From France we get singer-songwriter The Red and their unique take on Americana / indie folk with “Pretend.” As the song starts all the usual roots suspects are there – banjo, acoustic guitar, strings, a road weary voice…but quickly things start to shift and move into unexpected territory with a subtle parade march drum beat and some sort of fuzzed out lead instrument that is either a vintage Stevie synth or an oddly eq’d electric guitar. It’s at this point that you notice that even the more traditional instruments are put together in a different way and you realize this has more in common with the literary and sophisticated pop of Rufus Wainwright than it does with Rufus’s dad’s work.
May 8, 2021
We Never Asked For This
Today we clean out the inbox and find treasures from Annie from the Canyon, Nasty People, Savage The Poet, Niia, Sonny and the Sunsets, Rather Vapid, The Jupiter Effect, Julie Title and Paul Cortese & Oscar Martin.
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May 4, 2021
Play Listy For Me – Americana, Folk & Roots Vol. 4
Oh, look, it’s another grouping of the best Americana and Americana related songs we could find for you, lover of music and appreciator of a nice grouping.
May 3, 2021
We Never Asked For This
Today we have new music from Simone Istwa, Vypera, Disturbios, Karaboudjan, Ari B. Ingber, ameliarose, NATL PARK SRVC, Plaster of Paris, the HVNZ and seasonal.
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April 30, 2021
Friday 5×5
Today we have new music and few words to say about it from Bealby Point, Raven Artson & True Blue, Christopher Paul Stelling, Victory Kicks and La Sanyea Dengue.
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April 12, 2021
Mike’s Monday Muse – Fernando
Dave Harding of Richmond Fontaine: “First time I saw Fernando perform was in the spring of 1995 at Satyricon in Portland. He was on a bill with Richmond Fontaine, Jim Boyer & Bingo, and Palace Brothers. He was playing acoustic guitar, singing dark expressionist folk songs full of death and foreboding and had a huge stage presence. He was accompanied by a long-haired hippy-looking guy shredding it on a Telecaster. That amazing guitar player was Dan Eccles and he would eventually join Richmond Fontaine as our lead guitarist. Richmond Fontaine and Fernando ended up being label mates on Cravedog so we played a lot of shows together and had many great adventures. Fernando sings like a man possessed, throwing himself into every lyric and note played by his band. I always remember thinking they were like Dylan & The Band circa 65-66 when they performed live. They had that much power, and were so in sync with each other. I have moved to Copenhagen and have seen my friend Fernando play a few solo shows here since then. It’s amazing what he can do with just his guitar and voice. He is fearless, sometimes bringing the songs down to a whisper, holding the audience in his palm. This song, “Beautiful,” has such a gorgeous melody and the lyrics just hit home. Richmond Fontaine sometimes covered it and I sang lead on it. The song is basically two chords repeated over and over, which is a good trick if you can pull it off and hard to do. But Fernando did it, of course.”
April 10, 2021
We Never Asked For This
Are we crying because of allergies or because we’re blessed with so much great new music? Only our hairdresser knows for sure. Today we bring you new music from Pallas Athene, 4 Oceans, Abrasive Trees, Lost Near Blue Ape, Sound Science, Twin Dive, WondRWomN, Parallel Action featuring WondRWomN, Wonders of the Yukon, Camera2 and SeepeopleS.
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April 9, 2021
Friday 5×5
Today we have new music and the briefest of descriptions thereof from Airships on the Water, Alexander Karavay, Peter Flesch, Sloane’s Viper and Ruby Bones.
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April 7, 2021
Play Listy For Me – Americana, Folk & Roots Vol. 3
Some people pay a lot of money to hide their roots, but we show ours with pride here at PE. Check out the latest in roots, Americana, folk, soul and indie/freak/alt versions of all those in this playlist.
April 7, 2021
The B-Side: The Roseline
“Seven Hundred Second Chances” by The Roseline has a certain warm and comforting quality to its easy going Americana vibe that reminds us a bit of Paul Simon. Not sonically or musically. In those departments it has the usual adornments of a roots rock song (mandolin, twanged out tele, barroom piano, etc..) all done tastefully and in service of the song, but there’s something about the vocals and the lyrics that keep bringing back feelings of Rhymin’ Simon bubbling right underneath the surface of things here. This is of course a longwinded way of saying that we dig it and think it’s a great song.