You may have noticed — between some Beyond the Valley reviews and an increased propensity for dishing out the industry knowledge — that we’ve been trying to increase our worldly awareness of late.
Noted bluegrass group Town Mountain unveils “Down Low” featuring Tyler Childers, the third single from their forthcoming record. A few years ago, banjo player Jesse Langlais and Childers teamed up to write what would become the closing cut for their forthcoming record, New Freedom Blues. “To me, ‘Down Low’ has a Waylon vibe, which is a damn good vibe to have,” Langlais says. “My favorite line in the song, which was a Tyler line, is, ‘I’ve been getting into meanness on the dark end of the street.’ Ahh, that’s downright lonesome.” The track is available today on Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Set for release on October 26, 2018, New Freedom Blues and Town Mountain’s upbeat, live performances have been praised by outlets like the Bluegrass Situation, SiriusXM, No Depression, American Songwriter, and Rolling Stone, who recently named the group an Artist You Need to Know. Town Mountain will appear at IBMA and continue on a Southeast tour throughout November, proceeding a December tour with Tyler Childers (full dates below).
New Freedom Blues was recorded at Asheville’s iconic Echo Mountain Studios with producer Caleb Klauder; the 11 tracks that comprise the album span the sum total of the band’s eclectic influences, from traditional bluegrass to roots pop to hardscrabble honky tonk. The album also marks the first time the band brought a drummer – Sturgill Simpson collaborator Miles Miller – into the studio.
Town Mountain is Langlais, Barker, vocalist/guitarist Robert Greer, fiddle player Bobby Britt, and bassist Zach Smith. Since releasing their debut album Original Bluegrass and Roots Country in 2007, Town Mountain have made a name for themselves in bluegrass and roots circuits and have amassed a sizable catalog of original songs. They’ve toured with a who’s who of like-minded artists, including Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys, the Del McCoury Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many others. Southern Crescent debuted at number four on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart, and held strong in the Americana Music Association’s Radio Chart Top Forty for 10 weeks. In 2016, Town Mountain made their Grand Ole Opry debut, performing both at the Opry House and at the famed Ryman Auditorium.
GRAMMY winner, producer, and musician Buddy Miller said, “Town Mountain aren’t out to reinvent the wheel, they’re like a new set of the finest tires that gives you a new ride. There’s no fat, no gratuitous notes, no extra stuff, just amazing songs, singing and playing from one of the best bands out there… or maybe they are the new wheel.”
Listen to “Down Low” on Spotify below!
Do you often have a craving to hear certain songs from your favorite independent artists, from the Greater Lehigh Valley and beyond?
Now, WLVU: The Sound of The Underground can help quench your thirst for music in a more on-demand manner!
Here at Lehigh Valley Underground, it is our job to connect artists to one another. Just as important is our ability to discover new local music.
We’ve devised a way to make both of those things happen simultaneously — by having you tell us, for your peers to see, what you’re listening to!
It’s been a while since we’ve posed a question in this series, and the time just feels right to get to know our readership a bit better.
As we’ve surely noted several times before, it takes a scene to build a scene. Fortunately for us, the music community in our region is a vibrant entity made up of folks from many varied walks of life. These are people who share their talents in a number of ways and for the betterment of our arts community.
There stands an excellent chance that, if you’re reading this and follow LVU, you are one of those people. First, thank you for supporting music in the Lehigh Valley. We always need more of that around here.
Secondly, we want to know who you are, whether you are a musician, blogger, radio host, promoter, fan, or help our scene grow in any combination of ways.
So, tell us: What do you do to support your local music scene here in eastern Pennsylvania, western New Jersey, and beyond? Let us know in the comments!
Our Super Saturday at Lehigh Valley Underground has been eventful so far. It started (after retrieving my camera from my parents’ house) with Acoustic Kitty Project, the latest band to play as part of WSCI Radio’s Summer Concert Series. Carter Lansing and company performed for over an hour, playing songs from their current release, “‘Shine,” as well as yet-to-be-released material. Lansing also took some time out for a quick interview, soon to air on WSCIRadio.com.
A little while later, I sprinted — in my car, not on foot — over to Allentown for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Sugar Hill Jazz House. Located at 39 S. Ninth St., Sugar Hill Jazz House features staff and performers in authentic 1920s attire and a stellar barbecue menu from Chef Jay King, who owns the venue with wife Mary Shearin and Mark Smith. The grand opening received support from the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Hamilton District Main Street Program, and local politicians including Sen. Pat Browne, Rep. Peter Schweyer, and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski.
We’re not finished yet! In a little while, we’ll be at the Ice House in Bethlehem for Tape Swap Radio’s latest installment of the IceHouse Tonight series. Tonight’s show begins at 8, and of course, you can expect updates here and via Facebook Live.
March is coming in like a lion for rock artist D.S. Bradford as he launches his PledgeMusic Preorder campaign for his brand new “Elemental Evolution” EP release.
In January, Bradford released the title track from the upcoming five-track collection, a rousing rock song which is a story in and of itself. Fueled by the positive vibes and catchy songwriting, the media got behind the single, which has garnered positive reviews from critics and fans alike.
Recently, Bradford joined us on QSLehighValley where he revealed that the music for the EP is finished and that vocal tracking is next in the production phase. With finished artwork and two singles ahead of the forthcoming release, Bradford is looking to continue making a great impression with existing fans and new supporters.
D.S. Bradford is offering plenty of exciting exclusives to pledgers through his partnership with PledgeMusic that are accessible here, as well as insider updates along the way.
“This project means everything to me and I want to share it with all of you and have everyone be a part of this release. “Elemental Evolution” is about all of us, our future, and the things that are important to us in our lives,” Bradford said. “Your involvement with this project will not only give you one-of-a-kind items like artwork and CDs; it also is the epitome of what this EP is about: the message that we, in this world, can come together, be a part of something, and succeed.”
Pledgers and fans will join Bradford in achieving his goals during the recording process, to the mixing and mastering by Applehead Studios (Coheed and Cambria), up to the release of “Elemental Evolution” on CD and digital formats.
Join the “Elemental Evolution” on PledgeMusic, and check in with D.S. Bradford on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the web for updates.