An Interview with Smooth Hound Smith: Waiting for a Spark Interviews Music Features by Ken Templeton - September 24, 20190 The last time I saw Smooth Hound Smith at Atwood’s, I had been at a music festival all day. I left the festival around 9:00, pulled into a parking spot in Cambridge at 10:15 or so, and got to catch one of my favorite lives acts tear it up in one of the best Boston-area venues. Well, they’re back at Atwood’s on Thursday, bringing a bunch of new songs and a new album, Dog in a Manger. The new record is fantastic--it is a great next step for this band that won’t be pinned down. You hear one song and it’s a ripping blues, the next one is a belting ballad, and the next is an introspective folk song. So
Singled Out: Kristopher James “Love You Better” Interviews Music Features by Ken Templeton - September 18, 2019September 18, 20190 Who: Kristopher James From: Tampa, Florida Song: ‘Love You Better’ Latest Record: Kindness Never Quits (September 13) Kristopher James’s voice is powerful and immediate. He can belt, he can croon, he can really elevate a song with his delivery. His latest record, Kindness Never Quits, puts his voice front and center but we should also listen carefully to the fantastic band on this record--the production takes a lot from classic Motown and Muscle Shoals and does so without being an imitation. This is the real deal. We’re so happy to share “Love You Better,” which features a kicking horn section and the full range of Kristopher’s voice. Give it a listen and check out Kristopher’s inspiration for the song below! What About It: “It came about
GMBR Artist Throwback: Twisted Pine Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - September 12, 2019September 12, 20190 We are rounding the 3 week mark from the wonderful Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots festival and given that our old mando pickin' pal Dan Bui took some time with the artist questions (but they got to me when I was already on site at the fest) I thought it only right to do a little throwback and feature them here. I also happen to be in the throws of editing our video sessions from GMBR and just wrapped one of the two incredible tunes filmed with Twisted Pine...I'm still sitting here with my jaw on the floor. Seriously, they f*cking brought it. Check out the answers that Dan provided for us below and keep an eye on the GMBR socials for
Singled Out: The Rough & Tumble “The Hardest Part” Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - September 6, 2019September 6, 20190 With a name like The Rough & Tumble you may picture a raucous and rollicking band with a rootsy edge and the duo of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler can certainly be those things...and they do it very well...but "The Hardest Part" echoes feelings of longing balanced with brightness and a light guiding you to the future. Graham's voice entering with a drifting beauty, a simple introduction that eventually builds like the towering mountain that the song was written for and while the duo may have unsuccessfully summited that hill they were looking to climb straight up, they sure as hell are peaking high and mighty in this music and songwriting game. Who: The Rough & Tumble From: The road...but also East
Fresh Track: Corner House “Happy Now” Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - September 3, 20190 Corner House is a juggernaut of a string based outfit consisting of some of the most talented Northeast based players in the landscape today. Ethan Setiawan on mandolin and mandola, Louise Bichan on fiddle, Ethan Hawkins on guitar, and Casey Murray on cello, the band weaves the varying plucked, picked and bowed strings in a manner that is equally magical and entrancing as it is comforting and relaxed. "Happy Now" is a deep, reverberating pool of gorgeously intertwining melodies and notes...and thats before the words of the song begin to be sung. There is a simple beauty in how they present expertly played instruments and beautifully arranged vocal harmonies. Making the truly intricate and pensively thought song feel effortless, when there
Fresh Track: “Twilight,” by Alice Howe Interviews Music Features by Ken Templeton - August 23, 20190 Listening to Alice Howe’s song, “Twilight,” I can imagine a club full of people anticipating and belting the chorus with her. It would fit right in at a good Irish pub--it has all the beauty and tension of all those great songs that you know by heart. It’s the dichotomous spaces that Howe explores so wonderfully in this song--togetherness and solitude, staying and going, and the song’s focus on twilight works perfectly as a throughline. Alice says, "The first glimmer of a new song often comes to me when I am singing to myself in a moment of inspiration. I’ll be taking a walk, or sitting somewhere outdoors, and I will begin improvising with words and melody. The stillness and solace
Fresh Track: Jonah Tolchin “White Toyota Ranger” Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 19, 20190 Jonah Tolchin has that spark. The growl in his voice has an ability to shake your core. The words cut deep as he patters on with the lyrics of his songs. There is heart in his songs that can't be faked. He has a brand new single out now. There are hints and hues of melancholy. It moves along at its own pace and isn't in any hurry as the singer-songwriter weaves a tale of introspection and reflection. Tolchin tells us, "White Toyota Ranger was written about an experience I had several years ago in Maine. I was sitting out back of a gas station, feeling down on my luck. A man in a white pick-up truck pulled up, put the car
Singled Out: Sofia Talvik “Blood Moon” Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 9, 2019August 9, 20190 Who: Sofia Talvik From: Gothenburg, Sweden SongL "Blood Moon" Latest Album: Paws of a Bear What About It: "Driving from Yellowstone to Boise there was a lot of smoke in the air from all the forest fires in Montana and Idaho. Even with the windows closed and the fan off it was stinging my eyes. Every evening when the moon rose through that smoky sky it was bright red. It was quite an astounding view. Almost eerie. I was looking at the moon and I was thinking about how people all over the world were looking at that same moon, and how in Sweden or Germany or anywhere else it wasn't red like my moon was," Talvik tells Wide Open Country. "Maybe their moon
(Quick) Fire On The Mountain: GMBR Artist Interview – Christian Sedelmyer Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 9, 2019August 9, 20190 As we are just a couple weeks out from 2019’s Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival we thought it would be a good idea to catch up with some of the artists returning for the fest’s second year for a quick fire round of questions about what they loved about the inaugural event and their hopes for this years weekend of bluegrass, roots and celebration of music. Christian Sedelmyer was the heartbeat in a lot of what unfolded last year at GMBR and this year he returns in even more force, spearheading the Strength in Numbers tribute, joining Andrew Marlin's 'Buried in A Cape' and his own mainstage band set. He is one of those players who adds so much to not just
Singled Out: Louien “I Follow You” Interviews Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 8, 20190 Ethereal. Dream scape. Deep blue and faded hues of hauntingly gorgeous layers. Those are the visuals that "I Follow You" by Louien makes dance across the back of my eyelids when I close my eyes and listen. Dive into the depths she has created here on this track and let it wash over you. Who: Louien From: Oslo, Norway Song: "I Follow You" Latest Album: None Of My Words (Jansen Records, Sep 20) What About It: "This song was written quite a few years ago. I was going through my twenties, and they seemed to last forever. I remember waking up one morning and looking out of my bedroom window - the trees, grass, cars; everything was covered in a thin layer of snow – it