California-based husband-and-wife duo Andrew Stern and Laura Arias of 3 Pairs of Boots share a vast musical history as well as a talent for pairing catchy melodies with heartfelt messages. Married within a year of their first encounter, both artists experimented in a variety of different genres before solidifying their distinctive, Americana-leaning blend of folk, rock, and country as 3 Pairs of Boots. The unique connection between Stern and Arias drives the band’s sound as well as their songwriting: Influenced by genre-bending acts Fleetwood Mac, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, The Byrds as well as country icons Johnny Cash and Shania Twain, their music is rooted in rock-and-roll, with catchy melodic hooks and engaging, narrative storylines. As the main songwriter, Stern crafts songs that showcase Arias’s distinctive vocal delivery, while lead singer Arias focuses on fine-tuning the arrangements for performance. “I’m the technician,” says Stern, “and she’s the magic.”

3 Pairs of Boots released their debut album Gone South in July 2019, with singles premiering on Americana UK, Guitar Girl Magazine, B-Sides & Badlands, and The Bluegrass Situation. At the same time, Arias and Stern were also developing their YouTube series Cook'N' & Country, combining recipe demonstrations with live country music performances. In January 2021, 3 Pairs of Boots dropped their sophomore album Long Rider, a collection of twangy, bluesy Americana anthems written, recorded, and tracked by Stern in the couple’s home studio. Named after “Lady Long Rider” Bernice Ende, who traversed over 30,000 miles alone on horseback, the album celebrates the kind of gritty persistence that leads to true freedom. From catchy, bittersweet opening track “Quittin’ Time” (released in January 2021 with accompanying video from Nashville photographer Anna Haas) to the lush vocal harmonies and foot-stomping rhythms of “Everywhere I Go,” Long Rider offers a range of complex and compelling pop country anthems supported by a cast of top-tier artists (Nashville drummer Christian Paschall, photographer Eric Wolfinger, and GRAMMY-nominated mix engineers Bart Schoudel and Rob Beaton). Arias and Stern spent much of 2021 honing their technical skills and rearranging their home studio to produce three outstanding Livestream shows for fans during quarantine. They also wrote, arranged, recorded, and produced the third 3 Pairs of Boots album, Mighty Love, set for release in September 2022.

Laced with fresh sounds (including keys, B3 organ, horns, strings, banjo, and a Rhodes piano) and driven by a classic blend of acoustic and electric guitar, the new album Mighty Love reveals an expanded palette, more developed songwriting, and elevated production from the musical duo. Primarily written and produced entirely by Stern, the album was recorded in the couple’s home studio, featuring contributions from a host of high-level artists, including friend and lyric poet Wren Winfield (who co-wrote three songs with Stern), former Ringo Starr drummer Randy Cooke, Nashville keys player Dave Cohen, who was the 2018 Music Row Musician of the Year as well as a local string quartet (featured in “The Waiting”). Title track “Mighty Love,” written by Arias, sets a warm, buoyant tone that infuses the rest of the album. Lyrically, the writing balances both positive and negative views of our current world, blending candid personal reflections, narrative accounts of real-life experiences, and moments of thanksgiving for the good in everything. Several tracks on Mighty Love explore historical figures and events which parallel issues still plaguing the world today.  The lyrics of “Labor Day” are based on the shipyard labor riots that occurred up and down the west coast in the 1930s, before dock workers unionized. “Just Call Him Love” tells the story of Nat Love, who was born a slave but later became a world-famous Black rodeo champion whose autobiography now resides in the Smithsonian. From the spirited accordion and banjo accents that fill upbeat single “Sweet Spot” to the layered vocals and billowing energy of “The Server,” which channels the pop-rock vitality of The Who, Mighty Love is an album of idiosyncratic and heartfelt expansion— where each song connects and empowers listeners to venture out into the world to demonstrate their own kind of Mighty Love.

“Moving people through the power of soul music, that’s what it’s all about,” says Josh Hoyer of his band’s sixth studio album, Green Light, released on October 21, 2022. “You’ll hear the sounds of pain, solitude and spiritual reckoning – a heartfelt reaction to the realities of today.”

Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal have lived up to their name for the past decade, spreading bold yet nuanced soul/R&B through constant touring and regular releases. Averaging 125 shows a year and already eight albums deep (including live releases), the ultra-authentic sextet is sharing the healing power of love and empathy through melody, lyricism, groove, and dance.

“Whether it gives people courage or solace, joy or a place to heal, that is what my creations are for,” asserts Hoyer. “To show them that they are not alone. To bring people together.”

A performer since childhood, Hoyer discovered his songwriter’s voice through high school jazz choir improvisation. He later honed his talent with years of jamming in the famed blues and roots scene of his native Lincoln, Nebraska, and its legendary Zoo Bar. Having further shaped his songcraft with spells in Oregon and New Orleans, he returned to Lincoln where he was mentored by the likes of Little Jimmy Valentine of The Heart Murmurs, renowned bluesman Magic Slim, and late guitarist/singer Sean Benjamin. “Hoyer sang with fire and a natural joy,” raved Rolling Stone after his powerhouse performance on Season 12 of NBC’s The Voice (Team Blake).

Hoyer formed Soul Colossal in 2012, completing the award-winning band with Stephen Cantarero (bass), James Cuato (sax), Blake DeForest (trumpet), Harrison ElDorado (drums), and Benjamin Kushner (guitar). Hoyer handles Hammond organ, electric piano, and lead vocals.
 
Night after night, Hoyer & Soul Colossal leave it all on stage, passionately delivering their fresh take on super-relatable soul music coast-to-coast and across Europe. Visceral, gutsy, and relentlessly real, they channel Stax, Motown, and Muscle Shoals, New Orleans, Philly, and San Francisco through Hoyer’s cultured compositions, lived-in vocals, and supple, horns-flecked arrangements. Smoky late-night vibes and sometimes playful arrangements cradle thought-provoking lyrics, virtuoso musicianship, and uplifting sentiments that linger long after the show.
 
Highlights have included headlining European festivals, playing major U.S. fests, and sharing bills with Booker T Jones, Irma Thomas, The Muscle Shoals Revue and George Clinton. In the studio, they’ve worked with Wilco’s Ken Coomer and New Mastersounds’ Eddie Roberts.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Hoyer off the road but also gave him time to take pause and patiently craft the album of his life in Green Light. The result is an instant genre classic that can be savored as a coherent yet emotionally dynamic collection or as ten standalone singles, each distinct in tone, identity, and message.
 
“This album was my therapy and way of making sense of all the turmoil,” Hoyer reflects. “Music that would serve both as a time capsule and a lasting message of reckoning and hope.”
 
Green Light is effectively a “best of” that era, culled from around 40 songs. Its title references both the “green light” given to the music world to return after lockdown and the “go” signal for Soul Colossal to motor into the mainstream after years of under-the-radar acclaim and adulation.
 
“This is our masterpiece so far … full of great playing and sincere truths,” offers Hoyer. “It stays true to our sound that we have cultivated over the years, but with it we added a steadfast focus to make something fantastic that we would be happy with one hundred percent.”
 
The entire Hoyer-produced album was tracked, mostly live, in less than 48 hours at Denver’s Mighty Fine Studios and mixed by James Fleege at Silver Street Studios in Ashland, Nebraska.

The love, sweat, and tears poured into Green Light are palpable in its elevated songwriting, eloquent lyrics, taut performances, and Hoyer’s tinglingly emotive vocals. It communicates on multiple levels, shaking booties while shaking off complacency. Both a celebration and a call to action, a sharing of and a shelter from universal angst, Green Light is a timeless record that far transcends its instant-gratification good vibes and irresistible, sinewy grooves.
 
Listen closely and you’ll hear New Orleans parade beats, vibrant Detroit and New York R&B, and the funky stylings of Rufus Thomas and his Stax Records cohorts. Repeat spins reveal echoes of Donny Hathaway’s spiritual ruminations, the worldly heartache of Charles Bradley, and the chordal complexities of Herbie Hancock and early ‘70s Santana.
 
Buoyant first single and album opener “Evolution” reflects Hoyer’s realization that the pandemic presented a golden moment of understanding how connected our world has become and the importance of focusing our reverberating actions on evolution rather than further division.
 
Follow-up “Mirrors” slinkily expands on that theme, inviting frank self-reflection and eye-opening education while questioning how, and from whom, we form opinions. The subtly funky “Harmony” explores our place as stewards of the planet while, on a lighter note, nimble album closer “Shou Shou Do” employs the “silly language” Hoyer speaks with his daughters.
 
“We want to connect with everyone in the room and serve the greater purpose of moving and healing people through music,” Hoyer concludes.
 
Expect Green Light to propel Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal toward further headlining slots, high-profile tours, and into speakers and ears wherever an honest, singular, and richly soulful voice – musically and emotionally – is cried out for.

Christmas with The Smithereens is more than a Christmas- time cover album. This quartet does an impressive job of channeling the spirt of 1960s rock, and solidly interpreting each memorable tune. The band’s originals add a nice twist to the disc and are written with such ‘60s-savviness that without prior knowledge it would almost be difficult to decide which songs were covers and which were originals. Lead singer Pat DiNizio wraps his husky voice around a smartly selected collection of classic seasonal rockers such as “Run Rudolph Run” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” along with more obscure fare. It’s the latter that makes this such a delight, as the band tears into rugged re- workings of the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight),” the Who’s crunchy “Christmas”(from Tommy) and even a rare Beatles track grabbed fromthe Liverpool band’s ’60s fan club only discs.

Sunset Blvd. Records is re-issuing Christmas With The Smithereens on November 18, 2022.  The green vinyl will be a limited edition of 1000 and it marks the first time the collection will be available in the LP format in a decade.

In the words of drummer Dennis Diken “…Beginning at a tender age, records became my favorite and the most meaningful gifts I received at Christmas.   Kiddie” 45s and 78s and the scant Christmas records that my parents bought served as my introductions to the wonderful world of recorded sound when I was 2 or 3 years old. I’d sit hypnotized in front of the small “Pal” phonograph.

My earliest recollection of owning any kind of LP was Sing A Song Of Christmas With Woody The Chipmunk And All The Gang, a cheap, rather weird knockoff of Alvin & company, with garish sleeve art, bedecked with tin-foil snow flakes. Around this time, my mom turned me on to a 10” long-player of a capella Carpathian Christmas carols, sung by a soulful, wailing choir that chilled me to the bone. I still listen to it.  Although I swore allegiance to all things non- square (as much as my pre-school barometer could detect) I gave special dispensation to Christmas records.”
 
Track listing:
Side 1
Waking Up On Christmas Morning
Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Christmas Time All Over The World
Christmas
 
Side 2
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
Run Rudolph Run
Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Auld Lang Syne
Christmas Time Is Here Again

On debut full-length Results Not Typical, seasoned Seattle singer-songwriter Ian Jones defines Northwest Americana with melodic, timeless songcraft coupled to universally relatable storytelling and evocative regional imagery.
 
Released on April 7, the album’s 11 tracks wander a contemplative, poignant sonic landscape between mid-period Tom Petty, the best of ‘70s outlaw country, and James Taylor’s accessible folk-pop.
 
“I grew up in the shadow of Mount Rainier. My dad left when I was five, leaving a single mom with three kids, bread-and-cheese-line poor,” Jones recalled. “My babysitter was a record player.”
 
Raised on a steady vinyl diet of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and David Allan Coe, by the time he was in junior high Jones was writing his own songs on a beat-up classical guitar. After years in promising bands in Seattle, Santa Barbara, and L.A., he released his cathartic debut solo EP, Evergreens, in 2021. “Ian Jones is creating a sound all his own,” raved Ear to the Ground in its review of the 6-song release, which Exclusive Magazine dubbed “A seamless collection.”
 
Evergreens was also the sound of Jones getting serious as a solo artist. The lifelong compulsive songwriter, who often finds music coming to him unconsciously – sometimes literally in his dreams – felt he was yet to truly capture what he’d written on tape.
 
“I didn’t want to be laying on my deathbed saying, ‘what if I’d made a record with a great producer and the best musicians in the world’,” he mulled. “Now I can check that off my list.”
 
Reconnecting with producer Jesse Siebenberg (of Lucas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Supertramp, etc.), a friend from his SoCal days, Jones assembled an astonishing array of first-call players for two days of live tracking at Siebenberg’s Brotheryn Studios in bucolic Ojai, California.
 
“None of the guys had heard the songs prior. There was no click track, and we never did more than three takes,” Jones recalled. “And what you hear vocally on the record is what I was singing, beginning to end – no vocal comps, no overdubs, no anything.”
 
This throwback approach to recording inspired the title Results Not Typical and was made possible by the sheer pedigree of the players involved: drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, REM, Paul McCartney, Norah Jones); bassist Jonathan Flaugher (Ryan Adams); bassist Gabe Noel (Afghan Whigs, Father John Misty); guitarist Jason Soda (Miranda Lee Richards); violinist Paul Cartwright (Father John Misty); pianist Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple, Chris Isaak, T-Bone Burnett); and pianist Aaron Embry (Elliott Smith, Jane’s Addiction).
 
Comprising songs carefully culled from Jones’ vast unrecorded catalogue, Results Not Typical is a thematically coherent yet non-repetitive collection of poetic personal narratives flecked with a minor-chord melancholy seeping in from Seattle’s famously wet winters. While so much Americana music is embroidered with Southern or Southern California imagery – desert roads, big hats, blazing sun – Jones’ Northwestern strain is washed with his upbringing amidst mountains and woods, lakes and rain, and long cold nights indoors.
 
Delightfully airy and typically resonant album opener “Rollin” relates Jones traveling down to California, with Mount Shasta looming over the emotions of not only relocating, but also searching. “Athens Smiles” exemplifies the understated power of uncluttered songcraft which, like much of Results Not Typical, is both inspired by decades of travel as a journeyman musician and offers epic driving music for listeners.
 
Upbeat, earworm single “Lost Highway” resonates all the more for being deliberately ambiguous; a jaunty, horns-enhanced story that could be about a literal road, a girl, or discussing drugs. It’s in fact not inspired by any of these – but you’ll have to be at a show to hear the real story between songs from Jones himself!
 
The slow burning “Again” is the album’s sole non-autobiographical song but narrative nonetheless, tracing a tale of fictitious fugitives on the run across harsh terrain and perilous borders. The piano-based “She Is Lost” is a late-night lament that showcases Jones’ finely nuanced vocal timbre, while gorgeous album closer “Goodbyes Are the Hardest Words” recounts his leaving Seattle years ago, complete with a David Gilmour-inspired fever dream of a guitar solo.
 
“It’s a record that you can put on when you get home from a night on the town,” said Jones. “Something to unwind to with a nightcap, although there are also upbeat songs.”
 
Jones will accompany the release of Results Not Typical with extensive touring, both solo and with his rotating Living Room All-Stars Band. Each single will be followed by a live solo acoustic rendering of the same song, plus extensive video and social media content including behind-the-scenes and on-the-road b-roll.
 
“I believe I was put on this planet to write songs and perform. It’s a blessing and a curse,” Jones concluded. “But if I wasn’t a songwriter, I’d be divorced and probably drunk or dead. And if I write songs that bring people to tears, then I’ve done my job.”

As a break from writing and recording her album Avondale Drive (2022) in the doldrums of 2020, Nicki Bluhm and producer Jesse Noah Wilson took advantage of their time off and took a stab at recording songs in the early musical catalog of Cher.

According to Bluhm, “Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from baring your soul and sing someone else’s songs. Selecting those songs, the right ones, can sometimes be as hard as writing one.  Interpreting someone else’s words is another nuanced layer to making a cover song resonate as your own.”

Predating 1973, Bluhm and Wilson selected some of their favorites; songs penned by Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood and of course Sonny Bono. They enlisted old friends and new to play and help sing the duets like fellow Grambler Steve Adams, Sam Blasucci of Los Angeles’s Mapache and Nashville neighbor Butch Walker.

Continues Bluhm, “I’ve always been one of many admirers of Cher; her sense of fashion and boldness, the many roles she played and won me over with, her deep and sultry voice and most importantly her endless  joie de vivre.  We had so much fun with these songs, looking back into a history that seemed more romantic and carefree.  It was a refreshing way to honor a living legend and some of those who helped her shine along the way.”

As an homage, the 8 digitally released singles will make up The Beat Goes On, Nicki Bluhm Sings Cher.  The first single was released June 9, 2023 with a new release every month finalizing in December.  Nicki and her band aspire to play a live set in their home of Nashville in the Fall of 2023.

The track release schedule for the Cher songs is as follows:
 
The Beat Goes On (Featuring Steve Adams of ALO)
Release 6/9/2023
Original Release 1/14/1967 by Sonny & Cher “In Case You’re In Love”
Written by Sonny Bono
 
Cry Like A Baby
Release 7/14/2023
Original Release 6/20/1969 by Cher  “3614 Jackson Highway”
Written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham
 
Baby Don’t Go (Featuring Sam Blasucci of Mapache)
Release 8/11/23
Original Release 9/1964 by Sonny & Cher as a single
Written by Sonny Bono
 
Needles and Pins
Release 9/8/2023
Original Release 1/1/1965 by Cher “All I Really Want To Do”
Written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono
 
I Got You Babe (Featuring Butch Walker)
Release 10/13/23
Original Release 7/9/1965 by Sonny & Cher “Look At Us”
Written by Sonny Bono
 
Never Rains In California (Featuring Jesse Noah Wilson)
Release 11/10/2023
Original Release 2/3/1973 by Sonny & Cher “Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer, Papa Used to Write All Her Songs”
Written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood
 
Bang Bang (Featuring Caitlin James)
Release 12/15/2023
Original Release 3/28/1966 by Cher “The Sonny Side of Cher”
Written by Sonny Bono
 
Gypsies Tramps and Thieves: Instrumental
Release 12/15/23
Original Release 9/1/1971 by Cher “Gypsies Tramps & Thieves”
Written by Bob Stone

When a group reaches their fifth decade like Firefall has, they develop deep roots with their fellow musicians, whether it’s from sharing touring bills or the shuffling of band members. On Friends & Family (arriving September 22 on Sunset Blvd Records), Firefall celebrates these relationships by performing songs from bands whose histories are intertwined with Firefall’s. These 13 tracks, representing multiple Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, country rock pioneers, Southern rock superstars, and Top 40 hit-makers, create an album that stands - in the words of Firefall’s remaining founding member, guitarist Jock Bartley - “as a tribute to the great music of the 70s.”
 
Firefall certainly contributed their share to the 70s’ great music. They lit up both AM and FM airwaves with a string of hits, starting with their 1976 smash “You Are the Woman” and touring with such acts as Fleetwood Mac, The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Doobie Brothers. While the band’s melodic, country-flavored rock is present throughout Friends & Family, Firefall also show their deep respect for these songs that they, and millions of others, love. Their intention wasn’t about perfectly recreating the originals, explains Bartley, who also produced the album. “We wanted to duplicate the energy in the songs and make them familiar but make the music a little bit different and put a new slant on the songs.”
 
This approach is fully evident on the opening track, the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Running.” The band flips the primary and secondary guitar parts, as well as adding in Jim Waddell’s saxophone, resulting in a rendition that sounds similar but isn’t a replication. For Poco’s “In The Heart Of The Night,” Bartley decided to not include a pedal steel (played on the original by Rusty Young, a longtime Firefall friend who died in 2021), but instead played a slide guitar to achieve the same vibe. Similarly, the version Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” stays true to the tune’s thunderous guitar sound, the addition of a nimble accordion solo (provided by album guest John Magnie of the Subdudes) delivers a nice sonic touch.
 
Friends & Family features two songs that feel tailormade for this project: Loggins & Messina’s “Angry Eyes” and Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.”  Like Firefall, Loggins & Messina’s music was rooted in acoustic guitars, harmonies and offering a touch of sax. On their rendition, Firefall cut several minutes off the 70s-jammy original, while also injecting a rockier edge. Marshall Tucker and Firefall were among the few American rock bands to use a flute. In fact, long-time woodwind/keyboard player David Muse, who joined Firefall before their first album, also performed with Marshall Tucker beginning in the late 90s. Sadly Muse, who passed away from cancer in 2022, was too ill to play on this track. Firefall dedicated Friends & Family to him.
 
The album’s “Family” side also includes the sparkling take of “I Feel A Whole Lot Better” (featuring exquisite 12-string guitar by guest John Jorgensen), which connects to Firefall’s first drummer (and Byrds’ first drummer) Michael Clarke as well as to Chris Hillman, who produced Firefall’s first demos. “Colorado,” popularized by Linda Ronstadt and the Flying Burrito Brothers, was written by Rick Roberts, a Burrito Brother before co-founding Firefall. Bartley played lead guitar on Gram Parsons’ first solo tour but was gone by the time Parsons did “Ooh Las Vegas,” so this is the first time Bartley has recorded the tune. Before being Fireball’s first bassist, Mark Andes (who recently retired from the band) was in the eclectic psychedelic rock group, Spirit, represented here by their classic “I Got A Line On You.” Andes later was in Heart and played on their hit “What About Love.” The Friends & Family version of that song offers new guitar work from Heart’s original guitarist Howard Leese along with spotlighting the powerful vocals of Firefall’s newest member, singer/bassist John Bisaha.
 
As a band, Firefall holds an unusually strong sense of family. Beyond Bartley and Bisaha, the other band members all have long associations with the group. Sandy Ficca has served as drummer since 1984. Multi-instrumentalist Jim Waddell is on his fifth stint with the band, joining again in 2022 following Muse’s death. Singer/guitarist Steve Weinmeister is on his second go-round with the band. Friends & Family provides a marvelous showcase for how well Weinmeister’s voice meshes with Bisaha’s and Bartley’s, a reminder of how vocal harmonies have always been a signature part of Firefall’s sound.
 
Firefall began in 1974 when both Bartley and Roberts were living in Boulder, Colorado. They started to play together, with Andes soon joining them. Initially, the three planned to record Roberts’ third solo album, but it felt more like a band when they played together. Roberts soon enlisted singer/songwriter Larry Burnett, and Clarke came aboard on drums, and Firefall was born. Bartley still marvels at how Burnett and Roberts not only brought a dozen songs apiece to the band, but also how wonderfully their songwriting and singing balanced with one another. Combined with Andes’ jazz-influenced bass playing, Clarke’s “King of Four-Four Time” drumming, Bartley’s lead guitar work and David Muse’s contributions on woodwinds & keyboards, Firefall created a “magical synergy” together. “We didn't have to sound like anything,” Bartley explains. “We just sounded like us.”
 
The band found huge success with their 1976 self-titled debut which contained their biggest hit “You Are the Woman” which landed in the Top 10 and two other singles “Livin' Ain't Livin'" and "Cinderella” which broke into the top 45. Their next two albums, Luna Sea,and Élan, each delivered singles (“Just Remember I Love You” and “Strange Way” respectively) that reached #11 on the Billboard Top 100. Bartley credits these albums as laying the foundation of songs that have entertained audiences over the decades. “I just know how fortunate I am still to be doing this,” he confides. “We can play a 45-minutes set out on the road of nothing but AM smash hits or FM hits.”
 
Firefall is greatly excited with how Friends & Family has turned out and looking forward to integrating these songs into their live sets. “I think this might be some of the best stuff I've ever been involved with,” Bartley shares. “The songs, the lyrics, and our performance of them really shine through.” The band is so thrilled that they already are planning to do a second volume.
 
Track Listing

    Long Train Running (The Doobie Brothers)
    Part of the Plan (Dan Fogelberg)
    What About Love (Heart)
    Can't You See (Marshall Tucker Band)
    In The Heart Of The Night (Poco)
    Angry Eyes (Loggins and Messina)
    Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
    I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Byrds)
    World Turning (Fleetwood Mac)
    I Got A Line On You (Spirit)
    Chest Fever (The Band)
    Colorado (Flying Burrito Brothers)
    Ooh Las Vegas (Gram Parsons)

John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton have been pals for decades, but it was COVID and Zoom that turned them into a songwriting team. Every Monday at 2PM they’d tell jokes, reminisce about old friends, and, of course, talk lots of sports. Eventually one would say, “Well, guess we better write a song, huh?” And off they’d go, two old warhorses pulling the plow. Now, a hundred songs later, they’ve gathered fourteen for their first joint recording, the aptly titled Together.
 
What happens when two of folk music’s most beloved and prolific songwriters join forces?  Songs about history, the news, baseball, cowboys, America, love, the remembered, the forgotten.  Gathering John’s familiar crew of supporting musicians (fiddle wizard Stuart Duncan, keyboardist Jon Carroll, bass player JT Brown, as well as special guest, Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy), the arrangements are compelling, the production pristine, and the performances stunning.  From the stirring “Ukrainian Now” to the hilarious “Same Old Crap,” the immigrant story of “In America” to the heart stopping finale, “Together,” each song shines as would be expected of this partnership.
 
Grammy Lifetime Achievement honoree Tom Paxton has been a force in the folk music world since the 1960’s, penning songs made famous by Peter, Paul, & Mary, the Kingston Trio, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, and more.  His song “Last Thing on My Mind,” is “one of the best damn songs ever written,” declares McCutcheon.
 
John McCutcheon is a part of the generation of folksingers that grew up singing Tom Paxton songs.  His own impressive catalog of songs spans forty-four albums, six Grammy nominations, numerous awards and accolades and the citing of his song “Christmas in the Trenches” as “one of the 100 essential folk songs,” by Folk Alley.
 
Together, they have seeded the folk music landscape with hundreds of songs, sung by thousands for decades.  With the album Together, they add another bunch of great new ones to the repertoire of our time.  And, given the bounty of those Monday afternoons, this is only the beginning.

Tracklist:

Ukrainian Now
This Campfire
Do the Work
Invisible Man
Same Old Crap
In America
Letters from Joe
The Fan
Complete
Everything
Life Before You
Christmas in the Desert
Prairie Star
Together

The duo will perform select concerts together in the following markets and information on these as well as solo shows can be found on their websites.
 
10/26/23 - Sellersville Theater - Sellersville, PA
10/27/23 - The 8th Step -- Schenectady, NY
10/28/23 - Elkton Music Hall -- Elkton, MD
10/29/23 - The Birchmere -- Alexandria, VA

One listen to Adrian Sutherland’s music and you’ll know he’s unlike anyone else. Born and raised in Canada’s Far North, the roots-rocker-with-heart from Attawapiskat First Nation on James Bay has the voice of a songbird, a wealth of talent, an ocean of muses, and a well-worn Gibson Hummingbird.
 
Sutherland’s melding of rock, roots, folk and blues is unlike anything else. Drawing inspiration from his life, the land, and his Cree culture, Adrian’s songs ripple far beyond stages and airwaves. His soul-stirring sound is influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams, Coldplay, and Kashtin – the folk-rock duo from Quebec who sang in their native language, Innu-aimun. Kashtin were popular in the remote region Sutherland grew up, inspiring him to want to write songs in his first language, too, one day.
 
More than 30 years later that day has come with Notawe (Father) – the lead single from Adrian’s second album “Precious Diamonds.” It’s one of two all-Cree songs on the album, marking the first time Adrian has written and recorded in his mother tongue. Notawe pays homage to Indigenous language, and is resonating with fans everywhere it’s heard.
 
In June 2023, Adrian worked for the second time with expat-Canadian producer and legendary guitarist Colin Linden to record his sophomore solo album in Nashville. The ten tracks on “Precious Diamonds” were brought to life by a stellar list of musicians, with Jim Hoke on saxophones, Jeff Taylor on accordion and dulceola, Gary Craig on drums and percussion, Jerry Roe on drums, John Dymond on bass, and Janice Powers on B3 organ.
 
Colin contributed on acoustic, electric, resonator, 12-string, Dobro, and bass guitars, as well as vocals and harmonies. The album was mastered in Edgewater, New Jersey by multi-Grammy-awarded Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone, and will be released March 15, 2024.
 
The first time Adrian and Colin worked together was during the pandemic, in two different countries. One of the only professional recording artists in Canada who lives on a northern fly-in First Nation, Adrian’s career typically comes with extra challenges. But the biggest challenge was in 2020, when he found himself fully cut off from the rest of the world without any music infrastructure in his isolated location.

PRECIOUS
https://youtu.be/AOtQnNTxb8M?si=qLlAxLJDNh-bxYV8

DIAMONDS
https://youtu.be/nRO2E8T4kVM?si=TcQ1xfsSePjIwrtX

To stay involved, Adrian constructed a recording studio inside a shipping container in his backyard. He was then able to work remotely with Colin to record his debut solo album in 2021. “When The Magic Hits” earned Adrian his first JUNO nod after ten years in music – with nomination at the 2022 JUNO Awards (Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year). He was also nominated at the 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards (Indigenous Songwriter of the Year), and the 2023 Summer Solstice Music Awards (Social Voice, Roots Album of the Year, Artistic Video). Title track Magic Hitsreceived airplay on radio stations worldwide, and won Best Music Video from San Francisco’s 47th American Indian Film Festival.
 
Adrian released three albums as the frontman and founder of all-Cree rockers Midnight Shine, before starting solo projects. His debut single, Politician Man, is a protest song in response to the contaminated water crisis that gripped his First Nation in 2019. The impassioned anthem reached #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown (IMC), and won Best Performing Arts & Entertainment from Yorkton, Canada’s oldest film festival. Politician Man continues to screen in official selection and win awards from film festivals worldwide. Watch for an exciting new ‘international’ version of the track to arrive in 2024.
 
In addition to being a musician, author, entrepreneur, and advocate, Adrian is a dedicated family man, a respected cultural and community leader, and a traditional knowledge keeper who is fluent in Omushkegowuk Cree. He is passionate about empowering young minds through arts, education, and land-based learning. As a Master Corporal with the Canadian Ranger Patrol, he has led teenagers on enriching wilderness and cultural trips. He was instrumental in bringing ArtsCan Circle to his community, and helped launch music programs supported by MusiCounts.
 
Adrian is writing a book for Penguin Random House Canada about being born and raised in Attawapiskat. He cares deeply about many causes, with first-hand perspective on issues like contaminated water, food insecurity, housing shortages, addictions, and the need for mental health resources in the North – particularly for youth.
 
At this time of growing awareness around reconciliation, Adrian is hopeful for Canadians to better understand one another, and to walk together in love and respect.

Dallas-based singer/songwriter Stephanie Sammons  was recently named a Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Finalist and she will be appearing at the illustrious festival n Texas on May 26. Glide Magazine has dubbed her “a songwriter to watch.”  Her forthcoming full length album Time and Evolution (produced by Mary Bragg) will be available physically and digitally on Friday, May 3.

Folk-leaning Texas Americana artist Stephanie Sammons writes songs because she must: Driven by a deep sense of calling and a genuine curiosity about the world around her, her songwriting blends natural imagery with rich, narrative reflection and stirring melodic lines. Think Emmylou Harris meets Bonnie Raitt—both effortless and profound at the same time—with a pinch of Jason Isbell’s narrative swagger. Influenced by a mix of idiosyncratic folk and country icons (Willie and Waylon, Tanya Tucker, Joni Mitchell) and contemporary folk and folk rock acts like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Indigo Girls, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and David Gray, Sammons has developed a uniquely catchy style of down-to-earth Americana that’s both moody and fiercely intelligent. “I’ve been writing and recording music over the years while balancing a career as a financial planner,” she says. “But I made a serious commitment to this art in recent years because I knew I had to create it.”  Now poised to release her first full-length album, Time and Evolution, Sammons has played Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Cafe and shared stages with some of her favorite artists and mentors, including Mary Gauthier, Jonatha Brooke, and Mary Bragg. “For me, songwriting is about sharing my truth and seeking connection. I want to make people feel something,” she says.
 
Sammons released her debut self-titled EP in 2010, recorded with producer and drummer Jeff Howe (former Max Stalling drummer) and engineer Paul Williams (co-founder of State Fair Records of Texas). The tracks explored themes of repression, relationships, and ultimately leaving the corporate world (see “Set Myself Free”), laced with folky melodies and sage observation in the vein of Shawn Colvin and early Sheryl Crow.  Sammons’ 2017 sophomore EP, Who I Am, was co-produced with Jon Niess and recorded at Austin Signal Studios with sound engineer Charlie Kramsky (Willie Nelson, Bobby McFarrin), showcasing a signature mix of gritty wisdom, smooth vocals, and agile storytelling. Sammons has been frequenting Nashville for the last seven years to attend Performing Songwriter Creative Workshops, where she has studied with local favorite Mary Gauthier as well as Emily Saliers, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Jonatha Brooke, Suzy Bogguss, Verlon Thompson, and Gretchen Peters. “My songwriting has evolved working with such brilliant mentors, most of whom are GRAMMY-nominated or winning artists. I’ve learned how to hone my craft, explore deeper themes, and own my voice,” she says. “Getting to a good song is like carving a sculpture in stone: You keep working at it because you see what it could be, and you want to get your hands on what’s at the core.”

Sammons’ forthcoming full-length debut, Time and Evolution, offers an elegant recounting of personal growth through melody and narrative. “Everything takes time, and everything changes. We either resist or embrace change. I’ve also experienced a lot of shame in my life, and that’s a recurring theme in this record.,” says Sammons. Produced by Mary Bragg at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studio B and set for release in May 2024, the ten-song collection begins with a journey and ends with a reckoning—part coming of age, part teardown of harmful church doctrine, part beautiful homage to the ongoing rediscovery of faith, the songs explore shame, vulnerability, and the complexity of being queer in a conservative, Southern religious culture.Moments of melancholy are balanced by acquiescence, embracing reality in deft, searingly poetic language woven with rich emotional insight. (See lines like “Blood isn’t always thicker than love” from forthcoming single “Billboard Sign” as well as potent images of surrender and redemption in “Faithless.”). Producer Mary Bragg and noted songwriter/Guy Clark collaborator Verlon Thompson are featured on Time and Evolution.  In Sammons’ words,  “Authenticity matters. I don’t want to shrink because I’m worried about what someone thinks. It’s the constant challenge of being an empath and a songwriter.”