Sound Cloud Sunday – March 15, 2020
Sound Cloud Sunday March 15, 2020
If you are going to start “social distancing” why not hole up with Laurel Canyon Radio and let us spin a bunch of new tracks for your listening enjoyment? We took some cues from local musicians, our friends across the pond over at Laurel Canyon Music in London (thanks Gary!) and put together another week of new music with some divergent sounds. Hope you enjoy this weeks show and click on it below to listen. It’s the #laurelcanyonsound all over the place!
Will Sexton – Witness
Hometown: Austin
Album: From his album “Don’t Walk The Darkness” released March 6 on Big Legal Mess Records.
Review Snippet: Don’t Walk the Darkness marks a belated return to his solo career, but represents something even more profound for Sexton: a personal and musical rebirth following a stroke he suffered in 2009, which robbed him of much of his verbal and language abilities, and even forced him to reconsider his approach to playing guitar.
During that time, Sexton also traded one music capital in Austin for another, moving to Memphis in 2013. His shift to the Bluff City was prompted by love: he met and married fellow singer-songwriter and frequent collaborator Amy LaVere.
Settling in Memphis, Sexton would become a lynchpin for artists on the Fat Possum-distributed Big Legal Mess and Bible & Tire Recording Co. labels, leading the house band at producer Bruce Watson’s Delta-Sonic Sound studio. “Memphis is an important part of what I’ve become,” enthuses Sexton. “I’ve been able to immerse myself and tune my ear to what makes this place so magical — and it’s really about the amazing musicians here.”
For his new album, Sexton set up with Watson at Delta-Sonic, combining his new digs in Memphis along with a crew of old favorites from New Orleans, tapping Crescent City legends the Iguanas to serve as his main backing band.
Website: www.willsexton.com
Martha L. Healy – No Place Like Home
Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland
Album: From the 2018 album “Keep The Flame Alight” on Frog Eye Records.
Review Snippet: ‘This is a fine album of well written, beautifully performed country songs, sung with great emotion and with a perfect musical backing. It is Nashville with a Celtic tinge and it cements Martha L. Healy’s place as one of the best young singer/songwriters around at the moment.’Blues and Roots Radio
Website: https://marthalhealy.com/
Pat Flynn – Sundown
Hometown: Nashville
Album: From the 2007 album ReQuest
Review Snippet: Bluegrass and country guitarist and songwriter Pat Flynn first gained attention as a member of New Grass Revival, appearing on the group’s albums Live (1984), On the Boulevard (1984), New Grass Revival (1986), Hold to a Dream (1987), and Friday Night in America (1989), and writing songs included on these albums, including the title songs for On the Boulevard and Friday Night in America. “Do What You Gotta Do,” which he wrote for Friday Night in America, was later recorded by Garth Brooks for his album Sevens (1997). Flynn played on the track, which initially made number 62 in the country charts; upon re-release it reached number 13 in the country charts and number 69 in the pop charts in 2000. After his stint in New Grass Revival, Flynn became a successful country session musician, appearing on recordings by the Bellamy Brothers, Mark Chesnutt, Nanci Griffith, Loretta Lynn, Kathy Mattea, Michael Martin Murphey, Leon Russell, George Strait, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, and Lee Ann Womack, among many others, during the 1990s and 2000s. On August 10, 2004, he released his debut solo album, reQuest.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Flynn_(musician)
Donna Missal – You Burned Me
Hometown: New Jersey
Album: New single from her second album.
Review Snippet: New Jersey singer-songwriter Donna Missal has a smoky, powerhouse voice, and a flair for making retro soul sound up-to-the-minute that recalls Amy Winehouse
Website: http://www.donnamissal.com/
James Deely – Another Night Alone
Hometown: Los Angeles via Brant Beach, New Jersey
Album: Single released last November on Big America Records.
Review Snippet:
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pg/James-Deely-and-the-Valiants-176618455681682/about/?ref=page_internal
Pike & Sutton – Let The Music Get You High
Hometown: Austin, TX
Album: From the album “Heart Is Like A Compass” – no release date yet.
Review Snippet: Pike & Sutton is a partnership, a creative evolution and a promise fulfilled. Equally anchored by the powerhouse vocals of Patrice Pike and the electrifying guitars of Wayne Sutton – best known as co-founders of ‘90s seminal jam band/modern rock favorites Sister Seven – their debut album Heart Is A Compass is both a transformative celebration of the pair’s R&B, soul and roots influences and an exhilarating call-to-arms for the faithful.
Website: https://www.pikeandsutton.com/
Alec Lytle And Them Rounders – Young
Hometown: Northern California
Album: From the album “The Remains of Sunday” out April 20 on CEN Records.
Review Snippet: Lytle, previously an upright bassist, sideman, and harmony singer, is un-beholden to the formulas that typify singer-songwriters in folk and Americana music. His lyrics tell compelling, clear, relatable stories, always true and angularly referenced, inviting listeners to relate and apply their own meaning; his sound propels them into swirls of sensation, allowing them to tap into a vibrant, immersive experience with his music.
Along with a ragtag, evolving group of unique musicians, he records and performs as ‘Alec Lytle & Them Rounders.’ The ensemble includes mandolin, upright bass, drums, slide guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, and three-part harmony singing in a variety of combinations, lending to a vast spectrum of sounds. From gritty Southern a cappella and rowdy, boot-stomping choruses to the Laurel Canyon troubadours of yesterday—but never wandering quite so far towards the sentimental—they stretch past the limits of Modern Folk music. The band performs on stages at music festivals, cafes, clubs, and bars across the US, and will tour Alaska for the fourth consecutive year in 2020, making them a fixture on many an Alaskan’s summer calendar.
Next Time in LA: April 18 at Apogee Studio
Website: http://www.aleclytle.com/
Honey Harper – Someone Else’s Dream (featuring Austra)
Hometown: Atlanta
Album: From the debut album “Starmaker” released March 6 on ATO Records.
Review Snippet: “Interstellar country that wraps itself around the horizon” – CLASH
“Every so often, a new artist emerges, seemingly out of nowhere, fully formed…Offering his take on ‘universal country’, Starmaker has classic written all over it”.
Website: https://www.honeyharpermusic.com/
Good Harvest – The Charade
Hometown: Falan, Sweden
Album: From the album “Dream of June” released February 7 on Playground Music.
Review Snippet: Scandinavia has long been a hotbed of great music and musicians and Hanna Enlöf & Ylva Eriksson of Good Harvest are the latest excellent emerging acoustic duo. Based in Falan in Sweden their music has been described as “extraordinary beautiful, emotional and well crafted”. They call themselves musical twins, which shines through the inter-weaved harmonies and excellent interaction on stage. Quite simply they have the ‘wow!’ factor. Conjuring the vibe of modern groups like The Staves and First Aid Kit and Joseph while echoing classic ‘Laurel Canyon’ musicians like Joni Mitchell and CSNY. To best describe their music, imagine a mix of how Simon & Garfunkel play together add the harmonies of Nick Drake and finish of with the strong approach and narrative style of Gillian Welch.
Website: https://www.goodharvestmusic.com/
Hudson Taylor – Where Did It All Go Wrong
Hometown: Dublin
Album: From the album “Loving Everywhere I Go” on Rubyworks Records released on February 27.
Review Snippet: ‘Loving Everywhere I Go’ sees Hudson Taylor return to their roots. It’s a simple, effective addition to the album—just a feelgood folk tune. With trademark harmonies, the ‘heys’ and ‘ohs’ on the chorus, and a storytelling connection, it’s an infectious folk ballad, polished to perfection.
Website: https://www.hudsontaylormusic.com/
The Mastersons – Circle The Sun
Hometown: Los Angeles via Austin and Brooklyn
Album: From the album “No Time For Love Songs” released March 6 on Red House Records.
Review Snippet: No Time for Love Songs explores the emotional challenges of a morally compromised era, and reflects the experiences that the pair has accumulated in their travels. Those experiences helped to inspire the big-hearted songcraft of such compelling new tunes as “Spellbound,” “Circle the Sun,” “Eyes Open Wide,” “The Silver Line,” “There Is A Song to Sing” and the album’s poignant title track, which showcase the Mastersons’ organic harmonies, stirring melodies and insightful lyrics, which consistently offer clear-eyed optimism in the face of loss and discouragement.
Website: http://www.themastersonsmusic.com/
The Hanging Stars – I’ve Seen The Summer In Her Eyes
Hometown: London
Album: From the album “A New Kind Of Sky” released February 21 on Crimson Crow Record.
Review Snippet: “Swampy psychedelia that recalls the Medway Delta as much as the Mississippi, the band’s new single neatly conjoins these influences.” – Clash
Website: http://thehangingstars.com/
Zac Wenzel – When Did I Get So Old?
Hometown: Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Album: New single on GX2 records, sophomore album still to come.
Review Snippet: None yet
Website: https://www.zacwenzelmusic.com/
Emily Zuzik – Trouble
Hometown: Los Angeles
Album: New single released in February on Maenades Music from the album “Torch And Trouble”
Review Snippet: As a singer-songwriter, her music captures the film-noir essence of Los Angeles’ haunted past infused with the soul of the Memphis Stax sound. Her songs compel and engage as they call to mind her musical kinship with Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones. Her voice is warm as she seduces the listener in a way reminiscent of Sheryl Crow and Liz Phair.
Her soon-to-be-released album, Torch & Trouble, is a well-focused blend of earthy singer-songwriter centered Americana music. The thread of meaning that runs through the ten-song collection is hope, redemption & faith in love even as we face daily conflict, change and challenge.
Website: http://www.emilyzuzik.com/
Matt Watts – Sha La La La Jim
Hometown: Brussels Begium via Montana
Album: From the album “Queens” released February 7 on Starman Records.
Review Snippet: Watts recorded his first album at the age of fifteen, moved from Montana (US) to Antwerp (BE) four years later, got into contact with the Belgian alternative scene and became a member of several rock, noise and punk bands. ‘Queens’ is produced by Stef Kamil Carlens and Nicolas Rombouts and features (former) members of acclaimed Belgian bands such as Moondog Jr, Zita Swoon, Eriksson Delcroix, Dez Mona, Guido Belcanto, and King Dick. And yes, all of that is audible on this album.
From the first notes of ‘Sha La La Jim’ you’ll realize that you’re dealing with a talented singer-songwriter, backed by a group of professional buddies. Americana, rock & roll, country and folk are being mixed into outstanding songs, often emotional, sometimes gritty and dark. A whole bunch of names comes to mind, including South San Gabriel, Morphine, Ween, dEUS and, in ‘Smoke All Around My Brain’, even Elvis, embodied by the ‘Suspicious Minds’ like guitar licks.
Website: nope
3 Pairs of Boots – It Ain’t Easy
Hometown:
Album: From the 2019 album Gone South on Dark Country Records.
Review Snippet: The wide and deep roots of Americana music reach back into the West Coast’s folk-rock scene just as much as they do the South’s blues and country traditions. The husband-wife duo 3 Pairs of Boots, comprised of Andrew Stern and Laura Arias, is the latest evidence supporting the California case.
“We grew up in San Francisco, where concerts mixed artists from many genres together on the bill — Jimi Hendrix and Albert King, Cream and James Cotton, Miles Davis and Grateful Dead,” Stern says. “Music did not have the same boundaries then as it does now, and it still doesn’t have boundaries for us.” Luckily enough, Americana’s borders are pretty blurred, themselves.
Stern and Arias originally met through a “Singer Wanted” ad. Within a year, they were not just bandmates; they were also spouses. Ever since, they’ve rolled their way down a long, winding road through various genres — including rock, dance, Latin, fusion, prog rock, and punk — only to end up in the melting pot of Americana with all their influences and experiences still intact. “This music encompasses all of the artists who influenced us: the Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, the Who, the Smiths, Cocteau Twins, Tom Petty, Nick Drake, and more,” Stern notes. “They all have a place in what we create now.” Indeed, with 3 Pairs of Boots, jangle-pop guitars might well sidle right up alongside a two-step groove.
Website: https://www.3pairsofboots.com/
