All in all, the newest from Helland’s Guitarmy of One will strike a chord with those schooled in the way of 1960s-era surf rock and Henry Mancini themes… READ MORE
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The Boot praises Katie Jo’s new single “Pawn Shop Queen,” an anthem for perseverance
Singer-songwriter Katie Jo‘s debut album, Pawn Shop Queen, chronicles some of the most traumatic experiences of her young life. Its title track, however, offers a bit of optimism: a reminder that our worst moments don’t define us, but make us stronger.
Jo describes “Pawn Shop Queen”—which is premiering exclusively on The Boot—as “an anthem for resisting the lies depression tells us about ourselves … for perseverance in spite of one’s self.” She’d had the title in her mind for a song for quite some time, and by the time she sat down to write it, at home in her pajamas, it took less than an hour.
“It’s the sound of someone mustering the energy to regain their self confidence, a statement to myself that trauma and heartbreak alone don’t define who I am,” Jo reflects. “At the time, I was not only processing the fallout of some pretty shocking infidelity in my relationship, but also trauma around my own reproductive health and infertility. I felt betrayed, both by my partner and my own sense of worth.”
TIDAL adds Ditchbird’s new single, “Real Enough for You Now,” to Wildwood Flowers: Best New Folk & Americana playlist…
Discover new gems in the wide world of folk and Americana, packed with singer-songwriters and bluesmen, blue collar troubadours and full-out rockers united by a sense of tradition and an affinity for great storytelling. (Cover: Laura Veirs // Photo: press)
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The Current 89.3 adds Ditchbird’s new single, “Real Enough for You Now,” to Song of the Day…
Today’s Song of the Day is “Real Enough For You Now” the new single from Ditchbird, out now.
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Rootstime Belgium reviews veteran singer-songwriter Stuffy Shmitt’s “Stuff Happens,” his first new album in 8 years
Stuff Happens is the title of a new album by New York City singer-songwriter Stuffy Shmitt. This record comes just over eight years after the release of the two albums he released in 2012, Twelve Songs and Industrial Love. However, Shmitt couldn’t handle the tremendous pressure placed on him afterward, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which drove him pretty crazy with depression and unstoppable mania.
Between 2000 and 2008 he also released several albums that confirmed his great talent as a singer and songwriter. But it was the skyrocketing expectations of the music industry that ultimately drove him into such a fragile state. Shmitt was thoroughly treated, moved to Nashville six years ago and now seems to have resurrected as a musician. On Stuff Happens, the 11 songs he wrote for this album show that he has joy, joie de vivre and optimism again.
We can conclude that from the song “It’s OK,” the opening track and first single of the album. In the beautiful acoustic ballad “Mommy and Daddy,” he cleverly interprets the timeless feeling of aging. The album features a well-thought-out mix of indie folk, blues rock and Americana.
Catchy melodies are the basis of the rocking songs “Jim’s Dad” and “Sweet Krazy,” while blues sounds predominate in songs like “Scratchin ‘At The Cat” and “The Good Land.” Shmitt also shines in beautifully orchestrated Americana ballads such as “She’s Come Unglued,” “Mommy and Daddy,” “Something Big” and piano-accompanied “The Last Song,” in which he reminds us for a moment of David Bowie. And we also have to mention our favorite track from this album, “Sleeping On The Wet Spot”, a classic in the making that ripples onto a lovely melody.
For the recording of this new album, Shmitt’s regular backing band received instrumental assistance from some well-known names in the Nashville music scene. Aaron Lee Tasjan and Brian Wright played lead guitar on “Sweet Krazy” and “Scratchin ‘At The Cat,” Jellyroll Johnson appears on harmonica on “The Good Land” and Anana Kaye and Brett Ryan Stewart handle keyboards. And, finally, in our opinion, album producer Chris Tench also deserves to be honored here for all the excellent work he turned in from his recording studio in Franklin, Tenn.
CATCH THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE (& WATCH STUFFY SHMITT’S VIDEOS FOR “IT’S OK” & “MOMMY AND DADDY” AT ROOTSTIME BELGIUM..
Atwood Magazine weighs in on the new Kurt Deemer LP, World Upside Down, calling it “impressively uplifting”…
It may feel like the world is falling to pieces. It’s felt a lot like that for a full year now. But let’s not forget that many of us have felt that way previously– including not terribly long ago when Donald Trump was first elected to office and liberal counties across the country freaked out in manners comparable to those of the terrestrials in War of the Worlds.
Kurt Deemer, a Baltimore native and experienced rock performer, remembers that period well. In fact, he was able to channel his specific reaction to that event, as well as to other unsettling occurrences in modern history, into a new batch of tunes that he’s collectively titled World Upside Down and whose thematic content reflects just that.