I like to check out music that artists I like talk about. So when Lamar Stockton started posting about a singer-songwriter I’d never heard of before, I clicked. And listened. And after a few go-rounds with Austin’s Matt McCloskey‘s lyrics and raw voice, I was spellbound. Game over, done. I was going to tumble hard for this one.
I first downloaded his latest EP, The Hard Rains, which came out last December (You can pick this gem up for free right now on Noisetrade). My first thought was “Like Ryan Adams, but more accessible.” The more I listened, the more the lyrics spoke to me. The absolute heart-wrencher – one of the saddest songs I have ever heard – is “Not Tonight.” Funny how a song doesn’t have to sound sad to be sad. The entire EP is that way, full of acoustic guitar goodness, haunting instrumentation, and carefully crafted, but simple lyrics that demand self-introspection. “What if your life wasn’t as hard as it is, if the things keeping you down didn’t exist? What would you do? What would you do?”
I got busy downloading everything else Matt had on iTunes: 2010’s Let It Burn, and 2009’s These Times Won’t Last. And every song is as good as the one before, if not better. I find myself wrapping myself up in these tunes, falling asleep to them, listening to them over and over in the car, passing the hours at work with them as the soundtrack.
And so here I find myself, in love with another artist. And happily so. Betcha a buck that if you give Matt’s music a listen, you will be, too.
Six years ago, Alternative Addiction asked me to write a review for an album by a DC band I’d never heard of before. Enter into my life Honor By August. In the six years since then, I’ve come to love this band and their music. I am lucky to call them friends, and so happy to be a contributor to the Kickstarter campaign to fund their new album, Monuments to Progress.
Today, they released a video for their song, “Somebody Real,” the first single off that new, yet-to-be released album. It is one of my favorites of the new songs, and is a testament to the boys’ hard work for this record. Since that very first live show I saw in 2006, I knew that this band was something special, and this video gets me so excited for what is to come for them. I am so proud to be an Honor By August fan today.
Congrats Brian, Evan, Michael and Chris … Ya’ll deserve all the great things that I know are coming your way!
Ladies and gentlemen, “Somebody Real” by Honor By August.
Songwriter powerhouse quartet The Rescues are prepping fans for their sophomore release with a free download of the new single, “Arrow,” on AmericanSongwriter.com.
L.A. songwriter supergroup The Rescues has been in the studio recording, and I know I’m one of thousands anxiously awaiting their new effort Blah Blah Love and War. After seeing them live at Charlotte’s most intimate little venue, The Evening Muse, in 2009, I became a huge fan. Four extremely powerful vocalists whose voices blend together to send tingles up your spine easily made it one of my favorite performances of that year. Their 2010 release, Let Loose the Horses, was a finely-crafted work of harmonies and lyrical wonderment that just reinforced that live experience.
In anticipation of their upcoming release, Kyler, Adrianne, Rob and Gabriel teamed up with American Songwriter to give away a free download of their new song “Arrow.” It’s a gorgeous song and has me salivating to get my hands on the new album. It is definitely worthy of the Friday Awesomeness!
The Rescues are running a PledgeMusic campaign to record this new album and it’s not too late to contribute. They’ve already reached their goal, but they still have some cool supporter packages available. If you dig what you hear, think about chipping in!
Nashville-based band The Rouge set my musical heart on fire on Saturday night. I’m still a little at a loss for words to describe it.
I listen to and like a lot of different music. And recorded music is great, but the magic…the magic, for me, lives in the live performance. Every once in awhile, I see a band live for the first time and it’s like having an encounter with your crush – you get butterflies and you feel that unmistakable magnetism of connection. Sometimes, you go into a show expecting it or hoping for it to happen. And sometimes, it takes you unaware, hitting you in your ears and heart hard enough to make you dizzy.
On Saturday night, I got completely gobsmacked when I went to see The Rouge from Nashville, TN (by way of Denver, CO). This is not an exaggeration – I walked out of The Double Door weak in the knees.
I first got introduced to this band in early 2010 when my dearest Christopher Jak produced a track for them at The Blasting Room. As with anything that Jak touches, I check it out because the dude has impeccable musical taste. With a sound that is distinctly modern rock, heavy on the keys and with a great raw vocal, I liked them enough to put them on my Spring 2010 mix. I listened to the EP occasionally here and there. A few weeks ago, I noticed that they were playing a gig in Charlotte. “Cool,” I thought. “I’ll go check them out.”
So I went. By myself. And got there way too early. So I sat and watched a college football game with the bartenders. At one point, the lead singer and drummer from The Rouge bellied up to the bar next to me and I asked them if they would play my favorite song of theirs, “Six Shooter.” Since this might be the first time they’ve ever played in Charlotte, they seemed genuinely surprised that someone was there to see them and actually knew their songs. Josh, the lead singer who was incredibly gracious, chatted with me for a bit, gave me a handwritten, burned copy of some new songs. Two thumbs up, I thought, nice guys.
They’re a lean four piece that’s seen some lineup changes since I first heard them – guitar player Steve doubling as keyboardist, Nick on drums, Jack (the only member I didn’t meet) on bass, and of course Josh singing and playing guitar.
They climbed on stage quietly, amidst a crowd that had slowly filtered in – most of them didn’t know the band, several were there to see the openers. Josh stepped on stage last with just an acoustic guitar. When the music started and the four of them were playing together, it was instantaneous – I knew right away that this was going to put to shame the recorded music I’d heard of theirs up until now.
And after one song, the crowd was paying attention.
They played mostly new songs…I was totally caught up in it. Seriously, I don’t think I saw or heard a single thing happening in the room for the next 45 minutes. Josh’s voice has a powerful depth and emotion live, and he and Steve perfectly play off one another. Jack and Nick work together to form this incredible backbone. It was just good, solid rock n’ roll music, complete with really strong songwriting. Their connection with the intimate crowd was electric, and by the end of the show, other people in the room were buzzing about them. The chemistry was right – with them, with the audience, the venue, everything.
Sometimes I get a little bummed that I go to so many shows on my own, but sometimes, being alone at a show makes the experience so much more intense, and that was definitely the case with The Rouge. I’m such a huge dork that I took a poster that one of the bar staff was taking down off the wall. Like someone saving a wine cork from a great first date, I just wanted to have a souvenir from the night, something to remember the show by.
Yup, it’s official. New band crush in full effect.
I looked around for videos of them playing my new favorite of theirs, “Sleepwalking,” but the only video I could find was with some of the older band lineup when they were still living in Denver (it’s a killer song, and a video recorded in a tiny little bedroom – so worth watching). They do have a rather eerie video of Josh and Steve performing their song “Cocaine Hero” acoustic from a few weeks ago…So I’m posting that, but go check out their Facebook page for some others.
Last year, I wrote about a Berlin, Germany-band I discovered on BalconyTV called Mighty Oaks. With lilting acoustic guitar, crystalline vocals and gorgeous harmonies, this international band is comprised of an American, an Italian, a Brit and a German. If you believe in fate or destiny, it’s impossible to deny that Ian Hooper, the ex-pat on vocals, and Claudio Donzelli, the Italian who seems to be the master of all strings, were meant to play music together – together, they are the heart of this marvelous little quartet.
The band recently began recording new songs for an album that will be released later this year. They filmed a series of videos for the tunes at stunningly beautiful sites in the Italian countryside, and they’ve been sharing them online for the past two weeks. Combine the lovely surroundings with the simple, artfully crafted music and you have a recipe for magic.
Don’t believe in magic? You will after you watch this video for a song called “The Pacific Northwest.”
If you dig what The Mighty Oaks are doing, check out the latest video they’ve posted, “Picture.” Need more? Watch for more news about their new album on their Facebook page or pick up a copy of their first EP over at their Soundcloud Player on their website.
jrzygyrl.com 