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country

Gregory Lee Pickard’s ‘Home’ is a reverent nod to roots and rebellion

Gregory Lee Pickard

In his seminal, soon-to-be-released, solo single, ‘Home‘, the illustriously revered Gregory Lee Pickard, whose career has spanned three decades and spawned countless accolades, distilled a soundscape with the culmination of his extensive experience and his ability to conjure more than sound through his panoramic vignettes.

The single melds country rock rhythms with gruff vocals, which will undoubtedly appeal strongly to fans of Dogs D’amour and The Quireboys. This cultivated ode to the concept of “home”—whatever that may signify for the listener—allows Pickard’s authenticity to shine iridescently.

The country twangs within the proto-punk-esque production allows Gregory Lee Pickard to soar above the mediocrity of artists who debase their discographies with assimilation; this is authenticity at its core. Just one hit of the single will leave you desperate to explore the treasure chest of rough-cut gems which throwback to the 70s NYC punk scene but firmly roots itself in contemporary resonance.

Gregory Lee Pickard, a storied songwriter, singer, and performer continues to lead and shape the sound of his current band, Not Las Vegas, while his foundational work with The Revelons has seen him headline venues from CBGB to the Bowery Ballroom. His broad discography spans influential releases and collaborations that touch everything from indie films to major motion pictures, cementing his place in the annals of music history.

For those who cherish musical integrity and the resonant tales of life’s wanderings, ‘Home’ by Gregory Lee Pickard offers more than just a listening experience—it invites a profound connection to the very essence of personal and musical exploration.

For more information about Gregory Lee Pickard, head to his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Poetic Journey of Todd Hearon: An Intimate A&R Factory Interview

In this exclusive interview, we explore Todd Hearon’s latest poetically virtuosic ventures, highlighting his departure from traditional roots towards a distinctive sound with his single, “Looking Glass.” Under the influence of the esteemed producer Don Dixon, a key figure in shaping early REM’s sound, Hearon has reached his creative zenith. This interview sheds light on his upcoming album “Impossible Man,” where Hearon’s rich heritage and Dixon’s innovative production converge to forge a path that promises to redefine his musical trajectory.

Todd Hearon, welcome to A&R Factory!  We couldn’t get enough of your last single, “Looking Glass.”  We don’t want to ruin the magic of the release too much, but could you give us an inside view of how the sublime single pulled together?  What inspired it? 

There’s so much self-absorption in our world.  And with it, mental illness, loneliness, depression.  I see it in the young people I work with, and I think a lot about that connection—the one between Narcissus and his sadness.  Whether the “looking glass” is a reflection pool, a make-up mirror or an iPhone screen, sometimes you just want to get the person out of him- or herself to engage with the greater, wider world and the beautiful, vibrant other people in it.

Your new album, Impossible Man, is due for release on August 16th; what can we expect from the LP?

Eleven tracks of homegrown, hard-driving original Americana with a rootsy/retro/rock feel that takes quite a different direction from my earlier two albums.

What inspired you to move away from the sound exhibited on your debut and sophomore albums? 

The songs on Impossible Man, with exception of the title track, were all written before the songs on Border Radio and Yodelady, when I was definitely and self-consciously crafting a more classic country/alt-country/Americana and folk sound.  The new songs—which are actually the oldest songs—were among the first that I wrote after coming back to songwriting in 2016 after a twenty-five-year hiatus writing poetry.  A lot had been stored up in that time, and I think the songs harkened back to my experience in the ’nineties playing in an alternative rock band. I find the return to that type of music invigorating, and I plan to take it even farther on my next album.

If you could name one core element of the Todd Hearon sound, what would it be?

“Poetry-in-song.”  I’m a poet as well as a songwriter, and I’m always looking for ways to optimize the two, having them work in tandem, the one contributing fluently and flowing into the other.  It’s not the same as putting poems to music—poems are poems and have to work on their own; and it’s easy enough to write lyrics that satisfy the song’s superficial demands but have no substance.  I’m trying to bring all the skills I learned from those years of writing poetry to the crafting of song lyrics, to make them durable while also workable, singable and immediately accessible.  The challenge is seeing what lyrics the song itself wants, in its melodies, chord changes, inflections and moods, and then finding the words that are just right for it.

How has being born in Texas, raised in North Carolina and currently residing in New Hampshire shaped your sound? 

If you’re a songwriter from Texas, you’re going to be laboring under and within a very formidable shadow—which is also inspiring, as a night sky in Texas is inspiring, but can be artistically crippling.  Texas is the home of some of the best songwriters this country has produced:  Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, just to name one short beeline of influence on me.  There are myriads more.  I had to leave Texas for a long time in order to appreciate my inheritance, and then begin to assimilate what I wanted to absorb from it.  To be there, immersed in it, was much too stifling, claustrophobic.  I couldn’t find a direct line to what I wanted my own voice and my own contribution to be.  North Carolina—and the greater South in general—helped me to discover other roots which turned out to be just as fructifying.  The deep-running river and song-ways of traditional folk music were wonderfully inspirational to me, and they helped me to discover the kind of sound, musically, that I wanted to make.  That sound is all over my first album, Border Radio.  New England, where I’ve lived now for more than half my life, provided an unexpected (to me) richness of local and regional music; New Hampshire in particular, and our little corner of the Atlantic seacoast, is abundantly thriving with artistic talent—so many musicians and poets all making their own sounds, which have combined into a community of artists supporting each other, playing gigs together, playing on each other’s albums.  I couldn’t ask for a more generous—and more talented—group of friends.  You’ll hear lots of them on my first two albums!

What did the legendary Don Dixon of early REM fame bring to the new album? 

Preeminently, Don brought a vision for the songs.  He said to me on the first day of our work together, “We’re making a rock album.”  I’d been listening to his sound for all of my adult life—those early REM albums, bands like Guadalcanal Diary—and so I instinctively trusted him.  Besides that, he brought the abundance of experience, instinct and wisdom that he’s known for.  When I listen back to the demos I originally sent him—just me singing with an acoustic guitar—the magnitude of his presence is driven home hard.  He made the Sistine Chapel out of a shotgun shack.

What was it like to record in the Fidelitorium Studio alongside top Nashville talent? 

It was a dream inside of a dream, from which I don’t think I’ll ever awake.

When I saw the list of musicians Don was assembling for the session—Peter Holsapple, Rob Ladd, Sam Wilson—and heard that we were heading to Mitch Easter’s equally legendary studio in North Carolina, I had trouble scraping my jaw up off the ground.  Then I had time to panic.  But they, magnanimous souls that they all are, immediately set me at ease.  I was amazed at their generosity and commitment to these songs—and to the unknown me.

How much of a role do your fans play in your music career? 

As an independent artist, I feel like I have a very small pocket of people whom I aim to please.  And they seem tolerant—supportive even—of my whims, experiments and idiosyncrasies.  It’s important to have even a small listening base; actually, I prefer it to the other thing.  I like knowing the faces and tastes, personalities and stories of the folks I make music for.  It makes their approbation more genuine and substantial.

How does your upcoming album fit into your career ambitions?

Impossible Man completes the trilogy of albums that, with Border Radio and Yodelady, I had hoped to release into the world.  Their songs are a selection of the 150+ numbers that have poured forth after “Myrtle,” the 1950 Gibson J-50 acoustic guitar—a slope-shouldered songwriting machine—came into my keeping in 2016.  Sure, there are some—lots—that didn’t make the cut, songs that I’d intended someday to record.  But this, what’s now done, is what I’d intended and hoped to do.  I’m going to do my best to promote it, and I hope it reaches the audience it deserves.  Thank you, A&R Factory, for helping it as it takes its first steps into the world.

Stream Todd Hearon’s single, Looking Glass, on Spotify now; follow the artist on Facebook to keep up to date with new album news, and head to his official website for more info.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Photo by Nate Hastings

Brandon Bing took his inimitable sound down a dark country-rock road with Burnt Out at Both Ends

With one of his most sombrely affecting singles to date, Burnt Out at Both Ends, the peerlessly roots-reverent troubadour Brandon Bing took his sound down a dark country-rock road to explore a relatable dichotomy of desire.

Bing found a poignantly powerful way to attest to how impossible it is to have it all, especially when chasing dreams at the cost of connection. While never letting the single fall into a ravine of self-pity, Bing bared his burnt-out soul in a way that will sting your own. The underpinning theme of never feeling quite enough while failing to make yourself whole and the ones you love content resounds throughout the flawlessly executed country-rock anthem.

The touches of reverb on the opening guitar lines as they reverberate around the motifs of violin strings instantaneously set a melancholic mood. Yet, Bing ensures the following bolstered with passion high-octane riffs raise the energy beneath his evocatively expressive vocals that expose the raw nerves which inspired this tour de force of a triumph. His intuitive relationship with his guitar is enough to put him up there with Brad Paisley, Chet Atkins, and Vince Gill as one of the country-rock guitar greats. As for his voice, just try keeping a dry eye while being consumed by the Whiskey-soaked timbres.

Burnt Out at Both Ends was officially released on June 21; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Roots and Rock Collide in Ashley Wineland’s Explosive Anthem Crank It Up

Ashley Wineland

Country rock firebrand Ashley Wineland blazed like a red-hot roots-reverent inferno in her latest single, Crank It Up.

The rhythmically compulsive tour de force is enough to strip you of every atom of inhibition from the moment you hit play. It is nothing short of a feat of alchemy that the swampy serpentine bluegrass guitars kept hold of their authenticity within the high-octane anthem which demands to be heard loud – Wineland didn’t even need to ask.

Produced by the award-winning songwriter and producer, Marti Frederiksen, who has become an integral part of the legacies of Carrie Underwood, Ozzy Osbourne, Buck Cherry, Aerosmith, Sheryl Crow, and Eminem for his songwriting and production credits, Crank It Up is an indomitable earworm which will ensure that Wineland’s career is equally revered as the aforementioned artists.

The prodigal daughter of Arizona has Country running through her veins; allowing everything she turns her undeniable talent to become an authentically exhilarant impact on the senses. Her voice deserves to be regarded as an elemental force of nature in its own right. If it wasn’t so pure with soul, it would be unholy.

If you get a chance to see her on tour, don’t even think twice about buying tickets.

Crank It Up was officially released on May 24h; stream the single on Spotify.

Discover more about Amy Wineland via her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The sands of time slip away in Jeff Batson’s transmission of Americana-tinged college radio rock, End of the Grains

The feel-good fervour in Jeff Batson’s latest single, End of the Grains, allows you to imagine a parallel universe where Slash turns his iconic riffs to quintessentially uplifting college radio rock which effervesces with full-bodied and finessed to the nth-degree twangs of Americana.

The sentimentality within this sticky-sweet reminder of our mortality rings with immense sincerity, allowing the warmth-infused waves to crash over you as you catch the Nashville-based star’s indomitable lust for life. If you take each one of the mantras rhythmically laid out in the uplifting anthem, your life will start to feel like a utopia before the outro comes around and compels you to dive back into the melodically enriching tour de force.

Virtuoso may be a word that gets banded around a little too readily in the music industry, but Jeff Batson is a rare artist who warrants it with his mettle, which led to a Grammy nomination for writing the chart-topping single, The Rock, for fellow country star, Tracy Lawrence.

Batson’s career has been an endless series of triumphs, from sharing stages with Hank Williams Jr, Tracy Byrd, and Collin Raye to performing on TNN’s Prime Time Country show. With a presence that could light up any room, he deserves to be championed to the end of the earth.

Stream End of the Grains on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brian Berggoetz gave hopeless romantics hope in his pop-rock serenade, More Than You’ll Ever Know

Sweet enough to give hopeless romantics hope, the standout single, More Than You’ll Ever Know, from singer-songwriter Brian Berggoetz is a melodious ode to a true love that can be alluded to in words but never fully captured.

Springsteen may have been born to run, but Berggoetz was born to bring warmth and depth to the pop-rock scene; More Than You’ll Ever Know is the ultimate attestation to his legacy. With vocals that caress as tenderly as the simple yet profoundly affecting instrumental arrangement, the single unravels as the dreamiest earworm you’ll hear this year.

With the stunning serenade, Brian Berggoetz emanated the aura that resounds through the soul in inexplicable throws of unflinching affection and passion. Lock into the blissful-bordering-on-arcane melodies, and tune into the affirmation that Berggoetz is a superlatively eloquent conduit of soul.

Between the folk strings, the twang of alt-country, the rugged roots of rock and the hallmarks of singer-songwriter pop lies a synergy which has become synonymous with the Tuscon, Arizona-hailing artist who finds influence in a diverse confluence of styles and genres.

More Than You’ll Ever Know is available to stream on Spotify with the latest LP from Brian Berggoetz, Magical Times.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Little Jane and the Pistol Whips – Montana Can’t You See: A Heartfelt Homage to Americana

Little Jane and the Pistol Whips‘ single, ‘Montana Can’t You See’, from their 2023 LP ‘Long Road Ahead’, is a vibrant tribute to the heart and soul of Americana. The aural entryway into the nostalgic realm of Honkytonk is wrapped in the beauty of Montana’s landscapes.

The panoramic vignette of Montana’s magnetic trappings envelops you from the first verse as the upbeat country folk arrangement, including folk strings, ensures that a flood of feel-good momentum courses through the sepia-tinged ravines of the single that, despite the polished production, could have been released in any era.

Ashly ‘Little Jane’ Holland’s dynamic voice is the centrepiece of this musical masterpiece. Her ability to infuse serotonin into the souls of her listeners is unparalleled, bringing a sunny disposition that’s infectious. Her vocal style, reminiscent of legends like Loretta Lynn, adds a vintage country feel to the song, yet across her expansive discography, her range allows her to traverse from haunting ballads to up-tempo cowgirl romps with ease.

No true Americana fan would be able to resist the temptation of the rest of her repertoire after hearing Montana Can’t You See.

Montana Can’t You See is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brian Berggoetz pulled the strings of the soul with his amorous Americana serenade, I Know I Love You

Brian Berggoetz

The Tuscan-hailing poet of the heartstrings, Brian Berggoetz, prepared his most affectingly tender love song to date for his Valentine’s Day release, I Know I Love You.

With hints of Springsteen within the cultivated charm of the folk-infused Americana release, I Know I Love You, which sees the serenader’s vocals coalescing with the duality conjured through female harmonies, is a timelessly captivating love song, which alludes to how Cupid’s arrows cut deep, especially when they bring insecurities and a sense of imperfection to the surface.

The musical arrangement is a masterclass in subtlety and crescendo. The folky strings rise and fall like the tides of emotion, each note becomes a heartbeat in the song’s narrative. The guitar strings ring with an assurance that draws listeners into the very core of this country folk serenade. It’s as if each strum is a call to explore the depths of our own hearts.

Berggoetz’s voice is the guiding light in this exploration of fallible, beautiful romanticism. His vocal delivery, imbued with a sense of both wisdom and wonder, captures the essence of a soul laid bare. I Know I Love You is a musical journey that promises to leave listeners both moved and inspired, eagerly anticipating the future chapters in Berggoetz’s evolving musical saga.

I Know I Love You will debut on Valentine’s Day; stream the single on Spotify.

Get better acquainted with Brian Berggoetz via his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ayla Schofield put a serenade in motion in her country pop release, In Your Car

Tracy Chapman meets Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan in Ayla Schofield’s latest country-pop anthem of affection, In Your Car. If you want to take a scenic drive through the countryside of emotions, hit play. Released just in time for Valentine’s Day, In Your Car is a testament to Schofield’s growing artistry and her ability to blend the soul of folksy country with the heartbeat of contemporary pop.

Schofield, a former contestant on The Voice of Germany, has been carving out her niche in the music world and made an ever-lasting imprint. Her collaboration with Oliver Anthony has already captivated over 1.3 million viewers, a clear sign of her rising star status, ahead of the unveiling of her upcoming debut EP, Little Big Journey, produced by the Grammy-nominated Michael Hanson.

The track opens with a gentle strumming that sets the stage for Schofield’s tenderly powerful Alison Krauss-reminiscent vocals which carry purity and resonance by the smorgasbord. The fiddle, an extension of her expression, weaves through the song, adding layers of depth and emotion against the honkytonk keys.

Lyrically, ‘In Your Car’ explores the intimacy of shared moments, the kind of silent understanding that speaks volumes. Schofield’s songwriting prowess shines as she captures the essence of love’s quiet, unspoken bonds. The chorus is a crescendo of emotion, a harmonious blend that feels like a divine intervention.

In Your Car was officially released on February 2nd; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cat Rian conjured smoky Americana alchemy in her latest single, Read the Room

Cat Rian cast an arcanely bluesy spell in her latest synthesis of country, soul, pop, and feminine firepower, Read the Room. The Las Vegas singer-songwriter delivered a fatal shot to the kinds of protagonists who only get anywhere in life through manipulation. The demure, smoky refrain of “read the room, it’s the least you can do” is an olive branch of catharsis to anyone who has ever felt the frustration of dealing with someone with no boundaries or self-awareness to compel them to step away after the damage is done.

The flawless command of her sultry vocal lines atop the organic luxe grooves allows you to slip into an alchemic sonic experience; one which evokes a sense of emboldened empowerment. Read the Room is right on brand for Cat Rian. Who, along with fronting resident bands at notorious landmarks on the Las Vegas strip, has also teamed up with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, donated proceeds from her song, You are Strong, and headlined the Anti-Bullying School Tour.

As she continues to stake her claim in the industry, she’s determined to bring others to a position of power. She’s an icon in every conceivable way.

Read the Room will be able to stream on all major platforms from February 2nd. Stream it on here first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast