Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!
***guêmhuɣcâ taa=86 (Muisca numerical system)***
Twenty Centuries of Stony Sleep
‘Breathe’
[indie folk/indie rock]
Canadian outfit Twenty Centuries of Stony Sleep recently gifted us with an effortless indie folk/rock anthem we may all relate one way or another,,, Sedative!
Press Notes:
It has been three years since TCOSS released their last EP Softened Head which was recorded with the renowned Lorrie Matheson at Arch Audio. Winter , the band’s second full – length release, was written and recorded with Charlie Loudowl (Loudowl Studios, Calgary, AB) throughout 2020/2021.
This album represents their most dynamic effort to date, with five songwriters, four part harmonies, and appearances from several guest vocalists and musicians. Winter boasts rich sonic experimental sounds that travel between David Lynch – esque trippiness , Black Mountain dirt sludge, to Big Thief ’s gut wrenching emotion. TCOSS continues to refine their sound, proving that making music means creating your own rules.
Morgan Olai
‘That Woman’s Got Me Down’
[indie folk/indie pop]
Norwegian artist Morgan Olai sounds like Mac DeMarco flirting with indie folk….’That Woman’s Got Me Down’ is part of his recently released ‘Nothing at the End of Everything’ album, and is “about a man experiencing a strong surge of emotions for a woman he has just met, fearing she will not feel the same way”. Super stylish and sweet!
Press Notes:
Watch out! Guns a-slinging and nerves a-tingling, Morgan Olai is here to settle the score. With his curiously crafted lyrics, set to music reminiscent of Paul Simon, M. Ward and Linda Ronstadt, this moustached bandolero is sure to capture hearts while also stealing laughs.
Having first introduced himself to Norwegian listeners through a songwriting contest judged by music industry juggernauts Marit Larsen and Sven Ove Bakke, Olai has since entertained audiences at numerous festivals, including Elvefestivalen and Slottsfjell in his native Norway and Breminale in Germany.
Nick Costa
‘Running from the Devil’
[americana]
Nick Costa’s ‘Running from the Devil’ is a compelling outlaw love song, taken from just released ‘Sunbleach’ album… Catchy as hell!
Press Notes:
A prolific, genre-crossing songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Nick Costa has been writing and performing his own songs since he was 13, and Sunbleach (out March 25) is his finest work yet—a tastefully nostalgic, sonically varied yet cohesive album that effortlessly balances fun with substance.
The Land League
‘Stoned and Reckless’
[country/classic rock]
Big league blend of country and classic rock with a timeless sound and alluring melody by the Canadian band The Land League…
Press Notes:
A timeless melody emerging from their Indie Country pulse is where listeners will find The Land League, the performance alias of Irish Canadian brothers Ciaran and Jesse Scanlon. The duo began writing during the early months of 2020. Faced with isolation and a lack of live music, the two brothers decided to look inwards and write together. After years of playing in other bands they took it upon themselves to write songs influenced by what they were raised listening to: Country and Western, Irish Traditional music, and The Beatles.
Cody Anderson
‘Shroud’
[indie folk/singer-songwriter]
What we love most of Cody Anderson’s gem ‘Shroud’ is its unpredictable progression and its addictive ups and downs, regarding pace and mood. Passionate song-writing, vocal performance and highly atmospheric, dreamlike indie folk soundscapes!
Press Notes:
Cody Anderson is a singer songwriter hailing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. HIs music is characterized by a distinctive union of folk and indie rock, that brings together intricate acoustic guitar melodies, with layered synths and percussion. Anderson’s songwriting is often linear in structure, and movement based, with an emphasis on storytelling that isn’t shrouded in metaphors. His debut EP “The Orchard” was recorded at Redwood Studio in Denton, Tx and features members of the bands Midlake & Field Division. “The Orchard” is set to release in spring of 2022.
Sarah McCulloch
‘Half Crazy’
[country/americana/singer-songwriter]
The 2nd single from Sarah’s sophomore album ‘Sawmiller’s Daughter’ (out on Aprl 22nd) is an intimate country/americana ballad, characterized by the beautiful vocals and the personal song-writing….
Press Notes:
Sarah McCulloch is a Country/Americana Singer-Songwriter whose sweet, yet sultry, voice pierces right through the lush traditional country production on her latest album, Sawmiller’s Daughter. The songwriter’s emotive and nostalgic lyrics showcase her knack for timeless storytelling that transports the listener right into the center of the narrative.
Grace O’Shea
‘Blinked’
[folk pop/acoustic]
New England singer-songwriter Grace O’Shea’s ‘Blinked’ is an alluring folk pop single, which tells a story of an unrequited first love that sneaks up on you, and the exciting but scary feeling of coming to terms with that.
Press Notes:
Grace O’Shea is a singer-songwriter from New England, who now calls Nashville, Tennessee home. Grace first picked up a guitar when she was fourteen, and was performing in popular Boston venues such as Faneuil Hall’s Green Dragon and the Kinsale by age sixteen. By eighteen, she had relocated to America’s Music City, in pursuit of the next song.
Drawing from vintage folk, country, and Americana influences that include Brandi Carlile, Lori McKenna, Kacey Musgraves, Joni Mitchell, and Taylor Swift, O’Shea’s music evokes themes both timeless and classic, blended with fresh, contemporary sounds and arrangements.
Circle
‘Helen’
[indie folk/acoustic/indie rock]
An exquisite piece of music by Aussie outfit Circle… Unleashing lyricism in every single second, and combining sweet melancholic folk soundscapes, with a gentle dose of psychedelia… Divine!
Press Notes:
Circle is an experimental rock band from Enmore, Australia. They were formed in 2006 by members of Opanoni and The Raindrops. Lebanese born singer / songwriter Radi Safi writes, produces and sings the majority of the material on the Circle albums although both credited and non-credited guest appearances can often be found on the recordings.
Susan Cattaneo
‘Broken Things’
[folk/singer-songwriter]
…”the beauty in broken things…” One of the most addictive folk ballads of 2022 is by the Amercian singer-songwriter Susan Cattaneo… Powerful stuff!
Press Notes:
With her powerful voice, captivating melodies, and finely-crafted lyrics, Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer/songwriters. A compelling performer and vivid storyteller, Susan’s music blends folk, rock, and blues with a hint of country. Call it New England Americana.
Following up on the success of her chart-topping double album, The Hammer & The Heart, Susan Cattaneo is releasing All is Quiet in April of 2022. Susan is known for her lyric and melodic craft, and for this project, she brought her mastery to a quieter place. Embracing simplicity and vulnerability, the nine songs on All is Quiet speak to the personal nature of loss, relationships, and hope for the future. All is Quiet was recorded remotely during 2020 and features the beautiful guitar work of national talents, Kevin Barry and Duke Levine, and was co-produced with Lorne Entress.
Critics, audiences, and fellow artists have instantly connected with the personal nature of Susan’s songs. Susan is a three-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist (2020, 2018, 2015) and a three-time nominee for Best Americana Artist at the Boston Music Awards (2020, 2019, 2018). Susan won the 2018 CT folk Festival and has been a finalist or winner at some of the country’s most prestigious songwriting and music contests including the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Philadelphia Songwriters Project, the Wildflower Festival, the Independent Music Awards, the International Acoustic Music Awards, 5 Unsigned Only, the USA Songwriting Competition, the Mountain Stage New Song Contest and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.
Her last album The Hammer and The Heart charted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and yielded a #1 song on folk radio and a top 10 album of 2017. Susan is also an in-demand educator and collaborator. As a Songwriting Professor at the Berklee College of Music for the past 20 years, Susan has helped students work on over 15,000 songs in all musical genres and styles and mentored over 2,000 artists.
She has opened for or shared the stage with Bill Kirchen, Mark Erelli, Ellis Paul, Jon Cleary, David Wilcox, Mark Erelli, Rose Cousins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Livingston Taylor, Melissa Ferrick, Paula Cole, Huey Lewis and The News, Amy Grant, Travis Tritt, and The Pousette-Dart Band
In the New England area, Susan has won over audiences at venues such as Club Passim, the Shalin Liu Center, the Me & Thee Coffeehouse, The Iron Horse Music Hall, Tupelo Music Hall, the Calvin Theater, the South Shore Music Circus, and the River Club Music Hall.
She is also one half of the indie-folk duo called Honest Mechanik with Paul Hansen of The Grownup Noise. The duo launched their first album in July of 2020 and was nominated for Folk Act of The Year at the 2021 Boston Music Awards.
Philipp Makolies
‘When We Do Arrive’
[chamber folk/psych]
‘When We Do Arrive’ is an excellent sample of Philipp Makolies’ recently released album… An alluring amalgam of chamber folk with psych and great hallucinatory soundcapes!
Press Notes:
The résumé of Philipp Makolies is not short. Founded when they were still in high school, he traveled across Indie-Europe with his band Polarkreis 18, eventually landing at the top of the charts in several countries. His current band, Woods of Birnam, has released four albums, and alongside his bandmates, he performs as a musician and ensemble member in several tremendously successful Shakespeare theatre productions. In between, he has released sparsely orchestrated, beautiful albums with his folk duo Lestat Vermon; he plays as a live guitarist for German Songwriter Enno Bunger, operates a nostalgic 80ies Synthpop-project under the moniker Makk, and produces other artists.
Nonetheless, “It Comes And Goes“ by Philipp Makolies is a debut of sorts. The first album to be released under his given name and – whether intentional or not – to interweave all these threads and tie them into one integral package. There is no band constellation, no experimental side project. Much rather, it is the essence of what Philipp Makolies brings to the table in those disparate projects and situations.
The point of departure of all the songs on “It Comes And Goes” is the guitar. Yet, it never lingers on shirt-sleeved folk music, remaining open to electronic possibilities and contemporary means of production instead. Instead, Makolies dresses these songs in analog vintage synths, carefully crafted beats, soundscapes and samples.
It is a songwriter’s album with regard to the focus and concision of the songs that are contained. And it is a producer’s record in the way that it creates a setting and an atmosphere for each of them, always maintaining enough transparency to make audible the diligence which every instrument, every reverb flag, every fragile backing vocal has received in its creation.
[All Press Notes provided by the artists]
Compiled by: Christos Doukakis