Browsing Tag

Roots Rock

Shotgun Waltz filtered roots rock through a college radio rock lens in their infectiously Sink or Swim

Posted on 6 August 2024

Boston’s critically acclaimed roots rock revivalists, Shotgun Waltz, fortified their latest alt 90s indie-adjacent single, Sink or Swim, with infectious fortitude, as an invitation to shift to a rendered-with-resilience brighter perspective.

Just one hit and you will want to rip up those invitations to your pity party for one. There’s no room for remorse in the sun-bleached production which uplifts with melodically brashy college radio rock guitar chords that shift to mellow staccato rhythms in the verses, priming the listener for the bursts of euphoria in the choruses.

Shotgun Waltz may be roots reverent, yet their cultivated approach to pushing the genre forward resounds throughout Sink or Swim, which will also feature in their upcoming 10-track LP, which will arrive on the airwaves in Fall 2024.

Fronted by Jim DeTore, the fourpiece possesses a unique ability to reach directly to you as you immerse yourself in their honed synergy which belies the fact that the powerhouse has only been playing together since 2012. The symbiotic harmony between each layer in Sink or Swim pulls you into a vortex of dynamic rhythms and melodic interplays – you can practically feel each member playing intuitively to each other’s cues.

Sink or Swim was officially released on July 29 and is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Isiah & The New People led a rhythmic indie-folk-rock revolution with their debut EP, Boxes

Posted on 8 July 2024

Rooted in roots rock tradition and daring in execution, the debut EP from Isiah & The New People proves that no sonic flavour can rival pure, raw creativity. With an unadulterated emotion as the kindling which ignites through the friction of rhythmic volition, the fourpiece tore down the barricades of the soul, one visceral lick at a time with their four-track EP, Boxes.

The Little Chute, Wisconsin collective of veteran artists amalgamated a genre-fluid compendium of songs that dig deep into the trenches of the human psyche while awakening the senses of anyone who stumbles on this encapsulation of sonic liberation, which was released on the symbolic day of July 4.

The opening track, 1000 Tears, smokes out rich organic indie folk-rock textures with the sax lines while bridging the poetic expressiveness of Bob Dylan and the visceral intensity of Eddie Vedder. Isiah Driessen’s vocal versatility resounds as he navigates effortlessly between the deep, soulful timbres of Johnny Cash and the piercing clarity of James Taylor’s emotive howls.

Cherry Tree, shifts gears towards a more intimate setting, weaving Paolo Nutini-esque vulnerability into the fabric of its melody with tender acoustic guitar plucks and heartfelt vocals. The third offering, The Girl Downstairs, introduces a grittier, blues-infused sound that showcases the band’s ability to morph stylistically. The overdriven guitars and raw energy inject a robust dynamism into the EP, demonstrating their chameleonic adaptability and broad musical palette.

The EP concludes with Where’s Lake Waldo? a track that ventures into psychedelic territory with ennui-pained lyrics and expansively kaleidoscopic sonics. The tinged-with-existential-pondering is a fitting end to the EP’s narrative—questioning, exploring, and seeking.

With Boxes, Isiah & The New People articulated a philosophy of musical and personal exploration. It is the ultimate statement of artistic liberation which lays down a promising trajectory for the band which is sure to resonate with any music fans searching for an aural mode of genuine connectivity.

Isiah & The New People said:

“We put things in boxes; whether it’s people, ideas, or ourselves. However, every day we have the chance to be reborn, let things go, and take on new perspectives. I felt myself being put into a box. My pursuits in music have been about breaking out of it.”

Stream Boxes on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 24 June 2024

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

Posted on 26 May 2024

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 24^h; stream the single on Spotify.

Discover more about Amy Wineland via her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

What it means to be lost: Jamos Blood – Flesh and Back to Bone

Posted on 25 December 2022

Jamos Blood sludged up blues-rock in the standout single, Flesh and Back to Bone, from his debut EP, Blood Brothers, which delivers swampy riffs, train track rhythms and a sense of ennui that cries out to the disenfranchised by uncertain futures masses.

“Gonna walk my dog til he don’t walk no more” beautifully and sentimentally encompasses the notion that everything is fleeting in a cruel world which pulls away every anchor, eventually.

The EP was recorded with Blood’s late brother, Clayton, which puts even more context behind the titular disposition and the themes of love and loss that will wash with any Waits and Petty fans.

As someone who is no stranger to grief, it was all too easy to connect with Jamos Blood’s psyche in Flesh and Back to Bone. The sense of lost listlessness with splinters of optimism that can often feel naïve was captured with such finesse in the roots-driven rock hit it is easy to view Jamos Blood as one of the most important voices of our era.

Flesh and Back to Bone is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The country rock renegade Brandon Bing is back in the saddle in his roughneck hit, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo

Posted on 8 October 2022

Before you head to your first rodeo, learn the ropes from the Floridian traditional country rock raconteur Brandon Bing. Taken from his latest whisky-soaked album, Huckleberry, his seminal single, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo, is an enlivening invitation into the roughneck culture of rodeos.

The foot-stompin’ rhythms drive good vibes right through the upbeat hit while the folky strings bring the gravitas that Brandon Bing is renowned for in the country music scenes far beyond his own turf. Off the back of his 2021 EP, Dyin’ Breed, he received accolades from the International Singer-Songwriters Association, and he’s toured his sound across the states with appearances at Live Oak in Nashville and at the BMI Songwriters Festival in Florida.

Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo video is is now available on YouTube and you can also stream it on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Escape in the roots of Drew Peterson’s Americana folk single, Duck

Posted on 25 August 2022

With the quirky intensity of Neutral Milk Hotel and the bluegrass crooning of Tom Waits, we couldn’t help succumbing to the soul in Drew Peterson’s album, St. Jude, A Duck and the Crooked Line.

The opening single, Duck, is a narratively escapist Midwest adventure from the independent roots singer-songwriter who has been twanging acoustic strings and entertaining rowdy bars on the Minnesota scene for over two decades. The softly gruff vocals work their way through the dry humour in the lyrics over the minimalist production, consisting of little more than accordion and strings. But that is all Peterson needed to sonically consume you with the endearingly titled, Duck.

Check out Drew Peterson’s debut solo album via his official website and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Don Pedigo darkened the roots of rock n roll with his dusky track, Messenger

Posted on 5 August 2022

‘Messenger’ is the latest dusky feat of roots-deep rock n roll from the Nashville artist Don Pedigo. From an intro of surfy, swaggy, Gretschy tones, the single opens up through narrative lyrics, which follow the same revelatory path as the likes of Dylan & Tom Petty, reeling you into the depths of Pedigo’s candour and originality.

Each new verse is a testament to the solo artist’s proclivity to pour out his heart lyrically instead of dotting together the usual rock cliches, and there is just as much distinction in the dark production, which puts Messenger on the same level as Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand.

Messenger will officially release on August 5th. You can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Katie Wellenberg raised the stakes in her alt-country protest to superficial charm, ‘Gambler’

Posted on 4 August 2022

Katie Wellenberg did more than show her hand in her latest alt-country single, Gambler, which will be an instant hit with fans of the April March and Hillbilly Moon Explosion-Esque femme fatale allure.

Lyrically, Wellenberg shows us the epitome of humanity through visually striking poetry. Instrumentally, her roots-deep melodic hooks draw you further into the single, which shows how above the charade of superficial charm she is. Needless to say, we should all be at the same level as the stunningly unf*ckwithable Munich-based singer-songwriter. She well and truly came into her swampy roots rock own with Gambler; we can’t wait to hear what follows.

Gambler is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Viennese School spins a histrionic tale in his roots revivalist triumph, Dr. Irving

Posted on 24 July 2022

There is your average indie rock nostalgic peddler, and then there’s the Boston-based originator, The Viennese School, with their hauntingly archaic reinventions of American roots, folk, and gospel.

Their self-titled debut LP, featuring the standout single, Dr. Irving, tells the parallel stories of an army doctor, their brother soldier and the demise of a student found beneath a frozen river. You’re pulled into the narrative as much as the Avant Garde soundscape, featuring spacey psychedelic synthetics, old-school crooned vocals, blues rock solos and almost pornographically warm saturated analog tones.

Something is evidently in the Bostonian water if it bred The Viennese School as well as Amanda Palmer, who runs in the same histrionic direction as the artful innovator. What Ryan Murphy is to the small screen, The Viennese School evidently is to the airwaves. We’re officially obsessed.

Dr. Irving is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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