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.
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.”
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:
Am I Dreaming
Good Enough
The Royal Diplomat
King Of The Rat Race
Them
Meat On My Eyes
Ride
Waiting On The Aliens
Peace In This World
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Beth Whitney’s new album Into the Ground will be out May 28, 2021. Photo: google
Beth Whitney released her first album, Leave Your Shoes, in 2007, which garnered heavy airplay in the Seattle area. She released Yellow in 2010 and Ukulele in 2012, both of which won songwriting awards and were put into heavy rotation by local AAA station in the Seattle area. In 2013, Beth partnered with neighbor and fellow artist, Bradford Loomis, to write and record a self-titled album, The Banner Days (2014) and Hand Me A Hymnal (2015.) The collaboration garnered critical acclaim while they toured extensively across the nation including a performance at the Lincoln Center in New York and reached over 2 million streams on Spotify for their co-write, “My Beloved.” In 2017 she released The Wild Unrest. Whitney’s new album Into the Ground will be released May 28, 2021 on Tone Tree Music. (IV-PR, 2021)
With the partnership of producer and mixer Brandon Bee and engineer Matt Terjeson, Whitney’s new collection of songs lands effortlessly on beds of organic and orchestral—and at times overdriven and rhythmic—production; never coming close to overpowering the songs and the voice singing them. This week, American Songwriter premiered “Two Sons,” the third single from Into the Ground, following “In Another Life” and “Wild Horse.” American Songwriter wrote, “Reimagining the beloved parable in a modern, Americana setting, Whitney’s understated arrangement beautifully serves the winder theme…the video and the song unite to express a timely message of celebrating those who were lost, but now are found.” “Somehow over my lifetime, this idea of home has become more familiar, and more foreign, all in the same cosmic breath,” says Whitney of “Two Sons.” “I suppose many of my songs thread-in an underlying search for someone or somewhere that would take me in. This desire to be fully known and embraced is so strong in us and yet so difficult to realize. ‘Two Sons’ is a parable Jesus told and one I’ve never forgotten.” Fans can pre-save “Two Sons” now at this link.
Into the Ground showcases Whitney’s artfulness as a songwriter and her determination as a musician to stare down the chaos in front of her and weave it into something else. She welcomes grief when it is in front of her because she knows what happens when grief is left out to spoil. Whitney looks straight ahead in her music; it’s the reason Into the Ground takes listeners deep into themselves in search of a common humanity.
Esther Rose releases ‘Songs Remain,’ the final single from How Many Times. Photo: google
Esther Rose’s homespun brand of country music has drawn comparisons to legends like Hank Williams, modern trailblazers like Rilo Kiley, and a host of other luminaries in between, but she has her own thing going on. Rose’s innate ability to reflect on her own feelings, to not cast blame, and to keep a smile while doing so brings a spark to her music that sets it apart from her contemporaries and influences alike. On March 26, Rose will release How Many Times, her third full-length album and second with Father/Daughter Records. (IV-PR, 2021)
American Songwriter highlighted Rose’s fourth single, “Songs Remain,” calling it, “Tender and moving,” and noting that, “Rose reveals her vulnerability…through fragile, hesitant lyrics.” Previously, NPR Music included the single, “Keeps Me Running” in their weekly New Music Friday playlist and Forbes praised Rose’s ability to relate to fans. Fans can hear “Songs Remain,” as well as all of the previously released singles, and pre-save or pre-order How Many Times with this link. To Rose, How Many Times, written over the course of two years—including three moves, the end of a relationship, and countless tour dates—is an album symbolizing an awakening.
With the integrity of Dean Johnson, Faustina Masigat, and Kiki Cavazos serving as primary influences, Rose expands her alt-country sound into a blossoming world of folk pop, rustic americana, and tender harmonies. “They’re the holy trinity of songwriter magic,” she says, “and when I listen to them I feel like I can explore my own heartache.” Creative touches add detail throughout the album. Rose uses a 1962 Gibson ES-120T, her first semi-hollow body electric guitar, to play unplugged for a distinct tone. On “Mountaintop,” she includes a blustery voice memo recorded at the summit of Mount Philo, an homage to the field recording in a Bright Eyes song she holds dear. From “Coyote Creek” to “Without You,” Rose’s compelling voice is ferried masterfully by the musicians that join her: Matt Bell on lap steel, Max Bien Kahn on electric guitar, Dan Cutler on upright bass, Cameron Snyder on drums, and Lyle Werner on fiddle. A collection of complete takes recorded live to tape with rich instrumentation, soul-tugging hooks, and resonating vocal melodies, How Many Times carries you into the room in which it was made. There to help realize this was co-producer Ross Farbe of synthpop band Video Age, who Rose also credits for bringing a stereo pop glow to these new songs.
Overall, it is Rose’s way of handling life that singles her out in a crowd of other singers and songwriters. Her positive attitude is uplifting while never seeming too earnest and her heavier moments never crash the party. Her trials of moving through and reflecting on both adversity and beauty are present across the record, and her voice delivers an honest and open window into her heart with graceful dexterity. While comparisons to the musical greats are flattering, Rose is on her own path, marching to not just the beat of a different drum, but to a big brass band in her very own parade.
The Accidentals new EP features songwriting collaborations. Photo: google
Female-fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio, The Accidentals, (Sav Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause) kicked off 2018 with the release of their debut album, Odyssey, with Sony Masterworks. They followed the album release with two-hundred days of touring nationally, seventeen festivals, sync placement with Turner Classic Movies and FOX sports, and a RAM Trucks BANDvan #tourtough commercial. In 2019, The Accidentals released a self-titled live album and toured the UK; all while scoring an indie film, teaching workshops across the country, playing with symphonies, and recording new music. Amid quarantines, protests, marches, political division, and unprecedented uncertainty, Buist, Larson, and Dause continually do what they do best; create. (IV-PR, 2021)
In the beginning of March 2020, the band was on their way to South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, after a whirlwind 23-show tour. They were told to turn around in Arkansas and head home. It was no longer safe to keep touring. On May 7, the fruits of their lockdown labor will be available on Time Out (Session 1). A five-song EP of all-new co-written material, Time Out features songwriting collaborations between The Accidentals and renown songwriters including Kim Richey, Dar Williams, Maia Sharp, Tom Paxton, and Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris.
“When the road came to a hard stop and everything went quiet, we realized the extent of what we had lost. It was devastating. We drove back to Nashville, packed some things and quarantined together in Northern Michigan. Our industry shut down completely. For the first time in eight years we didn’t have anywhere to be. We found ourselves reaching out to each other in that process of navigating the isolation. We ended up collaborating with these incredible writers because for the first time in eight years we all had time. These songs might not have happened otherwise. We wanted to somehow capture the idea that even after all of this unbelievable heartbreak, some beauty can still come from it. Time Out is a healing anthem for us, and we hope it is for you too.” – Sav Buist
Under The Radar took time to chat with The Accidentals in conjunction with premiering the music video for “Wildfire,” noting that, “…rather than simply falling into nostalgia, the band looks to the future, hoping for the promise of new life and offering a simple hand of comfort.” Fans can watch the video at this link and listen to “Wildfire” right here.
Time Out (Session 1) Track listing and Co-writers: Might As Well Be Gold (Maia Sharp) Night Train (Dar Williams) Wildfire (Kim Richey) Anyway (Tom Paxton) All Shall Be Well (Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris)
“Some of the most compelling writers of our time… 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.” – NPR
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