Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!
***guêmhuɣcâ hɣcſcâ=85 (Muisca numerical system)***
Plumes
‘When I Walk In’
[indie folk/crossover classical]
‘When I Walk In’ is a stunning sample of Canadian singer-songwriter Veronica Charnley’s project, a genre-bending,Satie-inspired single indie folk/classical treasure, conceived during pandemic lockdown…
Press Notes:
Plumes is an indie pop / classical crossover project centred around Canadian singer songwriter Veronica Charnley. Originally from Montréal now based in Paris, Plumes has released three critically-acclaimed albums, the most recent entitled “Oh Orwell” was released in 2019.
Blending classical music techniques with pop sensibility and using original texts as well as setting poems by poets such as Emily Dickinson, Goethe and Marina Tsvetaeva to music, Plumes is romantic and adventurous, bridging continents et d’univers divers.
Lindsay Everly
‘Goodbye Darling’
[country/acoustic/americana]
We love Lindsay Everly’s seductive vocals and effortless melodies in her newest, sugar-coated and heart-felt, country/americana single ‘Goodbye Darling’, which is “about a relationship coming to a hazy ending”.
Press Notes:
A suitcase – the start of something new, often the end of something old. Collections of stories can be created, from using only one. Americana music at its roots, Lindsay Everly’s songs tell tales of the traveler – in foreign lands, small cafe’s, on the cold streets of Chicago, in the golden hills of Fairfax, California – where she currently calls home. Pedal steel, Hammond B3 organ, mandolin, acoustic guitar, live drums and haunting folk vocal melodies combine to create music that feels like a nostalgic, distant memory. Her musical influences include Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Jo Dee Mesina and Nickel Creek.
Blair Borax
‘Never Mine, Never Mind ‘
[indie folk/indie pop]
The first single off of Blair Borax’s upcoming full length album ‘Keep Walking’, is a super catchy, indie folk pop tune with a dance-y mood, “about realizing your ex is not who you thought they were; about breaking up and moving on”… Bittersweet ear-candy!
Press Notes:
Blair Borax is a Portland, Oregon based singer-songwriter, who writes raw and honest lyrically-driven folk songs that are as powerful as they are vulnerable; songs that make you think and feel and laugh and cry; songs that make you feel a little less alone. She released her debut EP ‘everything is light work’ in May 2021 and is working on her next. You can find Blair writing in her bedroom, recording at Groundswell Studios, and performing on stages across Portland and beyond. With rich lyrics and a voice like molasses, Blair Borax makes music that moves you to the heart of being human, offers you a warm cup of tea, and invites you to stay a while.
Borrowed Sparks
‘Marie’s Dress’ – Live at The Smoakstack
[folk rock/singer-songwriter]
Borrowed Sparks’ ‘Marie’s Dress’ is a dynamic folk rock banger, with competent guitar work, and radio-friendly catchiness, that finds the band in its best & more “rocking” form!
Press Notes:
Mike Bay, aka Borrowed Sparks, was born into a house that spent it’s sleepy Saturday mornings escaping the worries of the weekday with records from artists like The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Steely Dan. Inundated from an early age with great American songwriters, he absorbed the sounds and the songs that would pass the test of time and prove to become a kind of cryptic road map to places he didn’t yet know he was going.
On the cusp of adolescence, Bay received a gift that would forever change him; his first electric guitar. While fumbling through chords attempting to train his fingers to find the sounds hidden inside and looking for something to fuel the angst of the teenage wasteland he found another gift, Punk Rock. Full of unbridled passion, caution-less fury, Bay says it, “Resonated with him in a way that nothing ever had before.” Finally he had found a place where his enthusiasm for music and connection was bolstered and embraced.
After learning to harness these gifts and logging countless miles on the road as a guitarist for Americana, Rock and Country acts, Bay, writing under the moniker “Borrowed Sparks” has a lot to say. “It’s been something I could feel in my bones for a long time; Years and years,” says Bay. “I always knew it’s where I was going, just unsure of when I’d get there. I’m glad I’m finally here.”
Throughout Borrowed Sparks’ debut EP Bay attempts to reach deep into both sides of his musical upbringing and distill a small batch of songs that harnesses their spirits. At times you can hear him emphatically shouting from his teenage years like a kid with X’s on his hands in a sweaty mosh pit, singing like his life depended on it. And in other moments a seasoned songwriter, whispering faintly the stories of grown-up heartache he’s learned since those early days.
With its classic instrumentation and well-thought lyrics fans of Americana, Singer-songwriter, Rock and Roll, Folk and Punk will find a home in Borrowed Sparks’ new EP, and it may even find a home alongside some of your favorite records.
Well Dressed Spirits
‘January’s River’
[folk/acoustic]
‘January’s River’ is a transcendent, acoustic, folk song with beautiful, woozy vocals, and it’s the first single of an already finished 10 song album by Dallas-based outfit Well Dressed Spirits.
Press Notes:
Dallas-based Well Dressed Spirits is the creation of singer-songwriter Jimmy Taylor. Raised on the gulf-coast of Alabama and now splitting his time between Texas and Brazil, Jimmy has developed a unique sound that dips in and out Indie Folk and Americana, with brief sojourns to 90s alternative rock influence. The common thread through all of the music is a passion for lyricism, that takes a tongue-in-cheek tone to the sometimes dark and serious themes of the music. The early influences of Jim Croce, The Grateful Dead and Jerry Jeff Walker can be heard alongside the styles of modern singer-songwriters Father John Misty and fellow Alabamian Jason Isbell.
Well Dressed Spirits’ sound is a result of Jimmy’s collaboration with Producer Michael Briggs and multi-instrumentalist Mills Chaiken. Drummer Dean Adams, vocalists AM Taylor (Jimmy’s longtime collaborator and sister) and Mia Rose Lynne round out the sound of the Well Dressed Spirits.
Their first single January’s River (released February 15th) examines the fear of being forgotten and the lengths to which someone will go to leave their mark on the world.
Interesting Hobbies Club
‘One Year Ago Today’
[indie folk/indie rock]
One of the most outstanding tracks from Interesting Hobbies Club’s recently released sophomore album, ‘Spring Cleaning’, is ‘One Year Ago Today’, with an obsessive slide guitar and a lovely balance between emotive folk, and upbeat indie rock!
Press Notes:
Interesting Hobbies Club was born in a small, cramped drum practice room at Occidental College in late 2019. The band spent early 2020 performing in local venues on campus and around Los Angeles under the moniker Zero Degree. With Covid-19 came a name change and an album release. In July, The State of Being Here, IHC’s debut album was released. Combining the LA indie influences of Surfcurse and Peach Pit with a Radiohead flair, IHC is ready to make their mark on the indie scene.
Scarlett Siren & The Howlin’ Tramps
‘Fuck You’
[americana/jazz]
‘Fuck You’ is a compelling anthem of self empowerment by the Oregon-based burlesque-infused 8-piece collective Scarlett Siren & The Howlin’ Tramps, fronted by a charismatic performer,, ideal for genre-bending music aficionados!
Press Notes:
Scarlett Siren & The Howlin’ Tramps are a musical collective formed in Portland, Oregon. Fronted by Burlesque Performer and Songwriter ‘Scarlett Siren’, the 5-piece blend the traditional with the unusual to cultivate an eclectic concoction of music now coined as “Psychedelic Swing”.
Scarlett’s undeniably captivating vocals are often compared to that of Amy Winehouse, while the band provides a solid backdrop of playful melodies, evocative beats and rugged bass lines. Influenced by Psychedelic Rock, Blues and Jazz their music is fuelled by emotional inquiry combined with an unquenchable thirst for a creative output. Their live shows ‘Pink Elephant Cabaret’ involves performances of both circus and burlesque which evokes an atmospheric experience for their audience. Additionally, Scarlett being a plus size model aims to promote empowerment and body positivity.
Des Boheme
‘Free Yourself’
[indie folk/singer-songwriter]
The latest, more polished version of the Indie folk ballad ‘Free Yourself’ by Kiwi American singer-songwriter and producer residing in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, USA, Des Boheme, is powerful, straightforward and with a vital, timeless message!
Press Notes:
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.
Coming of age as a musical artist later in life, writing and recording his best work, Des B says’s “…it’s funny because I didn’t know what to expect after such a long hiatus.”
Michael James Keane
‘Love Far From Home’
[folk/psycedelic rock/slowcore]
With a notable, baritone voice somewhere in between Stuart Staples & Ian Curtis, Michael James Keane’s ‘Love Far From Home’ is a stunning psychedelic folk, slowcore opus, unleashing noir emotion, the average, unaware listener will gert goosebumps! Haunting…
Press Notes:
The Pōneke-based singer-songwriter, guitarist and stonemason has earnt critical acclaim and a growing cult following from the personal nature of his rich, brooding and emotionally engaging music, with Keane’s truly remarkable deep baritone vocal resulting in media drawing favourable comparisons to Nick Cave, Stuart Staples and Ian Curtis.
Through playing in previous group So Laid Back Country China and touring as a solo artist, he’s shared stages with like-minded artists Aldous Harding, Kirin J Callinan, Steve Gunn and Jack Ladder, but it’s the quality and maturity of Keane’s latest material that truly puts him on course for a long, distinguished and celebrated career. A deeply personal track about being trapped in yourself and your ways, ‘Inside’ is the first single from the much-anticipated album ‘Wandering Bull’. A bulk of the album was written whilst Keane worked as a trainee stonemason in the Wairarapa. The songs reflect on memories of Wellington City and the challenges of interpersonal relationships when engrossed in depression and a reckless lifestyle
Willie Stratton
‘Caroline’
[folk/country]
According to Willie Stratton ‘”Caroline’ was inspired by the story of William Lyon MacKenzie and the Caroline affair, which was a political crisis in the early days of Canada,”, and it’s taken from the artist’s forthcoming album, Drugstore Dreamin’ (out April 2022). Powerful musicianship, well-balanced vocals, and a superb chorus that will directly seep into your brain!
Press Notes:
Willie picked up the guitar at 12 and started writing songs soon after. He then developed a brief obsession with the banjo and released his first record in 2011. Moody and emotional, it was a solid alternative indie/folk effort that introduced Willie to east coast audiences and secured him a spot at The Gordie Sampson Songcamp in 2012. Willie’s 2014 release “Deserter” – equally moody but with a switch to guitar, the sound was more indie rock than folk – won him the MNS Alternative Album Award. When he wasn’t recording, Willie was making his way across the country winning fans with his quirky and charming shows and attracting attention at international events like Folk Alliance. In 2016, Willie released Della Rosa, an oddball alt country record that garnered him an ECMA nomination for Rising Star of the Year. During the pandemic, Willie released the fun, uptempo “Grease Coast”, a sound equally at home on the dusty cattle trail as it is among the pounding waves at the most daring surf spots. Willie’s music has ranged from folk to roots to indie rock so it comes as no surprise that he has landed firmly in the alt country genre. It’s a shift that his fans are sure to embrace – an old tyme country vibe with strong contemporary lyrics and a smooth baritone vocal reminiscent of Roy Orbison.
[All Press Notes provided by the artists]
Compiled by: Christos Doukakis