Category: music

The Accidentals to embark on fall tour with Sawyer Fredericks

The Accidentals will be touring in support of their upcoming release Vessel. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

On September 29, multi-faceted folk-rockers The Accidentals will kick off a long-awaited U.S. tour in their home state of Michigan. Joined by their friend and collaborator Sawyer Fredericks, this co-bill tour will take the female-fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio throughout Michigan and the Midwest before heading east for a southerly jaunt from Boston, through New York, Philly, D.C., and down into the Southeast. (The Accidentals, 2021)

The Accidentals—Sav Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause—are touring in support of their upcoming release Vessel, which is due out October 1, 2021. Billboard says, “The Accidentals display a genre-hopping range of influences and some smart songwriting skills to go with their abundant musical chops.” NPR called the band “some of the most compelling writers of our time,” before saying “they display equal interest in the focused musical forms of indie rock and pop and the expansive potential of orchestral arrangements, jam band open-endedness, and impressionistic singer-songwriter expression.”

This tour is not the first time The Accidentals have collaborated with Fredericks. The Accidentals’ Larson and Buist contributed two songs to Fredericks’ recent Flowers For You album—“Lies You Tell” and “Days Go By”—and were also featured in the video for “Lies You Tell.” “The Accidentals have great energy on stage and a very driven work ethic,” says Fredericks. “In addition to the fun of touring with good friends, I also feel I will learn and grow a lot through working with them.” Fredericks will perform solo from the first date in Traverse City, MI, until his band joins him at Chicago’s City Winery for the duration of their tour.

Catch The Accidentals and Sawyer Fredericks on Tour:

9/29 – Traverse City Opera House – Traverse City, MI *
9/30 – Traverse City Opera House – Traverse City, MI *
10/1 – State Theatre – Bay City, MI *
10/2 – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI *
10/3 – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH *
10/7 – Great Lakes Center For The Arts (Blissfest) – Petoskey, MI *
10/8 – Cheboygan Opera House (Blissfest) – Cheboygan, MI *
10/9 – Calvin University – Grand Rapids, MI *
10/10 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
10/13 – Lake Michigan College Mendel Center – Benton Harbor, MI
10/14 – Riverdog Concert Series – Wakeman, OH
10/16 – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY
10/17 – Club Passim – Boston, MA
10/20 – City Winery Loft – New York, NY
10/21 – Gateway City Arts – Holyoke, MA
10/22 – The Linda – Albany, NY
10/23 – Jonathon’s – Ogunquit, ME
10/24 – Voices Cafe Presents @ The Bijou – Bridgeport, CT
10/26 – Ardmore Music Hall – Philadelphia, PA
10/27 – Ramshead Tavern – Annapolis, MD
10/28 – City Winery Main Room – Washington DC
10/30 – Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
10/31 – City Winery Main Room – Atlanta, GA
11/3 – City Winery Main Room – Nashville, TN
11/7 – The Quonset – Memphis, TN

*Sawyer Fredericks solo opening set
Rest of shows are co-bills with Sawyer and his full band

Bluegrass Pride builds momentum toward final weekend

Porch Pride: 5th anniversary celebration will feature more than six hours of livestreams and performances by LGBTQ+ and allied roots musicians. Photo: google

Bay Area non-profit Bluegrass Pride will culminate its month-long LGBTQ+ Pride celebration, Porch Pride, with a two-day virtual music festival featuring more than six hours of livestreams and performances by LGBTQ+ and allied bands, artists, and musicians. On June 26 and 27 starting at 3p.m. PDT / 6p.m. EDT the organization will celebrate five years of Bluegrass Pride (BGP) with artists such as Crys Matthews, BOOJUM, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Stephanie Anne Johnson, Rainbow Girls, and more. (Bluegrass Pride, 2021)

In 2020, Bluegrass Pride board member Jake Blount first proposed the idea for Porch Pride as an avenue through which BGP could support and uplift LGBTQ+ artists through the industry-shuttering pandemic, offering direct relief and performance opportunities to a community already disproportionately impacted by the realities of COVID-19. In its first year, the event raised more than $23,000 to be shared and distributed amongst the artists and bands on the lineup. Bluegrass Pride is hoping to outraise that amount in 2021, already reaching and doubling their goal for financial sponsorships.

The public is invited to tune in on June 26 and 27 from 3p.m. to 6p.m. PDT / 6p.m. to 9p.m. EDT for Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration. All Porch Pride events are free to view and attend, but audience members are encouraged to DONATE to support every single artist on Porch Pride’s month-long lineup. Watch and give on the Bluegrass Pride website, or watch via their YouTube channel or Facebook page.

For Bluegrass Pride fans and members local to the Bay Area, an in-person Porch Pride Watch Party & Jam will be held at Spark Social SF (601 Mission Bay Boulevard North, San Francisco, CA 94158) on June 27 at 2p.m. PDT. During and after the livestream watch party enjoy food, drinks, Double Rainbow ice cream, fellowship with fellow BGPers and jamming, plus a performance by local roots music scene stalwart Karen Heil’s old-time string band, the Knuckle Knockers.

Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration full schedule:

Saturday, June 26:

Mya Byrne
Ben Garnett
Crys Matthews
BOOJUM
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Gangstagrass

Sunday, June 27:

Willi Carlisle
Maddie Witler
Amanda Fields
Hasee Ciaccio & Friends
Stephanie Anne Johnson
Rainbow Girls

“It’s so incredible to look back on all that Bluegrass Pride has accomplished in the past 5 years. From launching that first award-winning float in the SF Pride Parade in 2017 to now running our own month-long Pride festival, it truly is a testament to the strength of our community and our desire to create positive change in the world of roots music. I think Porch Pride is the perfect way to celebrate that.” – BGP Executive Director, Kara Kundert.

Bluegrass Pride: Our mission is to recruit, encourage, and support LGBTQ+ bluegrassers of all levels, promoting their advancement and acceptance within all areas of the bluegrass music industry and musical community. We aim to uplift the genre of bluegrass as a whole to receive LGBTQ+ folks openly, and to promote allyship with all marginalized peoples within the industry and musical community. We do so by creating opportunities for community building and resources for musical skill development, such as concerts, jam sessions, showcases, festivals, parades, tutorials, recording, and more. Bluegrass Pride is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, EIN 83-3224672. All donations are deemed tax-deductible absent any limitations on deductibility applicable to a particular taxpayer.

Paul Thorn’s new album ‘Never Too Late To Call’

Paul Thorn grooves on new album out August 6 via Thirty Tigers. “Here We Go” is the first single out. Photo: google

Paul Thorn has created an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music—bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, yet also speaking universal truths. Among those who value originality, inspiration, eccentricity and character—as well as talent that hovers somewhere on the outskirts of genius, the story of Paul Thorn is already familiar. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured the young Elvis generations before, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time. He has appeared on major television shows, received numerous National Public Radio features and charted multiple times on the Billboard Top 100 and Americana Radio Charts. (Paul Thorn, 2021)

Fans were recently treated to the first taste of music from Never Too Late To Call, “Here We Go.” Fans can hear “Here We Go” and pre-order or pre-save Never Too Late To Call ahead of its August 6 release right here.

Never Too Late To Call opens with a song called “Two Tears Of Joy,” a slow-burn ode to life that finds Thorn naming all that he is thankful for without once coming across as cheesy or overly earnest. “It sounds a little corny to say this but I’m a 56-year-old man who has had a really blessed life,” says Thorn about the inspiration behind the tune. “I’m really grateful and thankful for everything I have and for the people I’ve met. ‘Two Tears of Joy’ is another way of simply saying I’m grateful.” A few tracks later, Thorn and his wife Heather singing a duet called “Breaking Up For Good Again.” “If you’re in any kind of long-time relationship you’ll know there will be bumps in the road and sometimes you won’t get along,” says Thorn. The song is beautifully fingerpicked and sung to perfection by the husband and wife duo who have been together long enough to know the song’s ideas well. “We’ve lived this song and had our moments,” they say. Towards the end of Never Too Late To Call listeners are treated to a pair of groovy numbers in “You Mess Around & Get A Buzz” and “Holy Hottie Toddy.” The former a cautionary tale and the latter a call to love everybody inclusively; both feel comfortable—in classic Thorn fashion—but represent the full spectrum of what this new, thoughtfully mature album has to offer.

On Never Too Late To Call, we find a mellower Paul Thorn. The wit and the – at times – humorous commentary on life’s existential questions are in evidence, but here there is a peace about his life’s journey. Or, to put it in his words, “I’ve been such a lucky boy. I’m crying two tears of joy.”

Never Too Late To Call track list:
Two Tears Of Joy
It’s Never Too Late To Call
Sapalo
Breaking Up For Good Again
What I Could Do
Here We Go
Apple Pie Moonshine
Sapphire Dream
You Mess Around & Get A Buzz
Goodbye Is The Last Word
Holy Hottie Toddy

Paul Thorn: It’s Never Too Late To Call
2021-08-06T12:58:00

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New music from Metal Assault Records: Solar Haze

Solar Haze’s The Solar Age will be out July 16, 2021. Photo: google

Southern California’s heavy rock / metal trio Solar Haze will release their mind altering EP The Solar Age on July 16, 2021 via Metal Assault Records. Pre-orders for The Solar Age began on June 18 and the band released their official music video for the single and EP lead off track, “The Solar Age.” In celebration of their forthcoming release, Solar Haze will perform at “Blunt Force Trauma Fest,” a virtual mini festival experience presented by Ebony Jeanette PR & Metal Assault Records streaming July 16 via YouTube. More details about the virtual festival are available online. (Solar Haze, 2021)

Solar Haze is:
Guitar/Vocals/Bass Guitar: Stephen Falla
Guitar: Ross Cowan
Drums/Percussion: Ryan Michael Falla

The end is near, The Solar Age is here. Metal Assault Records will release the eagerly awaited EP The Solar Age from Southern California heavy rock / metal group Solar Haze on July 16, 2021. The three-track, 18-minute EP was produced by Eddie Vasquez (of San Diego based band Tzimani) and includes violent sequences that may induce frequent night-terrors and sudden mood swings which can cause bouts of severe irritability or thoughts of violence. Do not be alarmed if you receive frequent home visitations from mysterious individuals in black, phone calls from numbers with no area codes, or voices in your head that seem to be of foreign origin. These are common side effects that come with indulging in The Solar Age.

The Solar Age track listing:

  1. The Solar Age (4:57)
  2. Fortress Will Fall (3:50)
  3. Terror of the Deep (9:00)
Solar Haze – The Solar Age
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Jamestown Revival release ‘Fireside With Louis L’Amour’ EP

Jamestown Revival’s Fireside With Louis L’Amour EP out now – six tracks directly inspired by Louis L’Amour short stories. Photo: google

In 2020, Jamestown Revival released A Field Guide To Loneliness, an intimate collection of songs that finds Clay and Chance reflecting on recent times whereby human contact was limited more than ever. A Field Guide To Loneliness follows Jamestown Revival’s 2019 critically acclaimed release, San Isabel. Recorded in a remote cabin in the majestic and calming landscape of central Colorado, the band embraced a minimalist approach in the recording of San Isabel. Finding inspiration in ‘60s and early ‘70s folk and pop, the original songs on San Isabel show reverence for early John Denver and Bob Dylan, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour is out now. (Jamestown Revival, 2021)

When the recording process of their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour, was all said and done, Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance of Jamestown Revival took on the challenge of distilling a half-dozen tales from “The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories” from 30-page adventures down to three and a half minute songs. Their tune “Bound for El Paso” comes from L’Amour’s “The Gift of Cochise,” “Fool Me Once” was inspired by “The Man from Bitter Sands,” and so on. Longtime fans of Jamestown Revival can hear L’Amour’s influence on Clay and Chance, but this is the first time they have tipped their hats directly to America’s beloved frontier storyteller. The whole of Fireside With Louis L’Amour—six songs in total—was directly inspired by individual stories from L’Amour’s Volume 1 collection, allowing listeners to trace the precise roots of Jamestown Revival’s newest release. Available now, fans can purchase or stream Fireside With Louis L’Amour with this link.

“They say that L’Amour was the master of the short story and we would humbly agree. In 30 pages he manages to draw you in, make you invest in the characters, and oftentimes hit you with a twist that you truly didn’t expect,” say Clay and Chance. “The songs on Fireside With Louis L’Amour are our attempt to put a musical spin on some of Louis’ short stories found on ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories.’ It’s been challenging and incredibly rewarding.” To have the family of L’Amour on board was just icing on the cake for Jamestown Revival. “On top of that, it’s been an absolute honor to have the blessing of Louis’ son, Beau, and the L’Amour estate. We hope these songs inspire you to pick up ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour’ and read the true inspiration behind the music,” they say, before adding, “We also feel it’s worthwhile to mention these songs should be best enjoyed sitting next to a fire with a nip of whiskey in the glass.”

Fireside With Louis L’Amour in the press: Garden & Gun premiered the live performance video of album-opener, “Bound for El Paso.”

“If you’re a L’Amour fan, you’ll no doubt recognize what’s been distilled from story to song,” said Cowboys & Indians Magazine. “And you’ll love what happens when two Texans get a hold of America’s storyteller and let their imaginations and harmonies run.”

Fireside With Louis L’Amour Track Listing:

  1. Bound for El Paso 
  2. Fool Me Once 
  3. The Ballad of Four Prisoners 
  4. The Killing Type 
  5. Beyond the Ridge 
  6. Prospector’s Blues
Jamestown Revival – Bound for El Paso

EG Vines announces sophomore album ‘Through the Mirror’

EG Vines’ rock-driven sophomore effort Through the Mirror out August 27. First single is ‘The Royal Diplomat.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Nashville’s up-and-coming EG Vines has been on quite the ride over the last few years. After quitting his corporate rat race job to pursue music full time and releasing his much talked about debut, Family Business, in 2019—Billboard, NPR, and Rolling Stone all had nice things to say—Vines finally had a moment to reach for those creative corners of his mind previously undiscovered. Quitting his job allowed Vines to pour more of himself into his music, and his brand new full-length album Through the Mirror is a testament to the positive effect this has had. Set to be released on August 27, Through the Mirror is part indie rock nirvana—the state of being more so than the band—and part reaction to an uber-politicized world. (EG Vines, 2021)

Vines’ hometown radio station, Nashville’s legendary, independent Lightning 100, recently shared the first taste of music from Through the Mirror, “The Royal Diplomat” and V13 spotlighted the album and new single. “’The Royal Diplomat’ was one of those that I kind of blacked out whilst writing it,” recalls Vines. “I remember coming up with that guitar riff in the turnaround and belting out ‘Never spoken,’ but that’s about it.” Musically, Vines and the band may have been channeling the Smashing Pumpkins or The Bends era Radiohead. Fans can listen to “The Royal Diplomat” right now at this link.

Much of Through the Mirror—which was recorded locally at Nashville’s Skinny Elephant Recording with co-producer Dylan Alldredge—sees Vines drawing inspiration from punk and alt-rock favorites from his youth; both musically and socially. Vines delivers his own views against biting riffs and pulsing drums while encouraging listeners to critically engage with the world around them to inform their own ways of thinking, drawing on his love of Jason Isbell and Bob Dylan as inspirations for his storytelling. Calling the album a Rorschach test for the modern world, Vines delivers his messages through a wide array of subjects on his songs, from American history to what theoretical alien visitors might think when they arrive on Earth.  

Through The Mirror track list:

  1. Am I Dreaming
  2. Good Enough
  3. The Royal Diplomat
  4. King Of The Rat Race
  5. Them
  6. Meat On My Eyes
  7. Ride
  8. Waiting On The Aliens
  9. Peace In This World
  10. Every Star

Catch EG Vines On Tour:
June 4 – Chattanooga, TN – Wanderlinger Brewing Company
June 12 – Knoxville, TN – Preservation Pub
June 13 – Atlanta, GA – Sundown Series
June 19 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
July 10 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
July 31 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s
Aug 14 – Nashville, TN – Tomato Art Fest

‘Them’ by EG Vines

2021-08-27T12:54:00

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Dallas Burrow finds a new kind of adventure on self-titled LP

Dallas Burrow’s new LP will be out July 23, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

A Texas-born Americana artist rooted in the tradition of his home state’s songwriting heroes, Dallas Burrow built a career on both sides of the Atlantic with his 2019 debut, Southern Wind. Recorded in Nashville, the album reached Number 25 on the UK Americana Chart and Number 4 on the US Alt-Country chart, paving the way for a string of cross-country shows alongside fellow road warriors like Charley Crockett. Dallas Burrow has built his own unique brand of American roots music. It is a sound rooted in folk, shaped by classic country, and heavily influenced by the Texan craftsmen who came before him. On July 23, he will be introducing a new side of himself on record, that of a newly sober man embracing the stability of fatherhood and family life. (IV-PR, 2021)

The full-length, self-titled album, Dallas Burrow, is a collection of songs about maturing and finding one’s path, recorded to two-inch analog tape by producer Bruce Robison and shot through with the rich storytelling, organic Texas twang, and authentic Americana that have all become Burrow’s sonic signature. Last week, Holler premiered the first single from Dallas Burrow, the groovy, slow-burn blues of “Born Down In Texas.” Holler praised the album’s old-school, straight-to-tape recording process, saying, “That live feel crackles throughout Dallas Burrow, which, when thread through Burrow’s singular voice, captures the humidity and haunts of the Texas countryside that formed him.” Fans can hear “Born Down In Texas” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Dallas Burrow ahead of its July release right here.

The result is a 14-song collection of western Americana, sung by Burrow in a voice that bears both the road-worn weariness of a lifelong highwayman and the fierce fire of a man reborn. This is an album about craft and conviction, from the moody western folk of the opening song, “Country Girl,” to the woozily gorgeous closer, “Outlaw Highway.” The latter track features lyrics written long ago by Burrow’s father, whose own songwriting helped lay the brickwork for his son’s career. Album highlights “Easter Sunday,” “American Dream,” and the anthemic “Independence Day” double down on that family theme, with Burrow nodding to his new role as a father and husband. Dallas Burrow is a celebration of fresh starts and new beginnings. Burrow is not cheating death anymore; instead, he is rediscovering a new way to live, with this self-titled album serving as the soundtrack.

Dallas Burrow Track list:
Country Girl
American Dream
Born Down In Texas
Easter Sunday
Holy Grail
Independence Day
Look At Us Now
My Old Friend The Shadow
Father’s Son
The Other Side
Street Hustler’s Blues
River Road
Keep On Tryin’
Outlaw Highway

When Burrow is not making records or on the road, he is the owner and proprietor of the newly opened Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, Texas; an intimate listening room inspired by places like Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe and Kent Finlay’s Songwriter Circle at the Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX, where Burrow and countless others cut their teeth.

2021-07-23T13:24:00

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Las Hermanas García perform ‘Pobre Tierra Mia’ as Earth Day tribute

Las Hermanas García, ‘Pobre Tierra Mia.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Days before ‘International Earth Day’ (April 22), Las Hermanas García, two young singers from Guerrero’s Costa Chica, at just 19 and 20 years old, express with music and lyrics their concern for the destruction of the planet by singing a ‘Chilean’ song entitled ‘Pobre Tierra Mia’ in traditional music from their region. The video for ‘Pobre Tierra Mia’ was filmed in a dumpster near their village to highlight the destruction brought about by consumerism. (Vesper Public Relations, 2021)

For the new single to have an impact, they decided to record the video in an illegal dumpster, a place that symbolizes both ecological neglect and the uncontrolled use of plastics. These young women want  the current generation, of which they are both a part of, and future ones, to continue to enjoy the beauty of the coast. Las Hermanas García asked their father Mariano García, a poet and musician, to write both the lyrics and music of ‘Pobre Tierra Mia.’ 

Celia and Laura García, known as Las Hermanas García, are native to Ometepec Guerrero, Mexico, where there is almost no access to recording studios, stages, or music schools.  Despite this, the talented duo has been able to attract the attention of a worldwide audience with their interpretation of boleros and ‘Chileans,’ music native to Guerrero and Oaxaca. These artists have performed on prestigious stages in Mexico and Europe and have received millions of visits to their YouTube channel and other renowned music platforms.

Due to the popularity in their region of boleros with romantic lyrics, Laura and Celia began singing in public at an early age. The duo is reminiscent of the famous classics of the 40s, 50s, and 60s performed by popular artists such as Alvaro Carrillo and Indalecio  Ramírez. Las Hermanas García represent the Costa Chica and their success is bringing countless optimism to their region. Songs such as ‘Qué Sepan Todos’ and ‘Sabor A Mi’ both sung in ‘Amuzgo,’ their father’s native language, have received more than 6 million views on Spotify.


New album: On Solid Ground – Reggie Harris

On Solid Ground is available now. Photo: amazon

Reggie Harris is a teaching artist in the Kennedy Center’s CETA program (Changing Education Through the Arts) and a fellow for the prestigious Council of Independent College lecture program. He also serves as Co-President and Director of Music Education for the Living Legacy Project—an advocacy group that sponsors Civil Rights pilgrimages throughout the South and online education seminars worldwide. Reggie Harris counters injustice with love on his new album On Solid Ground, which is out now.  Harris’ incredibly unique perspective—that of a Black folk singer with roots in the Modern Civil Rights revolution and the great-great-great-grandson of a Confederate general and one of his slaves—brings a truth, a fire, and a positive outlook to each of the album’s thirteen songs. (IV-PR, 2021)

“Well it’s a plague on the nation / It’s all across the news / Splashed up in color for all the world to see.” Those are the opening lines Reggie Harris sings on his new album On Solid Ground. A veteran folk musician—recently the recipient of Folk Alliance International’s 2021 Spirit of Folk Award—Harris has sung songs like this his entire career, but the current political and social climate is drawing his personal voice out and into the conversation. “My story includes aspects of my journey as a Black male growing up in Philadelphia during the 50s and 60s; pushed into integrating schools and neighborhoods which forced me to learn to live between two worlds using music as a foil to become a bridge-builder.” On Solid Ground is just as much about healing and inspiration in the face of injustice and dissension. That first stanza closes with a perfect example of Harris’s honed duality: “Our leaders say they’re angry / The people are confused / So, I guess this just comes down to you and me.” In the end, it is all about how we collectively move forward. Longtime fans and curious readers can stream or purchase On Solid Ground—out now—at this link.

Of the thirteen songs on On Solid Ground, Harris wrote nine of them. From the driving, funky “Standing In Freedoms Name”—which tells the tale of Rev. C.T. Vivian’s iconic encounter with Sheriff Jim Clark in Selma, Alabama, in 1965—to album-closing tribute to his friend and mentor Pete Seeger, “High Over the Hudson,” Harris dances between genres without hesitation and rides the highs and lows of each song’s content with a confident wisdom that only comes from a lifetime of studying folk music. A beautiful cover of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” with Baltimore-based jazz pianist Eric Byrd is carefully placed in the album’s lineup, along with a version of John Prine’s “Hello In There” and an up-tempo recasting of Malvina Reynolds’ classic protest song, “It Isn’t Nice.” 

While writing for On Solid Ground, Harris was featured in 2020 on CNN’s Silence is Not An Option with Don Lemon and in The New York Times to discuss his familial connection as the descendant of slavery as a great-great-great-grandson of confederate General Williams Carter Wickham and his slave Bibhanna Hewlett with his White cousins. “I’ve been a 40-year pioneer as one of the few African-Americans in the folk music community and a Black educator touring around America,” he says. On Solid Ground continues to add to Harris’ legacy, but there is something about this album—at this moment—which feels remarkable; a perfect statement on the times and a peaceful guide to overcoming them. 

On Solid Ground Track list:

  1. It’s Who We Are
  2. My Working Bones
  3. Come What May
  4. Standing in Freedom’s Name
  5. All You Need Is Love
  6. On Solid Ground
  7. Maybe It’s Love
  8. Hello in There
  9. Rise Up/March On
  10. It Isn’t Nice
  11. Let’s Meet Up Early
  12. Tree of Life
  13. High Over the Hudson

Indie rockers Arts Fishing Club release new EP, The Show

Arts Fishing Club’s new EP The Show will be out April 30. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

An alternative rock band with pop hooks, indie sensibilities, and indie-folk roots, Arts Fishing Club built its audience the old-school way; by piling its members into a van and hitting the road. As Arts Fishing Club’s touring schedule grew, so did the band’s sound. It was a natural evolution of a band whose members had begun to turn up their guitar amps, dig into their 90s’ rock influences, and create new songs that were every bit as electrifying as their shows. That live energy found a permanent home in the band’s music, turning their upcoming EP—appropriately titled The Show—into the band’s most representative work to date. The group brings these themes to life across five songs with raucous rock and roll, mid-tempo grooves, and folk balladeering all making an appearance. (IV-PR, 2021)

This week, Live for Live Music gave fans a glimpse into The Show with the video premiere for album-closer “With Us All,” a tune in which the band gives a nod to Bob Dylan with their modern twist on a classic protest song—with a decidedly non-holier-than-thou attitude. “It’s with that not-so-thinly veiled reference to Bob Dylan that “With Us All” gets its raw, understated power,” the article says. “A much-needed 21st-century update to the landmark 1964 folk song about the changing nature of society, Arts Fishing Club is now reminding their parents—who were the very children that Dylan sang about—that “your sons and your daughters are beyond your command,” as Dylan originally sang. Watch the video for “With Us All” here and pre-order or pre-save The Show ahead of its April 30 release at this link.

Produced by Wilco co-founder Ken Coomer and mixed by Grammy-winning icon Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers, and blink-182), The Show is an alt-rock record with a message, filled with songs that sandwich Kessenich’s social commentary between singalong choruses, cinematic melodies, and bursts of Stratocaster guitar. The fact that it was recorded in two days speaks loudly to the band’s strength as a hard-touring, well-oiled machine. It is an anthemic sound that targets the head, heart, and dancing shoes, designed not only to get a crowd moving, but to get them thinking, as well.

The Show Track list:
Hollywood
Horizon Eyes
Tough Shit
The Show
With Us All

“We live in a world where everyone wants to be famous, whether you’re onstage, Tik Tok, or Instagram. I can’t even imagine what middle school must be like these days with social media. I don’t envy that kind of pressure. The Show is an album about fame culture, modern society, and self-reflection.” – Christopher Kessenich, Arts Fishing Club songwriting front man

2021-04-30T15:03:00

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