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

***guêatas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ=30 (Muisca numerical system)***

Jemmy Joe

‘Yr A Fool’

[folk/americana/comedy]

Press Notes:

Jemmy Joe is a twin. An unreliable narrator. An acquired taste. Mixing traditional folk, jazz harmonic taste and a sardonic optimism, Jemmy Joe has been making music for no one his entire, god damn adult life. Though he has very little to show for it, it is the train he is on and will not be jumping off any time soon.

Milo James

‘For All I Know’

[folk/singer-songwriter]

Press Notes:

Milo James is the alter ego of English indie-folk singer/songwriter James Facey.

His formative years were spent on the fringes of the Brighton music scene but as inspiration dried up, and life made other plans, James drifted away from writing and performing, before eventually washing up along the South Coast in Worthing, West Sussex.

Austin Ward

‘Run the Other Way’

[indie folk]

Press Notes:

Austin Ward is a singer-songwriter, and guitarist from Los Angeles, CA. Raised between the sun-kissed jungle-gym of LA, and the off-the-map charm of Meridian, Mississippi, where his familial roots lay, Ward draws upon his eclectic upbringing to inform his sound. The writing is minimalist, but pointed, telling an emotive story with choice words. He sings of heartbreak and the tug-of-war nature of love, driven by intricate layered guitar parts, velvety mid-range and falsetto vocal performances, and anthemic tone. Ward’s sound is an amalgamation of styles and influences that span across time – he invites listeners to journey with him as he almost theatrically confronts a three-part dynamic cast of characters: love, sex, and power. What’s special about Pheromone is that this is the music Ward has always wanted you to hear. These are the songs that have been marinating in his bedroom, the songs that have chronicled the love and loss in his life, the songs that achieve the vision of his Id and ego, the songs that give you everything he has.

Sam Johnson

‘Peter Pan’

[indie folk]

Press Notes:

Sam Johnson is a songwriter who wants to build a legacy. Each song that bears his name means something – hewn from emotional conduits in his own life, this is an artist who seeks to communicate badly needed truth, and it’s something that leaves an incredible impact.

Sandtimer

‘Three Cars’

[folk/singer-songwriter]

Press Notes:

Crafting their arrangements with intricate, interwoven guitars and captivating vocal harmonies, composer Rob Sword and oceanography student Simon Thomas began performing as Sandtimer in 2014, building a small but passionate following on the UK acoustic circuit. Soon expanding their ensemble to include Rachel Thomas on bass and vocals and Alex Jackson on percussion, as well as embarking on tours to northern Europe and Canada,

The Two Tracks

‘Beautiful’

[country/folk]

Press Notes:

Cutting undeniable grooves in the road of Americana music with their new release Cheers to Solitude, Sheridan WY quartet The Two Tracks bend genres into a sound both unique and immediately familiar, laced with a hint of that ‘high lonesome’ tradition.

A fistful of years ago, Julie Szewc (pronounced “Chefs”) and Dave Huebner met in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming with one central thing in common; a love of all kinds of music and a thirst for making it. Along with Fernando Serna (drums/percussion) and Taylor Phillips (bass), they have all knit their passions into the musical family that is The Two Tracks. From their home in the postcard town of Sheridan, the band stirs western roots and wilderness philosophy into a stew of nourishing connection.

Huebner and Szewc trade duties as both vocalists and writers, with songs that traverse the male and female perspective. Many of their arrangements are built around the uniqueness of Huebner’s “standup” cello, which can take the role of a fiddle, or shift to a sultry orchestral solo, while sneaking in as an addition to the potent rhythm section. His opening track

“Beautiful” sets the pace for the album – celebrating humanity and the places of glorious solitude that lie right under our noses with lines like “Heaven is right here my friends, staring back at you.”

Szewc’s compelling lyrics and enchanting melodies are notable in “All Women Are Healers” and “Eternal School Bus,” which remind us to pay attention to the important people in our lives. Particularly loaded are the lyrics that reflect common struggles we all surely feel… lines like “time is our own shadow, chasing us in the sun…” in “Eternal School Bus,” and “my life ain’t no Cadillac, but it’s one helluva ride,” within “Good Company.” There is an immediacy and complexity of expectations that ring in each song. “Whiskey Please” rocks in a conversation back and forth through a very real debate, while the harmonies remind us that we are all in this together. With the added resonance of Bruce Bouton’s (Kenny Rogers, Garth Brooks) pedal steel guitar and Will Kimbrough’s (Todd Snider, Jimmy Buffett) versatile instrumentations, there is a honey to the dessert that is Cheers to Solitude.

The Two Tracks self-titled debut (2016), voted “Wyoming’s Best Album” by Wyoming Public Radio, was followed by the 2017 release of Postcard Town, their first introduction to Will Kimbrough as producer. Cheers to Solitude, also produced by Kimbrough, was recorded with the Grammy-winning team of Trina Shoemaker (mixing), and Sean Sullivan (engineer) at Nashville’s Butcher Shoppe Recording Studio. The album lives up to the integrity and quality of the band’s previous work while taking a significant step forward, with a sound that keeps us hitting repeat.

The Barrel Boys

‘Going Fishing’

[bluegrass/americana]

Press Notes:

A gem of Toronto’s bluegrass scene, The Barrel Boys are an acoustic string band with a tight sound built around rich vocal harmonies and virtuosic instrumentals. Their instrumentation lends itself to traditional bluegrass, but their diverse array of original material also shows their fondness for old-time, classic country, and Americana music. The band is a dynamic collective of seasoned professionals, with all five members contributing powerful, earnest songwriting and strong lead vocals to the whole and weaving together their instrumental skills into a seamless unit. They wind their way around a single vocal mic in their live shows, making for a natural sonic blend and an energetic and engaging performance. The Barrel Boys honed their craft through a long-running weekly residency at Toronto’s Cloak and Dagger Pub, and over years of performing, writing, and recording together, they have endeared themselves to folk and bluegrass audiences across Canada. Notable performances include Mariposa Folk Festival (ON), Folk Fest sur le Canal (QC), and Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old-Tyme Music Festival (SK). The Barrel Boys are: Kyle Kirkpatrick (dobro), Rob McLaren (banjo), Tim O’Reilly (bass), Nathan Smith (fiddle), and Ben Wright (guitar).

Sugarmoon

‘It’s Not the End’

[folk pop/”cabaret”]

Press Notes:

Sugarmoon emerged in late 2019, miraculously fully formed as a folk-pop force armed with a collection of original songs rooted in vintage folk-pop, but politely refusing to settle in a particular genre. With a penchant for beer-hall ragtime, soaring saxophone and five-way harmonies, the eccentric five-piece evoke vintage vibes of bands like The Mamas & Papas.

Denizen

‘Virginia’

[americana/90s rock]

Press Notes:

Cousins Dave Schafer and Pete Vale bore the idea of forming a rock band late in 2011 as a therapeutic release from the pressurized day to day of New York City living. Adding on bass guitarist Andrew Wilkes, drummer Ben Selznick, and keyboard player James Gettinger, the band was complete in early 2012. For about a year, they would get together informally, sing, talk, and enjoy the company of each others’ talents, focused initially only on their favorite rock covers and whatever other melodies happened to pass before their minds. But the energy in the room soon developed into something more, and they began to write songs together: ones they liked so much that they felt compelled to share. In January of 2013 they played their first live show in the basement of a small club in Manhattan. From there, things took off quickly as crowds progressively got bigger and bigger. Denizen soon became a staple on the Lower East Side music scene, quickly moving from mid-sized venues like Arlene’s Grocery and Pianos to professional concert halls like Webster Hall.

But the rise was not without setbacks. The lineup had to be changed with the departure of Ben, James, and Andrew, and for a good while, it wasn’t clear that the band would survive. Fortunately, they had already begun playing with drummer Ross Procaccio, who joined as a full member in 2015. With the addition of Dylan Defeo on keyboards, Rashid Galadanci on lead guitar, and Eric Launer on bass, the current lineup was solidified in late 2017, and the band was back as never before. Two EPs later, Denizen is drawing crowds in the hundreds at venues up and down the East Coast like Brooklyn Bowl, Gramercy Theatre, Ardmore Music Hall, and World Café Live. They are currently working on their first full-length studio LP set for release summer/fall 2020.

Páll Brim

‘Dinosaur Miniatures’

[indie folk/country/pop]

Press Notes:

Páll Brim is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Klaksvík, Faroe Islands. He is no stranger to the spotlight as he has performed with several bands since he was 12 years old. Most notably, he played Jesus in the Faroese rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2010 for a total of 8.000 people. He also sang, played ukulele and co-wrote songs for the band Danny & The Veetos, which went on to perform in Denmark, Iceland and Greenland. The band currently has over a million streams on Spotify. Páll Brim is now pursuing a solo career and released his first single ‘Victory’ on 17th July 2020. The song is one of five that will feature on his EP ‘Starting Over’ which comes out on August 7th 2020.

Compiled by: Christos Doukakis