Jul 3

Jul 3 Review- An Americana Odyssey: Tommy Prine’s 'This Far South' Takes Him From the Shadows to the Stage

Tommy Prine’s highly anticipated debut album This Far South has been on its own in the wild a mere week, but is steadily making a name for itself as one of the most refreshingly individualistic releases the Americana genre has produced in some time. This Far South melds Tommy’s creative lyrical heritage with a rockin’ sensibility born of ‘90’s grunge and thoughtful notes of graven imagery, resulting in an intriguing and somewhat unexpected track by track journey into Tommy’s personal evolution from the free living son of the Great John Prine, to a stand alone musician in his own right - out of the shadows and onto the stage with gusto.

Dec 22

Dec 22 Ruston Kelly: Shape & Destroy

Phillip Ring

This year has been a mess, but a hallmark year for records. I could name five without blinking that I believe are forever records. I can name one that broke my heart, and changed something in me. Ruston Kelly’s Shape and Destroy. This album was released earlier this year, but better late than never.

I came into this record as a fan. I’m exactly who an artist like Ruston Kelly hits: someone raised on traditional music, with a taste for the more eccentric punk/emo tracks. When you add those things together you’d think you get something that’s pretentious, without direction, and confused about what it wants to be. This is not that, this is something that is made to reach down your throat, close its hand around your heart and pull it out while you watch. It’s painful, but it’s supposed to be. It’s voyeuristic as an artistic choice. It’s personal by design.

Dec 17

Dec 17 Favorite Albums of 2020

The Amp Staff

Last year seemed like a banner year for releases, but the buzz for 2020 albums, tours and festivals had everyone thrilled for what was to come. No one imagined that all of that would come to a screeching halt in Mid-March when a global pandemic struck. A devastating blow to the performing arts community among so many other small businesses, the education system and the healthcare community. Many musicians had just released or were nearing release dates for their music, but were left unable to tour in support of it. Some chose to delay their releases and others forged on and released albums, EPs and singles anyway. I have a great deal of respect for those that took a gamble and provided us with one of the most important things to help get us through this difficult period. The power of music has continued to bring us together when we can’t join each other like we normally would. Thankfully, social media has allowed the artists to perform livestreams or even just promote their art. It’s allowed the fans to share music and continue to discuss and analyze it. Here at the Amp, we’ve made our own individual lists of our favorite three albums this year to share with our readers. We hope that you’ve listened to some of these amazing artists and their albums, but if not, we hope that you’ll at least give them a listen and perhaps find some new favorites.