​Shannon & The Clams - Shannon Shaw (bass and vocals), Cody Blanchard (guitar and vocals), Nate Mahan (drums), and Will Sprott (keyboards) - peel back their musical layers exposing a sound that is deliciously retro yet undeniably fresh and 100% their own on their upcoming fifth studio album, Onion.

Produced by Dan Auerbach, Onion contains thirteen tracks – layered, refined, and creative - that speak to identity, experience, and determination via a fusion of sounds including surf rock, 50’s pop, soul and psychedelia. Beginning with the Blanchard-led “Boy,” a shimmering doo-wop reflection on childhood experiences, the quartet flow into the soulfully surreal “It’s Gonna Go Away,” a tune that explores the fleeting nature of, well, everything, and the western-accented, anthemic “Backstreets.”
 
Shaw takes lead vocals on the bubbly (and under two minutes) “If You Could Know,” the potent title track (whose riffs recall The Doors), and the aching ballad “Did You Love Me.” The varied aspects of relationships are also at the forefront on the pulsating “I Leave Again,” the infectious “I Never Wanted Love” about realizing you might indeed want what you thought you didn’t, and the hand-clap filled “Tell Me When You Leave” before closing out with the cinematic “Strange Wind” and the affecting and inspirational “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

Life's experiences - love, loss, tragedy, recovery, change – shape who we and who we become. It's these layers of our identity that Shannon and the Clams explore on Onion, and in doing so, give us an album that’s authentic, sharp, and full-flavored...like life itself.
  
Onion will be available everywhere February 16th via Easy Eye Sound. For all the information visit HERE.

On her new single, "Cut The Line," Annachristie Sapphire entwines Americana and Folk with 90's era grunge and in doing so captures something incredibly expressive and powerful. Penned by Annachristie and produced by Grammy-winner Tim Sonnefeld, "Cut The Line," tells a dreamlike story of searching for love via dire, soulful verses, a retro chorus, and an atmospheric melody that both engulfs and liberates the listener.

"I wanna put the hook in your lips and draw you in
Cut the line drop you back and watch you swim
I just wanna see the sun shining on your skin
Cut the line drop you back and watch you swim"

Annachristie has shared the stage with favorites such as First Aid Kit, Amos Lee, and Langhorne Slim, as well as Victoria Williams, the founder of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund best known for work with Neil Young and Lou Reed, who lends her backing vocals to Annachristie Sapphire’s new single and upcoming EP.

"Cut The Line" will be on Sapphire’s forthcoming EP, Desert Car, which was recorded at Chaparral Bottom Studio and Red Star Studios. For more information:
WEBSITE    INSTAGRAM    FACEBOOK    ​

This past December, Canadian-born singer-songwriter Hugh Christopher Brown released his latest album, PACEM (Latin for peace). The record begins with the beautiful chant-like melody of “The Prayer of St. Ignatius” (the "Prayer for Generosity" from St. Ignatius's "Spiritual Exercises") which accentuates the timelessness of the divine message. From there, PACEM continues with ten additional tracks that draw on a deep well of experiences and meditations that took him, as he has said, "inward and outward".  

One of the tracks, "Keeper of the Flame" is a delicate, thoughtful shuffler led by piano and Brown's sincere vocals that focuses on following your inner light. Stream the track above and for more information visit HERE.

"With you everything is music, everything is magic
And I know how to use it 
Just jet me hear your laughter, the greatest thing since silence" 
​

On January 26th, Laura Benitez and the Heartache will release their third full-length, With All Its Thorns, which, despite its name, is something to behold as Benitez tackles the prickly aspects of relationships with keen insight, unique perspectives, and heart.

With All Its Thorns starts off with the Tex-Mex flair of the lively “Something Better Than a Broken Heart” which with its opening line “I’d always thought I’d get that diamond ring” and accordion work (courtesy of Billy Wilson who plays throughout) instantly grabs your attention. That’s followed by ten more songs, told by Benitez’s distinct voice, that strike a chord, whether they’re breaking your heart or lifting it up.

The slow shuffle of “Easier Things To Do” conveys the thought that even though things, whether in work or love, aren’t always we easy, we shouldn’t avoid them; while the jaunty “Our Remember Whens” tells a darling story about looking forward to being able to reminisce with a new love, and the rollicking “Whiskey Makes Me Love You” where she asks, “How can you say it’s wrong when that amber starts to pour” extols the virtues of the favored beverage.

While Benitez is the primary songwriter, The Heartache - Bob Spector (acoustic and electric guitar), Ian Sutton (pedal steel), Mike Anderson (electric and upright bass), and Steve Pearson (drums) - elevate her lyrics with their dynamic musicianship whether with the dark backbeat on the murder ballad “In Red,” the haunting fiddle (courtesy of Steve Kallai) and steel on the stirring “Ghostship,” a true story of a fire in an artistic collective, or capturing the conjunto feel of “Almost the Right One/Casa Mi Cielo.”

With All Its Thorns is rounded out by the astutely told tale of two cheaters entitled “Secrets,” the charming “The Fool I Am Right Now” and the bluegrass infused closer, “Nora Went Down the Mountain” which tells the story of an ordinary woman who, one day, simply picked up and left.

Alphonse Karr is quoted as having said, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” Benitez and company adeptly tackle life’s sadness, heartaches, and struggles on With All Its Thorns, and in doing so have exposed the beauty behind those thorns, capturing something incredibly pure, poignant, and timeless. 

Alabama native, Tiera, who was the Song Suffragettes #LetTheGirlsPlay Artist of the Month in August of 2016, has been singing ever since she was a little girl. The self-taught guitarist and soulful singer-songwriter earned a spot performing at Nashville establishments like the Bluebird Cafe and the Listening Room Cafe, and recently opened for Shenandoah and the Charlie Daniels Band. With these highlights already under her belt, the Nashville resident has been hard at work on new music at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals with producer Noah Shell.

Tiera's follow-up to her 2015 EP is a brand new single entitled “Wake Up Call." Written by Tiera and Shell, "Wake Up Call" is a mid-tempo anthem that portrays a no-nonsense, self-assured woman who finds the strength to leave a relationship that hinders, behind. "Wake Up Call" has a breezy melody that's easy to hum along to, but it's also a song with a message of empowerment and independence that women should take to heart.
​
"I don't take orders from nobody but myself
I ain't that pretty little piece of arm candy
You can put on your shelf
No I ain't the call for a good time
Go and take a slow ride
Type of girl"

"Wake Up Call" will be released on January 5th.

Austin-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Parker McCollum broke out in a big way in 2013 with his critically adored debut The Limestone Kid and now McCollum builds on that momentum with his latest, Probably Wrong. The 10-track LP was introduced in a three-part rollout beginning in July with Session One, followed by Session Two in September and finally adding two final songs to complete the project for its full release on November 10th. And while it was undoubtedly a unique way to release an album, the payoff is full of rewards.

Produced by Lloyd Maines, Probably Wrong finds the singer-songwriter further showcasing his striking ability to craft honest, accessible tunes that never sacrifice sharp storytelling and instantly memorable melodies for trends, and the result is an exceptional album that finds McCollum leading the class.

Throughout the project, McCollum concentrates (successfully) on writing about what he knows - love, relationships, and life on the road – and does so in a way that nods to tradition all while being contemporary, vivid, and unique. In addition to current single “I Can’t Breathe” (co-written with Micky Braun) Probably Wrong contains nine additional tracks, two outside cuts and seven co/written by McCollum including album opener “Memphis Rain,” which addresses adjustment and growth before flowing seamlessly into “South Of The City Lights” which, with its easy, understated guitar and keys, ponders life lessons. The breezy “Lonesome Ten Miles” and rollicking “The Truth” both have inescapable (and danceable) vibrant keys-driven melodies that juxtapose their themes of loneliness and heartbreak, “Been a long hard crawl to the bottom of the wall, but there’s no place I’d rather be,” while the steel work in “Misunderstood”, alongside McCollum’s sad yet resigned vocals, amplifies grappling with the strain of being away from someone you love, “But I’ll live out of a bag til the day I die.”  Things turn from weary to slightly optimistic on the shuffler “Things Are Looking Up” which has a welcome three-minute instrumental that will keep your toes tapping long after McCollum stops singing before leaning on a bit of Bluegrass in “Blue Eyed Sally,” (written by Austen Biggers) a mandolin-led love letter to the woman he comes home to after a day in the coal mine. The album is rounded out with the delightfully old-timey “Learn To Fly” and closer, "Hell Of A Year," a sincere heartbreaker.

Probably Wrong does everything right; it’s one of those rare records that completes the triad of storytelling, melody, and delivery, securing McCollum’s spot as a distinctive voice in music who will not only forge his own path, but carry on the tradition of the respected songwriters before him. 

Country newcomer Claudia Hoyser recently released her new EP, Steam, a five-track outing that is sure to find the young singer-songwriter gathering momentum in country music. Steam kicks off with the full of swagger "Drinkin' with the Boys" then segues into "Steam," a ballad with a classic yet contemporary country feel reminiscent of early Miranda Lambert. From there, Hoyser slides into the laid back "No Matter What It Costs," the spunky "What Kinda Man" and closes it all out with the delicate, emotional "Red Light's Turning Green." Steam is a refreshingly solid EP that is sure to make Hoyser one to watch.

Hoyser is currently working on her full-length album.
For more information visit HERE
Stream the album HERE

-Harriett

With seven albums and years of touring already under his belt, respected Texas singer-songwriter Drew Kennedy is hardly new to the music scene. On November 3rd  he releases  At Home In The Big Lonesome.  Produced by Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson), the eleven track collection combines Kennedy’s well honed writing skills and soulful vocals with piano and strings alongside the more traditional acoustic instrumentation on his previous albums. The departure works well and serves as a perfect sonic backdrop for the evocative nature of the songs.   

The tender, piano ballad ,“When I’ll Miss You Most” draws the listener in immediately with its reflections on the death of a lover, “With a steaming cup of coffee, and the paper by my side/ I can’t bring myself to read it ‘cause I know your life’s inside”,  and the knowledge that memories of her will remain intact as he navigates the future without her. “Sing This Town To Sleep” and “Jackson” are sweetly nostalgic with the former celebrating the joy of sharing the small town life with the one you love while the latter recalls memories of a past relationship, “We sang along with The Jackson Five/Made love to Jackson Browne.”

Co-written by Kennedy and Sean McConnell, “24 Hours In New York City” takes the listener along on a young, teenaged couple’s impulsive roadtrip complete with vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds. “Cream And Sugar” brings you along on the excitement a blind date in a coffee shop as you follow the inner monologue of the guy trying to quell his nerves and minimize expectations.

The simple sounds of acoustic guitar and harmonica drive “Miles To Go” which uses roadtrip necessities as a guide for living a good life, “Keep a map in the glovebox and cut a path to the sweet unknown” while “House” conveys advice in more of a “how not to” guide for a crumbling relationship, “Not saying what needs saying is a sure fire way to let that fire die/And going through the motions is only good if you don’t wanna try/ I ain’t no architect but I know without a doubt, how to turn a home into a house.”  

At Home In The Big Lonesome closes with a beautifully done cover of Walt Wilkins’ “Walnut Street” which serves as a reminder that no matter whose name is on the deed, a house is a vessel containing the memories of all who lived there. It’s a fitting way to close an album of songs about memories; some likely personal and others possibly conjured of out empathy and understanding of the human condition.

To find out more about the artist, his music and touring schedule, visit his website at www.drewkennedymusic.com.