All tagged Kentucky Artists
Unabashed about tackling new challenges within the bustling realm of musical genres, Josh Mitcham continues to grow his impressive catalog of creative successes without hesitation. Plucked fresh-from-the-vine today, the Kentuckian has released his premiere single “Liar, Liar,” from the forth-coming album, Color Shift, set to drop for ears everywhere on March 1st.
Abby Hamilton releases her debut album, #1 Zookeeper (of The San Diego Zoo), October 13 via Blue Gown Records. Across ten venerable tracks; Abby Hamilton jumpstarts your heart and breathes new life into your soul. She recounts personal experiences with a universal relatability, all over an enthralling blend of folk and indie rock. Abby Hamilton is pure unadulterated musical heroin.
Deep in the hills of Appalachia lies a little town on the Kentucky/Tennessee border that bears the name Pineville. At first look you might wonder what’s so special about Pineville? Or what is special about Bell County in general? Well, let me be the one to tell you. Laurel Cove Music Festival, that’s what. This is one of the greatest venues in the great state of Kentucky. Nobody sets the stage more beautifully and no other venue I have yet visited has had the incredible seating arrangements that the cove offers. Just before the main stage is a beautiful little pond that stretches across the entirety of the stage separating fans from pickers and creating some great photo opportunities of musicians and announcers' reflections in the water. While there, I heard someone refer to this spot as “the Red Rocks of Appalachia” and that has been how I mostly describe it when speaking in person. Among the many great venues and festivals in the Bluegrass state, this one stands out for its incredible display of staging and the lineup. Driving to Pineville was quite a treat as well. My wife and I were lucky enough to stay with some friends at a cabin up the hill from the festival grounds and if you are able to drive over the mountain at Pine Mountain State Park, you absolutely should. There are breath-taking views that will nicely accompany the sounds that you may find at Laurel Cove Music Festival.
Like the creeks that run and tributaries that trickle throughout singer-songwriter Ian Noe’s homelands in Eastern Kentucky, water flows throughout his new LP. Thoughtfully and intentionally named, River Fools and Mountain Saints highlights Noe’s storytelling prowess through 12 country rockers and Appalachian ballads, depicting contemporary and historical life in the region.
Water’s in the name, of course — River Fools and Mountain Saints, which is due out March 25 via Thirty Tigers — but water also informs the tales Noe tells and the metaphors of perseverance, sustenance, and strength within them. The major floods that decimated the southeastern part of the state in February 2020 remained close at heart during his writing process, as well.
The album title came to Noe before any of the songs, serving as a concept and a guiding principle. “That landscape and that geography of growing up in Lee County, Kentucky,” he begins, “I've got so much material of things that I can write about, of stories of all these people and just life in general of growing up there.
“You think about the river? It's down here. It’s low. And then you got the mountains up high. You've got everything in this way! You can go all over the place with that type of landscape, and that's how [the writing] starts.”
The Lake Cumberland Region in Somerset, Kentucky comes alive every summer - for nearly three decades - to host the area’s premiere music festival. The Master Musicians Festival reins in 3,000 – 6,000 attendees each. Their 28th year blew those numbers out of the water with a record breaking 7,500 attendees in 2021. The Master Musicians Festival features some of the most sought-after national acts to headline each year, not to mention its importance on highlighting the talents of regional and local acts.
When it comes to music being made by Kentuckians, most think of bluegrass or country. But even though Sean Whiting was raised along the Country Music Highway (Route 23), he is turning that narrative on its head. With bold vocals backed by a bluesy and hard-driving rock sound, Sean Whiting and the Big Badness are making a name for themselves all over the Appalachian region and beyond. Immense guitar tones and powerful drums compliment Whiting’s strong and smooth vocals. Their sound draws influence from mid-late 20th century classic rock combined with a little swampy soul and blues. The combination makes for an electric stage presence and captivating live show.
Soul-driven and home-crafted with master precision, Eric Bolander is quickly becoming a glowing jar of foothill muse. With his latest collection, Can’t Get There From Here, Bolander offers an alluring peek into his beautiful spellbook, behind a 12-track collection of gritty bliss.
“The Wind was an album that, for the first time, I felt it sounded like me and what I wanted a complete album to be,” stated Bolander, referencing his 2019 release. “The new album is about taking chances and pushing boundaries from within myself. I wanted these songs to move the listener through a journey that they, themselves, find on their own; I’m just the tour guide leading them through this space that is inside my mind.”
It’s the smooth, warm blade engrained in Bolander’s voice, along with the expert instrumentation from the band – elements that are paramount throughout each piece – that serve as hardened-proof that Bolander is continuing to grow his sound and prowess at a magical rate.
Like so many other artists, Jason Sinkhorn thought 2020 was going to be a big year for his career. He says, “I thought it was going to be my year in the sense that I’d be playing live more, being more social with my music, revamping old songs and introducing new songs live. I was just gonna go for it.” The songs for the next project that he was considering had already written by January or February. Those were songs he was taking to multi-instrumentalist and producer Severn Edmondson and everything was all done for the new project except to actually do it. Then March happened.
