That Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based prodigy Brett Newski takes a stand against streaming exploitation—he urges fans to purchase music directly, which ties into our blog’s mission—is reason enough to shine a spotlight on him, but the sheer quality of his new record is even more so (as we are used to). On ameriCONa Pt. 1: Educate Freeloaders to Buy Art, the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/author/podcaster delivers eight heartfelt folk punk songs that naturally encourage enjoyment and reflection. A surprising cover of Jewel’s Who Will Save Your Soul fits seamlessly between the self-penned tunes, acoustic paintings with rough strokes and daring colors. DIY ethics and raw rock ‘n roll, weapons that we can only appreciate.

ameriCONa Pt. 1: Educate Freeloaders to Buy Art—performed, engineered and mixed by Brett Newski—is out now digitally, on CD and on vinyl LP. Also featuring Leroy Duester (pedal steel) and Spatola (piano) on select tracks. The album won’t be available on streaming services: “For years, we’ve been told that music is free, but if you don’t support art, the world gets sterile, sad, and everything starts to look like a Wal-Mart or Jimmy Johns. All bands have a very finite lifespan. If you like what they do, buy their records, because odds are they won’t be around next year.”

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Brett Newski