YOUR SONG CONNECTS COMMUNITIES THROUGH SONGWRITING TO PROMOTE HEALING + BENEFIT SHOW AT THE BLUEBIRD CAFE ON MAY 10

PURCHASE JUST LOVE COFFEE TO SUPPORT YOUR SONG

NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville-based, globally-focused, charitable organization Your Song, LLC*, is a collaborative songwriting program that connects performing arts centers, musicians, and artists with vulnerable communities to promote healing and connection, helmed by critically-acclaimed artist Kyshona, who is also a licensed music therapist.

As a songwriter, Kyshona has had the privilege of working with adults and youth experiencing homelessness, incarceration, trauma, and isolation. As a music therapist, she worked for more than 13 years in treatment facilities, rehabilitation programs, mental health facilities, forensics units, nursing homes, and special needs schools. By founding Your Song, Kyshona has merged her two worlds to focus on one mission: To be a voice and a vessel for those that feel lost, forgotten, silenced, and who are hurting.

“Your Song came out of my being isolated from my audiences and local community in 2020,” says Kyshona. “As a music therapist, I’ve always used music as my medium to connect, unite and heal; as a songwriter, I have the ability to pull a story out of a person that may feel their story doesn’t matter. Through Your Song, I hope to help those that feel like they are on the margins of society find their voice and their story through song while providing them with a platform and space to share their story.”

Music therapy is the use of music to achieve non-musical goals. In therapeutic songwriting sessions, the goals and outcomes are set with the individual or group before the writing process begins. Through guided journaling, improvisation, and exploration a song is created. Through sharing individual experiences and triumphs in song, participants can encourage others.

Your Song currently offers programming for at-risk and marginalized youth, memory care/recovery through songwriting sessions with the elderly, partnering with incarcerated populations and those re-entering society, those experiencing addiction and those in recovery, programming geared towards women’s health and healing, strengthening bonds between new parents and their children, and more.

In 2021, Your Song was funded as part of a grant from Matthew McConaughey and Wild Turkey® for community-based music initiatives. Fundraising efforts will continue with a benefit show at legendary Nashville venue The Bluebird Cafe on May 10th, featuring Kyshona, Shannon LaBrie, Crys Matthews, Amyliza de Jesus, and Whittney Martinez.  CLICK HERE FOR SHOW AND TICKET INFORMATION.

Your Song has also become a fundraising participant with Middle Tenneessee-based Just Love Coffee Roasters. From now on, for each bag of coffee purchased using the following unique link, Just Love will donate 36% of the proceeds to Your Song. Click HERE (justlovecoffee.com/yoursong) to purchase. You can also donate directly to Your Song HERE.

Be sure to follow Your Song via the links below for all the latest news and updates.

CONNECT WITH YOUR SONG:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD

*a charitable organization fiscally sponsored through the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville

More about Just Love Coffee Roasters:                                           

If you’re like us, you love coffee. One that hits the spot, fires your imagination, and drives your energy. Only the best will do. Our coffee is that catalyst that brings together family and friends to catch up and enjoy those special moments. The food we offer to complement our coffee is wide and varied...and delicious! However, at Just Love Coffee we offer more. We care about people and the community in which we live. We give a percentage of our profits back to the community to adoptive families, mission-minded people, and non-profits. Our franchisees also engage in their own, unique ways to support their local community. At Just Love Coffee we believe we can change the world...one bean at a time!

Be genuine. Be excellent. Be a catalyst for love.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Hamilton || susan@sideways-media.com

GRAMMY® AWARD WINNERS CATHY FINK, MARCY MARXER, & TOM PAXTON JOIN FORCES FOR LIVE ALBUM PROJECT + ALL NEW SET FOR RELEASE ON JULY 29TH

ALBUM SINGLE “PETE’S SHOULDERS: THE POWER OF SONG” OUT TODAY IN HONOR OF PETE SEEGER’S BIRTHDAY  

&  

TO SUPPORT FOLK ALLIANCE’S #FORPETESSAKEDONATE CAMPAIGN BENEFITING THE VILLAGE FUND 

Photo: Michael G. Stewart

LISTEN // WATCH: “PETE’S SHOULDERS: THE POWER OF SONG”

GRAMMY® Award-winning folk icons Tom Paxton, and Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer (who make music as Cathy & Marcy), have announced their forthcoming live, double album collaboration, ALL NEW, set for release on July 29th. Today, the trio released the project’s first single, “Pete’s Shoulders: The Power Of Song,” a tribute to the legendary Pete Seeger and in honor of his birthday. “Pete Seeger was a Lincolnian figure to me and an avatar who never let us down,” says Paxton. “Pete once sent me a copy of one of his songbooks, nicely inscribed, and when I sent him one of my own I wrote on the title page, ‘To Pete, on whose aching shoulders I have stood for 50 years.’”

The song and its accompanying video are released in conjunction with Folk Alliance International’s #ForPetesSakeDonate campaign to raise money and awareness for The Village Fund, a grant program for folk artists and independent music industry professionals experiencing financial hardship.

The songs on ALL NEW began in weekly co-writing sessions on ZOOM with Paxton and Fink in 2020. Each week’s session resulted in a new song. The results include love songs, comedy, history, social justice, and great storytelling, and span styles from folk to bluegrass to swing to round-singing. In January 2022, the three recorded 28 of the songs live in concert and in-studio.

The trio also recently released “Don’t Say Gay,” a topical, tongue-in-cheek song and video in response to Florida’s controversial House Bill 1557. The song and video feature the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC.

WATCH: DON’T SAY GAY (ft. THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON, DC)

GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture, and celebrating community. In describing Paxton's influence on his fellow musicians, Kennedy Center Honors Awardee Pete Seeger has said: "Tom's songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend.”

A catalog of hundreds of songs serves to document Paxton's 57-year career and the power his songs have had on major artists who have recorded them including Willie Nelson, Placido Domingo, Porter Waggoner and Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and more.

TWO-TIME GRAMMY® Award Winners, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are an eclectic folk festival on their own terms. They have entertained the Queen of Thailand, been keynote singers for the AFL-CIO, performed at hundreds of folk festivals, and appeared on the "Today Show" and on National Public Radio. Their superb harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, five-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin, cello-banjo, and more.

The duo, whose past students include Kaki King and Rhiannon Giddens, are the artistic directors of the Ola Belle Reed Songwriting retreat and of The Music Center at Strathmore’s annual Ukefest. They are closing in on their 50th recording and have been honored with 65 Washington Area Music Awards, 12 GRAMMY® nominations, and a multi-generational following of fans. 

Tom Paxton kicks off a run of tour dates on June 9th, dates are listed below.  Check your local listings for PBS this month and tune in to catch Cathy & Marcy featured on David Holt’s State of Music. Be sure to follow Tom Paxton and Cathy & Marcy at the links below for the latest news and updates.

TOM PAXTON ON TOUR

6/9 - Godfrey Daniels - Bethlehem, PA

6/10 - City Winery - NYC

6/11 - Hurdy Gurdy Folk Club - Fair Lawn, NJ

6/12 - Caffe Lena - Saratoga Springs, NY

6/14 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA

6/16 - Norwood Village Green Concert Series - Norwood, NY

6/17 - Smith Center for the Arts - Geneva, NY

6/18 - 1891 Fredonia Opera House - Fredonia, NY

6/24 - McCabe’s - Santa Monica, CA

6/25 & 6/26 - Kate Wolf Music Festival - Laytonville, CA

6/28 - Hopmonk Tavern - Novato, CA

6/29 - Freight & Salvage - Berkeley, CA

10/30 - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA

CONNECT WITH CATHY & MARCY:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY 

CONNECT WITH TOM PAXTON:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Hamilton || susan@sideways-media.com

OUT TODAY: ERIKA LEWIS’ A WALK AROUND THE SUN LP + RELEASE SHOW SET FOR TONIGHT IN ASHEVILLE

"The album...is a revelation...It’s music that’s built to last." - The Associated Press

"A classic country heartbreaker you can dance to" - Wide Open Country

"...a mix of different styles, from classic country to cosmic Americana to dreamy indie-folk, that showcase Lewis’ powerful vocals and strong lyrical content." - The Asheville Citizen-Times

"Cosmic Americana" - WNCW

"On her debut solo album, Lewis...trades in her blue notes for pure country. Lewis reveals a clear prettiness that much of her former work obscured, as well as formidable songwriting skills." - OffBeat Magazine

"Lewis delivers country-tinged indie-folk...you can also hear a rock sensibility in her vocals and melodies on such tracks as “Loser,” whose opening drum part echoes the beginning of the Ronettes’ 'Be My Baby.'" - The Aquarian Weekly

“...an awe-inspiring vocalist” - Radio Bristol

“...a powerful tribute to having your heart broken but making it through to the other side” - Americana Highways

“Wherever her muse takes her, we’ll be paying even more attention based on this gem of an album.” - Glide Magazine

“In this gorgeous testament to grace and perseverance in the midst of harrowing circumstances, Lewis steps into the spotlight - and outshines it.” - Mother Church Pew

"...ethereal, contemplative, and confident" - Sound and Soul

“...deeply pleasing folk-Americana with a country twist” - Americana-UK

“Erika Lewis is an exciting talent for country fans…she has it all” - Country Music People

“...able to sweep up all the sadness and pain of the human condition and bundle it up into something sweet and strangely uplifting…Taking the clear-eyed charm of Gillian Welch or Laura Cantrell and adding a cheeky twist of girl group sass” - Holler.

"Tuba Skinny’s Erika Lewis tries her hand convincingly at Americana on this...It’s a genre exercise, just like Tuba Skinny’s take on traditional jazz, but I’ll take exercises this well executed." - My Spilt Milk  

"This feels like it was written to be a soundtrack to a period piece about mid-20th century America and we’re here for it." - Ear To The Ground

“...light and modern take on folk while still being rooted in the traditional side of the genre” - If It’s Too Loud

"The voice of an angel" - Beehive Candy

LISTEN: A WALK AROUND THE SUN

Today, Asheville-based singer-songwriter and member of beloved New Orleans collective Tuba Skinny, Erika Lewis, has released her new album A Walk Around The Sun. Lewis recorded the album after a health scare that required surgery that could have ended her career. "The prospect of losing my ability to sing was paralyzing and I am lucky enough to have friends who helped initiate the recording process, knowing that I would regret it if [sic] I didn’t do it,” Lewis told The Asheville Citizen-Times. “In preparation, I gathered some songs I had written over the last decade and finished a couple of new ones started during quarantine…I think there was a sense of lessened anxiety knowing that I would have something to share despite the surgery’s outcome.”

Produced by John James Tourville (The Deslondes) and recorded in Nashville at Andrija Tokic’s analog paradise The Bomb Shelter, A Walk Around the Sun features a series of lyrical vignettes that examine the margins between love and loss, joy and grief, and longing and contentment. Each of its 11 all-original songs reflects Lewis’s songwriting power across narrative and textures. Whether it’s through sweeping strings, pedal steel, a hybridized psych-rock guitar, or Lewis’ soaring vocals, A Walk Around The Sun takes a closer look at the connections between lovers and friends, and the effect of these relationships on the self. It’s a sweeping portrait painted with broad strokes of roots music styles—a sonic palette of classic country, cosmic Americana, mid-century rock n’ roll, and dreamy indie-folk.

On album opener and third single "A Thousand Miles," featured at The Bluegrass Situation, Lewis takes us on a breezy classic country ramble, her angelic voice soaring above an easygoing waltz adorned with warm pedal steel and fiddle. She explores the loneliness of isolation (“If You Were Mine”) and the seeds of young love (“First Love”). Lewis comments on the push and pull of romantic relationships in “Loser,” which Radio Bristol said displays “descending scales of David Lynch-ian, reverb-laden guitar riffs in the space between wistful lyrics.” On tracks like “Running Wild” and “Wild Thing,” she celebrates fierceness of spirit, while on the album’s title track, along with “Hearts” and “Love Song,” she grieves ending relationships and comes to terms with major life changes. Twangville called “Unsatisfied,” a song born from life in New Orleans and navigating the dynamics that come with relationships that revolve around the never-ending nightlife, “a taste of good music to come." The album ends with wistful, country dreamscape “Thief and a Liar,” where she laments the failures of her heart.

Lewis excels at bottling sweeping, deeply relatable themes, and unraveling the human experience, all while pinpointing her place in these stories and within the world at large. Her approach as an artist and performer is informed by the years she spent cutting her teeth busking with Tuba Skinny in the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter and across Europe. 

A Walk Around The Sun is now available for streaming and downloading HERE, and vinyl albums are available for pre-order HERE. Lewis will celebrate the release with a show in Asheville, North Carolina tonight, April 29th. Click HERE for show information. Be sure to follow Erika Lewis at the links below for the latest news. 

CONNECT WITH ERIKA LEWIS:

WEBSITE |  BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY 

PRESS MATERIALS:

smarturl.it/ErikaLewisPR

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Hamilton || susan@sideways-media.com

BOB MARSTON & THE CREDIBLE SOURCES RELEASE NEW SINGLE “REAL MAGIC, GOOD PEOPLE” + DEBUT LP SO LONG DUE OUT JUNE 3RD

NEW TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

LISTEN: “REAL MAGIC, GOOD PEOPLE”   

Birmingham, Alabama-based outfit Bob Marston & the Credible Sources have released “Real Magic, Good People,” the second from their forthcoming debut full-length LP So Long, due out June 3rd. Marston was walking his dog at a local nature preserve, processing a difficult breakup, and the groove for “Real Magic, Good People” bubbled up through his soul.  

"The first half of each verse presents my attempt to balance my love of Birmingham with what I had, at the time, recently learned about her history of labor injustice, including convict-leasing and union-busting," Marston explains. "The chorus is a rallying cry to believe in ourselves and our potential as a community, realizing that for all of our differences we share more in common." While the inspiration was the troubling history of his hometown, the overall themes are universal--the power of honest expression, understanding, forgiveness, and acceptance is what truly connects and unifies our communities. “Real Magic, Good People” follows the release of the album’s title track, which encourages understanding each other in order to heal societal rifts. 

LISTEN: “SO LONG”  

Marston has been on a journey of self-discovery, and with the help of therapy, meditation, and cannabis, his empathic creativity comes shining through the lyrics of every song on So Long. The Credible Sources are equal parts roots rock backing band and high-flying, improv-ready aces. Truly a whole greater than the sum of its wildly capable parts, the band is known for its intricately-woven guitar parts, tight and compelling bass and drum grooves, and pure, emotive vocals, a sound that garners comparisons to The Grateful Dead, moe., Wilco, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more. 

Marston (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/lead vocals) is accompanied by George Hipp (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/dobro/ backing vocals), Natalie Valentine (backing vocals), Aaron Branson or Eric Onimus on bass, and drummer Brett Huffman. So Long also features keyboard master Matt Slocum (Allman Brothers, Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic, and more), powerhouse vocalist LaToya Matthews, and monster bass player Adrian Marmolejo (Early James and the Latest). Trombonist Chad Fisher (St. Paul and the Broken Bones), Allen Branstetter (St. Paul and the Broken Bones) on trumpet, and Gary Wheat on saxophone and clarinet bring horn-infused heat, while award-winning fiddler Adam Purvis, Niamh Tuohy (violin), Melanie Richardson-Rodgers (viola), and Patty Pillon (cello) provide cinematic strings.  

The album’s tracks explore love and devotion through the lens of attempts to salvage a challenging relationship, the processing of a painful breakup, and a patient plea for reconciliation, to pondering life’s big questions and commentary on issues of social injustice and society. Ultimately, So Long is about striving to find humanity in ourselves, our communities, and in society as a whole. Brought together by luck, fate, and destiny, this band of seasoned professionals and unproven hotshots upends stereotypes and breaks paradigms as it brings a message of love, honesty, empathy, and infinite possibility to the world, one song at a time.  

TOUR DATES 

4/20 - Awendaw Green - Awendaw, SC 

4/21 - Golden Grove Farm & Brew - Piedmont, SC 

4/22 - Willie Jewel’s - Martinez, GA 

4/23 - Bucking Goat Brewing Co. - Dallas, GA 

4/24 - Magic City Art Connection - Birmingham, AL* 

4/28 - White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR^ 

4/29 - Romie’s Grocery - Tupelo, MS 

4/30 - The Grocery Brewpub - Tuscaloosa, AL 

5/6 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL 

5/7 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL 

5/13 - Diplomat Deli - Vestavia Hills, AL 

5/14 - Sinclair's East - Montgomery, AL 

5/28 - Coastal Crust - Charleston, SC* 

6/3 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

6/4 - Workplay - Birmingham, AL [ALBUM RELEASE SHOW] 

6/24 - Diplomat Deli - Vestavia Hills, AL** 

7/1 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

8/5 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

8/13 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL** 

9/24 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL** 

10/7 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

10/9 - Mountain Brook Presbyterian - Mountain Brook, AL 

10/15 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL** 

11/4 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

11/5 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL** 

12/2 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL** 

12/10 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL** 

*Bob Marston solo show  

^w/ Joe Sundell 

**Bob Marston w/ Natalie Valentine  

OUT TODAY: SUSAN CATTANEO’S LP ALL IS QUIET

“The tenor of local singer-songwriter Susan Cattaneo’s new album, All Is Quiet, is captured perfectly by its title, and with the help of the twinned guitars of Duke Levine and Kevin Barry she wraps its lyrical reflections in a musical blanket of shimmering beauty.” - The Boston Globe

“Incredibly skilled” - Parade Magazine

“...the whole record matches mastercraft writing with intimate arrangements." - The Boston Herald

“...hauntingly beautiful album about surviving the loneliness of the pandemic and finding one's way back to a promise for the future. The all-original songs are dreamy and engagingly intimate… It's an intensely poetic journey that feels honest all the way through." -  Steve Morse, Berklee College Of Music

“...fascinatingly multifaceted musician and individual” - Boston.com

“...a beautifully crafted album that provides the promise of hope” - Americana Highways

“...one of Boston’s finest Americana songwriters” - Twangville

“Cattaneo’s silky vocals flow over delicate instrumentation, her ocean-sized depth produces songs that break your heart in the best kind of way. She reminds us that it’s in the tough times that we really find out who we are.” - Mother Church Pew

“Powerful stuff” - Last Day Deaf

LISTEN TO ALL IS QUIET :

SPOTIFY || APPLE MUSIC  

The most powerful voice in the room isn't always the loudest one.  On her new album, All is Quiet, out today, award-winning artist Susan Cattaneo sings softly and carries a big song. Nine big songs, actually. Recorded remotely in 2020, All is Quiet reflects Cattaneo’s heartache for the world, but also reveals how she rediscovered joy and resiliency through music. 

“It’s been an extraordinary and challenging time to be a musician and creative person in the world,” she explains. “For many artists and musicians, including me, those first few months of 2020 were filled with uncertainty and fear. Opportunities were canceled, collaborations were scrapped, and most importantly, momentum was lost. For the first time in her life, Cattaneo felt creatively muted. All is Quiet was the project that helped her process these feelings and in making this album, she found the joy and redemption that only music can bring.  With All Is Quiet, she explores what makes us human–how our brokenness and painful experiences make us who we are. Even diamonds begin with rough edges; it is time and pressure that make them beautiful.

WATCH: “ALL IS QUIET”

With her powerful voice, captivating melodies, and finely-crafted lyrics, Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer/songwriters. A compelling performer and vivid storyteller, her music blends folk, rock, and blues with a hint of country–call it New England Americana.

Following up on the success of her chart-topping double album The Hammer & The Heart, which charted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, yielded a #1 song on folk radio, and was a top 10 album of 2017, All is Quiet features her signature lyrical and melodic craft as she brings her mastery to a quieter place. Embracing simplicity and vulnerability, the nine songs on All is Quiet speak to the personal nature of loss, relationships, and hope for the future. The album features the beautiful guitar work of national talents Kevin Barry and Duke Levine and was co-produced with Lorne Entress. 

Critics, audiences, and fellow artists have instantly connected with the personal nature of Cattaneo’s songs. She is a three-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist, a three-time nominee for Best Americana Artist at the Boston Music Awards, and she won the 2018 CT Folk Festival. Cattaneo has been a finalist or winner at some of the country’s most prestigious songwriting and music contests including the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Philadelphia Songwriters Project,  the Wildflower Festival, the Independent Music Awards, the International Acoustic Music Awards, 5 Unsigned Only, the USA Songwriting Competition, the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. 

She has opened for or shared the stage with Bill Kirchen, Mark Erelli, David Wilcox, Rose Cousins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Livingston Taylor, Paula Cole, Huey Lewis and The News, Amy Grant, Travis Tritt, and more. Cattaneo is also an in-demand educator and collaborator. As a Songwriting Professor at the Berklee College of Music for the past 20 years, she has helped students work on over 15,000 songs in all musical genres and styles and mentored over 2,000 artists. She is also one half of the indie-folk duo called Honest Mechanik with Paul Hansen of The Grownup Noise. The duo launched their first album in July of 2020 and was nominated for Folk Act of The Year at the 2021 Boston Music Awards.

All Is Quiet is available at iTunes, Amazon Music, and Bandcamp. Be sure to follow Susan Cattaneo at the links below for the latest news and updates. 

CONNECT WITH SUSAN CATTANEO:

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || TWITTER ||  YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY 

OLIVE VOX RELEASE VIDEO FOR “MIDDLE NAME” APRIL TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

“…the pair effectively blend the thick distorted-guitar assault of Mudhoney with a trippy Ty Segall psychedelia, resulting in a sound that is simultaneously aged and ageless.” – FW Weekly

photo credit Olive Vox

“MIDDLE NAME” VIDEO: WATCH/SHARE 

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX – Psychedelic, grunge rockers Olive Vox are releasing their latest video for the single “Middle Name” today. The track is featured on their self-title EP released earlier this year.

The creation of singer-songwriter, social media creator/influencer Parker James and his brother guitarist-songwriter Caden Shea, Olive Vox have created a sound well beyond their years with influence of Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Alice In Chains as well as psychedelic influence of veterans Pink Floyd, and more current Ty Segall.

Olive Vox made their live debut in at the 2021 Levitation Festival in Austin, Texas opening for Fuzz. They will continue to tour with new dates announced in Texas beginning today (3/31) at Three Links in Dallas opening for Betcha and Arlie. In April, they will open for PUDDLE OF MUDD as well as a few dates on the Better Strangers tour. Links and details below.

BUZZ

“…a smooth groove machine of a rock ‘n’ roll tune, evoking the gloriously sludgy grunge psychedelia of Screaming Trees, Temple of the Dog and Stone Temple Pilots. Parker’s voice rings out like a young David Gilmour ‘standing by the Nile’ in 1969, while Caden’s guitars purr with the finesse of a freshly refurbished muscle car.” -Dallas Observer 

“…a sound that loves to let the distortion pedals go wild and light the feedback ablaze… nailing the thickness and rawness of what makes psych, blues and garage rock really sit well with young and older audiences alike, Olive Vox is showing plenty of promise in its early goings.” -Central Track

“For a couple of teenagers, this is pretty damn heady stuff as Olive Vox will have you thinking while you bang your head against the living room wall.” - Texas Music Monthly

“Though it’s a ridiculously overused quote pulled from a song Pete Townshend wrote for The Who, it’s applicable to say that the kids are, indeed, alright. Those of us who survived the ’90s will hear the familiar grungy warmth on the 5 songs on the band’s self-titled debut EP while Gen Z will be introduced to something that very few new bands are doing.” - The Big Takeover

“…a vintage rock n’ roll sound that’s more advanced and progressive than you’d expect from young musicians just beginning to find their traction.”  - V13

“…the pair effectively blend the thick distorted-guitar assault of Mudhoney with a trippy Ty Segall psychedelia, resulting in a sound that is simultaneously aged and ageless.” – FW Weekly

“…based on their bold sound, combining elements psychedelic and grunge elements to create something totally their own, you'd never guess they were so young.” – Sweety High

Featured on Sirius/XM “Volume West” and SPIN Magazine x Twitch takeover 

Olive Vox EP debuted at #17 on Submodern Radio Top 200 Album Chart

Specialty show radio airplay at: Q104.3 NYC, The Edge Buffalo, KROX Austin, The Point St. Louis, 91X San Diego, KJEE Santa Barbara, KRXP Colorado Springs and WCSF Joliet, IL.

ABOUT OLIVE VOX: Originally from Orange County, CA, Parker & Caden moved to Texas as pre-adolescent kids searching to fit into a new landlocked environment. During the COVID induced lockdown Parker and Caden developed their sound influenced by psychedelic indie rock, garage rock, 90s grunge and more. Their Gen Z perspective makes the music they play resonate to an audience searching for a new sound to embrace.

U.S. TOUR DATES

MAR 31 / DALLAS, TX @ Three Links

APR 1 / CEDAR PARK, TX @ Haute Spot*

APR 23 / AUSTIN, TX @ Empire Control Room^

APR 24 / FT WORTH, TX @ Tulips^

*opening for PUDDLE OF MUDD

^with Better Strangers + Caroline Carr

OLIVE VOX EP: LISTEN

KEEP UP WITH OLIVE VOX

WEBSITE || INSTAGRAM || FACEBOOK || SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE || TIKTOK ||  TWITTER

INDIE-POP DUO OSHIMA BROTHERS RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM DARK NIGHTS GOLDEN DAYS TODAY!

photo credit Oshima Brothers

DARK NIGHTS GOLDEN DAYS ALBUM: STREAM 

PORTLAND, ME. – Today, Oshima Brothers release their sophomore full length album Dark Nights Golden Days.

For their sophomore album, Oshima Brothers could have taken the safe path and stuck to the "roots-based pop sound that is infectious" (-NPR) on their well-received, 2016 self-titled debut. Instead, Sean and Jamie Oshima conceived a more ambitious, more expansive project that reflects the brothers’ wide-ranging artistic interests. On Dark Nights Golden Days (due April 1, 2022) the brothers have crafted a richly layered, genre-splicing sound that is at once retro and metro, spacious and intimate, lush and graceful. It is a set of music that invites people to dance in grocery stores as well as get lost in the wilderness.

Oshima Brothers are eager to play to live crowds again and share their Dark Nights Golden Days album due April 1, 2022. Confirmed tour dates as follows.

BUZZ

“Oshima Brothers are casting a cool spell with the vibey atmospheric of ‘Dance with Me.’ It’s a grooving, low-key tune that runs flush to their roots-pop moniker well, heavily influenced by R&B with a dash of their folksier origins… It’s breezy and charmingly vintage.” - Popmatters

“the brothers will harmonize on their original songs, which blend the sounds of contemporary folk and acoustic pop music, accompanying themselves on a variety of instruments…indie folk pop music drenched in brother harmony.” – Chicago Tribune

Live Performance on “The 207” News Center Maine and WISH-TV Indianapolis

U.S. TOUR DATES

MAY 20 / SYRACUSE, NY @ Folkus Project

MAY 28 / PETERBOROUGH, NH @ Bass Hall

JUN 26 / GREENFIELD, MA @ Green River Festival

JUL 15 / MIDDLEBURY, VT @ Festival on the Green

MORE DATES TBA….

"DANCE WITH ME" VIDEO: WATCH

KEEP UP WITH OSHIMA BROTHERS

WEBSITE || INSTAGRAM || FACEBOOK || YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY

DOPAPOD RELEASE THEIR NEW SINGLE “BLACK HOLES” + ANNOUNCE THEIR SEVENTH ALBUM DOPAPOD DUE OUT ON MAY 27TH

WITH AN ACCOMPANYING BOARD GAME + SUMMER DATES WITH GEORGE CLINTON

“The song carries a funk-forward vibe…with a sound distinct from some of the band’s more hard-hitting tracks….bassline punches through the layered instruments….syncopated guitar phrasings. The mathematically-minded group speaks in lyrics like binary code.” - Live for Live Music (on the previous single “Grow”) 

“Dopapod has named all of its albums after palindromes, and the band has an idiosyncratic, electro-jam sound that makes you move your feet.” - Westword 

“Grow” showcases the band’s staple funk-ability, highlighting their laid-back, beachy aesthetic with tight jams and polished vocals.” - JamBands 

“With an intergalactic groove punctuated by a head-nodding bassline, “Grow” features all the staples of the Dopapod sound – slick guitar, simmering cymbals, and smooth vocals.” - NYS Music

Artwork & Design: Tandem Media & Katie Reahl

LISTEN TO “Black Holes”: HERE

Progressive journeymen Dopapod have released their new single "Black Holes,” the third single offering from their forthcoming self-titled studio album. Filled with infectious grooves and layered with mind-bending lyrics the likes of, “Neurons linking, eyes are blinking, mind imprinting, thoughts keep thinking theoretically, gravitation explanation parabolic acceleration hypothetically” the track also comes equipped with an uplifting chorus that echoes, “all for one, and one for all, you’ll never fly til you learn to fall into black holes.” Keyboardist and sometimes sharer of vocal duties Eli Winderman elaborates on the message behind the music, “It’s a song about not giving up and thinking creatively to achieve the desired outcome. All for one and one for all is another concept that we try to tap into with improvising as well. The main focus is on the group to achieve moments of unity.”

The video for “Black Holes” directed by Curtis Peel draws on the ideas of space and time travel, themes ever-present in Dopapod’s music, intertwined with performance shots accentuated by colorful post-production work, capturing the essence of the band both on recordings and in the live setting. The new release comes on the heels of recent single releases "Think" and "Grow" which boast an expanding sonic range with equally holistic lyrical themes, and set in motion a compendium animated short film project created with partners Tandem Media that is being released episodically.

After nearly a decade of developing their craft, the quartet—Eli Winderman [keys, vocals], Rob Compa [guitar, vocals], Chuck Jones [bass], and Neal “Fro” Evans [drums]—consciously present albums as experiences, meant to be shared out of your speakers, on stage and now in new interactive mediums such as the film project and the tabletop game created for this new album. With musical influences that range widely from metal to jazz and americana, and drawing inspiration from artists like Medeski Martin & Wood to Pink Floyd, Dopapod has created their own hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and electronica. Their ability to access a heightened level of cosmic harmony in their music bloomed brilliantly on 2009’s Radar, and continued to blossom on the following albums Never Odd Or Even [2014] and Megagem [2017]. Along the way, fan favorites such as “Present Ghosts” (2.4 million) and "Mucho" (1.7 million) raised their hand and garnered millions of streams on Spotify, and 2019’s studio offering Emit Time arrived at acclaim from Guitar World, Relix, Glide, Jambase, and more. Simultaneously, they sold out headline gigs and repeatedly graced the bills of hallmark festivals such as Electric Forest, Summer Camp, High Sierra, and Bonnaroo, where Rolling Stone named them among the festival’s “best-kept secrets.”

The band took a year-plus hiatus to realign and re-energize before making a “soft return," which was then cut short by the pandemic. “The hiatus allowed us to redefine ourselves, and carry on with a lot of new energy. It was a restorative opportunity and helped us move forward,” says drummer Neal Evans. “We definitely came back with new energy and new intention.” The time off and forced isolation of the pandemic ushered in a laser-sharp focus on new material that included picking up the threads of a “concept catalog,” first introduced on Never Odd Or Even. The focus of this concept brought the music full circle in what would be the 11 tracks on Dopapod, the band's seventh album due out on May 27th

PRE-SAVE NEW ALBUM Dopapod : HERE

The experiential emphasis on Dopapod resulted in a deluge of new ideas that gave way to the creation of the Building a Time Machine tabletop roll-and-move board game, which is cleverly integrated into the gatefold vinyl packaging of the album. The gameplay itself is similar to Monopoly and The Game of Life, and takes players through the past and present Dopapod musical landscape as they collect pieces of their signature palindrome logo to achieve a win scenario.  To accompany the game the band is offering multiple merch bundles that include game accessories such as Meeple Pawns, Dice, Game Piece Baggies, and Dopapod themed pads and pencils for keeping score. The illustrative details and custom game mechanics reflect how carefully it was created alongside their longtime team member and former lighting designer Luke Stratton, who is now realizing his calling as a professional role-playing game and map designer. In addition to being the mastermind behind the band's game design, he also recently launched a Kickstarter for his own Dungeons & Dragons-inspired game Pirate Borg, complete with illustrated maps and a hardcover rulebook. The indie, crowd-funded game quickly reached its initial $3,000 goal and has now grossed over $132,000. He also maintains a wildly successful Patreon account under the alias Limithron where he sells additional cartography and content packs.

The game concept came to Stratton and the band during the early days of the pandemic, while streaming their regular Zoom hangout sessions online. After spitballing ideas for album artwork, the group realized they had a greater overarching journey in mind. “We got to thinking, what if we're building a time machine that allows us to go back through Dopapod’s history? In the game, each album is its own land, and every space on the board is a different song.,” says Stratton. “We came up with the infinity loop concept and portal as a way to travel through the band’s history.”

As always, there’s more to Dopapod’s vision with the union of the physical and digital elements. “It does feel like we made all these albums and made a time machine,” says Compa, “And now we’re at the new frontier, wherever we're going.”

And going they are, on the road this year introducing fans to the new music on festivals, headlining dates, and a summer tour where they will be supporting the father of funk George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

Artwork by Luke Stratton

Artwork by Luke Stratton

DOPAPOD (OUT MAY 27TH)

1. Think

2. Building A Time Machine

3. Black Holes

4. Fannie

5. Grow

6. Velcro

7. Nuff

8. Ebb and Flow

9. Make a Design

10. Happy Accident

11. Time is Funny

TOUR DATES

04/20/2022 / Sony Hall / New York, NY

04/28/2022 / Elevation 27 / Virginia Beach, VA

04/28/2022 - 05/01/2022 / Some Kind Of Jam 16 / Kempton, PA

04/29/2022 / Luckinghole Creek Brewery / Goochland, VA

05/13/2022 - 05/14/2-22 / Hookahville / Newark, OH

05/27/2022 - 05/29/2022 / Summer Camp Music Festival / Chillicothe, IL

06/15/2022 / SummerStage in Central Park / New York, NY**

06/17/2022 Beardfest / Hammonton, NJ

06/18/2022 / College Street Music Hall / New Haven, CT**

06/19/2022 / The Palladium / Worcester, MA**

06/30/2022 / Salvage Station / Asheville, NC**

07/02/2022 / The Caverns / Pelham, TN**

08/11/2022 / Mesa Amphitheater / Phoenix, AZ**

08/17/2022 / YouTube Theater / Inglewood, CA**

08/19/2022 / Mountain Winery / Saratoga, CA**

08/20/2022 / Blue Lake Casino / Blue Lake, CA**

08/21/2022 / Charles Krug Winery / Napa, CA**

** supporting George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic

KEEP UP WITH DOPAPOD

Press Assets |Website |Facebook |Instagram |Twitter |YouTube |Twitch

ERIKA LEWIS RELEASES NEW SINGLE “A THOUSAND MILES”

"A classic country heartbreaker you can dance to" - Wide Open Country  

"On her debut solo album, Lewis...trades in her blue notes for pure country. Lewis reveals a clear prettiness that much of her former work obscured, as well as formidable songwriting skills." - OffBeat Magazine  

“Down home rock & roll” - Glide Magazine  

“...able to sweep up all the sadness and pain of the human condition and bundle it up into something sweet and strangely uplifting…Taking the clear-eyed charm of Gillian Welch or Laura Cantrell and adding a cheeky twist of girl group sass” - Holler.  

"Tuba Skinny’s Erika Lewis tries her hand convincingly at Americana on this...It’s a genre exercise, just like Tuba Skinny’s take on traditional jazz, but I’ll take exercises this well executed." - My Spilt Milk    

"This feels like it was written to be a soundtrack to a period piece about mid-20th century America and we’re here for it." - Ear To The Ground  

“...light and modern take on folk while still being rooted in the traditional side of the genre” - If It’s Too Loud  

"The voice of an angel" - Beehive Candy 

Photo credit: Sarrah Danziger

LISTEN: “A THOUSAND MILES” 

Asheville-based singer-songwriter and member of beloved New Orleans collective Tuba Skinny, Erika Lewis, has unveiled “A Thousand Miles,” the latest single from her forthcoming album A Walk Around The Sun, set for release on April 29th. “‘A Thousand Miles’ was written when I first met an old lover of mine,” Lewis explains. “It encompasses the magic and possibility I was feeling at the time, the feeling that comes with new love.”  

"On "A Thousand Miles," Lewis takes us on a breezy classic country ramble, her angelic voice soaring above an easygoing waltz adorned with warm pedal steel and fiddle. Its release follows “Unsatisfied,” a song born from life in New Orleans and navigating the dynamics that come with relationships that revolve around the never-ending nightlife. Twangville said the track is “a taste of good music to come." “Unsatisfied” follows “Loser,” a song about the push and pull of romantic relationships, being willing to do anything to make them work but not really knowing what to do, and learning to move on. 

LISTEN: “UNSATISFIED”  

LISTEN: “LOSER” 

A Walk Around The Sun is a series of lyrical vignettes that examine the margins between love and loss, joy and grief, and longing and contentment. Lewis deepens her sonic palette across classic country, cosmic Americana, and dreamy indie-folk while enveloping a wide scope of roots music styles. Whether it’s through sweeping strings, pedal steel, a hybridized psych-rock guitar, or Lewis’ soaring vocals, A Walk Around The Sun takes a closer look at the connections between lovers and friends, and the effect of these relationships on the self. 

Produced by John James Tourville (The Deslondes) and recorded in Nashville at Andrija Tokic’s analog paradise The Bomb Shelter, A Walk Around the Sun features 11 all-original songs that reflect Lewis’s songwriting power across narrative and textures. 

After a health scare in 2020 that required surgery that could damage her vocal cords and effectively end Lewis’ career, friend Lani Tourville inspired her to push through and record an  album before the surgery. A Walk Around The Sun is another chapter in Lewis’ expansive songwriting and a testament to her fortitude in the face of near-overwhelming pain and doubt.  

Lewis excels at bottling sweeping, deeply relatable themes, and unraveling the human experience, all while pinpointing her place in these stories and within the world at large. Her approach as an artist and performer is informed by the years she spent cutting her teeth busking in the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter and in Europe.  

In New Orleans, Lewis joined a team of fellow street performers and friends, making traditional jazz and swing music as Tuba Skinny. Eventually, she built up the momentum to record her own material outside of the group, finding inspiration in fellow New Orleans-based musicians, and songwriters including Alynda Segarra, Kiki Cavazos, Sam Doores, Riley Downing, Meschiya Lake, and more.  

A Walk Around The Sun is now available for pre-save and pre-order, click HERE for more information. Be sure to follow Erika Lewis at the links below for the latest news.  

AUSTIN DUO BETH // JAMES RELEASE “BOY GENIUS” TODAY! FIRST SINGLE FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM GET TOGETHER DUE JUNE 3, 2022

Photo Credit: Madeline Northway

“BOY GENIUS”: STREAM

AUSTIN, TX – Blending American tradition, modern folk and hints of indie pop and rock, Austin’s Beth // James is led by the husband/wife duo of Mikaela Beth and Jordan James Burchill. They are readying their debut full length album Get Together for release June 3rd. Today, they share the first single “Boy Genius” available now. 

“Boy Genius” is about the kind of person who thinks they know everything about everything and cannot wait to tell you about it. “Unfortunately, we all probably know someone like this,” says Mikaela. “Thankfully, songwriting is there for you when you need to vent and that’s how Boy Genius came about.”

Lyrically, the story was set at a fictional bar in South Austin called “Johnny’s on the Southside”, while musically it’s inspired by Fleetwood Mac who combine insightful lyrics and vocal harmonies.

“The breezy sound and pleasant dynamic shape this delightful song, while the irony in the lyrics bring more colors to it… ‘Boy Genius’ is a beautiful embodiment of folk pop patterns, performed in a passionate and refreshing manner.” -Tonic Grain

ABOUT BETH // JAMES

Beth // James is the Austin-based husband/wife duo of Mikaela Beth and Jordan James Burchill who met at the University of North Texas’s prestigious jazz program. Both highly accomplished players, Jordan and Mikaela are deeply embedded in the Austin music scene, and have gathered a constellation of like-minded friends who contribute throughout the record. Jordan has been a collaborator of Austin psych-rockers White Denim in the past, and their shared love of jazz, great songwriting, and all things guitar proved to be a perfect fit. Their song “Lion Eyes” from the debut EP All In Life made its way into Spike Lee’s Oscar-nominated BlackKklansman.

KEEP UP WITH BETH // JAMES
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ASHLEY MYLES “DELIVERS THE GOODS” (-EARMILK) DEBUT EP TIDES OUT TODAY!

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

TIDES EP OUT NOW

STREAM

LONG ISLAND, NY – Soulful singer/songwriter Ashley Myles sings about tides, fires, and storms—all phenomena that could describe her voice on her forthcoming EP Tides, out today!

 “Myles delivers the goods with her commanding vocals that cut through the mix like a hot knife through butter.”  -EarMilk

Tides EP showcases four tracks that dive deep into the understanding that there are situations we can’t change. The soul-infused pop songs carry their own, but it’s Myles’ voice that really lifts them up. Working with co-writer and producer Rob Kleiner (Kylie Minogue, CeeLo Green) in his Los Angeles studio, Myles transformed her songs into forces of nature.

BUZZ

“anthemic…profoundly influenced by Myles’ background in musical theater/dramatic arts and passion for storytelling.” - Jazziz

“The energy of [‘Fire’] is so beautiful and the production is smart and professional which took this song to a new whole level. In twists of an airy groove, this talented artist captivates our hearts with her ethereal and explosive harmonies.” - Independent Spirits

“Heavy and deep indeed – reflected in the turbulent, dramatic nature of the music… the poignant ‘Bricks’ is the standout. Vocally, Myles delivers powerfully matching the messages in the music.” - Soulandjazzandfunk.com

 “This is R&B-soaked pop music that is reminiscent of musicians like Adele, where the vocals take center stage as the melodic and emotional drive of the song. As Myles continually comes back to the lyrical motif of “keep rolling,” there’s a sense of perseverance and encouragement that rises to the surface.” – Alchemical Records

“…super strong with vibrato in all the right places and the bluesy drawl that really fits the edge of the song, call and response never hurts in my opinion either. Great edgy track..” – Hot Lunch Music

“TIDES” SINGLE (OUT NOW)

SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

“FIRE” SINGLE (OUT NOW)

SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

KEEP UP WITH ASHLEY MYLES

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EDIE CAREY SHARES “THE CHAIN” AVAILABLE TODAY + NEW ALBUM THE VEIL DUE JUNE 3, 2022

photo credit Steve Willis

“THE CHAIN” SINGLE

LISTEN | STREAM/PURCHASE

Colorado Springs, CO - Folk/Americana singer-songwriter Edie Carey is readying her latest collection of songs for her eleventh album The Veil due June 3, 2022. Produced by Scott Wiley, the album features Grammy-nominated friend and frequent collaborator Rose Cousins and Mai Bloomfield (Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles). Throughout the twelve songs set, Carey weaves her “gentle story-telling, rich with humanity and insight.” (-Paste)

Today, she offers “The Chain,” written with her friend and fellow Colorado songwriter Megan Burtt. “The Chain” is about feeling like we are never enough in the eyes of another, that no matter what we do or try to prove, their view of us remains unchanged. It’s a song of realization, of recognition and, ultimately, of letting go.

“Edie Carey’s plaintive vocals will give you pause, and invite you into that still place where you can safely ask yourself tough questions from within a tense relationship: ‘will I ever be enough for you’?” - Americana Highways

 “You can’t quite believe how lucky you are to write a healing song with a friend in your kitchen and then get to witness the magic of it becoming something real and tangible and beyond what you could have imagined in the studio,” says Carey.

“The Chain” is the first single from her forthcoming album The Veil available June 3, 2022.

ABOUT EDIE CAREY: For the last 22 years, Carey has been working as a full-time performing songwriter, touring rigorously to promote her award-winning records, which now include Come Close, her 2002 live CD, When I Was Made (2004), Another Kind of Fire (2006), itsgonnabegreat (a 2008 collaboration with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Rose Cousins), 2010′s Bring The Sea, 2014’s award-winning ’Til The Morning: Lullabies and Songs of Comfort (a duo album with Sarah Sample), and most recently, paper rings: 8 love stories, her 2016 collection of love songs commissioned by her fans. Looking back, Carey has to wonder if she’s accidentally ended up exactly where she was supposed to be. "Carey may have started out wanting to be a doctor but she found her true calling in music. Her pop-folk songs are smart tales of love, life and longing." -Chicago Sun-Times 

KEEP UP WITH EDIE CAREY

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY| YOUTUBE 

XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES TIMELY SINGLE “WE CRY” OUT TODAY + ALBUM ORDER OUT OF CHAOS AVAILABLE MAY 6th

“WE CRY”: LISTEN/BUY 

LONDON, ENGLAND - Xander and the Peace Pirates timely and poignant second single “We Cry” is brimming with their singular specialities in sound: timeless, soulful blues-rock that can lure listeners hearts and minds into their magical musical sonic- sphere. Following in the wake of “Leave The Light On”, the new single is out today, with the 10-track album Order Out Of Chaos due for release on 6th May and available for pre-order.

“We Cry” echoes of classic tracks in its tempo, and in Keith Xander's beautifully nuanced lead vocals and guitar work, around which the band build a rich, unfolding soundscape of melody. It's no wonder 'Whispering' Bob Harris proclaimed: “This band are just awesome and take me right back to my OGWT (Old Grey Whistle Test) days,” on BBC Radio 2.

Straightaway, this track hooks the listener with its opening riff, then draws them in with its laid-back, infectious melody and sweet as honey vocals and unique lead guitar. The latter becomes even more impressive when you watch the band’s videos and witness lead singer and guitarist Keith Xander play with such expressiveness and fluidity. Keith was born without a right arm below the elbow, so plays his guitar using a prosthesis and hook with a pick attached at the end. 

As Classic Rock Magazine noted, “The novelty of frontman Keith Xander's guitar approach — he lodges a plectrum in the hook of his prosthetic arm — is soon overshadowed by this band’s convincing splice of soul, blues and country.” 

In short, Keith’s virtuosity simply rivals the best in the business, on a totally level playing field and the band’s seductive sound speaks for itself. What’s more, while the song and virtuosity are timeless, the inspiration behind the song lies very much in the present, and — as is characteristic of Xander and the Peace Pirates’ work — there are positive, inspirational, thought-provoking themes and messages.

“This song is about how, when Humans become divided within themselves, they imagine enemies that are not there,” the band explain, “They no longer see that everything is part of what they are and divide up into things that they think they know and understand.Those who are in positions of power (or at least believe they are) are often living in a tightly held illusion that they are separate from the whole. Within that illusion, they appear to use their power to create enemies and wars between innocent people who would not usually have issues with each other; only to serve their personal agendas of control and power over the masses. ‘We Cry’ expresses the struggle of all of our Human family becoming divided through this persistent illusion of separation.”

The following are just some of the choice testimonials and excellent critiques that the band has generated from the press and music industry.

The novelty of frontman Keith Xander’s guitar approach – he lodges a plectrum in the hook of his prosthetic arm – is soon overshadowed by this band’s convincing splice of soul, blues and country.” - Classic Rock Magazine, UK
 
"Xander and the Peace Pirates have done a number of concerts with us in Germany now and it has been a musical and personal pleasure to work with them. They are really very unusual but most importantly, they are very good." – Manfred Mann 
 
"Very cool. The guy plays and sings great! Hard to believe these guys are from the UK. I like it!" – Steve Lukather (TOTO) 
 
“This guy is not only inspiring but lovely too!” – Rick Allen (Def Leppard)
 
“They’re a great band with a big future for sure” – Joanne Shaw Taylor 

“LEAVE THE LIGHT ON” SINGLE 

STREAM || VIDEO

ORDER OUT OF CHAOS ( OUT 5/6/22)

PRE-ORDER

KEEP UP WITH XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES

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LOS ANGELES BAND CALLING CADENCE RELEASES “CALIFORNIA BARTENDER” SINGLE FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM OUT MAY3 ON HI-RES RECORDS

“… a sound that's as warm and diverse as the duo's native California.” - Folk n’ Rock

“Their voices are a match made in heaven, and that paired with their unique songwriting skills make Calling Cadence something truly special. All of that wrapped up in beautiful melodies that mix classic rock with country influences makes one of the best bands we’ve seen in recent times.” - The Honey Pop

”L.A. band Calling Cadence has released a new song with an old-school vibe. The band says the song “Throw My Body” was recorded without the use of any computers; the performance was captured with a vintage tape machine.”  -  KTLA (on “Throw My Body”) 

“...capturing the classic sound of Motown on record, and combining 

classic musical forms with modern lyrical narratives.” - The Indy Review 

“...it’s a smorgasbord of folk, rock, soul, punk, jazz and country with an easy-to-digest attitude and gotcha hooks. All that, coupled with the extremely high level of musicianship, 

makes the end product easily absorbed.” - The Audio Beat 

“The band casts a large net and has clearly soaked up inspiration from a disparate cross-section of some all-timers while forging their own sound that could sit comfortably next to Chris Stapleton (“Took a Chance”) or… Michael frigging Jackson (“This Time”). There’s Memphis Soul, and A.M. Gold in them hills too. A veritable smorgasbord of sonic exploration and goodness.“ - Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

CR: Michelle Shiers

LISTEN TO “CALIFORNIA BARTENDER” HERE

Los Angeles band Calling Cadence has released their fourth single, “California Bartender” — out today on hi-res records off their forthcoming self-titled LP. Fronted by Oscar Bugarin and Rae Cole, Calling Cadence is a band rooted in harmony — harmony between voices, between songwriters, between genres like rock, country and Southern soul. The result is a sound that's as warm and diverse as the duo's native California, where Oscar and Rae first crossed paths. 

“California Bartender” was written from the real-life perspective of Rae working as a bartender in Los Angeles. While the song has an uplifting summertime feeling, at its lyrical core are the very real and sometimes heartbreaking stories overhead from across the bar. This song is a window into the ups and downs of aspiring artists in Los Angeles, a city that can be unforgiving and merciless. “I love having Oscar as a bandmate because we are able to work simple jams into meaningful songs in a way that feels effortless when we align. Most of the lyrics/chords from our original improvised jam remained in the final production,” says Rae.

Calling Cadence has received support from legendary Los Angeles rock station KLOS. They were featured on the popular KLOS Friday morning Heidi & Frank show. Additional radio support has come in from Nashville's WMOT, WCNR in Charlotte, WPYA in Birmingham, WCLX in Burlington, KSYM in San Antonio. 

Calling Cadence, the band's self-titled debut album, showcases a group whose songs nod to the past while resolutely pushing forward. It's a classic-sounding record (recorded, mixed and mastered straight to analog tape) for the contemporary world. Computers were only employed for streaming prep and CD replication. Produced by David Swartz and Matt Linesch, the album is being released on their own hi-res records label. The producers and the band thought long and hard about diving into the all-analog domain but came to the conclusion that the final product would benefit in a way that digital would not allow. The 15 songs shine a light on Calling Cadence's strength as a live act, blending Oscar and Rae's entwined voices with vintage keyboards, guitar heroics and plenty of percussive and low-end stomp. Josh Adams (Norah Jones, Beck, Fruit Bats): drums, Elijah Thomson (Father John Misty, Nathaniel Rateliff): bass, and Mitchell Yoshida (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros): keyboards, round out the core band.

For Calling Cadence (whose name pays tribute to Oscar's time in the army), recording to analog tape wasn't just a production choice; it was a way of maintaining honesty with themselves and their audience. Like the classic albums that inspired Calling Cadence's layered vocal arrangements and warm, guitar-driven sound, the record is a genuine snapshot of a band on the rise. And, once again, it all comes back to harmony.

Calling Cadence will be playing at the Mint in Los Angeles on March 30.  More information can be found HERE. 

KEEP UP WITH CALLING CADENCE

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THE SULLY BAND’S DEBUT LP LET’S STRAIGHTEN IT OUT! AVAILABLE VIA BELLY UP RECORDS/BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS + DEBUTS AT #3 ON BILLBOARD’S BLUES CHART

NEW SINGLE “WHEN THE BATTLE IS OVER (FT. REBECCA JADE)” NOMINATED FOR A 2022 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARD

“Let’s Straighten It Out captures the band’s show-stopping magic…Put this slab of vinyl on the turntable — or crank up your iPhone —and get the party started.” - No Depression 

“...just plain fun. No matter your age, this is dance-around-the-living-room music.” - Twangville 

 “...one of the most ethnically diverse ensembles in San Diego” - San Diego Union-Tribune 

“...a thrilling new approach to Soul.” - Blues Blast Magazine 

“...a love letter written in album hits and deep cuts from icons who paved the way” - Blues Rock Review 

"The Sully Band doesn’t just play and sing these numbers, they own them” - The Rock Doctor 

“…a voice matured by a bucketload of life’s rich experiences; and finally earning his rightful place at the table"        - Rocking Magpie 

“...this band is firing on all cylinders….Excellent!" - Bman’s Blues Report 

"If you’re looking for a party in your ears, look no further than The Sully Band…." - Mother Church Pew 

 LISTEN: LET’S STRAIGHTEN IT OUT!  

MARCH 22, 2022 — On March 11th, San Diego’s “Best Live Band,” The Sully Band, released their debut LP Let’s Straighten It Out! via Belly Up Records/Blue Élan Records to much critical acclaim and an entry at #3 on Billboard’s Blues chart this week. The album was curated and produced by multiple GRAMMY-Award winner Chris Goldsmith. With it, Robert “Sully” Sullivan and his bluesy, nine-piece beast of a band take us on a journey through the ups, downs, and all-arounds of love by way of 10 classic ‘60s and ‘70s soul, blues, and R&B tunes.  

The band celebrated the lauded debut with a triumphant album release show at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California on March 17th, packing the legendary 600-person venue to near capacity. Special guests included Sydney Sierota of Echosmith singing a reprised version of “Cool Kids,” Rebecca Jade joining the stage for “When The Battle Is Over” and “RESPECT,” and Anthony Cullins joining for “If You Love Me Like You Say.” 

While the show was already made magical by the enthusiastic crowd and guest performances, it was also an extremely personal experience for Sully himself, as the show paid tribute to his close friend and work-wife of 25 years, Russ T Nailz, a San Diego personality, who died suddenly on March 9th while filming the show he co-hosted with Sully called “On the Air with Sully, Little Tommy & Russ T Nailz.” 

Photo by: Steve Sherman / @tsherms

The album’s “When The Battle Is Over (ft. Rebecca Jade)” written by Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John) and Jessie Hill, was nominated for a 2022 San Diego Music Award for Best R&B, Funk or Soul Song.  

Let’s Straighten It Out! also features Billy Preston’s “Nothing From Nothing” and Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher,” treasures which share the tracklist with lesser-known nuggets like “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” by Ray Charles. The title track, first recorded by Latimore in 1974, appears alongside Shuggie Otis’ “Ice Cold Daydream,” and “I Wish It Would Rain,” first made a hit by The Temptations. On “If You Love Me Like You Say,” the late Albert “Iceman” Collins is evoked by Anthony Cullins, the 20-year-old guitar sensation from Fallbrook, California.  

Anchored by GRAMMY Award-winning slayer of the bass, James East (Eric Clapton, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and many others), The Sully Band is composed of seasoned, accomplished players who hail from all over the globe. The horn section features sax-flute-harp-man Tripp Sprague (Kenny Loggins, The Little River Band, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops) and trumpet and flugelhorn player Steve Dillard (The Righteous Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd). According to Rock & Blues Muse, “This band sounds like they’ve been together for years.”

Click HERE to stream and download Let’s Straighten It Out!, and head over to the Blue Élan Records website to purchase merch and album bundles and pre-order Let’s Straighten It Out! on vinyl.

ABOUT BELLY UP RECORDS

Belly Up Records is the recording component of the legendary Belly Up concert venue, located in Solana Beach, California. Opened in 1974 with only a couple of mics and no stage, it soon became a frequent stop for legends like John Lee Hooker, Etta James, and BB King and hosted classic performances by Curtis Mayfield, George Clinton, The Neville Brothers, and Toots and The Maytals. Since then, many artists have stopped by on their way up the ladder, including No Doubt, Black Eyed Peas, Mumford and Sons, and Childish Gambino, while artist underplays at the venue in recent years include The Killers, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, Damian Marley, and even Tom Jones. And, perhaps most famously, the Rolling Stones played a private event in 2015. With over 100 live recordings in the Belly Up catalogue, The Sully Band’s Let’s Straighten It Out! is the label’s first studio release.

ABOUT BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS

At Blue Élan Records it’s about the Music, it’s about the Artist, it’s about Collaboration. Blue Élan Records is a young and fresh independent label headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 2014 by veteran entertainment attorney and music lover Kirk Pasich, his son and musician Connor Pasich, and an experienced label team, Blue Élan believes in doing things differently.

Blue Élan is the happy home of more than 20 artists, including 2-time Grammy® winner Rita Coolidge, the late Rusty Young, Soul Asylum, Grammy® nominated Colin Devlin (The Devlins), Gerry Beckley (America), outlaw country's Jesse Dayton, LA’s own Ozomatli, and self-assured newcomers like Chelsea Williams and Rod Melancon, who contribute to a full house of exciting and diverse talent across all genres. Blue Élan embraces a self-starting ingenuity and offers our artists a creative and nurturing music haven where they can continue to grow and flourish.

INTRODUCING: BOB MARSTON & THE CREDIBLE SOURCES FORTHCOMING DEBUT LP SO LONG DUE JUNE 3RD + NEW SINGLE “SO LONG” OUT TODAY

LISTEN: “SO LONG”  

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Today, Birmingham, Alabama-based band Bob Marston & the Credible Sources have announced their forthcoming debut full-length LP, due out June 3rd, with the release of its title track. Marston wrote "So Long" after reflecting on how to be a better friend, take equal responsibility for disconnection, and put in equal work for reconnection. 

"It ends with an expression of patience and love, or patient love,” Marston explains. “A call to action inviting the narrator, the subject, and the listener to realize that we often forget where these rifts came from and to explore coming together in love to heal. Coming together knowing that the solution lies among a loving community."  

The Credible Sources are equal parts roots rock backing band and high-flying, improv-ready aces. Truly a whole greater than the sum of its wildly capable parts, the band is known for its intricately-woven guitar parts, tight and compelling bass and drum grooves, and pure, emotive vocals, a sound that garners comparisons to The Grateful Dead, Wilco, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more. 

Marston (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/lead vocals) is accompanied by George Hipp (acoustic guitar/electric guitar/dobro/ backing vocals), Natalie Valentine (backing vocals), Aaron Branson or Eric Onimus on bass, and drummer Brett Huffman. So Long also features keyboard master Matt Slocum (Railroad Earth, Jimmy Herring, and more), powerhouse vocalist LaToya Matthews, and monster bass player Adrian Marmolejo (Early James and the Latest). Trombonist Chad Fisher (St. Paul and the Broken Bones), Allen Branstetter (St. Paul and the Broken Bones) on trumpet, and Gary Wheat on saxophone and clarinet bring horn-infused heat, while award-winning fiddler Adam Purvis, Niamh Tuohy (violin), Melanie Richardson-Rodgers (viola), and Patty Pillon (cello) provide cinematic strings.  

The album’s tracks explore love and devotion through the lens of attempts to salvage a challenging relationship, the processing of a painful breakup, and a patient plea for reconciliation, to pondering life’s big questions and commentary on issues of social injustice and society. Ultimately, So Long is about striving to find humanity in ourselves, our friends and lovers, our communities, and in society as a whole.  

Whether you need comfort through the depths of loss, heartache, and grief, are looking for a soundtrack to your summer, or just want to dance, you will find it in the grooves of So Long. Brought together by luck, fate, and destiny, this band of seasoned professionals and unproven hotshots upends stereotypes and breaks paradigms as it brings a message of love, honesty, empathy, and infinite possibility to the world, one song at a time.  

So Long is available for pre-order at iTunes and Bandcamp. Be sure to follow Bob Marston & the Credible Sources at the links below for all the latest news and updates. 

SO LONG TRACKLIST 

BY THE WAY 

DIAMOND A DAY 

 REAL MAGIC, GOOD PEOPLE 

RIGHT BY YOU 

PICK UP YOUR GUITAR 

SO LONG 

SUNDAYS 

LYIN’ EYES 

PICK YOU FIRST 

FAR & WIDE 

MRS. HENRY ANNOUNCES DRUNKARD’S DREAM ARTS AND MUSIC + NEW COLLABORATION WITH LEGENDARY SONGWRITER JACK TEMPCHIN

Photo by Andrew Huse

San Diego band Mrs. Henry is excited to announce their new forthcoming project with legendary songwriter Jack Tempchin that will be debuting their project live at   Drunkard's Dream Arts + Music Festival, presented by Blind Owl & Bad Vibes Good Friends at ReBru Spirits in San Diego’s Barrio Logan on April 9th, 2022. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Rollin From the Heart, an organization providing disadvantaged and at-risk youth the opportunity to participate in skateboarding, surfing, and camping in an effort to promote a more active lifestyle and encourage positive choices.

Tempchin is best known for penning some of the Eagles’ most beloved songs including “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” and co-writing “ Already Gone,” “The Girl From Yesterday,” and “It’s Your World Now.” In addition to the Eagles, Tempchin has written songs for artists such as George Jones, Glenn Campbell, Emmylou Harris, Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, and several other legendary artists and groups. 

“Jack Tempchin is our Obi-Wan,” says Blake Dean (Vocals and Bass for Mrs. Henry). “Before meeting Jack, our band Mrs. Henry was battling away through their plot, making big plans and deals to support a massive recording effort, a three-record rock opera called Hope Keep On Rising. We were in the middle of making music videos and scheduling international tours. We were also in the middle of doing a second guest-riddled 3 hour Last Waltz concert. It was there we were fortunate enough to have Jack sit in and jam with us. During a rehearsal, we ran a couple of Waltz songs and during a break, he just started quietly strumming and singing one of his originals. One by one we all gradually started joining in and picking up on his chorus and filling our own ranges to harmonize. It clicked. It was awesome. Jack said something like ‘well... I ain't Bob Dylan and you ain't The Band... But I think we've got something here.’”

Mrs. Henry is led by Dan Cervantes (Howlin Rain guitarist + Blind Owl label owner), and is rounded out by Jody Bagley (Vocals and Keyboards), Blake Dean (Vocals and Bass), and Chad Lee (Vocals and Drums).  The group was ignited by a consciousness-changing West Coast tour in 2015. Since then, Mrs. Henry has spent the last five years on the road building an unrivaled reputation for their brand of intergalactic boogie with a torrent of improvisation, and in turn, a cult following atop their already well-established individual credits (Howlin’ Rain, The Schizophonics, The Silent Comedy). Endurance is their vocation and bringing unapologetically live music into a new era is their mission. 

“A musician can play with a lot of players in his life, but it’s not how good the players are that give the band a chance to be truly great. What makes greatness is how well you fit together..isn’t it?” says Tempchin. “You can’t create this kind of magic, like love or friendship, you just have to keep living and looking until you find it. Once you find it, hang on, because you probably won’t find it again. I feel like the MRS HENRY band and I were so lucky to find each other.”  The Jack Tempchin featuring Mrs. Henry will be releasing music, a collection of original songs later this year. For a sneak peek into what’s to come watch “Waiting,” performed live HERE. 

On November 25, 1976, legendary rock group The Band called it quits, and they, along with a group of iconic friends and musicians, documented their legendary final performance at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco with the help of filmmaker Martin Scorsese. In the spirit of celebrating music and the collaborative spirit of the performance, Mrs. Henry set their sights on paying homage to that historic night by recreating it in their hometown of San Diego. 

Planning and rehearsing for the event took nearly a year, and the stress nearly broke up the band. But for Mrs. Henry, the challenge ignited a new purpose and an infectious wave of inspiration. On November 26, 2017 Mrs. Henry performed the Last Waltz in its entirety with a wonderful community of San Diego artists, along with guest performances by Pat Beers of The Schitzophonics, Brenden Dellar of Sacri Monti, Jesse Lee of The Paragraphs, Clinton Davis, Noah C Lekas and more. 

WATCH “DON’T DO IT” FROM MRS. HENRY PRESENTS THE LAST WALTZ HERE

The show was recorded and released by Blind Owl on multiple formats including a triple vinyl set, mixed by Stephen Kaye (The Growlers, Ziggy Marley), mastered by Joe Bozzi, known for his work with Last Waltz alumni Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, and housed in a high-quality LP jacket designed by artist Roy G. Biv.  The vinyl package also includes an exclusive bonus 7” featuring studio versions of “The Weight” and “Evangeline.”  The film premiered at the Oceanside Film Festival  (more details HERE),  was a part of the International Shorts Film Festival. 

Mrs. Henry will be revisiting this magical night by performing music from The Band at the Drunkard’s Dream Arts & Music Festival.  The festival will feature additional performances by celebrated groups including slick and defiant surf-rock duo Puerto, frenetic brass band Fresh Veggies Micro Brass, scuzzy garage/shoegaze outfit Feliz, and Zack Oakley of the Southern California psych giants JOY. The festival will additionally feature the work of celebrated artists and vendors including Hard To Kill Leather, Errant Gem jewelry by Rafael Rios-Mathioudakis, and Por La Mano Press by  Irie Iye and Dientes Perdidos.

KEEP UP WITH MRS. HENRY

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LOS ANGELES SINGER-SONGWRITER TEDDY GROSSMAN RELEASES HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT ALBUM SOON COME

"Grossman’s lyrics tread the classic territory of a failed love affair, while his vocals cast the track in the bruised cries and irresistible melodies of Otis Redding or Bill Withers. - Under the Radar

“It’s lushly orchestrated, adorned with strings, horns, organ, slide guitar and backing vocals. Not unlike contemporary soul men such as Curtis Harding, Benjamin Booker, Nathaniel Rateliff and Anderson East, Grossman does right by his R&B and folk heroes.” - Buzzbands LA

“With its lyrics about opening up to someone and letting the walls come down in order to give love and receive love, the song has a throwback soul sound that is sunny and hopeful. Drawing on the 60s and 70s R&B and soul music, the song carries a deep groove and sensuality. It’s also a wonderful showcase for Grossman’s silky smooth vocals."  - Glide Magazine

“Sometimes we still reach our destination even when our path veers off course. For singer-songwriter Teddy Grossman, that meant a much longer journey into seeing his dream of a debut solo album realized.” - Americana Highways

His lyrics are both relatable and personal, and his story, even at its beginnings, is worth hearing.“ - SongFacts

“The L.A.-based singer/songwriter creates soulful music with melodies that linger in listeners’ minds. “ - American Songwriter

“Teddy Grossman …...takes inspiration from the heartland folk feel of Neil Young’s Harvest for an intimate look at Grossman’s joy in finally feeling settled after a cross-country move.” - UPROXX

 Listen to Soon Come: HERE 

LA-based singer/songwriter Teddy Grossman has released his highly anticipated debut album Soon Come, which was a lifetime in the making. 

Although a lifelong music lover & maker, pursuing a career in music was put on the back burner. After a decade of his own music playing second fiddle to the life of a traveling salesman, Grossman picked up everything and moved to Los Angeles, where he soon began recording what would become, Soon Come, leaving behind his job and former life along the way.  The ever-soulful singer-songwriter emotes like a man who has been down many paths, only to arrive back definitively where he’s forever belonged. “I need to be able to look back at my life and say I gave it a real go.”  This steady perseverance, this take-no-prisoners passion of Grossman’s— it all goes a long way in explaining why the multi-talented artist has finally arrived at this moment, his moment, which comes pouring forth via his cerebral and sublimely centered songs— the sort that speak to years of hard-won wisdom and, well, maybe a bit of luck. 

With the reaction to Grossman’s  initial single offerings from the album, it looks like that  combo of luck and wisdom has come full circle.  “I had this impossible aim of following Music From Big Pink and Voodoo as the north star of this record,” Grossman explains. Part gospel and blues and rock and folk and Appalachia and soul and R&B his early singles won over fans and media alike Golden State called single “Out Of Thin Air,” “a warm glass of rye whiskey cupped in your hand while you digest your meal and watch the Lions lose another game.”  Soultracks said “‘Ready,” “showcases an artist who is more than ready to make his mark in the music world,”   and Under the Radar compared “Giving Up” to the classic soul of Bill Withers and Otis Redding, saying that the song “sports a universal pop appeal, with gospel backing vocals and a standout climactic sax solo, bringing the track to a sing-along fever pitch." The first few singles have garnered over 1 million streams and have featured on Spotify playlists such  Mellow Morning, Retro Soul, and Morning Commute, and  Apple Music playlists’  Acoustic Chill, Long Walk, Smooth Easy, Breaking R&B and New in R&B, seeing him right alongside artists like Leon Bridges, Yola, Lee Fields, Zella Day Brandi Carlile etc. 

Accompanying these stunners are some of Grossman’s most story rich songs, which were saved for the album including, “Crowned,”  a song that sprang forth from an unlikely friendship with the iconic singer-songwriter Bill Withers near the end of the legend’s life. After a chance meeting one night, in 2018, at a small Bill Withers tribute concert in Los Angeles, Grossman and longtime musical collaborator and drummer, Josh Teitelbaum, wound up going over to Withers’ house for a few inspired hangs. The song recounts Bill’s incredible life, referencing a phrase Withers kept saying as he’d run his fingers through his full head of hair during their time together - “I’m Crowned in Glory.” “Why Should I Pretend?,” probably the most personal and poignant song on the album, was first written by Grossman’s grandfather Buddy back in the 1930’s. It was recorded later that decade by jazz icon Louis Prima & his New Orleans Gang. Grossman even plays his childhood instrument, the trumpet on the song, as a tribute to his late grandfather.

“For a long time in my life, I felt this low-grade hum in the background that I wasn’t really where I was supposed to be,”says Grossman. Soon Come, then, he says, “is ultimately a record about hope, and a deep knowing that we’re gonna get there… all in good time.”

Teddy will be playing an album release show in Los Angeles at Gold Diggers on April 13. Ticket information is HERE.

Keep Up With Teddy Grossman

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ERIKA LEWIS PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “UNSATISFIED” VIA TWANGVILLE + A WALK AROUND THE SUN LP SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 29TH

"A classic country heartbreaker you can dance to" - Wide Open Country  

"Fans who know Erika Lewis as the brassy blues singer in front of Tuba Skinny have only gotten a part of the story. On her debut solo album, Lewis...trades in her blue notes for pure country. Lewis reveals a clear prettiness that much of her former work obscured, as well as formidable songwriting skills." - OffBeat Magazine  

“...able to sweep up all the sadness and pain of the human condition and bundle it up into something sweet and strangely uplifting…Taking the clear-eyed charm of Gillian Welch or Laura Cantrell and adding a cheeky twist of girl group sass” - Holler.  

"Tuba Skinny’s Erika Lewis tries her hand convincingly at Americana on this...It’s a genre exercise, just like Tuba Skinny’s take on traditional jazz, but I’ll take exercises this well executed." - My Spilt Milk    

“...light and modern take on folk while still being rooted in the traditional side of the genre” - If It’s Too Loud  

"The voice of an angel" - Beehive Candy 

Photo credit: Sarrah Danziger

LISTEN: “UNSATISFIED”  

Asheville-based singer-songwriter Erika Lewis has released “Unsatisfied,” the latest single from her forthcoming album A Walk Around The Sun, set for release on April 29th. "Although there’s a lot of fiddle and steel guitar on the album, one of my favorite songs veers into a roots rock vein with a driving beat from bass and drums,” Twangville’s Shawn Underwood said of the track. “It’s a tale of trying to manage a relationship when there’s a 24/7/365 party atmosphere all around you and Lewis manages to capture that ambiguity in her vocal delivery...a taste of good music to come." 

"'Unsatisfied' was born from life in New Orleans and navigating the dynamics that come with relationships that revolve around the never-ending nightlife," Lewis, a vocalist in beloved New Orleans collective Tuba Skinny, told Twangville. “Unsatisfied” follows “Loser,” a song about the push and pull of romantic relationships, being willing to do anything to make them work but not really knowing what to do, and learning to move on. 

LISTEN: “LOSER” 

A Walk Around The Sun is a series of lyrical vignettes that examine the margins between love and loss, joy and grief, and longing and contentment. Lewis deepens her sonic palette across classic country, cosmic Americana, and dreamy indie-folk while enveloping a wide scope of roots music styles. Whether it’s through sweeping strings, pedal steel, a hybridized psych-rock guitar, or Lewis’ soaring vocals, A Walk Around The Sun takes a closer look at the connections between lovers and friends, and the effect of these relationships on the self. 

Produced by John James Tourville (The Deslondes) and recorded in Nashville at Andrija Tokic’s analog paradise The Bomb Shelter, A Walk Around the Sun features 11 all-original songs that reflect Lewis’s songwriting power across narrative and textures. 

After a health scare in 2020 that required surgery that could damage her vocal cords and effectively end Lewis’ career, friend Lani Tourville inspired her to push through and record an  album before the surgery. A Walk Around The Sun is another chapter in Lewis’ expansive songwriting and a testament to her fortitude in the face of near-overwhelming pain and doubt.  

Lewis excels at bottling sweeping, deeply relatable themes, and unraveling the human experience, all while pinpointing her place in these stories and within the world at large. Her approach as an artist and performer is informed by the years she spent cutting her teeth busking in the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter and in Europe.  

In New Orleans, Lewis joined a team of fellow street performers and friends, making traditional jazz and swing music as Tuba Skinny. Eventually, she built up the momentum to record her own material outside of the group, finding inspiration in fellow New Orleans-based musicians, and songwriters including Alynda Segarra, Kiki Cavazos, Sam Doores, Riley Downing, Meschiya Lake, and more.  

A Walk Around The Sun is now available for pre-save and pre-order, click HERE for more information. Be sure to follow Erika Lewis at the links below for the latest news.  

MICKELSON POKES AT OUR POLITICAL AND IDEALOGICAL DIVIDE ON NEW SINGLE “A MURDER OF CROWS” OUT MARCH 11

“A MURDER OF CROWS” (OUT 3/11/22)

WATCH || PRE-SAVE 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco producer/artist Mickelson creates “American folk-rock with a post punk edge” (-Alternative Press) exemplified on his new album Known To Be Unknown available April 15, 2022.

Never one to shy away from controversial topics, Mickelson tackles content gun violence and gun control directly on the “anthemic” (- Americana U.K.)  first album single, “UNarmed American,” released in 2021, and pokes at the political and ideological divide for the second single “A Murder of Crows,” available Friday, March 11.

The song premiered earlier this week on Twangville and today V13 exclusively shares the video.

“Mickelson reflects on the discourse around masks, vaccinations, and personal freedom, set against an ominous banjo backdrop.” - Twangville

“Singer and songwriter Scott Mickelson has had a lot of thoughts and ideas developing in his head in the time since his, and everyone else’s, world changed approximately two years ago. Like all great artists, he’s taken positive inspiration from it all, all while making sure to press the record button as he sits with his guitar, reflecting and deliberating about life and living. Today, we are reaping the benefits of Mickelson’s meditations on the world, with the debut of his new music video for ‘A Murder of Crows.’” – V13

Known To Be UnKnows, his fourth solo album, will be released on April 15, 2022.

ABOUT MICKELSON: Scott Mickelson is an artist/producer from San Francisco. In 2015, he released his solo debut album Flickering that was on the Grammy ballot for “Best Folk Album” and “Best Roots Music Performance”. His follow up full-length A Wondrous Life (2018) and Drowning In An Inflatable Pool (2020) received critics praise in the U.S. and abroad which led to his first European tour in 2019. As a producer, his work includes the critically acclaimed Blanket The Homeless benefit compilation which featured Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito. Last November, he released “UNarmed American” the first video/single from the forthcoming full-length Known To Be Unknown. It premiered on Americana U.K. and led to his invitation to The Mavericks Festival in the U.K. 

BUZZ

“The combination of the layered vocals and instrumental textures, along with a tune that feels immediately familiar, is that ‘UNarmed American’ becomes anthemic.” - Americana U.K.

“Mickelson unveils his most politically charged work to date with Drowning In An Inflatable Pool. It’s an album rooted in a collective frustration about the mismanagement of our country by this current White House administration.” - American Songwriter

“this music is the balance between strong, subtle, unexpected, and sophisticated.” - Paste Magazine

 “I call it anthemic when a band or chorus hits all the notes just riht and the sound becomes bigger than it should be and Mickelson hits it often enough on this album to make it worthy of the highest of recommendations.” - No Depression  

“Flickering, a buoyant composition showcasing that Mickelson offers undeniable musical charm and instrumental dexterity.” - Glide Magazine

KEEP UP WITH MICKELSON

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