Honestly, I'm quite tired of hearing all of the complaining, "there's no good music out there" and "mainstream sucks." If you put a little effort into it and dig a little deeper, you will find real.good.music. That's the case with Mike and The Moonpies. They won't be heard on terrestrial country radio in the tri-state area, but they're a band you should definitely give a listen.

Hailing from Austin, these guys are originals who maintain a true country and roots sound through lyrics and melody. Their debut album "The Real Country" was released in 2010 and was followed by "The Hard Way" in 2012. The latter kicks off with the rockabilly "Damn Strait" followed by personal favorite, the family centered, "Sunday." The remainder of the songs deal with relationships and desire ("The Hard Way"), longing and loneliness (the timeless "Awful Lonely") and changing perspectives ("Runnin Me Down"); ending with the hopeful "Things Can Only Get Better."

Their recently released single, "Some 'Em If You Got 'Em," which chronicles the band's evolution, is from their forthcoming third record, Mockingbird, due on October 2nd. Mockingbird was produced by front man Mike Harmeier and musician Michael Kingcaid (What Made Milwaukee Famous). It features ten brand new songs all written by Harmeier that were recorded at Cedar Creek Studio in Austin by John Silva and mixed at Good Danny's in Austin by Max Lorenzen. And I, for one, can't wait to give it a listen. 
 
For more informaiton and to hear "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" visit their official website.
Find them on ReverbNation.

One of the albums that was released in June and not might have been on your radar (we can fix that right now), is Cory Morrow's The Good Fight, his eighth studio album and first since 2010. Co-produced with Lloyd Maines, the album and its fifteen well-written tracks seem to tell a story as you listen from the first track to the last. 

Starting off with "Winning Hand" (and its Peanuts-esque introduction) the stories weave from meeting someone special, to having her break down the walls he had previously put in place (one of my top songs of 2015, "Breaking Me Out") to planning a life together ("Old With You" and "All I Need Is You"). In between are songs, from ballads to gospel tinged to country, that reflect on getting older, and how that doesn't mean you have to slow down ("Old Soul" and "Dreams"), as well as songs that focus on life ("Hiding Anything" and "In & Out of Light") and love ("Love Hates"). Morrow, a father of four boys, also includes fatherhood in the journey on "Little Man" and "Running After You," which also has spiritual connotations.

Honestly, I have played The Good Fight, which is a great combination of tempo, lyrics and voice, almost every day since I picked it up. It is definitely an album you should give a listen. 

I had not been aware of Jeff Crosby and the Refugees until last August when I saw them perform at the Braun Brothers Reunion Festival in Idaho. I gave them a listen prior to going and was even more won over when I saw them in Challis. 

Americana, Rock and Roll, Country, Singer-Songwriter....however you describe it, it's honest music, story songs that Crosby's voice, smoky, gritty and genuine, molds into something substantial.

Two of their songs, "Oh Love, Oh Lord" and "This Old Town," from their first official release, Silent Conversations, were featured on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. In 2014, the band released their first full-length LP, All Nighter, which deals with love, loss, and life. 

Additionally, Crosby has been doing a monthly "Covers Series" where on the first of each month he releases his take on a song including, "Fade Into You" and "Let It Down." Listen to his latest cover, "The Cape," below.

For more information visit his official website
Purchase music here

Earlier this month, Dalton Domino released his first full length record, 1806. Maybe you know about it already, but I'm here to encourage you, dear reader, to most definitely give it a listen if you haven't. 

The album contains eleven story songs where melody and instrumentation (helloooo harmonica and horns!!) play just as an important part as lyrics and delivery to set the overall tone of the songs. Book ended by the moody, horn tinged "Howl" and the mixed emotions of a break up on "7 Years," in between you'll find songs heartfelt and honest, like the fiddle friendly "Jesus and Handbags" and "Find Us Alone." Domino's versatile voice can be warm and sincere ("All That Matters" and "William's Song"), gritty ("Killing Floor" and "Dallas") and downright playful ("Fall in Love").

It's a great initial offering that much like fellow artist William Clark Green first's album years back, shows a bright future.

For more information and to purchase 1806, visit here.

Cody Jinks is the former front man of Unchecked Aggression, a Fort Worth metal band in which he sang and played lead guitar. After that group disbanded Jinks turned to country music [~2005] and has stayed there ever since. Metal's loss is country's gain; without a doubt, Cody Jinks is definitely someone to keep your ears open for.

His fourth album, Adobe Sessions, was released in January 2015. Filled with twelve songs that bring a true old school country feel, Adobe Sessions' stories are sung honestly, in a voice that you can't not listen to; it pulls you in and keeps you there--listening, thinking and feeling the music. 

Adobe Sessions is a good a place to start as any. Give it a listen, pick it up and then add the rest of his catalog to yours (I did).

Watch him perform on "Cast No Stones" on The Texas Music Scene

For more information and to purchase Adobe Sessions, visit here

Social media and the interwebs are great ways to discover new music. One of the artists whose music I became aware of from Twitter (and have come to really enjoy) is Shawn Nelson. On February 24th, Nelson released his sixth album, The Devil's River. It is a record that is most definitely worth your time and money.

Nelson has previously released five independent albums with various band mates: two under Shawn Nelson, one with Shawn Nelson & The Good Buds and two with Shawn Nelson & The Ramblers. His sixth release, The Devil's River, is being called "a throw-back country album dipped in some Americana sauce."

Nelson wrote all of the songs on the record except “Diamonds Don’t Shine In The Dark” and the title track. “Diamonds” was written with Shawn’s long time mandolin player Fletcher Murchinson. “The Devils River” was written with Will Dupuy (South Austin Jug Band). 

From his website: Austin's finest musicians helped Shawn breathe life into these songs. Fellow Good Bud drummer and producer, Patrick Herzfeld, engineered and mixed the record at his new studio outside of Austin, Signal Hill, and also played drums and piano on the record. Long-time Austin guitar hero, Wayne Sutton of Sister 7 added his licks and riffs and Will Dupuy of The South Austin Jug Band popped in to add vocal harmonies and upright bass on a few numbers. The bluesy-two-stepper “Tighten Up” and the bluegrass fueled “My Old Time Gal” feature fiddler Noah Jeffries of Milkdrive.

You can listen to the album on his website
Purchase the album here

There really is an incredible amount of music out there that needs to meet more people's ears. This year, once every month, the site will feature an artist or band who I think merits your listening time. First up is singer songwriter Elijah Ocean. 

Before this week, I had never heard of Ocean, but when he opened for American Aquarium in NYC this past Wednesday his music made my ears pay attention and my heart happy. Originally from the Hudson Valley, Ocean makes modern folk/country music that is rooted in "the styles of artists like Gram Parsons and The Band." His career as a solo artist began in 2009 with the release of his debut, The Wind or the Wine. He then moved to NYC where he established himself as a unique musical talent with the release of Tumble & Fall in 2012. He recorded two sessions for Daytrotter while playing to packed houses from NYC to LA. In October 2014, he released his latest album, Bring It All In. The record has eight thoughtful tunes with hefty doses of harmonica, piano, fiddle and pedal steel all sung by an honest, warm voice. Listen to one of my favorite tracks below and visit his  official website for more information.