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

***guêmicas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ hɣcſcâ=75 (Muisca numerical system)***

Wylam Dene

‘Watch Me Crawl’

[indie folk/singer-songwriter]

‘Watch Me Crawl’ is a magnificent indie folk track with a supreme, catchy chorus, ideally balancing positivity with melancholy, and with a big, scarlet pop heart! 

Press Notes:

Wylam Dene is the Singer-Songwriter name chosen by Lee Matthewman for his solo project in July 2020.

During Lockdown of 2020, he wrote, recorded and produced an EP titled ‘I Suppose’ at his home in Leeds.

His latest single Watch Me Crawl was released on 12th November.

Torbjörn

‘Christmas All Over the World’

[americana/indie pop/holiday music]

Christmas is fast approaching, and Swedish Torbjörn’s ‘Christmas All Over the World’ is an ideal warm-up, with its Beatles-esque, warm vibes. A melancholic gem about different life destinies seen in the light of Christmas.

 

Press Notes:

Making music has been both a dream and a reality for Torbjörn throughout his life. Discovering The Beatles at an early age laid out the musical ground on which Torbjörn has been creating ever since. To the Fair encapsules 32 years of songwriting, covering different themes from his life – the gain and loss of love, having children and reminiscing of one’s own childhood and letting go of the past.

Anna Ash

‘Favorite Part’

[americana/singer-songwriter]

It’s that (lost) magic and the “instant classic” fabric in Anna’s vocals and musicianship, that we cannot resist in listening on her latest single ‘Favorite Part’ on endless repeat. 

Press Notes:

Anna Ash is a Michigan born, currently Los Angeles based, musician. Her songs and covers have been featured on the Showtime series’ Billions and Masters of Sex, as well as Freeform’s The Fosters. Her 2016 self-released album, Floodlights, received attention from the Huffington Post and Elmore magazine, and placements on Spotify’s Fresh Finds, Torch and Twang, Noir, and Fresh Folk playlists. In 2013, her first album, These Holy Days, was released in Japan on Tugboat Records, but since then, she has been self-releasing her albums. Her latest record, L.A. Flame (September 2019), was mixed by Grammy-award-winning engineer Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Henry). The album was tracked over the course of four days at Mark Rains’ Stationhouse Studio in Echo Park. It features Theo Katzman (Vulfpeck) on drums, Aaron Stern (Curtis Harding) on bass, Lee Pardini (Dawes) on piano, and Matt LaRocca, Jason Roberts (Norah Jones), Brian Whelan, and James Cornelison on guitars. Ash self-produced this album, and engineered most of the overdubs at her home in Mt. Washington.

Birds Over Arkansas

‘Sunflower’

[folk/acoustic]

A delicate acoustic folk treat with divine vocal harmonies by acclaimed americana folk rockers Birds Over Arkansas is a “Young Folks” standard!

Press Notes:

Birds Over Arkansas formed in 2011 when Scott Haskitt, Laura Hartshorn, and John Mondick discovered that the product of their musical experimentations was greater than the sum of its parts. Although they reside in different states (Scott and Laura live in New Haven, CT, while John lives in Philadelphia, PA), they continued their long distance collaboration after realizing that the spark of creativity and collaboration they had forged could not be duplicated by working on their own or with other musicians.

Drawing from influences such as Peter Gabriel, Ryan Adams, Frank Zappa, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, and Yes, their music infuses heartfelt lyrics, infectious melodies, and complex rhythmic structures to create compelling and moving songs that are the antithesis of today’s manufactured pop music.

Having known each other from many singer-songwriter based projects over the years, Scott and John began feeling like they were trying to force themselves into the wrong genre.

Lars Bygdén

‘A Bird and a Star’

[chamber folk/gospel]

A spine-chilling chamber folk track by Swedish Lars Bygdén; “A dark gospel about love and loss. After the death of his wife, Lars and his daughter is at the vicar picking out symbols for the stone. Lars chose a bird, the daughter a star…”

Press Notes:

Lars started out as guitar player in Scandinavian Psych bands like Magic Broom and The Shades of Orange. In 1996 Bygdén formed the influential country rock group The Thousand Dollar Playboys in his hometown of Sundsvall.

The group released two albums, made a huge impact in Sweden, toured Europe and US and dissolved in 2003.

He then continued as solo artist and in 2005 released his first solo album, Trading Happiness for Songs, including the duet with Ane Brun – This Road. The album got an Manifest Award as the best singer/songwriter album of 2005. Conceptual album Family Feelings was released in 2009 including the radio hit Good Times. In 2011 he summoned 15 years of songwriting on the double album Songs I Wrote. In 2012 came the critically acclaimed LB from which the animated video to The Hole was both Grammy- and Manifest-nominated.

On his fourth solo album, Dark Companion, Lars Bygdén takes farewell of his wife who left us the year before. It’s a dark and compelling insight into a terrible process until the inevitable end. But it is also a starting point for Lars and his children in this new life. The album is dark, beautiful, sensitive and his most heartfelt work to this date. In 2019 The Folk Companion was released. A brilliant meeting with Lars and celebrated folkmusicians Emma Ahlberg and Daniel Ek. In 2022 there is a new album coming out!

Jonathan Rhodes

‘At Least I Found You’ – Acoustic (Feat. Tamar)

[americana/acoustic/singer-songwriter]

An intimate, acoustic, -stripped version-, of ‘At Least I Found You’, which according to Dutch singer-songwriter Jonathan Rhodes “is a reflection on sleepless nights and restless moments trying to figure out the what’s what of life”.  Music from the heart vital for music aficionados!

Press Notes:

Jonathan Rhodes (Groningen NL) is a storyteller with little pretence. He takes the stage as the antihero of his own adventures. The not-so-bold idealist looking for nuance and affirmation, while lacking the courage to follow his secret desire of a simple life.

Rhodes writes excellent songs with lyrics that are worth reading the liner notes for. He doesn’t like the label of singer-songwriter but he can’t deny that is exactly what he is. His sound leans on American roots with a hint of gospel. Small and fragile songs meet up-tempo roots rock, getting listeners ever closer to the edge of their seats.

Rhodes started playing his own songs in 2010 and was awarded the Grote Prijs van Nederland public award in 2013. ​”His songwriting ability is excellent; a very well deserved finalist.” After releasing his debut EP Towards the Sun in 2014 he went on to play support shows for Otis Gibbs, Tangarine and others. Starting in 2015 he took time to focus on his musical development instead of making new material (except for one baby girl released in 2019, reportedly his finest work yet). After a season of writing, Rhodes resurfaced in 2020 with new songs, a new sound and a brand new band, resulting in him winning the Groningen Talent Award.

Sad Daddy

‘Charlie Pickle’

[bluegrass]

‘Charlie Pickle’ is the lead single, and an excellent taster, from Sad Daddy’s upcoming, new album ‘Way Up In The Hills’, out on January 28th, 2022. Now, that’s some blazing bluegrass!

Press Notes:

Unique to Sad Daddy, all of the members sing lead and write original tunes–the convergence of influences and interpretation of feeling into sound is a stylistic blend of the very best elements of American Roots Music. From the sounds of early blues, jazz, and jug bands to early country, folk, old-time, bluegrass, to soul and funk, they combine many influences, creating an indefinable genre of their own they like to call Sad Daddy.

Sad Daddy has had various phases of hitting it hard as a band and times of focusing in on solo projects and other bands, always reuniting and fanning the Sad Daddy flame anew, jumping right back into it like seeing a good old friend again. When the four come together they offer their original material up to arrange ‘Sad Daddy style.’

With a long and dedicated history of making their audiences happy, Sad Daddy is emerging rejuvenated with their third album Way Up in the Hills. With a more down-home and old-timey feel than their previous albums, they all stretched themselves a bit to create a common theme and new songs together and are on a path to becoming a “band” band; a band that writes together, makes breakfast together, fishes together, and floats together—stays together.

Chris Holly

‘Christmas Day’

[dark country/singer-songwriter]

A persuasive dark country treasure by veteran musician Chris Holly, unleashing the vocal performance of his life… Dark & substantial!

Press Notes:

Journeyman guitarist, singer songwriter living in Charleston SC via Los Angeles, CA.

Guitarist in thrash metal band OMEN “Escape to Nowhere” Tour

Holly on Methadone singer and chief songwriter the band released groundbreaking 7 Years album

Numerous releases, writing credits, producing,

Johnny Stuart

‘That’s The Way I’ll Remember You’

[country]

Last Day Deaf adores and firmly believes on artists that create music inspired from their lives and its hardships and Johnny Stuart is definitely among those ones…According to Stuart “he wrote this song with his dad in mind”, and we are certain that both heroes of his are laughing up there… Dad & John Prine!

Press Notes:

Johnny Stuart is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Tucson, Arizona. Starting his professional music career at age 15 in Upstate New York, he has played hundreds of shows at dozens of venues across New York State.

Johnny’s love of music was handed down from his father Billy Stuart (professional vocalist and guitarist) and his grandfather Jan Stuart (professional clarinet player, sax player and swing-era bandleader). While his primary instrument is the guitar, Johnny also plays and occasionally gigs on the bass guitar, and he loves to use his mandolin and banjo in the studio.

In addition to his solo and recording work, Johnny also plays mandolin and sings in the Irish music duo BIG IRISH.

Johnny believes that music is a gift – a gift to play, a gift to hear, and a gift for all to enjoy.

Des Boheme

‘Don’t Leave Me Dangling’

[indie folk]

A sterling indie folk track with beautiful vocals, catchy melody and ace flow, by Kiwi American singer-songwriter and producer Des Boheme…

Press Notes:

Des Boheme is a Kiwi American singer-songwriter and producer residing in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, USA. Des B is akin with Bohemianism morphed for a modern-day finding meaning in life through creative expression, and the experiences, memories, and connections made along the way. His musical influences range from early Rock ‘n’ Roll to many contemporary hit songs from all genres.

Born Anton Desmond Ryan in Auckland, New Zealand, and a naturalized citizen of the United States of America, DES BOHEME was previously known as emerging Neo-Folk artist Anton Ryan in the early 2000s after his music caught the attention of veteran industry mogul John Woodruff (Savage Garden, The Angels). In 2018, after bootlegs of his SBS recording sessions with drummer Mark Kennedy (Men at Work, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes), and bassist Chris Bailey (The Angels, Ganggajang) resurfaced, DES’s passion for composing and performing was reignited.

By late-2019 he amassed a large catalog of new material. He racked up several solo gigs prior to COVID at local venues such as The Silver Lake Lounge and Bar 20 on Sunset Boulevard, performing alongside popular local artists.

[All Press Notes provided by the artists]

Compiled by: Christos Doukakis