Laurel Canyon New Music June 14, 2015
New Tracks On Laurel Canyon Radio Week of June 15
Here at Laurel Canyon Radio, one of our mantras is that we celebrate the music from a seminal era in rock history and the artists that carry that tradition forward today. In no way are we suggesting that any of the many new and independent artists we play at the station are derivative. They are iconoclastic, independent, original, evocative, tuneful and this week we spent a lot of time nostalgically spotting some great influences from the past and how they inform the present. 
- “Angeleno” – Sam Outlaw
We recently featured an article about newcomer Sam Outlaw on our Laurel Canyon Facebook page by stating that we thought this guy was the real deal. While Outlaw’s debut album and the title track tilt country, the sound hear ranks up there with the early country work of the Eagles. Did we mention its AWESOME and a must-listen for new fresh music seekers?
- “3 Shots” – Hollis Brown
Speaking of the Eagles, veteran New York-based rockers Hollis Brown and lead singer Mike Montali takes a page out of the Randy 
Meisner vocal book with this great high harmony lead vocal that pulls a vintage and modern sound out of its hat simultaneously.
- “Infinite Sun” –Jm Airis http://totallygrossnationalproduct.com/artists/jm-airis
Let’s tell you what we know and then reach out to the artist to fill in the gaps. Jm Airis’ sophomore release “Wild Birds” is out on Totally Gross National Product. He’s originally from Wisconsin. His website looks like it was built by sparrows who brought bits of string back to a nest to cobble a domain together. In this case of knowing so little, it’s better to let the music speak for itself, and this 8-minute opus is a great indicator of some great talent, with its meter-shifting, spaced out, big themed no-hurry-to-get any place vibe. The record label has a couple of other Airis’ tracks on their site including lead track “Fe Telo”, which goes in a whole ‘nother direction.
- “Then And There” – Barna Howard
“Quite A Feeling” is the sophomore release from Missouri-born, Portland-based singer-songwriter Barna Howard, and we’ve put a few tracks from it into our rotation, because it’s hard to choose from this charmingly fond set of reflections on youth, hometown and first kisses.
- “24 Frames” – Jason Isbell
Former Drive By Trucker Jason Isbell is hardly the most underrated musician in roots rock history. He’s put out four consistently great albums with evocative playing and songwriting. Even if he isn’t the household name we at Laurel Canyon Radio thinks he should be, we’ve gotten hold of the new full album, “Something More Than Free” out on July 17 and there are 11 tracks to support Isbell’s further ascent into roots/pop stardom. Although only the lead track “24 Frames” (a great one) is currently available for broadcast/purchase, it’s definitely one of only several stand out tracks. The upper registers recall Don Henley in what appears to be our Eagles-influenced new music column this week.
