Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!
***guêboʒhas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ shûʒhâ=58 (Muisca numerical system)***
Tara Tinsley
‘FAITH’
[country/Christian]
Press Notes:
Tara Tinsley is a Singer/Songwriter who has been compared to artists like Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Blondie all the while maintaining a fresh, unique sound which can definitely be heard in her release, “Meet Me Halfway”. The EP features 7 rockin’ songs including one she wrote with country star, Tracy Lawrence, called “More Sinners Than Saints”.
Since that EP, she has released singles like “Better Early Than Never”, a song dedicated to her niece who was born a micro preemie at 1 pound 2 ounces. “Like Your Daddy Does” is the song she wrote for her friend’s father daughter dance and ended up using it for her own wedding as well. Her newest single, “Get Back To Me”, encompasses a Tom Petty Americana vibe that is a great jam to just chill out to or to listen to on those long drives.
Originally from Michigan, she moved to California in 2002 to pursue music, acting, and modeling. After spending many successful years in the sunny, beautiful state, she decided to dive deeper into her music and songwriting career by moving to Nashville in 2012. Now residing in Texas, she enjoys the country music scene and writes for TV/Film.
Over the course of her career she has performed at numerous major venues such as the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, California and the Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California. She has completed 3 tours of Japan and has opened for acts such as Smashmouth, Sister Hazel, Augustana, David Benoit, and Boston, demonstrating her musical diversity.
Jasper Schalks
‘Close the Bar a Little Later’
[americana/country/singer-songwriter]
Press Notes:
Jasper Schalks is a singer, songwriter and musicologist from Amsterdam. His biggest influences are Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, Jason Isbell, and Phoebe Bridgers. His first album, Stand This Storm, will be released this fall.
S. E. Webster
‘Marry Me’
[chamber folk]
Press Notes:
S. E. Webster is a folk-rock artist born and raised in the deserts of Southern California. S.E.’s music evokes sunsets, sepia tones, and long drives on dusty, far-off roads. With intimate vocals and lush instrumentation, S. E. has cultivated a modern but timeless sound. His music gives voice to feelings of longing and nostalgia for what could have been.
Calming River
‘While Helsinki Sleeps’
[folk/slowcore]
Press Notes:
Alt-folk songwriter Joshua Malcolm, aka Calming River, has always swam against the mainstream in delivering a darkened and moody atmosphere, predominately through the use of fingerpicked guitar. Largely influenced by the haunting writing of Skip James, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and Bert Jansch, to name but a few, Malcolm teamed up with Aarhus-based producer Rasmus Nielsen and Copenhagen label Dendron Records to deliver numerous singles and EPs (2014-19). In late 2020 the cinematic single ‘Boats’ was released, drawing attention from numerous media as a “unique single [that] captures the dynamic song structure and finger-picked guitar Calming River has become known for. Awash with the darker emotions from anxiety to loss and confusion, it carries an emotional weight that will leave you shuddering” (The Other Side Reviews) and “finds that delicate balance between wistful ambience and heart-rendering consciousness” (Nexus Music Blog). In March 2021, Calming River released double-A side ‘Jejune’ and ‘For Edward’, the former featuring acclaimed pianist Tom Neill, the latter featuring Danish songwriter Own Road (Dendron Records) on vocals.
Clint Anglin
‘Bottle, Guitar and Me’
[americana/roots music]
Press Notes:
Clint Anglin is a singer/songwriter from northeast Florida where he grew up hunting, fishing and competing in rodeo all of which is reflected in his music as he blends the sounds of traditional country, western and southern rock/blues.
Filiah
’27’
[folk/acoustic]
Press Notes:
Since she was little, the now 22 year-old singer/songwriter has always been fascinated by words. Having great music and records around all the time, thanks to her mum, she started writing songs and teaching herself how to play the guitar at a very young age. Her music is always the one thing that usually comes without a warning, yet is always welcome.
CALICO
‘My Darlin”
[folk/americana]
Press Notes:
Much like their name, chosen from a lyric off an upcoming record that references the vibrant fall hillside of interior British Columbia bearing resemblance to a “calico cat,” CALICO’s sound is full of texture and colour. Drawing parallels to a classic Folk-Americana feel, CALICO creates meditative and dreamy jams about the wonderful experiences life holds.
CALICO is a band birthed by the pandemic. In early 2020, as his six-month-old daughter slept, Tony decided to record all of the songs he had written over the years in his living room. He soon looked to his friend Chris Couto to produce the songs and add percussion. Tony and Chris were used to playing the songs together as they had played them live to accompany yoga classes in Squamish, BC.
Brian Berggoetz
‘I Know’
[americana/acoustic/singer-songwriter]
Press Notes:
Brian has been playing acoustic music in Tucson since 1989. He’s opened for touring acts including Reverend Horton Heat, Charlie Sexton and Jerry Giddens. He’s also played the 1990 SXSW festival in Austin and nightclubs in Tucson, Phoenix, Austin and Sante Fe. He also has played with local artists including Stefan George. His songs are about love and Armageddon.
He is the bandleader/singer/songwriter of the Brian Berggoetz Band which is a solid four piece rock and blues band which can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music and at brianberggoetzband.com.
He has recently taken new songs on a softer scale, Americana style, adding a new dimension to his music. The new sound includes sweet harmonies, violin, flute, guitars and bass for a thick dreamy style. You can hear the music on Spotify, Apple Music and at brianberggoetz.com
Creature Comfort
‘Light Boy (New Hue)’
[indie folk]
Press Notes:
Death, taxes, and change: they’re the only three things you can rely on, and nobody knows about the latter better than Creature Comfort. Since the release of 2016’s Echoes and Relics, the local quintet has navigated through personal turmoil and lineup changes to arrive at what can only be described as a total rebirth. Now, as they prep the release of their upcoming full length, Home Team, they’re back with hard-earned wisdom and an even harder-won sound.
Frontman Jessey Clark’s anthemic, heart-on-your sleeve lyrics and end-of-the-day vocals haven’t gone anywhere, but on Home Team, the writing is—thanks in no small part to new lead guitarist Charlie Hickerson—backed by a rawer sound that draws on the band’s Tullahoma, Tennessee roots. Add in multi-instrumentalist Alex Robinson’s lush backing vocals, Cole Bearden’s ever-mobile bass, and Taylor Cole’s spry drumming, and you’ve got record that the band has affectionately dubbed “bootgaze.” Think of it as Fleet Foxes for people who grew up bailing hay, or your favorite indie record—if that record were scattered, smothered, and covered, of course.
Stephanie Erin Wittmer
‘The Difference’
[americana]
Press Notes:
While the name Stephanie Erin Wittmer might be a new one amongst fans of modern country music, one listen to her debut EP Pilot reveals songwriting and vocal chops on par with seasoned professionals. Recorded at Modern Electric Sound Recorders in Dallas, TX with Jeff Saenz and Beau Bedford at the helm (known for their impressive output with the likes of Texas Gentlemen, Paul Cauthen, Ruby Boots, David Ramirez and more), Pilot merges 90s country influences with modern folk-pop flourishes that make for an inspired journey along open roads and past tumbleweeds, “only stopping for good views” — or news, depending on the chorus.
Growing up in small-town, rural Illinois, Wittmer was exposed to country music and performing at a very young age; she recalls putting on performances for her parents when she was three or four years old. Like many children, she took piano lessons, wrote poetry in her journal, and then finally thought to merge the two when she was a teen. Her post-college life took her to LA, and the road from there to her present sound has been a winding one. Before going back to her roots or “finding the flame” that she once knew, as she sings in the EP’s title track, she teamed up with some friends for a bedroom electronica project and also spent some time writing singer-songwriter tunes on the piano. “I had all these ideas for songs, that I just had to get out … too many,” she says. “I started writing all these country songs and realized I really love this genre.”
A fan of Bedford’s work, particularly with Paul Cauthen, Wittmer recalls meeting him while visiting family in Texas and reaching out to him with demos. He responded favorably, which led to the two discussing working together, and ultimately Bedford assembled a rock solid band that knocked out the four songs in just a couple of days, recording live with minimal overdubs. The EP features the talents of McKenzie Smith (Midlake) on drums and percussion; Texas Gentlemen Charley Wiles and Scott Lee on guitar and bass, respectively; and Parker Twomey (Paul Cauthen) on piano and organ. Esteemed pedal steel player Will Van Horn’s embellishments put a flawlessly-placed bow on the glowing, fresh, rootsy package, with instrumental touches that add just the right flair to Wittmer’s sweet-yet-sassy vocal stylings.
Compiled by: Christos Doukakis