Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!
***guêatas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ mica=33 (Muisca numerical system)***
Juni Habel
‘Run Dry’
[folk/singer-songwriter]
Press Notes:
Once in a while, artists equipped solely with an acoustic guitar and their own voice, can catch you completely by surprise. You might be familiar with the tools, but despite that, the sound coming out of the speakers can be something singular.
Juni’s folk tunes takes inspiration from other artists who have great success creating less-is-more art, like Joni Mitchell, Jessica Pratt and Joanna Newsom. The warm, somber vocals weave well together with the atmospheric, spellbinding guitar play.
VULIN
‘Distorted Silence’
[indie folk/indie rock]
Press Notes:
VULIN is the artist name for Fowlis based Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Craig MacLeod.
MacLeod has been in various bands and projects since 2001, with the most recent of these including the critically acclaimed, indie folk band, Dante: “…phenomenal energy and great songwriting” (Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music), and the alt rock band, Dead Fiction: “…a great gravelly voice that retains a touch of the Scottish accent” (Jim Gellatly, The Scottish Sun). MacLeod’s songwriting has been praised as work which captures “emotional maturity and possesses anthemically charged moments, powerful melodic ideas and engaging lyrics” (The Daily Record).
VULIN’s new music captivates with hook filled lines embedded across clever sonic palettes from a wide stylistic spectrum, while delivered with a vulnerable yet commanding voice that has a knack for finding the shaky ground between heart-wrenching, cathartic and ethereal, invoking names like Manchester Orchestra, City and Colour, Pinegrove, Bon Iver, Frightened Rabbit, etc.
Bug Martin
‘Darla’
[country/bluegrass]
Press Notes:
BUG MARTIN is a storyteller. Born in the basement of New Jersey, Bug is a singer-songwriter who explores inner space to create moody, twangy alt-music conscious of americana, blues, roots, and folk. Bug’s tunes evoke existential and confessional themes, often with tongue planted firmly in cheek. After spending several years germinating in Baltimore’s bizarre arts scene where Bug wrote and recorded several self-released albums and EPs, a course has been set northbound once more to a new homestead in Philadelphia. The forthcoming album, GUTTERBALL, travels cross-genre relaying tales of hapless love and drunken wisdom stumbled upon along the way.
Fast Heart Mart
‘Let’s All Solve This’
[bluegrass]
Press Notes:
Hold on tight for Fast Heart Mart’s fast banjo songs, laugh at his funny story songs and contemplate the sad ones. His punk-grass musical performances and crowd heckling stage banter encourage the world to follow their bliss and live life passionately…
Greater Bird of Paradise
‘Uriel’
[indie folk/acoustic]
Press Notes:
Hailing from Brooklyn, Sam Christopher, aka Greater Bird of Paradise, combines a unique ethereal vocal style with classic folk elements. Utilizing a mercurial wit and inventive lyrics, Sam’s songs are both familiar and progressive, with sprinkles of psychedelia and ambient influence. The latest single, “Uriel”, creates an aura of sublime mysticism as it tracks an internal plea from the singer towards one of the archangels of judeo christian traditon. Combining elements of classic spiritual hymn with contemporary experimentalism and attitude, the lyrics alternate from impressionistic imagery to more concrete requests for the supernatural to aid in the creation of a more just society.
Jenny Yim
‘Let Me Down’
[indie folk]
Press Notes:
She’s wanted to be a singer since age 2, when she’d watch her local-musician father perform at weddings. Just two years later, Yim was testing her vocal mettle through an obsession with opera, learning arias from a voice coach. At age 10, her parents put a guitar in her hands, which prompted her to start composing songs. (Fittingly, she named one of her first ones “Free.”). Becoming a musician has always been more fate than a pipe dream for the Oahu, Hawaii, native.
All of the above highlights that Yim is a bit of a natural, yet her rare brilliance actually lies in the empathy that underlies these ambitions. At an age when she should be the most self absorbed, Yim can be found contemplating the human experience around her. “Although some of my songs were written for other people, my personal pain is found throughout most my music. Life’s lessons I’ve learned,” she says. “I write them to make people feel better, to give them a voice, to let them know they are not alone in their experience, and that I can understand their pain too.” If there’s a theme to her debut collections of music, she says, “It’s just about recovering, living your best life.”
Gerald Burkhart
‘I’ll Do Anything’
[folk/americana/singer-songwriter]
Press Notes:
Gerald Burkhart is an Austin, Texas based singer-songwriter who blends the resolute tradition of folk songwriting with the advanced production techniques of the information age.
Mike Breen
‘Fancy Balloons’
[americana/country]
Press Notes:
Mike Breen began his musical career in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania playing guitar and singing bluegrass music. After a few years at Penn State University studying creative writing and playing with the “Magnificent Truckstop Band” Mike moved to Phoenix, Arizona and immediately got a gig in a folk duo called ‘Smith and Breen’ performing at the Salt Cellar restaurant. A year later Mike began a three year stint as a “Barnstormer” at The Windmill Dinner Theater. During this time Mike met many musicians and songwriters including Darcie Deaville with whom he collaborated on stage and in the studio and co-wrote her Kerrville winning song ‘Icy Barrel of a Loaded Gun.’
The Whelming Waters
‘Creature Double Feature’
[americana/indie folk]
Press Notes:
Call it ambitious, but The Whelming Waters’ genre-bending debut album, “Bon Voyage” is sure to surprise and delight you. Despite containing tracks with various instrumentation influenced by a wide variety of musical styles including rock n roll, blues, folk, and country, just to name a few, “Bon Voyage” somehow still maintains a remarkable cohesive element that can only be described as the sound of The Whelming Waters.
Formed in the winter of 2015, The Whelming Waters began when three high school friends John, Collin, and Nina, decided to start a folk trio consisting of mandolin, guitar, and violin. However, when the songwriting quickly started to expand, and with the introduction of two new members in the form of Collin’s older sister Kelcie and her husband, Jereme, the group suddenly became a rock band with a wide variety of musical styles and a “no rules” attitude when it comes to songwriting or genre restrictions.
Their music is characterized by everything from catchy melodies to aching harmonies and ranges from raucous horn-laden romps to heartfelt country ballads; all combined with thoughtful lyrics and a healthy dose of humor. With the addition of two more longtime friends in the form of a second saxophone player, Andy, and Kristen on keys, the band’s sonic profile was established.
The Whelming Waters have performed at various venues, festivals, and events in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas including Mr. Smalls Theater, The Hard Rock Cafe and Deutschtown Music Festival to name a few. The band placed second in the 2018 Pennrock Scholarship Battle of the Bands and made their television debut on Good Day PA! in Harrisburg in 2019.
Tom Raley
‘A Gentle Wind’
[folk/singer-songwriter]
Press Notes:
Tom was born in Jefferson City Tennessee and was exposed to music from an early age where every Friday night was time for all the neighbors and kin to gather at his parents house and share some good old time music. He got his first guitar wnen he was 5 for Christmas. He learned to play listneing to a small battery operated transistor radio and sitting in the corner while all the musicians were playing. Tom always wanted to sing his own songs. He wrote his first song at the age of 10 and hasn’t stopped yet. Through the years he has played in several bands of all types and travelled the bluegrass circuit and the Blues circuit around Atlanta. He has done concerts, roadhouses, weddings, funerals, you name it. His favorite times are when he and his close friends get together and play their music .
Compiled by: Christos Doukakis