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

Hazy Jane

‘Where I Am’

[country/americana]

Press Notes:

Hazy Jane started as a four piece band, playing around NYC and NJ (CBGB,Acme Underground, Wetlands, Orange Bear, The Saint, Maxwell’s, Count Basie, Court Tavern, Et al.) Reconfigured in 2018 into a 7 piece fronted by two incredibly talented female singers – Megan Fernandez and Chris Milan. They emote without affect, have a tremendous range and weave alternately sweet or gritty, harmonies through the songs. Keyboards, two guitars, bass and drums, (with keyboardist Will Shore occasionally taking up a violin) round out the band. The lyrics are intelligent, elegiac, alienated and heartfelt. The songs range from slowcore, moody lap steel and acoustic guitar pieces to lightweight indie pop. The band seeks to convey the universal and timeless in a three minute song. In June 2019 recording was completed on a 4 song EP. Gigs in their home area of New York City and New Jersey are planned for late summer and fall. Home to the band is Plainfield NJ, the starting point for one of the greatest jazz pianists ever, Bill Evans; and of course the selfsame hometown of the mightiest and most wildly creative purveyors of funky music: Parliament/Funkadelic.

Jordan McEwen

‘Mariposa’

[folk rock/americana]

Press Notes:

Jordan McEwen is a Texas-based singer-songwriter from Lubbock, Texas.

Dave Helgi Johan

‘Fair-Weather Friend’

[indie folk]

Press Notes:

Hailing from a small Icelandic community in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. Dave Helgi Johan moved to Byron Bay in 2019 to actively pursue music full time as a solo musician while playing and collaborating with many local artists. Dave has played bass for local favorite Luke Morris and performs and records with Patrick O’Reilly among others.

Dave has performed and toured for the last decade in countless acts. Recorded and released a handful of albums and music videos in past groups and has finally committed himself to a solo career. He has opened for the likes of Mac Demarco, Kim Churchill, PS I Love You and The Mowgli’s. He has played many music festivals including Canada Music Week, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Byron Bay Surf Festival, Arlie Beach Music Festival and more. His sound has been described Lofi Indie, Folk and Alt Country.

Having travelled and toured on and off throughout Australia in a van from February 2019 up until the present day, Dave Helgi Johan has been writing and recording this whole album in the van, sometimes in a hostel dorm room when locked down through the pandemic, and even a wagon at The Arts Factory in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia. Playing every instrument and sometimes even borrowing different instruments from friends and other musicians to fill out these tracks, this album has been a process with some road blocks along the way and without a doubt is a labour of love.

Garrett Gregory

‘Leavin’ You’

[country]

Press Notes:

The first of many singles to be released in 2022 is “Leavin’ You,” a song where Gregory faces the fact that most people won’t understand how much he loves music and that he’s following his dream. Making the choice to chase his dream, however, meant that he had to leave behind the people that tried to crush them. It’s a tough dream to support, and most people won’t be behind you through it all.

Jack Rayne

‘Blue Eyes’

[folk/acoustic]

Press Notes:

With shades of yesteryear and passion only a 6 foot tall ginger can possess, storyteller Jack Rayne depicts the mountainous highs and heartbreaking lows of the day to day in the most beautiful of ways. Boasting one of the most captivating voices on the Australian east coast, the Sydney-sider has graced audiences nation wide with his authentically raw live show. Rayne combines the traditional rustic nature of roots/Americana music with a unique vocal flair, creating a sound that is all his own. Rayne has the ability to tell emotional tales without sacrificing musicality, especially when he surrounds himself with some of the finest young touring musicians in the country to form the Jack Rayne Band.

Mike Hauser

‘Dreams They Live and Die’

[singer-songwriter/americana]

Press Notes:

Mike Houser is a Maryland based singer-songwriter weaving timeless Americana with poignantly present lyricism. After participating on American Idol and opening for the likes of 2 Chainz, Drake Bell, and Vacationer, Mike Hauser has made a name for himself in the music industry. Lionel Richie himself told Hauser “I hear a young Rod Stewart when I close my eyes”. David Saslow of Atlantic Records later listened to “Memories on Polaroid”, Mike’s debut EP, and called So Down and Four Years “quality singles”. Mike Hauser and his backing band are currently playing shows in the DMV area, cultivating their local fan base before branching out to other areas of the globe.

Ocie Elliott

‘Baby, You Know’

[indie folk/acoustic]

Press Notes:

Victoria, B.C. duo Ocie Elliott – Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy – dream up dusty folk painted in broad strokes of acoustic instrumentation and lyrical eloquence meant for nights under the stars, long drives with no destination, and quiet moments of reprieve. After racking up over 15 million combined streams and receiving acclaim from American Songwriter, Atwood Magazine, PopSugar, and more, the pair cement this balance on their new EP, Slow Tide [Nettwerk], out March 12, 2021.

Ocie Elliott came to life in 2017 on EP. In between sharing stages with everyone from Mason Jennings and Sons Of The East to Kim Churchill and Joshua Hyslop, they launched a series of covers on YouTube shot in the backseat of their Honda CRV, performing intimate renditions of Elliott Smith, Gillian Welch, John Prine, and Simon & Garfunkel, to name a few. On the heels of 2019’s We Fall In, the single “Run To You” appeared in a slew of television shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Batwoman, Legacies and more.

2020 proved to be their most prolific year yet kickstarted by the In That Room EP, and following it up with the critically acclaimed Tracks EP. At the top of the summer and in the midst of the Global Pandemic, Sierra and Jon retreated to an oceanside bungalow in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island for three days. The peace around them melted into their songwriting.

By achieving balance together on Slow Tide, Ocie Elliott might just help listeners do the same.

Colby Wright

‘Windy Eyes’

[indie folk/indie pop]

Press Notes:

Colby Wright presents his solo musical debut with a sound that is sweeter than any song about fruit. Taking influence from his earlier days of songwriting for the acclaimed Bumblebee Saturday, Colby writes about tales of love and light with a new message. Previously writing about the teenage experience of being such a sensitive lover, he has now discovered his overflowing love for everything and everyone, especially God. After diving into eastern spirituality late last year, Colby has taken on the search for enlightenment. While his journey into spirituality is just beginning, he hopes that you will take his messages to heart and share the love with everyone.

Madam Radar

‘Hands’

[americana/country]

Press Notes:

MADAM RADAR is an Americana rock band that punches hard with their explosive harmonies and eclectic original tunes. Having the unique advantage of three lead singers and songwriters, there’s something to be enjoyed for a variety of listeners. Once described as Fleetwood Mac meets the Eagles, there’s palpable energy in this family band that can be felt from the stage. Jace and Kelly Green are husband and wife and hold down the front end while their brother Kody Lee and Violet Lea make up the rhythm section. Soaring guitar solos, sweeping vocals, rich harmonies, and the diversity in the songwriting as the lead singers swap tunes truly makes a MADAM RADAR show a unique experience.

August Gilde

‘A Different Kind’

[folk/acoustic]

Press Notes:

August Gilde’s Instagram biography says “Musician, cabin dweller” – and that tells you two of the most important facts about him. He’s a maker of songs that focus on the yearning to connect with nature, and he’s living in a way that makes it possible – in a log cabin at the top of a hill in West Yorkshire. 
 The cabin, surrounded by two acres of woodland and built from trees on the property, is where he wrote his debut album, “A Different Kind”. Delicate but sumptuous, with an autumnal-folk bent, it’s redolent of the place where it was conceived, but is also part of the wider English singer-songwriter tradition (and could comfortably be filed near Paul Simon’s folk output, too). It was produced by John Wood, whose CV includes two of Gilde’s favourite artists, Nick Drake and John Martyn, now, suffice to say that Gilde and Wood have made a cracker. 
 Music, though, is only half the story – and the other half sets him apart from most of 21st century Britain. When not writing, he lives off the land, lays his own water pipes, builds fruit cages, and posts pictures of his progress on Instagram. You could say that Gilde is a Thoreau for our century, and his smallholding is his Walden. 
 “It’s very simple, the music.” By “simple,” he means sonically unfussy – songs just unfold as they will, unhurriedly. Gilde opens his world to listeners. It’s a tranquil place, but also, in the countryside way of things, muddy under the fingernails. [written by: Caroline Sullivan]

[All Press Notes provided by the artists]

Compiled by: Christos Doukakis