Tag: indie

LISTEN: Woodlock, “Normal”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Woodlock
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Song: “Normal”
Album: Collateral EP
Release Date: October 9, 2020
Label: Nettwerk Records

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Normal’ a few years ago in Adelaide after a friend came to a show, and we were chatting about relationships. I wasn’t married at the time, but I was thinking about taking the next step. My friend opened my eyes on how marriage, after all the glamour, needs serious work, and how he still loved his partner, but it expressed itself differently over the years. I loved the idea of describing a deep love for someone without saying the word ‘love.'” — Eze Walters, Woodlock

Photo credit: Kane Hibbered

WATCH: Justin Wade Tam, “Paradise”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Justin Wade Tam
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee, via San Diego, California
Song: “Paradise”
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “I wrote this song with my friend Daniel Ellsworth about the subjectivity of paradise. We often get caught up in staring at idealized photographs on social media and forget that there can be beauty in the everyday, no matter where we are. Maybe paradise is more a state of mind than an actual physical location. So when Luke Harvey (Moss Flower Pictures) and I set out to make the music video, we wanted to convey that people all over the world have their own versions of paradise, and that is lovely: so many people and so many paradises. To help with the concept, friends from Chile, France, Iran, and Russia translated the lyrics into their respective languages. I’ve met each of these friends through music and touring over the years, and it’s wonderful to have their friendship reflected in this project. Luke set the translated subtitles and music to old film vignettes, capturing and challenging our perceptions of paradise.” — Justin Wade Tam

Photo credit: Annelise Loughead

LISTEN: Josiah Johnson, “Woman in a Man’s Life”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Josiah Johnson
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Song: “Woman in a Man’s Life”
Album: Every Feeling on a Loop
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Label: ANTI- Records

In Their Words: “We are beginning as a culture to reckon with gender roles and expectations, different standards and power dynamics. As someone who can fall back on presenting pretty straight, but has known I’m queer for a long time, I have been in process shedding my internalized homophobia and claiming my sensitivity, nurturing nature, my yin qualities as strengths. So when I sing ‘I’m a woman in a man’s life,’ it holds empowerment for me.

“I’ve learned to love my process. I’ve learned to love when I’ve taken the long way and where I get to admit mistakes. Humility and uncertainty are welcome. Being seen for who I am and where I’m at is my priority. And I am exactly where I am supposed to be. The result of that new courage bears out in how I’m able to be a better friend to the people I love. That’s the gift.” — Josiah Johnson

Photo credit: Sela Shiloni

LISTEN: Joan Osborne, “That Was a Lie”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Joan Osborne
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “That Was a Lie”
Album: Trouble and Strife
Release Date: September 18, 2020
Label: Womanly Hips/Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I get so enraged watching these polished, camera-ready mouthpieces for our government just straight up lying to us. And journalists seem unable use the word ‘lie’ when talking about this: their coverage is full of euphemisms like ‘falsehoods’ or ‘misstatements.’ But these are just blatant lies, and I think it’s important not to sanitize them, to call them what they are. People in power are abusing the public trust, whether it’s government officials or the insurance industry or the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and I believe we need to call them on it in no uncertain terms. To quote Bob Dylan, ‘I just want you to know I can see through your mask.'” — Joan Osborne

Photo credit: Jeff Fasano

LISTEN: Jordan Lehning, “The Quarry Song”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jordan Lehning
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “The Quarry Song”
Album: Little Idols
Release Date: August 7, 2020

In Their Words: “Once I realized ‘The Quarry Song’ would [not] act [as just] a standalone song about a breakup, but as a chapter to a bigger story, I was able to zoom out and understand more about the potential for the rest of the record. Treating the record as a film with scenes and arcs was incredibly informative to the pacing and sequence of the final product. In particular, there are interludes between the songs. ‘The Quarry Song’ is preceded by ‘Hey Boy,’ where the two main characters are lying in their own beds at their respective homes pining over one another telepathically. But after that song, during the interlude, we can hear her emotions shift. A longer interlude than exists in the rest of the record occurs. She pushes and pulls her emotions apart, and after some time has passed she reluctantly agrees to meet our hero one last time in ‘The Quarry Song.’” — Jordan Lehning

Photo credit: Laura E. Partain

WATCH: Phöenix Lazare, “Warm Soles”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Phöenix Lazare
Hometown: Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
Song: “Warm Soles”
Album: Warm Soles
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Label: Lazare Music Inc.

In Their Words: “‘Warm Soles’ is very dear to my heart. I wrote this song in the heat of the COVID-19 quarantine, inspired by a songwriting challenge I created on Instagram attempting to stay creative. A wedding dress conversation with my grandmother one morning sparked something in me to paint a picture in words of how I imagine my future wedding day — being newly engaged, I had been doing a lot of daydreaming. I wrote the song in one day, recorded the idea with my travelling home studio setup, and sent it to my friend Louis Remenapp in Nashville who co-produced and engineered the track. ‘Warm Soles’ is truly a dedication to my fiancé, who keeps my laughter loud and my feet on the ground.” — Phöenix Lazare

Photo credit: Hownd

WATCH: Evangeline Gentle, “Ordinary People” (Live)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Evangeline Gentle
Hometown: Born in Peterhead, Scotland; moved to Peterborough, Ontario, at age 11; now living in Hamilton, Ontario
Song: “Ordinary People” (Live)
Album: Evangeline Gentle
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Record Label: Sonic Unyon

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Ordinary People’ for my loved ones, who soften the world for me when I’m feeling hardened by it. The video was filmed spontaneously on the set of a full production video for my song ‘Sundays.’ It was shot in Peterborough, Ontario, at the Sisters of St. Joseph convent — also known as ‘The Mount’ — outside what used to be their old laundry building. The director Rob Viscardis and I decided that it was such a beautiful location and would be the perfect setting for a live video of this song.” — Evangeline Gentle

Photo courtesy of Sonic Unyon

WATCH: Jeremy Squires, “Cast Spells”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jeremy Squires
Hometown: New Bern, North Carolina
Song: “Cast Spells”
Album: Many Moons
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Label: Blackbird Record Label

In Their Words: “When I wrote ‘Cast Spells,’ I had originally intended for it to be an acoustic song and a duet. Over time I felt the song could be opened up more and I started playing around with different soundscapes and textures. Ultimately the song evolved into what it is now. ‘Cast Spells’ is one of my favorite songs on the record and tells a poetic truth from a haunting perspective.” — Jeremy Squires

Photo credit: Shelley Squires

The String – Chatham County Line

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

With an old-school look and feel, Raleigh, North Carolina’s Chatham County Line started at the dawn of the new millennium in a surge of passion for bluegrass music. Now at 20 years old, they’ve made only one very recent personnel change and refreshed their concept as a post-modern string band with drums.


LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS

Their new album, Strange Fascination, displays far-reaching vision and a warm, cohesive sound, riding on the unique songwriting voice of Dave Wilson. Wilson and co-founding multi-instrumentalist John Teer join host Craig Havighurst for a retrospective conversation, featuring music from their past and present.

BGS 5+5: Will Hoge

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Will Hoge
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Latest Album: Tiny Little Movies (June 26, 2020)

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

My dad. He was a musician before I was born and that carried over into an incredible album collection. Every great album from 1964-1978 was at my disposal.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Shit, at this point, I’ll repeat a worst memory just to be back on stage. Also any time I get to play at the Ryman.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

My dad and my uncle snuck me into a bar to see Bo Diddley when I was about 13. My mind was totally blown. Hard to focus on much else after that.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

“Jesus Came to Tennessee.” It had about 15 more verses. Editing that one was a journey.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Ice cream and Brandi Carlile

Photo credit: Katie Krauss