Atlanta, GA-based singer-songwriter/violinist/multi-instrumentalist Melody Duncan is set to release her debut solo album, Wolf Song, on March 12, 2021.  With hints of Americana, indie-pop, chamber-pop, and folk woven together into a compelling mix, the songs on the album also feature Duncan’s unique vocals, a slightly gravelly beckoning into the depths of her music. With a clear vision and focus, Wolf Song was entirely written, performed, recorded, and produced by Duncan.

“Recording in a home studio is both fun and challenging,” says Duncan. “For one thing, my apartment isn’t soundproofed, so there were a lot of times I couldn’t record because there were noisy things happening, like a rainstorm or my neighbors mowing their lawn. However, that’s also one of the reasons I was able to capture some of the cool nature sounds on the record.”

Prior to her solo music endeavors, Duncan was a member of the international touring group The Mulligan Brothers, where she brought violin, fiddle, keyboards, and vocals to the band. Together they hit the top 50 on the Americana charts in the U.S. and played the Cayamo Cruise with artists such as Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile, Shawn Mullins, Steve Earle and John Paul White. When The Mulligan Brothers disbanded in January of 2019, Duncan found herself excited for a new chapter in her musical journey and knew she had to finally produce some of the songs she had been writing since she was a young girl. 

With Wolf Song, instead of playing songs that others had written, Duncan finally set out to share her own original music with the world. True to her upbringing, her original music is a mix of genres, a taste all its own. Accompanying her unique musical vision, she has begun to create what she calls her “Wolf Pack,” a community of people and music fans who gather together in person, in spirit, or both. “I think wolves are amazing creatures,” Duncan says. “They run strongest in packs, and they need community to be their best. They also connect through song, howling together in harmony despite any distance between them. Music is our universal language, and I love connecting to other people. I’ve always loved music, and my parents obviously did, because they named me Melody. I want to encourage people, connect with people, and share light and love through music. We all need more light.”

Born and raised in Mobile, AL, Duncan cut her teeth on music at a very early age. Listening to bluegrass, rock ’n’ roll, church songs, Celtic music, and classical compositions, Duncan enjoyed a wide variety of inspirations from early on. Her parents and big brother (Christopher Duncan), all musicians themselves, helped to foster an appreciation for playing and performing. With her mom teaching her, Duncan started playing piano at the age of 5 and slowly picked up different instruments along the way. She found an extra level of musical passion when she started playing violin in her teens. With determination to share music and make it her career, she began touring and freelancing with rock bands, jazz players, folk artists, local record studios, and chamber groups.

In addition to counting the members of her family as musically encouraging and motivating, Duncan has also drawn inspiration from artists as diverse as Freddie Mercury, Alison Krauss, Elton John, Chris Thile, and James Taylor. “They are masters of their craft, and they make technically savvy music readily enjoyable to all types of audiences,” says Duncan. “Listening to their music makes my heart happy. The music keeps me company and makes me feel inspired. My hope is to pass that on, to add light, inspiration, and encouragement to other people. I feel that music can be like a prayer, a hope, a connection to our deepest source of light.” 

Duncan plans to play live shows when possible within COVID guidelines, but, in the meantime, fans can follow her on Facebook for announcements about her upcoming livestreams.. 

Atlanta-based Americana-leaning quintet Run Katie Run is set to release a new EP, Running on Love, on April 16, 2021. Composed of Kate Coleman (lead vocals), Corey Coleman (guitar), Adam Pendlington (guitar, banjo), Stephen Quinn (bass), and Ian Pendlington (drums), Run Katie Run is one of the few new bands in recent memory that can rock multiple genres, flaunt resonant harmonies, and showcase a dynamic lead vocalist whose passion and power demand attention. Running on Love was produced by Kate and the band, recorded and mastered by Corey, and mixed by Ian. While Kate is quick to share credit with her bandmates, the fact is that Run Katie Run centers on her singing, writing, and presence.

“I’m unbelievably proud of these songs and the people who helped bring them to life,” says Kate. “The guys and I put a lot of work, love, time, energy, and passion into this EP, and I hope it brings joy to whoever listens to it!”

Running on Love winds through the restless drive, complex emotions, and exhilarating key changes of “15 Minutes,” travels between the candor and yearning of “Kinda Hoping,” explores the bitter commentary of “No Way Out,” riding a current of tight rhythm, and summits at Kate’s climactic — and frankly stunning — high note in “Running on Love” as it builds toward an explosive ending. She lays down the law to an irresolute lover on “Stay or Leave,” amidst blazing fills and solo breaks from her musicians. And “Stolen Time” confirms Run Katie Run’s ascension as one of today’s best harmony bands.

The first single, “15 Minutes,” was released January 22nd. Glide Magazine, who premiered the track, wrote, “...the song finds the band tapping into the unbridled passion of just making music together. With its playful mixture of folk, pop and Americana, the song captures what this group of musicians does best. …catchy as hell… colorful percussion and intricate guitar work, with Kate’s vocals front and center throughout.” The second single, “Stolen Time,” will premiere at American Songwriter on February 24th, and it will be released on February 26th. The title track, “Running on Love,” is the third single, and after a premiere at Americana Highways on March 24th, it will also be released, in advance of the EP, on March 26th. 

Kate’s story traces back to Buffalo, New York, her hometown. Originally interested in dance, Kate explored singing at the urging of her mother, performing “Big Deal” by Leann Rimes in a high school talent show. “I don’t think anybody knew I listened to country music let alone sang,” recalls Kate. “But everybody was so impressed! They made me feel like a rock star. From that point, I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I think I get it.’” Although she would immerse herself in the dance program at Buffalo State College, music won her allegiance by her senior year. “Dance will always be a part of me,” says Kate. “I even have a dance floor in my dining room! But a gut feeling told me then that it was time to choose music.”

Before graduating with a degree in dance and communications in 2011, Kate had joined her first band. Known as Naughty Dawg, they played cover songs at bars and parties, where she built her stage chops. Already Kate had forged a unique style, inspired by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, and the trio known then as the Dixie Chicks. Through music, Kate met her husband, Corey Coleman, and they started playing as a duo called Kate and Corey, but a move beckoned. “We wanted the whole lifestyle,” Kate says. “We wanted to be in a van, going from city to city in the South because the weather would be more agreeable for that. I was like, ‘Why don’t we check out Atlanta? There are 40 cities within a three-and-a-half-hour radius. We can tour small.”

They made the move. Soon their calendar filled with bookings at clubs and corporate events. They even tried their luck at a national talent search – the Country Showdown (hosted by Jewel at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium) – and finished in second place in the final round. More significantly, at an open mic one night in Georgia, they were impressed by a trio called Highbeams. They became mutual admirers and close friends over the next several years, so it was no surprise that Kate recruited Adam Pendlington, Stephen Quinn, and Ian Pendlington of Highbeams to play on her first solo album, Past. Corey played guitar and recorded the album. Then, as offers started coming in to play at clubs and festivals, Kate made them an offer that, luckily, they couldn’t refuse.

“I asked, ‘Can you guys play with me?’” she says. “‘You know the songs already. And we have so much fun just being in a room together. Would you be into keeping this going as a five-piece?’ I wasn’t thinking that this would be my band, with them backing me up. I was like, ‘We all write. We all play. We all sing. We can all contribute.’ It was the guys who said, ‘We’d love to do this, although it really should be your thing.’ And it was Adam who said, ‘It should be called Run Katie Run.’”  The band’s name comes from a song title on Past.  

Their union was kismet. “They never make me feel limited,” Kate points out. ‘They don’t make me pigeonhole myself or hold me back or tell me, ‘That’s not country enough,’ or ‘We need to stick with this.’ Who needs that? Because as long as it’s us making the music, we’re gonna sound like us.’”

Once the green light is given, Run Katie Run can’t wait to head out on tour. With safety protocols being followed, occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into their schedule. Fans eager to hear them now can see Run Katie Run livestreaming on the last Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. eastern on their Facebook and YouTube. Kate has also confirmed a pair of solo livestreams: March 16th on Americana Highways’ Facebook page at 7 p.m. eastern, and April 21st on The Boot’s Facebook page at 9 p.m. eastern.

Atlanta-based Americana-leaning quintet Run Katie Run is set to release a new EP, Running on Love, on April 16, 2021. Composed of Kate Coleman (lead vocals), Corey Coleman (guitar), Adam Pendlington (guitar, banjo), Stephen Quinn (bass), and Ian Pendlington (drums), Run Katie Run is one of the few new bands in recent memory that can rock multiple genres, flaunt resonant harmonies, and showcase a dynamic lead vocalist whose passion and power demand attention. Running on Love was produced by Kate and the band, recorded and mastered by Corey, and mixed by Ian. While Kate is quick to share credit with her bandmates, the fact is that Run Katie Run centers on her singing, writing, and presence.

“I’m unbelievably proud of these songs and the people who helped bring them to life,” says Kate. “The guys and I put a lot of work, love, time, energy, and passion into this EP, and I hope it brings joy to whoever listens to it!”

Running on Love winds through the restless drive, complex emotions, and exhilarating key changes of “15 Minutes,” travels between the candor and yearning of “Kinda Hoping,” explores the bitter commentary of “No Way Out,” riding a current of tight rhythm, and summits at Kate’s climactic — and frankly stunning — high note in “Running on Love” as it builds toward an explosive ending. She lays down the law to an irresolute lover on “Stay or Leave,” amidst blazing fills and solo breaks from her musicians. And “Stolen Time” confirms Run Katie Run’s ascension as one of today’s best harmony bands.

The first single, “15 Minutes,” was released January 22nd. Glide Magazine, who premiered the track, wrote, “...the song finds the band tapping into the unbridled passion of just making music together. With its playful mixture of folk, pop and Americana, the song captures what this group of musicians does best. …catchy as hell… colorful percussion and intricate guitar work, with Kate’s vocals front and center throughout.” The second single, “Stolen Time,” premiered at American Songwriter, and it was released on February 26th. The title track, “Running on Love,” was the third single, and after a premiere at Americana Highways, it was released on March 26th.

Kate’s story traces back to Buffalo, New York, her hometown. Originally interested in dance, Kate explored singing at the urging of her mother, performing “Big Deal” by Leann Rimes in a high school talent show. “I don’t think anybody knew I listened to country music let alone sang,” recalls Kate. “But everybody was so impressed! They made me feel like a rock star. From that point, I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I think I get it.’” Although she would immerse herself in the dance program at Buffalo State College, music won her allegiance by her senior year. “Dance will always be a part of me,” says Kate. “I even have a dance floor in my dining room! But a gut feeling told me then that it was time to choose music.”

Before graduating with a degree in dance and communications in 2011, Kate had joined her first band. Known as Naughty Dawg, they played cover songs at bars and parties, where she built her stage chops. Already Kate had forged a unique style, inspired by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, and the trio known then as the Dixie Chicks. Through music, Kate met her husband, Corey Coleman, and they started playing as a duo called Kate and Corey, but a move beckoned. “We wanted the whole lifestyle,” Kate says. “We wanted to be in a van, going from city to city in the South because the weather would be more agreeable for that. I was like, ‘Why don’t we check out Atlanta? There are 40 cities within a three-and-a-half-hour radius. We can tour small.”

They made the move. Soon their calendar filled with bookings at clubs and corporate events. They even tried their luck at a national talent search – the Country Showdown (hosted by Jewel at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium) – and finished in second place in the final round. More significantly, at an open mic one night in Georgia, they were impressed by a trio called Highbeams. They became mutual admirers and close friends over the next several years, so it was no surprise that Kate recruited Adam Pendlington, Stephen Quinn, and Ian Pendlington of Highbeams to play on her first solo album, Past. Corey played guitar and recorded the album. Then, as offers started coming in to play at clubs and festivals, Kate made them an offer that, luckily, they couldn’t refuse.

“I asked, ‘Can you guys play with me?’” she says. “‘You know the songs already. And we have so much fun just being in a room together. Would you be into keeping this going as a five-piece?’ I wasn’t thinking that this would be my band, with them backing me up. I was like, ‘We all write. We all play. We all sing. We can all contribute.’ It was the guys who said, ‘We’d love to do this, although it really should be your thing.’ And it was Adam who said, ‘It should be called Run Katie Run.’”  The band’s name comes from a song title on Past.

Their union was kismet. “They never make me feel limited,” Kate points out. ‘They don’t make me pigeonhole myself or hold me back or tell me, ‘That’s not country enough,’ or ‘We need to stick with this.’ Who needs that? Because as long as it’s us making the music, we’re gonna sound like us.’”

Once the green light is given, Run Katie Run can’t wait to head out on tour. With safety protocols being followed, occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into their schedule. Fans eager to hear them now can see Run Katie Run livestreaming on the last Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. eastern on their Facebook and YouTube. Kate has also confirmed a solo livestream on April 21st on The Boot’s Facebook page at 9 p.m. eastern.

Celebrated, iconic band The Tragically Hip announce a brand-new album, Saskadelphia, out Friday, May 21.

Saskadelphia (Universal Music Canada/UMe) is made up of six previously unreleased tracks written in 1990. Five recorded in that same year during the Road Apples sessions in New Orleans, and one live track, “Montreal (Live from The Molson Centre, Montreal, Dec 7th, 2000),” written at the same time, but for which the original recording is yet to be found.

With no shortage of material and higher ups at the American record label resisting the band’s call to release a double album, countless tracks were left behind on the studio floor. And so one album, Road Apples, heads out into the world, a rung on The Tragically Hip’s climb to legend status, while the rest of the tracks are tucked into boxes and moved out of sight.

Until now.

Welcome to Saskadelphia: the record that stayed in the wings as Road Apples hit the stage. The title, a term coined by the band in a nod to the extensive touring they were doing in the early 1990s, was the original working title for Road Apples before it was rejected by those same label execs as being “too Canadian.”

From lead single “Ouch,” which greets listeners with the familiar roaring vocals of late singer and lyricist Gord Downie, to “Not Necessary,” a song whose fiery sound is layered with gentle and emotional lyrics - are pure, undistilled The Tragically Hip, as Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar) and Gord Sinclair (bass) lay the groundwork for their unmistakable sound.  

“I went ‘Wow’ when I heard ‘Ouch’ after all this time,” says Rob Baker. “We were a pretty good little band.”

After rediscovering the tracks they wrote more than three decades ago, The Tragically Hip knew they had to share the music with fans. Of these abandoned souvenirs from the past, Johnny Fay said, “We didn't know what was there, so this meant baking them and listening to them as they were being transferred. Hearing them for the first time in 30 years was crazy.”

The Tragically Hip are set to receive the 2021 Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada at the 50th Annual JUNO Awards on Sunday, June 6, in Toronto. Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees and rock icons, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush will present the band with the award. The award recognizes outstanding Canadian artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond. The broadcast can be streamed globally on CBCmusic.ca/junos.

Americana singer-songwriter Jack Barksdale has released his new single, "Trances," and is set to release his first full-length studio album, Death of a Hummingbird, on March 4, 2022. The follow-up to his live album, Jack Barksdale: Live From Niles City (2019), and recorded over three August days in 2021 with producer/percussionist Mike Meadows at the invitation-only 3Sirens studio in East Nashville, Hummingbird finds the 14-year-old songwriter and guitar whiz honing his craft and working with other established artists. Under his ubiquitous red knit cap is a mind already insightful enough to describe the new album as “a chronicle of my continuous search for consciousness.”

He continues: “Death of A Hummingbird ended up being a myriad of concepts, ideas, and arguments that have crossed my mind, and, in some cases, completely devoured it, so the album turns into a constant internal back and forth. For me, it will serve as a time capsule of some of my first attempts to understand the world, as well as myself.”

Throwing around words like “phenom” is easy, but fellow artists – who have heard Barksdale talk about his craft or seen him perform live or listened to his recorded music – have taken note. Singer-songwriter Abe Partridge actually asked Barksdale’s parents, Brent and Clara, at a recent songwriter festival: “When did you know that Jack was brilliant?”

Not only is Barksdale brilliant, but he has won an award grant for his talent. Barksdale became the youngest-ever recipient of the Bugle Boy Foundation’s Talent Trust Award grant. He was 12 when 2012 winner, John Fullbright — whose trust-funded album earned a Grammy nomination — presented the award on February 28, 2020, just before, as Barksdale puts it, “the wheels of time seemingly stopped.”

During that pause, Barksdale developed these 11 tracks, including “Bugle Boy Blues,” his album-closing instrumental homage to the beloved La Grange, Texas listening room. He also opens with an instrumental, “Revival Song No. 3,” whose title relates to his 2018 Revival EP and previous “Revival” versions, inspired by Shooter Jennings’ numbered “Manifesto” songs. If you didn’t know this song’s performer was 14 years old, you might think you’re hearing Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen or a similar legend.

His lyrical prowess, which is stunning if one considers Barksdale’s not-so-advanced age, isn’t surprising if one remembers that he reads Leonard Cohen and poetry for inspiration, with Barksdale coming up with lines like these, in “Unnamed Colors”: She denies the longing/That flows so softly through her veins. Or these, in the trippy, transcendental “Trances”: There’s solitude dripping from the cracks in the walls/Non-existence has never been so righteous/Each time I blink another coward falls /And liberty crawls. Or these, laid over the upbeat, jazz-inflected melody of “Isn’t It Crazy”: Isn’t it crazy that little pieces of paper/Can decide if you’re rich or poor.”

Of that last one, he says, “I had been listening to a lot of bluesy ragtime guitar, ’20s and ’30s stuff like Blind Blake and Blind Boy Fuller, so I just started playing around with those melodies and all those diminished seventh chords, and as I started playing this melody, I decided to put some lyrics to it. Because I love Americana songwriters like John Prine and Guy Clark, I wanted to give it that kind of spin.” His knowledge of obscure players and the chord structures of 100-year-old musical styles is likely way beyond most players’, much less listeners’. But it’s not about showing off. He’s just citing inspirations and crediting sources. “He really was born an 80-year-old man,” his mom, Clara, says.

Barksdale’s writing has earned him opportunities to collaborate with several renowned folk, blues, and Americana artists, at their request. Through the magic of Zoom and FaceTime, Barksdale co-wrote remotely during the pandemic. “The beauty of music is the connection with others,” he says. “To be able to create together, even from a distance was powerful.  I hope that listeners feel that connectivity between us all throughout the album.”

Guthrie Kennard co-wrote “Before the Devil Knows,” a snaky blues track. The contrast between Barksdale’s still-high voice and the swamp-mud dripping off his slide guitar heightens the drama of lyrics that visit Blind Willie Johnson, travel Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad, turn two nails, a bottle and baling wire into a diddley bow, and haunt the most famous intersection in blues history.

Jeff Plankenhorn co-wrote “Sideways,” an uptempo tune Barksdale calls “a light-hearted song about your life slowly deteriorating in front of your eyes. Jeff and I put some fun chords against wacky lyrics and a fast-paced, Waitsian beat, and it turned out really cool.” “Waitsian” refers, of course, to Tom Waits, another inspiration. Townes Van Zandt also looms large, and there’s an occasional hint that Barksdale could one day follow in Willie Nelson’s (and Django Reinhardt’s) Spanish-filigreed direction. Not surprisingly, Barksdale fell early for the Highwaymen — that storied supergroup of Cash, Kristofferson, Jennings, and Nelson.

Barksdale, who started music lessons at 7 and debuted his first composition at a Luckenbach, Texas, picking circle when he was 9 (shocking his parents, who had no idea he had written a song), remains unfazed by the attention and praise. He obviously works hard at his craft and is a quick study; his proficiency on a growing list of instruments beyond the guitar – including mandolin, piano, and ukulele – proves that. His growth seems to be equally fueled by curiosity; he’s always soaking up as much information as possible. Many of his friendships with artists he admires began because he doesn’t think twice about approaching them, introducing himself, and asking questions — intelligent ones that earn respect, not indulgence.

That helped him lure several favorites into picking sessions for his “Guitar Slingers” webcasts, which pivoted into “Jack Barksdale’s Roots Revival” podcast when he couldn’t tape face-to-face. He’s interviewed Guy Clark collaborator Verlon Thompson, Gun N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, Dan Navarro (who co-wrote Pat Benatar’s megahit “We Belong”), and H. Jack Williams, with whom Barksdale co-wrote another slide guitar blues song, “World Full of Nothing.” Williams’ surreal resume includes co-writing the Gregg Allman hit, “Just Before the Bullets Fly,” and tracks for Kevin Costner’s Tales from Yellowstone soundtrack companion to the “Yellowstone” TV series.  

American Songwriter praised Barksdale's “insights and awareness far beyond people twice his age, and he’s able to put them into songs that touch listeners.” Premier Guitar raved: “He shines with earnest, unjaded passion on a foundation of will and an ability to connect.” Buddy Magazine called him a “musical phenomenon,” NPR dubbed him “special,” and Paper City Magazine described him as a “Texas force.”

Barksdale has performed at South by Southwest, AmericanaFest, the International Folk Alliance conference, the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, and Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café — at the invitation of producer and multi-instrumentalist Will Kimbrough. Hayes Carll invited him onstage at Austin’s songwriter-friendly Saxon Pub. The gig that got away – cancelled by the pandemic – was 2020’s New Orleans Jazz Festival, but he’ll get back there eventually.

Barksdale plans to tour in 2022. He has three shows already on the books (see tour schedule below), with many more shows to come. Fans should check his website and social media for all tour updates.

Jack Barksdale Tour Schedule:
January 21st - Baton Rouge, LA / Red Dragon Listening Room (tickets)
January 22nd - Mobile, AL / The Peoples Room (tickets)
March 4th - Dallas, TX / Kessler Theater (tickets) (album release show)

Saratoga Springs, NY-based Americana/roots rock/folk trio Warden and Co. is set to release its debut album, Somewhere, on April 8, 2022. Band members include frontman/vocalist/ guitarist Seth Warden, violinist/vocalist Doug Moody, and drummer Brian Melick. The album, an independent release, was co-produced by multi-instrumentalist Chris Carey and Warden and recorded at Millstone Studio in Ballston Spa, NY. Somewhere offers up 11 servings of auditory earnestness. The band has created a mood of emotional tenderness, meeting in a special place where rock, folk, and Americana converge. And the feeling is personal, familiar, and true.
“We wanted to create a fresh take on the folk-rock genre, with songs that are meaningful yet still rock,” Warden says. “This album covers a broad spectrum of human emotions and experiences: love, uncertainty, frustration, desire, fear, and compassion.”

Warden and Co. is releasing three singles in advance of the album. The first, “Living for Love,” came out on January 14th, with Americana Highways premiering the song earlier that week. “This song has a very enjoyable intro, layers and grooves for miles to draw you in,” they wrote of the song. “The stringed instruments will haunt you while the song carries you up to its vistas and peaks and down to the valleys in between.” A Tom Petty-esque, driving rock anthem, “Living for Love,” was written back in 2006, a song that “just sat silent for so many years waiting to get rediscovered” and whose universal message about the importance of opening our eyes and enjoying life’s ride made it the perfect one to lead off.

The second single, the title track “Somewhere,” will be released on February 11th, with a premiere a few days prior at Independent Clauses. The song was inspired by a common human longing for home, even if it takes us a while to admit that longing. “Growing up where I did, I wanted to get away as fast as I could,” says Warden, who was one of 28 kids in his graduating class in the Thousand Islands region of upstate New York. “Now, when I get home, it’s nice to go into the grocery store and see someone I recognize. Everyone is from somewhere, and those somewheres connect so completely within us.” The song boasts delicate, father-daughter harmonies and features Warden’s daughter, 13-year-old Lovella. Being able to connect that song with his daughter, who was making her musical debut, was special, Warden says. “It’s undeniable, her talent at such a young age.

This was her first real recording experience. Listening to her, I realize just how deep this song just became. Someday, I’m not gonna be here, and she’s gonna have this.”“Middle of Madness,” the third single, out March 11th, will premiere the same week at Glide Magazine. On the song, Warden and Co. ponder the difficulty of defining truth when everyone seems to be selling their own. “I think I was watching one of the many news programs that we can get sucked into,” he says. “You turn on one station and there’s one truth, and then turn on another station, and find a different one. We’re in the middle of something in which I can’t find the truth.” Longtime veterans of the New York State music scene, Warden, Melick, and Moody originally joined forces in Saratoga Springs in 2011 as the award-winning children’s and family artists, Seth and the Moody Melix. For Warden, a father of three and a middle school music teacher, making good, honest music for young ears felt organic. “There’s no fooling them anymore,” he says of little listeners.

In 2019, the trio released Songs for Everyone, their first EP as Warden and Co. The follow-up, Somewhere, presents an impressive range of instrumentation, from acoustic and electric guitar, violin and viola, to organ, piano, drums, and electric bass. For a bit of creative continuity, it also features keyboardist James Mastrianni, who recorded and produced Songs for Everyone.

Somewhere, with its strings and organic percussion that evoke a relaxed late-night backyard jam with lights in the trees and possibility in the air, is a clear musical statement. “I felt that people who listen to this full-length debut will know who we are,” Warden says. “Our music is relatable, thought-provoking, introspective and straight-up fun. I think people of all ages will be able to find songs that speak to them on this album. We felt that there was much to say about the world we are all living in and navigating right now, and it would’ve been easy to write 11 depressing songs about our current global situation, but I wanted to make sure there were as many positive messages as there were negative.”

The band plans to tour in 2022 (see tour schedule below). For additional tour dates, news, and more, visit: www.wardenandcompany.com or check out the band’s social media.

Warden and Co. Tour Schedule
Feb. 11th – Clifton Park, NY | Peddlers Bar and Bistro
Feb. 23rd – North Creek, NY | Barvino
Mar. 4th – Saratoga Springs, NY | The Saratoga Winery
Mar. 8th – Troy, NY | Troy Music Hall
Mar. 12th – Latham, NY | JJ Rafferty’s
Apr. 8th – Clifton Park, NY | Peddlers Bar and Bistro
May 26th – Glens Falls, NY | The Park Theater
June 22nd – North Creek, NY | Barvino
Aug. 24th – North Creek, NY | Barvino

Sea Cliff, NY-based Americana singer-songwriter Roger Street Friedman is set to head into the studio in March and April to work on new music with Grammy Award winner Larry Campbell (Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble, Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour) producing songs for Friedman’s next full-length release. Setting up in Friedman’s home studio, The Playroom, Campbell and Friedman will be joined by Friedman’s band to record an album’s-worth of new folk/Americana songs Friedman wrote over the past two years during the pandemic. Ever the storyteller, Friedman’s new songs range, topic-wise, from social commentary to love, loss, and the songwriting process itself.

“My band and I are very excited to get to work with Larry on this next project,” says Friedman. “Working with him on my 2020 release, Rise, was the high point of my musical life to date. He brings his decades of experience to bear and exudes a level of musicality that adds incredible depth to the material, while always serving the song. As a producer, he also has a way of putting everyone at ease and getting the best out of the players. Larry will also be playing multiple instruments on the album, including guitars, pedal steel, and fiddle. Getting to watch him play is like a master class in musicianship. I am really looking forward to working with him again!”

Campbell echoed Friedman’s eager anticipation of the upcoming recording session. “I'm getting pretty excited about going back into the studio with Roger this coming March,” Campbell says. “The only problem now is that he's got too many great songs to narrow down into a 45-minute record. This is a good problem to have. As a producer, my main job is to understand and help an artist to achieve his creative vision from the seeds of his inspiration. Roger is giving me some really fertile ground; he's truly a gifted songwriter, with thoughtful lyrics and great sense of melody. After working with him on his last full-length record, Rise, I feel like he and I have developed a symbiotic musical and personal chemistry, and this project will be just the thing to get us through the last dark days of winter.”  

The new album will follow on the heels of Friedman’s 2021 EP release, Come What May. The EP featured co-production on the title track from Campbell, with Friedman playing the bulk of the instruments, as well as recording, producing, and mixing the other songs on the EP.  

Prior to Come What May, Friedman's released two singles in the fall of 2020: “Poison in the Cut” (September 2020) and “Carry Me (Acoustic) feat. Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Lucy Kaplansky” (October 2020). 2020 was busy year for new music from Friedman; earlier in 2020, he released the aforementioned album, Rise, which was produced by Campbell. American Songwriter praised the “poise of the arrangements and perfected production,” while Goldmine Magazine called it “sumptuous… [with] affecting musical vignettes… Inspiring and infectious… striking and seductive… It’s the culmination of a career that’s seen his reputation elevated to upper strata of today’s most consistent Americana artists.” American Blues Scene was fond of the “honest, vulnerable songwriting that has won Friedman praise everywhere,” and Americana UK espoused the “excellent songcraft,” dubbing it “delicate and beautiful.”

The award-winning singer-songwriter has consistently released honest, vulnerable songs that have won Friedman praise everywhere from USA Today to No Depression – reflective vignettes recalling the singer-songwriter tradition of Marc Cohn and Robbie Robertson, set to a blend of folk-rock, progressive Americana, and soulful R&B. Friedman was bitten by the music bug early, learning to write songs and even developing his studio engineering skills. It was an avocation, however, until a combination of events – the deaths of his father and mother, marriage, and, later, the births of his two children – steered Friedman back to music, leading to the acclaimed 2014 debut, The Waiting Sky, and 2017’s Shoot The Moon, which reached #2 on the Roots Music Report Americana Country Album Chart and spent 25 weeks in the top 20.

NY-based Americana/roots rock/folk trio Warden and Co. have released their debut album, Somewhere, on April 8, 2022. Band members include frontman/vocalist/ guitarist Seth Warden, violinist/vocalist Doug Moody, and drummer Brian Melick. The album, an independent release, was co-produced by multi-instrumentalist Chris Carey and Warden and recorded at Millstone Studio in Ballston Spa, NY. Somewhere offers up 11 servings of auditory earnestness. The band has created a mood of emotional tenderness, meeting in a special place where rock, folk, and Americana converge. And the feeling is personal, familiar, and true.

“We wanted to create a fresh take on the folk-rock genre, with songs that are meaningful yet still rock,” Warden says. “This album covers a broad spectrum of human emotions and experiences: love, uncertainty, frustration, desire, fear, and compassion.”

Warden and Co. released three singles in advance of the album. The first, “Living for Love,” came out on January 14th, with Americana Highways premiering the song earlier that week. “This song has a very enjoyable intro, layers and grooves for miles to draw you in,” they wrote of the song. “The stringed instruments will haunt you while the song carries you up to its vistas and peaks and down to the valleys in between.” A Tom Petty-esque, driving rock anthem, “Living for Love,” was written back in 2006, a song that “just sat silent for so many years waiting to get rediscovered” and whose universal message about the importance of opening our eyes and enjoying life’s ride made it the perfect one to lead off.

The second single, the title track “Somewhere,” was released on February 11th, with a premiere a few days prior at Independent Clauses, who said the band's music "feels like home" and boasts "a sonic palette that blends the best of Americana with a sound reminiscent of the groundbreaking Traveling Wilburys." The song was inspired by a common human longing for home, even if it takes us a while to admit that longing.

“Growing up where I did, I wanted to get away as fast as I could,” says Warden, who was one of 28 kids in his graduating class in the Thousand Islands region of upstate New York. “Now, when I get home, it’s nice to go into the grocery store and see someone I recognize. Everyone is from somewhere, and those somewheres connect so completely within us.” The song boasts delicate, father-daughter harmonies and features Warden’s daughter, 13-year-old Lovella. Being able to connect that song with his daughter, who was making her musical debut, was special, Warden says. “It’s undeniable, her talent at such a young age. This was her first real recording experience. Listening to her, I realize just how deep this song just became. Someday, I’m not gonna be here, and she’s gonna have this.”

“Middle of Madness,” the third single, came out March 11th and premiered the same week at Glide Magazine, who dubbed it "well-crafted folk-rock." On the song, Warden and Co. ponder the difficulty of defining truth when everyone seems to be selling their own. “I think I was watching one of the many news programs that we can get sucked into,” he says. “You turn on one station and there’s one truth, and then turn on another station, and find a different one. We’re in the middle of something in which I can’t find the truth."

Longtime veterans of the New York State music scene, Warden, Melick, and Moody originally joined forces in Saratoga Springs in 2011 as the award-winning children’s and family artists, Seth and the Moody Melix. For Warden, a father of three and a middle school music teacher, making good, honest music for young ears felt organic. “There’s no fooling them anymore,” he says of little listeners.

In 2019, the trio released Songs for Everyone, their first EP as Warden and Co. The follow-up, Somewhere, presents an impressive range of instrumentation, from acoustic and electric guitar, violin and viola, to organ, piano, drums, and electric bass. For a bit of creative continuity, it also features keyboardist James Mastrianni, who recorded and produced Songs for Everyone.

Somewhere, with its strings and organic percussion that evoke a relaxed late-night backyard jam with lights in the trees and possibility in the air, is a clear musical statement. “I felt that people who listen to this full-length debut will know who we are,” Warden says. “Our music is relatable, thought-provoking, introspective and straight-up fun. I think people of all ages will be able to find songs that speak to them on this album. We felt that there was much to say about the world we are all living in and navigating right now, and it would’ve been easy to write 11 depressing songs about our current global situation, but I wanted to make sure there were as many positive messages as there were negative.”

The band plans to tour in 2022 (see tour schedule below). For additional tour dates, news, and more, visit: www.wardenandcompany.com or check out the band’s social media.

Warden and Co. Tour Schedule
May 26th – Glens Falls, NY | The Park Theater
June 22nd – North Creek, NY | Barvino
Aug. 24th – North Creek, NY | Barvino