Sorry, pals. Not feeling up to recording this week so
you can read what I have to say about all of these wonderful people
in the show notes! Hope you all have had and are having a wonderful
holiday week!
-
2 AM
Wake Up Call -- “I Don’t Know What’s Bad For Me” (This Is
Enough)
2 AM
Wakeup Call has been making music since 2017, describing his music
as “Southern Emo.” What calls me to these two songs are his
deep-cutting vulnerability (it’s not enough you see a man talk
about feeling physically used) and playful
instrumentation.
2.
Ella Marie Salter -- “White Flag” (Beverly)
Hailing from Southern Alabama, Salter has a truly
impressive voice. She belongs in the pantheon of country music’s
great singers -- and her songwriting ain't bad, either
I
wrote this song up a few months ago for The Boot! As a queer
writer, I think it’s really important to lift up all LGBTQ voices
in the roots music community. I look forward to more allies joining
me this year! Speaking of allies, I love that Rachel Hurley and
Frank Keith at Sweetheart PR are going above and beyond to work
with queer artists, even if they’re struggling
financially.
As
for Michelle Brooke, she’s another addition to that pantheon of
great voices. A self-described theater kid growing up, she brings
that Broadway pizzazz to the barnhouse. This song is so cathartic
in so many ways and is about the end of her first same-sex
relationship after coming out.
4.
The Strangemakers -- “Shot Down” (Off the Floor)
The
Strangemakers are a decorated folk rock band from Canada. You can
hear the assurance in their groove on “Shot Down” and it reeled me
in. Patreon listeners will hear “Wait On Me,” which sounds really
familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out if it was a cover and
didn’t have time to ask them. Anyway, it’s been stuck in my head
for a whole two weeks.
5.
Stephanie Anne Johnson and the Hidogs -- “Take This Love” (Take
This Love)
You
may know Stephanie Anne Johnson from The Voice; on this album she
enlists some of Seattle’s best. And yeah -- one more for that
pantheon. I love the warmth in her lyrics and confidence in her
performance!
6. El
Cantador “My Way” (Translation Wave)
This
is one of my deep dives into the ol’ Adobe & Teardrops
vault. Translation
Wave
came out in 2013 and it seems to
be their last release; the band was led by Heath Underwood, who now
has a band called BUNCH, whose 2015 album
I wrote up.
7.
“Lay Me Down” -- Brendan Kelly and the Wanderers (Too Late to Pray:
Defiant Chicago Roots)
Bloodshot Records just celebrated their 25th
anniversary with this fantastic comp album. It shows the beauty and
diversity of Chicago’s roots music scene.
8.
Nilufer Yanya -- “In Your Head” (Miss Universe)
I was
gobsmacked after Nilufer Yanya’s performance on World Cafe. Anyone
who thinks rock’n’roll is dead needs to shut their
soundhole.
9.
Sid Kingsley -- “Sweet Viriginia” (Single)
Kingsley grew up playing jazz in a small town. When he
joined the Coast Guard, he was encouraged to continue playing sax.
After leaving the Coast Guard and moving to Richmond, VA, he found
that he couldn’t avoid his calling anymore and took the plunge with
his first album. So far, it’s shaping up great.
10.
Lizzie Huffman and Her Brother’s Band -- “Tumblers and Tea” (Lizzie
Huffman and Her Brother Band)
Another one from the vault. I can’t find any online
presence for Lizzie Huffman, so if you know where she is please let
her know there are still people enjoying her music. Meanwhile, you
can tell how old this song is because she talks about tight jeans
-- as a good thing! Pretty sure it’s from 2011.
11.
Stevie C. Bowen -- “Be Kind” (Music From the Rooms of My
Head)
Hailing from Brooklyn and with a moustache that might
make Von feel jealous, Bowen doesn’t have much biographical info
out there. But maybe that’s because his guitar needs to speak for
itself.
12.
Adam Hill -- “Magnetic North” (Water in the Draw)
A
couple weeks ago I mentioned on Twitter that I was finally getting
more honest-to-goodness alt-country through SubmitHub. Adam Hill is
one of those people. While Hill describes himself as an inventive
musician, he’s sticking to three chords and the truth here and I
love it.