Tag Archives: contemporary folk

LISTEN: Mackenzie Shrieve, Jane Bruce Re-Imagine ‘Didn’t I Tell Ya’

Posted on by Leave a comment

Sometimes, a track is so nice, the artist has to release it twice.

Brooklyn-based folk artist Mackenzie Shrieve released her album, In the While, in 2021. One of the songs, “Didn’t I Tell Ya,” captivated Shrieve’s audience so much that she teamed up with fellow folk singer Jane Bruce to give it new life.

“When I saw Jane perform for the first time, I was immediately enamored by her songwriting and vocal performance,” Shrieve said. “She is one of my favorite folk singers of all time. I knew that I wanted to re-release this song and I knew whatever Jane decided to do with it would be breathtaking – and I was right!”

“Didn’t I Tell Ya” was written as a “bittersweet reflection on the intricacies of a past relationship.” The song features a gentle fingerpicked guitar progression and a spacious, minimalist soundscape which allows its nostalgic narrative to shine. Shrieve’s earnest, Dylan-esque storytelling has won the hearts of her contemporaries, including Bruce.

“Mackenzie is an incredible writer and one of the hardest-working artists I know,” Bruce said. “I heard ‘Didn’t I Tell Ya’ for the first time while we were on the same bill at Arlene’s Grocery, and it stopped me in my tracks. It’s a perfect song! Simple, true, specific, and yet completely relatable. We’ve been fans of one another since then, and I was over the moon when she asked me to feature on one of her tunes. When I found out it was this one, my heart swelled.”

LISTEN: Julian Taylor Provides Comfort on ‘Weighing Down’

Posted on by Leave a comment

Our relationships with ourselves can be the most challenging. Today, we encourage you to try a little tenderness.

With that, we present “Weighing Down,” the latest single by Toronto-based troubadour Julian Taylor. Like a comforting embrace, this gentle acoustic folk tune features the Toronto-based troubadour’s ultra-rich baritone and warm pedal steel accents. Upon listening, we become wrapped up in the realization that, although it may seem impossible right now, our troubles will pass by.

“All of us are our own worst enemies. All of us are so hard on ourselves,” Taylor explains. “That kind of pressure, and the way it affects our health, both mentally and physically – that’s the weighing down of the world we put on our own shoulders because of things we think we’ve done wrong. What I’m saying here is, ‘I’ve got to relieve myself from all of this hurt – and so do you.’”

“Weighing Down” is the first single from Taylor’s forthcoming album, Pathways, due out this September. The new record — a follow-up to 2020’s The Ridge, which helped Taylor become the Canadian Folk Music Awards Solo Artist of the Year — will be supported by an extensive tour of Canada and Europe this spring and summer.

WATCH: Josh Fortenbery Buries the Past on ‘Heirlooms’

Posted on by Leave a comment

“It’s easier to blame
Everyone who gave me my name
Than admit I can change if I wanted.

We all learn from our kin
How to love and how to sin,
And become the same men we once run from.”

On top of finger-picked guitar and lush, cinematic string arrangements, Josh Fortenbery examines the traits we adopt from those who came before us on his new single, “Heirlooms.”

The Juneau, Alaska-based songwriter — who is preparing to release his debut album, No Such Thing As Forever, on March 8 — acknowledges the undeniable impact of our upbringings, while owning the reality that the potential to break the cycle lies squarely in our own hands

“I’m grateful for so much of my upbringing, but I also inherited, or maybe adopted, certain family traits I wish I hadn’t,” Fortenbery said. “Once I got to the age where everyone started having kids or talking about it, I wondered what I might pass on. At the same time, while it’s certainly convenient to blame our parents for becoming them, I recognize that an explanation for a behavior isn’t the same thing as an excuse.”

“Heirlooms” is accompanied by a music video directed by David Rossow. The video follows Fortenbery as he comes to terms with memories of the past, before resolving to bury the physical reminders of who he used to be in a remote location, symbolizing the journey of a man resolving to start anew.

“I’m just trying to be honest about my grief, anxiety, and carelessness, and hope that resonates with people,” he said. “I think a lot of folks feel disconnected from the world, not only because of the physical isolation over the last few years but also the increasing digital and cultural isolation we’ve slid into over the last decade. I’m trying to remember what ties me to the folks I love and folks I’ve never met.”

PREMIERE: Lora Kelley Releases ‘Beautiful That Way’ Lyric Video

Posted on by Leave a comment

Last week, we gave you a Daily Spinn of “Beautiful That Way,” the most recent single from Lora Kelley‘s forthcoming album, Domystique. The single challenges modern beauty standards, and offers the Charlottesville, VA-based songwriter a chance to step into her own and embrace herself fully.

Now, “Beautiful That Way” has some visuals — and we have an exclusive first look for you!

Watch the Premiere

Has the Past Year Felt Like a ‘Waking Dream’ to You?

Posted on by Leave a comment

We’ve all found ourselves making adjustments throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Lora Kelley, she, her husband, and their three children had to make some major pivots as the long-term implications of the pandemic set in.

Watch the Video

Daily Spinn: Leah Jean Warmly Remembers ‘Ohio’

Posted on by Leave a comment

Not all songs come together quickly. Sometimes, they take years to complete.

That wasn’t the case with Leah Jean’s new single, “Ohio,” just released on Monday. The Dayton-area native recalls a quick and easy writing process for this lush indie folk offering, inspired by one of her favorite artists.

Hear Tuesday’s Daily Spinn
« Older Entries