Thursday’s Bidi Bidi Party will be in honor of Selena’s birthday. Photo: Pearl, used with permission.
Pearl and Park Bar at the Food Hall at Bottling Department are excited to welcome Sound Cream Airstream back to the park to celebrate Selena’s birthday on Thursday, April 21 from 6p.m to 9p.m. Sound Cream Airstream is an “all-in-one mobile discotheque” that puts on a dance party and DJ showcase. DJ Manola Black will be spinning Selena hits, Tejano favorites, cumbia, and more in honor of the Queen of Tejano. The event is free and open to the public.
Enjoy treats from San Antonio’s first food hall, The Bottling Department, which includes the restaurants Tenko Ramen, Mi Roti, Chilaquil and Kineapple. The Food Hall offers both indoor and outdoor seating, with tableside delivery and option to use QR codes for customers seated at select outdoor tables.
Pearl Park 312 Pearl Parkway San Antonio, TX 78215
Pearl is a dynamic neighborhood built around the historic Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 1999. Located just north of downtown San Antonio on the banks of the San Antonio River, it is home to architecturally significant buildings like the brewhouse and stable—both built in 1894—and numerous plazas. Today, Pearl is home to dozens of unique culinary concepts, one-of-a-kind retail, weekend markets, residential communities, innovative office tenants, the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America, and the award-winning Hotel Emma. Pearl is a vibrant district where community gathers to play, work, and live; it is a place where things are made and celebrated with purpose and sincerity. We invite all to gather and experience the best of what San Antonio has to offer.
Izaak Opatz has a real It’s a Wonderful Life moment on new single ‘Wild-Eyed George Bailey Heebie Jeebies’ from upcoming album Extra Medium, due out April 29. 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Songwriter Izaak Opatz has a thing for words. More specifically, fitting them together in couplets and verses of wry humor, thoughtful simile, and close observation—a therapeutic process of narrating his own life that, almost as a byproduct, turns out savory nuggets of literate, confessional pop, processing life’s tough stuff into downright enjoyable musical moments. Extra Medium, Opatz’s upcoming release—out April 29 via Mama Bird Recording Co.—splits time between his native Montana, up the East Coast, and in faraway Los Angeles. (Izaak Opatz, 2022)
Montana and LA become the main characters of more than a few tunes on Extra Medium, including the freshly debuted “Wild-Eyed George Bailey Heebie Jeebies,” which was written after Opatz was suddenly dumped in Montana by a lady friend who, a couple months later in LA, refused to acknowledge their previous relationship. “She’d visited me in LA when we were dating, and the contrast in feeling between the two visits almost gave me the sense that I had gone crazy, and maybe our relationship never existed, similar to George Bailey’s experience of having never been born in It’s a Wonderful Life,” remembers Opatz. “We went for a walk in Glendale’s Forest Lawn cemetery, where a number of celebrities are buried, and only after finishing the song did I find out that James Stewart, who played George Bailey, was actually buried there!” Opatz released the tremendous, perfectly-disjointed music video for “Wild-Eyed George Bailey Heebie Jeebies,” directed by Aaron Curry. Fans can hear “Wild-Eyed George Bailey Heebie Jeebies” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Extra Medium ahead of its April 29 release right here.
Extra Medium features Opatz’s bandmates and collaborators, Malachi DeLorenzo and Dylan Rodrigue, who he met in Los Angeles while working alongside Jonny Fritz at the infamous Dad Country Leather. DeLorenzo, Rodrigue, and Opatz worked together on taking the album’s songs from demo form to the quirkily-arranged, ever-evolving final track list of Extra Medium. Utilizing varying instrumentation, creative engineering, and blends of non-traditional hooks with classic song forms, the trio creates a living, breathing work, at once familiar—borderline nostalgic—and wholly unique. Fans of country and Americana will be just as likely to enjoy Extra Medium as those who lean more indie rock or experimental, perpetuating Opatz’s hard-to-describe but easy-to-listen-to style, one that Opatz and his band have dubbed dirtwave. From the feel changes and horn stabs in the previously-released single “Chinook Wind,” to the tension of the unison melody line that opens “Wild-Eyed George Bailey Heebie Jeebies,” Opatz provides never ending excitement for adventurous listeners, windows-down fun timers, and jaded industry vets alike. If Izaak Opatz’s life outside of music was noy interesting and free-wheeling enough, a step inside of his sonic world is sure to enrapture fans and fans-to-be upon first listen.
The Heart of Texas Concert Band will be performing music composed or arranged by Robert Russell Bennett this Sunday April 10, 2022. Photo: Heart of Texas Concert Band, used with permission.
Robert Russell Bennett will always be close to the top of the most influential American musicians. His association with the greatest figures of the 20th century including Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff is well documented. The Heart of Texas Concert Bandhas scheduled a performance consisting entirely of music either composed or arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, including “Suite of Old American Dances,” “Four Preludes,” “Rose Variations,” and “The Sound of Music.” This concert will be held this Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 3p.m. at Johnson High School. (Heart of Texas Concert Band, 2022)
Admission is free, no tickets are needed. Venue is wheelchair accessible.
Johnson High School 23203 Bulverde Rd San Antonio, TX 78259
Other concerts coming up: May 8- Mother’s Day Concert In the British Isles
July 4 – “The Sounds of Freedom” With the San Antonio Chorale Society and the River City Ringers
For a mail-in contribution: HTxCB 4128 Warm Winds San Antonio, TX 78253
Mission:
To provide challenging performance opportunities for adult musicians of all ages.
To provide opportunities for qualified young musicians to enrich their musical education by playing in an adult ensemble.
To stress the importance of music as an integral part of the community culture and to actively pursue better integration and heightened awareness of the arts.
To interact in a cooperative spirit with all cultural organizations in the community.
To cooperate with the local schools and community organizations in planning all activities.
Self-described ‘yacht soul supergroup’ brings together top tier touring and studio musicians for a modern take on beloved vintage sounds. Photo: Ebunctions, used with permission.
A combination of all things funky—and a stacked list of Los Angeles’ finest, hardest working musicians—is exactly what vocalist/saxophonist Woody Mankowski envisioned when he started piecing together quarantine tunes with keyboardist/songwriter Jeff Babko for Ebunctions’ debut album This Just In. With touring sidelined in 2020, every piece of their puzzle fell miraculously into place. (Ebunctions, 2022)
Ebunctions—the band’s name stemmed from a dream in which Mankowski was a contestant on American Idol introduced by Ryan Seacrest as “Ebunctions Hef”—gathered in the studio with giddy enthusiasm running high and nailed down the ten tunes that make up This Just In. The first of which to see the light of day is the roller-rink ready, get yourself unstuck anthem, “Running In Place.” “I wrote ‘Running In Place’ on bass as a nod to Freddy Washington’s bass line on Patrice Rushen ‘Forget Me Nots’ and Cameo’s ‘Alligator Woman,’” says Babko. With bassist Ethan Farmer bringing slap bass into this millennium and horn work from Mankowski, Babko, and the additional “Hef Horns,” “Running In Place” provides a throwback straight from the late 70s to the early 80s for modern fans to nerd out to. Check out the hilariously fitting video for “Running In Place” at this linkand pre-order or pre-save This Just In ahead of its April 22 release right here.
This Just In is a fun-loving testament to the power of sharing music with friends. When Mankowski found himself “looking for his lost mojo” after being burnt out on the music business, he finally moved back to California full of devotion and dedication to a life in music, eager to make something happen. An open heart and a head full of ideas led to his connecting with Babko, which led to the creation of Ebunctions, which leads to a sense of joyfulness for anyone who puts their ears to the music. As Mankowski says it best, “I would like this music even if I wasn’t a part of it. It reminds me of happy times.”
This Just In track list: Nothing But Your Love Feast or Famine Running In Place This Ain’t Over The Real Thing One Year I Wouldn’t Change A Thing Cold Hard Truth Somebody Like You She Don’t Love Me
Dallas Ugly explores the vast reaches of three cords and the truth on their debut album Watch Me Learn, due out April 8, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
The music of Dallas Ugly shines with lustrous nostalgia on their debut album, Watch Me Learn. Built on a foundation of mellow interchanges of electric guitar and pedal steel, the rhythm and flow evoke an old-school country version of lo-fi hip hop radio. Combined with soaring fiddle and heartfelt vocals, it becomes something wholly new – a sound as unique as it is dreamy. Themes of change, loss, and growth, felt alongside the band members’ decade-long friendship, lend themselves naturally to the rolling country music vibes of their melodies and instrumentation. Together, Owen Burton, Eli Broxham, and Libby Weitnauer present a dreamy, last-call rendition of three chords and the truth. If you close your eyes, you can practically feel yourself slow dancing under the lazy orbit of a disco ball at midnight. (Dallas Ugly, 2022)
Dallas Ugly’s unique, quietly intense sound is all at once nostalgic and new, carrying an Americana torch into their own technicolor future. This group of college friends turned dedicated bandmates shared a track from their upcoming full-length debut, Watch Me Learn, out April 8, 2022. You can pre-order the album here.
The song, “Liberated No Ones,” lumbers along, ghostly, with touches of Gillian Welch-esque verses and bursts of spazzy Radiohead-sounding drum beats and violin-turned-arpeggiator fills. Watch the historically inspired video here which features footage of coal miners sourced from documentaries Steel: A Symphony of Industry, “Original Pocahontas” Coal and A Chance To Play.
The whole of Watch Me Learn—produced by Alec Spiegelman (Cuddle Magic, Ana Egge, Taylor Ashton)—explores the missed adventures and misadventures of life in one’s early twenties—mistakes being made, lessons being learned, bonds being formed and broken as one grows into the person they are meant to be. The band explores these themes with fondness and love, a gentle empathy for the inner child they have left behind. More than anything else, they explore them together. “I hope that what people take away from the album is an emotional response—take away the feeling of having just caught up with some old friends in a very intimate experience,” says Weitnauer. After all, that is what the album was to them: a way to reconnect with old friends after time apart—sharing the stories of the hardships and triumphs that led them back to each other. It is an album that in part looks back on the journeys and evolutions we make as individuals, but also looks towards the communities and people who shape our lives in equal measure.
Watch Me Learn track list: Remember When You’re Leaving Watch Me Learn Anyone New Saint-Louis Part of a Time Gold Money Liberated No Ones Fool’s Life Big Hands Ought To Miss You By Now Sleight of Hand
Unify will be out June 3 and Unify World Tour kicks off March 24, 2022. Photo: Lettuce, used with permission.
Lettuceis the greasiest, funkiest band on today’s music scene. On June 3, the GRAMMY-nominated six-piece—Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff (guitar), Erick ‘Jesus’ Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/vocals), Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom (trumpet)—will be delivering a whole host of new tunes to the world in the form of Unify, the eighth studio album from Lettuce and the third consecutive record made at Denver’s Colorado Sound Studios. It completes a loose trilogy starting with 2019’s GRAMMY-nominated Elevate, and continuing with 2020’s Resonate. Fans can expect the same tight, wildly-funky instrumentals Lettuce has been known for, but in the tightest form they have ever taken. This time around, the guys have gotten the stamp of approval from one of the genre’s most legendary icons, Mr. Bootsy Collins, himself, who can be heard singing on the track “Keep That Funk Alive.” (Lettuce, 2022)
Lettuce recently premiered “Gravy Train,” the first single from Unify, featuring a tightly evolved rhythm section, pin-point accurate horns, and a guitar-bass unison part not executed this well since Leo and George did it down in New Orleans all those years ago. “‘Gravy Train’ just has that classic Lettuce vibe,” says Smirnoff. “It’s one of those songs that’s timeless and could have shown up on any of our first albums. Give “Gravy Train” a spin right now at this link, pre-order or pre-save Unify ahead of its June 3 release right here.
Dealing with the pandemic, being in separate places, trying to survive without our best friends, without touring, not to mention the political divide in this country,” says Deitch. “We really needed to unify.” Zoidis recalls, “This album came together at a time when we were away from each other longer than we had been in years.” Although the band was able to do a lot of writing and pre-production from their respective home studios, they had not been in the same room or on the same stage together since their European tour was cut short in March 2021, so the first song on Unify captures the raw energy of a much-needed reunion at Colorado Sound Studios—though, that is not exactly where the story begins.
Beginning March 24 in St. Petersburg, Florida, Lettuce will take their brand new material out on the road, and across the pond, for the Unify World Tour. Between their U.S. leg and September’s Europe run, the band will hit some of the country’s most beloved festivals including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Sonic Bloom, and High Sierra. A full list of tour dates is below and ticket information is available online.
Catch Lettuce on tour: March 24 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live March 25 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre March 26 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel March 27 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater March 30 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall March 31 – Baltimore, MD – Sound Stage April 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl April 3 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater April 6 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Music Hall April 7 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground April 8 – Boston, MA – House of Blues April 9 – Portland, ME – State Theatre April 20 – Patchogue, NY – Blue Point Brewing April 21 – Albany, NY – Empire Live April 22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre April 23 – Washington, DC – National Cannabis Cup April 24 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony April 27 – St. Louis, MO – The Big Top April 28 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall April 29 – Jackson, MS – Duling Hall April 30 – New Orleans, LA – The Joy Theater (with Soul Rebels) May 7 – Mill Valley, CA – Mill Valley Music Festival May 26-29 – Martinsville, VA – Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival June 16-19 – Hummingbird Ranch, CO – Sonic Bloom Festival June 19 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 23-26 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival June 24-25 – Swanzey, NH – Northlands Music & Arts Festival June 30-July 3 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival August 11 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre August 12 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights August 13 – Richmond, VA – Jam Packed Craft Beer & Music Festival August 26 – Martha’s Vineyard, MA – Beach Road Weekend Festival September 20 – London, UK – Scala September 21 – Tourcoing, France – Le Grand Mix September 23 – Paris, France – Billard L’alhambra September 24 – Rouen, France – Le 106 club September 26 – Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp September 27 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Bird September 28 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso Noord September 29 – Leuven, Belgium – Het Depot September 30 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen October 2 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset October 3 – Oslo, Norway – Cosmopolite Scene October 4 – Jahanneshov, Sweden – Slaktkyrkan October 5 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Jazzklubben Nefertiti October 7 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo Club October 8 – Brno, Czechia – Groove Brno October 9 – Vienna, Austria – Club Porgy & Bess October 11 – Bern, Switzerland – Bierhübeli October 12 – Pisa, Italy – Lumiere October 13 – Rome, Italy – Monk Club October 14 – Milano, Italy – Santeria Toscana 31 October 15 – Rovereto, Italy – Auditorium Melotti October 17 – Stuttgart, Germany – Im Wizemann October 18 – Mulhouse, France – Noumatrouff October 20 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala La Nau October 21 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Caracol October 22 – Cenon, France – Le Rocher de Palmer
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys connect bluegrass past and present with Never Slow Down, due out March 25 via Smithsonian Folkways. Photo: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, used with permission.
Necessity is what brought GRAMMY-nominated, IBMA Award-winning bluegrass group The Po’ Ramblin’ Boystogether in the first place—and it is necessity that keeps them fueled today. Initially, a basic need for entertainment at an East Tennessee moonshine distillery brought the band’s original lineup together, but now, after miles and miles of touring and multiple albums recorded, their need is to continue connecting the past to the present, breaking new ground in the unknown future of the “high, lonesome sound.” The quintet symbolizes not only the tradition, legend, and lore that is bluegrass music, they possess a key trait of the ancient tones all too easily forgotten in the 21st century—rebellion. This spirit is at the center of their newest album, Never Slow Down, out March 25 on Smithsonian Folkways, which is also their first album featuring fiddler Laura Orshaw as an official member of the band. Taking on material by their heroes the Stanley Brothers, Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, George Jones, and more, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys bridge the gap between the past and present, proving the eternal importance of bluegrass and making it accessible to all. (The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, 2022)
“We know what bluegrass is. We know the history. And we respect the history. But, we’re looking to expand the boundaries of bluegrass—that’s the truth of the matter,” says The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ lead singer and mandolinist, C.J. Lewandowski. “A good song is a good song. We want to honor the past, but we also want to do our own material—to have our own sound, and to play our own way.” American Songwriter premiered the lead single “The Blues Are Close at Hand,” calling the single “high-energy” and taking note of the band’s “skilled and respectful approach to bluegrass traditions.” Fans can click here to hear “The Blues Are Close at Hand” and pre-order or pre-save Never Slow Down ahead of its March 25 release at this link.
Never Slow Down also represents the latest chapter of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys with the addition of fiddler Laura Orshaw as an official band member. Though Orshaw had made appearances on previous offerings from The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, her new full-time member status is front and center on Never Slow Down, whether it be taking the lead vocals on certain melodies or letting her intricate fiddle work shine through with its razor-sharp tone. “Having the fiddle in there really completes that signature lineup of what bluegrass music is,” Lewandowski says. “And with Laura, we’re able to open up all kinds of harmony structures, which gives each of us more opportunities to expand our palette of what we want to ultimately create and perform live.”
In signing with Smithsonian Folkways, the group has become a part of a nearly century-long legacy of musical celebration and preservation as they join the ranks of Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, Del McCoury, Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and many other innovators of previous eras of Bluegrass that have material in the label’s fabled catalog.
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are gearing up for their next, unwritten phase with an album release tour and spring festival engagements right around the corner, and carrying bluegrass into the future will always be their number one focus. “The beauty of bluegrass music is not just the tradition of it, but also its constant evolution,” Lewandowski says. “No matter what we do, we’re always going to be honoring something in some kind of way. And that because it’s just what we like to do—it’s part of every one of us in this band.”
Never Slow Down track list: Missing Her Has Never Slowed Me Down Where Grass Don’t Grow Lonesome The Blues Are Close at Hand When Are You Gonna Tell Me? Take My Ashes to the River Little Glass of Wine Ramblin’ Woman Woke Up With Tears in My Eyes Mason’s Lament Old Time Angels
Catch The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys on tour: April 9 – Bristol, VA – Bristol Spring Bluegrass Festival April 23 – Oakboro, NC – Big Lick Bluegrass Festival April 30 – Floyd, VA – Floyd Country Store May 4 – Branson, MO – Silver Dollar City May 5 – Branson, MO – Silver Dollar City May 6 – Webster, KY – The Randall Barn May 7 – Cincinnati, OH – Appalachian Festival May 26 – McClure, VA – Dr. Ralph Stanley’s Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival
Juno Award-Winner Steve Dawson makes the best out of his time with upcoming album Gone, Long Gone, out March 18, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
When 2019 turned into 2020, Canadian guitarist, composer, and seven-time Juno Award-winning musician Steve Dawsonwas as busy as he had ever been in his life—playing with his friends Matt Anderson or Birds of Chicago and helming his acclaimed Music Makers and Soul Shakers podcast, all while producing albums for a multitude of roots artists and touring under his own name. So when the pandemic hit and pulled the ripcord to slow down Dawson’s life, he took the positives with the negatives and relished in some time off to work on music that may have never seen the light of day otherwise. His flurry of activity resulted in enough solo material for three distinct albums, the first of which, Gone, Long Gone—an album focused entirely on Dawson’s songcraft—will be released on March 18. (Steve Dawson, 2022)
American Songwriter premiered “Dimes,” Gone, Long Gone’s horn-laden, funk-infused opener. With a punchy, funky guitar attack akin to Ry Cooder, “Dimes” explores the age-old idea of quality versus quantity. “I just wanted to have a nice laid-back, funky feel going on over this, and then in the middle, a 70s cop-show theme song breaks out,” says Dawson, reflecting on recording the tune which features an all-star lineup of players. Fans can hear “Dimes” now at this linkand check out the song’s lyric video, which premiered yesterday across the pond with Americana UK.Gone, Long Gone can be pre-ordered or pre-saved ahead of its March 18 release at this link.
Gone, Long Gone is Dawson’s first collection of songs since Solid States and Loose Ends came out in 2016, and features nine original cuts (mostly co-written with Alberta songwriter Matt Patershuk) and a soulful cover of The Faces’ “Ooh La La.” These new originals represent the first time Dawson has collaborated on songs with another artist, conceding that co-writing was a process that he previously found uncomfortable. Once Patershuk started firing off ideas to Steve, the ball got rolling, ideas flowed back and forth, and once the dust had settled, they had come up with a batch of new songs. The finished product proves that, as much as anything else, Steve Dawson is a singer-songwriter of the highest caliber and that Gone, Long Gone is the most realized album to be released under his own name to date.
As much as everyone has suffered through the past year, the beautiful music featured on Gone, Long Gone shows us that there is a bright side to our enforced isolation. It is not simply a record of the pandemic. These are songs with a life of their own that will resonate long after the memories of our current situation have faded.
Steve Dawson has long been recognized as one of Canada’s finest instrumentalists and record producers. He has collected seven Juno awards and 22 more nominations, was named Western Canadian Music Awards’ “Producer of the Year” three times and Canadian Folk Music Awards’ “Producer of the Year” four times with nominations too many to count between the two organizations. Dawson is the mastermind behind the popular podcast Music Makers and Soul Shakers, which has now published more than 100 episodes. His new album Gone, Long Gone is the first of three releases coming from a bountiful quarantine recording streak and is available on March 18, 2022. Phantom Threshold, a psychedelic pedal steel-driven instrumental album, is expected in July 2022.
Gone, Long Gone Track list: 1. Dimes 2. King Bennie Had His Shit Together 3. Bad Omen 4. Gone, Long Gone 5. I Just Get Lost 6. Kulaniapia Waltz 7. 6 Skeletons 8. Ooh La La 9. Cicada Sanctuary 10. Time Has Made A Fool Out Of Me
Jason Erie reconciles with country’s past and present on new album Tiny Fires, due out March 25 via Wirebird Records. Photo: Jason Erie, used with permission.
Is it okay to be proud of where one comes from even if that past is far from perfect? Can a country learn from the scars of its past and build something greater than any flawed, hand-me-down patriotism could ever summarize? According to New Jersey-born-and-raised folksinger and songwriter Jason Erie, the answer is a resounding “yes.” On Erie’s new full-length album Tiny Fires he spearheads a rebuilding effort, utilizing his signature hyper-sensory poeticism in intimate, agonizing portraits of the common man’s oft disregarded depth and frailty. Erie explores everything from modern consumerism to isolation, attempting to reconcile the imperfect realities of the U.S.A. and the flawed system passed down by its forebears. With that said, Erie’s message on Tiny Fires runs deeper than any run-of-the-mill, partisan protest record. Rather, it is an inherently unifying exposé on what it means to be human in a seemingly smoldering world and to find a home in its ashes. Tiny Fires can be pre-ordered or pre-saved ahead of its March 25 release at this link. (Jason Erie, 2022)
Over the course of 12 songs, Tiny Fires takes the listener across a sonic landscape that manages to incorporate everything from intimate acoustic ballads to raucous rock anthems—all of which showcase Erie’s unmatched versatility. Whereas producer Brett Ryan Stewart (Wirebird Productions) creates a masterful musical backdrop for the record, it is Erie’s extraordinary lyrical content and the consistency of his heart which ties the whole collection together. Where the first half of Tiny Fires is brimming with raw, dystopian hopelessness, in the latter half, the listener is greeted by a coming to terms of sorts. Erie seemingly begins taking ownership of his own role as a father, son, American, and human being. Perhaps the most obvious illustration of this empowerment comes in the song “Sins of my Father”—a marching rock track that seems equal parts anthem and dirge. It is written by the perspective of a son grappling with the troubled history of his father and his own identity within that lineage. The lyrics are deeply personal to Jason. “I’ve always been close to my dad and realize now that he worked really hard not to become his father. Thanks to that I get to say I hope to become more like him. Now that I am a father, this song serves as a reminder that trauma does not define who we are.” On another layer, the lyrics are also undoubtedly relevant to Americans forced to question their own collective history, the sins of their forefathers. It seems to beg some very important questions.
Within only a few years in Nashville, Jason has established himself as a must-know act in the renowned East Nashville Americana scene and a rising star in the Americana scene abroad. His first studio offering, The Art of Letting Go, gained widespread critical acclaim and landed the #28 slot on the Roots Music Report Americana chart. The Music Mermaid said, “The thing about Erie is that he’s not just a wildly talented musician — he’s a poet, a gut-puncher, a soul-shaker, an artist so in tune with the special ways that words can be spun. Not all singer-songwriters can do this, but somehow Erie does it all.” This sentiment is shared by anyone who has witnessed Jason’s live performances throughout his tours of the North and Southeast U.S.—as evidenced by his victory in the 2019 Eddie Owens Presents: Songwriter Shootout in Duluth, GA. Past winners of this competition include John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, Clay Cook, Jennifer Nettles, Tyler Childers, and Elliot Bronson.
First Generation American will be out April 1, 2022. Photo: Elliah Heifetz, used with permission.
“Her second tongue was English, but her first was patience,” sings Elliah Heifetz on his new single, “Living Proof”—a loving ode to his mother who, along with his father and sister, came to America in 1990 as political refugees from the Soviet Union. “Everything she did, she had to do.” This story of upbringing is typical for generations of immigrant children, but Heifetz’ tale carries a unique calling card, his unabashed love for American country and roots music. “Living Proof” embodies the hope and resilience of Heifetz’ mother with equal parts John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and Don Williams, riding a quiet half-time groove accented by sweet pedal steel guitar and true-to-life lyrics. “She was fighting for a corner of a brand new nation, and I, I’m living proof.” The first release from Heifetz’ upcoming full-length album First GenerationAmerican, fans can hear “Living Proof” now and pre-order or pre-save the album at this link. (Elliah Heifetz, 2022)
Set to be released on April 1, First Generation American finds this son of eastern European immigrants telling his most personal truths and truly confronting his life-long identity crisis. In late 2020, Heifetz connected with Grammy-nominated producer and fellow first-generation American Andrija Tokic. Flying to Nashville to track thirteen songs with Tokic at his all-analog Bomb Shelter studio, Heifetz recorded with an all-star band of legendary musicians including Dennis Crouch, Jeff Taylor, Jimmy Lester, Jack Lawrence, and JJ Tourville.
The record’s opening title track is a raucous, joyously tongue-in-cheek anthem for all children of immigrants, followed by the honeyed, heartfelt “Living Proof.” Other standouts include “Modern Man,” a rip-roaring blues rocker with a wink in its eye; “Anxiety,” a vulnerable conversation with mental illness; “Keep the Grass in the Ground,” a tonal nod to Heifetz’s late hero John Prine; and “Buzzin’,” the honky tonk shout-along he has always dreamed of leading. First Generation American blows open the door to the musical world inhabited by tour-de-forces like Tyler Childers, Waylon Payne, Joshua Ray Walker, and Margo Price.
Heifetz likes to say that on this record, he is a “tourist through country music”—paying reverent homage to the genre’s traditions while upending every old-guard, exclusionary norm he can find. It is a vital album for a hellishly turbulent time, a way to belly-laugh while we swallow the bitter reality of America’s hateful roots and complex future. And it is a perfect summary of something that has taken Heifetz down a rough road to learn: the stranger it is to listeners that he plays country music, the more right it feels. In this nation of immigrants, this patchwork quilt of a million differences, strangeness is precisely what makes you belong.
First Generation American follows the release of Heifetz’ debut EP, New Folk Songs, from which a number of songs were added to curated playlists—including TIDAL’s 2018 Best Of: Rising Folk/Country. Additionally, Dramatist Guild Foundation Fellow Heifetz has been crowned as one-to-watch as a composer and pop songwriter. In his songwriting career, Heifetz has collaborated with hit pop songwriters and producers like Freddy Wexler, Dave Kuncio, Corey Sanders, and Neff-U.
SA Examiner 