Tag: Miami

WATCH: Rachel Angel, “Closer to Myself”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Rachel Angel
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Single: “Closer to Myself”
Album: Midnite Heart Attack
Release Date: September 9, 2022
Label: Ruzafa Records

In Their Words: “‘Closer to Myself’ is a song about stripping away the distractions to get closer to yourself. My upcoming album, Midnite Heart Attack, features songs about getting through a difficult time and coming out on the other side, stronger and more free. ‘Closer to Myself’ is about a recovery of mind and spirit from a place of denial, addiction, and longing. Ultimately, it’s a song of hope. It is the second single to be released from the album, which was recorded in Philadelphia and features players from The War On Drugs. I made the music video while living abroad in Valencia, Spain, for a year while getting a masters at Berklee College of Music’s Valencia campus. I teamed up with a Portuguese director, Martim Braz Teixeira, who had the creative idea to make a video about me trying to find a missing person, who in fact is myself. The idea plays on the messaging of the song following me on the streets of Valencia as I make that desperate search, and ultimately, to a place of freedom when I make the discovery and ‘find’ myself.” — Rachel Angel

Photo Credit: Martim Braz Teixeira

BGS Top 50 Moments: BGS On Deck – Our First Music Cruise

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

It’s been over nine years since we first boarded the Norwegian Pearl to set sail with some musical friends. Back in 2013, BGS joined the team at Sixthman as well as host band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, on the first Mountain Song at Sea cruise, sailing from Miami to the Bahamas alongside the Punch Brothers, David Grisman, the Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien, Della Mae, Bryan Sutton, and Peter Rowan.

You can get a glimpse of the riotous fun that was had onboard that first cruise here.

This month, BGS returns to the high seas on board Sixthman’s Cayamo cruise. While onboard, we’ll be hosting the Party of the Deck-Ade, our kickoff birthday event celebrating ten years of BGS. The jam will be hosted by Sierra Hull and Madison Cunningham, and backed by our house musicians Hogslop String Band.

Get your sunscreen ready, and we hope to see some of you in Miami very soon!

WATCH: Larkin Poe & Nu Deco Ensemble, “Every Bird That Flies” (Live in Concert)

Posted on by Editor

Artists: Larkin Poe & Nu Deco Ensemble
Hometown: Atlanta, now Nashville (Larkin Poe); Miami (Nu Deco Ensemble)
Song: “Every Bird That Flies”
Album: Paint the Roses (Live in Concert)
Release Date: September 17, 2021

In Their Words: “Before we could even speak in full sentences, our introduction to the language of music began with classical violin and piano lessons; ever since then, music has been the bedrock upon which we’ve built our lives. Over the years we have drawn inspiration from a wide range of genres, but it has always been a dream of ours to find a way to honor our classical upbringing. Paint the Roses was born out of a fortuitous, one-night collaboration with Nu Deco Ensemble. In hearing our Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll repertoire reinterpreted through an orchestral lens, it felt like a creative circle was being completed; we wanted to share the performance on a grander scale and, thus, our first-ever live album came into being. We are deeply indebted to Sam Hyken for writing such incredible orchestra arrangements and also to Jacomo Bairos for conducting such a magical evening of music.” — Rebecca and Megan Lovell, Larkin Poe

“During the challenging times of this past year, music served the critical purpose of connection to one another. Among those valuable connections was our first collaboration with the amazing duo Larkin Poe and the live album that resulted from it. ‘Every Bird That Flies’ was a song that we immediately knew had to be a part of this collaboration. One of our favorite moments of production week with Larkin Poe was watching Rebecca and Megan’s faces when they first heard how massive the lap steel solo section of this combined with an orchestra.” — Jacomo Bairos and Sam Hyken, Nu Deco Ensemble Co-Founders and Artistic Directors

Photo credit: Alex Markow

LISTEN: Rachel Angel, “Bring Me Down”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Rachel Angel
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Song: “Bring Me Down”
Album: Highway Songs
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Label: Public Works

In Their Words: “‘Bring Me Down’ is a personal song about looking internally to find the inner strength to deal with life’s vagrancies. I wrote the song after extensive touring on the road. I was paranoid and feeling like an outcast as I adjusted to a slower pace back home. I isolated myself in my apartment, using music as a bulwark to shield me from the uneasiness I was feeling.

“The first song that I wrote for the EP was ‘Mexico.’ At the time, I was experiencing a lot of catastrophic anxiety and chronic health problems. I was mentally and physically all out of sorts. I embarked on a family trip to Mexico, and before I left began writing the song: ‘I had enough of that windy ocean road/But I packed up my car and I drove/and I drove.’ My feeling at the time was that something bad was going to happen but I couldn’t determine if it was anxiety or a premonition. Within the first week of being there, we experienced a 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City, many buildings around us fell, power lines down, power was lost throughout the city, everything closed. I was so frightened and immediately wanted to leave, but decided that pushing myself through the discomfort would ultimately make me stronger.

“I spent the remainder of the year touring different cities on the East Coast, in the UK, and traveling around for various events. I was listening to a lot of Outlaw country and the spirit of the music made me feel alive and brave. I wrote and recorded the content of Highway Songs during a breaking point and crisis period in my life, right before I made it out to the other side. I ultimately left New York City for Miami in need of great healing, and have since been on a spiritual journey. I am in pre-production on a new album that finds me in a grounded place and writing lots of songs!” — Rachel Angel

Photo credit: Yasser Marte

LISTEN: Edan Archer, “Scenes from a Spanish Cantina”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Edan Archer
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida, generally nomadic though 🙂
Song: “Scenes from a Spanish Cantina”
Album: Journey Proud
Release Date: August 2, 2019

In Their Words: “This song was inspired by Miami, where I spent many years, both as a young child and later as an adult. The rhythm is a kind of samba and references the drum schools of Brazil where ‘all of the dancers come, and all of the little drums.’ It also contains imagery of fleeting love and celebrating — roses going for a dollar and a half, Valentine’s chocolates melting in the sun of a street market. The singer is warned not to go ‘running with the leader of the band,’ but when the drums play in the street, the dancers still come, and in the moment, it’s worth it.

“My grandmother was from Cuba and my mom also grew up in Spain, so I’ve always loved Latin music and felt a special connection with it. I do speak Spanish and sing in Spanish also. I learned traditional Cuban songs from my uncles and even sang Spanish songs at their funerals. I sang in the Brazilian ensemble in college and developed a love of Samba and big percussion. We also spent most summers in Mexico so mariachi and ranchero music are faves too. I loved being able to combine all my influences in this album, and that had to include something with a Latin vibe.” — Edan Archer

Photo credit: Gregg Roth