Tag: Gaelynn Lea

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews Women in Entertainment

Get it or Forget it – Gaelynn Lea, Lil’ Red and The Rooster, Teen Ravine, mmph, Jonathon Long

Happy First Friday!  Hope you’ve all had a good week after the Monday holiday, and are ready for the weekend.  Here are five albums being released today for your consideration.

Artist Name:  Gaelynn Lea

Album Name:  Learning How to Stay

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Singer-songwriter  Pop

Track Listing:  1.  Bound by a Thread; 2.  Dark to Light and Dark Again; 3.  I See it Too; 4.  Jim & Judy’s Wedding (Larry Unger); 5.  Lost in the Woods; 6.  The Last Three Feet; 7.  Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun; 8.  I Wait; 9.  Grace and a Tender Hand; 10.  Metsakukkia; 11.  Moment of Bliss

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  We met the delightful Gaelynn Lea at last month’s Traveler’s Rest Festival, and found her to be one of the kindest and most humble artists we have ever encountered.  She was launched into the national spotlight after toiling in the dark for 20 years when she won the 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest, and she is truly worthy of the attention.  Her performance at Traveler’s Rest brought down the house, and three members of The Decemberists and the vocalists from Lenore joined her for her finale.  Her new album is likewise incredible.  She starts off slow and easy on “Bound by A Thread” before cranking it up with the upbeat “Dark to Light and Dark Again.”  She truly sums it up with her lines, “No matter how far we have climbed, we can not do it on our own.”  Her violin playing is without equal, and our dream collaboration would have her playing a song with I’m With Her’s Sara Watkins.  “I See it Too” will bring you to happy tears, while the stirring instrumental “Jim & Judy’s Wedding” will make you want to waltz across the floor.  We could go on and on about this incredible album, but suffice it to say that all of her songs are so inspirational that you will want to hear them over and over again.  Put this one on repeat – you’ll thank me later!

Recommendation:  If you buy only one album in the next 10 years, it simply has to be this one.  Get it now!

Artist Name:  Lil’ Red & The Rooster

Album Name:  Soul Burnin’

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Blues

Track Listing:  1.  Soul Burnin’ Wrong; 2.  Catch the Train; 3.  Listen; 4.  Narcissistic Blues; 5.  Coq a Doodlin’; 6.  Black Cat Fever; 7.  Respect Your Sisters; 8.  Tic Toc; 9.  Hey Mister Mister; 10.  Big Boy Boogie; 11.  Chicken Scratch; 12.  Occupy my Mind

Publicist:  ABIK Radio Promotions

Review:  Lil’ Red & The Rooster have their own brand of the blues that incorporates some Americana (“Soul Burning’ Wrong,” “Hey Mister Mister,” “Chicken Scratch”) and jazz (“Listen,” “Black Cat Fever,” “Tic Toc,” “Occupy my Mind”), giving it a rich and full sound.  They also provide some killer blues guitar, that makes you want to hear these songs again and again.  And if traditional blues is what you want, there is plenty of that as well (“Narcissistic Blues,” “Coq a Doodlin'”).  They even rock it up a bit on “Big Boy Boogie.”   In other words, this album is da bomb!

Recommendation:  Regardless of how you like your blues, this one is a worthy addition to  your collection.  We highly recommend you Get it today.

Artist Name:  Teen Ravine

Album Name:  Teen Ravine

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Pop

Track Listing:  1.  Hall of Horrows; 2.  Friend of a Friend; 3.  Bad Dream; 4.  Stay; 5.  Steady On; 6.  Only You; 7.  Above Average; 8.  Permanent Honeymoon; 9.  This One Time

Publicist:  Auteur Research

Review:  Teen Ravine have a hit on their hands with their debut album, which continues the success they have already found with the release of the singles “Bad Dream” and “Friend of a Friend.”  The critics, including Noisey, NY Magazine, DIY, The Line of Best Fit and The 405, are spot on in their analysis, marking these newcomers as future superstars.   These songs are extremely radio friendly and just damn good fun, and would make a great soundtrack for your next party or get-together with friends or family.  They remind us of early Steely Dan.

Recommendation:  Run out and Get this one.  You won’t regret it.

Artist Name:  mmph

Album Name:  Serenade

Label:  Tri Angle Records

Genre:  Instrumental

Track Listing:  1.  Minuet; 2.  Tragedy; 3.  Woodlawn; 4.  Elegy; 5.  Serenade

Publicist:  Promo Juke Box

Review:  We reviewed his previous EP Dear God back in March 2018, and this new one is further confirmation of our original review.  It shows a deeper dimension to his composition and performance skills, and is even more commercial than his first EP.  Starting with “Minuet,” we feel a stronger, rockier edge to his music that Apple should definitely look at for future use in their commercials.

Recommendation:  Add this one to your collection if you like great music.

Artist Name:  Jonathon Long

Album Name:  Jonathon Long

Label:  Wild Heart Records

Genre:  Contemporary Blues/Southern Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Bury Me; 2.  Shine Your Love; 3.  That’s Who I Know; 4.  The Light; 5.  Living the Blues; 6.  Natural Girl; 7.  The River; 8.  Pour Another Drink; 9.  This Road; 10.  Where Love Went Wrong; 11.  Pray for Me

Publicist:  Rick Lusher

Review:  This album, produced by 2018 Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year Samantha Fish on her label, Wild Heart Records, announces to the world that there is a new voice in contemporary blues who isn’t afraid to borrow from Southern Rock and Country to give his music something more that is normally associated with the blues genre.  His music is extremely radio friendly, and would fit in a myriad of musical genres, making it perfect for cross-over on different formats.  The album is non-stop fun, and we simply love Long’s voice and his lyrics.  This is our kind of blues, and we will shout it out from the rooftop that there is a new king in town.

Recommendation:  Don’t even think about it.  You simply must Get this one!

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

Travelers’ Rest Festival – day 2 review (part 1)

Here’s the first part of our review of the second day of Travelers’ Rest Festival, brought to us by the good folks at Knitting Factory Entertainment and our friends at Big Sky Brewing Company.  Day Two followed the same format as Day One, with four artists performing on the Ponderosa Stage and five artists on the main stage, including a second day of The Decemberists headlining.

The first artist of the day was NPR’s latest darling, the adorable Gaelynn Lea.  Despite her diminutive size, she is an amazing violin player whose vocals bring her fans to tears.  She is also one of the most humble artists I have ever encountered in my 30 years in the music industry.  She packed the structure around the Ponderosa Stage like no other artist that played there, and even got Chris Funk (guitar), Jenny Conlee (accordion) and Nate Query (upright bass) from The Decemberists and Joy Pearson (vocals) and Rebecca Marie Miller (vocals) from Lenore to join her for her final song.  Her new album comes out in September, and we can’t wait to review it and share it with you.  It was one of the best performances I have ever experienced, and set the bar for the rest of the day.

The first artist on the Main Stage came all the way from Morocco, bringing their native sound to share with the Festival attendees.  Dressed Bedouin style, Tinariwen shared their drums, guitar, bass and native vocals and the crowd loved it.  The rhythms were amazing, and it was near impossible not to break into dance during the show.  They have a very unique sound that translates well on the Festival scene, and they kept the audience very entertained and engaged throughout their performance.

Here’s the link to their most recent album on Spotify.

Back to the Ponderosa Stage for LA-based indie rock trio Cardioid, composed of Lizzy Ellison on lead vocals and guitar, Riley Geare on drums and Erica  Shafer on bass.  Although the band started in Portland, it has transplanted to the City of Angels, where they are working on their next album, Fantasy Metal, which we can’t wait to review.  Their sound is pure indie rock, with exquisite guitar and bass performances, a throbbing drum beat and the voice of Ellison like the cherry on top of your favorite sundae.  They turned in one of the best rock performances of the Festival, and their 30-minute set was far too short to adequately display their immense talent.

The second artist to take the Main Stage was also the oldest artist performing.  Mavis Staples is 79 years old, and joined her family’s band, The Staple Singers, in 1949.  The band began as a gospel and folk group until after they signed with Stax Records in 1968.  They switched up their sound to a more R&B/soul vibe, and with their third Stax album, they reached #2 on the charts with “Respect Yourself,” and #1 with “I’ll Take You There.”  Staples’ music defies genre, as her sound is a combination of gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, soul and folk.  She wrote the amazing “Freedom Highway” for Martin Luther King in 1962, and participated in the Selma march alongside Dr. King.  She has won multiple Grammy awards, giving her a rich catalog from which to perform.  Unfortunately, 45 minutes is not nearly enough time for her to showcase her immense talent, but she did get to wow the crowd with the aforementioned “Freedom Highway” and “I’ll Take You There,” with which she ended her set.  Her music brought back so many great memories of growing up in the 70s, and was the true highlight of the weekend for me.

The action returned to the Ponderosa Stage and continued in that same 70s R&B/soul vibe with the performance by Ural Thomas & the Pain.  The band is composed of Ural Thomas on vocals, Scott Magee on drums and backing vocals, Arcellus Sykes on bass, Brent Martens on guitar, Steve Aman on keys, Bruce Withycomb on baritone sax, Willie Matheis on tenor sax and Dave Monnie on trumpet.  Thomas had some success back in the late 60s and early 70s when he performed more than 40 shows at the acclaimed Apollo Theater, but left what he considered an unfair business to return home to Portland.  Thomas never gave up his music, and sponsored a jam session in his home for nearly 20 years.  In 2016, Magee convinced him to return to the business, and Ural Thomas & the Pain was born.  Their debut album on Tender Loving Empire is scheduled to be released on September 28.  With that kind of a pedigree, you know the joint was jumpin’.  Thomas was the perfect complement to continue to R&B/soul trip started by Staples, and kept the Ponderosa Stage audience engaged and dancing throughout his set.  He even managed to squeeze in an extra song  beyond his 30-minute set.  His performance was my second most favorite of the Festival.

We’ll be back soon with part 2 of our review.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2018: vol. 28

What a wonderful weekend.  Spent it working the backstage gate at The Decemberists’ Travelers Rest Festival in Missoula.  Over the course of the weekend, I heard a lot of amazing music and made some great new connections, including three members of The Decemberists (Chris Funk, Nate Query and Jenny Conlee) and Colin Meloy’s mom), I’m With Her and their lovely families, indie bands Lenore, Matt the Electrician, Tune-Yards, Cardioid, Ural Thomas & the Pain and Whitney, NPR darling Gaelynn Lea, and fellow Virginian Lucy Dacus.  A full review will be coming soon, so stand by for another busy week of articles.  In the meantime, here are five new singles and five new music videos to get your week off to a good start.

NEW SINGLES

Our first single this week comes from the creative minds of two amazing songwriters, Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil and Curtis Peoples, as recorded by Peoples.  Here’s one of our new favorite songs, “Castaways.”

Next up is the latest from Sheridan Reed.  We love the groove of “We Should Both be Here,” and are sure you will too.  Enjoy this tune.

https://soundcloud.com/sheridanreed/we-should-both-be-here

Our third single this week is from Americana/roots band HONEY RIVER, and we think this one is a potential mega-hit.  Check out “Peace, Love.”

Our next single is from Dutch band Money & The Man.  It has a harder alternative rock edge and should help shake up your Monday.  Here’s “This Season.”

Our final single today will get you body on the dance floor.  Let’s give it up for “When I Ask You Why,” the latest from dance pop artist and producer Fish Fox.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Our first video this week comes from the granddaughter of Willie Nelson.  She is also a member of the amazing country band mmhmm, which we recently reviewed.  Here is “Mama Cry” from her other band, the Raelyn Nelson Band.

Next up is the latest from Korean-American artist Tiffany Young, who has already accumulated more than 1 million hits on a video that was just released five days ago.  Check out “Over my Skin.”

Our third video is a blast from the past.  The Guess Who were huge back in the early 70s, and they’re back sounding like they never left.  Check out their latest video “Playing on the Radio.”

Next up is “Night After Night” from Rare Americans.  It is a punky indie rock tune which will help propel you into the new week.

We close out the week with the amazing voice of GABI.  This tender ballad will soothe all your troubles away.  Enjoy “Whole With You.”