Introducing: Eddie Gomez

Eddie Gomez may be on to something. The Oregonian-raised, LA-based singer/songwriter has taken an older style and dressed it up for today. With a soulful stomp and a catchy chorus, his tune "Someday" has burned itself into my brain. Produced by the currently ON FIRE Captain Cuts crew (the Smallpools EP and several killer remixes), this tune is going places.



It's already been featured by Pigeons & Planes and Perez Hilton. I wouldn't be surprised to here it climb up some adult contemporary charts. Lovers of Amos Lee and Lenny Kravitz, look into this dude.

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Your thoughts surrounding me

Honestly, I don't know how Dan Croll hasn't taken over the world. The Liverpudlian has charm out the wazoo, he's good looking, and he had the skills to be a professional rugby player until an injury forced his early retirement. On top of all that, he writes, plays, and sings music that toes the line between electropop and folk.

He first surfaced in September of last year with his single "From Nowhere", which leans more to the pop side of things, and then putting out the "From Nowhere" - EP.



Since then he's come storming back with the single and video for the much more folky "Compliment Your Soul". The video features him and his band jamming out in a museum while the horns and happiness kick in around them.



Just this week he dropped another tune, "In/Out", which hits much more on the electropop side of things. It's more than worth a listen. Get your ears on this before everybody catches on.

there's my head, this town, and arms.

Jeremy Quentin's delicate finger-picking folk music calls up thoughts of rolling hills and empty homes. Echoing the tones of The Tallest Man On Earth and some light shades of Bob Dylan, Quentin's songs are sparse and warm, like a patchy blanket that you've had for years. His lyrics are outstanding, the title of this post coming from "Oh, Hiding Out," the album opener of his latest album. Quentin composes under the name Small Houses.

His most recent album Exactly Where You Wanted To Be is all kinds of awesome. My favorite tune off of which is "The Last Day of Summer". That album really is pretty much perfect and it's available HERE. 

His album North is what initially drew me in. Particularly his song, "In The Lawn". It feels so much like a Tallest Man On Earth and I love it.



The best part of today's post though is that Small Houses is playing a free show TONIGHT in Lexington at Griffin's Modern Motel. It's Bring Your Own Refreshments and all donations go to the bands playing. It's hosted by the guys who run Shaker Steps in all their infinite glory. HERE'S THE FACEBOOK EVENT.

I'm thinking like an extra color or two

Conveyor comes romping out of Brooklyn with a utopian blend of psych folk and electronica. Their music is a swirling mix of harmonies, synths, guitars, and acid. It's perfect summer tuneage. Like a folky Yeasayer.


"Woolgatherer" was my first contact and I was hooked. I actually pre-ordered the album from them. Jammed all last summer. One of my favorites on the album is probably "Anne". The harmonies dissolve into a mist of horns and synths as the chorus comes back in -- "All I want is all I want is all I want is all I want is..."


Their debut album is available for purchase on their bandcamp HERE so check that shiz out.

Bring me one good love.

Mike Clark is a sensation. He's a living, breathing, blue-eyed, soulful sensation. The first time I encountered the music of Mr. Clark, it was through the amazingness that is Heather Browne's Fuel/Friends blog, in the form of a gorgeous Chapel Session. You see, Mike Clark is 34 years old and he works as a land surveyor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is not a professional, but he is a natural. He didn't start playing tunes until he was 27. A late bloomer, he's now played in several bands in his local scene on his way to perfecting his solo sound with his current project: Mike Clark & The Sugar Sounds.



He has a voice for the blues and a flair for soul. He finds his home in the neighborhood near Otis Redding and Ray LaMontagne, and he fits right in. The first time I heard him, I knew I had to have his album: Round & Round. It's pretty much perfect. You can purchase that HERE. You can listen to and download his entire Fuel/Friends Chapel Session, right HERE, and find the rest of his stuff via his website HERE. But, before you go, remember to try and check out his Daytrotter session that just came out today. It's what spurred on this post and it is entirely worth your time.

DAYTROTTER. GO NOW!

Introducing: To Kill A King

I've actually known about To Kill A King for a few months now. I first found them when I stumbled onto this blog called Music vs. Misery ran by Megan Forsyth. She posted this awesome video of To Kill A King and a bunch of their friends (including Bastille, who I love unabashedly) performing a rendition of their song "Choices". This blew me out of the water.



Hearing this version inspired me to check out their then-fresh debut album Cannibals With Cutlery, which I soon found out was pretty much the bee's knees. It's full of fantastically arranged folk tunes with pop sensibilities. Sounds like Typhoon and The National rolled into one. Besides "Choices", you should definitely listen to "Fictional State" with it's huge slightly out of place but massively uplifting crescendo.

 

Also, take the time to check out their cover of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games". I like it more than the original, but that may just be me.

Introducing: Houndmouth

Houndmouth has roots in Kentucky and Indiana and, man, do they show. They've managed to perfect a kind of recession rock that's reminiscent of Alabama Shakes, but isn't as bluesy. You'll easily fall in love with these guys if you're a fan of bands like Lumineers, Alabama Shakes, or The Head And The Heart.
Their debut LP "From The Hills Below The City" just dropped yesterday and I picked it up from my local music shop for a test drive around Lexington. It was amazing. An album chock-full of harmony, guitar licks, and americana.
The opening track (and first single released from the album) "On The Road" is easily one of the catchiest tunes on the album and serves well as an introduction for a band that's quickly headed in the right direction.



My favorite song on the album, though, was "Ludlow".



Hop on the Houndmouth train before it's too late. These peeps will be playing a ton of festivals this summer, including Kentucky's own Forecastle Festival. I personally plan to see them play the Belle Of Louisville late night show.

If You're Looking Back, You'll Never Move Your Feet

I've been a fan of Hey Marseilles since their first album To Travels & Trunks dropped in 2009. Ever since then, I've wanted to see them perform their string-powered folk/pop live...and I would have had that opportunity in Cincinnati on June 25th. Except that that's the same day as Fall Out Boy's St. Louis show. And there's no way I'm missing the comeback tour. Anyways, for the newcomer to Hey Marseilles, you should listen to "Rio". The stand-out track off their first full-length.



And also be sure to check out their second album, Lines We Trace, to see how much they've matured. My personal favorite track is "Looking Back", whose lyrics are featured in the post title.

 

That particular version of "Looking Back" was recorded at Fuel/Friends Chapel Session in Denver, Colorado. Fuel/Friends is run by the great Heather Browne, who is awesome enough to curate these sessions and then put them up for a free download, the link to which I've provided below. To Download Hey Marseilles' Fuel/Friends Chapel Session, click HERE!

My Love Is Older Than My Soul

 The Lone Bellow, formerly Zach Williams & The Bellows, started as a songwriting project after his wife was partially paralyzed due to a horseback riding accident. The overwhelming uncertainty and tragedy of the accident fueled much of Williams' songwriting for the band's first album, with the themes of hope, despair, doubt, uncertainty, and triumph dominating the album.



The Lone Bellow appeals to fans of The Civil Wars, The Head & The Heart, and The Avett Brothers. They define their sound as "Brooklyn Country Music", which puts them even more in a league with Avett & Co. Filled with harmonies and absolutely gorgeous folk instrumentation, The Lone Bellow's eponymous solo album is well worth your time.


THE LONE BELLOW - "Two Sides of Lonely" [live] from SerialBox Presents on Vimeo.

That video of my personal favorite Lone Bellow song ("Two Sides Of Lonely") was shot LIVE. LIVE, I TELL YOU! Which is, coincidentally, the way I'm going to see them this very day at WFPK's Waterfront Wednesday in Louisville. It's perfectly free and all you have to do is get down there. The Staves go on first around 6PM, then Lone Bellow around 7:30, and Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band around 9:00.

Oh, You Civilized Barbarian!

Typhoon is overwhelming in the best possible way. They drench you in their harmonies and drown you their gorgeous instrumentation. This Oregon elevensome makes some of the best folk rock around,appealing to people who like stuff like Bright Eyes, Fleet Foxes, and Frightened Rabbit. Their album Hunger & Thirst is an absolute masterpiece, with stand out songs like the slow-to-start-but-quick-to-grow-on-you "White Liars" and the Fleet Foxes-sounding "Ghost Train".



The reason that I bother to write about Typhoon, when their album came out three years ago, is because
1. I love them.
2. They have a new album set to come out in August.
3. That album will HOPEFULLY have this amazing song on it:



In the end, I'll buy the album. These peeps are truly some of the best around. I kind of also need to see them live, but that's a hard thing to do in Kentucky. Here's hoping they book a show in the area soon. For now, though, I'll just have to live with "Dreams Of Cannibalism," the first single off of White Lighter, their soon-to-be-released album.

In The Southern Soil

Dillon Hodges plays soulful folk music with bluegrass tinges around the edges. He's a master flat-picker, as you can hear in his old-timey tunes. He has a captivating twang to him. This is music you would expect to hear on the soundtrack to FX's Justified.


His style doesn't hold him back though. He's found a way to sound modern in the middle of all that old school awesome. Try out his cover of Gorillaz' "Feel Good, Inc."


His debut album, Rumspringa, is available on iTunes today. Personally, I'm planning on grabbing a copy at his show tonight at Natasha's Bistro in Lexington, KY. It's gonna be an awesome show.

You're Only Where You Are

Chicken Little describes themselves as "half-pint folk punk". A singer/guitarist and an accordion player (joined by a fiddler at some gigs) are all that compromise this tiny folk powerhouse. They specialize in fantastic lyrics, rousing choruses, and gorgeous harmonies. This post's title comes from the opening track of their first album No One, Never, Nothing.


I got into these guys after I saw them at a folk punk festival in Berea, KY, at the now closed Black Feather Cafe of all places. I went there to see Paul Baribeau and Busman's Holiday, but they went on first and they blew me away. Their pure energy was captivating. I had to buy their album. Their most upbeat tune is the ode to giving in to alcohol "Off The Wagon", the title of which has now been changed to "The Sky Is Not Falling".


"The Devil Spoke Here" ruminates on religious themes and comes away feeling guilty. It's truly fantastic. I'll close the post with some potent lyrics from the tune: "May we always fail with the best of intentions with our hearts always pure and our souls only human."

Introducing: Roo & The Howl

Being the voracious blog reader that I am, when Pigeons And Planes does a piece called "12 Female Artists You Should Know" I pay attention. In that little piece, they brought an artist to my attention that goes by the nome-de-tune Roo & The Howl. According to her bio, the word "roo" is derived from an old English word meaning "quiet". So her name actually means "The Quiet And The Howl". That's a kick-ass name. The awesome person behind it is Bekah Wagner out of Colorado Springs, CO.



She's been quietly producing quality Americana/folk music for a little while now. She closed out 2012 with a gaggle of shows that included opening for Seattle folkies Ivan & Aloysha. Her tune "To The River" is pure indie folk bliss and "They Say" is one of the most delicate vocal pieces I've heard in quite some time. If those two songs are any indication, she's going to have a busy 2013 and a bright future (with an album on the docket for early 2014).