Americana artist Jason Erie was born and raised in New Jersey singing folk songs as his father played guitar in their basement. After his parents’ divorce, while watching his mother struggle with addiction and his father cope with depression, he began writing songs. 

His teen years were molded by the two-bedroom apartment that he shared with his mother. After getting sober, she turned their home into a halfway house, helping others in recovery. The tragic nature of addiction and sobriety was inescapable. Jason started using music as a daily coping mechanism, writing about the people he grew to love but lost.

After spending five years fronting New-York-based rock band "Waking Up East," Erie decided to take a break from music altogether. Now, the Nashville-based Erie has reignited his love for songwriting and performing. His new album, The Art of Letting Go, paints a beautifully dark picture of suburban America in decay with songs composed in a marriage of structure and chaos, he mixes Americana storytelling with a punk-rock attitude. 

Today, TDC is pleased to premiere the gut-wrenching video for "Some Kind of Way," a roots rocker that nods to the greats, a la Petty and Mellencamp, with its well-crafted tale of two lovers through happiness and devastation.

Enjoy, and share, the video below then read on as Erie answers his Essential 8 where he talks songwriting, the story behind The Art of Letting Go, David Ramirez, and more!
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​Is there a story behind your album’s title?
​The record really is about addiction, love, loss, and letting go. Whether it be of the past, someone else’s, or down to your own ego. I believe it takes time to develop the ability to “let go.” It truly is an art, hence the name.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I get inspiration mostly from the small things in life, like pumping gas or seeing bloated roadkill at the side of the road—but it’s people that really fascinate me. I find that the most seemingly ordinary people are usually the most pent up. I don’t know why we, as humans, judge one another on how well kept we appear to be because for the most part it’s bullshit. I like to poke the bear in my songs and find out what the characters are hiding behind the façade. 

Bourbon Therapy is an indie rock/Americana band fronted by the husband and wife duo of Aaron and Rebecca Skiles.  By mixing big guitars with piano, strings and an occasional harmonica, their sound ranges from heavy-riff-laden songs to expressive ballads, providing a dynamic range of anthemic tunes.

Their latest single and video, “Peace That You Deserve” will release on 11/09/2018.  The song explores the struggles of a Veteran returning home from war and trying to get back into the daily rhythm of life with his family.  This haunting, beautiful song features the graceful vocals of Rebecca Skiles and includes an intense musical, vocal crescendo that articulates the darkness and challenges that some of our Veterans face.

As a Veteran himself, (West Point grad and served in the Army from 1996-2001), Aaron Skiles has friends who have served in war and been affected by PTSD.  Skiles had wanted to write a song about their plight for a while, but was having trouble coming up with the lyrics for this heavy topic.  “Then one day Rebecca and I heard an interview on NPR with a soldier who had been struggling to return to his ‘normal’ life back in the US after having been at war,” he explained. “He described his depression, suicidal thoughts, relations to friends and fear of crowds.  Everything he was struggling with.  As soon as I was home I picked up my guitar and almost instantly came up with the musical portion of the song.  As I played it, the lyrics ‘I hope you finally find the peace that you deserve’ came to me and I knew I’d found the elusive chorus I’d been chasing.” 

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Roy Schneider, alongside musical partner Kim Mayfield, will release their new project, Reckless Saints, on November 2. The 11-track album features songs by both Schneider and Mayfield, as well as a cover of Blaze Foley’s “Election Day,” which TDC is pleased to premiere today.

Led by a bluesy-folk vibe and smooth harmonies, the duo's rendition of the timely tune features Blaze’s close friend, Gurf Morlix, on guitar and vocals. Morlix says of the duo's sound, “Their ‘Blue Twangled Folk ‘n’ Roll’ sound rides like a V8, firing on all cylinders."

Roy and Kim note, “We always like to include one cover song by an artist we love when making a CD, and in this case it was Blaze Foley. Could have been any one of his great songs, but with the midterms approaching, ‘Election Day’ seemed like a fun choice — and a subtle way to remind people to vote."

Enjoy, and share, the song above. For more information:
www.RecklessSaints.com  
www.facebook.com/RecklessSaintsMusic
www.twitter.com/2RecklessSaints

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- October 26, 2018 -- Today, Texas singer-songwriter Jamie Lin Wilson is excited to release her sophomore album, Jumping Over Rocks. No one covers the spectrum of age and experience quite like Jamie Lin Wilson: the singer-songwriter’s second full-length album Jumping Over Rocks comprises songs that paint moving portraits of men, women, and children coping, striving, wondering, and celebrating. 

The songs on Jumping Over Rocks encompass universal themes but remain specific and personal, too. Wilson wrote from the outside looking in, studying characters around her and picking up on details most people miss. The album gets its title from “Death and Life,” an epic that took her four years to write. A widow mourning her husband and not quite ready to let go; a son who copes with his father’s death by working with his hands, hammers, nails, and 2x4s; kids hopping over rocks in a graveyard, inadvertently learning about the circle of things.

“Oklahoma Stars,” which Wilson wrote with Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker, pays tribute to those long nights that run together, unremarkably, but in hindsight come together to build a relationship, land, or life. "Instant Coffee Blues," originally written by Guy Clark and featuring Jack Ingram as a duet partner, is the sole cover on the record. It's followed by Wilson's own song, "Run," which explores an area Clark mastered, with a stirring debate over how long is too long for a woman to stay.  

Wilson recorded Jumping Over Rocks during four days at Arlyn Studios in Austin. A fierce cast of musicians joined her, including Charlie Sexton on guitar, and together, Wilson and the players cut every track live. The result is a rich collection of story songs delivered over rootsy strings, moody keys, crying steel, and sparse percussion, carried by Wilson’s soprano that can convey tears or laughter with equal ease.

Wilson will hit the road again this fall, sharing her keen observations on the simple pieces of life that are often magnificent in their own way.

"...it seems a matter of time before I Draw Slow will dominate the global folk scene." - Peter McGuire, Huffington Post UK

Dublin, Ireland’s I Draw Slow has already won the adoration of fans in their home country and North America by combining American folk and Irish storytelling traditions with close-harmony vocals, intriguing instrumentation and compelling subject matter. And on their debut with Compass Records, Turn Your Face to the Sun, released last spring, the band adds even more depth to their sound and songwriting, capturing I Draw Slow at their best.



Already, they have established themselves as festival standouts, appearing at MerleFest, Pickathon, Wintergrass, RockyGrass, Grey Fox, Red Wing, Edmonton Folk Fest and High Sierra Music Festival to name a few. They’ve also appeared on many radio shows, including the syndicated “Mountain Stage.”

This week, they bring their live show to NYC's Rockwood Music Hall. It's our pick for Show of the Week plus we're giving away a pair of tickets to the show so you can experience I Draw Slow live and in person in the city! RT the link on Twitter or comment below to be entered to win! The winner will be announced 10/31.

I Draw Slow in New York:
7 p.m.
Thursday, November 1
Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St.
Stage 2
Tickets: $20 http://www.ticketfly.com/event/1764027

Acclaimed Nashville singer/songwriter Mary Bragg released today the first single off her forthcoming album which is due out in early 2019. Titled "I Thought You Were Somebody Else," the new single finds the "Americana Queen" (Noisey) examining the ways we disguise ourselves and deceive each other in life and in love.
 
Listen to "I Thought You Were Somebody Else" HERE.
 
"Having the rug pulled out from under you is never a good feeling," Bragg told The Boot who unveiled the first look at the single yesterday. "I don't think people intentially disguise the real versions of themselves, but slowly, we construct these narratives about who a person is, and what your relationship is. For this tune, my co-writer Bill DeMain and I wanted to capture the devastating shock of getting it wrong."

REVEREND HORTON HEAT have released another barnstormer with the new single “Hog Tyin’ Woman,” from the upcoming collection Whole New Life, available worldwide November 30, 2018. On December 7, fans of the NBC thriller Midnight, Texas can tune in to see REVEREND HORTON HEAT perform “Hog Tyin’ Woman” on the hit show.
 
“Hog Tyin’ Woman” Now Playing @ Guitar World.
 
“I love her so much she’s got a rope around me,” admits crooner Jim ‘Reverend’ Heath. That wryly fits the theme of REVEREND HORTON HEAT’s twangy chord strumming and doo-wop drumming of ‘Hog Tyin’ Woman.’ Heath bucks up and confronts his love of the road and the love of his woman, adding “Even though this tune is a crazy little romp seemingly about bondage, it’s really just an ‘I’m true to you’ love song. It has that fun, yet psychotic vocal uttering, and a bluesy yet desperate guitar.”
 
This weekend the band closes their six night “Revidency” at Austin’s famed Continental Club, and the Texan titans officially kick off their first leg behind Whole New Life on November 27 in Omaha, NE before wrapping up the year in Birmingham, AL on December 22. As more riotous shows are booked for 2019, Heath quips, “I’m afraid I’m on the Willie Nelson retirement program, which means I’ll never retire.”
 
All REVEREND HORTON HEAT Tour Dates

Today, Snow Patrol release “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get? (Mike Crossey Mix)” (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, The 1975). The song opens up the sparse beauty of the original into a stunning track with lush orchestration, in line with Snow Patrol's biggest singles. Listen to “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get? (Mike Crossey Mix)” here.

Snow Patrol, currently on a stadium tour of the US with Ed Sheeran, will return to The Late Late Show With James Corden On November 5th to perform the album version of “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?”. In November the band will be performing 'What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?' on Jonathan Ross’ Saturday Night ITV show with further TV performances including Michael McIntyre’s BBC1 show.

Snow Patrol are currently supporting Ed Sheeran on his stadium tour of North America. Previously, Snow Patrol announced fourteen dates on their extensive headlining European tour, with stops in cities including Berlin, Munich, Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon. The band have also confirmed headlining dates in the UK and Ireland where the band will perform in Dublin, London, and Belfast (full dates below). Tickets for all these dates are on sale now and available here. Additionally, Snow Patrol will appear for an intimate in-store performance at Houston’s Cactus Records on Friday, November 2, 2018 at 5:30 PM CDT. The event is free and open to all ages, and more information is available here.