Category Archives: New in 2024

From the Soul: This Playlist is Fire!

Winter chill got you down? Our freshly-updated From the Soul playlist has the fire to keep us warm!

Vibrant textures, passionate vocals, and dynamic soundscapes are the order of the month here. We’ve added a bunch of new selections — including some from legends and Grammy nominees — that have come our way through various means, and we think you’re sure to find something that moves you as soon as you hit “Play.” Don’t let us keep you any longer!

Track listing:
Charles Wigg Walker – This Love is Gonna Last
Laura Nanou – I Try
Nadia Turner – Missing You (Live)
Nashmia – Butterfly
Cymande ft. Celeste – Only One Way
Otis Zheng – Wake Up
Yola – Symphony
Casey Russell – Patience
Cliff Beach – The Work
Mobley – Y’r Ghost
The Wood – Let it Loose
Beth White – Pretty Baby
Kelly Finnigan – Count Me Out
Luke Jenison – Heartbreaker
Watermelon Funk – AFRODESIAC
Fox Jackson – Like That
Shawney Rainne – Cry Me A River
mister pablo – Enough
Miranda Powell ft. Ryan Prewett – HIGH SCHOOL
MADNIK – These are the days

Rock On: Holiday Tunes and Winter Moods

There’s a certain moodiness to some of the tunes on this month’s edition of Rock On! befitting the time of year. The weather has turned colder, the sun’s light has dimmed, and it’s a perfect time to go inward and reflect. There are quite a few songs here that will give you that opportunity, bookended by holiday cheer.

Of course, there are plenty of high-powered moments, as well. It wouldn’t be the Rock On! playlist if you couldn’t turn it up to 11.

Track listing:
The Mad Sugars – Christmas Wrapping
The Manic Boys and Girls Club – Blacked Out
Glamper – Back Chewer
Josh Gilligan – Anything
Aaron English ft. Francy Planet – Canada
Evan Kreutz – Dandelion
All Poets & Heroes – Dime A Dozen
Harley Olivia ft. Emily Bones – You’re Not Ready
Tell My Sons – Shot In The Dark
Fortunate Losers – Taste
Lips Speak Louder – Dog Days of Summer
Feral Minks – My Escapade
General Mojos ft. Marshall Law Band – change will come
floater. – Half-Life
Doc. Henry – Babyface
KJ Wild – Red Hot Magazine Girl
ROM COM ft. Eliza Harrison Smith – Call You Mine
westwell – Don’t Forget To Leave the Light On
Brother People ft. Bradley Rodermond – It’s a Brand New Day
Shattervox – Home for Christmas

All Poets and Heroes: Using Authenticity to Win the ‘Battle’

Alt-rockers All Poets & Heroes outlasted stiff competition to be crowned Nashville’s Battle of the Bands winners. The competition — hosted by our good friend ARREIS and Chicago-based music platform Local Nation — helped some of Nashville’s top emerging artists showcase their talent, while building a stronger community among the independent music industry.

Today, we chat with All Poets & Heroes about the win, their journey as a band, and what we can expect going forward.

This episode of The Quinn Spinn was recorded and produced at Helping Our Music Evolve, Nashville, TN.

Opening theme: REVEL 9 – All I’ve Become

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Beats & Verses: December 2024

We’ve followed the trail to new music discovery, and we’ve once again found a bounty.

One project we’re excited about is Heru Heru‘s new album, Heruglyphics, which dropped in mid-November. The Nashville-based trio is a shining example of what it means to keep lyrical hip hop alive — but it’s far from the only example on this playlist.

From nerdcore to hardcore, from pop-rap to R&B, from new tracks to enduring favorites, there’s a full harvest of Beats & Verses for you to enjoy this month. Tap in!

Track listing:
Heru Heru ft. Nakessa & Negro Justice – Barry
Syclonus ft. KDotJay – Me, Myself and I
Gr3ys0n – Times Up
Jamar Rose – OUT THE DARK
Spence Brown – By My Lonely
Emory Jaymz ft. O.N.E. – UNOdat
Harris Hills – Cops and Strippers
RiTcH – Emotional
Lord Goldie ft. Q Shaunte – Lick
Lyrick Musiq – Winter Rainfall
Symbasyd ft. Kelly2face & Adonis – Heyyy
Brett Will – Dominoes
E.T. ft. Therese – You’re A Star
Numoon – I Hate The Sun
BEZ – Lie Detector
Intellect ft. Dave East – Too Many Losses
Usual Suspektz ft. Asun Eastwood – Tower
pher, – moon
Miles Squiers – 24 Hours
Ekelle ft. Ervin Mitchell – Games

All-Americana: Sounds of the Season (and Any Season)

Sounds of the season have begun to make their way into the fold. In fact, this month’s edition of All-Americana kicks off with a couple of holiday tunes to get you in the spirit.

In addition, we have a healthy offering of new tunes that fit any season, as well as some holdovers from our November compilation. There are gorgeous tones and heartfelt stories throughout, and this one is sure to keep you warm as the winter chill sets in.

Track listing
Andi Jane – You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch
Meghan VK – Christmas Tradition
David Tucker – Water It Down
Lauren Brabson – Notice
Max McNown – Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)
Amanda Keeley – Better Days
The Gringo Pistoleros – I Can Still Remember When
Lucie Glang and Joe Pope – Little Me
Wyman & the Wolves – Sundowner
Dylan Gerard – Need a Little Downtime
The Rebel Eves – Shake the Ground
Mikki Zip – Somethin’ to Write About
Brittany Bishop – Welcome Home
Chelsey Stallings – Give Him the Reins
Jacob Shipley – Death of Me
Dave Robertson & The Kiss List – The Green Light
Jaden Wright – East Kentucky Lady
Gary Hector – Waitin’ Around to Go Viral
Danny Himes – Las Vegas
John S. Long – Cold Stone

NASHVILLE: Come to Our Ugly Sweater Holiday Mixer Dec. 12

LET’S GET TOGETHER AND HANG THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

For the first time ever, we’re hosting a fun, casual Ugly Sweater Holiday Mixer on Thursday, December 12 from 7-10 p.m. Join us at Never Never Nashville (413 Houston St.) to celebrate the season and the year that has been, before we all break for the holidays.

It’s nothing super serious — just a good time with the community! Ugly sweaters encouraged. Good vibes required.

A BRANDCAMP Deal to Show Our Gratitude

We’re beyond appreciative for another fantastic year of learning and growing together. 2024 has been one for the ages!

So, we want to make it easier for you to start next year off right!

Through Sunday, December 1, we’re offering $100 off BRANDCAMP from UMC Academy registration. There’s no better time to get in on our six-week program designed to help you start 2025 with a clear vision for your artist brand – complete with actionable goals, 1-on-1 mentorship, and a community of driven artistpreneurs.

As a reminder, here’s what you’ll receive:

  • Our Values-Mission-Vision (VMV) Workshop, designed to help you develop your authentic, clearly-defined brand vision.
  • Weekly 1-on-1 mentorship sessions, aimed toward sparking fresh ideas and defining your goals.
  • Weekly Mastermind calls with your UMC BRANDCAMP peers.
  • Early access membership into the UMC UnderDogs community (FREE for life!).
  • A FREE signed copy of 60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey (out Feb. 25).

LISTEN: After Love and Loss, Amanda Keeley Finds ‘Better Days’

Acceptance is a vital part of moving on at the end of a relationship. That means coming to terms with everything that relationship was or wasn’t, and everything that it did — or did not — have the potential to be.

Amanda Keeley hits us with that realization with her new single, “Better Days.” The resilient tune paints expired love through an objective lens — an important part of the recovery process.

“The words came to me at a time where I needed help processing the loss and letting go of a longtime relationship,” Keeley said. “I’m grateful for this song finding its way through me as it helped immensely with closure and moving forward from a place of love.”

Keeley’s smoky vocals call to mind the soulful delivery of contemporaries like Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile, while the spellbinding, rhythmic folk-rock instrumental of “Better Days” conjures shades of Fleetwood Mac. The song’s steadfast tempo marches us along, akin to the days and weeks which provide clarity following a breakup.

“As a songwriter, I interpret many life experiences through songs. In this case, I found myself with certain lines floating through my mind like, ‘thought we were more than this, let us go, let it die, all the flowers have dried and just dust in the wind,'” Keeley said. “It really felt like the perfect way to clearly communicate how I was feeling. The grief I was experiencing was pretty intense; the ‘flowers’ felt like a representation of the need for a funeral of sorts to really grieve this loss, and once the flowers ‘dried and just dust in the wind,’ this was me coming to terms with it being over and letting go.”

“Better Days” is part of Keeley’s forthcoming album, which will dive further into the topics of loving, losing, and learning to love again.

“(The album) will be a compilation of songs telling stories of love; finding ourselves, our place in this world, and the one’s we’re meant to be with,” Keeley said. Also, stories of loss; heartbreak, letting go, and finally healing.”

LISTEN: With ‘Two Feet Tall,’ CIAO MALZ Carries the Weight of Unfinished Business

Is there something that you know would make your life better, but for whatever reason, you just can’t bring yourself to pull the trigger and get it done?

If that sounds like a familiar refrain, we have something hazy and wonderful from CIAO MALZ. The Connecticut native — real name Malia DelaCruz — has given us “Two Feet Tall,” an experimental indie rock single about our nagging need to get things done.

“Two Feet Tall is about the feeling of losing an inch every day you put off making that call you really need to make,” DelaCruz said. “It’s the pile of clothes growing bigger and feeling yourself getting smaller. Regardless of the overcompensation, the mountains to hide behind — that unsettling feeling persists. I wanted to evoke the feeling of stagnation while everything else is in motion, so the lead on this track quivers in front of the persistent drums that push the scene along.”

The track’s lo-fi sensibility hangs over a bright, intricately layered soundscape like the weight of half-finished ambitions; the foggy feeling that comes with knowing that better days are ahead — if only we would finally flip the switch.

If you dig this one, we have good news: more music from CIAO MALZ is coming, when she drops her EP, Safe Then Sorry, on December 6.

Safe Then Sorry is a rest stop on the path most traveled. I wrote the bulk of the EP after work, (and) these stories and characters came to me subconsciously and asked to be spoken into existence,” DelaCruz said. “These songs are about the unlikely connections we make, how they’re simultaneously inexplicable and meaningful. I work through these contradictions with unpredictable melodies, explosive choruses, and with the recording process itself. We did everything on the fly to capture as much raw emotion as could fit in the four walls of the basement studio. I wanted the project to feel how it did when I was messing around on GarageBand on my first computer — unrestrained.”

WATCH: Max McNown Vows to Become a ‘Better Me For You’

Max McNown Night Diving

The purest form of love inspires us to find the best within ourselves; it causes us to confront and defeat our demons, so that we can show up better than we ever have.

Max McNown wrote about that type of life-changing love to create “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),” from the forthcoming album Night Diving (out Jan. 24, 2025). The Billboard Country Rookie of the Month continues his scorching hot streak with an introspective pop-country ballad about rising to the occasion for the girl of his dreams.

“It’s more than just her alluring brown eyes that captivate him,” shares Max. “She imbues goodness and, above all, has a ‘heart of gold.’”

The release of “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes)” is accompanied by an official performance video, which you can watch below. If you want to catch McNown live, you won’t have to wait long — his debut headline tour kicks off in January. However, you’ll want to get tickets fast, as dates in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and other cities have already sold out.

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