Sound Cloud Sunday – February 17, 2019 Episode 40
Sound Cloud Sunday February 17, 2019
Another Sunday of Sound Cloud Sunday and another unfathomable leap into the talented pool of independent music being recorded, produced and distributed today. Sure, music will never be the same, where the entire country hears that new song on their local radio one Saturday afternoon, and the song catches fire and suddenly the excitement builds and the artist appears and voila – a star is born. That’s not to say that the quality of music or artisanship is lower, we are just fractured by what we hear and Laurel Canyon Radio is as guilty as anyone else, bringing you a particular strain of acoustic folk/blues/rock/pop that tends to favor a certain kind of musician more than another. But in this ever diversifying market of music, these lovely indie artists are still plying their craft and bringing the oh-so-subtle joy of music discovery into our hearts! Hats off to you all!
A Different Thread – On A Whim
Hometown: Staffordshire UK/Durham, North Carolina
Album: From their debut album “On A Whim” released in October
Review Snippet: I believe the US sound is far and away the dominant one here. There’s certainly an awareness of British song tradition, especially in terms of the storytelling on display, but even Jackson’s voice has a decidedly southern state purr to it. Add to that Best’s gently grazing voice and the overall effect is pure Americana. Favourable comparisons to Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings can be legitimately made and the Everly’s are clearly an influence. But as far as inspirations go, you can’t beat drawing from the best and if it doesn’t sound like a pale imitation, which A Different Thread emphatically do not, then a strong new independent sound will slowly emerge.
Website: http://www.adifferentthread.com/
Neal Johnston – Stop, Drop And Roll
Hometown: Nashville
Album: From his first album “Static On The Radio” self-released on January 25.
Review Snippet: With influences such as Dave Van Ronk, Townes Van Zandt, to Jason Isbell, and Ryan Adams, Neal’s songwriting remains focused on telling the condition of the soul. With his heart on his sleeve with every performance, Neal believes that the best songs stem from honesty.
Website: http://nealjohnston.com/
Lula Wiles – Nashville, Man
Hometown: Boston, MA
Album: From the album “What Do We Do” released January 25 on Smithsonian Folkways Records.
Review Snippet: Lula Wiles is on the verge. This three-piece folk-Americana band composes and performs music with skill and assurance. This vibrant listening room venue allowed them to display their talent before a full house.
Isa Burke, Eleanor Buckland and Mali Obomsawin comprise Lula Wiles. From Burke’s opening electric guitar riffs through an acoustic encore of simple harmony, these players demonstrated their readiness to take center stage at bigger venues. Vocal harmonies abound with Lula Wiles, but their strong suit is their musical composition.
Website: http://www.lulawiles.com/
Michael McArthur – Wild In The Blood
Hometown: Lakeland, FL
Album: From his 2nd album “Ever Green Ever Rain” released January 25 on Green River Records
Review Snippet: A symphonically moving composition with healing harmonies and vivid 70s singer-songwriter nods.
Website: https://www.michaelmcarthurmusic.com/
Mercury Rev (featuring Lucinda Williams) – Ode To Billy Joe
Hometown:
Album: From their album “Bobby Gentry’s The Delta Sweetie Revisited”, just released February 8 on Bella Union.
Review Snippet: Mercury Rev have played gently with other people’s material before, picking material from the likes of John Lennon, David Bowie, and Nico that best suited their blissed-out psychedelics. Working with a full album originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry is another matter entirely. While they wisely left the wispy voice of frontman Jonathan Donahue behind and instead called upon an array of female singers that span multiple generations and styles, the sound that Gentry cultivated — a tight, lustrous braid that wound together the various strains of Southern music — was mostly eschewed and replaced with the band’s usual plush dream pop.
Website: http://www.mercuryrev.com/
Herman Dune – Crazy Blue
Hometown: San Pedro, CA
Album: From the album Santa Cruz Gold released on December 2 on Yaya Tova Records.
Review Snippet: Obviously, this isn’t exactly strange music. But it captures something unfashionably warm-hearted and timeless; a place where rock, pop, folk and indie meet and swap stories over camomile tea about being dumped by girls who wear hairgrips and flowery dresses with Dr Martens. There should always be a place for this, whether John Hamm gets to warm the teapot or not.
Website: http://www.davidivar.com/
The Smith Sisters – The River And The Moon
Hometown: Falls Church, VA
Album: From the album “Roadrunner” released January 18 on Flying Fish (a re-release of the 1998 album released on Rounder)
Review Snippet:Firmly ensconced in the folk and country genres, beautiful harmonies are the hallmark of their music. For the vast majority of the show it was clear they had lost none of their synergy. Debi Smith possesses a very powerful voice, with an extremely impressive range. On songs such as “In My Dreams,” a lovely song about the comfort and nostalgia that goes along with aging, her range was on impressive display. Megan Smith’s voice doesn’t seem to have the range of her sister’s, but complements it very well. After a bit of a shaky start harmony-wise, they warmed up as the show went on, and by the end were firing on all cylinders.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheSmithSistersMusic/
Reed Foehl – Stealing Starlight
Hometown: Boston
Album: From his 2nd album “Lucky Enough” released February 1 on Green River Records.
Review Snippet: Lucky Enough is dedicated to the memory of Foehl’s mother — “the Queen of Everything” — and a keen sense of loss flavors the album. But there’s also a sense of hope, of forward momentum, change and a celebration of love, including not just the romantic variety but the kind a guy has for the oldest of old friends. For Foehl, creating Lucky Enough with The Band of Heathens has been a cathartic process. “If I can help myself, maybe I can help others,” he says. “You’ve got to keep moving forward. I think that’s the important thing. Live to fight another day.”
Website: https://www.reedfoehlmusic.com/
Brent Cowles – Tequila Train
Hometown: Denver, CO
Album: From his 2nd album “How To Be OK Alone” released last June on Dine Alone Records.
Review Snippet: Each of these is built upon musical stylings that combine the dusty vibes of Americana with the soulfulness of ’70s radio pop. It feels like a cheap shot to refer to anything as yacht rock without gaining expressed written consent of the artist but fans of the genre, its better elements anyway, will find something to like in these songs. The sense of resolve, the reminder that love lurks in some of the world’s darker spaces seems central to the connecting threads here. Perhaps “soulful Americana” is a better designation. Perhaps leaving the music alone to be what it will be is best of all.
Website: http://www.brentcowles.com/
Blue Honey – August Without Us
Hometown: Nashville
Album: From the album “Sweet Rebellion” self-released on January 25.
Review Snippet: Husband and wife duo Blue Honey, consisting of Troy Brooks and Kassie Jordan-Brooks, are excited to announce that their sophomore album, Sweet Rebellion, is now available on iTunes, Spotify,Amazon and all other online retailers. The project consists of twelve songs that tell a story of love, loss and of course a little rebellion.
Website: http://www.bluehoneymusic.com/
Jeff Cramer – Open Road
Hometown: Denver, CO
Album: From his debut album “Northern 45” self-released on January 25.
Review Snippet: Glide is proud to premiere the album in full below. Cramer showcases a brooding openheartedness and warm crackly diversity of alt-country, ballads and studio rock reminiscent of early Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown) and Hayes Carll.
Website: https://www.jeffcramer.com/
Natalia Zukerman – In The Long Mirror
Hometown: New York, NY
Album: From the soundtrack album “The Women Who Rode Away” released February 1 on Talisman Records.
Review Snippet:
Natalia Zukerman comes equipped with a triple-threat toolbox: She’s an incisive songwriter with the phrasing of a jazz-blues singer and the phenomenal instrumental talent on anything with strings.”
Website: https://www.nataliazukerman.com/
Sean McConnell – Secondhand Smoke
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Album: From his 6th album “Secondhand Smoke” released February 8 on Big Picnic Records.
Review Snippet: Immerses the listener in McConnell’s honest, emotional songwriting and understated, flawless vocals from the first track to the last.
Website: https://www.seanmcconnell.com
Henry Jamison – Ether Garden
Hometown: Burlington, VT
Album: His 2nd album “Gloria Duplex” was released February 8 on Akira Records.
Review Snippet:Henry Jamison’s voice is not unlike the New England climate he hails from: airy and light one moment, suddenly forceful the next. Jamison’s sophomore album Gloria Duplex, out February 8th on Akira Records, encompasses his signature soft and lilting voice with an added layer of urgent meaning. Gloria Duplex covers the nuances of what it means to “be a man;” timely for sure, but also complete with a sense of longing only a folk artist could provide.
Next Time in LA: April 30 at the Moroccan Lounge.
Website: https://www.henryjamison.com/
Twain – Nature Song
Hometown: Franklin County, VA
Album: From the EP “Alternator” released January 25 on Keeled Scales.
Review Snippet:
Next Time In LA: March 30 at the Glass House in Pomona.
Website: https://twain.bandcamp.com/
Ben Spencer’s Funeral – Trademark
Hometown: Montreal, QB
Album: From the album “Bungalows” self-released on January 29.
Review Snippet: Alt-folk songwriter and producer Ben Spencer fills the quiet, comedic moments between breakdowns with brave poetry and extraordinary melody.
Website: http://www.benspencermusic.com
/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2xAFTYn730
