ALTERNATE ROOT TV

EXTENDED PLAY WITH GRACIE CURRAN AND THE HIGH FALUTIN' BAND

EXTENDED PLAY WITH GRACIE CURRAN AND THE HIGH FALUTIN' BAND

Gracie Curran has been featured on the Alternate Root lists for Top Female American Roots Vocalist, Top Roots Soul Acts and Top Bands in Boston and for good reason...she's a dynamic singer with a powerhouse voice. A blend of soul, blues, gospel and rock, she and her band mates, the High Falutin' Band defy description except for being a band to watch in the future. The sound rev...

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EXTENDED PLAY - WITH LUKE WINSLOW-KING

EXTENDED PLAY - WITH LUKE WINSLOW-KING

EXTENDED PLAY From Alternate Root TV - Call it a New Orleans gumbo of delta blues, traditional jazz, gospel and soul if you need a definition. New Orleans based Luke Winslow-King is a traditionalist that finds his musical soul melding musical styles nearly a century old with a contemporary improvisational approach. A master bottleneck slide guitarist with a vintage voice, his mu...

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GARRETT LEBEAU - "BLACK AND WHITE"

GARRETT LEBEAU -

Ever been to an outside concert, one of those all day affairs that run from noon until way in the wee hours? Right now, it is the afternoon and you are lying on a blanket, sitting with friends as warm temps and gently flowing music waft through the air. Your one thought, on repeat, it that this is perfect. That feeling lives in the Garrett Lebeau album, Rise to the Grind .

The inn...

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NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

THE TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK - EDITOR'S PICKS FOR JUNE 11

THE TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK - EDITOR'S PICKS FOR JUNE 11

It's Tuesday already and I've been busy listening to a whole lot of terrific new music from some old favorites like Barrence Whitfield and the Savages and Charlie Mars and some new to me artists like James Maddock, Rain Perry and Scott Nolan. I've narrowed my list to may favorite ten songs for this week and bring them to you with joy and in order. Here's my "ten favorite songs ...

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MARSHALL CHAPMAN - BLAZE OF GLORY

MARSHALL CHAPMAN - BLAZE OF GLORY

I mean nothing personal, but you have got to watch out for that Marshall Chapman woman. Not that she will maim or disfigure. Not at all. Marshall will, however, surprise, bring a knowing smile and, at times, get an almighty ‘damn’ as listeners plug into her music. Blaze of Glory is one of those sly little bombs that Ms. Chapman set with a gleam in her eye.

Marshall Chapman can for...

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TERRANCE SIMIEN AND THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE - DOCKSIDE SESSIONS

TERRANCE SIMIEN AND THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE - DOCKSIDE SESSIONS

Terrance Simien can claim the title of Zydeco legend. The man has been an ambassador for the genre, and a bridge that helps Zydeco get beyond its regional box, for over thirty years. Native Cajun and Zydeco has a stronghold in Louisiana and the Gulf states. Terrance Simien stays true to the style traditions, but like the man himself and his multi-cultural Créole heritage, the m...

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JC BROOKS AND THE UPTOWN SOUND - HOWL

JC BROOKS AND THE UPTOWN SOUND - HOWL

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound showed their Soul, and presented it in all its best beats and poses on their debut Want More . The band was Soul music as defined by a rock’n’roll band. The blend of Rock and Soul stuck to the template formed in the early 1960’s, guitar, bass, keys and drums backing a front person with style and a show. For JCBUS, that frontman was Jayson Brooks. Th...

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TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK - WRITERS PICKS 6-18-13

TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK - WRITERS PICKS 6-18-13

We are very lucky at the Alt Root. The music we get, and the styles, is on the other side of Pop, Polish and focus groups. Hallelujah! Below are the songs that kicked, scraped and nudged one another out of the way for this week's list. No songs were injured during the process. There is some great music looking for light and a way to get its sound heard, if you listen. Here are ...

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NORA JANE STRUTHERS AND THE PARTY LINE - CARNIVAL

NORA JANE STRUTHERS AND THE PARTY LINE - CARNIVAL

There is a central character that runs through Carnival , the latest release from Nora Jane Struthers. The heroine of Carnival is a woman who has successfully integrated the past with the present. She is a time-traveler, moving betwen a life when day-to-day joys were made of simpler things as much as she is a woman of today. Life is cherished in Carniva...

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MAKING THE LIST

THE TOP 20 BANDS IN BOSTON RIGHT NOW

THE TOP 20 BANDS IN BOSTON RIGHT NOW

The events on Monday April 15th at the Boston Marathon left the Country in shock and Boston with a bit of a bloody nose. Cities around the US were rallying around Boston and watched as the police, FBI, EMT and firefighters and citizens all responded with heroic grace and then tuned in as the perpetrators of the terrorist acts that upended the city were hunted down and captured....

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20 BANDS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

20 BANDS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

Not so long ago, the Roots and Americana field was an open playing ground. It was a place where artists could take chances with their music and develop sounds that were outside the borders that corralled music into certain shapes and forms. Like any genre or style, once a bar is set, up and coming artists can choose to follow or lead into the future. Innovators like Buddy Mille...

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THE TOP 35 MOST IMPORTANT AMERICANA ROOTS ALBUMS OF THE LAST 25 YEARS

THE TOP 35 MOST IMPORTANT AMERICANA ROOTS ALBUMS OF THE LAST 25 YEARS

We consider these to be the most important roots music recordings of the last 25 years. They are not the "best" albums or biggest selling albums. Some won prestigious awards and many did not. In fact many may have flown under the radar of even the most astute roots music fans.

Roots music has been around since Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie in many of the forms you see and hear...

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THE ALTERNATE ROOT TOP 40 ROOTS ROCK ALBUMS 1980-89 (3)

THE ALTERNATE ROOT TOP 40 ROOTS ROCK ALBUMS 1980-89 (3)

The decade of the 1980's can be looked at musically in a number of ways. On the surface it's easy to dismiss the decade as one of the worst in terms of popular music. What wasn't being dominated by the horror of Journey, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Toto and Styx was being dominated by Duran Duran, Kenny Loggins, Culture Club and Michael Jackson. The rockers had their own min...

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THE ALTERNATE ROOT TOP 30 ROOTS SOUL ARTISTS - RIGHT NOW!

THE ALTERNATE ROOT TOP 30 ROOTS SOUL ARTISTS - RIGHT NOW!

Soul music took its first steps in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  sees Soul as "music that arose out of the black experience in America  through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky , secular   testifying.”

Originally relegated to the Black Music charts, Soul music was picked up by a generation of Britis...

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THE TOP 30 FEMALE VOCALISTS - RIGHT NOW!

THE TOP 30 FEMALE VOCALISTS - RIGHT NOW!

From a list that seemed endless came the tough task of narrowing it down to our Top 30. There is the obvious choices, the new and rising stars, the unexpected and the "who?" You'll have choices that we missed, as always. Ther will be some you've never heard of that you may be inclined to check out on your own and discover something new and exciting. At any rate, here's The Alte...

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UNDER THE RADAR

ERIC TAYLOR - STUDIO 10

ERIC TAYLOR - STUDIO 10

Eric Taylor has spent a lifetime as a folk singer and we all can benefit from his devotion to the music, and time put in on stages from coffee house to club on his most recent release, Studio 10 . The songs on the album are ridden hard, put away wet tales of moving through life. Studio 10 takes a look at small town life in “Bill”. The tale wanders around, cruising through the four ...

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GRANT LANGSTON - WORKING UNTIL I DIE

GRANT LANGSTON - WORKING UNTIL I DIE

Grant Langston has made a hard choice for Working Until I Die . Known for equal amounts of hard work and hard drinking, Grant Langston has chosen a hard production courtesy of Paul Q. Kolderie (The Pixies, Dinosaur, Jr, Radiohead, Hole). The mix of rock on steroids production and classic country songs on the jukebox may not seem like a good fit. Sometimes it is really hard to ima...

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BRENT AMAKER AND THE RODEO - YEAR OF THE DRAGON

BRENT AMAKER AND THE RODEO - YEAR OF THE DRAGON

There are a couple singers that can pull off what Brent Amaker does to a song. Similarities that come to mind are Lorne Greene with his version of “Ringo”,  Audrey II, the plant from Little Shop of Horrors, Kraftwerk or Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas. Backed by The Rodeo, Brent Amaker goes in with a voice that passed deeply resonant a few notes back. He grabs...

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THE COMMUNAL WELL - UNDER A WESTERN SKY

THE COMMUNAL WELL - UNDER A WESTERN SKY

If you were to list the most important historical events that changed the course of popular music in America those events would include the mass migration of jazz musicians to Paris, France in the post war era of the late 40's and early 50's and the similar migration of blues musicians to England in the late 50's and early 60's. Both, incidentally, occurred because those two un...

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WHEELER BROTHERS - GOLD BOOTS GLITTER

WHEELER BROTHERS - GOLD BOOTS GLITTER

One of the perks about being a fan of Roots music is that no banner needs to be flown or borders guarded against alien musical forms invading. We are more inclusive than exclusive, and the smart money rides on bands that use everything at their disposal. On that note, enter the Wheeler Brothers.

On their latest release, Gold Boots Glitter , the Wheeler Brothers take full advantage o...

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ASHLEIGH FLYNN - A MILLION STARS

ASHLEIGH FLYNN - A MILLION STARS

Ashleigh Flynn spins her stories in Portland, Oregon. Ashleigh takes history and sticks it in a song. On A Million Stars, her fourth release on her own imprint, Home Perm Records, Ashleigh introduces us to heroines and lawless ladies (sometimes the roles are interchangeable within the body of the characters). Her stage sets are America, though Ashleigh does take a little closer...

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

TOKYO ROSENTHAL - FINDING INSPIRATION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

TOKYO ROSENTHAL - FINDING INSPIRATION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Tokyo Rosenthal dropped us a line to talk about our 50 Songs on the American Condition list. We asked Tokyo how his topical songs find their inspiration…

Bob Dylan once said about the Beatles, "You guys have nothing to say", egging them on to write more meaningful tunes and touch on social commentary as Dylan is famed for. I subscribe to Dylan...

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MEMORIAL DAY - FROM A VETERAN, ADVOCATE AND SONGWRITER

MEMORIAL DAY - FROM A VETERAN, ADVOCATE AND SONGWRITER

Walt Cronin is a reader, friend, musician, veteran and veteran's advocate. His story came to me via Facebook when I learned Walt Cronin uses his music as therapy to help veterans returning from war. His story was an interesting one and one we wanted to let him tell...in his own words. We enjoy getting stories from our fans and friends and bringing them to the public. Here's Wal...

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MIKE EDWARDS - SPIRITUAL WARDROBE

MIKE EDWARDS - SPIRITUAL WARDROBE

Mike Edwards of Spiritual Wardrobe, like all musicians, had two ideas in his mind for the business of music. One idea was the way he intuitively felt about his art and the way it could be transferre into a business model. The other option was the way the industry dictated. Mike took some time to tell his story.....Spoiler Alert! there is a happy ending.

From Mike Edwards - Spiri...

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SETH WALKER - INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK

SETH WALKER - INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK

The music of Nashville-based singer/songwriter Seth Walker, 39, is an engaging hybrid of Americana, blues, and jazz. But his signature style did not come easily. Walker endured a lengthy journey through several genres before he figured out which worked best for his pleasantly-raspy voice and laid-back guitar playing.

On his newest release, the self-produced Time Can Change , Walke...

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MARK ROBINSON'S GROOVE

MARK ROBINSON'S GROOVE

“Quit Your Job - Play Guitar” was a good opening salvo in the career of Mark Robinson. The album received high praise from what is ordinarily a stodgy, jaded blues press and it had some airplay around the country as well. What “Quit Your Job - Play Guitar” did, more importantly, was build anticipation for a follow up. That wait is over with the release of “Have Axe - Will Groov...

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THE WILD RUMPUS - ALLAN SIZEMORE GETS A LIVE SOUND IN STUDIO

THE WILD RUMPUS - ALLAN SIZEMORE GETS A LIVE SOUND IN STUDIO

Finding any time to speak with The Wild Rumpus is difficult. The band is out just about every week making their way through the mountains of West Virginia for a show. Weather helped us out and we were lucky enough to catch The Wild Rumpus guitarist/banjoist/producer, Allan Sizemore, at home. He was cooking a beef stew to offset the winter storm that was hitting the mountains. W...

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FROM THE VAULTS

STEVE FORBERT - ALIVE ON ARRIVAL/JACKRABBIT SLIM 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

STEVE FORBERT -  ALIVE ON ARRIVAL/JACKRABBIT SLIM 35th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Maybe he wasn’t the only one, but Steve Forbert was probably the only one that fit so well into a club called Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers, shortened to CBGB-OMFUG, to go down in the history books as CBGB’s. While the venerated Lower East Side venue was giving birth to punk and new wave with The Ramones, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, Televisi...

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YARN SERVES LEFTOVERS VOLUME TWO

YARN SERVES LEFTOVERS VOLUME TWO

We’re very lucky. Blake Christiana is a prolific man. Leftovers Volume Two takes care of the album doldrums experienced between releases by offering Yarn music ‘left off’ earlier releases. On the heels of the success of their last album release, Almost Home , Yarn present Leftovers V2 as the second in a series of releases that focuses on tracks that did not make the final selection...

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REVISITING THE MASTERPIECE OF MEMPHIS

REVISITING THE MASTERPIECE OF MEMPHIS

Memphis has a long standing place in the history of American popular music dating back to the turn of the century. The center point, Beale Street, was ground zero for African American commerce and culture and served as the northern gateway to the cultural riches of the Mississippi Delta. “A meeting place for urban and rural styles,” emphasized folklorist George McDaniel, “Beale...

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GARLAND JEFFREYS - THE KING OF IN BETWEEN

GARLAND JEFFREYS - THE KING OF IN BETWEEN

Garland Jeffreys has played us a song by song soundtrack to the past forty years in his recordings.  It is words meeting music inside a sonic snapshot of contemporary life, as seen from the eyes of New York City native son.  Growing up in the Sheepshead Bay area, named for the body of water that separates the mainland of Brooklyn from Coney Island, Garland Jeffreys ha...

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - NEBRASKA

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - NEBRASKA

Bruce Springsteen has always created music steeped in the Roots of his influences, transferring jukebox, chicken shack and protest march songs into arena rock and roll. In his early years, with albums backed by the E Street Band, Bruce amped up the Jersey shore mix of Rock ‘n Soul and took it to the world….very successfully. Springsteen and the E Street Band have become synonym...

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GREAT BIG SEA - XX

GREAT BIG SEA - XX

In band years, 20 is a lifetime. Great Big Sea have been singing, playing and charting music in their Canadian homeland for two decades. GBS member Alan Doyle has written tracks with his buddy Russell Crowe, with whom Alan appeared in Robin Hood, playing the role of Merry Man Allan A’Dayle. The key, as Alan Doyle sees it, is intention; “the way to be in a band for a lifetime is...

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THE ARCHIVES

BEVEL AND EMBOSS - CELLULOID

BEVEL AND EMBOSS - CELLULOID

This album oozes sweaty, dripping awesomeness! If "awesomeness" isn't a word, well, after listening to Celluloid it should be! Amsterdam based "instro-rock" masters Bevel Emboss is part Ventures, part Duane Eddy, part Wes Montgomery, part Dave Alvin all converging in a Route 66 roadhouse set in the middle of an Ennio Morricone dreamscape. This is the coolest thing since 'pipe scr...

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ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN' MOONS - NOWHERE IS NOW HERE

ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN' MOONS - NOWHERE IS NOW HERE

Angela Perley tells you right away in the song “County Fair” when she fesses up that “good time music makes me let down all my hair”. You have been warned. She and her band, the Howlin’ Moons, light a match and set fire to the five tracks that make up the group’s E.P., Nowhere Is Now Here . “18 Feet Under”  is gossip delivered with a bit of homicidal advice and “Tangled Up o...

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THE ALTERNATE ROOT 2013 VALENTINE'S DAY SAMPLER

THE ALTERNATE ROOT 2013 VALENTINE'S DAY SAMPLER

The huge amount of hearts and arrows sent digitally in response to our request for St. Valentine’s Day music was appreciated. The incoming music covered both sides of relationships. Whether hearts afire or hearts asunder, songs of survival or songs of sinking, middle fingers raised or arms around your lover….all moods, both down swings and emotiona...

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THE ALTERNATE ROOT SALUTE TO WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH - 'WOMEN ONLY' SAMPLER

THE ALTERNATE ROOT SALUTE TO WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH - 'WOMEN ONLY' SAMPLER

The Alternate Root Women's History Month Sampler is ready for download and appreciation. We thanks the ladies who have not only contributed, but written songs that keep to the theme of this years Women History Month, Women Eductaion - Women Empowerment. Our sampler happily hosts music from Gretchen Peters, Sara Petite, Christine Ohlman, Audrey Auld, Bonnie Bishop, Susan Cattane...

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THE TRISHAS - IN THE ALTERNATE ROOT TV STUDIO

THE TRISHAS - IN THE ALTERNATE ROOT TV STUDIO

Texas based band The Trishas joined Alternate Root TV at The Performing Artist Co-Op in East Nashville to tape a segment for Alternate Root TV Show 6. The Trishas are four multi-talented, singers that formed in 2008 to perform at a Tribute Concert for the late Kevin Welch. The four beautiful songstresses are Jamie Wilson, of the sweetheart band of the hill country The Gougers, ...

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JAMES McMURTRY - IN THE ALTERNATE ROOT TV STUDIO

JAMES McMURTRY - IN THE ALTERNATE ROOT TV STUDIO

Perhaps one of the greatest songs of the past 20 years about the human condition in America in 2012 is 'We Can't Make it Here' from James McMurtry. McMurtry is a master of poignant, biting lyrics as demonstrated in this, one of his signature songs. This one of the very best performances we've ever had on Alternate Root TV. Filmed at the Alternate Root TV studio in Bos...

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Chelle Rose

Not since Nanci Griffith packed the combined abusive pasts of Rosalee Sorrels and Kate Wolf into “Ford Econoline” has a song kiss off to an ex held been as much fun as the Chelle Rose tune “Alimony”. Chelle Rose takes aim and fires off a rock’n’roll salvo that hits its target and you can be sure it will leave a mark. The song finds a home on the Ray Wylie Hubbard produced Ghost of Browder Holler, Chelle’s second album effort. Ray and Chelle handpicked the gems on Ghost of Browder Holler from her song work-ups, selecting the tracks each morning with some serious brainstorming, “Every morning we’d sit at the kitchen table and pull one of my songs out of the hat. Then we’d work out an arrangement and either agree or disagree to cut it. It was a beautiful, intense process that resulted in a record I’m proud of”.

Spontaneity has helped Ghost of Browder Holler sparkle like the night sky above folk, roots, bluegrass, country and rock’n’roll sitting on the porch, knocking back some shine. “Browder Holler Boy” opens up the album, with producer Ray Wylie Hubbard chiming in to lend vocal work. The darkness of the music background casts a long shadow across the song. Chelle Rose strips down to just voice and guitar (“Wild Violets Party”), reels back and rocks (“I Need You”), rambles along a country blue road (“Leona Barnett”),  shimmies and shutters (“Rattlesnake in the Road”) and floats along on gauzy Americana (“Caney Fork Tennessee”). Stepping gracefully between styles is an art that Chelle Rose has mastered. 

DOWNLOAD CHELLE ROSE "ALIMONY"

 

The Wood Brothers

The basic concept is simple. Two brothers form a band, let influences and a love for blues, folk and roots‐music sounds build songs and let nature take its course. For The Wood Brothers, that path showcased sibling vocals with Oliver on guitars and Chris on bass. The duo added non-blood brother Tyler Greenwell on drums and percussion and brought in a bunch of friends to deliver the Jim Scott produced Smoke Ring Halo.

The Wood Brothers took fifteen years to get to a joint band from separate projects. Smoke Ring Halo has a sound that makes you think these guys have been recording together for a lot longer. “Rainbow” lets a slide guitar accent the lovers questions and requests that walk the story line, “Mary Anna” stutters with bass and acoustic guitar notes as the narrator asks his love interest to let a little more light into their time together, “When I Was Young” lets voices and instruments play tag across a fast paced island rhythm and “Made It Up the Mountain” talks temptation and shares the results over confessional organ swells and playful notes patterns. The Wood Brothers testify, shouting the message of the spirit throughout Smoke Ring Halo with the passion of the faithful.

DOWNLOAD THE WOOD BROTHERS "MADE IT UP THE MOUNTAIN"

Matt Prater

Matt Prater sings the blue collar life, describing with honest emotion and a barely concealed anger how the working man is fairing these days. You know the character Matt talks about in “Dirt”, he or she could be you. They are the folks who spend another long day building dreams for someone else, working ten hours a day, five or six a days a week, coming to the realization that they “watched the day go by and it hurt to think I spent my life doing someone else’s dirt”.

 Matt Prater is the Small Town Son broadcast in his most recent albums title. His words and voice are a season winning team on Small Town Son. The stories are revealed with a directness that lets you feel the truth as much as hear it. Matt has a way of imbuing his characters with life, there is blood running through the veins of the farmer praying for summer rain in “Fertile Ground”, the soul describing the loss of life in “Ghost Town” and the lover who is “Ten Years Two Kids” into a good decision. Picking up a guitar and learning to play is the easy part of songwriting. Stitching stories with a straightforward frankness and making it look easy is the tough part. Matt Prater aced both.

DOWNLOAD MATT PRATER "DIRT"

Susie Fitzgerald

Susie Fitzgerald waltzes with her memories in “No Drinkin’ Alone”, reason spreading out and into her body and mind a little slower than the effects of the alcohol. On Plenty, Susie moves beyond memory and makes demands on her life (“Bring in the Light”), seeks out a place to kick back and stop swimming in the deep dark waters of love for just a little while (“Safe Harbor”), dons the mantle of mother (“Lullaby for Baby”) and rocks for the need to let go of personal wars (“Peacetime Now”).

Music is a second time around romance for Susie. She began playing guitar at fourteen, soaking up her Folk influences in her native Colorado. She put the guitar aside and proved making a song you can be proud of only takes one good note and one bad man; “I stopped playing for about a decade. A few years ago, I experienced sort of a ‘perfect storm’ of loss. I had my heart badly broken, suffered some severe health issues and totally burned out on my career as a museum professional”. Susie Fitzgerald stacked the sound deck on Plenty with Nashville session aces.

DOWNLOAD SUSIE FITZGERALD "NO DRINKIN' ALONE"

Jack Wilson

A change of clothes is always important when planning a move but what do you pack for a change of address? Jack Wilson saved room in the boxes and labeled Folk/Seattle on the cardboard container that housed his sound. When he got to his new Austin, Texas digs, his furniture, clothing, knick knacks and sound all acclimated to their new surroundings, Jack seeing the process as  “somewhere, in the blending, is the sound of the record. Whatever you might call it, my sound, well, it's that blend."

The self-titled Jack Wilson release is the mirror that plays back the sound of the two cities. “I’ll Do the Same” offers acoustic Austin guitar chord and high lonesome pedal steel with gently plucked cello and “The Truth” is an open letter to past teachers, the reading of the text shared in duet with Raina Rose as the air around them is freckled with banjo, mandolin and guitar notes.  Jack Wilson delivers his words with an open heart whether his backing is stripped down to barely more than man and guitar (“Dogwood Days”, “Red Feather”), dressed for the country  (“Paying for Misery (Thanks to You)”, “Black Hills Fiction”)or buckling in for a  rock and soul assault (“The Cure”, “The Watcher”).

DOWNLOAD JACK WILSON "VALHALLA"

The Cabin Dogs

Twin brothers Rich and Rob Kwait have called a few cabins home over the years. In 1998, they set up an 8-track recorder, visiting mountain cabins from Vermont to Tennessee, listening to country blues and old murder ballads. The sound the brothers crafted was shaped by the environment of their journeys and travels. Following the passing of their four-legged traveling companions, Cornelius and Leonardo, Rich and Rob retreated to the mountains of upstate New York. The brothers and their band, The Cabin Dogs, met up with musician/producer Professor Louie, who sat in for a Newport Folk Festival gig with the band. The results of the meeting and playing produced The Cabin Dogs first album, Electric Cabin.

The Cabin Dogs latest release, Midnight Trail, follows in the steps of earlier work, though the setting has changed to a home studio. The opening banjo notes, soft chord shuffles and plaintive vocals of “Blue Train” set up the songs for Midnight Trail. The tracks share shelf space with like-minded groups and artists from Neil Young and The Band through to Wilco, The Avett Brothers and Bon Iver.  “Bloom” opens out over a persistent rhythm, “Thinkin 'Bout You and Me” bubbles with organ bursts and playful riffs, “Out in the Country” starts out with a glimmer of dawn filling the air, rising with the story line and “Come A Day” revisits the past on a lazy guitar strum.  The Cabin Dogs include their mountain retreats feel and form in their songs. Cornelius and Leonardo are wagging their tails.

DOWNLOAD THE CABIN DOGS "BLOOM"

Blvd Park

Some like labels, some don’t. Saying “I sound like this” is limiting for artists yet they have to say something around the family holiday table when dear old Aunt Edna asks “well, what kind of music is it?” When Sacramento homegrown Blvd. Park changed their base of operation to Seattle, the band took its sound and came up with a term to just about cover the audio that is the result of playing together. To family and friends, Blvd Park claim the banner of Americarnie Spaghetti Western Desert Browngrass Folk.  All bases covered, Blvd Park tackled wrestling the sound into recordings. Their second album simplifies terms and nods to their new home with the title The Sound.

“Rover” slips in like fog off the bay, its tendrils snaking along under the group vocals, “Little Ditty” puts on a party dress and heads out for a Saturday love hunt, “Little Fish” swims through a seductive rhythm that encourages participation with one or both feet and “Whistle Song” spends a lot of time honoring its title and finger pointing to the love left behind with a lack of regret. Blvd Park have a community spirit that is infectious. The bands decision to saddle its sound with a name does little to inhibit the desire to join in the fun of whatever it is you are hearing.

DOWNLOAD BLVD PARK "ROVER"

The Andy Poxon Band

Andy Poxon has been performing around the Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Virginia area since 2008. It’s a good thing the bluesman could enter with the band ‘cause in 2008 he had just reached his teens.  There is a studied flash to Andy’s guitar playing. His intuitive talent for the Blues can be heard easily , what makes him a standout performer is the way he gives each not its due moment. His guitar work gives the songs a determination, which balances the hard luck life blue of his vocals. Red Roots features top drawer musicians, that take the Blues and roll with it (“C'mon Pretty Baby”), boogie on down (“Hottest Thing in Town”),  swing way low (“Raining In”) and roar (“I’ll Sing the Blues”).

Opening slots and playing with local and nationally touring acts has raised the Andy Poxon cache and brought him under the microscope as an up and coming blues/jazz act. That attention put him in front of Eller Soul Records who were impressed. They have issued the statement: “The EllerSoul family is proud to announce a new recording agreement with guitarist, Andy Poxon! The 17 year old singer/songwriter has been busy writing and will enter a Rhode Island studio in July to record new songs with award-winning producer Duke Robillard and a team of blues music veterans”

DOWNLOAD THE ANDY POXON BAND "i NEED MY GIRL"

Piers Faccini

Piers Faccini has a folk fragility that passes through his music like wisps of smoke. There are hints of Africa in the rhythms (“Three Times Betrayed”, “And Still The Calling”), smoky film noir folk jazz (“The Beggar and The Thief”), dense dark piano and cello duets (“The Branches Grow”), bluesy delta sways (“Tribe”), breathy folk (“Say But Don’t Say”) and gypsy folk (“Dreamer”). The style and form that Piers Faccini crafts on My Wilderness sticks close to folk in the rhythms and the sound delivery, his voice spending time between baring its soul and whispered urgency.

My Wilderness was self-recorded at Piers home in the foothills of Southern France. On his fourth album, Piers Faccini maps out his life journeys with time codes and carefully crafted sound stamps that move through the English moors, Saharan deserts and the Mississippi Delta.

DOWNLOAD PIERS FACCINI "MY WILDERNESS"

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