Tag Archives: look out for

Country, folk, News, Singer Songwriter

Look out for: Holly Williams

Holly williams 2

Ok, she is not new in the game, she has released two (good) albums before, but there haven’t been enough people paying attention. She’s a great artist.

In a couple of days (5 Feb), her new album will be released. It is called The Highway and she is releasing it independently, and she describes it as a new beginning. It will be released on Holly’s own label, Georgiana Records.

Her first single off the record is Drinkin’, what a wonderful song!

Holly Williams  was born March 12, 1981 she is the granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr., the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr. and half-sister of country singer Hank Williams III.

Let you go (live on Leno):

Here are even more tracks from Holly Williams via the excellent Noisetrade website:

“It’s all about the songwriting for me. I still love songs that I wrote when I was 17. I was always attracted to the heavier stuff and the real stories that painted a very clear picture for you in your head. Tom Waits songs read like little movies in my head, and I hope listeners always walk away feeling like I’ve taken them somewhere. That desire has remained the same through and through.”

– Holly Williams (to Noisetrade)

Continue reading Look out for: Holly Williams →

Great Bands, News

Look out for: The Lone Bellow

Lone Bellow 0

“You never need nobody
You’ve never been alone
And I try to get your affection
And all I ever do is wrong”

Brooklyn Country Music.

Brooklyn band the Lone Bellow has just released their self-titled album, and what an album it is! I was part of the Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the album. It is one of the best results of a Kickstarter campaign I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in.

lone bellow kickstarter

 

As you can see the band had a slightly different name before the record was released, by the time the impressive debut album, Williams had dropped his name from the billing.  From now on they are known as The Lone Bellow. The  three piece consists of lead singer and songwriter Zach Williams, mandolinist Kanene Pipkin, and guitarist Brian Elmqust. They  formed in Brooklyn but they  can all trace their roots music sensitivity to their Southern heritage.

You never need nobody (live on Conan):

Williams have released some albums (4?) in the last 6 years, I’ve only heard one of his solo efforts  and it was interesting and quite good  but I must say that The Lone Bellow is a big step in the right direction.

This is the first truly great album of 2013!

Bleeding Out (live):

In the changing climate of popular music, into a more folksy/indie move, The Lone Bellow will fit in very nicely. They’re like a more countryfied Arcade Fire, or a more anthemic Avett  Brothers. They are saviours of pop music, they are musicians who  master their craft. We can feel the joy of playing together, creating music, hell, creating art!

Lone Bellow 1

Lead singer Zach Williams writes songs that has a melancholy feel in a manner that conveys resolution and commitment. These are feelings derived from Zach William’s life experiences.  In 2005 his wife broke her neck in an accident shortly after they were married and was temporarily paralyzed. Williams came through this experience  stronger and more determined than ever, he wrote these great tunes that have strong undercurrents of faith and hope. Good music from bad experiences, who would ever imagine that, eh? Lucky for us, he chose to channel his feelings into his music.

lone bellow 2

Teach me to know (live at WFUV):

– Hallgeir

folk, Indie, Singer Songwriter

Look out for: The River Has Many Voices

This is The River Has Many Voices according to his bio:

The River Has Many Voices(TRHMV) is  Matthew Payne, a singer/songwriter who lives and writes in Dripping Springs just outside of Austin, TX at his ranch house of 126 acres set in the Texas hill country. It is the land where he grew up and it is where he calls home.

Matthew Payne worked as a high school English and Creative Writing teacher for five years. Though incredibly proud of his time there, he decided to leave this work and pursue a life of writing and singing.

There’s a thousand on fire (not released):

It was then, living in a small ranch house, in a span of a month, that he wrote and recorded the tracks that appear on this debut album. Having written for years,
he has developed a musical catalogue much larger than any one album and this comes through with his live shows. He plays many clubs and coffeehouses around
Austin, and some festivals, including Old Pecan Street Festival this fall.

 

Barton Creek [EP]

Barton Creek is a collection of songs integrating harmony and acoustic melody from genres of Folk, Country, Pop, and Americana. The lyrics take the most
importance and involve various topics, including death, love, and living with both of those powerful forces.

As EPs go it’s a long one, it clocks in at 41 minutes. And it is 41 minutes well spent. The six songs are full of optimism, longing and loss.

It starts off with For Emily, a sweet love song with a hypnotic accoustic guitar riff over Matthew Payne’s husky voice. The Harmonies on the choruses are just beautiful. The Lyrics are bittersweet, as the love affair now seems over, but it’s still a  song that praises Emily in a very profound way. I love it.

Continue reading Look out for: The River Has Many Voices →

Country, folk

Look out for: Phoebe Hunt

Photo courtesy of Dowellshots

ABOUT (taken from her website):
Singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Phoebe Hunt just can’t stay planted in one spot for long, and that insatiable wanderlust drives everything she does — from mastering myriad musical styles to living the gypsy life of a touring musician.

Sugar:

An Austin-to-Nashville émigré, the gifted Americana-pop artist headed to another musical center, Los Angeles, to record her self-titled debut EP with producer Matt Rollings, who helped create a captivating introduction to her solo work. Propelled by her genre-jumping fiddle, Hunt wraps her sultry voice and sincere lyrics right around listeners’ souls with each song. Leaping easily from country to Western swing to jazz,G ypsy and blues, she also shifts moods from innocent and playful to seductive and intimate in the blink of a beat. But the quality that shines through most of all is her honesty.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Hunt spent her college years touring around the Lone Star state with folk trio the Hudsons. After graduation, she hopped in the Belleville Outfit’s van, spending four years touring nationally with the renowned Americana act. She also shared songwriting and lead-vocal credits on two albums.

Hunt spent the past year in Nashville, honing her songwriting skills and touring with Kentuckian cellist and songwriter, Ben Sollee.

Meet Phoebe Hunt, and fall in love…

Her new EP:

 

– Hallgeir

Country, folk, Indie, pop, Video

Look out for: Saturday City

Saturday City is an accoustic 60’s inspired indie/pop duo consisting of brothers, Magnus (29) and Stian (23) Gulbrandsen from Moss, Norway. They have a pleasant, mellow but fresh sound that reminds me of Iron & Wine or William Fitzsimmons but with the added harmony parts.

We’ve played together in a couple of bands that just stopped functioning, we then decided to go for it, just the two of us.

– interview NRK

Stian is also a member of  Death By Unga Bunga (Oya Festival booking), we will check them out later this summer. Magnus is also a guitarist in The Dahlmanns.

Misty Grass:

Their musical favourites include Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, early Bee Gees, John Martyn and Beatles (and more). Very good taste in music and the influences seep into their lovely songs. They’ve described their music as “Folk/country-ish but with a “beatlesque” touch”. That’s about right, I think.
Continue reading Look out for: Saturday City →