Young folks focuses on the best, fresh folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter indie folk & alt-country jams. Turn it up Folks!
***guêmhuɣcâ qhûpqâ=87 (Muisca numerical system)***
Ben Gage
‘Cuyahoga’
[americana/indie folk]
Ben Gage’s ‘Cuyahoga’ is stunning combination of indie folk with dark americana with an intense Spaghetti western vibe!
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Press Notes:
Ben Gage is a songwriter and performer from Akron, OH. His songs pull heavily from his roots surrounded by a hard working family, Northeast Ohio countryside, and living in one of the greatest cities in the Rust Belt.
Ben was a founding member of the regional bluegrass band The Gage Brothers where he played various percussion, harmonica, mandolin, and sang. Now he swapped the mandolin for a guitar, and does all of that at once. His live performances are a fancy take on rubbing your belly and patting your head.
Jenna & the Janes
‘Take It Home’
[indie folk]
NYC based project Jenna & the Janes’ ‘Take It Home’ is an alluign indie folk treasure with addictive, nostalgic vibe, compelling vocals, ear-melting slide guitar and a timeless quality…
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Press Notes:
Jenna & the Janes is an NYC based project led by singer-songwriter Jenna Smith. Her autobiographical folk songs are set to sweet and memorable melodies, which the Janes complement with lush vocal harmony and country-tinged dream-pop arrangements. Band members include Jenna (lead vocals, guitar), Kenny Florence (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Sanders (bass, vocals), & John Stallings (drums). All four bandmates hail from the southern US – North Carolina & Louisiana – lending to the songs’ southern charm. Earth Dog Year will be the band’s debut record.
Grant Ezell
‘Honey Moonshine’
[americana/singer-songwriter/country]
Singer-songwriter Grant Ezell recently gifted us with his catchy americana-country ballad, and luscious lyrics about “meeting a girl, that you fall in love with, for the first time”…
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Press Notes:
Grant was born and raised in Southern California. He grew up with three older sisters and two outgoing parents. They are his biggest inspiration. A cross between folk, alternative, and country. Grant’s poetic lyrics and unique aching voice speak of modern-day life. His music sounds refreshing but his impactful and relatable songwriting is what separates him from other artists.
Though always passionate about music, basketball was Grant’s number one gig. But, once he picked up the guitar it took hold and never let him go. This eventually led to Grant telling his parents he was quitting Varsity basketball to focus on music. Songwriting became his means of catharsis. His journal.
Grant kept it a secret for years and just created music for himself. However, At the beginning of 2020 Grant set out to begin his music career. He performed at multiple small venues. He was accepted into Judy Stakee’s Songwriting Acadamy, the former Senior VP of Creative at Warner. Nashville was calling Grant’s name. He was planning to move and follow his dreams but then… covid happened.
Until the sky stops falling Grant has put moving to Nashville on pause. While the world is standing still Grant is using this time to create music, connect with musicians and fans, as well as develop himself as an artist. During these hard times, Grant has done multiple virtual live performances. His favorite live Performance was the virtual festival he was invited to, where he got to play alongside some amazing musicians.
This is just the beginning of Grant’s story. There are already a lot of great songs and events lined up for the future. It is just a matter of time before Grant’s career catches fire.
Mike Vermeil
‘American Vacation’
[country/americana/rock]
Mike Vermeil’s ‘American Vacation’ is an uplifting country/americana gem with a rock heart and an utterly loveable bagpipe!
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Press Notes:
Mike Vermeil, drawing eclectic inspiration from the likes of Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, and Lil Uzi Vert, is a singer-songwriter hailing from Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Recording in the DIY haven of Philadelphia, Mike’s music is known to evoke the youthful ennui of love, friendship, and city living. It’s a mythology for a burgeoning burnout and the legends are glorious.
As a teenager, Vermeil performed in jazz clubs, orchestra pits, and with local musicians looking for a kid who could “shred” Van Halen. Now, writing his own music, Vermeil prefers a more intimate approach. Whether it be he alone with an acoustic guitar or a full band, they sonically mingle with bathroom stall poetry, tall tales holding ironic twists you’d have to see to believe, and romance tinged with misplaced hope and missed opportunity. ~ John Francis Monday
Denitia
‘Highways’
[folk/singer-songwriter/americana]
Born and raised outside Houston, singer-songwriter Deinitia’s latest offering is a finely calibrated folk/americana hybrid with alluring, soulful vocals, co-produced by Brad Allen Williams, the guitarist for Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes).
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Press Notes:
Denitia is a singer-songwriter who exemplifies American cultural enlightenment.
Born and raised outside Houston, Denitia’s southern heritage forms a canvas for her evolving musical portrait. As a child, she performed in church choirs, and taught herself to play piano and guitar from her family’s trailer in the woods. She carried those experiences with her as she made her way around the country, moving to Nashville for college, and Brooklyn thereafter.
Now based in New York’s Hudson Valley, Denitia’s portfolio of work reveals melodic stories spanning states, cities, and times. In her latest release, she takes listeners on a drive through the lanes of love and longing over the course of American grandeur. Fusing elements of country, folk and rock, Denitia establishes a newfound American utopia, ongoing and indefinite, uplifted by wistful vocals and the chimes of a tambourine.
With her songs as mantras, Denitia aims to reimagine what it means to be home.
Sonic Løland
‘Diamond Day’
[chamber folk]
Norwegian musician Anders Løland is behind Sonic Løland, and ‘Diamond Day’ is the 2nd single from the artist’s upcoming debut album, a hallucinatory, chamber folk treasure with sweet vocals and gentle, psychedelic finishing touches…
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Press Notes:
Sonic Løland is the music project of Norwegian musician Anders Løland. Together with co-producer Hans Olav Settem (Benedikt) he has made the album “And Then The Sun Came Up” which is due to be released on Koke Plate in fall 2022.
After having collecting a large amount of sound experiments and songs in poorly named hard drive folders for many years, 2020 was the year Anders decided to make an album of all the music he had gathered. The result is a creative and mystic collection of melodic indie-folk songs, where 60s chamber pop, nylon string guitar and longing melodies melts together with VHS-samples, electronic drums, ambient music and delicate string arrangements.
Peggy James
‘Thousand Reasons’
[indie folk/indie pop]
‘Thousand Reasons’ comes from Peggy James’ 2021’s album ‘The Parade’ and is a lovely indie folk/indie pop amalgam that will make your day!
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Press Notes:
Peggy James was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but spent her formative years in the Southwest. This desert “Americana” flavor influences all of her songs allowing her song writing style to be both unique and eclectic. Her lyrics are honest and direct – shooting straight from the heart. Her voice, clear and sweet, can get tough and rock ‘n’ roll with the best of them. Peggy has been referred to as being one of a small group of premiere female singer/songwriters worthy of national attention.
Having performed locally and in Nashville, Austin and Chicago, James has opened for BoDeans, Iris Dement and Salt Creek to name a few. From roots twang to world pop she continues to be a pleasant surprise to even the most discriminating Americana music fan.
Loud Forest
‘Easy To Love’
[americana/alt pop]
Los Angeles based Loud Forest effortlessly combine delicate, americana textures with alt pop catchiness, in their second single off of the forthcoming full length album ‘Family Tree’ set for release in May 2022…
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Press Notes:
The band Loud Forest is based in Los Angeles, CA where Bernard and Rachel Chadwick, a married couple, collaborate out of their experimental project space in Pasadena. Merging elements of alternative rock, Americana, and pop as well as post-punk into their moody, crafted indie rock, their earliest albums won a dedicated fan base and radio attention.
An album-oriented band, Loud Forest is doused in indie credibility from years of self-releases, homemade microphones and hosting rock shows in their studio. With influences ranging from Wilco to the Staples Singers, from Bob Dylan to Trey Sivan, from Spoon to Anderson .paak – the band distinguishes themselves with an acute attention to hooky melodies and intentional lyricism that plays with themes of love, fidelity and family. Drawing inspiration from their two daughters, Bernard and Rachel started the band to end all other bands they were in; a merging of creative forces and a project surrounded by their LA community.
Their 4th and forthcoming album, “Family Tree,” returns to their DIY approach; a beautiful lockdown creation of sparkly jams and alternative rock anthems that tell stories of their childhood through raw and angular expressions. Coming May, 2022.
Thomas LaVine
‘Meadows’
[indie folk/singer-songwriter]
A captivating indie folk ear-candy characterised by LaVine’s vulnerable vocals and the soaring melodic line, “Feels like a core memory too precious to let go”… Totally agree!
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Press Notes:
Born in Brandon, Florida and raised in the small town of Blacksburg, South Carolina, Thomas LaVine blends the organic textures of his indie folk roots with ethereal nuances. LaVine is a producer and songwriter who creates music in a tool shed he converted into a home studio. He is at heart a minimalist, even while building vast soundscapes to get lost in as one would a lush forest on a warm evening just as the sun sets. LaVine is a songwriter who uses captivating metaphors to convey emotionally honest ideas about love, existence, and connection to a place, memory, and nature. Known to be abstract, LaVine likes to treat songwriting like a canvas on which to paint with many colors.
The US based musician and songwriter sounds like the crackle of a fire; a tenderly mellow combination of lush vocals and sleepy guitars. Crafting almost spiritual landscapes, his songs create peaceful spaces for introspection. His music brings together wavy synths, delicate melodies and warm acoustics to form relaxing and alluring melancholic ambiences.
Mark Nevin
‘Deep Long Love’
[country/americana/blues]
Mark Nevin is getting stronger with his ‘Deep Long Love’, an astonishing mix of country and americana with an intense bluesy vibe! And that hammond is a pure addiction!
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Press Notes:
Mark Nevin is a London based singer songwriter with seven solo albums to his name. He came to attention as the writer, guitarist and co-founder of the British band Fairground Attraction, writing their number one hit single ‘Perfect’ as well as their double platinum award winning album ‘First of a Million Kisses’. They won the Brit awards for Best Single and Album of 1988 and disbanded shortly afterwards. Nevin went on to collaborate as co-writer with Morrissey, scoring 4 hit singles, and the much loved missed Kirsty MacColl. His songs have been covered by David Bowie, Joe Cocker and Ringo Starr among many others. In 1999 he released his first solo record ‘Insensitive Songwriter’ and continued on, putting out six more critically acclaimed albums.
Photo credits: Max Therry
[All Press Notes provided by the artists]
Compiled by: Christos Doukakis