 Lindsay Lou has been making beautiful, soul-shaking music for the last decade with her band The Flatbellys, though 2018 marks what might be the biggest year for the band, both sonically and with the fact that they are dropping “& The Flatbellys” from their name, a decision that seemed like the natural next step for them. With three albums under their belts - 2010’s Lindsay Lou, A Different Tune, 2012’s Release Your Shrouds, and 2015’s Ionia - the band is set to release their latest, a transformative and heart-wrenching album titled Southland. The identity for this particular record - the beauty with which its sound slips into the ether - didn’t come by crazy random happenstance. The year leading up to its recording, 2016, was a rough year emotionally for several of the band members so - after taking a beat to really delve into the roots of it all and work on themselves - the band is re-emerging with material written during that time in a cathartic and transformative light.
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"For those of you not in the music business, a tribute album is a way of saying "thanks for the songs but please don't sing them." - Gary Floater
On May 4th, Eight 30 Records will salute elusive singer-songwriter Gary Floater with Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater. The eighteen-track collection features a veritable who's who of Lone Star state artists paying tribute to the man, the myth, and the legend via a musical journey of his classic tunes - simple, brutally honest, and laced with (oddball) humor and heart. Divided into two sides, with a short pause containing a message from Eight 30 Records co-owner Jenni Finlay, Floater kicks of with Walt Wilkins' laying it all out on “Whatever Man” then segues right into Jamie Lin Wilson and Courtney Patton relaying a dose of political perspective on “That's When the Eagle Screams," while Jason Eady rallies for a night of revelry on the bluesy “Stand Back Boys I'm Fixing to Care," and Brennen Leigh covets a good meal in “Pull Over I Wanna Eat That.” And that's just side one. Side two features additional forgotten treasures including Noel McKay expounding on the "joys" of performing on "Let's Get This Over With" and The Band of Apostles delivering the hard truths about a "Sad Mall," as Kelley Mickwee goes coastal on "Sunburn Lake," and Bonnie Whitmore welcomes a new "friend" on the jaunty "Hello Diabetes." Singular, subtle, and slightly kooky, the songs of Gary Floater speak volumes while giving us insight into the genius who influenced many. Today, TDC is pleased to premiere Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater in its entirety below. You'll smile, you'll laugh, you'll wonder where these gems have been all your life.....and you'll wanna press repeat 'til the button doesn't work.
SIDE ONE
Walt Wilkins • “Whatever Man” The Band of Heathens • “The Dirty South” Jamie Lin Wilson feat. Courtney Patton • “That's When the Eagle Screams” Matt Harlan • “Let Me Kiss You Where It Hurts” Jason Eady • “Stand Back Boys I'm Fixing to Care” Matt the Electrician feat. Little Brave and Seela • “A Hero Never Learns” Brennen Leigh • “Pull Over I Wanna Eat That” Rod Picott • “That's What I'm Gonna Do” SIDE TWO Noel McKay • “Let's Get This Over With” Kelley Mickwee • “Sunburn Lake” Chris Fullerton • “Holding On So Tight” James McMurtry • “Grandpa's Promise” The Band of Apostles feat. Jason Eady and Gordy Quist • “Sad Mall” Bonnie Whitmore • “Hello Diabetes” BettySoo • “Y'all Watch This” Guy Forsyth • “Thanks Me” The River Choir • “The River Flows” The mysterious Floater, who is often a no-show at his own gigs, will embark on his 40-city “Drink a Forty for the Fortieth” tour later this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of his unforgettable 1978 landmark album Denim on Denim, which features several songs on the new tribute. Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater will be released on May 4. Website/Facebook/Twitter/Purchase  NASHVILLE, TN (April, 6 2018 Press Release)—Stoney Creek Records announces platinum-selling Parmalee’s scorching new single “Hotdamalama” along with the band’s brand new Party Pack, a summer-ready sixer of songs launching digitally on April 20.
The Party Pack is a compilation of Parmalee’s six most rebel-rousing songs, packaged as a surefire party starter. The first track cracked out of the pack is “Hotdamalama,” which is set to impact Country radio on Monday, April 23. From there, the party takes off with a mix of some familiar tunes, like the band’s “Musta Had a Good Time” along with two new tracks that showcase the band’s signature Country-rock sound. Each song in the pack was co-written by lead singer, Matt Thomas and fully reflects the quartet’s rambunctious spirit.  (Press Release) Following the release of 2016's breakout LP, 'Blindfaller,' Mandolin Orange have rapidly grown from North Carolinian upstarts into under-sung heroes, selling out tours across the world, serenading the legendary stages of Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, Newport Folk, and the Ryman, and amassing praise from NPR Music, Paste, Vox and more. Today, they release their Spotify Singles, a surprise gift to the fans who have helped the duo earn over 75 million streams.
Listen to the exclusive, live renditions of "Echo" backed with "Amsterdam" here (session photos below): https://spoti.fi/2GXvZP7 And familiarize yourself with the band's discography through Spotify's official This is Mandolin Orange playlist: https://spoti.fi/2q4GTYC Inspired by downtown Chapel Hill's high-rise influx and its impending deforestation, 'Blindfaller' standout "Echo" is a poignant match of Mandolin Orange's socially conscious lyricism and "low-key instrumental heroics" (Vox). Their "angelic harmonies" (NPR Music) are on full-display in "Amsterdam," however, offering a rich and raw re-imagining of the Gregory Alan Isakov hit. Led by multi-instrumentalists and singers Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, Mandolin Orange fuse windswept romanticism with astute social critique. Mandolin Orange begin an expansive spring/summer tour this month, including an already sold-out Red Rocks date with the Avett Brothers in June, a headlining return to the 3000-cap North Carolina Museum of Art, and appearances at MerleFest, DelFest, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kate Wolf Music Festival, and more. Most headlining dates have sold-out already. Check their website for dates. Mandolin Orange On The Web Website  Courtesy: Green Room PR Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Brothers Osborne, Elle King, LANCO, Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, The Cadillac Three And More Will Converge At 8,000 Feet To Play The Three-Day, Multiple-Stage, Jam-Packed Gathering
Weekend Passes Go On-Sale On April 20 Nashville, TN - April 5, 2018 (Press Release) - Multi-PLATINUM entertainer Dierks Bentley and the world's leading live entertainment company Live Nation announced the inaugural SEVEN PEAKS MUSIC FESTIVAL today. Destined to be the most fresh and eclectic country festival this summer, Seven Peaks Music Festival will converge over three days with multiple stages and a campground set in front of the awe-inspiring collegiate peaks mountain range in Buena Vista, CO this Labor Day Weekend (Aug 31-Sept. 2). Bentley, who will take the stage several times over the course of the weekend, has invited friends and collaborators Miranda Lambert, Brothers Osborne, Elle King, LANCO, Del McCoury, Sam Bush and The Cadillac Three as the first announced artists to play, with more to be revealed in the coming weeks. Three-day passes for the one-of-a-kind experience will go on-sale beginning April 20 at 10am MST on sevenpeaksfestival.com.  Balsam Range is, from left, Marc Pruett, Buddy Melton, Tim Surrett, Darren Nicholson and Caleb Smith. Photo by David Simchok Arden, North Carolina (Press Release) - Balsam Range is traversing the musical landscape from their acoustic, award-winning Mountain Voodoo to that of the orchestral with their newest work, Mountain Overture, a recording that transforms the band’s most-loved songs from their first decade of recordings and features the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble. It’s an epic new branch of their music that captures not a new, but an additional direction.
With an augmented version of the Balsam Range Bluegrass sound, Mountain Overture becomes the band’s album of greatest hits, plus! 
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ellen Starski is set to release her solo debut album, The Days When Peonies Prayed for the Ants, on May 11, 2018. Written over the course of 12 years, the autobiographical collection explores Starski's homeland and herself, traveling from the coal country of rural Pennsylvania to the roots-music hotbed of Nashville, Tennessee, creating a soundtrack to a period of self-discovery.
Today TDC is excited to share "Honey I'm Not Him" a foreboding, banjo-led track which finds a determined, protective Starski issuing chilling words of caution to another to steer clear of her man. "Hey I’ve heard you've been hangin’ round my home Girl you better find another man to adore The stars shine brightly on my pistol and this whiskey sure tastes fine Time passes slowly in the middle of the night Shadows dancin’ slowly playin’ tricks with my mind I'm not sure what he told you, but honey I got some news for you"  Credit: Amelia Booth
Despite the tune's overall tone, Starski says she felt relaxed during the recording process, "While we were recording this particular track in the studio I can remember feeling very at ease. Anne McCue was truly behind the helm. There was a window in my vocal booth that looked out of the engineering room of Joe McMahan's Wow and Flutter Studio. It's there, through that window, I still see Anne dancing freely to this song as we laid down the track. Anne brought a lightness and beauty to the creation of this album filling the air with a rare serenity." Starski further relays the story behind the song, "This song was written driving around the country roads that are easily found on the outskirts of Nashville. I had the radio down low as my infant lie sleeping in her car seat... one of the rare moments in her baby years I could even imagine writing lyrics let alone a melody to a song. The lyrics were inspired by missteps and revelations I've encountered throughout my life. There were times I witnessed other women tempting men, men tempting other women, and myself standing victim on both sides. The lyrics stand on a platform that represent both of the feminine characters in the song, but ultimately side with the steadfast protector of the home. Being the Mama bear of a family will do crazy things to a lady when threatened!" The autobiographical album is filled with songs about loss, heartbreak, and family, all of them with details from Starksi’s own life. “Miss You Mary” pays tribute to her mother, who helped steer her daughter out of a dark hole as a teenager, “Ode to Nanny and Cookie” salutes Starksi’s two grandmothers, while her own daughter inspired the lovely “Daughter of the Sea." So what does Starski hope listeners take away from having heard this song and the album overall? She says, "My wishes for what listeners take away from this track are that they think twice about their decisions as they pave the road to their future. We have to stand together and try not rip apart the foundations other loves have laid so carefully. My wishes for the album in its entirety are that it becomes a solace for others. I hope listeners find comfort in knowing there's someone who empathizes with the roads they have visited and the roads they will travel." Website: www.ellenstarski.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellenstarski Twitter: https://twitter.com/starskiellen Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellenstarski  WILKESBORO, N.C. (April 3, 2018 Press Release) – Today, the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest announces the 2018 finalists that will perform at MerleFest. The final round of the competition will take place Friday, April 27; first place winners will receive $600 cash and a Friday night performance slot on the Cabin Stage. Now in its 26th year, CASC is an extraordinary opportunity for songwriters to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals, under the direction of volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. MerleFest, presented by Window World, spans from April 26-29 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, at Wilkes Community College.
The following twelve talented writers were selected from over 1021 entries and will compete Friday, April 27 on the Austin Stage:  Courtesy: September Gurl April 3, 2018 (Press Release) - Jerry Joseph will release Full Metal Burqa (Cavity Search Records) on vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive on April 21. In addition to Joseph, the 5-song album features his band, the Jackmormons, Steve Drizos on drums and Steven James Wright on bass.
In 2014, Jerry Joseph traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan to teach music in an underground, co-ed, rock school. On the streets and in the markets of the capital city, the iconic blue burqa and its diamond-shaped mesh veil, synonymous with Taliban-era Afghanistan, is still a commonplace sight. It had a lasting impression on Joseph, and inspired the title and artwork of his forthcoming new album, Full Metal Burqa. Joseph describes, Full Metal Burqa as a record of outtakes, but not in the usual use of the word. “I hate that it conjures up ‘less than’ and these are not that. With the exception of ‘Peace Lights,’ these were recorded at TRI Studios with the Jackmormons and friends with Dave Schools producing. We loved them, they just didn't fucking fit. We are very pleased they are coming out now.” The album was inspired by experiences of traveling the world, with songs written and inspired by different countries and cultures. Two were written in Kabul. “When I was in Afghanistan, writing many of the songs that ended up on By the Time Your Rocket Gets to Mars, I was trying to stay away from ‘war songs’ as God knows that's the last thing anyone in that city needs. The one ‘war song’ that made it in the record, ‘Brother Number 1,’ was about war zones I'd recently been in, other than Afghanistan. A couple of these songs were left off the record because of the subject matter or because Jackmormons’ songs tend to run a million minutes long.”  (Press Release) Fredericksburg, VA-based country/Americana singer-songwriter Karen Jonas is set to independently release her new album, Butter, on June 1, 2018. With four kids at home and a touring schedule of 150+ shows per year, Jonas has a full plate. “Whether I’m finishing up a gig atmidnight or getting pounced on by my kids at 6:30 a.m., I usually feel like my life is a circus,” she says. “So I started writing songs about my circus.” She shines a light on the triumphs and challenges of that busy life with Butter, which will be available for pre-order beginning April 2nd on Kickstarter (see her website and social media for details).
Butter was tracked at Wally Cleaver’s Recording Studio in her hometown of Fredericksburg, and Jonas would head over to the studio after putting her kids to bed. Tim Bray, her guitarist and musical partner for nearly half a decade, joined her for those nighttime recording sessions, as did a number of other musicians who laced Butter’s ten songs with pedal steel, B3 organ, upright piano, layers of guitar, and vintage-sounding, seven-piece horn arrangements. |
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