Did this month fly by or what? I swear that Christmas was last week, and here we are heading into March.
Like a lot of folks, things in my life are slowly starting to open back up. I went to 6 shows this month. Almost a normal pace, although nothing feels “normal” these days.
Speaking of shows… If you haven’t heard The Heavy Hours yet, do yourself a favor and go check out these Ohio gents. After talking about them for a year and a half, I finally got to see them live this week, and they were better than I expected. Their new album, Gardens, is on heavy rotation (pun expected, right?) around my place … and my car … and in my headphones. “Skinny Heart” is my favorite right now, but “Back Porch” is in the running…
But, I digress. As promised, I’m trying to keep up my “Mix a month” promise. The February Mix starts slow, but it picks up the pace pretty quickly. Hope you dig it! (Find the Apple Music version here.
You probably didn’t notice, but I missed a Summer Mix. Kind of weird for mess since summer is my favorite season, and usually makes for my best mixes.
I’m not going to lie to you, friends. I haven’t felt like myself for the past few months and I just haven’t felt inspired to make a Krissie Mix. So this one is long overdue, and I’m REALLY happy it’s finally done.
Fair warning: it’s a titch schizophrenic. There’s a lot of old friends on this edition, and maybe a few new finds for some of you. It might be a little too mellow for some folks’ tastes – so apologies if it’s not your bag.
As usual, if you really dig something, please support the artist by purchasing an album, a ticket to a live show, or some merch.
And of course, if you have pressing thoughts on ANY of the tracks, tell me whatcha think in the comments.
P.S. The above playlist is showing two songs that are no longer available on Spotify that I removed from the playlist, but I can’t get them to not show above, so sorry about that!
There’s something about sibling musicians, isn’t there?
The family factor adds another layer of depth to a performance. The way they can read each other, the way their voices blend,” the stories and banter…To me, there is a chemistry that is nearly impossible to match.
Enter The Talbott Brothers, a sibling duo originally from Imperial, Nebraska, now calling Portland, Oregon home. Bred straight out of Americana stock, Nick and Tyler wield strong jawlines and even stronger songwriting chops.
Their 2017 album, Gray, is laden with songs that speak to the promise of youth, love, and adventure, demonstrating their abilities to blend gorgeous melodies with stunning blood harmonies. But after crisscrossing the country for the last two years, the brothers were ready tackle weightier issues with their new material.
They’ve spent the last few months in and out of the studio recording. The latest single, “Run No More,” reveals a matured Talbott Brothers sound, laced with an edginess that only comes with growth and life experience. That theme runs through the new album, Ghost Talker, which will be released on October 18 (pre-order on Apple Music).
“One of the reasons we wanted to write these dark songs is because we felt like Gray was so bright,” says multi-instrumentalist Tyler, who also takes lead on vocals. “It’s fun to write a song about having a good time that you can dance to, but it feels better for me to hear a song that’s honest about being human.”
Nick echoes his younger brother, saying, “We had a lot of pent up emotion and it feels good to dive into some of it. We wanted to get heavier with this one.”
The brothers have been on the road most of the summer, debuting several of the songs from the new album. Their live show is not to be missed – just check out the video below for proof. Recorded at Lawrence Chapel in Appleton, Wisconsin during the Mile of Music festival in August, it’s a sneak peek at “Family,” one of the lighter tracks off the upcoming album. It also captures a glimpse at their brotherly banter and showcases their crystalline vocals.
It’s a “don’t miss” live show…and luckily, Charlotte fans will get a preview of the duo’s new release. The Talbott Brothers will return to The Evening Muse in Charlotte on Tuesday, September 24th, just two weeks into a two-month long tour that will see them make nearly 40 stops across the U.S. Charlotte singer-songwriter Ross Adams, who last year released his own new record, Songs from an Ancient Terrace, will open the show.
Although all of the signs of fall are in the air, I REFUSE to let summer go without a fight. That’s why I’m thinking all the summer thoughts and putting out The 2018 Krissie Summer Mix Part II … because if I keep wearing flip flops and short sleeves, the warm weather and sunshine will stick around right?
So, anyway, here’s my little pre-Labor Day surprise. There’s so much great new music out right now. For my music friends, a lot of these will be familiar, but there might be a few new surprises.
Notes are here, if you’re into reading them (moved to Google Drive since so many folks had trouble with Dropbox last time).
jrzygyrl.com 