Big Hoax is an Alternative Americana/World band with members' roots stretching all over Maryland. It consists of Luke Alexander (lead vocals/guitar), Stephen Filer (strings/vocals), Peter Krutschnitt (drums/percussion), and David Lester (Bass). A band that has seen nothing but continuous growth since their start as a guitar-cello duo in February 2013 Big Hoax has performed alongside artists such as Mark Schatz of Nickel Creek, Little Feat, Delta Rae, Cabinet, The Steel Wheels, and The Streets of Laredo among others. In the 2015 Tiny Desk Concert Contest, Big Hoax was featured as an honorable mention for their live performance of their song "Over and Over" out of over 8,000 band submissions nationally. 

Big Hoax will release their first full-length album, Mirror Image, on June 24th. The fourteen track collection, all penned by Alexander, merges various genres - from folk to pop to middle eastern - for an eclectic, satisfying listen. One of the project's tracks, "Dreaming" is (as its name implies) a gorgeous, celestial waltz heavily influenced by Baroque elements that is truly transportive. Give a listen below and head to their website for more information.

Zack and Sam DuPont are a Burlington, VT based sibling indie-folk-Americana duo. Since the start of the band in March of 2013, the brothers have toured heavily throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South and Midwest in a fully independent pursuit to get their songs to as many ears as possible. Their travels have opened doors to festival appearances at SXSW & Grand Point North in addition to performances in support of some of their musical heroes including Sturgill Simpson, Chris Eldridge & Julian Lage, and Jerry Douglas to name a few.

On June 3rd, the brothers released their latest album, A Riddle For You, which was recorded completely live. The eleven song project was fueled by "A deep trust in a collaboration between ourselves, our producer Michael Chorney and all of the musicians involved. These are the brains and spirits that elevated the songs to new heights and opened up the doors to a new direction of creativity and expression within our sound."

Give a listen to one of the tracks, the gentle and ruminative "Seven Days" here. 

For more information visit their official website.

Armed with an acoustic guitar, along with Juno Award-winning musicians Justin Abedin (electric guitar) and Sean O' Connor (whistle, flute and a couple of saxophones), David Leask set out to capture a group of songs, raw, live and in the moment. Almost all of the songs - a mix of country/americana & Celtic soul - were recorded live off the floor in one take at the historic Clarke Memorial Hall in Port Credit, Ontario. These songs now comprise David's fifth full-length release, The Clarke Hall Sessions.

Crackling with spontaneity and creative energy, this eclectic collection includes seven previously unreleased songs, four reinterpretations of fan favourites and a Celtic flavoured cover of Van Morrison's "Into The Mystic" which you can listen to below. For more information visit his official website.

​“Experience builds character, says singer-songwriter Clark Paterson.” You have to do shit to truly write great songs.”
 
Clark Paterson has done shit. From the family farm to the Chicago School of Folk Music; from the high-dollar world of Windy City real estate to seeing the world from a backpack; from a string of dingy honky tonks to a home in Nashville, Clark brings worlds of experience to his 35 years on the planet––and to his third and latest record, The Final Tradition. Recorded in Nashville by indie producer Eric McConnell (Todd Snider, Loretta Lynn, Will Kimbrough), The Final Tradition is no sunny travelogue. Clark’s songs have real narrative force and reflect the darkness and raw energy typically found in vintage country and punk––call it Grindhouse Country.
 
Assisting Clark and Eric are some of the Nashville indie scene’s grittiest players, including steel guitarist Paul Niehaus (Lambchop, Calexico), drummer John McTigue (Raul Malo, Brazilbilly), and Tim Carroll (Elizabeth Cook, Todd Snider). An experienced bunch, they know how to scream out of the gate, such as on “Kansas Saturday Night,” or lay low on “My Hands Know The Touch." One of the album's standout tracks, "Sweet Baby" is a vividly told traditional country story song filled with pedal steel and clever lyrics delivered by Paterson's forthright vocals.
Give it a listen below.
 
Of the record, Clark says,  “I think the record has a sense of story and purpose that most current records don't,” he says. “I play guitar and focus on writing music that appeals to me and is not being done on the radio. I love old country because it’s earnest and has an edge and there is a narrative that is largely missing from modern music. I love the darkness and the fact that it’s polarizing. And I love 70s punk rock like Iggy and The Stooges, The Ramones, and The Clash. It has balls and a message and always felt honest….”

Small Square, Paul Chastain (of Velvet Crush) and John L. Richardson (of Gin Blossoms), recently released their self-titled debut album on January 15th. The eleven-song project was recorded in a one-hundred-year-old barn in rural Wisconsin, an inner city apartment in Osaka, Japan and several points in-between and is an ear-pleasing slice of pure pop. One of the highlights of the album is the sensitive and moving "After the Tears" which features Adam Ollendorff (Will Hoge, Kacey Musgraves) on lap steel. The sweeping, Beatle-esque tune focuses on hope and persevering in a relationship, rather than opting to shut down - which is often much easier to do. 




​"And take a little time before you close another door 
And tell me that you can remember what you’re fighting for 
If you take a little time and slowly try again to feel 
It won’t be long before you know this is for real" 

To listen to the track and learn more about Small Square, visit their official website and Bandcamp page.