Jul 6

Jul 6 The Mallett Brothers Band: Gold Light

What does a band from Maine sound like? When you hear that a band plays “Southern Rock” you have a good idea what you’re going to get. Many artists from Texas and Oklahoma share musical qualities. Some cities have a “sound” that makes them unique such as New Orleans, Memphis, or Seattle. But Maine? The Mallett Brothers Band is from Maine and it turns out what they play is some damn fine rock n’ roll.

Gold Light is the band’s eighth studio album since they formed in 2009. All ten tracks on the self-produced record were written by Luke and Will Mallett. As for what fans can expect, singer/guitarist Luke says “We ended up picking out the songs for this record based on a rough outline of the Hero’s Journey, applied generally to the creative life, the rock and roll life or however you want to think about it. Reflecting that, there is definitely a lot of turmoil on this record, but overall it’s pretty optimistic. We’ve all needed all the joy we can get over the past year, and there’s a lot of it on here.”

Dec 3

Dec 3 Nick Dittmeier and the Sawdusters: Companion (Extended Edition)

Ryan Bush

An album combining Dittmeier’s fantastic song writing capabilities, along with grooving guitar riffs, Companion (Extended Edition) showcases an “A Side” of studio tracks recorded in 2019, while “B Side,” Alive in a Barber Shop in Southern Indiana, boasts The Sawdusters’ talents from a live viewpoint, creating a unique listening experience that encompasses the entire emotion of the sound.

“I really value having a full band to go out and do tour dates, because that's what I would like to see from other songwriters, and I love playing with other musicians. One positive about the shutdown is, we actually got to practice and micromanage things about our sound. We released some video from a live session we did in July and it captures what we were working on. On bass, I have Bob Rutherford and Josh Bradley on drums,” says Dittemeier.

Straight from the first track, “It’s Gonna Break Your Heart,” Dittmeier’s songsmith prowess comes through with a stunning flow and smoothness – with a truthfulness in his voice.

I still think about you baby / Every hour everyday / I’m still trying to kick these cigarettes / Before the baby comes in May

It’s the simple way of connecting simple words and creating an idea that Dittmeier sings with ease.

Nov 16

Nov 16 Molly Parden: Rosemary

Melissa Payne

It may feel strange to describe an album as “dreamy,” especially when it encompasses a range of emotions, to include heartbreak and loss, but here we are. Molly Parden’s newest album, Rosemary, the biggest collection of songs she’s released since her first album, Time is Medicine from 2011, was released November 13th. At times it’s a struggle to decide what’s the real shining star in this release. Is it Molly’s raw, vulnerable and honest lyrics about situations that almost any one of us can identify with? Or is it her ethereal and hypnotizing voice, drawing the listener in and keeping them there, suspended, until the album ends? Luckily, we don’t have to make a choice between the two and can instead appreciate the fact that someone who didn’t come from a musical family, somehow found herself making music, moving to Nashville in 2013 and then traveling the world as a bassist, guitarist and singer for names such as Sam Outlaw and David Ramirez.

Nov 12

Nov 12 Premiere: Jason Sinkhorn | "My Last Folk Song"

Derek Scudder

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.

Nov 5

Nov 5 Premiere: The Ransom Brothers | Part of the Show

Melissa Payne

What began as two acquaintances with shared taste in guitars and vinyl records, has now evolved into a collision of classic Southern Rock and outlaw country music. Singer/songwriter Sean McHargue and guitarist Daniel Solis have joined to form The Ransom Brothers, an Austin-based duo that blends haunting and accessible lyrics with gritty, saturated guitar tone.

They draw their influence from legends such as Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Pink Floyd, as well as modern artists like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, and Whiskey Myers. While they make a concerted effort to honor the pioneers that paved the road before them, they have every intention of going off the beaten path and creating their own image and sound as stand alone, one-of-a-kind artists.

Oct 22

Oct 22 Rachel Brooke: The Mystic Return of a Grievous Angel

Mandy Mitchell

So often in our modern age of shifting musical cannon boundaries and genre nonconformity, we hear the resounding plea for a return to simpler times and simpler songs made by purist fans and old soul hipsters wistfully clinging to a bygone era. With her newest album, The Loneliness in Me, Rachel Brooke channels a returning cosmic grievous honky tonk angel, her unembellished and commanding vocals inexplicably containing the specific sound of a haunted echo as it bounces off the baseboards of the oldest dance halls of the country music circuit.

Oct 19

Oct 19 Interview with The Jensen Sisters

Erin Elizabeth

On the list of things synonymous with Minnesota, country music isn’t exactly one of them. For The Jensen Sisters, that leaves plenty of room to blaze a trail all their own. Which is exactly what the young songwriters are doing. It was only 5 years ago sisters Kansas (17) and Kendra (20) kicked off their musical careers, performing Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman” on a whim in their high school talent show. “That was the moment. If there was ever one moment for us, that was it,” says Kendra. “It was such a natural snowball. That’s how I would describe it. We didn’t even conscientiously realize we were becoming musicians. It just kind of happened. I’m lucky that it’s never felt like something we had to push. It’s always just been something we’re behind and it keeps pulling us.”

Oct 15

Oct 15 Malin Pettersen: Wildhorse

Melissa Payne

Have you heard of Nordicana music? If you’re like me, you probably consider yourself well-versed in most things relating to the Americana music genre. However, until the recent album release of “Nordicana artists” like The Northern Belle, I confess that I’d never heard of the term. It’s a term used for artists from Scandanavian countries who are making folk and Americana music. Which brings me to Malin Petterson, the subject of this review and her new album, Wildhorse. Wildhorse is the album that you’re going to reach for on the rough days to brighten your spirits. That’s not to say that the album doesn’t have his slower, thoughtful and even sad songs, but Malin’s warm vocals are enough to bring a bit of color to any gray day.

Oct 15

Oct 15 Premiere: Tiffany Williams | Ticket to the Moon

Jolene Horihan

I immediately fell in love with the music of Tiffany Williams when I heard her January 2019 debut EP, When You Go. Her haunting, yet stunning vocals are the immediate draw, but upon more attentive listening, you are captivated by the detailed lyricism. It’s no wonder as Williams is a former English teacher and an award-winning fiction writer. Tiffany has resided in Nashville for a handful of years now, but her love for her East Kentucky roots always shines through in her writing. The generations of pride, hard work, heartache, loss and redemption shine through in everything she pens. Her most recent work from this year is remarkable and only stands to solidify her rise to the pinnacle of the Appalachian artists that are dominating the country and folk music scene as of late. Premiering today, is her latest single of 2020, Ticket to the Moon.

Oct 9

Oct 9 An Interview with Izzy Heltai

Jessie Pugh Weiss

If the goal is for a collection of songs to become a whole -- a sum of sustenance, an entirety -- Izzy Heltai accomplishes that with his debut album Father, each track serving as a stepping stone on a single path of discovery.

With arrangements by his childhood friend Micah, recorded at Sleeper Cave Records in his home state of Massachusetts and produced by Sophie Buskin, who also provides backing vocals and harmonies on the record, you get a sense of home and comfort along the way. Even without dissecting the moving lyrics and the undercurrent of growth and resolution, these are the tales of a person in bloom -- not so much the sunlit bursting of a garden bud but more the fuzzy unfurling of a woodland fern, the success of pushing up and through the ground covering that had nourished when it could have smothered.

Oct 9

Oct 9 Great Peacock: Forever Worse Better

Derek Scudder

“Don’t quit your day job” is the standard insult used by hecklers to put down performers, but the new Great Peacock record, Forever Worse Better, took shape as part of band frontman/guitarist Andrew Nelson’s day job. That job has him driving a truck delivering meat from a small farm to restaurants around the southeast. It gives him plenty of alone time which leads to inspiration for writing songs. Nelson says he would use phone apps to record lyrics and work out basic arrangements while he was on the road between deliveries. With the 2020 pandemic shutting down the live music industry, Nelson was happy to have that day job.

Oct 7

Oct 7 49 Winchester: III

Jonathan Oost

he Appalachian region of Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia has a rich tradition of country music, however it does seem like a tidal wave of talent has emerged from the region over the last seven or eight years. 49 Winchester hails from Russell County, VA (minutes from the birthplace of country music, Bristol, TN) with a sound they brand as “Appalachian Soul”. An eclectic mix of country, blues, soul, and rock n roll that blends them together effortlessly with a five piece band (Isaac Gibson- Vocals/Guitar, Bus Shelton- Guitar, Chase Chafin- Bass, Noah Patrick- Steel Guitar, Dillon Cridlin- Drums)

Oct 6

Oct 6 Laid Back Country Picker: Kingsport

Ryan Bush

That sound you hear ripping through the valley and rambling over the hill is proudly brought to you by Laid Back Country Picker and his newest album, Kingsport

A stalwart in the musically-enriched soil of Eastern Kentucky, Laid Back puts his talent to work with a combination of witty storytelling, head-bouncing rhythm, and some electric guitar work that is nothing short of precise and, sometimes, down right mesmerizing.

Released by Hickman Holler Records, the label owned by Tyler Childers, Laid Back was immersed in an unbelievable wealth of talent, including Producers David Ferguson and Kenny Miles out of The Butcher Shoppe recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, Kingsport is a testament to what happens when creative forces combine – including the album art of the one-and-only Jimbo Valentine. Backed by the likes of Hayden Miles on drums, Russ Pahl on guitars, JT Cure on bass, Jesse Wells on Fiddle/Banjo and Honey (Laid Back’s sweetie) with backing vocals, there is something that is, undeniably, the “Laid Back” sound. Oh, Shady Boggs offers his talents with vocals as well. Let’s not forget him.

Oct 1

Oct 1 Rye Davis | Cut to Tape

Kody McDowell

Some people may say that country music is dead.

At first listen, Rye Davis' most recent release, Cut to Tape, will prove that to be untrue with distinguishing vocals and powerful lyrics we can all relate to. The Kentucky native released his first album, A Story to Tell, in 2018 with great success. That album included such hits as "She'd Know" and "They All Know My Name." Davis, along with wife, creative partner and manager, Brandy co-wrote all of the songs on both the previous album and the new EP. Taylor Kropp, a long-time friend, plays a major role in this project as both producer and musician, on electric guitar. They are joined by Scott Neubert on pedal steel guitar. The new EP, Cut to Tape, is composed of five songs and takes off with "If You Wanna Rock and Roll," which embodies a high-speed honky-tonk feel with powerful dueling electric and steel guitars. Davis portrays to us the story of life on the road with its trials and tribulations that all musicians face in the name of keeping music alive and well. This song is the most autobiographical on the EP as the lyrics state "out here on the highway is the only life I know, and you ain't got time for nothing else if you wanna rock and roll."

Sep 30

Sep 30 Lyman Ellerman: Closer to Home

Jolene Horihan

Writing sad songs is what Lyman Ellerman claims to do best and I don’t typically disagree with his own assessment, except in the case of his latest album. Closer to Home, rather, is full of sentiment, camaraderie, love, faith, and hope. This album will fill your heart full of exactly what we need at a time like this: the things that matter to you most. It’s about shared experiences and realizing that pure joy comes from the simple things in life. Sometimes these are the things we often take for granted. Lyman has lived enough life to understand this and he has the lyrical prowess to put those feelings into words. This album is a tribute to those special moments and relationships that balance our life. It should be a reminder that those we surround ourselves with can have the ability to fill us up with contentment when we need it most. Not to be taken too lightly, Ellerman, in his usual fashion does tackle some difficult topics as well. Humanity and humility are always the common denominators.

Sep 24

Sep 24 Mike McClure: Looking Up

Melissa Payne

Red Dirt music legend, Mike McClure is set to release his new album, Looking Up, on Friday, September 25, 2020. The album was recorded and produced at his own Boohatch Studio in Ada, Oklahoma with partner Chrislyn Lawrence. The album is an incredible creation that represents self-renewal, almost a spiritual reawakening that has him sober and appreciative of living life in the moment. McClure and Lawrence have magnificently created a “page turner” of songs that are a representation of the past five years in the life of Mike McClure.

Sep 22

Sep 22 Brennen Leigh: Prairie Love Letter

Victoria Scott

Each of us has a story, transcribed by miles on the soles of our boots and woven by years through the sinew of our hearts. Some of us get to share our stories with friends, commiserating over crossed paths. Others, like Brennen Leigh, are talented enough to weave an entire town’s worth of stories through anecdotes of its people. Her new album Prairie Love Letter lays testament to the sweet midwestern heddles serving the loom for common threads in many of our stories. “This is a collection of songs about my childhood home: the line between Western Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota,” Leigh says. “I’ve lived away for eighteen years and been homesick every one of them.”

Sep 18

Sep 18 A Look Back: Kickin' It On the Creek 2019

Jolene Horihan

My 1750-mile solo trip to and from Kickin’ It on the Creek (KIOTC) was a journey in many senses of the word. I’m not used to traveling that far by car alone. But for something as special as this festival, I knew I had to do it. I stopped along the way there and back home to visit with and stay with dear friends that I don’t see often enough. I reluctantly, at first, but ultimately savored going off the grid for four days. I caught up with friends and acquaintances, and met some new life-long ones. It’s so refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded folks who are genuinely passionate about the music and are equally kind. So many people from all over the country have welcomed this Nebraska girl into their homes and into their circle of friends. I struggle to find the right words to express how I felt and what I experienced at Kickin’ It on the Creek. Spiritual, soul-cleansing, uninhibited, heart-warming, relaxing, safe, nurturing, kindness, family, community, and fellowship are just a handful of the words I could use in my description. I think everyone’s description would be a little different, but I know we all came away with the same satisfied feeling. If you’ve been to one of the four previous festivals, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t experienced a trip to the Wolf Pen Branch on Little Ross’ Creek, then I highly encourage you to make it a priority.

Sep 16

Sep 16 Juliet McConkey: Disappearing Girl

David Overstreet

Now for those not familiar with Juliet and her work, she was born and raised in central Virginia, deep in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Juliet McConkey has always possessed a deep understanding of nature and interpersonal relationships that only comes from a rural upbringing. That is articulated sincerely and thoughtfully in her songwriting.
Since relocating to Texas in the summer of 2018 she has entered the regional scene with nothing short of a meteoric ascent. She was the winner of the Blue Light Singer/Songwriter Competition in 2018 (which took place at the legendary venue in Lubbock, Texas). This has garnered high praise and respect from her fellow musicians in the Texas music scene. Since then she has cut her teeth performing weekly residencies at storied Texas institutions such as Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos and Riley’s Tavern in New Braunfels.

Sep 1

Sep 1 Karen Jonas: The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams

Stephanie Blackburn

On March 14, 2020, I was listening to the remarkable duo of Americana singer/songwriter Karen Jonas and guitarist/producer Tim Bray perform favorites like, “Butter” and “Country Songs” while sitting at a table with a small group at a venue outside of Fredericksburg, VA. It was the last show I attended before the live music world was flipped upside down, and I stayed until the final note fell silent. Talking to them afterward about recording and promoting their 5th album without knowing that everything would soon go dark in the industry seems like a lifetime ago. At that time, nobody could have predicted that their UK tour, as well as their SXSW showcase where they would be able to share their music with wider audiences, would be cancelled. Like so many artists, they regrouped and used live feeds from local venues to share their music with fans.