Category: Music News

Anne Elise Hastings and her Revolving Cast of Characters announces sophomore album

Unmasking A Confidence Trickster is influenced by Appalachian roots with Hastings’ New Orleans flair. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

The first track on Anne Elise Hastings and Her Revolving Cast of Characters’ new album Unmasking A Confidence Trickster gets right down to business, revealing just what it is that makes Hastings tick. “Twice Married, Twice Divorced” premiered with Folk N’ Rock, and starts off sweet enough, but quickly reveals Hastings intent to, in her words, “get to be the one to reject” the person who is continuously proven to be wrong for the song’s main character. Fans can hear “Twice Married, Twice Divorced” now at this link. The new album is available now. (Anne Elise Hastings and Her Revolving Cast of Characters, 2021)

Anne Elise Hastings and Her Revolving Cast of Characters is a New Orleans-based alt-country band. Hastings carries her characters with powerful vocals and lyrically driven music, retaining her Appalachian roots while embracing her adopted city’s sensibility. With inspirations ranging from Dolly Parton to Janis Joplin, listeners are exposed to feelings of nostalgia, heartbreak, and resentment, all backed with compelling, pan-genre musical arrangements. Over time, Hastings’ Cast of Characters has undergone many changes, but always features a roster of multifaceted musicians who can switch instruments on a dime. The current cast is composed of Hastings on vocals and rhythm guitar, Isaac Worley on drums, Dustin Dietsche on guitar, and Tristan Clark on bass. 

Unmasking A Confidence Trickster has the twang and attitude of old school country but introduces a more modern edge of Hastings and Her Revolving Cast of Characters that demonstrates their broad scope of influences. The songs of Unmasking A Confidence Trickster show a vast range in emotion and tone. One moment, Hastings will channel her Great Grandmother, telling her love story. Then, she will be taking out her anger at a heinous ex-lover or navigating the dark waters of depression. For Hastings, this collection aims to break down the image that people have created for themselves, unveiling the con artist within everyone. After all, no one is a hero. Not even the writer herself.

Unmasking A Confidence Trickster track list:
Twice Married, Twice Divorced
Missouri
Make You Care
Close Enough
Sara Jane
The Hardest Part
Jack Kerouac
Protest Song
Still Afraid
Loving You
Between My Teeth

The Wooks’ new album Flyin’ High

The Wooks’ third full length album will be out February 25, 2022. Photo: The Wooks, used with permission.

Good, stand-the-test-of-time love songs tend to come from unlikely origin stories, but until The Wooks’ founder CJ Cain wrote “Flyin’ High,” from their upcoming album of the same name, not one of them has been inspired by the crash landing of a buddy’s World War I bi-plane. The resulting tune is a story of two different couples, real folks from the small town of West Liberty, Kentucky, where Cain’s father grew up, that falls somewhere perfectly between the sound of The Band, Van Morrison, and The Wooks’ ever-evolving signature style. The official video for “Flyin’ High,” animated by Josh Clark, follows the storyline in intricate, beautiful detail. “Flyin’ High” is the first release from The Wooks’ third full-length album, Flyin High, out February 25, 2022. (The Wooks, 2021)

Rather than repeating the formal studio experiences for past albums, The Wooks—CJ Cain on guitar and vocals, Harry Clark on mandolin and vocals, George Guthrie on banjo and vocals, and Allen Cooke on Dobro—recorded Flyin’ High over two sessions in Nashville in the home studio of bluegrass guitarist Jake Stargel. As a producer, he brought an easygoing vibe as well as acoustic expertise to the project, which is the band’s first full-length album since the fall of 2018.

Inspired by the traditional as well as the unconventional, The Wooks have established a distinctive sound through original songwriting, exceptional musicianship, and outside influences ranging from jam bands to Southern rock. While their origin stories are diverse, all four members of The Wooks have forged a common bond that honors individuality and innovation. With minimal shows to road-test the material on Flyin’ High, Cooke speaks for the band when he says he is eager for fans to discover these new songs—on the album as well as the stage. “This band is definitely not a band that is set on keeping things to the way they sounded on the record,” he says. “We’re all about keeping these songs fresh and new-sounding as shows go on.”

The Wooks are ambassadors for Can’d Aid, a nationally recognized nonprofit that rallies volunteers from all walks of life to build thriving communities; through their work with Can’d Aid, they have performed and donated instruments to schools and underserved youth.

Catch The Wooks on tour in 2022:
2/24 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
2/25 – Huntington, WV – The Loud
2/26 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
3/1 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic
3/2 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick
3/4 – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall
3/5 – Nashville, TN – Station Inn
3/9 – Awendaw, SC – Awendaw Green
3/10 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House
3/12 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s St Patty’s Street Fair
3/13 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
3/16 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
3/17 – Washington DC – Pearl Street Warehouse
3/18 – Farmville, VA – North Street Press Club
3/19 – Round Hill, VA – B Chord Brewing
3/30 – Ferndale, MI – Otus Supply
4/1 – Newport, KY – Southgate Revival House
4/2 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant
4/5 – Syracuse, NY – Funk n Waffles
4/7 – New Haven, CT – Cafe Nine
4/8 – Boston, MA – The Burren
4/9 – New York, NY – Jalopy Theater
4/10 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint
4/13 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
4/14 – Lancaster, PA – Zoetropolis
4/15 – Grove City, PA – Big Rail Brewing
4/16 – Thomas, WV – The Purple Fiddle

Flyin’ High track list:
1. What The Rocks Don’t Know
2. Tennessee Girl
3. Mudfish Momma
4. New Peace Of Mind
5. Butler Hayes
6. Flyin’ High
7. Madison Chimes
8. Iron Ore Betty
9. Other Side
10. Virgil’s Prayer
11. Black and White
12. Little While

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Geneviève Racette announces bilingual LP Satellite

Québécois singer-songwriter Geneviève Racette announces her third full-length album Satellite. The bilingual LP will be available March 18. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Montreal-born and raised singer-songwriter Geneviève Racette was destined to find herself on stage and in recording studios from day one. Her mom taught her piano at home and her dad was passionate about all things music; her sister was a pianist and vocalist and her brother a guitarist and trumpet player. Racette developed a healthy love for music at home and then decided to refine those skills as an adult, and the personal and critical results have been resounding. On March 18, 2022, Racette is due to release her third full-length album, Satellite. (Geneviève Racette, 2021)

Adding to an ever-developing and highly-praised bilingual catalog, Satellite is a 9-song collection, delivering honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love. Filled with intimate vocals, lush instruments, and expressive harmonies, Racette’s new album evokes moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, and ultimately, falling in love again. Racette has shared two singles from the album thus far; the reverb-drenched, earnest longing of “Maybe” and “Les adieux,” which translates to “Farewells” in English. Fans can hear both singles now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Satellite ahead of its March 18 release right here.

In addition to the announcement of Satellite, Racette is hitting the road again in 2022. Dates in both Canada and the States have been announced, including a rescheduled opening slot for City and Colour’s sold-out Montreal show on February 13.

Catch Geneviève Racette on tour:
February 13 – Montreal – MTELUS ^
February 25 – Kansas City – Folk Alliance International Official Showcase
March 5 – Saint-Adolphe d’Howard – La Chèvre *
March 10 – Alma – La Boîte à Bleuets *
March 11 – Jonquière – Côté-Cour *
March 12 – Val-Morin – Théâtre du Marais *
March 25 – La Pocatière – La Baleine Endiablée
March 27 – Gatineau – Le Minotaure *
March 31 – Lavaltrie – Église Saint-Antoine *

* with Pelch
^ with City and Colour

Racette’s musically filled upbringing has forged her into the creative artist she is today. Continuously receiving praise for her music, she has already been nominated and received several prestigious prizes including, Emerging Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Award (2020). Geneviève is also recognized by established artists in the industry for her talents. Geneviève’s growing popularity is also noticeable on streaming platforms and web radios with her first full-length French album “Les aurores boréales” (2016).

Geneviève has an undeniable love of the stage, in 2019 she conquered over a hundred Canadian concert venues. In the last two years, Racette has broadened her performing territory, from mostly Québec venues to other Canadian provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Maritimes, as the headliner in each of the tours. She also finds time to exchange and meet with artists at a variety of music shows such as Folk Alliance International New Orleans (2020), Folk Music Ontario (2019 and 2021), and the Canadian Music Week (2019).

 

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Good Morning Bedlam’s new album Lulu

Good Morning Bedlam will release full length folk pop album Lulu on February 4, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Folk-pop storytellers Good Morning Bedlam’s shows are known for their contagious energy. With members moving about the stage—jumping and dancing with a wild playfulness—and tight soaring three-part harmonies and thumping kick-drum, they captivate their audience night after night with no intention of slowing down. On February 4, 2022, their brand new album Lulu will bring that energy to anyone and everyone who wants to hear it. (Good Morning Bedlam, 2021)

Like their highly regarded live show, just when you think you have Good Morning Bedlam pegged, they take you in another direction. “We want to surprise our audience from song to song,” says Good Morning Bedlam front man Izaak Elker. “Rather than creating our music to fit a genre, we allow it to be an outpouring of our own stories and unique sound.”

As part of Good Morning Bedlam, Elker, along with his wife Tori on bass and band co-founder Sophia Mae Beyer on fiddle, spent over 200 days playing shows to their ever-growing fanbase in 2019 before the world shut down. In February of 2021, Isaak, Sophia, and Tori returned to Carpet Booth Studios—right where they had left off tracking new songs in March 2020—to work with Zach Zurn on their third full-length record Lulu.

Good Morning Bedlam on tour:
February 4 – Saint Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar and Hall (Album release show)
February 11 – Winona, MN – Ed’s
February 12 – Aurora, IL – The Venue
February 19 – New York Mills, MN – New York Mills Cultural Center
March 12 – Appleton, WI – Poplar Hall

Good Morning Bedlam has become a staying force in the folk genre with a 200 plus show tour in 2019 before the COVID-19 shutdown, claiming the first-place title at the John Hartford Memorial Festival Band Competition, and being finalists at the NWSS Band Competition. GMB has played at festivals alongside artists such as Shakey Graves, Sam Bush, Jason Isabell, The Infamous Stringdusters, Trampled By Turtles, and others. In 2021 GMB ran a successful Kickstarter in July of 2021 for their much anticipated third full-length record ‘Lulu’ where fans from around the world pledged a total of $34,000. GMB has been featured on Bluegrass Today, Relix Magazine, State and Water, and Paste Magazine.

 

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Yonder Mountain String Band’s new album Get Yourself Outside

Get Yourself Outside will be released February 25, 2022. Photo: Yonder Mountain String Band, used with permission.

From selling out Red Rocks Amphitheatre at a time when that was unheard of for a string act, to standing at the microphone in front of tens of thousands at festivals like Bonnaroo, Yonder Mountain was the initial spark in an acoustic inferno decades ago that endures headlong into the 21st century—one burning brightly in an ongoing tidal wave movement that now includes marquee names like Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, and The Infamous Stringdusters. With their latest album, Get Yourself Outside, Colorado-based quintet Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe its place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act but also one of the most innovative, intricate groups in the live music scene—something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century. (Yonder Mountain String Band, 2021)

Coming up on their 25th anniversary as a band, Yonder Mountain String Band continues to innovate and evolve, and on February 25, 2022, will unveil Get Yourself Outside—their first studio album with new member, mandolinist Nick Piccininni. Piccininni joins Aijala, fellow founding members, bassist Ben Kaufmann and banjoist Dave Johnston, and fiddler Allie Kral who joined the band in 2015 for the band’s inspired and energized post-pandemic lineup debut. Relix premiered the first single from Get Yourself Outside, the hard-charging “Into The Fire.” Fans can hear “Into The Fire” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Get Yourself Outside before its release right here. 

In addition to the upcoming album announcement, YMSB just dropped a long list of February and March tour dates beginning with their official album release show at Denver’s newly-opened and incredibly popular Meow Wolf Convergence Station where concert-goers will experience a one-of-a-kind immersive music and art experience, before heading down to Florida, through the Southeast, and across to Texas. A full list of dates is below and ticket information is available online.

Catch Yonder Mountain String Band on tour:
1/27 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
1/28 – Seattle WA – Neptune Theatre
1/29 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
1/30 – Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo House Of Music
2/1 – Arcata, CA – Arcata Theatre
2/2 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
2/3 – Nevada City, CA – Miners Foundry Cultural Center
2/4 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
2/5 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
2/6 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum Theater
2/24 – Denver, CO – Meow Wolf Convergence Station – official album release show
2/26 – Steamboat, CO – Winter Wondergrass
2/27 – Steamboat, CO – Winter Wondergrass
3/11 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
3/12 – Immokalee, FL – Southland Bluegrass and Wilderness Festival
3/13 – Key West, FL – Parade Grounds at Fort East Martello
3/15 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
3/16 – Savannah, GA – Victory North
3/17 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Spring Reunion
3/18 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
3/19 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Bluegrass Festival
3/20 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
3/23 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
3/24 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
3/25 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
3/26 – Dallas, TX – The Studio at the Factory
4/2 – New Orleans, LA – venue TBA
4/28 – Poughkeepsie, NY – venue TBA
4/29 – Baltimore, MD – venue TBA
5/6 – Black, MT – venue TBA
5/7 – Cincinnati, OH – venue TBA
5/8 – Cincinnati, OH – venue TBA

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Yonder Mountain String Band announces spring 2022 tour dates

Tour schedule stops include Meow Wolf Denver, Charleston Bluegrass Festival, Key West, and more. Photo: Saint Rocke

Hot on the heels of the 20th-anniversary celebration of their incredibly popular and influential second studio album, Town by Town, Colorado’s beloved jam-grass pioneers Yonder Mountain String Band have just announced their tour plans for 2022. (Yonder Mountain String Band, 2021)

Kicking things off at Denver’s newly-opened and incredibly popular Meow Wolf Convergence Station on February 24 for a one-of-a-kind immersive music and art experience, the veteran band will continue into the Winter Wondergrass festival in Steamboat, Colorado. March 2022 finds YMSB crossing the Southeast to some familiar haunts and festivals and new venues alike. The run will start in St. Petersburg, Florida, before heading south to Key West and then back up the east coast to Savannah, Georgia, and Carrboro, North Carolina’s famed Cat’s Cradle. Other notable standalone shows include Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, and Austin’s other great outdoor stage at Scoot Inn. Along the way, the band will appear at a number of fan-favorite festivals, including Suwannee Spring Reunion, Charleston Bluegrass Festival, and more. A full list of these new dates is below and ticket information for each show is available online.

Catch Yonder Mountain String Band On Tour:
2/24 – Denver, CO – Meow Wolf Convergence Station
2/26 – Steamboat, CO – Winter Wondergrass
2/27 – Steamboat, CO – Winter Wondergrass
3/11 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
3/12 – Immokalee, FL – Southland Bluegrass and Wilderness Festival
3/13 – Key West, FL – Parade Grounds at Fort East Martello
3/15 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
3/16 – Savannah, GA – Victory North
3/17 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Spring Reunion
3/18 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
3/19 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Bluegrass Festival
3/20 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
3/23 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
3/24 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
3/25 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
3/26 – Dallas, TX – The Studio at the Factory

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Acclaimed polka musician Alex Meixner partners with Krause’s Café

A live music event to welcome Alex Meixner is scheduled for January 27. Photo: Krause’s Café & Biergarten, used with permission.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten is excited to announce that nationally acclaimed musician, performer, bandleader, educator, and a leading advocate of polka music, Alex Meixner, is partnering with the restaurant and venue to expand its entertainment programming and community events. (Krause’s Café & Biergarten, 2022)

“We are excited about the opportunity to work with Alex on an ongoing basis and leverage his talents and presence in the community into improved entertainment options and educational opportunities. Alex’s experience as a touring entertainer, educator and talent agent can do a lot to enhance the entertainment at Krause’s for both guests and the musicians.” – Krause’s Café & Biergarten’s owner Chris Snider

Alex Meixner is a Grammy-nominated musician with performances on more than 50 albums, including 17 where he was the bandleader or soloist. His band performs approximately 180 shows per year across the nation. Alex also devotes his time to guest speaking in lectures and hosting master classes. 

Alex Meixner, under the umbrella of his talent agency, AM Management, will be working to build the repertoire of entertainment at Krause’s, as well as creating engaging and fun community programming. His band will also be performing at Krause’s throughout the year, including sets at Maifest and Oktoberfest later this year. Alex will also have a role in coordinating a New Braunfels Citizenship Program with Krause’s, a monthly event where participants can learn about the town’s history, traditions, institutions, events, and culture. 

“I am super excited to collaborate with the team at Krause’s – they’ve established a national reputation for representing the history of New Braunfels’ German culture through food, music and gemütlichkeit.” My ideals as a musical entertainer are encapsulated in this synergy and will allow us to bring more creative offerings to downtown’s scene throughout the year.” – Alex Meixner

On Thursday, January 27 from 6p.m. – 9p.m., there will be an event at Krause’s Café to officially welcome Alex to New Braunfels with music by Terry Cavanagh & The Alpine Express featuring  performances by Alex. The event is open to the public and tickets are $5 in advance or at the door. A limited amount of VIP tables seating eight are available for $120 a table.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten is a New Braunfels historic restaurant opened in 1938 and successfully run until 1995. Today, Krause’s Café honors the previous traditions of the restaurant with the addition of a ‘Biergarten,’ live music, and more. The menu reflects New Braunfels’ German heritage as well as South Texas flavors. Over 100 beers are available on tap with local, regional, and international options. The restaurant also features cocktails and wines on tap.

Dynamic accordionist Alex Meixner mixes an array of musical styles into traditional, exuberant Central European party music, letting die-hard polka fans to enjoy the evolution and letting hipsters discover all there is to love in the innately fun genre. Solo and with his band, he has performed at major venues and festivals around the world, as well as at uncountable accordion-centric events. His virtuosic yet quirky style has made him a sought-after collaborator. He worked alongside Jack Black in the Sundance-screened, Netflix film, The Polka King and with Postmodern Jukebox on one of their viral musical mashups.

Rob Aldridge & The Proponents’ new album Mind Over Manners

Mind Over Manners will be out January 21, 2022. Photo: Rob Aldridge & The Proponents

Alabama-based rock and rollers Rob Aldridge & The Proponents leaned into a two-part strategy for their upcoming second album Mind Over Manners: speak thoughtful truths and back them up with tasteful grooves. They dodged the dreaded sophomore-slump by a mile, delivering a twelve-song collection strong enough to break through into the ranks of fellow-Alabaman contemporaries like Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit or Alabama Shakes. Mind Over Manners will be out January 21, 2022. (Rob Aldridge & the Proponents, 2021)

The Props crafted a tune both effortlessly timeless in its feel and devastatingly timely with its message. Inspired directly by the Black Lives Matter movement, Aldridge describes “Mind Over Manners” as “a response to white people who dismiss the movement based on the riots and property damage.” Aldridge adds, “It’s essentially asking white people who feel this way, ‘If you’re being honest with yourself about the history of racism in this country, how can you blame them for rioting?’” Fans can hear “Mind Over Manners” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save the full album ahead of its January 21st release right here. JamBase premiered Rob Aldridge & the Proponents’ title track from their new album, Mind Over Manners. 

For a talented band that has paid its dues, the release of Mind Over Manners should be a triumph. And it is. But it is a bittersweet triumph. In April of 2021, Proponents bassist Stone Anderson died from an accidental drug overdose. His passing shook the North Alabama music scene and of course the band. For Aldridge, it has been especially tough. He and Anderson had been tight since they were little kids. Even now, Aldridge will sometimes catch himself reaching for the phone to text Stone a new music idea or just a funny thought. As the finishing touches were being put on Mind Over Manners, Aldridge was haunted by the fact this was the last thing he had ever work with Stone on. Anderson’s death at age 27 was truly tragic, but the new album is a fitting final statement from a musician destined for bigger stages.

Mind Over Manners Track list:
Mind Over Manners
Poor Taste
Little Lou
This Time
Twisted Blanket
Beatlesque Nowhere
Want It More
Mean Grass
Explaining To Do
Devil On Sunday
Loneliest of Company
Ball of Yarn

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David Jameson announces debut album Tall Dark Pines

Tall Dark Pines will be out January 27, 2022. Photo: David Jameson

David Jameson, a former corporate consultant turned songwriter, is pleased to announce his debut album Tall Dark Pines which will be released on January 27, 2022. Produced by Duane Lundy and engineered by Lundy and Tom Hnatow, the album touches on different aspects of inspiration found through the varied and impactful chapters of Jameson’s life. Although he is often inspired by the music he discovers during his travels, David’s sound and soul remain firmly rooted in the American country and folk tradition. (David Jameson, 2021)

The album’s first single and title track “Tall Dark Pines” harkens back to the musical folklore tradition of murder ballads. A true and tragic story, a husband sets out to rebalance the scales of justice by taking matters into his own hands. Using his near-perfected detail oriented approach to songwriting, Jameson paints a vivid picture for the listener as to transport one to the deep woods in which this tragic story takes place. Inspired by the murder ballad classic “In The Pines,” “Tall Dark Pines” feels at once modern and timeless. Beloved Americana podcast Hippies & Cowboys debuted the track. Click here to preorder/pre save the album.  

David Jameson’s songs, and in particular the ones to be heard on Tall Dark Pines, mirror his life, full of stories marked by vivid imagery and a broad set of influences. The stories featured on his upcoming album are closer to home than most of his adventures. Many of the songs tell the stories of his family and community that were passed onto David during the pandemic. David brings these modern stories to life by incorporating elements of traditional American country and folk ballads of the 19th and 18th centuries as well as those of the British Isles that date back even further. This approach inspired Americana Highways to call David “a master writer and storyteller, propelling a significant folk tradition into the modern era.” 

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Lord Nelson’s new album Transmission

Lord Nelson carries their live show into the recording studio with Transmission. Photo: Lord Nelson

When it came time for Lord Nelson to get back into the studio to make a new album, the band wanted to lean into exactly what has earned them fans and thousands of streams of their songs throughout their career: a burn-down-the-house live show. The Charlottesville-based band was looking for a way to create a calling card for their boisterous live act, something that would bridge the gap between studio and performance, so they took a batch of road tested songs into the studio with a very simple goal in mind and achieved just that. The resulting album, Transmission, will be released January 21, but Lord Nelson recently shared the first track from the album. (Lord Nelson, 2021)

“Tooth and Nail” opens Transmission with a raucous groove and electric guitars every bit appropriate for the kind of lights-down, beginning of the show anticipation usually reserved for the stage. “Navigating this world is a full time job and the person we become may be sometimes far removed from the vision we had when we set out on this journey,” say the band’s members about “Tooth and Nail.” “Own your disasters and keep moving.” Watch the video for “Tooth and Nail” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Transmission ahead of its January 21 release here. 

For the first time, this Lord Nelson record features three writers and vocalists, with brothers Henry and Calloway Jones contributing to Kai Crowe-Getty’s set of songs. Rounding out the group are Andrew Hollifield and Niko Cventanovich on bass, Johnny Stubblefield on drums, and Dave Pinto on pedal steel and harmonica. The collection of songs marks a wide range of stories and characters, but there is a creeping lightness that settles around the edges of what could be darker themes in other hands. From car crashes, murder, bank robberies, devotion, trucks in lakes, drug busts, and relationships, to hope, triumph, and overcoming the odds, this record engages a wide view of the human experience.

Using a converted barn to track the record, guitarist Calloway Jones and collaborator Ivan Barry engineered two sessions across a few weeks, and the bones of an album were fitted into a suit. Lord Nelson initially worked to move through recording quickly as to release Transmission and get back on the road. Like the rest of the world, those plans came to a sudden halt with the pandemic. The band wondered, “Does the world need this music now? Will it ever see the light of day?” But finishing vocals in blanket forts, tracking guitars in an old farm house, and sending the sessions to friends to record parts enabled this process to grow and change slightly with the enforced break from touring. It allowed the band to pause and take in the songs and choices with a bit more thought. It changed the work and brought a reexamination. Ultimately, this record intends to bring people together—to dance, sing in the car, hum along, crank up on the stereo, and to stop taking life too seriously for a few minutes.

Transmission Track list:
Tooth and Nail
Hell or High Water
Country Desperation
Drag Me Down
Putting in the Time
Broken Part
Rolling Stoned
Cheap Red Wine
Let It Ride
Burn It Down
Julia