Category: Music News

Krause’s Café & Biergarten welcomes summer with free live music

The New Braunfels-based restaurant will host an array of live bands in June. Photo: Krause’s Café & Biergarten, used with permission.

Krause’s Café & Biergarten is hosting a variety of live music throughout June including The Dirty River Jazz Band (June 11), crowd favorite the Lederhosen Junkies (June 19), Reggae Festival featuring Mighty Mystic and Jah Sun & The Rising Tide (June 24), Julian Escobedo (June 26), and more. Below is a condensed list of exciting June happenings at Krause’s Café & Biergarten. A full list of upcoming events is available online. (Krause’s Café & Biergarten, 2021)

The Dirty River Jazz Band – Friday, June 11
The Dirty River Jazz Band brings their swinging sounds of New Orleans Jazz back to Krause’s Café. The show starts at 7p.m. Guests can enjoy German-inspired fare from Krause’s full food and drink menu while listening to this eclectic band’s toe tapping sound. This event is free and open to the public.

Rochelle & The Sidewinders – Friday, June 18
Rochelle & The Sidewinders is an award-winning, high-energy blues band based out of Austin Texas, and will rock the Krause’s Biergarten at 7p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Lederhosen Junkies – Saturday, June 19
Enjoy live music all day with New Braunfels favorite the Lederhosen Junkies, this dynamic accordionist will take the stage at 2p.m. Stay for the day and enjoy an evening performance by the Off The Grid Band at 6p.m. This high-energy band plays a variety of music styles including country, classic rock, Cajun, and zydeco. This event is free and open to the public.

Reggae Festival – Thursday, June 24
Krause’s Café & Biergarten is proud to host Reggae Festival featuring Mighty Mystic and Jah Sun & The Rising Tide. Mighty Mystic will groove audiences with their universal sounds and bring good vibes to the stage from 4:30p.m. to 6:30p.m. Enjoy the celebrated sound of California Reggae artist Jah Sun & The Rising Tide from 7p.m. to 10p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Soul Sessions – Friday, June 25
Guests are invited to experience the funky fresh sounds of Soul Sessions, a unique group of Central Texas’ top R&B, Soul, and Funk musicians taking the Krause’s stage at 7p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Julian Escobedo – Saturday, June 26
Julian Escobedo will headline the Krause’s stage at 7p.m. He is best known for his 11 year run playing bass, singing background, writing and arranging for Grammy Award winning Tejano/Country star, Emilio Navaira. This event is free and open to the public.

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 70 beers are available on tap with local, regional, and international options. The restaurant also features cocktails and wines on tap. Krause’s Café is located at 186 S Castell Ave, New Braunfels, TX 78130, next to the popular New Braunfels Farmers Market.

Jah Sun & The Rising Tide. Courtesy photo

New album release: Parallax – Awaken

The full length album Awaken from Parallax is available now on all streaming platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Hailing from the Air Capitol, Wichita Kansas, Parallax is here to disrupt traditional sound of modern heavy metal with their distinctive mashup of chaotic yet atmospheric Groove, Hardcore, Tech, Death, Alternative, and Nu-Metal. Their newest release Awaken, is a concept album about one’s descent into evil and madness. The character finds himself infected with a demonic parasite that brings about the destruction of planet Earth. The full length album was self-produced, recorded, and mixed by guitarist Jason Catlett and Parallax at Magnitude Creative Recording Studio in Wichita, Kansas while mastering duties were handled by legendary mastering engineer, Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New York. Alan is known for his work with the bands Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, Converge, and Mastodon. (Parallax, 2021)

** Parallax has just announced a brand new live show date. They will be playing at The Cotillion in Wichita, KS on Thursday August 26 supporting Trivium along with Revisionist. Tickets are on sale now here.

The band will follow up the December 2020 release of Awaken’s heavily streamed lead off track “Hands” with the premiere of their anticipated music video for the official second single, “Esoteric” on July 30, 2021. The full length album, Awaken from Parallax is available now on all streaming platforms.

Since forming in December 2015, Parallax has released 3 EPs, including 2016’s In The Path Of A Cannibalistic Galaxy and 2018’s Disease & Disposition. In late 2019 the band signed with Fine Swine Records and began working on their newest album, Awaken.

Awaken Track listing:
1. Awaken (03:03)
2. Descent (03:12)
3. Sleep (04:19)
4. Solstice (03:07)
5. Blood Moon (04:05)
6. Hands (03:03)
7. Symbiotic (03:03)
8. Esoteric (04:19)

Parallax is:
Nick Hale – Vocals
Jason Catlett – Guitar
Mike Reed – Bass/Vocals
Clayton Gossett – Drums/Vocals

Parallax – Hands

David Ferguson to release ‘Nashville No More’ on Fat Possum Records

Legendary producer David Ferguson steps out of the control room and up to the microphone to make his own album Nashville No More. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

David Ferguson’s name frequently comes up when one starts to dig into who is behind Nashville’s most revered recordings of the last 40 years. A Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, studio owner, video game soundtrack composer, and collaborator with the likes of Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Sturgill Simpson, there is one title Ferguson has never been called until now – a recording artist. That is all about to change with his upcoming, star-studded release on Fat Possum Records, Nashville No More. Out September 3, Nashville No More finds Ferguson—better known around town as “Fergie”—exiting the control room and entering the spotlight with a self-produced, ten-song collection that will erase any doubt about his lack of history as the name on the marquee. (Fat Possum Records, 2021)

This is no greenhorn debut album, but a long-marinated and much-awaited reveal of a warm and familiar voice of a generation. Fans were recently treated to the first track from Nashville No More, the sweet fiddle and steel waltz of “Knocking Around Nashville.” The Pat McLaughlin-penned song has swirled around in Ferguson’s mind for a couple of decades now. “I’ve known this song since I recorded the first demo on it in the mid-90s,” he says. After his famed studio, The Butcher Shoppe, closed in 2020 when the entire property was sold, the weight of the song grew in Ferguson. “It just seems to become more relevant with every day that passes.” Fans can hear “Knocking Around Nashville” now at this link and can pre-order or pre-save Nashville No More ahead of its September 3 release right here.

The company Ferguson keeps on Nashville No More speaks much more highly of him than written words in promo materials can. Bluegrass power couple Sierra Hull and Justin Moses lend their voice and instrumental prowess to album closer “Hard Times Come Again No More” and reigning Americana queen Margo Price jumps in on the country-meets-bossa nova feel of “Chardonnay.” But it keeps going beyond those featured tracks—the entirety of Nashville No More’s roster is A-lister after A-lister. Bluegrass fans will easily pick out the playing of Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Béla Fleck, Ronnie McCoury, and Tim O’Brien, to name a few, and the more guitar-minded will catch the six-string picking and strumming of Dan Auerbach, Mark Howard, Billy Sanford, and Kenny Vaughan. Add in Nashville studio greats like Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Sam Bacco on percussion, Mike Rojas on keyboards, and Mike Bub and Dave Roe on bass, and the end result is a mutual admiration society of taste and respect not equaled in most Nashville recordings of today. All of those instruments and all of those people are in turn enveloped by Ferguson’s resonant baritone singing his favorite songs and the results are breathtaking.

Nashville No More Track list:
Four Strong Winds
Boats to Build
Fellow Travelers
Nights With You
Looking for Rainbows
Chardonnay
Early Morning Rain
Knocking Around Nashville
My Autumns Done Come
Hard Times Come Again No More

David Ferguson – Knocking Around Nashville
2021-09-03T12:29:00

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Rising Appalachia’s surprising new album release

Rising Appalachia channel rush of inspiration on surprise new release The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, known musically as Rising Appalachia, are stewards for their earth and its peoples as well as musicians. Framing their foundation of traditional American music with West African n’goni and Celtic-Irish fiddle, Rising Appalachia have landed on something that has the potential to grow its own roots, rather than leaning on one particular past—folk music from different corners of the world all working together as one, used as a sharpened tool for cultural and environmental preservation and education. Their most recent album, Leylines, has been a defining record for the sister-led band, garnering praise from a wide swath of critics and solidifying their place in the greater Americana musical movement. (Rising Appalachia, 2021)

BrooklynVegan called “Speak Out,” one of the album’s standout tunes featuring Ani DiFranco, “an appealing dose of fiddle-fueled folk and close harmonies.” NPR praised album closer, “Resilient,” as an “uplifting, original folk anthem” and Rolling Stone called their sound “protest music for the modern age bolstered by delicate, skillful musicianship and otherworldly vocal harmonies.” On May 21, Rising Appalachia surprised fans with the release of The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know, a full-length album of new music dreamt up and recorded simultaneously after having not seen each other in over 10 months. This new collection of nine songs is abstract; a concept album which the band calls “the most dynamic fun we have ever had in the studio.” Rising Appalachia—Leah Song, Chloe Smith, Biko Casini, Arouna Diara, Duncan Wickel, and David Brown—removed themselves from the outcome, let the songs lead, and were rewarded with a gorgeous snapshot of not just the music, but the time and circumstance that forged it. Fans can stream or purchase the entirety of The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know right now at this link.

The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know Track list:
Catalyst
Ngoni
Silver
Tempest
Lost Girl
Top Shelf
Clay
Keep Going
Depth

Rising Appalachia – Resilient

Upcoming new album release: Malison – ‘Death’s Embrace’

‘Death’s Embrace’ will be available on September 3, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Created in 2014, Malison is reaching the heavy metal community with clean vocals and a unique amalgamation of speed, shred, and harmony. The band released their first, self-titled album via the legendary Combat Records and embarked on a Southwestern tour in support. Since then, they have become a staple of San Diego metal shows and have toured the Pacific Northwest and Midwest. Malison is ready to release their second album featuring a stable and hungry line-up, as well as a new set of thrashing and melodic songs. Malison is Steven Rondina (vocals, bass), Mario Lovio (guitar), Nick Mafi (drums), and Eddie Spade (guitar). The new album ‘Death’s Embrace’ is slated for release September 3, 2021 via Metal Assault Records. (Malison, 2021)

A staple of the Southern California metal scene, Malison takes their compelling talents to new heights with the full length release of Death’s Embrace. Recorded at San Diego based Plaudit Studios, pre-orders for the new album will launch on June 11, 2021 along with the premiere of the music video for their lead off track “Reborn.”

Blending together the best elements of traditional heavy metal, thrash, power metal, and neoclassical shred, San Diego, California quartet Malison captures the energy and fury of their live show onto their newest full length studio album, ‘Death’s Embrace.’

Death’s Embrace track listing:
1. Reborn (4:28)
2. M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) (4:39)
3. Death’s Embrace (5:37)
4. Lifehunt (3:14)
5. Oblivion (5:04)
6. Corrosion (3:49)
7. Absent Earth (4:19)
8. Armata (4:39)

Total Runtime: 35:49

2021-09-03T13:46:00

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Release of Malison’s ‘Death’s Embrace’

John Smith’s new video for ‘Hold On’

Escape with John Smith into the ethereal Welsh countryside in his new video for Hold On from his new album The Fray Photo: google

John Smith was born in Essex and raised on the Devon seaside. Known for his intimate songwriting, his honey-on-gravel voice, and pioneering guitar playing, he has spent the last fifteen years touring internationally and has amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify. As a session musician, he has played guitar with artists as diverse as Joan Baez, David Gray, Joe Henry, Lianne La Havas, and Tom Jones. His new album The Fray is out now as is the video for Hold On from this new album. (IV-PR, 2021)

Throughout The Fray, Smith touches on not just his own emotional turmoil experienced over the past year, but also his observance of the pain of those around him. But it is Smith’s stubborn optimism that shines through and differentiates his experiences and songs from his influences and contemporaries, which PopMatters and Americana Highways recently touched on, the latter highlighting his “excellent, consistent songwriting.” His traits of holding onto hope, forgiving transgressions, and reckoning with his place in a world which does not always reciprocate are not only necessary for Smith to deal, but they are also contagious to anyone who finds themselves in similar situations, adrift in the wind. For those who echo that sentiment, from experience, Smith shares his message on The Fray; “If we don’t hold on, we’re lost.”

Fans can follow this link to see the full video for “Hold On,” a song which Under The Radar called “an unrelentingly warm and uplifting ballad, one that was as healing for Smith to write as it is to take in as a listener” from a record that The Bluegrass Situation applauded as “an album of searing honesty and lithe beauty whose songs amplify the emotions and experiences of so many of us this year—the reassessed relationships, the self-reflection, and the ultimate search for hope.”

A drove of critics went on to also praise the instrumentation and production of The Fray. No Depression called Smith’s work “a meticulously constructed album that expresses its sadness but doesn’t get bogged down in it”; Fretboard Journal exclaimed “beautiful, introspective and loaded with great guitar tones”; and Associated Press wrote “There’s a comforting sway to the album’s melodic folk-pop, built on Smith’s subtle guitar work…12 tunes of resilience, devotion and hope, with determination in the lyrics and buoyancy in the music.” Fans can follow this link to purchase or stream The Fray in its entirety now.

The Fray Track list:
1. Friends
2. Hold On
3. Sanctuary
4. Deserving
5. The Best Of Me (feat. Bill Frisell)
6. Star-Crossed Lovers (feat Lisa Hannigan)
7. To The Shore
8. Eye To Eye (feat Sarah Jarosz)
9. Just As You Are
10. The Fray (feat. The Milk Carton Kids)
11. She’s Doing Fine
12. One Day At A Time

John Smith ‘Hold On’

Sam Filiatreau shares first track from self-titled debut

Sam Filiatreau’s self-titled debut album from Gjenny Records. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

As a teenager who began writing songs almost as soon as he learned to play guitar, Sam Filiatreau found his calling in the storytelling songs of ‘70s country, along with John Prine and Randy Newman. Deciding to pursue music full-time at 16, Filiatreau quit high school, moved out of the family home, and joined a rock band. However, most of his free time was dedicated to traveling to area festivals, absorbing what he calls “sad mountain music,” and honing his own songwriting and singing. Along with his own gigs, Filiatreau has also played shows with Houndmouth and the Felice Brothers. His self-titled debut on Gjenny Records is now out this month with “Wrecking Ball” being the first single. (IV-PR, 2021)

The story behind Kentuckian Sam Filiatreau’s new record is one of chance and good fortune. A last-minute house show gig that just so happened to be in front of the right guys—Taylor Meier and Matt Vinson, who were on their way to AAA stardom with their band Caamp—led to a quick friendship and mutual respect which eventually landed Filiatreau the first spot on Meier’s new record label, Gjenny Records. American Songwriter premiered “Wrecking Ball,” an effortless indie-two-step which, in Sam’s words, “is a nod to the old time music I’ve always been so drawn to.” But, like the rest of Filiatreau’s tunes, there is a clever, quirky depth that might be missed on the first listen. American Songwriter notes, “Without saying too much, the artist’s stripped-back styling elicits a certain unifying nostalgia—even the empty spaces still brim with emotion.” Fans can hear the single now at this link.

“I don’t have a theme, other than it is honest and not trying too hard,” says Filiatreau. “I feel like whenever I’m writing songs or music, I’m trying to find that fine line of doing something well, but also not taking it too seriously. To me, this record feels loose and fun. I feel like we captured exactly what was going on there.”

Sam Filiatreau Track list:
Hold The Door
Wrecking Ball
El Camino
Hold Me
Ashes
Tired
Silver Highway
Fine By Me

Latin Grammy nominated Buyuchek joins forces with Los Askis

Buyuchek joins forces with Los Askis on a norteño-Andean version of the beloved cumbia song “Cariñito.” Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Two-time Latin Grammy nominees Buyuchek continue to expand their repertoire and musical influences with the release of their new collaboration with the internationally renowned Los Askis, a norteño-Andean version of the beloved cumbia song “Cariñito.” (Buyuchek, 2021)

On this special occasion, Buyuchek delves into a musical fusion, exploring sounds beyond their typical repertoire and demonstrating that music has no borders. They join Andean–cumbia international Mexican stars Los Askis who blend cumbia with Andean music and pre-Hispanic musical elements.

Founded in 2012, Buyuchek is a norteño band from General Tehran, Mexico that has earned two Latin Grammy nominations (2019 & 2020) for Best Norteño Album. The band has quickly become fan favorites in both Mexico and the U.S. thanks to their collaborations with the 82-year old singer Irma Silva, aka La Abuela. She is both a vocalist and the grandmother of the leader and founder of the band, Jorge Loayzat.

Originally from General Terán, Mexico, La Abuela grew up in poverty and in a male-dominated environment, which made it nearly impossible for her to follow her musical dreams. She spent the majority of her life as a seamstress, always singing along with her radio while working. La Abuela Irma Silva is also the niece of Eugenio Ábrego, accordionist and second voice of the legendary Norteño duet Los Alegres De Terán. The duet is one of the founding fathers of norteño music.

The name Buyuchek is a play on words of the International Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, where they performed. Buyuchek and La Abuela Irma Silva released their first collaboration album in 2018, titled Las Canciones de la Abuela. The album was conceived as an 80th birthday gift for Irma Silva and went viral, earning a Latin Grammy nomination and launching La Abuela’s new artistic career. The album’s music videos were filmed at Hacienda El Granjenal, where Irma Silva lived for more than 50 years.

MerleFest 2021 announces lineup additions

MerleFest, presented by Window World, will take place September 16-19. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce additional performers for MerleFest 2021, which will take place September 16-19 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Shovels & Rope, Balsam Range, Jim Lauderdale, John Cowan, Peter Rowan’s Free Mexican Air Force with Los Texmaniacs, Amythyst Kiah, Yasmin Williams, and Brittney Spencer will be joining the annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These world-class bands and artists will join previously announced performers Tedeschi Trucks (Friday), Melissa Etheridge (Sunday), Mavis Staples (Sunday), LeAnn Rimes (Friday), Sam Bush (Saturday), Donna The Buffalo (all 4 days), Scythian (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances), and The Waybacks (Friday and Saturday). Additional artists scheduled to perform will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets will go on sale Thursday June 10, 2021.  More information available online. (IV-PR, 2021)

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of “traditional plus” music, a unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time, classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel, and blues, and expanded to include Americana, classic rock, and many other styles. The festival hosts a diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the multi-day event. MerleFest is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation, funding scholarships, capital projects, and other educational needs.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, would also like to remind potential volunteers that the volunteer application period is now open and the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC) is accepting submissions until June 15. Information on all of these can be found online.

2021-09-16T13:05:00

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MerleFest 2021

The High Hawks’ new self-titled album

The High Hawks’ new album will be out June 11, 2021. Photo: google

With close to 150 years of collective experience as professional touring musicians, The High Hawks—Vince Herman  (Leftover Salmon), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Chad Staehly (Hard Working Americans), Adam Greuel (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), Brian Adams (DeadPhish Orchestra), and Will Trask (Great American Taxi)—have maintained a generation-spanning presence at the forefront of the roots music scene for over two decades. On June 11, their debut album The High Hawks will be released via LoHi Records. (IV-PR, 2021)

In the first few seconds of The High Hawks’ debut single, a flurry of pulsing electric piano, kick drum, and Townshend-esque guitar strums give way to a flat out J.J. Cale groove just in time for the first line to be sung: “If we could just find a highway…might even find a way to make it home.” And thus, The High Hawks take flight. That tune, “Heroes & Highways,” is an appropriate first taste of music from the long-time-coming, feel-good Americana cooperative, naturally expressing the range of which the bands’ members can reach.

This month, Live for Live Music premiered the music video for the aforementioned “Heroes & Highways,” a song the band calls “a nod to the ever-present tension of the thrills and experiences of ‘the highway’ and the comfort and pleasures of home sweet home.” Live for Live music echoed that sentiment, calling the tune “a much-needed reflection on the way of the road.” Fans can watch the video for “Heroes & Highways” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save The High Hawks ahead of its June 11th release right here.

The baker’s dozen of songs that make up their debut have the strong identity and cohesiveness of a band three records into their career. The summery, fiddle-infused opener “Singing a Mountain Song,” with its self-referential line—Soaring like a high hawk across this mountain top—acts as a kind of mission statement for the whole collection. There is plenty of good feeling and optimism in these grooves, from the celestial cowboy vibe of “White Rider” and the revved-up Cash rockabilly of “Bad Bad Man,” to the catchy, sauntering “Do Si Do,” which sounds like a lost Grateful Dead track, the spare emotional cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Fly High,” and “Just Another Stone,” a moving ode to love’s redemptive power. Throughout, the creative hand-offs between four songwriters and four distinct singers all come together to channel influences from bluegrass to folk to reggae to cosmic Americana into a singular, appealing voice. “These songs wouldn’t sound like High Hawks songs if it was just one of us playing them,” Adam Greuel says. “When it all comes together, there’s a sound.”

As touring starts to wind back up, the band is ready to get these new, feel-good songs out in front of a live audience.

The High Hawks Track list:
Singing A Mountain Song
Talk About That
Heroes & Highways
Just Another Stone
When The Dust Settles Down
White Rider
Fly High
Bad Bad Man
Do Si Do
Home Is
Blue Earth
Trying To Get By
Goodnight Irene

The High Hawks On Tour:
June 2 – Pearl Street Brewery – La Crosse, WI
June 3 – The Hook & Ladder Under The Canopy – Minneapolis, MN
June 4 – WIJAM Presents Sol Dance at Jones Park – Appleton, WI
June 5 – Mackey’s Hideout (outdoor stage) – McHenry, IL
June 6 – The High Hawks Invitational @ Long Bridge Golf Course – Springfield, IL

 

Heroes & Highways by The High Hawks