album release

SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER CELEBRATES FIFTH ALBUM WATERSHED WITH RECORD RELEASE SHOW AT HOTEL CAFE ON OCTOBER 6TH

PERFORMING WITH ALL-STAR BAND AND JOINED BY OPENING ARTISTS ALICE HOWE & FREEBO

"Lovely songwriting" - The Boston Globe

“...superb stage presence and is so confident and strong on stage, the audience just eats it up” - Music Connection

“We’ve all been in situations where the plans we made were never brought to fruition — and Arielle asks us to think of those memories on her thoughtfully delivered song of breakups and ghost ships passing in the night.” - Americana Highways on “Ghost Ships”

“Ghost Ships‘ is an airy folk song from Arielle Silver’s new album ‘Watershed‘, it floats – naturally enough – on the waters of recollection and consolation as Arielle Silver reflects on things that happened and the dreams that never came to be me” - Americana UK on “Ghost Ships”

“An urgent and commanding vocal” - American Songwriter

Watershed Record Release Party - BUY TICKETS

LOS ANGELES, CA - On October 6th LA based folk-pop artist Arielle Silver will be releasing her forthcoming fifth album Watershed, and will be performing the album with her full band at the Hotel Cafe’s Main Stage in Hollywood, CA the same night. A ten-song offering that traverses the valleys of American roots music, Watershed showcases Silver’s stunning approach to songwriting and storytelling, and the rich imagery, empathy, and insight she imbues in her creative work. Conceived in the quiet of the pandemic quarantine, Watershed takes its title as much from that watershed moment in time as it does from the North American spaces where the story-songs take place. Renewing and reflective, water runs through many of the songs as crosscurrents that connect ideas to experiences, and people to places. 

Silver’s band is rounded out by a group of accomplished musicians and performers, including the album’s producer Shane Alexander, Darby Orr (Gary Myrick, David Newman), Carl Byron (Michelle Shocked, Rita Coolidge, Hot Club of Los Angeles), Kevin Stevens (Michael Stipe, Natasha Bedingfield, Shakira), and guest cellist Rob Hodges.  With special guests Alice Howe & Freebo, the Watershed release party will kick off on the Main Stage at 6:30pm.

“I approach my live shows the way that I approach writing on the page,” says Silver when asked about how she prepares for her performances. “When I'm performing, I think about the spaces between the songs as similar to the whitespace on the page, and think about what the purpose of that space is. I try to create an arc for the show not only energetically, but also from a narrative standpoint. How do these songs fit together? How does the story relate to the performance as a whole?” 

This consideration also carries Silver through the songwriting process to gorgeous results: fully realized songs that waste no space in delivering moving messages to listeners, while recalling past experiences and relationships, or settings that shape these narrative-based stories and emotional musings. In all, Silver crafts moving pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human condition. 

Early Watershed singles “Bramble Vine,” “Ghost Ships,” and “Rickie Lee” have earned praise and support from numerous outlets and publications including Americana Highways, Twangville, Americana UK and more, with “Ghost Ships” finding approval from one of the song’s inspirations, writer Cheryl Strayed. A literary mind who cites inspiration in writers like Strayed, Jane Austen, Jeanette Winterson, and Mary Oliver (to name a few), Silver's lyrics read like moving self-contained stories, and are further elevated by her striking instrumental and vocal performances. When writing, Silver asks herself “what is the mission for this song in the world? If I’m going to spend time creating a song, and people are going to listen, why is it worth their while? Where’s the real treasure in this song?” 

Creative writing adjunct faculty at Antioch University and the founder of Bhavana Flow Yoga studio, Silver’s writing and songwriting pulls inspiration from her childhood and surroundings, from engaging character-based narratives, and a deep sense of spirituality. Growing up with the music of Paul Simon, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and John Denver has led Silver through troubadour traditions across the valleys of the great American music genres.e. She finds equal inspiration in the sounds and storied histories of Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village.

Silver serves as the President of FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a key team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that supports songwriters and music creators through resources, programs, and grants for career development, mental health, and financial wellness.

Born on Florida’s Gulf Coast and raised along the Atlantic seaboard, Arielle now lives just a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in her adopted home of Los Angeles. Memories of places and times serve as touchstones through her songs, as does the troubadour music traditions that she heard from her guitar-strumming architect father. Throughout her music and storytelling runs an ethic of care, along with an essential wellspring of interpersonal relationships and ecological notice.

In addition to her record release show in Los Angeles, Silver will be hitting the road this fall for her East Coast tour

Photo by Anabel DFlux

KEEP UP WITH ARIELLE SILVER

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS RELEASE THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT

RIAA CERTIFIED RECORDING ARTISTS TRAVERSE AMERICANA ROOTS MUSIC, COUNTRY, FOLK AND MORE ON EXPANSIVE EPONYMOUS ALBUM

“In this latest project, the band veers back towards Americana roots, bolstered by woody acoustic guitar and toe-tapping percussion, and topped with heartfelt, raw vocals from Bonnie on tracks like “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Texas Again.” - Daily Camera

“...a testament to the duo’s musical finesse. It reaffirms their standing as a formidable presence in Colorado’s musical landscape, leaving an indelible mark.” - Last Day Leaf

Bonnie’s vocals shimmer at the forefront, adding a stunning layer of depth and emotion…” - Folk n’ Rock

“The vocals that follow exude a warm and comforting familiarity, pulling at the heartstrings with their emotive delivery. The production is rich with energy, and as the chorus vocals come alive, adorned with lovely harmonies, the song reaches new heights.” - Wax Vinyl Records

“...relatable storytelling is beautifully delivered through Bonnie's smooth, expressive vocals which are accompanied by intricate guitar riffs and steady drum patterns, creating an overall warm atmosphere perfect for a laid-back day home alone.”  - Caesar Live and Loud

LISTEN TO BONNIE AND TAYLOR SIMS : LISTEN

Colorado-based Texas natives Bonnie & Taylor Sims have released their self-titled debut Bonnie & Taylor Sims today. The album displays the husband-wife duo’s carefully crafted songwriting and storytelling, and is an exploration  of the dichotomy of beauty and pain, hope and destruction, and transition and duality. Leading into the album the duo showcased their sonic range with the release of three stunning singles. "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," is a portrait of their edgy-punk-rock-reality that has been bubbling right beneath the surface. It was followed by “Texas Again,"  a beautiful song about nostalgia initially written as a "Grapes of Wrath" type of story about the Sims family, and “The Cigarette Song” that sees Bonnie at her most vulnerable taking an entry out of her diary and putting it out there for the world. 

The album is rounded out by seven additional tracks including the Americana power anthem “I Am a Woman,” which finds Bonnie delivering a captivating vocal performance with grace and power as a response to the events over the past few years that have seen our culture step backward in regards to equal rights and body autonomy. “Side by Side” is a Texas shuffle about the deep love and connection the two have for each other. “Levelland” is a tribute to the town where Bonnie & Taylor first met and the album concludes with the haunting and beautiful lullaby “Lay Yourself to Sleep.”

“We realized that we wanted to make an album that wasn't a “country record,” wasn't a “rock record,” but a collection of all the things that we had been working towards, and all the types of songs that we were writing,” says the duo when asked about their approach to writing and recording the album. “When the pandemic came around, and through 2021, we had extra time on our hands. We were able to take a breath and start writing the songs we really wanted to write. We didn't have to necessarily cater to a particular sound of the band that we already had.” 

“With the kind of fans that we already had, we had assumed what we thought they wanted, which is always incorrect. The fans want you to be authentic, and it doesn't matter what kind of music you’re making.” The result soars to stunning effect; Bonnie & Taylor Sims reflects the duo songwriters’ authentic, relaxed (but considered) approach to crafting music, one that doesn’t sweat the results but reveals and celebrates the songwriting path and process. 

Bonnie & Taylor are serial creators, always striving to learn and innovate. When not working on their own projects the two are collaborating, playing and supporting other artists in the singer-songwriting, teaching music and songwriting to children and constantly growing and evolving on their own through songwriting workshops and camps. Both grew up in Texas, Bonnie in a musical family who fell in love with Bluegrass at an early age and Taylor in a house filled with the music of Texas songwriters like Robert Earl Keen, Guy Clark, and  Townes Van Zandt. Bonnie is pragmatic in her approach to songwriting and enjoys structure and marking off tasks, while Taylor is moved more by "the muse" who lets his creativity wander. The two met at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas in the music program and have been partners in life and music ever since.

Although this  album is their debut album as Bonnie and Taylor Sims, the two are RIAA Certified Gold recording artists. They have seen breakaway global success with their song “I See Red” which has over 270 Million streams with their project Everybody Loves an Outlaw, had a major label deal with Columbia, have toured the world, and graced the stages of major festivals. Amidst this wave of newfound success Bonnie and Taylor never lost touch with the thing that was most important to them: writing songs and making music with each other. With the shift the world took during the pandemic came the need for the duo to go down a different path and change directions artistically.  

They complement each other in the best way possible, and this idea of opposites fits perfectly into where this record sits. 

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS TOUR DATES

11/4 the Barn, Longmont

11/15 the Armory, Fort Collins

11/16 Animas City Theatre, Durango

11/17 Sherbino Theater, Ridgway

11/18 LuLu's Downstairs, Colorado Springs

11/19 eTown, Boulder, CO

KEEP UP WITH BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music 

MATT LOVELL RELEASES DEBUT LP "NOBODY CRIES TODAY"

OUT NOW: 

MATT LOVELL’S DEBUT LP NOBODY CRIES TODAY

Photo: Jason Lee Denton

Photo: Jason Lee Denton

"Lovell lends his smooth tenor to well-crafted and soulful songs about love, loss and finding his way in a complicated world. It’s a promising if not especially groundbreaking debut for a singer willing to range around with confidence even when he’s wrestling with complicated subjects. The songs…hold together in a soothing package that conveys a healthy disregard for musical boundaries" - The Associated Press

“Need some escapism? Matt Lovell has you covered” - PopDust

"Lovell knows how to tap into a part of himself that can bring the emotions…to the surface and doing so is all the more honorable, knowing the story he’s trying to tell, isn’t a made up screenplay; it’s one man being willing to revisit challenging parts of his life and do so with performative solemnity and grace." - American Songwriter

“Inspired by Lovell's own experience with pain and trauma…intended to serve as a light, reminding others it's possible to make it to the other side of their grief or misfortune” - Variance Magazine

“Singer-songwriter Matt Lovell grew up learning to sing three-part harmonies in a household steeped in soul and Southern gospel, influences which have wound their way into the music he makes today. Those roots anchor the tracks on his forthcoming LP, Nobody Cries Today” - Glide Magazine 

“The album offers great variety and showcases Lovell’s natural songwriting and lyrical talent... the album ebbs and flows, offering the listener something new at every turn…this album has something for everyone. We are excited to share it with the world”  - Groundsounds

"And while Lovell likes to ‘tell stories by first explaining how they end,’ this project feels like it’s just the beginning of something bigger" - Euphoria. Magazine

"The time is now right for Lovell to share his songs with the world, and you’ll be glad for that...Lovell writes and sings songs that easily put him on the same plane with Ray LaMontagne…and make no mistake. You can’t help but feel something when you hear the lyrics in these songs" - Americana Highways 

“A bit celebratory, and a bit haunting” - The Indy Review

“Ultra-soulful, expressive vocals…pure and honest emotion" - Sound Thread

“Matt Lovell boasts a vocal that is somewhere between Bernhoft, Adam Levine, and Ray LaMontagne. The combination is a winning one as it is a voice that seeks out your soul and connects with it immediately." - Chimeo 

“A beautiful country-soul album” - Adobe & Teardrops

“Beautiful riffs and calming guitar notes” - Unheard Gems

“Give it a listen. This is one you won’t want to miss.” - LA On Lock

"The moment I clicked play...I started smiling immediately" - Music is My Life

"This artist creates bewitching combinations...a gifted and talented singer-songwriter" - Independent Spirits

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Nashville-based singer/songwriter Matt Lovell has released his debut album, Nobody Cries Today. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Jars Of Clay’s Matt Odmark, the album’s nine tracks encompass an eight-year journey of survival and self-acceptance. “Lovell’s gentle spirit shines throughout,” said The Associated Press in its review. “From the slow-roll gospel cuts, ‘Be Free’ and ‘The Gospel’ to the nostalgic closer ‘The Way That It Was,’ he always sounds at peace with himself….Lovell’s wheelhouse is blue-eyed soul, but the mix regularly suggests a variety of influences.” "There are two things that immediately stand out when listening to the record,” remarked Euphoria Magazine. “The first is Lovell’s beautiful, raspy voice that colours each song wonderfully. The second is the reliance on acoustic guitars throughout the album. This should come as no surprise – the singer-songwriter is based in Nashville, after all. But as tempting as it is, it would be a disservice to the distinct variety of influences to pin Lovell down to just one genre." 

LISTEN: NOBODY CRIES TODAY

“I often tell stories by first explaining how they end. Somehow the destination of a tale creates something like a center of gravity to draw all the details of the past towards the final point,” Lovell has said of his process. “The story told in these songs has had several endings and several beginnings, a natural byproduct when a project spans the course of so many years. In these years of writing and recording, I have gathered quite a wild palette of paints. In a way, Nobody Cries Today has actually been my teacher. As I have written these songs, each of them has been like a tiny rowboat to get me from one day to the next,” he said. “These songs have witnessed me in the years that I was in the throes of trying to find acceptance for myself and for the world I’m living in.  As a gay man of Southern origin, this proved to be a tall order. These songs have also helped me to explore things like zest for life, discontent, hunger, truth, and hope.”  

WATCH: “TROUBLE”

WATCH: “BE FREE”

WATCH: “ALLIGATOR LILLY” 

WATCH: “90 PROOF”  

All but one of the album’s songs were recorded in 2016 - just months before  Lovell nearly lost his life. On January 20, 2017, he was shot in the chest in Nashville by a sixteen-year-old who attempted to steal his car. Miraculously, he lived. “This moment created a new center of gravity and re-ordered my understanding of everything I’ve experienced in this lifetime,” he explains. “Many people who experience acute trauma go through somewhat of a euphoric period immediately after the incident occurs, and this was definitely my experience. The level of peace I felt was something I had never touched before. I wrote profusely, I gardened, I brought new life and vigor to my musical ventures, and I made peace with complicated friendships. More than anything, I found a level of great self-acceptance and this created space for me to begin to learn how to live this life.”  

This era ended with the abrupt onset of PTSD, causing the most difficult time Lovell had ever faced. He began to question everything and struggled to find a way to articulate the horrors he was experiencing.  Now, on the other side of recovery, Lovell is excited to sing these songs again for anyone who will listen. “In these years of writing and recording, I have gathered quite a wild palette of paints,” he says. “In a way, Nobody Cries Today has actually been my teacher.  As I have written these songs, each of them has been like a tiny rowboat to get me from one day to the next. They have witnessed me in the years that I was in the throes of trying to find acceptance for myself and for the world I’m living in.  As a gay man of Southern origin, this proved to be a tall order. These songs have also helped me to explore things like zest for life, discontent, hunger, truth, and hope,” he continues. “Nobody Cries Today contains every bit of earnestness, desire, and love that I have to give.” 

Nobody Cries Today is available for download at iTunes, Amazon Music, and Google Play. The album will be available on vinyl this fall - be sure to follow Matt Lovell at the links below for updates. 

NOBODY CRIES TODAY TRACKLIST

TROUBLE

90 PROOF

SABOTAGE

ALLIGATOR LILLY

BE FREE

NOBODY CRIES TODAY

DIME ADIOS (SAY GOODBYE TO ME) ft. Leigh Nash

THE GOSPEL

THE WAY THAT IT WAS

CONNECT WITH MATT LOVELL:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube

 

OUT TODAY:  REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW -  NEW LP FROM GLENN THOMAS

The 10-song set is a reinvention for Thomas, its rich melodies and careful arrangements nothing like anything he's released before. - Billboard 

Reassure Me There's A Window veers from his previous releases in the realm of atmospheric and visceral rock and into contemplative indie-folk - PopMatters 

At a time when doors are shut, Thomas has thrown open a window to the world of the heart, and the view is  wonderful - Folk Radio UK 

Folky, calm, with a skip in its step, its rhythm is familiar and bright…raised in New England, Thomas encapsulates that ambience of small town daydreaming" – Atwood Magazine 

[Glenn Thomas has] gone from being the frontman and guitarist for the alt-rock trio Wild Sun to harnessing the craft of writing music with a deeper meaning - The Independent (RI)

Tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements. - Ghettoblaster

Gently reflective - Americana-UK

Indie-folk backing, with drips of steel guitar and this bubbling melancholy - Backseat Mafia 

Quite enthralling - A1234 

A powerful a sentiment - Ear To The Ground 

 Straddling the line between harmonica-laced folk and cheerful Brit-pop - Underground Music Collective 

You can literally feel the emotion behind Thomas’s voice. His soulful sound is matched by the simple, yet powerful instrumentation - Gas Mask Magazine 

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LISTEN: REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW 

Today, Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas unveils his beautiful new LP Reassure Me There’s A Window. “This album was a long time dream of mine,” recounts Thomas of the LP, which premiered earlier this week via Billboard. “For the last seven years, I’d been touring New England and the East Coast with my alternative rock power trio Wild Sun. Everything I was writing was written for that outfit, and as such brought certain limitations with what I could do with the songs. Throughout that time I was writing a lot of songs that were not rock songs, but I didn’t have a vehicle for them. When the band decided to take a break, I moved to Nashville with the goal of focusing on my solo songwriting. I had always wanted to make a lush songwriter album — a contemporary approach to the big string arrangement-aided songwriter records of the past like Randy Newman, Elton John, and others. I heard this sound in a lot of the records Jordan Lehning had produced,” he continues. “His approach is pretty fearless of genre and boundaries — the production serves the song, not the other way around. I reached out to him about doing an album and after a few lunch meetings, we agreed it would be a good fit. Unlike past recording experiences, there were no chafing moments in the studio — it was a very congruous relationship. The session musicians who played on the record were monster players, and a joy to work with. Pretty much everything was tracked live, except for a few overdubs and the string arrangements.” 

The tracks on Reassure Me There’s A Window, which feature tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements, all come from a deeply personal place, and the more Thomas played them for his audiences, the more he realized how much others could relate to them. Each song touches on personal truths and what it means to be human—what connects us and motivates us, as well as the struggles and difficult facts of life. 

 From Shins-esque album opener “All You Can Do,” about accepting that things don’t always go as planned, to “Catherine Ames,” a much-needed slice of catharsis and sonic sunshine inspired by Cathy Ames, the antagonist of John Steinbeck’s East Of Eden - a song about holding on to pain and anger as though they are part of your identity, and understanding that healing and moving forward takes time, to the rowdy, pedal steel-centric “Give A Damn,” about carrying ghosts from the past into a new relationship, Thomas puts life and the human condition under the microscope in order to articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. Thomas has the ability to lyrically turn the world on its side and explain the human condition and its accompanying array of emotions from a beautifully unique perspective.

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW TRACK LISTING:

ALL YOU CAN DO

REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW

ORIOLE

SHE IS LEAVING

SHY HINGES

THERE’S NOT A THING

GIVE A DAMN

CATHERINE AMES

INITIALS

WHEN YOU ARE GONE

WHADDYA’ KNOW

CONNECT WITH GLENN THOMAS:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube 

OUT TODAY: MARK ERELLI’S NEW LP "BLINDSIDED" VIA SOUNDLY MUSIC

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...soars on the wings of jangly guitars, heartfelt vocals and soulful harmony lines...Yep, that's the sweet spot right there. And there's enough of it to make this album matter." - The Associated Press

Erelli’s not going to blindside you. He’s going to give it to you straight.” - The Boston Globe

"...finds him trimming back the guest list and nodding to another icon, heartland hero Tom Petty, whose influence looms large over the song’s 12-string guitar jangle and straightforward vocal hooks." - Rolling Stone

"Comes out swinging" - The Boot

Blindsided is a bit of Americana alchemy, a concoction that can only be served up by someone who knows the rules inside and out — enough to break them when needed.” - No Depression

"For Erelli, music is a way to appreciate the world and the people in his life. And perhaps most acutely, the practice of music has taught Erelli the beauty of sublimation and reinforced the joy of helping others achieve their dreams, which, in turn, helps Erelli also achieve his." - American Songwriter 

"...a really wonderful record. Go for a walk… listen, become happy." - Maine Public Radio

"...echoes Tom Petty and John Prine" - PopMatters

"...a serious, talented artist, but he also understands his role as a storyteller and entertainer...Erelli pulls from lots of places and makes things his own." - Glide Magazine

"Blindsided is ballad heavy with a rocker cut here, a mid-tempo groove there, it is a nod to Mark Erelli’s diversity that the album showcases an ability to cross genre lines." - The Alternate Root

"You know those artists who release a great first record and then have enormous trouble following it up with anything as interesting? Yeah, that’s not Mark Erelli. Mark has consistently expanded his sound while also not chasing whatever wave seems to be cresting at any given moment. The result is a catalogue of depth and heart." - Red Line Roots

"Erelli has a way with words that really hits in the world we live in now…this album is very well done, and Erelli shows that as a songwriter, he is worthy of emulation.” - Americana Highways

"Mark Erelli has taken a new direction, delving deeper into his rockier side.  A roots-rockier side that has room for a few strings and a pile of melody." - Americana-UK

"...songs and songwriting of a quality rarely encountered. Mark Erelli’s Blindsided. Don’t tell me you didn’t see it coming. Most highly recommended." - Fervor Coulee

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LISTEN: BLINDSIDED

Today, Boston-based singer/songcrafter Mark Erelli released his highly-acclaimed new album, Blindsided - an unflinching examination of the distance between innocence and experience from “the middle” of life’s fantastic journey. It’s also a step in a different sonic direction for the award-winning artist; “Erelli is…a foursquare acoustic songwriter in an age of digital audio workstations. For Blindsided he has amped up with a superb band,” noted The Boston Globe in its premiere of the album. “Blindsided says just as much about who he is as it does about where he’s been. The secrets are embedded in the restraint of the 11-song set, a collection efficient yet varied, emotional yet exact,” said No Depression, who called Erelli “an expert craftsman.”

To create the soundtrack that reflected this reinvigorated approach to songwriting, Erelli consulted his mental list of fellow musicians with whom he had forged connections in recent years, and realized they all lived in Nashville. So he made the trek to Music City, with best friend and multi-instrumentalist/producer Zachariah Hickman (Josh Ritter, Ray LaMontagne) in tow, curious to see what effect a change in geography, personnel, and context would produce. With the help of drummer Jamie Dick (Rhiannon Giddens, Our Native Daughters), guitarist Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell, Josh Ritter), Kai Welch (Molly Tuttle, Kacey Musgraves) on keys, producer Hickman on bass, and Dan Knobler (Lake Street Dive, Caroline Spence) recording and mixing, the result couldn’t have been more unanticipated.  

WATCH: “I CAN’T STAND MYSELF”

WATCH: “BLINDSIDED”

Blindsided was forged in a process of reckoning, of taking stock of the soul, and being pleasantly surprised. Mining the same gritty yet soulful territory as John Hiatt’s Bring The Family or Bonnie Raitt’s Nick Of Time, Erelli contemplates the delicate tension between love and commitment, faith and family, disillusionment and hope. But this isn’t a confession from the therapist’s couch, it’s rock ’n roll, and Erelli is clearly taking his cues from heroes like Petty and Prine. Against the backdrop of Blindsided’s hungrier, hook-laden sound, with the inspired addition of a string quartet on half of the album, Erelli has never sounded more passionate or vital. Over the course of Blindsided’s 11 tracks, the message of each song is distilled to its purest form, as fearlessly honest in perspective as it is straightforward in its delivery. 

Erelli has forged a colorful career by making the art of “being everywhere all the time” seem effortless. It’s hard to think of another artist who seems equally at home serving as a sideman for GRAMMY-winning artists like Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, and Josh Ritter, or producing albums for Lori McKenna, as he does writing and producing his own material, like last year’s “By Degrees,” on which he was joined by a host of voices including Rosanne Cash and Sheryl Crow. That song was nominated for “Song Of The Year” at the 2019 Americana Music Awards, and served to reintroduce Erelli to a wider audience. And just in time, because Blindsided combines the exuberance of Erelli’s signature sound with the wisdom that comes with over 20 years of songwriting, capturing an artist at a point in his career where he is clearly digging deep and swinging for the fences. “In one of my favorite Tom Petty songs, he sings ‘it took a world of trouble, took a world of tears, it took a long time to get back here,’” Erelli says. “I think I know exactly how he felt.”  

Erelli will live stream an album release show on April 9th at 8:00 pm EDT from The Parlor Room in Northampton, Massachusetts, click HERE for more information. Be sure to follow him via the links below for updates.

CONNECT WITH MARK ERELLI:

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp

OUT TODAY: KYSHONA RELEASES NEW LP "LISTEN" 

“…she has that very real conviction that the act of listening and the feeling of being heard are fundamental human needs…there’s that sense of purpose in the language that she chooses, that sense of speaking in a collective way in the language that she chooses...It’s stately, noble language, and sometimes it’s optimistic, and sometimes it’s more confrontational…it’s always emphatic, but it’s also warm.” - NPR

"Listen highlights Kyshona’s descriptive songwriting and soulful vocals alongside a versatile blend of folk, rock and R&B influences. While Kyshona sings of fear, hope, community, love and understanding throughout the 10-track project, she also finds herself.” - Billboard

“…a soulful, Southern groove” - Rolling Stone

“This is protest music for a new generation, a musical treatment for social ills, a unique prescription that only works if you listen.” - No Depression

"Everyone is making political records. Everyone is making albums that speak to 'this moment.' Too few of them are making music that speaks to the people who inhabit this moment. Kyshona does." - The Bluegrass Situation

With an ambition ‘to bring the light of music into places of darkness,’ it’s clear that ‘Fear’ and the other nine tracks from her upcoming LP unapologetically and convincingly do just that.” - American Songwriter

Electrifying” - The Boot 

"Listen is refreshingly low-concept: a powerful, textured voice working its way through equally strong songs. But what's most striking about the album is how natural [Kyshona] sounds. The sincerity hits you hard…There’s a confidence, comfort, and catharsis in her vocals, effortless without sounding passive, warm without sounding too inviting. Listen feels therapeutic, not just providing enjoyable songs that range from soul to rhythm and blues to rock to pop, but maybe even providing a blueprint for how to be, as a human being.” - Albumism

"Kyshona...has a warm, rich voice that commands you to pay attention. On her new album Listen, however, she’s chosen to make a powerful statement about what we can learn when we close our mouths and truly take in what others have to say." - The Nashville Scene

"The melodies are catchy, but it’s the lyrics that really grab the attention on this album. [Kyshona] sings with the undeniable spirit and conviction that was more common in the tumultuous 60s. However, through all the turmoil of the times, the message is ultimately one of hope that leaves you believing things will get better." - Americana Highways

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Today, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Kyshona has released her highly-acclaimed new album Listen. Co-produced with Andrija Tokic (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff) and recorded mostly at his famed Nashville studio The Bomb Shelter, Kyshona’s album blends roots, rock, R&B, gospel, and folk with lyrical prowess to uplift the marginalized and bring awareness to the masses. 

STREAM: LISTEN

Kyshona, who has performed at Folk Alliance International, AmericanaFest-UK, 30A Songwriters Festival, and in an art installation at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in the last two months, has made an indelible impression with her new LP. “The explorations on her brand new album, Listen — which are synopsized neatly on the title track — by many other artists could have easily and offhandedly devolved into a reactionary, ‘woke’ gasp into the void,” commented The Bluegrass Situation. “Kyshona (surname Armstrong), though, is a deft and empathetic songwriter, a storyteller with a penchant for shameless self expression and graceful introspection. Listen is not an admonishment. It’s not an imperative, or an oracle-given ultimatum. Kyshona does not implore her audience to hear her, but each other. Over ten original and co-written songs the album carries on this mission with empathy, connection, community, and spirituality (but not proselytizing.) It’s a remarkable feat that though society systemically attempts to render her and women like her invisible, assuming that they’ll stand aside or allow themselves to be tokenized, Kyshona compassionately defies those expectations and opts to design her selfhood — and thereby, her art — to interact with the world on her terms and not the world’s.” 

WATCH:  "LISTEN”

“Since completing this album, there has been a theme that keeps coming up: fear,” Kyshona told Billboard in their premiere of the album. “Fear of being ignored, fear of being seen. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of being abandoned and alone. But every night I have walked on a stage or into a space and stood in that fear, I’ve been shown that I can not only conquer them, but that those fears allow me to connect with people. That’s what I have wanted this album to be: a reflection that allows connection.” 

WATCH:  "FALLEN PEOPLE”

“People feel permission. This allows them to feel they can have control, they can build a community through music,” Kyshona told The News & Advance of the connection she forges with her audiences. “Her new LP, Listen, released this month, asks the audience ‘are we even listening to each other?” continues The News & Advance. “Even when she’s writing about others, she said, their stories are also hers — ‘This is the gospel of the people.’ In a crowd of people, all with differing beliefs, political stances or conflicting ideals, it’s music, [Kyshona] said, that offers unity.”

Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients – the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, an endeavor that led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and its collaborative songwriting culture. Kyshona has successfully melded her music career with her passion to heal the hurting; audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and finding hope in her work. It's for every silent scream, every heavy load, every fearful thought, and a simmering sense of anger that the repressed, the lost, and the forgotten try to hide from the world. "I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose," she says. "When I write and when I perform I am often thinking of what my point is. What is my purpose? What is my mission? At this particular moment in these particular times, my mission is to be a voice and a vessel for those who feel silenced and forgotten." After her powerful performances, concertgoers often ask, "What can I do?" Her response? “Listen."

TOUR DATES:

3/5 - 20 Front Street - Lake Orion, MI

3/6 - The Robin Theatre - Lansing, MI

⅜ - Hines Hill Conference Center - Peninsula, OH

3/13 - WMOT Finally Friday @ 3rd & Lindsley - Nashville, TN

3/13 - Gray’s On Main - Franklin. TN

3/22  - The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm - Silver Hill, AL

3/24 - Tin Pan South 2020 - Nashville, TN

3/26 - Agnes Scott College - Decatur, GA

3/27 - Hendershot’s - Athens, GA

3/28 - Music On Malphrus - Bluffton, SC

4/3 - South Bay House Concert - Los Altos, CA

4/4 - Fog House Concerts - San Francisco, CA

~

4/9 - National Folk Festival 2020 - Canberra, ACT, Australia

4/17 - 4/19 - Fairbridge Folk Fest 2020 - Perth, WA, Australia

~

4/24 - Gray’s On Main - Franklin. TN

4/29 - White Gull Inn - Fish Creek, WI

5/1 - Severson Dells Nature Center - Rockford, IL

⅚ - Purple House Concerts -Tallahassee, FL

5/7 - WUWF Radio Live - Pensacola, FL

⅝ - The Rep Theater - Santa Rosa Beach, FL

5/22 - Kerrville Folk Fest 2020 - Kerrville, TX

6/7 - NPR Mountain Stage - Charleston, WV

6/21 - Chestnut House Concerts - Lancaster, PA

6/25 - Iredell Arts Council - Statesville, NC

MISS TESS RELEASES NEW LP "THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY"

From a historical perspective, one could say that rebellious music that doesn’t necessarily fit a certain genre or time period leaves a lasting effect on people. Think of David Bowie..or Johnny Cash…Both went against what the mainstream audiences wanted and lived on to be legends. For Miss Tess, she wants to become a legend in her own right but wants to use some of Bowie’s and Cash’s rebellious tools to do so - American Songwriter 

Captivating - Billboard

Rooted in a retro groove that’s equal parts blues, mid-century rock & roll and Booker T-worthy R&B - Rolling Stone 

Old-time warmth, 21st-century sass. It’s a potent recipe for that few artists successfully pull off — and Miss Tess is one of them - No Depression 

A voice that recalls artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Patsy Cline and Lindi Ortega The Boot 

Soulful - Wide Open Country 

Miss Tess swings, swaggers, seduces, and soothes on The Moon Is An Ashtray - Glide Magazine 

This album is tremendous display of Miss Tess’s range as an artist. She bounces from soul to country to jazzy vocals with no difficulty. In fact, she makes it seem effortless - Americana Highways 

An eclectic mix of country, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll - Americana-UK

Miss Tess has a musical vocabulary that continues to confound.  Country, blues, rock, folk, jazz – you name it – you’ll find shades of it infused into her music…The Moon Is an Ashtray is both warm and raucous, not to mention a damn fine listen. Twangville

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LISTEN: THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY 

Nashville chanteuse Miss Tess has released her lauded new album The Moon Is An Ashtray today via Tone Tree Music. “The moon is an ashtray. I fell in love with this metaphor,” Miss Tess told American Songwriter in its premiere. “The album cover draws inspiration from an old picture I came across from what must have been a 1930s movie, where the women sitting on the moon looked well, kind of pissed off. I loved that attitude captured as a juxtaposition against the classic romanticized ‘woman on moon’ image, and wanted to recreate that sentiment for the title track. Things are not always what they seem, especially when you’re used to filtering them through an illusion of childlike romanticism. Objects such as the moon, and ideas of love often fall into this category, but are too often followed by disappointment. when you realize that this type of idealistic, cruel optimism is just an illusion. From far away the moon is a mystical glowing entity, yet in reality is cratered and dusty, sort of like … an ashtray.” 

The sentiment was deftly captured in the video for the title track, directed by Tom Krueger (Bruce Springsteen, U2, David Bowie). “With a distinct old timey flair, the singer transports the listener to another time period with the throwback number,” Billboard remarked of the whimsical video, which involves an evil villain luring in souls for his wonderland vignettes.

WATCH: “THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY” 

To help capture and shape her own unique sound, Miss Tess enlisted not only her trusty 1930s Weymann archtop, but also heavy input from co-producers Andrija Tokic (Margo Price, Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) and Thomas Bryan Eaton, her full-time bandmate and musical partner. Combining Eaton's' arranging ideas and skilled instrumental work with Tokic's studio full of vintage mics, tube amps, keyboards, and tape machines, the resulting record has a rich, buttery warmth well-suited to Miss Tess' voice and authentic, retro-contemporary songwriting style. 

When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry unless you're talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more on The Moon Is An Ashtray. Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she has employed all of her influences and talents on a tour-de-force, while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas - like the definition of a love song - to task. From soulful swagger to jazz, blues, a little old school country, and even a touch of psychedelia, Miss Tess shows both the pluck and poise to fold a multitude of styles into her own. 

The Moon Is An Ashtray is available for purchase on iTunesGoogle Play, and at her websiteMiss Tess will be performing today on Nashville roots radio station WMOT’s Finally Friday show which broadcasts live from 3rd & Lindsley. Tune in HERE to listen at 1pm CST. She’ll also be celebrating the album’s release on her upcoming tour, see dates below.

TOUR DATES: 

2/19 Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot

2/20 St. Louis, MO @ Focal Point 

2/21 Chicago, IL @ Honky Tonk BBQ

2/22 Indianapolis, IN @ Duke's

3/04 Charlotte, NC @ The Thirsty Beaver

3/05 Fayetteville, NC @ Cameo Art House

3/06 Aberdeen, NC @ Rooster’s Wife

3/07 Saluda, NC @ Purple Onion

3/11 Knoxville, TN @ TN Shines

3/12 Bristol, TN @ Farm & Fun Time

3/13 Charlottesville, VA @ The Front Porch

3/14 Washington, DC @ The Soundry

3/15 Philladelphia, PA @ Philadelphia Folk School 

3/17 New York, NY @ Voices on the Hudson at City Vineyard 

3/18 Northampton, MA @ Parlor Room

3/19 Cambridge, MA @ The Lizard Lounge

3/20 Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square

3/21 Peacedale, RI @ Roots Hoot House Concert

3/22 Cazenovia, NY @ Nelson Odeon

3/25 Rochester, NY @ Abilene

3/26 Buffalo, NY @ Sportsmen's Tavern

3/27 Peninsula, OH @ GAR Hall

3/28 Columbus, OH @ Natalie's

 

WILL DAILEY RELEASES GOLDEN WALKER ALBUM TODAY

WILL DAILEY RELEASES GOLDEN WALKER ALBUM TODAY

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Boston artist  Will Dailey has released Golden Walker, an 11 song meditation on life and how to navigate it within our current cultural climate. Golden Walker is Dailey’s second album released outside of the major label system. The album is a follow up to National Throat, his indie debut, that went on to receive numerous awards including Album and Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards, Song of the Year and Producer of the Year at the New England Music Awards, Best of the Year by Improper Bostonian Magazine, debuted in the top 20 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and garnered over 9 Million streams on Spotify.

In a world of instant gratification Dailey is challenging listeners to sit and savor the songs on this album. Twangville said that Golden Walker “is generally pensive and restrained, challenging the listener to dig into the songs. Those who do will be amply rewarded.” 

According to the Boston Globe, “ the closer one listens, the more ‘Golden Walker’ reveals itself a hard-won product of that interim. Partly, it’s about current events. It’s not essential to know that the Women’s March of 2017 inspired ‘Bad Behavior’ — it could be a general celebration of rule-breaking — but that knowledge draws the lyrical threads tight. ‘He Better Be Alive,’ meanwhile, is inescapably about the horror of ‘Baltimore, Carolina, Staten Island,’ even without recognizing the title refrain as the words of Keith Scott’s wife as a North Carolina police officer fatally shot him in 2016.”

Dailey started the album as a handbook on accountability, but  as the writing progressed it  morphed into so much more.  Not only do the songs on Golden Walker, serve as social commentary, but they are meditations on life and the struggles, both internal and external, that come with aging and just plainly existing on the planet.  “ It’s an album, Daily says “about being an adult and feeling like a lost child.”

The idea for this album was sparked  by a once in a lifetime interaction Dailey had a with a sculptor in France who heard his set in the tiny village Dailey was playing one night several years ago. The sculptor told Dailey “All the gold is being take from our world. They take it all to use in technological devices that are supposed to help us communicate. The gold is disappearing, hidden in phones and computers that only leave us feeling more alone, separated and disconnected. When I heard you tonight through the walls of my workshop, I heard real communication. I heard you. You are a communicator.” He then sculpted and gifted Will a sculpture of a man with a gold nugget on  his foot called “The Golden Walker,” and told Dailey that he had to be a keeper and protector of the gold and to keep communicating through music; he had to become a “Golden Walker.”

“He evokes a Paul Simon intricacy at times, a Jeff Buckley fragility at others, topping it with challenging folk-pop and a breezy, almost Motown soul flair in the first single, 'Bad Behavior.' The clincher for me is 'He Better Be Alive,' a driving, percussive track inspired by the nightly news. Dailey has a wonderfully elastic voice, a natural sense of poetry, and a restless mind that looks for answers and often takes us to them.”   Steve Morse (longtime Boston Globe staff pop critic, current Rock History at Berklee College of Music)

“Loneliness is an epidemic,” says Dailey. “Content is tyrannical. Being together has atrophied, as evident in our leadership crisis and cultural absurdity. Being present with each other should really be in abundance. The aspect of being human should come first. Yet our limitless interconnectivity limits our connection.” Golden Walker is Dailey’s way of adding compost to the soil for the coming spring and a world that thrives on genuine connection and where truth and accountability not only prosper, but are celebrated.
 

TOUR DATES
6/8 Hot Stove Cool Music Chicago, IL
6/9 GMan Tavern  Chicago, IL
6/14 Bourbon & Branch Philadelphia, PA
6/15 Fete Lounge Providence, RI
6/16 ONCE Somerville, MA
6/30 Bath Heritage Festival Bath, ME
7/14 Nextival Crownsville, MD
8/2 Miles of Music Appleton, WI


KEEP UP WITH WILL DAILEY
http://www.willdailey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/willdailey 
https://twitter.com/willdailey
http://www.youtube.com/user/willdailey
http://willdailey.tumblr.com/ 

LIZ VICE RELEASES NEW ALBUM SAVE ME

LIZ VICE RELEASES NEW ALBUM SAVE ME

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The mindfulness she brings to the stories she tells on ‘Save Me proves essential, and powerful.”  - NPR Music

“Liz Vice walks the stony road to redemption, delivering tunes that celebrate the victory over the illusions that hold us down while acknowledging the heavy weight of self-doubt and missed opportunities for loving others that we bear. “  - No Depression

Soulful songstress Liz Vice is excited to announce the release of her sophomore album Save Me out everywhere today. 

The material for this dynamic record, that was featured as part of NPR’s First Listen program, was taken from different periods of Vice’s life and her struggle to continuously answer her call to music. The opening track “Drift Away” was described by NPR as having “a bit of the prophetic exhortation of a Civil Rights-era spiritual. The way she elevates an internal struggle to life-or-death heights in the title track straddles contemporary worship and modern rock language.” “Brick By Brick,” a powerful track featuring the chanting of travel ban protesters at the Portland airport, proves a forceful reminder that no one is alone in this world.  "Fancy Feet" which has a  jazzy Norah Jones feel to it,  examines Liz's struggle with the idea of femininity. Through the song she comes to the conclusion that being a woman is not about what she wears but is about who she is, and who she is is someone who gets to bring love, hope, light  and a bit of an escape from the world to people of all shapes and sizes. The beautiful title track  “Save Me,” that features Vice’s voice on top of sparse piano compositions is the first song she ever wrote. The song sees Vice  questioning why she was called into an artistic life, which is far from easy. Throughout the song she comes to terms with the fact that she may never know the answers to most of the questions she has about being alive, but having received the gift of song, she gets to see people who would never meet,  gather in one space with their arms around each other singing her songs; our songs. 

“It's no wonder that the warm, woolen, throwback soul textures of Liz Vice's debut, ‘There's A Light,’ was quickly embraced a few years back. But until she made her entrancing follow-up Save Me (out June 1 on Vice's own label), it was easy to overlook all the ways that she breaks the mold.”  - NPR

Vice has been playing these songs live on tour supporting Rodriguez and Lake Street Dive. She will be on tour throughout the summer, including at album release show on June 14th at SOB’s in New York City.   

TOUR DATES
6/14 SOB’s New York, NY *Record Release Show*
6/16 Mountain Jam Hunter, NY
6/23 Levitt Shell Orion Concert Series Memphis, TN
6/27 Rochester Jazz Festival Rochester, NY
7/5 City Center White Plains, NY
9/8  Moon River Music Festival Chattanooga, TN
 

KEEP UP WITH LIZ VICE
https://www.lizvice.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lizvice/
https://www.facebook.com/LizViceMusic/
https://twitter.com/LizViceOFFICIAL

Brady Zdan Releases Secretear

BRANDY ZDAN RELEASES SECRETEAR

OUT TODAY VIA TALLEST MAN RECORDS   LISTEN TO

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SECRETEAR : HERE  

“Come for the guitar work, split by Zdan and My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel. Stay for the reverb-drenched harmonies, which connect the dots between the poppy and the psychedelic Americana.”  - ROLLING STONE

Nashville’s Brandy Zdan has released her sophomore album Secretear out today via Tallest Man Records. Secretear which is a Spanish word for “a secret conversation” was co-produced by Zdan and Teddy Morgan, and features  My Morning Jacket’s Tom Blankenship (bass), Carl Broemel (guitar and pedal steel) and The Texas Gentlemen’s Aaron Haynes (drums). For this record the Juno award nominee dug back into the music she grew up on, 60 & 70s rock n’ roll. Inspirer Magazine said “Zdan is bringing back with this vibe by revisiting what made her into the artist she is today, is the joy and innocence of a time I can personally only remember for its music,” and Rolling Stone said “Brandy Zdan stretches her legs with her solo career, exploring the middle ground between the Beatles, the Breeders and the Bangles.” Songs from Secretear can be heard rockin’ Spotify playlists like “BadAss Women” “Rockin’ Vibes” and “Fierce Femmes.”

“Clearly drawing inspiration from 70s and 80s pop groups like Talking Heads and The Go Gos, “I Want Your Trouble” is going to have you toe-tapping along to its every beat. With its perfect combination of electric guitar strums and drum hits, “I Want Your Trouble” has all the satisfying elements of the perfect rock n’ roll tune.”  — East of 8th

Writing and recording this album Zdan pushed herself farther that she had gone before, both emotionally and physically. She let herself be vulnerable enough to come to terms with the mistakes she has made, along with her toxic leaning emotional patterns, and channeled those into these songs. Physically, these songs have a ton of energy, which she wanted to reflect in the recording, so much so that she blew out her voice and ran her fingers to the point of being raw and bleeding the first week of recording. All the self-inflicted pain was worth it. She came out of  the recording process as the best version other herself, both as a musician and a human being. Leading into the release Zdan spent time on the road winning over some tough audiences of rock and guitar purists opening for Doyle Bramhall and then supporting Buddy Guy on his West Coast tour.  

“Zdan played electric guitar and sang, while accompanied only by a drummer. And while she was playing the blues, it brought back fond memories of another famous guitar-drum duo, The White Stripes.”  — California Rocker (on Brandy opening for Buddy Guy in LA)

Zdan will be performing Secretear in full tonight at Douglas Corner in Nashville. Her band for the show will feature the musicians from the record including Carl Broemel and Tom Blankenship of My Morning Jacket, and Aaron Haynes of The Texas Gentlemen (drums).

www.brandyzdan.com

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