Sound Cloud Sunday – November 25, 2018 (Episode 32)
Sound Cloud Sunday November 25
Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone! We hope you enjoy our music discovery show this week – we focused a lot of our attention (Marcus King not withstanding) on older and established indie artists this weekend – which just goes to show you that indie doesn’t mean young and starving – it also means, simply independent of the system. Enjoy!
Click on Episode #32 below:
Hayes Carll – None’ya
Hometown: The Woodlands, TX
Album: From the forthcoming album (his 6th “What It Is” (out February 15) on Dualtone Records
Review Snippet: Carll reminds me a bit of Townes Van Zandt; both fantastic songwriters from Texas (at least originally) who have good voices and deliver (delivered in Van Zandt’s case) intimate performances. I look forward to seeing Carll again once I better know his catalogue.
Next Time In LA: May 3 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood
Website: http://www.hayescarll.com/
Ruston Kelly – Son of A Highway Daughter
Hometown: South Carolina
Album: From his debut album “ Dying Star” on New Rounder Records.
Review Snippet: Ruston Kelly writes and performs the kinds of songs that inspire novels and movies. You could call him a bastard disciple of Kurt Cobain and Townes Van Zandt, and he’d be totally cool with that. He’s just as comfortable wearing a cowboy hat as he is in a Slayer t-shirt. His story so far twists and turns through heartbreak and triumph, an overdose and rehab, empty dive bars and packed venues, living everywhere from South Carolina to Brussels, and as he puts it, “finally getting my shit together and proposing to the love of my life.” It’s this unbelievable experience that informs his singular style—a gravelly patchwork of folk lyricism, grunge attitude, country heart, Americana spirit, and rock energy. Not only has he penned songs for Tim McGraw (“Nashville Without You”), Josh Abbott Band (“Front Row Seat”), and more, but his independent solo debut EP Halloween earned acclaim from KCRW, Consequence of Sound, RELIX, Apple Music, and more. “Poison” racked up over 516K Spotify streams, while “Black Magic” soundtracked the Season Finale of the CBS series Scorpion. He logged countless miles on the road sharing the stage with the likes of The Lumineers and Robert Earl Keen in addition to performing at Bonnaroo and Wakarusa.
Website: https://www.rustonkelly.com
The Yearlings – Skywriting
Hometown: Adelaide, Australia
Album: Their sixth album “Skywriting” was released last week on Lonely Sounds Records.
Review Snippet: “Brooding, country folk. Chalklen’s voice can haunt you for days.”
Website: https://www.theyearlings.net/
Donna The Buffalo – Heaven And Earth
Hometown: Trumansburg, NY
Album: From their self released 9th album “Dance In The Streets” out November 9.
Review Snippet: Thirty years on, the enduring upstate NY band Donna the Buffalo, returns with their first album in five years, intent to get us all dancing. Yes, this seems to be a set of material geared to their live shows and devoted fans, the Herd. It’s impossible to sit still or not tap your feet on every one of these tracks from the aptly named Dance in the Street. Dig just a little deeper and you’ll find their signature lyrics about social commentary and self-empowerment. But they have a way of making these messages fun like few can.
There are elements of rap and funk here in addition to their fiddle-driven bluegrass influences that co-leader Tara Nevins brings. She and co-leader/guitarist Jeb Puryear share writing and lead vocals as each has credit for six of the twelve in alternating sequence. Puryear’s title track echoes both Dylan and Bob Marley with these lyrics offered in slight rap/hip-hop fashion – “For change of rule. We had better stand,/Before there’s nowhere left to land/Doomed to histories repeat,/It’s time to dance in the street”
Website: https://donnathebuffalo.com
Bill Worrell – The New World Times
Hometown: Nashville via Pasadena, CA
Album: This is his second single.
Review Snippet:
Website: https://www.billworrellofficial.com/
Leon III – Maybe I’m Immune
Hometown: Nashville
Album: From his eponymous debut album released May 11 on Cornelius Chapel Records.
Review Snippet: The album exudes poetic and musical assurance along with a boldness that reveals more after each spin.
Website: https://www.leoniii.com/
B.R. Lively – The Blue
Hometown: Dallas
Album: From the album “Into The Blue” (his debut) self-released last year.
Review Snippet: Released on October 6th, 2017, Into the Blue is a cinematic record rooted in folk music, Southern Gothic soul, and the therapeutic rush of the open road. There are sweeping string arrangements, folk anthems, Motown-inspired rhythms, Nick Drake-worthy acoustic guitars, and slow, stripped-down ballads. At the center of the mix is Lively himself: a self-taught singer and multi-instrumentalist who isn’t afraid to shine a light on the lessons learned during his physical and spiritual journey.
Website: https://brlively.com/
The Marcus King Band – Goodbye Carolina
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
Album: From his 3rd album “Carolina Confessions” released on Fantasy Records in October.
Review Snippet: Operating within the fiery brand of American roots music that King calls “soul-
Website: http://marcuskingband.com/
The Gibson Brothers – Sweet Lucinda
Hometown: Plattsburgh, NY
Album: From the 14th album “Mockingbird” released November 9 on Easy Eye Sound and produced by Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.
Review Snippet: They left their banjo and acoustic guitars back home in upstate New York when making “Mockingbird,” their genre-melding new album due out Friday on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound.is a compelling combination of 1970s country, rock and R&B, a blend Auerbach describes as “country-soul,” encompassing everything from Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers to the Stanley Brothers.
Website: http://www.gibsonbrothers.com/
Sarah Shook And The Disarmers – Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don’t
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Album: From the album “Years” released in April on Bloodshot Records.
Review Snippet: “This ain’t no country for hipsters or posers. It’s real, raw, mean-and-evil-bad-and-nasty bidness that makes an ass-kickin’ sound mighty fine.”
Website: https://www.disarmers.com/
Randall King – Mirror, Mirror
Hometown: West Texas
Album: From his eponymous 4th album released in April.
Review Snippet: King was raised listening to the rich and soulful, classic country voices of Keith Whitley, George Strait and Alan Jackson, to name a few, which helped create King’s musical style into what many have described as neo-traditional country. “Randall King remains to the heart and soul of country music, but no doubt brings his own unique brand to the genre,” says hit songwriter Mark Nesler (co-writer of “Just To See You Smile” by Tim McGraw, “You Look Good In My Shirt” by Keith Urban).
With a sound rooted in tradition and songwriting that showcases honesty, conviction and authenticity, King connects with fans on all emotional levels. “Randall King has a great voice that sounds classic, yet is fresh and as a songwriter he actually has something to say – be it something that touches your heart or something simple and fun that makes you wanna get out and raise some hell.” said multi-award-winning and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Anthony Smith (co-writer of “Run” & “Cowboys Like Us” by George Strait).
Website: https://www.randallkingmusic.com/
Boys Called Susan – Company Man
Hometown: Maryland/Arizona
Album: From the debut album “Pennsyltucky” released last month on Complanter Records.
Review Snippet: First cousins Bryan Russo and Christopher Shearer, the duo known as Boys Called Susan, released their outstanding debut album, Pennsyltucky, on October 26th. It’s a project born from shared grief and individual promises made to a dying woman, Shearer’s mother and Russo’s aunt, Susan Knudson. Both men have extensive backgrounds in music (Russo as a singer-songwriter and Shearer as a multi instrumentalist, audio engineer and producer) and they showcase their talents with rhythm and blues infused roots music with an abundance of soul and heart.
Website: https://www.boyscalledsusan.com
Neilson Hubbard – If The Sun Comes Up Tomorrow
Hometown: Mississippi
Album: From his 3rd album “Cumberland Island” released in October on Proper Records.
Review Snippet: Neilson Hubbard got his start as a singer/songwriter in the mid-’90s, releasing six solo albums on labels such as E Pluribus Unun (owned by Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz), Parasol, and Media Creature. Since that time, Hubbard has produced albums for many top-tiered and critically acclaimed artists including Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), Kim Richey, the Farewell Drifters, the Apache Relay, and Ryan Culwell. His collaborations with Nashville-based artist Matthew Perryman Jones have found their way into the soundtracks of TV shows such as Private Practice, One Tree Hill, Bones, and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as several major motion pictures.
Website: http://www.neilsonhubbard.com/
Ziggy Alberts – On Hold
Hometown: East Coast Australia
Album: From the album “Laps Around The Sun” released last week on Commonfolk Records.
Review Snippet: Ziggy may come across as soft-spoken on his records but damn that boy knows how to belt out a tune. Bringing out an electric guitar during ‘Warm Coffee’ and having an audience drunkenly and discordantly ‘singing’ along makes for one rowdy folk party. Security guards cast evils around the room as concertgoers stamped and danced aggressively in the minimal space provided, but nothing can stop an enthusiastic bunch of millennials once the frontman plays their song. He combined all three of his albums in a set list that could’ve made Hades weep, or groove with joy at the very least — and so cry and laugh we did. He brought a song for all listeners; hardcore Ziggy lovers, ‘fake’ fans, and reluctant +1s, with a mix of greatest hits, lesser knowns and a cover of Ben Howard’s ‘Only Love’ to spice it up a little.
Web Site: https://ziggyalberts.com/
