On their debut EP An Offering, Queer New York-based indie folk duo Tender Creature provides a raw glimpse into some of life’s most difficult experiences, from losing loved ones to coming out to navigating relationships. But members Steph Bishop and Robert Maril tell these stories with beautiful melodies, playful instrumentation, and relatable lyrics that provide hope for those in the midst of such travails. READ MORE…
Listen to this week’s Captain Americana Spotify playlist featuring:
Spencer Burton – Further (Dine Alone Records)
The Mountain Goats – As Many Candles As Possible
HESS – Believer Outta Me (Baby Robot Records)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Galleon Ship – Live at Alexandra Palace, 2020)
Wayne Graham – Infinitude (K&F Records)
Orville Peck – Drive Me, Crazy
Joe Stamm Band – The Good & the Crooked (& the High & the Horny)
Bill Callahan – As I Wander
The Pinkerton Raid – Dream the Sun
Amanda Palmer, Rhiannon Giddens – It’s a Fire
Radiator King – Light of My Soul
Laura Marling – Red Right Hand (Nick Cave cover)
Andrew Weiss and Friends – The Other Side of the Rock
Sadler Vaden – Best Days
Laura Rabell – Coal Train Heart
Andrew Leahey & The Homestead – Mercury
Radnor & Lee – Outside In
Canyon City – Wish List
Sofia Talvik – California Snow – Unplugged
Austin Lucas – Already Dead (Cornelius Chapel Records)
Nick Dittmeier and the Sawdusters – All Damn Day (Live in Knoxville)
Kentucky John Clay – Cold Cold World
The Steel Wheels – When I Lived Underground
Nicholas Mudd – Heartache Express
Whiskey in the Pines – Sad Songs
Becky Warren – Me and These Jeans
Kyle Daniel – This American Dream
Kalen & Aslyn – Heather (Normaltown Records)
Jordan Tice – Matter of Time
Julia Logan – Everly, Foreverly
Amythyst Kiah, Dave Hause, Kam Franklin – Your Ghost
Listen to this week’s State of the Art Spotify playlist featuring:
Left at London – T-shirt
Janelle Monae – Turntables (from All In: The Fight for Democracy)
HESS – Believer Outta Me (Baby Robot Records)
Inara George, Dave Grohl – Sex in Cars: Road Angel Project (Matador Records)
8 Inch Betsy – Avenue (Baby Robot Records)
Homeboy Sandman – Trauma (Mello Music)
Spillage Village, JID, EARTHGANG – Baptize
Summer Dregs, Dirty Blonde – LIME
Action Bronson – Golden Eye
Molly Moore, Maty Noyes – Handsomer
Spoon – Rainy Taxi (Big Beat)
Koncept, Tru Crime – Outta Pocket
Trashcan Sinatras – The Closer You Move Away From Me
Bob Mould – Siberian Butterfly (Merge Records)
Drivin N Cryin – I’ll Be There
Flee Lord – Ten From This Clip
VALDEZ – Saint Munchausen
URSULA – Evergreen
Thanya Iyer – Please Don’t Hold Me Hostage For Who I Am, For Who I Was
Inter Arma – The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill
Idle Hands – It Doesn’t Really Matter
Liza Anne – I Wanna Be There
Westside Gunn, Stove God Cooks – Jose Canseco
Silverbacks – Fad ’95
SPICE – MURDER
beabadoobee – Care
Torito – Barnum’s Animals
Slim 400 – Who Hate’n
Meyhem Lauren – Steamed Monkfish
Helena Deland – Lylz
Fehlt – Closure
An old New York City rock & roller who’s performed and recorded with everyone from The Band’s Levon Helm to Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano and David Johansen of the New York Dolls, from 2000 to 2012 Stuffy Shmitt released a half-dozen mostly under-the-radar solo records. Then about eight years ago he was completely consumed by bipolar disorder. Finally, he got himself properly medicated, moved to Nashville, and was able to sort out everything he’d created during his bouts of depression and mania. The resulting album, Stuff Happens was produced by Brett Ryan Stewart and Chris Tench and features Aaron Lee Tasjan and Brian Wright, as well as drummer Dave Colella and bassist Parker Hawkins.
Bleak but defiantly upbeat, the lead single, “It’s OK,” is a brutally honest song about Shmitt’s relationship with a beautiful soul who can’t seem to get her shit together. There’s a mesmerizing resignation in Shmitt’s voice as he sings, “It’s OK, forget it, It’s OK, don’t sweat it,” over and over again, as if he wants so badly to believe it’s true, but knows deep down that it’s all pretty far from OK.
The video for the song can only be described as Alice in Wonderland meets Paris, Texas. Catch the world premiere exclusively today at Ditty TV.
The art of creating music for queer folk-pop duo Tender Creature has seen some shifting and changing since the days of quarantine set in. Luckily for the pair, they are leaning into the uncertainties of what the future holds and providing a safe space for the emotions that arise during these hardships. READ MORE…
Listen to this week’s State of the Art Spotify playlist featuring:
Misty Boyce – charades
Girlpool, Porches – Like I’m Winning It
Lazerbeak – River Wide (Doomtree Records)
Badge Epoque Ensemble, U.S. Girls, Dorothea Paas – Sing a Silent Gospel
This Way to the EGRESS – City Lights
8 Inch Betsy – So Dark (Baby Robot Records)
Osees, Thee Oh Sees – If I Had My Way
Oginalii – Pillars
Jet Trash – Summer Moon (Position Music)
The Arthur Brothers – Sun Gun
Mega Ran, Del The Funky Homosapien – Proto Culture V2.0
Gold Celeste – Common Ground
Drab Majesty – No Rain
Tropical Fuck Storm – This Perfect Day
Dope Body – Hermit King
Scout Durwood – Sky Dancer (Blue Elan Records)
The Knitts – Wrong from Right
waveform*- Mean
Zoon – Vibrant Colours
Blue Ray – Downtown
Lohmelda – Wonder
Apollo Brown, Che Noir – As God Intended
Sharptooth -Say Nothing (In The Absence Of Content)
PALLBEARER – Forgotten Days
Undeath – Leisons of a Different Kind
Steve Von Till – Indifferent Eyes
Foretoken – The Retribution
Enslaved – Jettegryta
HURAÑA – MI GGENERACIÓN
Lianne La Havas – Weird Fishes (Radiohead cover)
Jay Worthy , Harry Fraud – Can’t Be Stopped
backxwash – Don’t Come to the Woods (Don’t Do It, Neil Remix)
Sault – Stop Dem
Illa Ghee- Ladder 99
Cave Sunrise – Alone
The Knees- Itch
Sinead O’brien- Strangers in Danger
Arlo Parks – Hurt
Activity- Calls Your Name
No Joy – Four
Damaged Bug – I Tried
PAINT – Ta Fardah
Land of Talk – Footnotes
KeiyaA- I! Gits! Weary!
Death Bells – Heavenly Bodies
Mina Tindle – Give a Little Love (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
Soak- I’m Alive
Jyoti – Mama, You Can Bet!
Lonnie Holley- Like Hell Broke Away
Flo Milli- Beef Flomix
Shniece McMenamin, Prince Fatty- Funkin for Jamaica
Ziemba- True Romantic
Billy Nomates- No
D Tiberio- Jeffy Just Needs A Hug
Jim-e Stack – Sweet Summer Sweat (feat. Dijon)
Elvis Perkins- See Through
Burna Boy- Wonderful
Alexis Marshall- Nature in Three Movements
The Cribs – Running Into You