Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!

***guêboʒhas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ aca=59 (Muisca numerical system)***

Ben Wagner

‘Countryside’

[country/americana/singer-songwriter]

Press Notes:

Singer/songwriter Ben Wagner weaves flavors of indie, pop, folk and country into his heartfelt brand of songwriting. Ben’s music is marked by his smooth, earthy vocals and light, clever wordplay. Ben took first place in the 2019 Great American Song Contest and second place in the 2021 NSAI/CMT International Song Contest. He currently makes music in Nashville, TN.

Santero Projects

‘Knossos’

[folk/acoustic/dream pop]

Press Notes:

I’m a musician based in Stockholm. Santero Projects is one of my projects with 11 songs that will be released under 2021. Everything is written, recorded och produced by myself.

Nick County

‘Jesus Is Dead’

[country/gospel]

Press Notes:

Nick County is a songwriter and lifelong student of country music who has subverted the genre to fit his needs as a tropical cowboy hanging his hat in Miami.

His second solo album Cocorico Simpatico Corazón was a family affair– recorded in Miami and LA, with The Rainbow Smoke, a collection of old and new compadres, scattered around the country, playing in bands such as Gemma, Vampire Weekend, Krisp, Rick Moon, and the Jacuzzi Boys. Tracks were produced by D.A. Stern (Slumberland Records).

Willie Stratton

‘The Way She Holds Me’

[gothic americana]

Press Notes:

Willie Stratton picked up the guitar at 12 and started writing songs soon after. His previous releases have ranged from folk to roots to indie rock, so it comes as no surprise that he has landed firmly in the alt-country genre. It’s a shift that his fans are sure to embrace – an old time country vibe with strong contemporary lyrics and a smooth baritone vocal.

Tall White Oak

‘Mary’

[folk]

Press Notes:

Tall White Oak is a Swedish folkduo that started in 2018. Isak Serholt and Ann Hermansson found out that their voices made a perfect blend while preforming a show together in 2017 and started to record in early 2018. Their sound is sparse and their lyrics are rough and they are trying to catch the essence of man’s emotional palette.

Tania Joy

‘Who I Am’

[americana/folk/roots music]

Press Notes:

Canadian folk-roots musician Tania Joy has been using this time in isolation to hone her songwriting, finally following up her 2013 EP, I’ll Be Around, with new music due later this year, produced by Hill Kourkoutis (Digging Roots, Leela Gilday, Madison Violet), a multi-talented artist who played with Serena Ryder and was in The Weeknd’s original backing band.

Her stories, so far, have been about relationships, in all of their complicated forms. However, during the pandemic, Tania found herself taking on a more complex narrative as the world around her shifted, bringing increased and global attention to Black Lives Matter. With mentorship from Hillside’s Girl and Guitars program, Tania wrote her first protest song, an acoustic reflection “Planks and Marietta,” which will be released during Black History Month.

Lucy Parle

‘Back Up’

[folk/country/pop]

Press Notes:

At just 17 years of age and currently completing her final year of high school on the NSW Central Coast, Lucy is a gifted storyteller and rising star. Her distinctive sound sits at the intersection of folk, pop, indie and alt-country.

Lucy is a self-described lover of honest and confessional lyrics. Her raw acoustic textures carry a natural breeziness that will resonate as much to fans of Amy Shark and Vance Joy through to Taylor Swift.

Lucy has won numerous national and international songwriting competitions including the Youth Songwriters Award at the Australian Songwriters Association awards in 2017 and 2020.

Lucy took out first place in the International Songwriters Competition (ISC) winning the Teen Category with her song ‘Back Up’. The ISC is the world’s largest songwriting competition, with over 26,000 artists entering in 2020 and included Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Tom Waits on the judging panel. Lucy was in good company, with other category-winning Australian artists including Birds of Tokyo, Mia Wray, Mia Rodriguez, Golden Features, The Presets and Merci, Mercy.

Recognised as a standout performer in Triple J’s Unearthed High 2020, Lucy inked a record deal with boutique Australian indie label Double Drummer in early 2021.

Stevie Weinstein-Foner

‘Wondering’

[folk/classic rock]

Press Notes:

Boston-bred, LA-based musician and artist Stevie Weinstein-Foner offers songs of sincerity, optimism, and cosmic perspective on new album Wondering, which features contributions from Jared Samuel, Jolie Holland, and Adam Brisbin, among others.

The Reclamators

‘Turnin’ On You’

[country]

Press Notes:

JAREMA is no newcomer into this business. In the early 1960s, he regularly took a bus from Wayne, New Jersey to New York City, with his guitar and a tape of his songs. He would visit “TIN PAN ALLEY” around Broadway and knock on the doors of publishers and record companies, trying to get anyone to listen to his music. One day he got lucky and was able to catch the ear of one of the executives at SCREEN-GEMS MUSIC. They had a pool of songwriters that would crank out tunes in their “song factory”. JAREMA was partnered to work with writer and singer, RON DANTE, lead singer of THE ARCHIES. Together they came up with some demos, and in 1963, Ron helped him get his first song published and recorded. The song was called, “RUMBLE IN THE NIGHT”, performed by MIKE MINOR. Some time later, Ron was instrumental in securing a recording contract with Stan Shulman’s DUNES RECORDS. This led to his first professional release in 1965 on MALA RECORDS of the song, “I’M STICKING WITH YOU”, under the pseudonym, RONNIE MICHAELS. This can still be heard on YouTube!

Tristan Armstrong

‘Sing In Your Sleep’

[alt americana]

Press Notes:

Tristan Armstrong is a Toronto-based guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has previously released music as half of the roots-rock duo The Actual Goners, and under the name Stars Algonquin. His music combines a sense of grand romanticism with poignant introspection, with lyrical subject matter frequently inspired from his upbringing on Vancouver Island. He has performed and collaborated with twice Juno-nominated Blues artist Dione Taylor, been the backing band for Dan Aykroyd (with Johnny Fay of The Tragically Hip), and shared the stage with legendary drummer Steve Gadd.

Compiled by: Christos Doukakis