Honey and the 45s — MAD
If the sassy blues riff and catchy harmonies on “MAD” don’t pull you in to Honey and the 45s’ new EP, nothing will. The band effortlessly glides between jazz, soul, rock, and blues. This is easily the most fun album…
VIDEO: Faith Evans Ruch — “Rock Me Slow”
It’s my pleasure to premier Faith Evans Ruch’s new music video, “Rock Me Slow.” Her latest album, After it’s Said and Done was one of my favorite albums of 2014. Her new music video evokes the same brooding loneliness —…
Nick Shaheen — Sauvignon
Behold the singer-songwriter: an individual and their guitar, maybe with a backing band. What makes one stand out from the pack? In Nick Shaheen’s case, it’s his subtle subversion of all the genre’s standbys: sweet love songs, the road song,…
Ben Hope and the Uptown Outfit — Ragged and Rowdy
Harlem might be an unlikely places for country music but Ben Hope embraces the incongruity with his Uptown Outfit. Hope is renowned for playing crooners like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Buddy Holly on Broadway. Hope is now turning his…
The Delta Routine — You and Your Lion
The Delta Routine’s last album, Cigarettes & Caffine Nightmares, was a tour de force of punk and energy. This time around, the band’s taken a chill pill. You And Your Lion has the Delta Routine doing their best impression of…
Stephen Chopek — “Systematic Collapse”
Listening to Chopek’s chunky, swaggering guitar riff, you’d be surprised to learn that he started off as a professional drummer. Though Chopek is in high demand holding down the beat, his natural curiosity led him to studying guitar and, eventually,…
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love — Last
I feel winded just typing out the name of this band, so from here on out I’m going to call them L^9. Like the band’s name, their music is deceptively whimsical but is, in fact, quite challenging. Last feels like…
Parker McCollum — The Limestone Kid
Parker McCollum will knock your socks off. The breadth and depth of his lyrics mask his relative youth (22.) His voice — while boyish at times — brims with the confidence of a well-seasoned troubadour. He and his band pour…