Tag Archives: folk

UMC20: The Best of March 2024

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What a stacked month!

Between the 20 songs that comprise the UMC20 Best of March 2024, and the two latest, completely epic episodes of our Official Podcast, The Quinn Spinn, our end-of-month compilation contains nearly three-and-a-half hours of listening enjoyment!

Get it while it’s here. Next Wednesday, we’ll drop the first all-new UMC of April. Soak up the memories from the month that has been!

Track listing
Bootsy Collins ft. Snoop Dogg, Fantaazma, Wiz Khalifa, and Dave Stewart – The Influencers
Spence Brown – Scotch Thoughts
Miles Squiers – 24 Hours
Game Changer – Just Sayin’
Adam Paddock – Sweet Ohio Light
Izzy Rage – Wreck
TsukiMai – Selenophile
Cardiac Half – Gloom
YEARB4 – BABY I’M DYIN’
The Minimum Wage – Everyone Is
Pepperwood – Drowning
The Ghost Club – If I Fell (Don’t Wait Here For Me)
Crow and Gazelle – Take It Away
Max McNown – Dead Set
Dustin Kensrue – High Scalers
Kat & Zach – Winter Flower
Bronco Redahan – High on Lonesome
The Kentucky Gentlemen – Beg Your Parton
Mikayla Lewis – All is Well
Rome – Forever

LISTEN: Medium Build Loves “Knowing U Exist”

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Are you even in love, if you don’t love the little moments; the quirks and intricacies of your partner and your relationship?

Medium Build — the songwriting vehicle of Nick Carpenter — explores those quirks on “Knowing U Exist,” an earnest Americana ballad about the ways our loved ones capture our hearts.

The single’s minimalist soundscape creates an intimacy fit for a rainy Sunday morning. A gently-plucked acoustic guitar accompanies Carpenter’s warm, country-influenced baritone, while an emotive string arrangement adds an extra touch of tenderness.

“Knowing U Exist” is from Medium Build’s forthcoming album, Country (coming April 5). The 12-track album “is about the journey (both physically & mentally) Nick’s been on to this point; it’s about high-highs and low-lows, and you can feel Nick wrestle with the good and the bad on each of the album’s 12 songs.” Enjoy this gentle preview below!

UMC20: We Do This on Wednesdays Now (Mar. 20, 2024)

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The official Wednesday debut of UMC20 gets off a funktastic start!

Yes, we happened across the latest masterpiece from Bootsy Collins in our inbox this week. Throw Snoop Dogg, Fantaazma, Wiz Khalifa, and The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart into the mix, and we knew we had to lead off with this one!

From there, this turbo-powered artist lineup brings you the variety you’ve come to expect around here. From established artists to up-and-comers, and from Nashville locals to international flavors, no stone is left unturned this week.

Track listing
Bootsy Collins ft. Snoop Dogg, Fantaazma, Wiz Khalifa, and Dave Stewart – The Influencers
ARREIS – Straight to Hell
Alexis Donn – I Love My Birthday
Lord Goldie ft. Kyd Dynomyte & Lil Lac – Back Down
Foundation Mecca – Tribal Love
Baurkli – Growing Pains
Miles Squiers – 24 Hours
Adam Paddock – Sweet Ohio Light
Bryan Howell – Like Summer Thunder
The Minimum Wage – Everyone Is
Pepperwood – Drowning
The Ghost Club – If I Fell (Don’t Wait Here For Me)
Andrea von Kampen – Such Love Does
Maddie Zahm – little me
Fie Eike – Sad
Medium Build – Knowing U Exist
Tucker Woods – Somersault
Max McNown – Turned Into Missing You
Josh Fortenbery – Bored to Death
Tenille Townes – Thing That Brought Me Here (Truck Song)

WATCH: With ‘Take It Away’, Crow and Gazelle Offer Catharsis to Your Inner Child

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Photo credit: Carley Du Menil

Crow and Gazelle — the Texas-based Americana duo consisting of Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer Mike McClure, and his partner in music (and in life), Chrislyn Lawrence — offer healing for anyone still processing their childhood wounds with their new single, “Take It Away.”

The single — a tender ballad hallmarked by powerful two-part harmonies and heart-wrenching fiddle tones — is accompanied by a poignant music video inspired by Lawrence’s own healing journey. Lawrence leans upon her own memories to deliver an important message to anyone who has struggled to emerge on the other side of their own traumas.

The narrative for this video came from a very personal place. As a child I didn’t decide for myself that I was ‘unworthy’ and I didn’t make-believe scenes of death and overwhelming pain – in my world those messages and experiences came heavy and early and they were real. We all have childhood wounds. Whether it’s our own tragic experiences and losses, or someone else’s childhood trauma (a teacher or parent) that’s unhealed and spills over on us, we have them and they inform “who and what” we are.

My parents each carry something very deep and painful that happened when they were young. Thankfully, I know that now and have done the work to see how some things that happened in my life were trauma based responses, not done of or by free will. Most of the trauma I’ve carried has been transformed and released through mindful work, and lately a lot of that healing has happened in the presence of my parent’s healing their own wounds. Which has been an amazing gift.

The day before we filmed the opening scenes of this video, my mom shared details of something I had never known before that happened when I was four… it was very painful to hear, and brought back a flood of memories and feelings for us both. But it was also a revelation. And in that sense, it set us free because it was brought to the surface, into the light, where it could alchemize and be transformed. 

Trauma not transformed is transferred. Our hope is that this video, in some small way, moves someone else to lean into their own childhood wounds and to let that little one’s hurt be seen and heard. And that once it’s honored, hopefully it can be transformed and released. 

-Chrislyn Lawrence

Watch the video below, and stay tuned for Crow and Gazelle’s forthcoming album, As Above Now So Below, set for release on Friday, April 26.

UMC20: The Best of February 2024

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It makes sense that, in a year where February gives us an extra day, that we have a surplus of HEAT from which to choose as we compile the UMC Best of February playlist.

And so, even in a short month, it leaves us with some tough cuts to make. As you always do, independent artists of Earth, you brought your best to us this month. Here’s what we’ve got to show for it as a result!

Track listing
Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise – High Vibrationz
Jordyn Tareaz – Again
Malcolm DeWayne – Amethyst Nights
Lord Goldie – On da Line
Foundation Mecca ft. Ari Shavon – TKO
Spence Brown – 2024
Gangstagrass ft. Jerry Douglas – The Only Way Out is Through
Laura Mustard – Dirty Minds & Wild Hearts
The Steel Wheels – Sideways
Josh Fortenbery – Heirlooms
Ty Warner ft. Olivia Frances – This is Not Goodbye
Sarina Haggarty – Lipstick to Myself
Parker Barrow – Back to Birmingham
The Wandering Hearts – Letter to Myself
Aaron Lee Tasjan – The Drugs Did Me
Fuchsia – Backseat Blues
The Mad Sugars ft. Monte Mader – Dare Me
Olive Dares the Darkness – Not My Fault
Jasce – River
EMMI IIDA ft. Peachkit – Higher Self

UMC20: Fall in Love with These Tracks (Feb. 13, 2024)

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There’s a lot to love about UMC20 every week. But, with warm and fuzzy feelings in the air for those who celebrate Valentine’s Day, that sentiment feels even stronger today.

This is a powerful, dynamic lineup of songs, featuring styles across the musical spectrum. We start with rock, give you a heapin’ helpin’ of Americana in the middle, and then progress to pop, R&B, and hip hop to round it out.

Also, we have not one, but TWO bonus tracks: We just announced that we’re going to two weekly episodes of The Quinn Spinn this week, and our two latest interviews are included at the bottom of the playlist!

Track listing
Olive Dares the Darkness – Not My Fault
The Mad Sugars ft. Monte Mader – Dare Me
Fame & Fiction – Knuckles
Sugadaisy – Slip n Fall
Cole Gallagher – Lost Sounds
Ben Carr – Seventeen
The Wandering Hearts – Letter to Myself
The Dead South – Yours To Keep
Moonsville Collective – Helen Highway
The HawtThorns – Nothing But A Shadow
Tyler Ramsey – New Lost Ages
The Steel Wheels – Sideways
Laura Mustard – Dirty Minds & Wild Hearts
Spencer LaJoye – Someday You’ll Wake Up Okay
Sabrina Song – Okay, Okay
Jordyn Tareaz – Again
Jetta – sticky ickyKuf Knotz & Christine Elise – High Vibrationz
Foundation Mecca – Felt Like This
RAHMAT ALLAHGXDMC – Rain

LISTEN: Cole Gallagher Makes Us Glad We’ve Found These ‘Lost Sounds’

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When it feels like the world is crumbling, a plea for peace can go a long way.

That plea is offered by Cole Gallagher, whose new single, “Lost Sounds,” is a timeless throwback and modern masterpiece, all at once. Dynamic production creates a lush folk-rock landscape that is both poignantly tender and beautifully robust, while the depth and emotion behind Gallagher’s voice is on full display, as he transitions seamlessly between his rugged wail and delicate falsetto.

“‘Lost Sounds’ is my favorite track that I’ve recorded,” shares Gallagher. “I was so lucky to have gotten the chance to write it with one of the local legends of Muscle Shoals, my good friend, (GRAMMY-winner) Barry Billings. The song is a hopeful and nostalgic sonic call-back to the times of The Byrds’ ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ and ‘As Tears Go By’ by The Rolling Stones. I could not be more proud of this track’s message and the production of it, which was masterfully orchestrated by both Michael Fahey and Barry Billings. I am so excited for people to hear this.” 

In addition to Billings and Fahey, “Lost Sounds” features the contributions of an all-star ensemble. These include GRAMMY-winning mix engineer Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White); and 400 Unit members Jimbo Hart (bass) and Chad Gamble (drums), both fresh off their GRAMMY win for Best Americana Album for Jason Isbell’s Weathervanes.

With that, we’ll get out of the way and let you enjoy this one!

WATCH: Josh Fortenbery Buries the Past on ‘Heirlooms’

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“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.”

UMC20: The Best of January 2024

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This is our first monthly “Best Of” edition of UMC20 in the better part of a year and, well… what a way to bring the HEAT back!

Y’all did a great job giving us some fresh sounds heading into the New Year, and it pays off in this multi-faceted compilation of some (but not all) of the best things we’ve heard in recent memory. We invite you to dig in!

Bonus track: Last week marked our first Quinn Spinn OG Family episode of 2024, as JD came back into the fold to chat about championship football and our 2024 intentions. Check it out here!

Track listing
Harris Hills – ACTION MAN
Intellect ft. Dave East – Too Many Losses
Mykel ft. Mileage – Rhythm Of You
Zhaklina – M.D.B.M
Kendra & The Bunnies – Manic Pixie Nightmare
ROM COM – Tom Cruisin’
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Horror Of It All
Alex Jordan – Saving Grace
The Steel Wheels – Hero
Laura Mustard – Good Enough
Teagan Stewart – New Nashville
J.Antonette – Run Girl Run
Quickdraw Kid – Bittersweet Tennessee
Fame & Fiction – Famous
Paul Nestler – That Dance We Do
Jon Worthy – Things Are Looking Up
Radio Flower – Winters Alone
Elise Browell – In My Mind
The Mighty Calm – Boardwalks
Keep the Eleven – Do You Wanna Change The World?

WATCH: The Steel Wheels Learn We Can’t Always Be the ‘Hero’

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Photo credit: Mike Lee

What a powerful realization, to understand that we can’t always rescue the ones we love.

The Steel Wheels examine the limited power mere mortals possess on “Hero,” their new single from the forthcoming album, Sideways (Feb. 9). The single was inspired by frontman Trent Wagler trying to help one of his children through a mental health crisis, and the ensuing realization that we can’t always be the hero in everyone’s story.

“‘Hero’ was written to describe the way we all cast ourselves in the leading role of our story, while also touching on some of the particular pitfalls of a white, straight, cis-gendered man trying to ‘help’ or ‘fix’ situations where I just need to be in a supporting role,” shares Wagler. “I wrote this song in the midst of trying to help my child in a serious mental health crisis, needing to be OK with it being their story, and really taking a back seat to try to listen and understand exactly what they were needing in the moment, rather than what I needed to tell them about the situation they were in.” 

“Hero” is accompanied by a music video featuring the band in a contemplative dance routine opposite Wagler’s daughter and several of her friends, all of whom are enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University’s dance and choreography program. At first, the two “troupes” perform separately, as if to illustrate the disconnect between the “fixer” and individual in crisis. In the end, however, the two sides come together, demonstrating the shared understanding that comes from listening to the needs of another.

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