories of being exposed to country music were listening to the classics while riding in cattle hauling trucks with his Dad.  Though Cooper is about to turn 21, he’s earned his nostalgia. Between thousands of fans shouting his songs back to him at sold-out shows around the country, cancer taking his dad when Cooper was 14, and then shouldering the responsibilities of becoming a husband and father himself at 18, his childhood understandably feels lifetimes ago.  Though his heart was in music, he still planned on following a more traditional career path after graduation – nursing school.  After some serious thought, and a heart to heart with a supportive mother, Cooper decided to take two years off and give music a try.  It’s safe to say that choosing the musical career path is working out.

Cooper’s sincerity, relatable personality, and honest songwriting is connecting with his audience in a big way, and he plans to release another full-length album in 2021.

KOLBY COOPER –VOL. 2 EP TRACK LISTING

“What’ve I Got To Lose” - (Kolby Cooper/Brett Tyler/Hunter Phelps/Will Bundy)

“If I Still Had It” - (Kolby Cooper/Jordan Walker/Ray Fulcher)

“Two Words” - (Kolby Cooper/Jordan Walker)

“Cannonball” - (Kolby Cooper/Ben Burgess)

“One Night Stand” - (Jordan Walker/Trent Summar)

Grammy Award-winning American roots band and Grand Ole Opry members Old Crow Medicine Show have released a new song entitled “Pray For America”.  Out now, “Pray For America” was recently the subject of an in depth interview and exclusive premiere via NPR’s Morning Edition. Click HERE to listen to a conversation between host David Greene and band members Ketch Secor and Jerry Pentecost as well as a live performance of the song.  An accompanying music video produced and filmed by the band was premiered over the weekend on the band’s Hartland Hootenanny. Click HERE to view. For the studio version of “Pray For America” listen HERE.

“Pray For America” was written by Ketch Secor upon NPR’s request as a song to provide inspiration and reflection as the country emerged from a global pandemic. Hopeful, optimistic and realistic, the song calls for divine intervention and unity during times of uncertainty. “When you write music you’re trying to make universal statements,” says Secor. “Songs are for all to enjoy, and if you’re doing your job, they should to be able to translate from a global pandemic to a cry for justice.”

Songs that speak to the human condition and social issues are not new to Old Crow Medicine Show, as evidenced by favorites like “I Hear Them All”, “Dearly Departed Friend”, and “We’re All In This Together”.  The band recently released a video created with filmmaker Julia Golonka for “Motel In Memphis” which appeared on their 2008 album Tennessee Pusher.  Click HERE to view.

Old Crow Medicine Show has been channeling their creativity into the Hartland Hootenanny, a live show broadcast on You Tube and Facebook, airing Saturday nights at 7:00 PM CST.  The hour-long variety show includes music, storytelling, socially distanced square dancing, news and special guests.  What started as a one man show starring Ketch Secor, has evolved to include other band members.  Special guests who have appeared via Skype include Birds of Chicago, Chuck Mead, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Ferrell and The War & Treaty.  Click HERE to watch Ketch Secor’s tribute to American country music and blues star Deford Bailey, and HERE to peruse past Hartland Hootenanny Episodes.  The special guest star for June 27th will be legendary fiddler Doug Kershaw.

Old Crow Medicine Show has been making their high energy style of old-time music for the past 21 years. The band has received praise from a variety of press including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and many more.  Their intelligent, thoughtful and sometimes humorous takes on humanity continues to connect with old and new fans alike.

Old Crow Medicine Show is ...

KETCH SECOR | Fiddle, Harmonica, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals

MORGAN JAHNIG | Upright Bass

CORY YOUNTS | Mandolin, Keyboards, Drums, Vocals

JOE ANDREWS | Pedal Steel, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro

ROBERT PRICE | Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle, Banjo

JERRY PENTECOST | Drums

New Orleans indie-rockers Lawn recently announced their sophomore LP, Johnny, due out September 4, 2020, via a collaboration between Community Records (Hikes, Slingshot Dakota) & Muscle Beach Records (Kate Teague, Molly Drag) and available for pre-order on vinyl HERE. The trio is led by bandmates Mac Folger and Rui DeMagalhaes, who released their raw and scrappy debut, Blood on the Tracks, on Minneapolis label Forged Artifacts back in 2018. Recorded over three months with friend and local mainstay Matthew Seferian (Pope, Matt Surfin' & Friends), Johnny is a massive step forward for the band: intense but effortless, jumping to and from ragged post-punk and gleeful ‘90s indie-rock hooks. Today, Lawn is sharing the heavy art-punk-infused album standout “Jane Ryan,” which explores wealth inequality and corruption through the story of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Of the track, DeMagalhaes offers, "Jane Ryan was the pseudonym Imelda Marcos listed in her offshore bank accounts while acting as first lady of the Philippines. I became obsessed by how much wealth she had accrued during her husband’s dictatorship and how grossly open she was about it. There’s something to be said about corruption and ego; there’s this Marie Antoinette complex that is quite fascinating to see in modern history, especially within the rise of far-right and wealth politics over the last 5 years. It’s repulsive and vile and inherently draconian."

The new single follows last month’s “Nighttime Creatures,” of which Gold Flake Paint praised, “Equal parts harmonious and sludgy, like glimpses of sunshine on a thundery day, the new track is a straight-up and timely reminder of what made their debut such an enjoyable ride.”

Originally from Tennessee and Venezuela respectively, Folger and DeMagalhaes first met in New Orleans’ house show scene and formed Lawn a few years later. The pair make a conscious effort to write and compose their records together, relying on their varying backgrounds and musical tastes to craft a unique, and surprisingly cohesive, blend of styles. “Mac gravitates toward pop music,” says DeMagalhaes. “I’m closer to harsh territory. We’re good foils. Musically, we just know how to complement each other. I seldom think of a time when he comes up with something I don’t like. We’re always finding the missing pieces of the puzzle for each other.”

Johnny’s jangle-pop title track, written from Folger’s perspective, is about growing up in a liberal Tennessee bubble and realizing you still have to take responsibility for the privilege into which you were born. “I grew up thinking I was right and a good person, because I came from a liberal background,” he says. “I took that for granted growing up, and I realized that was bullshit. ‘Johnny’ is my grandfather’s name, and the song is directed at him.”

In album standout “Summertime,” DeMagalhaes details a racist encounter he experienced while working as a server in a New Orleans restaurant. “There’s a line in that song that says, ‘How dare you hide your accent from me?’ because that’s what the guy actually said to me,” he explains. “I grew up privileged, and I never thought racism would be my problem. My privilege meant nothing in that restaurant because I was brown and serving them, depending entirely on their tips. I was just another brown guy who needed their money.”

With Johnny, Lawn have created a vital record for our times: one with a conscience and a heart, filled with sing-along catharsis and hooks to match. Equal parts raw anger and utter joy, it is a fierce collection of bombastic indie rock, the perfect soundtrack to our canceled summer.

Nashville Americana duo Smooth Hound Smith have released their new video for "Little Rock n Roll Clubs," a song dedicated to the beloved independent music venues that are struggling to survive during this global pandemic. The video for the husband and wife duo's latest single premiered Wednesday (Aug. 26) at Wide Open Country, who called it an "ode to clubs, from neon-lit dives to historic live music joints, that are the heart of so many cities and towns."

The music video was filmed at Nashville's own venues, Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge and Exit/In, and features cameos from Aaron Lee Tasjan, Andrew Leahey, Alanna Royale, Devon Gilfillian, Wells Adams, The Winnie Blues, Front Country, Kyshona Armstrong, Leah Blevins, The Rally Club, The Cerny Brothers and Guthrie Brown.

The song, penned by members Zack and Caitlin Doyle-Smith, was written in support of the ongoing #SaveOurStages movement. The campaign, spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and National Independent Talent Organization (NITO), hopes to bring federal aid to help club and venue owners keep their businesses open while closed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Over 450 independent venues across the United States have banded together to rally for the passing of the Save Our Stages Act, which you can learn more about here.

"Little Rock n Roll Clubs" will be available to stream or download everywhere you listen to music beginning today, Aug. 28. The track follows the release of Smooth Hound Smith's 2019 LP Dog in a Manger, which earned critical praise from NPR Music, Rolling Stone Country, Parade Magazine and many more.

One can imagine that looking for reasons to write a protest song in an era defined by a ceaseless barrage of heartbreak and outrage could be a bit like drinking from a fire hose. On U.S.P.S. - United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty, so named as a show of solidarity with the recently much-maligned United States Postal Service and available via Bandcamp today, each of its ten featured acts have managed to find the words necessary to wrestle with their respective subjects, which include police violence, voting rights, climate change, history’s influence on the present, and our shared responsibility to act against injustice. The album will remain on Bandcamp through election day and for their part, all of the artists on U.S.P.S. - United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty have agreed to donate 100% of the proceeds to the ACLU.

On the collection’s opener, “For the Change,” Michigan singer-songwriter May Erlewine contemplates this moment of reckoning, the role that her own actions or inactions may have played in its suppuration, and the work required to heal. “How can I bring my pain to the river, when the river itself I did drain? How did I let my greed get so thirsty? How can I show up for the change?”

Erelwine’s fellow Michiganders, The Accidentals and The Crane Wives, both make appearances on U.S.P.S. - United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty. Sonic and lyrical tension define The Accidentals’ “How Many Hands?,” a stirring meditation on the overwhelming and mercurial challenges that have been heaped on the shoulders of the young. Since the beginning of quarantine, the trio has been tirelessly performing while raising awareness of social causes and the importance of voting. The Crane Wives turned in a live recording of “Sowing Seeds.” The track features Fleetwood Mac-esque harmonies and concludes that we get what we deserve.

Boston singer-songwriter, Peter Mulvey, takes us through the haunting parallels between a few of the darkest moments from our past and the present with “The Cruelty of History.” Mulvey, who is no stranger to protest songs, was awarded the North East Regional Folk Alliance’s inaugural “Artist Advocate” award. Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary was in attendance and presented Mulvey with the award. In 2015, Stookey joined more than 200 other songwriters in adding a third verse of their own to Mulvey’s tribute to the nine parishioners shot and killed in Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, “Take Down Your Flag.” In this song, Mulvey, along with a broad community of songwriters, lays out a case for South Carolina to retire its flag, the design of which incorporates the Confederate flag.

Of Portland, Oregon’s Anna Tivel, Peter Mulvey once said, “[She] chooses over and over to dwell unguardedly within the simple humanity of others.” That trait is once again on display in her contribution to the effort, “Black Umbrella.” In this song, Tivel narrates the tale of a Black teen who intervenes in a bank robbery with fatal and undeserved consequences. This frustrating and frustratingly common story is brought lower by the dismissive summary of the protagonist’s efforts included in the following day’s newspaper.

Further and explicitly describing just how commonly and openly violence is waged against Black people is Washington D.C.’s Crys Matthews’s “How Many More?.” It’s hard not to wince listening to the song’s three verses in which Matthews recites impossibly long lists of names of Black persons killed without cause or consequence. These lists are punctuated by the refrain, “How many more marches will it take? How many more days of this until we break? And if you won’t ask how much more could you bear, how many ‘I can’t breathes’ until you care?”

Boston songwriters are well-represented with contributions from Mark Erelli, Hayley Sabella, and newcomer, Alisa Amador, whose song opens with a poem spoken in Spanish about the experience of growing up Latinx in this country. In 2019, Erelli was nominated for “Song of the Year” by the Americana Music Association for “By Degrees,” an ensemble missive on gun violence that featured vocal performances from Rosanne Cash, Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, Sheryl Crow, and Anaïs Mitchell. Here, he contributes “Hollow Man”, a song about a dangerous mix of reality TV and politics, which was written twenty years ago but its lyrics seem more poignant now than ever. Sabella’s “Window Song” was written shortly after the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes, setting off a wave of protests around the globe that continue to this day. It is a promise and a call to actively build a better world by listening to and supporting the work of Black leaders.

Fittingly and without irony, U.S.P.S. - United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty closes with a song from TEOA (The End of America) titled “Holy Shit,” a blunt but warranted assessment of the current state of affairs and the crushing sense of overwhelm that many are feeling. The Brendon Thomas penned song addresses the importance of speaking out and having your voice heard during this critical time in our lives.

U.S.P.S. - United Songwriters for the People’s Sovereignty
For the Change, May Erlewine
Black Umbrella, Anna Tivel
The Cruelty of History, Peter Mulvey
Nudo de raíces / Searching For Reasons (Live from Club Passim), Alisa Amador
How Many Hands?, The Accidentals
How Many More?, Crys Matthews
Hollow Man, Mark Erelli 
Window Song, Hayley Sabella
Sowing Seeds, The Crane Wives
Holy Shit, TEOA

Jackson Scribner has released his debut single "Sixteen." American Songwriter premiered the song, writing, "Expertly straddling that line between folk-rock and country, Scribner’s timeless voice comes through the speakers not as a new artist but rather a well-traveled troubadour. Bathed in the same grit and soul of guys like Steve Earle before him, Jackson Scribner is his own entity. Authentic, raw, honest, pure… Scribner is already an A list talent. At this point, the world just needs to learn about him so they can catch up."

Jackson is an upcoming talent with a timeless voice from rural Texas. By word-of-mouth alone, the twenty-year-old has nabbed fervent support from reputed local musicians like Jeff Ryan (drummed for St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston), who is producing the young musician's first album, and tastemakers like Amy Miller, program director for the NPR affiliate KXT. Earlier this week, KXT featured Jackson in their On the Couch Series: watch his compelling performance of “Sixteen” here.

Today's release explains the early intrigue, jingling with the emotional immediacy of folk's best. Jackson’s precocity — melodic and poetic — pierces sparse folk-rock arrangements, and in turn, a listener’s heart. With emotional precision, he roars and rattles out familiar tales of life so beautifully unspecial: Me and you left when you were sixteen / Hair so wild when you look at me / Take your wheels across the county line / Thousand miles away to that downtown diner / Watch you rise...

Says Jackson, "'Sixteen' is about watching someone grow up and leave home, exploring the world for themselves for the first time. Recording the song was a very unique and extraordinary experience. Jeff (Ryan) and I had never played together before we recorded the song, and it was the first song we tracked. The plan was just to run through the song and give it a go, but I don’t think we expected the first take to be the take we’d use. I think the chemistry we formed playing that song set us up for the rest of the record, and now for the song to be the first single is fitting."

STREAM "SIXTEEN" OFFICIAL AUDIO

Me and you left when you were sixteen

Hair so wild when you look at me

Take your wheels across the county line

Thousand miles away to that downtown diner 

Watch you rise...

Raised in Melissa, TX, Jackson Scribner grew up obsessed with music from an early age. He learned guitar when he was only nine and spent countless hours playing alongside his dad and brothers at family gatherings. Being that this virtuoso isn’t quite old enough to drink, that doesn’t feel all that long ago. Only in the last year and a half has Jackson put lyrics to his skillful instrumentals, making their timeless appeal all the more prodigious.

Leaning into this seemingly supernatural knack, Jackson’s band — a crew of musical veterans vastly accomplished and nonetheless awestruck — recorded his debut album at Consolvo Studio in Oak Cliff, Texas. Made up of producer Jeff Ryan (drummed for St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston), John Dufilho (bass for The Apples in Stereo, The Deathray Davies), and engineer Jerome Brock (Cryptolog), the seasoned group made a deliberate decision to let Jackson’s songs radiate in their natural state. Mixed with care by Grammy-winning Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, Cat Power, Phosphorescent, The Walkmen), the collection does just that. Jackson’s debut album is due in 2021 on State Fair Records / We Know Better Records. 

Brooklyn’s The Brother Brothers, whose debut album gained enthused nods from tastemakers including NPR, Billboard and Rolling Stone Country among others, are announcing their sophomore album Calla Lily today, coming on Compass Records April 16th. Lead single, "On the Road Again", sets the stage for the whole record and shows that the many comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel are apt with the immediate warmth of their immaculate harmonies. The Moss brothers wrote “On The Road Again” before the world shut down, and serendipitously so. A quintessential road song, it explores the multiplicity of being a touring musician, and speaks to one's longing for the road, for the connection with that diasporic artist community forged across stages, festival grounds, and long, winding roads. The music video for “On The Road Again” follows the brothers out of New York City with a convoy of whimsical animations along for the ride, culminating in a cartoon concert along the Hudson River. Speaking to the first single David Moss says;

”There’s no denying that life in motion can leave a person lonesome or aimless, but so can sitting still. The same part of our beings that gets homesick aches for life on the road. This song’s an exploration of that duality — a celebration and a lamentation in one.”

The Brother Brothers' first full-length release transcended genres, drawing acclaim from press as well as fervent attention from playlists like Spotify's Fresh Folk, Infinite Acoustic, and Front Porch, Amazon's Brushland and YouTube's Coffee Shop Blend. The band spent the bulk of their time following their debut on the road, including runs with Folk Music Awards' Artist of the Year I'm With Her, Mipso and Dead Horses in addition to extensive headlining runs. The Brother Brothers saw sold out venues in Los Angeles, Chicago and London among others, and made pivotal appearances at NPR's Mountain Stage, SXSW, and Nelsonville Music Festival.

Calla Lily was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy) at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington and mastered by Grammy-nominated Phillip Shaw Bova (Andy Shauf, Father John Misty). The Brother Brothers will be performing a livestream on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitch January 25th to perform songs from the new album and more.

Austin’s Lady Dan is announcing her debut album, I Am The Prophet, which is coming out through Earth Libraries on April 23rd, today. The announcement is paired with the music video for the eponymous lead single that follows Lady Dan’s singer/songwriter Tyler Dozier trudging through the deserts of Texas. The cinematic video is the perfect visual accompaniment to the kaleidoscopic first offering from the new artist. On her debut Dozier writes darkly catchy indie-rock songs, which flirt with psych-rock and country, weaving biblical imagery, feminist empowerment and existential quandries through the 11-songs on I Am The Prophet.

Hailing from Dothan, AL, Dozier grew up in a strictly religious environment, moving to Birmingham, AL in her early twenties to attend a monastery school, which was when she began to question the role of the Church in her life. It was an amalgamation of the Church and a controlling relationship that birthed the crux of I Am the Prophet – a celebration of sorts about destabilising patriarchal restraints that refused her growth. Lady Dan’s first single arrives as a multilayered existential contemplation of empowerment and restriction, of life and death, and of faith and its absence. It's littered with poetic imagery and Biblical allusions knotted together with Dozier's brilliant songwriting.

Speaking to the first single Dozier says;

"I Am the Prophet" was born of the resentment that comes with the modern dating era: a month getting to know someone, letting them know you, and the other party backing out once things are meant to progress. So you stay on this constant loop, like a rodent running  on a wheel, doomed to repeat the cycle until you’re so tired you just give up completely. Then, throw some sacrilege in for a little flavor."

I Am The Prophet Track List

1. Paradox

2. Dogs

3. Better Off Alone

4. Plagiarist’s Blues

5. I Am The Prophet

6. Intro To Loss

7. No Home

8. Misandrist To Most

9. The Boys Who Can’t Sit Still

10. Drink Your Sorrows

11. Left-Handed Love

Brooklyn’s The Brother Brothers recently announced their sophomore album Calla Lily with lead single, "On the Road Again", which garnered praise from Rolling Stone, FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, No Depression and more. The Brother Brothers are following it up with the release of their second single “Sorrow”, which The Boot calls "melancholy...full of gorgeous harmonies". “Sorrow” is a stunningly somber song written pre-pandemic that succinctly delves into our universal struggles with sorrow, for things past, for all that we've lost. A beautiful song in its own right, “Sorrow” showcases The Brother Brothers' ability to spin these emotions that verge on mundanity into something spectacularly intimate and touching. Speaking to the song David Moss remarks; "this song sets out to tell a story as old as humanity—sorrow—and to trace the line it travels through all of us."

The Brother Brothers' first full-length release transcended genres, drawing acclaim from press as well as fervent attention from playlists like Spotify's Fresh Folk, Infinite Acoustic, and Front Porch, Amazon's Brushland and YouTube's Coffee Shop Blend. The band spent the bulk of their time following their debut on the road, including runs with Folk Music Awards' Artist of the Year I'm With Her, Mipso and Dead Horses in addition to extensive headlining runs. The Brother Brothers saw sold out venues in Los Angeles, Chicago and London among others, and made pivotal appearances at NPR's Mountain Stage, SXSW, and Nelsonville Music Festival.

Calla Lily was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy) at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington and mastered by Grammy-nominated Phillip Shaw Bova (Andy Shauf, Father John Misty).

The Brother Brothers are sharing the last single before the release of their sophomore album now with “Circles”. As David Moss sings the refrain, “walking in circles, we go through the turnstiles, over and over again”, you hear the weariness of working class life, the repetitive nature of subsistence, in his warm-yet-worn vocal delivery. Front-and-center here is The Brothers Brothers uncanny ability to craft immensely evocative choruses. On “Circles” they speak to the toll of survival under capitalism and its unceasing necessity for underpaid labor that leaves your body and mind broken and exhausted. David sings to the physical and mental toll of quotidian existence and the desire to find meaning, all the while capturing those fleeting moments in the midst of working to live. Speaking to the single Moss writes;

“I wrote this song about the year I spent living in Chicago. It’s about the mundanities necessary for survival, and not those rich with inherent meaning. Sometimes, you have to take a job as a bellboy to keep a roof over your head through the winter.”

On Calla Lily The Brother Brothers are able to bring their empathetic perceptions of daily life, both in their time as touring musicians and previous incarnations in conventional working class jobs, to song. The Moss brothers are masters at capturing the moments we take for granted and spinning them into remarkable verse that transcend their genesis. Through the ten songs that make up their sophomore album The Brother Brothers weave stories of pure, straightforward, humanity with an astounding level of humility, grace and deep understanding of their subjects.

The Brother Brothers announced their sophomore album with lead single "On the Road Again" which garnered praise from Rolling Stone, FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and No Depression among others. Their second single “Sorrow” drew similar attention, The Boot hailing it as "melancholy...full of gorgeous harmonies" and Wide Open Country noting “a yearning plea that would sound right at home between the Everly Brothers and The Beach Boys."

The band has appeared on the cover of Spotify's Fresh Folk while the songs have been spotlighted on tastemaker playlists including Infinite Acoustic, Emerging Americana and more. Calla Lily has so far reached the #30 spot on the AMA chart.

The Brother Brothers' first full-length release transcended genres, drawing acclaim from press as well as fervent attention from playlists like Spotify's Fresh Folk, Infinite Acoustic, and Front Porch, Amazon's Brushland and YouTube's Coffee Shop Blend. The band spent the bulk of their time following their debut on the road, including runs with Folk Music Awards' Artist of the Year I'm With Her, Mipso and Dead Horses in addition to extensive headlining runs. The Brother Brothers sold out venues in Los Angeles, Chicago and London among others, and made pivotal appearances at NPR's Mountain Stage, SXSW, and Nelsonville Music Festival.

Calla Lily was produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy) at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington and mastered by Grammy-nominated Phillip Shaw Bova (Andy Shauf, Father John Misty).

After a slew of incredible singles, Anne Freeman has shared her new album, Keep It Close. The incredible singer-songwriter from Oxford, Mississippi invokes comparisons to Alvvays and Camera Obscura, but infuses their dreamy sounds with a unique twang all her own. She's a songwriter that captures millennial anxieties as deftly as she moves between power pop, blues and heartland rock

In her own words -

"My vision for Keep It Close was to create a nostalgic pop record centered around heartfelt melodies.  I recorded it over the course of a few days in Mississippi and attempted to generate my own sound by blending different genres and artists that inspire me.  Some of these songs are personal, while others are completely made up.  I wanted this album to be relatable and feel familiar, yet evoke new emotions for listeners.

Her new album Keep It Close is out today via Muscle Beach Records.

Tré Burt’s sophomore album, You, Yeah, You, is out today on Oh Boy Records and was lauded by Ann Powers on NPR’s New Music Friday today where the venerable music critic says “Tré is a master storyteller...he is able to combine really vivid, beautiful imagery with really sharp social commentary”. Tré Burt’s You, Yeah, You features Brad Cook on bass and synth, Phil Cook on keys and harmonica, Alex Farrar on lead guitar, Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger) on drums, percussions and modular synth, and has features by Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) and Kelsey Waldon.
 
With “Sweet Misery” Burt speaks both to himself and the listener, conjuring a fighter’s scrappy disposition. The protagonist fights his shapeshifting opponent in the form of Misery, a foe whose shadow has cast darker and harder to ignore in the past year. “There is something kinda beautiful about people who are experiencing tragedy in chorus,” Burt says. In this collective tragedy, he recognizes the bedrock to build something new, a deepened understanding of oneself in relation to one’s community, and a well of compassion. The striking, personal, and deeply raw second single, “By The Jasmine”, draws inspiration from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and interpolates Burt’s own experience of depression through the reckoning of Danté’s complex emotional universe. With some thinly veiled allusions to Dante's Inferno, Danté, a young man afflicted by the realities of his own existence, attempts to traverse a country that seeks to destroy him at every turn. Danté awakes from the freedom of his own dreams into the horrifying nightmarish reality of a sickly America. Burt’s final single, “Dixie Red”, is an ode to the late John Prine that pulls imagery from the legendary songwriter’s decades-long career. Burt brought on labelmate Kelsey Waldon to join him in this incredibly moving tribute to their shared hero with a stunning video co-directed with Lance Bangs.

Burt will be back on the road shortly following the postponed Shakey Graves dates and recently played the storied Newport Folk Festival, where he received an uproarious standing ovation for his solo set. Burt also played with Lucy Dacus, Erin Rae, and performed a moving cover of Prine's "Paradise" with Tommy Prine, Margo Price, and Nathaniel Rateliff who he just finished up an opening run with. His Newport debut set was lauded by Rolling Stone as one of the best sets of the 2021 Newport Folk Festival. Find Burt’s tour dates and more information on You, Yeah, You, below.
 
Order You, Yeah, You HERE

Tré Burt Tour Dates
08/27 - Fairlane Hotel Rooftop - Nashville, TN
09/09 - 09/11 - Park City Song Summit, Park City, UT
09/17 - Farm to Fork, Sacramento, CA
10/01 - FirstBank Amphitheater, Franklin, TN ~
10/08 - Wildwood Revival, Cloverleaf Farm, Athens, GA
11/30 - Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC %
12/1 - DC9, Washington, DC %
12/3 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY %
12/4 - Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA %
12/7 - Monarch Tavern, Toronto, ON, CA %
12/9 - Space, Evanston, IL %
12/10 - Elray’s Live & Dive, Iowa City, IA %
12/11 - Blueberry Hill, St. Louis, MO %
12/12 - The Burl, Lexington, KY %
12/14 - Zanzabar, Louisville, KY %
 
~ -  Supporting Nathaniel Rateliff, Bahamas
% - Supporting Katie Pruitt

;Montana-based singer-songwriter Riddy Arman is set to release her self-titled debut album this Friday, September 10, via La Honda Records and Thirty Tigers. She will embark on a tour supporting labelmate Colter Wall this week as well, including shows in Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus, and Indianapolis, followed by an appearance at this year's Americanafest in Nashville (see below for full tour details). Brooklyn Vegan says her music has “a classic-yet-modern country feel, not far removed from recent country trailblazers like Margo Price and Amanda Shires,” and an 8-out-of-10 review of the record in the current issue of UNCUT praises, “Arman's self-titled debut is sparse and gothic, keeping instrumentation minimal enough to leave room for emotion as open as the western skies she works under.”
 
Today, Arman is premiering album standout, “Barbed Wire,” where she “skillfully takes listeners into the emotions of a lonely cowboy” (The Boot), singing, “There’s one thing he wants and can’t seem to find / so he sits atop his horse as his dog trails beside / Seeking freedom from his mind under sunny desert skies / The wind will dry his tears that fall as if he’s never cried.” Of the song, Arman offers, “Hard work can be a distraction from hard feelings. Fixing barbed wire is hard work. Sometimes it's a mile you have to fence, sometimes it's a strand a steer broke you gotta fix. Doesn't make any of it less sharp.”
 
Originally introduced to her longtime fans through a viral Western AF acoustic performance, Arman recently shared the long-awaited studio version of “Spirits, Angels, Or Lies,” which opens her forthcoming debut. She previously premiered her acclaimed single “Too Late To Write A Love Song” at FLOOD Magazine, who noted, “The resolve in Arman’s vocals recalls icons like Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton—both strong songwriters who were able to distill a sense of melancholy, romance, and sincerity in the necessary hurt of being human.” The track was later featured by Rolling Stone Country, The Bluegrass Situation, Glide Magazine, and Various Small Flames. Arman originally announced the record at Holler. with “Half A Heart Keychain,” and they noted, “[Arman’s] forthcoming album details her time as a ranch hand and her relationship with the land, alongside songs about heartbreak and self-discovery. In the long tradition of 'singing cowboys', Arman has much to say.”
 
Much of Arman's songwriting is rooted in the poetic imagery of country life — from the beauty of its simplicity to the isolation and loneliness that can often overtake its inhabitants. She grew up in rural Ohio but has traversed the country, working as a ranch hand and practicing an Agrarian lifestyle. Written collectively while stationed in the sunburnt hills of California ranch country, during an intensely creative period in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and after relocating to New Orleans following a friend’s passing, the songs on Arman's eponymous debut have allowed her to move forward from some of the most painful moments of her life. Arman and producer Bronson Tew (Jimbo Mathus, Dom Flemons, Seratones) recorded the nine tracks at Portland, Oregon’s Mississippi Studios shortly after the widespread positive reception of her Western AF session.
 
Songs like "Barbed Wire” distinctly recall the seclusion and longing that can come from life on the range. Album closer “Problems Of My Own” uses simple references to classic scenes, like bacon frying in cast iron pans, to explore the darkness that can lurk within family life and the urge to escape it. Elsewhere, “Old Maid’s Draw” tells of an area where Arman worked that locals have mythologized with the tale of a woman who lived alone in the early settling days of Montana. Nestled perfectly alongside these originals is Arman’s take on Kris Kristofferson’s beloved “Help Me Make It Through The Night.”

Rather than get lost in the forlorn feelings of which she often sings, Arman has chosen to embrace isolation and interpret her life through the rural landscape that adorns her lyrics. With fierce honesty and a voice that immediately commands attention, her forthcoming debut proves she’s far more than just a cowboy, singing her lonely songs.

Riddy Arman Tracklisting:
1) Spirits, Angels, Or Lies
2) Half A Heart Keychain
3) Barbed Wire
4) Both Of MY Hands
5) Help Me Make It Through The Night
6) Herding Song
7) Old Maid's Draw
8) Too Late To Write A Love Song
9) Problems Of My Own
 
Riddy Arman On Tour:
September 9  — McKees Rocks, PA — Roxian Theatre*
September 10 — Washington, DC — 930 Club*
September 11 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza*
September 12 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer*
September 16 — Buffalo, NY — Asbury Hall*
September 17 — Detroit, MI — Majestic Theater*
September 18 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall*
September 19 — Indianapolis, IN — Hifi*
September 22 — Nashville, TN — Americanafest
September 23 — Des Moines, IA — Vinyl Cup Records
November 19 — Bozeman, MT — Live From The Divide~
November 20 — Miles City, MT — Montana Bar~
November 23 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th Street Entry~
November 27 — Davenport, IA — Raccoon Motel~
November 28 — Chicago, IL — Tonic Room~
December 1 — Yorkville, IL — The Law Office Pub~
December 3 — Madison, IN — Red Bicycle Hall~
December 8 — Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle~
December 11 — Nashville, TN — The Basement~
December 15 — Tulsa, OK — Mercury Lounge~
December 17 — Trinidad, CO — Trinidad Lounge~
December 18 — Denver, CO — Hi-Dive~
December 19 — Laramie, WY — Ruffed Up Duck Saloon~
*appearing with Colter Wall
~fall headlining tour

Tré Burt is announcing a run of home state shows coming off of his buzzing week at Americanafest in Nashville. Burt will be playing Gold Digger’s in L.A. and Amado’s in San Francisco ahead of his tour with Katie Pruitt later this year, which will cover the Midwest and east coast. Find those tour dates below and check out Burt’s conversation with Adia Victoria on today’s episode of Call & Response.

Tré Burt Tour Dates 2021

10/01 -   First Bank Amphitheater - Franklin, TN **
10/16 - Midsummer’s Fairy Tale - Plymouth, CA  
10/26 -  Veterans Memorial Theater - Davis, CA
10/28 -  Gold Diggers - Los Angeles, CA
10/29 -  Amado’s  - San Francisco, CA  
11/30 - Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC *
12/01 -   DC9 - Washington, DC *
12/03 -   Mercury Lounge - New York, NY *
12/04 -   Milkboy - Philadelphia, PA *
12/05  -  Brighton Music Hall - Allston, MA *
12/07 -   Monarch Tavern - Toronto, ON *
12/09 -   Space - Evanston, IL *
12/10 - Elray’s Live and Dive - Iowa City, IA *
12/11 - Blueberry Hill - St. Louis, MO *
12/12 - The Burl - Lexington, KY *
12/14 -  Zanzibar - Louisville, KY *
12/16 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN *
 
** - with Nathaniel Rateliff
* - with Katie Pruitt
 
2022

03/18-25  Cayamo 14th Edition - A Journey Through Song
04/27 - Privatclub - Berlin, Germany
05/01  -  The Lexington -  London, UK
05/03  -  Gulliver’s - Manchester, UK
05/04  -  Hyde Park Book Club - Leeds, UK
05/05  -  Prince Albert - Brighton, UK
05/11 - Rock & Blues Club - Zaragoza, Spain
05/12 - Loco Club - Valencia, Spain
05/13 - Cafe Berlin - Madrid, Spain
05/14 - Riquela Club - Santiago De Compostela, Spain
05/15 -  El Almacén de Little Bobby - Santander, Spain
05/18  - N9 - Eeklo, Belgium
05/19 - Der Aa Theater, Groningen, Netherlands
 05/21 - Merleyn - Nijmegen, Netherlands
05/22 - La Botanique - Brussels, Belgium

Burt’s sophomore album is out now on Oh Boy Records and was lauded by Ann Powers on NPR’s New Music Friday where the venerable music critic says “Tré is a master storyteller...he is able to combine really vivid, beautiful imagery with really sharp social commentary”. Tré Burt’s You, Yeah, You features Brad Cook on bass and synth, Phil Cook on keys and harmonica, Alex Farrar on lead guitar, Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger) on drums, percussions and modular synth, and has features by Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) and Kelsey Waldon.
 
Order You, Yeah, You HERE

Black Opry, the online home for both Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music, will bring their Black Opry Revue to Nashville this December. The celebrated outlet, founded by country music journalist and activist Holly G, will bring Tylar Bryant, Joy Clark, Lizzie No, Jett Holden, Roberta Lea, Aaron Vance and special guest Frankie Staton to Nashville's historic venue Exit/In for a one-night-only performance on December 18, 2021.

A celebration of country and Americana's best voices, the event shines a much-deserved and needed spotlight on Black artists within the genres. The concert follows The Black Opry's historic presence at AmericanaFest 2021, including their official panel Black Opry Presents: The Unbroken Black Circle, moderated by journalist Marcus K. Dowling and featuring artists Queen Esther, Jett Holden, Lilli Lewis, Miko Marks and Lizzie No.

The first Black Opry Revue was held at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall on Oct. 5, featuring performances from Roberta Lea, Jett Holden, Lizzie No, Tylar Bryant, Joy Clark and a surprise appearance by Ganessa James, and marking the beginning of a new wave of events and efforts spearheaded by The Black Opry. Rachel Cholst of Adobe & Teardrops praised the event in their recent review, proclaiming "The Black Opry Revue is bringing country music by Black artists to the people — and giving us the opportunity to bask in these artists’ excellence."

Tickets for The Black Opry Revue are currently on sale for $15 plus applicable fees. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test that was administered by or under the supervision of a healthcare provider within 48 hours of the concert date is required for entry. You can find more information via Exit/In's ticketing page.

Lady Dan – the project of Tyler Dozier – released the incredible debut LP I Am The Prophet this past spring, which garnered praise from The Guardian, Stereogum, GoldFlakePaint, NPR, The Line of Best Fit, Beats Per Minute, Our Culture, Clash Magazine and much more. Dozier is back today with her off-kilter cover of Bill Withers’ “Just The Two Of Us”. Dozier has shed much of her country leanings on this outing and creates a cinematic world of obsession, insanity, and murder on the Halloween-themed cover of the iconic song. Lady Dan plays with dark synths to create the horror-movie-trailer track with her effects-laden vocals, beginning as a down-tempo rendition with a creepy carnival piano line before the song opens up with even more synths, an infectious sax line, and a dance-floor worthy backbeat. This climax comes as the music video takes its, inevitable, very dark turn. Dozier speaks to the creation of the song saying:

"I'd had this idea to take a major classic pop song and turn it dark and sinister since last year, but I didn't have the time or resources for it yet (I was neck deep in I Am The Prophet work). So when August rolled around this year, I revisited the idea and reached out to my buddy Carson Cody to see if he'd be interested in working together on it. I love the idea of releasing projects that are thematic to holidays, and Halloween just happens to be one of my favorites. I'm always making Halloween playlists in October featuring the likes of Leonard Cohen, Norma Tanega, Dead Man's Bones, etc. so I wanted to make one of my own to add to the mix. I also have a silent passion for directing and actualizing music videos, and horror/thriller is a subject I've been dying to touch. It's all very exciting - working with friends, experimenting with new genres, and creating new visuals (or new to me) for people to enjoy.

I knew Carson was the perfect match for the production of this song. I just knew he could take it where I wanted to go. First it's cinematic, then it's vintage spooky, and in the end it makes you want to dance."

"Appropriately resounding" – Stereogum

"Not only is the arrangement an exhibition of her mastery over tension and release, but her lyrics represent an artist's exploration of self-identity and independence" – The Line of Best Fit

 "Beautifully impassioned" -- GoldFlakePaint

 "... positions Tyler Dozier among the stable of powerhouse vocalists like Sharon Van Etten" – FLOOD Magazine

 "Intensely personal songwriting and every passing lyric reveals another layer in Dozier’s narration" – Secret Meeting

 "Electrifying" – Beats Per Minute

 “Her wry delivery has something of the Liz Phair about it...sinks its melodic hooks deep” - The Guardian

 “Cathartic, tender, and heartbreaking in equal measure” - CLASH Magazine

Tré Burt is announcing his first national headline tour coming off of his busy and buzzing 2021 including the release of his sophomore album, You, Yeah You, on Oh Boy Records. The past year saw Tré Burt touring the country with Nathaniel Rateliff, Shakey Graves, and Katie Pruitt as well as critically acclaimed appearances at the storied Newport Folk Festival. Find Burt’s Sweet Misery Tour dates in bold below.

Burt’s sophomore album is out now on Oh Boy Records and was lauded by Ann Powers on NPR’s New Music Friday where the venerable music critic says “Tré is a master storyteller...he is able to combine really vivid, beautiful imagery with really sharp social commentary”. Tré Burt’s You, Yeah, You features Brad Cook on bass and synth, Phil Cook on keys and harmonica, Alex Farrar on lead guitar, Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger) on drums, percussions and modular synth, and has features by Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) and Kelsey Waldon.
 
Order You, Yeah, You HERE

Tré Burt Tour Dates 2022

02/11 - Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek CO ~
02/12 - The Commonwealth Room, Salt Lake City, UT ~
02/14 - Castro Theater, San Francisco, CA ~
02/16 - Rio Theater, Santa Cruz, CA ~
02/17 - Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, CA ~
02/18 - Pappy & Harriet's, Pioneertown, CA ~
02/19 - Theater at the Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA ~
02/20 - Center for The Arts, Grass Valley, CA ~
02/22 - Revolution Hall, Portland, OR ~
02/23 - Revolution Hall, Portland, OR ~
02/24 - The Moore Theater, Seattle, WA ~
02/25 - Mount Baker Theater, Belllingham, WA ~
02/26 - Hollywood Theater, Vancouver, BC ~
03/10 - Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC*
03/11 - Eddie's Attic, Atlanta, GA*
03/12 - Savannah Stopover, Savannah, GA
03/13 - Lewis Room @ Tweed Recording, Athens, GA*
03/18-25 - Cayamo  A Journey Through Song
03/30 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC*
03/31 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC*
04/2 - Songbyrd, Washington, DC*
04/3 - Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA*
04/5 - Mercury Lounge, New York City, NY*
04/ 7 - The Drake, Toronto, ON*
04/8 - The Listening Room, Grand Rapids, MI*
04/9 - Mission Creek Festival, Iowa City, IA
04/10 - Schuba's, Chicago, IL*
04/14 - Holännapaviljongen- Ljusdal, SE
04/15 - Klubb Berlin -  Umeå, SE
04/16 - Kajman- Piteå, SE
04/17 - Studioscenen -  Östersund, SE
04/18 - Twang - Stockholm, SE
04/19 - Katalin - Uppsala, SE
04/20 - Café Smedjan - Norrtälje, SE
04/21 - Kulturkvarteret - Kristianstad, SE
04/22 - Tryckhallen - Falkenberg, SE
04/23 - Folk å Rock - Malmö, SE
04/25 -  Kulturcafé - Mainz, Germany
04/27 - Privatclub - Berlin, Germany
04/28 - Tivoli Vrendenburg - Utrecht, NL
05/01  -  The Lexington -  London, UK
05/03  -  Gulliver’s - Manchester, UK
05/04  -  Hyde Park Book Club - Leeds, UK
05/05  -  Prince Albert - Brighton, UK
05/06 -Nothingville Music - Liverpool, UK
05/08 - Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival - Belfast, N.I.
05/11 - Rock & Blues Club - Zaragoza, Spain
05/12 - Loco Club - Valencia, Spain
05/13 - Cafe Berlin - Madrid, Spain
05/14 - Riquela Club - Santiago De Compostela, Spain
05/15 -  El Almacén de Little Bobby - Santander, Spain
05/18  - N9 - Eeklo, Belgium
05/19 - Der Aa Theater, Groningen, Netherlands
 05/21 - Merleyn - Nijmegen, Netherlands
05/22 - La Botanique - Brussels, Belgium

~ - Supporting Watchhouse
* - with Joules Satyr (Sea of Bees)

Brian Macdonald, of the multi-Platinum band Judah & the Lion, has announced a new solo project under the moniker Victor Mucho. Due out May 13, 2022, his debut album, Moonlight in Visby, was written and recorded while living on the remote island of Gotland, Sweden in the Baltic Sea. It pays homage to the tiny, rural town Macdonald, his wife Maddie, and their dog Halyard called home during a year of seclusion and reflection. Watch a trailer for the album HERE.
 
Today, Macdonald is sharing the first song he wrote as Victor Mucho, “Many Moons,” on all DSPs and YouTube. Of the track, he offers, “‘Many Moons’ is a song I've held onto for 3 years. It is the heartbeat of the album. In my point of view, the moon is a symbol of love. When you look up at a crescent moon, only a sliver is visible, but in reality, the entire thing is still floating there. That's kind of how I view love: even though the light ebbs and flows, and it can be hard to see the whole thing, the love remains constant and always becomes full again.”
 
Moonlight in Visby was not initially intended to be an album, but simply songwriting as a means for Victor Mucho to process his changing identity at the time and the feeling of isolation in an unfamiliar, closed-in world. He brought his mandolin to Sweden, and upon arrival, bought an old guitar from a woman on the island. The guitar turned out to be his songwriting vessel, his mandolin added natural texture to the recordings, and the eerie vastness of the island was his muse. The songs came to life in a dark, seaside adjacent bedroom, at times lit by the moon, other times by only a candle. Its window faced 221º SW, straight towards his home in Nashville.
 
In Visby, Victor Mucho found himself in a secluded bubble surrounded every day by artifacts spanning eons. He walked streets bordered by centuries-old medieval defense walls and Viking ruins. He uncovered the ancient lives of fossils among the smooth stone beaches. He learned to surf the unforgiving, cold, and stormy Baltic waves. He camped on the neighboring sheep island of Fårö, once home to the legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, whose bleak outlook of the world seems founded by the rigid lithic landscape of the island. Through each moment, a new piece of Moonlight in Visby was forged, becoming an accidental soundtrack to stillness and isolation.
 
Once the bedroom recordings were finished, Victor Mucho met Swedish Grammy-nominated producer Tobias Fröberg, who lives and works out of Sandkvie Studio, directly in the center of the Visby Harbor. He also leaned heavily on Axel Fagerberg, his long-time friend and expert percussionist from Stockholm. Fagerberg’s fingerprints are evident across the album, adding a wide range of textures from glockenspiel to fretless bass, background vocals, and much more.

With Judah & the Lion, Macdonald has spent nearly a decade making chart-topping Alternative folk-rock with appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and more. Their latest record was described by NPR Music as “building, storming, banjos flying…there’s so much energy and velocity to these songs,” with Rolling Stone praising the “arena-sized arrangement of acoustic strums, processed vocal samples and booming electronics.” As Victor Mucho, Macdonald has peeled back a new layer of what he has to offer musically: intimate, soul-baring sonic textures that vividly capture the vastness and isolation of an idyllic, yet harsh, landscape.

Moonlight in Visby Tracklisting:
1) islands (two dead swans)
2) Many Moons
3) Coffee in Bed
4) Liberate
5) Pictures of Life
6) the List
7) Apart from You
8) so terribly hurt (ft. Molly Parden)
9) Playing God
10) azimuth
11) Cigarette Talks
12) Old Golf
13) made a fire
14) One Last Walk (Bonus)

Portland-based musician Erisy Watt announces her sophomore album Eyes like the Ocean to be released April 1 on American Standard Time Records. Recorded live-to-tape and produced by Y La Bamba's Ryan Oxford, this is the highly anticipated follow-up to Erisy's 2019 debut hailed by No Depression as “an exercise in what contemporary folk today sounds like at its peak" which earned her support slots for John Craigie, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Dustbowl Revival, and more. Under The Radar premiered the first single, noting “Watt crafts a ballad full of empathy and grace, an intimate tribute to the treacherous winding path of growth.”
 
“New Same” is a softly celestial salve for the emotional beginnings of a new year. Erisy wrote it in a moment of intense introspection. She shares: I was reflecting on habits, trying to break the old and shape the new, and I was feeling stuck. We all want to blossom into the best versions of ourselves and often forget that it takes time, that it’s never a linear path. Old voices linger. Old behaviors crop up. I’m learning that it’s not so much about getting rid of those things completely but being able to name them when they do appear. 'New Same' is about acceptance, about shifting vantage points, about leaning in and letting go.

Erisy’s sound alludes to '60s icons, but finds an easy home in the vintage-tinged indie ether of Bedouine, Haley Heynderickx, or Julie Byrne. Her vocals are intimate and alluring, an artful alternation between soothing whispers and gentle howls, backed by an instrumental bigness that evokes windy mountainscapes and piercing blue skies. Throughout her new album, she calls upon the expanse of earth and sky to navigate life as an adult woman—satiating restlessness, finding connection, and fostering that ever elusive sense of self that allows one peace. Read the full album bio here.

TRACKLIST
1. New Same
2. Big Sky
3. Little Time
4. Blue
5. Leave The Light
6. Nowhere Fast
7. Rise And Retreat
8. Leap In
9. Moon
10. Annapurna

Acclaimed Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter David Ramirez has announced a new EP, called Rules and Regulations, set to release on February 25, 2022. The 6-song EP follows his 2020 full-length, My Love Is A Hurricane, which No Depression called “a warm, groove-driven record in the tradition of Nick Cave or Leonard Cohen.” It includes a collection of favorite tracks that were originally written for past albums but ended up not fitting the overall vibe of those projects. One such song, “I Believe You,” is premiering today on KUTX as the Song of the Day at 12:55pm CST and will be available on all DSPs tomorrow, January 28.
 
Of “I Believe You,” Ramirez offers, “In September of 2018, my buddy Matt Wright and I went out to the Salinas/Monterey area of California to write for a week. This happened to be the same week of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearings. Matt and I would wake up, make coffee, and spend the early part of the day reading about or watching these hearings and then go into writing. Eventually, if I recall correctly, we couldn’t continue to write without acknowledging our feelings towards what was happening in DC. Every song we attempted quickly came to a dead-end until we accepted that maybe we were there to write about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Together, through this song, we wrestled with our feelings towards confession, victims, politics, justice, truth, and lies.”
 
Recorded at Austin Signal Studios, Rules and Regulations was tracked entirely live with no additional mixing or mastering. The sound engineers used vintage microphones and first-edition recording equipment in combination with Dolby Laboratories' new spatial audio technology called Atmos to produce a raw yet finished sound. Speaking about the recording process, Ramirez shares, “Knowing all of it had to be live, one-take performances with no overdubs, over a two-day period, kept us on our toes and kept it interesting. Fortunately, everyone in the live room and in the control room were complete pros so what could have been a very stressful and unpleasant couple of days ended up being incredibly inspirational. In my early days, I did a lot of live recording but as I’ve grown older and become more specific I never thought I’d record in this way again. I’m now very interested in seeing if I could pull this off on a bigger scale.”
 
In celebration of the release, Ramirez has partnered with Austin-based coffee roasters, Try Hard Coffee, for a signature coffee blend to enjoy while listening to Rules and Regulations. Try Hard blended northern Peruvian coffee with a pulped-natural Brazilian coffee and roasted it a true medium so that it can be enjoyed the way David enjoys his coffee – black. Inspired by Ramirez’s recording process at Austin Signal, this coffee is a mash-up of new styles and classic boutique equipment working in tandem to create a unique, no-frills experience.
 
Try Hard Coffee is releasing an exclusive box set complete with a 12oz bag of coffee, 12” vinyl EP of Rules and Regulations, a felt turntable slipmat featuring an album lyric, and an insert detailing the recording process of the record. Pre-order it now HERE.
 
Rules and Regulations is Ramirez’s ninth collection of songs and follows his 2020 full-length, My Love Is A Hurricane, which was produced by Jason Burt (Paul Cauthen, The Texas Gentlemen) with "misty psychedelic undertones and potent gospel arrangements" (NPR Music). The Austin Chronicle praised, “Jason Burt's production sets Ramirez in new territory, swooning and swelling to match the balladeer's own vocal pendulum from understated Matt Berninger brood to emphatic Nathaniel Rateliff growl,” with the Austin American-Statesman adding, “Burt couches these songs in a variety of arrangements which complement but never override the powerful voice that remains Ramirez’s greatest asset.”

With the release of the EP, Ramirez will play multiple Texas shows — including Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio — as well as Oklahoma City and Cincinnati. He will then embark on an extensive European tour starting in Bristol, UK on April 21. Please see below for full tour details.

Rules and Regulations Tracklisting:
1) Teach Me Your Language
2) Rules and Regulations
3) Friends Forever
4) Can You Hear The Silence?
5) Put In The Work
6) I Believe You

David Ramirez On Tour:
February 24 - Sam's Burger Joint - San Antonio, TX
February 26 - Dosey Doe Big Barn - The Woodlands, TX
March 2 - Cactus Theater - Lubbock, TX
March 3 - Tulips FTW - Fort Worth, TX
March 4 - Beer City Music Hall - Oklahoma City, OK
March 5 - The Far Out Lounge & Stage - Austin, TX
March 18 - Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q - Tyler, TX
March 23 - The Ludlow Garage - Cincinnati, OH
April 21 - Thekla - Bristol, United Kingdom
April 22 - Oslo Hackney - London, United Kingdom
April 23 - Dinton Parish Church - Aylesbury, United Kingdom
April 24 - Railway Inn - Winchester, United Kingdom
April 25 - Komedia - Brighton, United Kingdom
April 26 - Bodega Social - Nottingham, United Kingdom
April 27 - Night & Day Cafe - Manchester, United Kingdom
April 28 - Broadcast - Glasgow, United Kingdom
April 30 - Civic Theatre - Gosforth, United Kingdom
May 1 - The Greystones - Sheffield, United Kingdom
May 2 - The Flowerpot - Derby, United Kingdom
May 3 - Boileroom - Guildford, United Kingdom
May 4 - Asylum - Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 6 - Tivoli Vredenburg - Utrecht, Netherlands
May 7 - Der Aa-Theater - Groningen, Netherlands
May 8 - Helios 37 - Köln, Germany
May 9 - Prachtwerk - Berlin, Germany
May 10 - Posten - Odense C, Denmark
May 11 - Tobakken - Esbjerg, Denmark
May 12 - Tøjhuset - Fredericia, Denmark
May 13 - The Tivoli - Helsingborg, Sweden
May 15 - Parkteatret Scene - Oslo, Norway

After releasing one of the Best Country Albums of 2021 (Stereogum, The Boot, Glide Magazine, No Depression), Eastern Oregon songwriter Margo Cilker is set to embark on upcoming tours with American Aquarium and Hayes Carll. Full tour details HERE and listed further below.
 
Cilker’s widely acclaimed debut, Pohorylle, arrived in November of last year on the heels of NPR Music naming her one of “11 Oregon Artists to Watch in 2021.” Pitchfork says the 9-song set “showcases her distinct personality with vivid lyrics and lovely, thoughtful arrangements,” noting, “She can break a syllable to break your heart.” Glide Magazine calls Pohorylle “a nearly flawless record from the opening track on,” Rolling Stone adds, “Cilker shows that she is as interested in reinvigorating Southern country-folk storytelling tropes as she is in exposing their flaws,” and No Depression praises, “[She] has the power to make you cry with just one note you never saw coming.”
 
In celebration of her debut, Cilker will headline in Nashville at The Basement this Wednesday, March 9, with support from Stephanie Lambring, and then hit the road with American Aquarium starting in Knoxville, TN on March 10. The 10-show support run also includes appearances in Athens, GA, Tampa, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Little Rock, and more. She will close out the month with a performance at Treefort Music Fest on March 24. She then joins Hayes Carll for a 9-show stretch beginning on April 19 in Salt Lake City and including dates in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and more.
 
For the last seven years, Cilker has split her time between the road and various outposts across the world, from Enterprise, OR to the Basque Country of Spain. As Pohorylle traverses through the geography of Cilker’s memories—a touring musician’s tapestry of dive bars and breathtaking natural beauty—love is apparent, as is its inevitable partner: loss. Her lyrics paint details of the human experience with language that is intricately poignant, relatable, and gripping. As the Nashville Scene puts it, “Every song comes across as a chapter of a story that I want to hear more of, even if it’s about circumstances that no one should have to live through.”
 
Carrying gentle nods to Lucinda Williams, and a refreshing style not unlike recent work by indie-folk breakouts Waxahatchee and Katy Kirby, Pohorylle shines under the instincts of producer Sera Cahoone, whose own music Cilker first came across in 2019. Cahoone assembled an all-star studio band comprising The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee on keys, Beirut’s Kelly Pratt on horns, Jason Kardong (Sera Cahoone, Son Volt) on pedal steel, Rebecca Young (Lindsey Fuller, Jesse Sykes) on bass, Mirabai Peart (Joanna Newsom) on strings, and the album’s engineer John Morgan Askew (Neko Case, Laura Gibson) on an array of other instruments. The record also prominently features effortless blood harmonies from Sarah Cilker, Margo Cilker’s sister and frequent touring partner.
 
Margo Cilker On Tour
March 9 — The Basement @ 7:00pm — Nashville, TN
March 10 — Bijou Theatre @ 8:00pm — Knoxville, TN*
March 12 — Georgia Theatre @ 8:00pm — Athens, GA*
March 13 — Tuffy's Music Box @ 8:00pm — Sanford, FL*
 March 14 — Crowbar @ 8:00pm — Tampa, FL*
March 16 — Proud Larry's @ 8:00pm — Oxford, MS*
March 17 — Chelsea's Live @ 8:00pm — Baton Rouge, LA*
March 18 — River Road Ice House @ 7:00pm — New Braunfels, TX*
March 19 — Studio at The Factory @ 8:00pm — Dallas, TX*
March 20 — White Water Tavern @ 8:00pm — Little Rock, AR*
March 21 — White Water Tavern @ 8:00pm — Little Rock, AR*
March 24 — Treefort Music Fest 2022 @ 7:00pm — Boise, ID
April 19 — The Commonwealth Room @ 8:00pm — Salt Lake City, UT+
April 20 — The Olympic Venue @ 8:00pm — Boise, ID+
April 21 — Tractor Tavern @ 9:00pm — Seattle, WA+
April 22 — Tractor Tavern @ 9:00pm — Seattle, WA+
April 23 — Aladdin Theater @ 8:00pm — Portland, OR+
April 24 — Arcata Theatre Lounge @ 7:00pm — Arcata, CA+
April 26 — Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub @ 7:00pm — Sacramento, CA+
April 27 — The Guild Theatre @ 7:00pm — Menlo Park, CA+
April 28 — Great American Music Hall @ 8:00pm — San Francisco, CA+
 
*with American Aquarium
+with Hayes Carll

Bay Area trio Rainbow Girls are currently on tour with revered singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco with upcoming California shows in Solana Beach and Los Angeles. In celebration of the appearances, they have released a new single, "Compassion to the Nth Degree," and an accompanying music video today. The track is off a forthcoming full-length album of which few additional details have been revealed. Of the song, the group shares, "If you don’t like protest songs, you’ll love this. In a last-ditch effort to wrench up compassion for those we don’t see eye-to-eye with, we turn to love. This song names a kind of love previously undefined: love for the bigot, love for the thief, love for the destroyer. Infinite compassion. Only light can illuminate the darkness, so this is a sweet little love song for all the sh**heads out there."
 
WATCH: "Compassion to the Nth Degree" Official Music Video

Of making the music video, they add, "We made this video in our living room. We moved all our furniture outside, spent days taping aluminum foil to big pieces of plywood and hanging tinsel curtains. We bought gaudy cakes and donuts and covered them in glitter. We commissioned a custom eggplant emoji piñata from a woman in Oregon because we wanted a metaphor so blatant that even Party City couldn’t help us. We hired our dear friend Sam Chase to take a risk, take a test, and make this video with us (he also has a cameo in the video as our Donut Sommelier). We wanted to create a liminal zone lacking substance. A sugar-coated wonderland reflecting the vapid distractions and bulging vanity we were seeing all over social media, despite the very alarming reality of the world falling apart in every conceivable way. The thing is, we set out to make something airbrushed and fluffy and stupid in order to ridicule an internet culture that can be all of those things, and in doing so had the most fun ever filming a video. We got to makeout with glitter lollipops and roll around in cotton candy clouds- what’s not to love?????"
 
The upcoming album follows Rainbow Girls' Rolling Dumpster Fire EP, which saw standout single "Free Wine" land the #1 spot on Ann Powers' "Top 15 Songs of 2021" for NPR Music. Under the Radar calls the 5-song set, "An expansive reverie," noting, "The band’s contemplative folk instrumentation, stirring string section, and trademark harmonies all enlace together into an ethereal dreamscape, one filled with gentle beauty and mysterious allure," and Flood Magazine adds, "Rainbow Girls have summed up the mysterious and unnerving phases of pandemic life—getting lost in dreams, escaping in bouts of pleasure, and clinging to company when it’s available." Rolling Dumpster Fire has garnered favorable comparisons to work by Phoebe Bridgers and John Craigie (The Boot) and "the intimate folk of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings" (Glide Magazine) with the San Francisco Chronicle deeming it one of the best new local releases and praising, "The gorgeous folk alchemy of Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey and Vanessa [May] is on full display."
 
Rainbow Girls On Tour:
June 21 — Belly Up Tavern — Solana Beach, CA*
June 23 — The Ford— Los Angeles, CA*
June 24 — Kate Wolf Music Festival — Laytonville, CA
July 16 — Lincoln Center — New York City, NY
July 21 — Northwest String Summit — North Plains, OR
July 27 — Ogden Nature Preserve — Ogden, UT
July 28 — Sawtooth Music Festival — Stanley, ID
July 30 — Canmore Folk Music Festival — Canmore, AB
August 6 — Petaluma Music Fest — Petaluma, CA
August 18 —  Topaz Farm —  Portland, OR^
September 9 — Music on the Square — Jonesborough, TN
September 13 — Americanafest — Nashville, TN
September 24 — Redding Roots Revival Festival — Redding, CA
September 30 — Sisters Folk Festival — Sisters, OR
*appearing with Ani DiFranco
^appearing with Fruition

New Orleans-based project Mr. Sam & The People People announce a new album People People People People! to be released September 23, and share the title track in the form of an official music video directed by Burt Murder. A fitting entrance into the album, “People People People People!” is a refreshingly earnest ode to life’s simplest pleasures. Mr. Sam & The People People will tour the Pacific Northwest alongside Chris Acker & The Growing Boys this August; details are below.
 
watch "People People People People!" official video

pre-order People People People People
 
Songwriter and frontman Sam Gelband shares, “I was driving across the neighborhood to visit with a friend and I hadn’t put my seat-belt on, so my car was very politely scolding me for safety’s sake by going “ding. ding. ding.” I started humming a melody along with the tone, and I wiggled a bit in my seat. I got out of the car, had a very short and sweet visit with my buddy, got back in my car, kept my seatbelt off just to hear the ding again, and hummed the tune all the way back home, teasing the speedometer above the 10 mph mark to keep it ringing until I could sit at the piano and work it out. I wrote the song as an anthem for the project - a simple set of words for the sake of the simple moments with our loved ones and neighbors.”
 
Gelband has described his music as "songs for enjoyment and medium dancing" and "music to phone a friend to.” His baritone croon wraps around a listener like a warm hug on a cold night, recklessly sincere with a lyrical focus reliably invested in the everyday whimsy: a bike ride with a pal, a joke with a neighbor, a sunny drive with the windows down. With the help of New Orleans longtime friends and musical aces including Sam Doores of The Deslondes, Gina Leslie, and The Lostines among others, the band create a boisterous joy—an analog stew of rhythm & blues, indie rock, folk singer-songwriter, psych twinges, and jangle pop. Upcoming album People People People People! is a raucous jaunt, both rare and infectious in its unbridled bliss.  
 
Of the upcoming full-length, Gelband shares, “I hope that when you listen to this record, you think of somebody or something you care deeply about, and that you remember that they care deeply about you, too.” He elaborates, “The aim is not just to demonstrate my own gratitude and celebration for these things, but to offer the foundation of these feelings to you. If you walk away from the thirty minutes of this record remembering to pick up the phone and call somebody you love, I say mission accomplished.” Read the full album bio here.
 
SHARE THE NEWS
watch “People People People People!” official video
press image by Gina Leslie
read the full album bio
pre-order the album
 
TOUR DATES
with Chris Acker & The Growing Boys
August 5 || Port Townsend, WA @ Uptown Pub
August 6 || Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
August 7 || Whidbey Island, WA @ Bailey’s Corner Store
August 8 || Portland, OR @ Laurelthirst
August 9 || Portland, OR @ Laurelthirst
August 10 || Eugene, OR @ Sam Bonds
August 11, 12, 13 || Bellingham, WA @ Subdued Stringband Jamboree