Melissa Carper is certainly not re-inventing country music. Her music is the epitome of "old timey," except she does bring a certain modern sensibility to her songs. Her latest single, "Somewhere Between Texas and Tennessee," is a perfectly simply country/folk song. She's also an expert of adding a little bit of humor and lightheartedness to her songs without coming across as jokey or turning them into a parody. Her sound comes from a pure love of the genre. A song like "Somewhere Between Texas and Tennessee" honors the past of country music while still looking forward.
You can listen to "Somewhere Between Texas and Tennessee" below. Borned In Ya is due out July 19 on Mae Music/Thirty Tigers, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Melissa Carper, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
7/5 - Roskilde Festival - Roskilde, DK
7/6 - Huercasa Country Festival - Riaza (Segovia), ES*
7/18 - Showboat Saloon - Wisconsin Dells, WI
7/20 - 7/21 - Hiawatha Music Festival - Marquette, MI
7/25 - Globe Hall - Denver, CO
7/27 - Red Ants Pants Music Festival - White Sulphur Springs, MT
7/28 - Concerts on the Commons - Teton Village, WY
7/30 - Shrine Social Club - Boise, ID
8/1 - Fry Family Farm - Medford, OR
8/2-8/3 - Pickathon - Happy Valley, OR
8/4 - The Showdown - Portland, OR
8/6 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
8/7 - District Bar - Spokane, WA
8/8 - Lewis & Clark Brewery - Helena, MT
8/9 - Longstaff House - Missoula, MT
8/10 - The Harlo Music Project - Harlowton, MT
8/11 - Pub Station Taproom - Billings, MT
8/13 - Aggie Theatre - Fort Collins, CO
8/16 - The Heights Theater - Houston, TX%
8/17 - Longhorn Ballroom - Dallas, TX%
9/1 - Texas Ballroom - Omni Hotel - Fort Worth, TX*
9/5 - McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Houston, TX
9/6 - Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe - Galveston, TX
9/7 - The 04 Center - Austin, TX
9/11 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL
9/12 - Lamplight Sessions - Mosinee, WI
9/13 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN
9/14 - Thrasher Opera House - Green Lake, WI
9/15 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
9/17 - Rose Bowl Tavern - Urbana, IL
9/18 - The Burl - Lexington, KY
9/19-9/21 - AmericanaFest - Nashville, TN
9/22 - The White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR
9/27-9/29 - Sisters Folk Festival - Sisters, OR
10/13 - Red Dragon Listening Room - Baton Rouge, LA
Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly. You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
