Listen Up to Ben Kweller!
After 15 years of releasing records through both major and independent labels, Ben Kweller has announced the formation of his own label, The Noise Company. The Austin-based label will be home to all future Kweller releases, beginning with his infectious new album, Go Fly A Kite, set to hit stores February 7, 2012. The Noise Company has signed on with the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) to distribute all of its releases.
Go Fly A Kite will be Kweller's fifth studio album and will surely satiate the appetite of those "incredible fans." The album hits hard with the unforgettably melodic and heartwarming fuzzed-out Rock 'n' Roll that first put Kweller on the map with his debut, 2002's Sha Sha. With Go Fly A Kite, Kweller proves that he has progressed yet managed to keep the deft songwriting sensibility and diversity for which he is known and loved. While appearing effortless, it's clear how hard he has worked on making one of the finest albums of his career.
CLICK HERE for more about Ben Kweller
Dawes - Best of 2011
Dawes' Nothing is Wrong came in among the TOP RECORDS of 2011:
#8 on Paste Magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2011
#5 on American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2011
#35 on Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2011
#39 on Uncut's Top 50 Albums of 2011
#42 on Americana Music Association's Top 100 Albums
#56 on FMQB's Top Albums of the Year
#47 on Rough Trade's Top 100 Albums of the Year
#1 on Ear To The Ground Music's Top 5 Records of 2011
#14 on Team Hellion's Top 50 Albums of 2011
#2 on Andy Langer's KGSR Top 10 Records of 2011
Among WFUV's Best of 2011
CLICK HERE to watch this incredible backstage interview with Taylor Goldsmith at Mountain Stage. CLICK HERE for all upcoming tour dates and be sure to catch Dawes LIVE.
In case you missed it: CLICK HERE to check out Dawes' latest appearance on Conan O'Brien.
CLICK HERE to purchase Nothing Is Wrong
NPR Features This One's For Him - A Tribute To Guy Clark
CLICK HERE for the stellar feature on NPR's All Things Considered. This One's For Him - A Tribute to Guy Clark has been receiving world-wide acclaim since its December 6th release. CLICK HERE to check out the rave review in Billboard. CLICK HERE for the feature in Wall Street Journal. CLICK HERE to read the review in Blurt. Featuring recordings by Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris & John Prine, James McMurtry, Patty Griffin, Ron Sexsmith, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen, and more, This One's For Him is a monumental and loving tribute to a songwriter who has influenced us all.
CLICK HERE to purchase This One's For Him - A Tribute to Guy Clark
James McMurtry's Road Perspectives
Throughout the course of his extensive nationwide tour in 2011, James McMurtry snapped pictures of the world around him. CLICK HERE for his "point of view." (All photos by James McMurtry via iPhone).
Come aboard....with James McMurtry. Seven days of music, adventure, relaxation, and amazing moments await you on board the 5th Annual Cayamo Cruise. This vibrant journey through song, where songwriters and their most passionate listeners are brought together on vacation, sets sail February 5-12, 2012 on the Norwegian Pearl from Miami to Cayo Levantado, St. Maarten and St. Barts. Featured artists include Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Shawn Mullins, John Prine, Bobby Long, Loudon Wainwright III, and James McMurtry. CLICK HERE for details.
CLICK HERE to purchase Live in Europe
Mike McClure Buzz
CLICK HERE to read the incredible review for Mike McClure's Fifty Billion in Music News Nashville. CLICK HERE to purchase your copy today! Musically speaking, Mike McClure is a master of all trades. Artist, musician, songwriter, producer, mentor...these are his collection of hats he wears with a style all his own. Fifty Billion offers an original and genuine sound that is McClure's calling card and validates his reputation as the consummate music man whose boundless talent operates like a machine. One listen to Fifty Billion or any of McClure's previous releases makes apparent that he could have never done anything else.
CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of Fifty Billion
Listen Up to Lincoln Durham!
Very good things come to those who wait! Lincoln Durham's debut full-length release, The Shovel vs The Howling Bones (produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard and George Reiff), will be available January 31st. With a resonator, a slide and an old Gibson j45, his acoustic blues are sure to pull the darkness into the light. Once you hear the haunting voice and gripping grooves, you'll know that Lincoln Durham is exactly what we've all been waiting for.
CLICK HERE for more about Lincoln Durham (and to download your FREE track off his upcoming album - before you can buy it!)
"If you dig Son House and Townes Van Zandt... Lincoln Durham is your man. Don't come no cooler."
-Ray Wylie Hubbard
Danny Barnes Hits the Road
Danny Barnes is performing in the Northwest this month. Check out the tour dates below, and be sure to catch his extraordinary LIVE show soon:
1/19 Centralia, WA The Olympic Club
1/20 Troutdale, OR Edgefield
1/21 McMinnville, OR Hotel Oregon
1/25 Bend, OR Old Saint Francis
1/26 Portland, OR Kennedy School
1/27 Gearhart, OR Sand Trap
1/28 Forest Grove, OR Grand Lodge
1/29 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
2/4 Conway, WA The Conway Muse
2/23 Porland, OR Good Foot Lounge
CLICK HERE to check out Barnes' performance of "Overdue" on eTown.
Jenni Finlay Promotions at Folk Alliance 2012
Come to Memphis for the 23rd Annual International Folk Alliance Conference, February 22-26, and enjoy intimate performances by some of your favorite Jenni Finlay Promotions artists: James McMurtry, Matt The Electrician, Rod Picott, Lincoln Durham, BettySoo and Doug Cox, and many more! Don't miss it!
Congratulations to Gurf Morlix - #25 Americana Record of the 2011!
Gurf Morlix's Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream is the #25 record of 2011, according to radio airplay that was reported to the Americana Music Chart. CLICK HERE for the full list. Gurf will hit the road, touring Florida in Feburary. CLICK HERE for tour dates, and don't miss a show near you.
CLICK HERE to purchase Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream
Stay Tuned for Charlie Shafter
Charlie Shafter brings a refreshing combination of old school rock and country blended seamlessly with a modern indie pop vibe, to create an Alternative Americana sound. With early influences such as The Band, Tom Waits and Leon Russell it's no wonder he is writing music with a wisdom beyond his years. Music veteran Ray Wylie Hubbard, not one to be easily impressed, produced Shafter's upcoming release due to his skilled songwriting, which Hubbard describes as "uncomplicated, yet complex, profound and always with a purpose." Whether you catch him playing an acoustic set or with his full band his engaging sound will make a believer out of you too. Stay tuned for his debut album, Self Release!
CLICK HERE for more about Charlie Shafter
My favorite records of 2011....and the songs I couldn't get out of my head
CLICK HERE for my album picks for 2011 (and the songs I just couldn't get out of my head). Here's to an amazing new year of stellar music!! Be sure to find me on Facebook and Twitter so we can stay connected in 2012!
