Country & Folk

New EP: Jared Hart || The Condor

A heartfelt tribute to a dear friend

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Jared Hart (Mercy Union, The Scandals) returns with three originals and a cover of Mac Miller’s Come Back To Earth, collected on an EP entitled The Condor. This first new solo offering in ten years examines our mortality and the lasting imprints that loved ones who have passed continue to place onto our own lives. It is one that had to be made: it is dedicated to the life and memory of his close friend Chris Duffy, who called himself The Condor.

You will understand that these are personal songs, pure and heartfelt, emphasized by those characteristic gritty vocals, but the guitars also cry along. It has everything roots rock should have.

The Condor, produced by Jared Hart & Matt Olsson, is out now digitally and on 12″ Coke bottle clear vinyl through Mt. Crushmore Records. Featuring Jared Hart (guitar, vocals) and Mark Masefield (keys, organ), with contributions fromMatt Olsson, Nick Jorgensen, Casey macalush, Tommy Gunn, Sean Carney and Rocky Catanese on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Mt. Crushmore

New EP: Dan Webb and the Spiders|| Difficult Creek

Family tales and folklore by Dan Webb

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Dan Webb has increasingly evolved into a conceptual artist, drawing inspiration from unexpected places. His recent EPs showcase this evolution: one revisited his punk past, another was sparked by a surprise encounter with an old friend, and yet another stemmed from a quirky and mysterious assignment. Earlier, Webb sharpened his recording skills under the guidance of the legendary Steve Albini—a creative investment that continues to pay off. While Webb remains a punk rock lifer at heart, pigeonholing him as just that would sell his versatility short.

Take his latest EP, Difficult Creek, where Webb ventures into alt-country territory. Collaborating with Adam Nurre on bass, drums, percussion, and keys (and additional vocals), the EP also features guest appearances from Kullen Fox (Charley Crockett) on trumpet and Kate Wakefield (Lung) on cello. The folky, alt-country, and indie rock vibe perfectly complements the concept behind the record: a collection of family-inspired songs, directly and indirectly.

“Some were written by relatives of mine, while others were adapted from family lore,” Webb explains. The liner notes on Bandcamp provide further info, like how he set a poem from his uncle to music. The material is rich and varied, with stories of his family’s American past, a highway robbery, a chilling murder ballad (“I may have killed a man // I left him lying for dead // I took a shovel // and bashed-in his head”).

The depth of Difficult Creek almost begs for a full-length treatment—something I’d wholeheartedly welcome. Once again, Dan Webb strikes gold!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Balto || No Hard Feeling

Americana masterpiece with lyrics that deserve a place in your heart

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

“Hey hey hey, I want to feel everything // Love as a tidal wave, pain as a razor blade // All of the weight, everything.” That’s what we hear Dan Sheron sing in Novocaine, one of the fourteen original songs he recorded with his fellow band members of Balto for their new album, No Hard Feeling. It’s tempting to quote more lyrics, because line after line is memorable here, but perhaps it’s even more that mix of emotions, which goes together with variation in tempo, instrumentation and intensity, that makes this record so appealing. The Californian roots rock quartet tops it off with heavenly harmonies, captivating guitars and a grooving rhythm section, wrapped up in a warm sound—it’s all done so well that this would have made my year-end list if it had come out a few weeks earlier.



No Hard Feeling is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to Wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Nude Party || Live at Sam’s Town Point

How the New York septet performed their best in a hot Austin show

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

All those people who had to declare that they could keep their clothes on, can now provide evidence of where they actually have been. New York rock ‘n’ roll collective The Nude Party hit Sam’s Town Point in Austin, to play a selection from their catalog (including crowd favorites like Records, Sold Out Of Love, What’s the Deal?, Chevrolet Van and Ride On), plus some seamlessly fitting covers of Texas classics (Texas Tornados’ Little Bit Is Better Than Nada, Dr. John’s Somebody Tryin’ to Hoodoo Me) and Gary P. Nunn’s London Homesick Blues)—that 19-song show is officially released. The sympathetic musicians serve their signature warm stew of country-tinged psychedelic rock with hints of blues and surf, controlled but passionate. This is an authentic, intimate live show with skilled, layered interplay, a pure mood lifter—apparently so hot and sweaty that clothing wasn’t necessary.



Live at Sam’s Town Point, engineered and mixed by Jonathan Tyler, is out now digitally and next month also on vinyl 2-LP. Featuring Patton Magee (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Shaun Couture (guitar, vocals), Alec Castillo (bass, vocals), Don Merrill (organ, piano, vocals), Jon ‘Catfish’ Delorme (pedal steel), Austin Brose (percussion, vocals) and Connor Mikita (drums) with Billie Buck (saxophone) as special guest.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || The Nude Party

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Albums of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 Comment


2025 is banging on the door, so in the slipstream of Dennis’ amazing and eclectic list of last Tuesday, let’s take a final look at the musical year that was. What’s been on my mind a lot is that currently more music drops in a single day than in all of 1989, making this both the best and worst time to run a music blog. Curating and sharing the good has never been more important—or more demanding. By 2030, we could see nearly 200 million music creators—triple today’s number. Combine that with the fast emergence of A.I. use in music (I got fooled at least once) and growing economic challenges for artists (especially in the underground guitar music scene we covet), and the musical landscape feels on the verge of exploding or imploding.

With that in mind, all the efforts of musicians and labels to keep producing art that enriches our lives becomes even more impressive. So I’d like to send my sincere gratitude to them—you know who you are. Thank you for the goosebumps, the energy boosts, the hi-fives and stagedives, the throat lumps and raised fists, and the dopamine rush of discovering something new and amazing every couple of days. You make it all worthwhile.

Compiling and ranking my favorite records of the year was brutal yet awesome. Many darlings were killed, but after many hard choices I’ve landed on a list that reflects what moved, surprised, and delighted me the most in 2024. Check them out below, buy their stuff(!), share your own favorites in the comments (what did I miss?), and spread the word if you enjoy this site—because there’s so much more coming in 2025. Take care, happy holidays, and with the exception of the occasional post in the remainder of 2024, see you next year!

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New album: Sean Keel || Ferals Welcome

Stripped down indie folk with jazzy touches, dripping with emotion

By / / Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

With A Dry Scary Blue, Sean Keel was responsible for one of the most beautiful records of 2022. The Austin-based singer-songwriter (and University of Texas mathematics professor) is back with his next album, titled Ferals Welcome—apparently on streaming services since June, but only now available on Bandcamp, which makes me late to the party (although this music is not festive at all). You’ll hear ten raw and fragile indie folk songs with jazzy touches. That means: sparse acoustic guitar or piano strumming and intimate storytelling (“I was scared about bears for good reason // Scared I wouldn’t know how to get laid” – from Laurentian Divide), carried by that characteristic weathered voice. It’s not exactly easy listening, but it moves in a way that music rarely does.




Ferals Welcome, produced by Gabriel Rhodes, is out digitally through Icons Creating Evil Art.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 3 Comments

Heart and soul, that’s not too much to ask, right? To be honest, I didn’t have an easy year exploring new music. The flood of releases is too much to keep up with—the conscious realization that you continuously miss more than you experience is quite demotivating, while exploring the sonic cosmos should be exciting—and wading through all the copycats and AI disciples makes it increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Thankfully, just when I thought the journey had become more important than the destination, and the future was finally losing out to the past, it turned out that there were still plenty of raw pearls and creative authenticators to be discovered (I don’t necessarily value perfection or innovation). And so I regained the feeling that blogs like ours actually add some value to all those algorithms around by putting them on display. Regardless, in my forays into the depths of the musical universe, I checked out 2,800+ new albums, resulting in a passionate longlist of 140 wantlist-worthy releases—the ones I liked and played the most, just a matter of taste I guess , are in the Top 50 below. Slightly eclectic, but all as real as it gets.

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New album: Schmoon || Pretty Darn Pretty

Life’s bittersweet bedlam captured with heart and humor

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Schmoon is the indie folk project of Portland, Maine-based singer-songwriter/filmmaker Matt Cascella, who presents a compelling cast of characters on his new album Pretty Darn Pretty. For the discerning listener there is a lot to discover. This is a playful yet poignant exploration of nostalgia, anxiety and hope, with sharp yet witty lyrical observations. Melancholic melodies go well with kind-hearted vocals, but fluid feelings also cause some confusion about how seriously we should take this. Credits are given for wine glasses, breadsticks and farts, but actually the instrumentation and stories are much richer than that.



Pretty Darn Pretty, mixed, engineered and produced by Brendon Thomas, is out now digitally (self-released). Featuring Matt Cascella (vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, breadsticks) and Brendon Thomas (electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, keys, bass, background vocals, harmonica, wine glasses), with Christy Thomas (background vocals), Sam Kyzivat (effects, additional keys, vocals), James Downes (acoustic guitar), Brett Crudgington (additional keys), Jeremy Fink (horns), Jessica Richards (birthday singing), Jen Cordery (birthday singing), Bean Friend (accordion) and Lizzie (fart).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Johnny Delaware || Para Llevar

Blurring the borders of a dreamy world

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

Charleston-based singer-songwriter Johnny Delaware (South Dakota-born John Kuiper)—co-founder of Susto—released his new album Para Llevar last month, which translates as ‘to go’ or ‘to take’. He explains: “I recorded it in studios at home in Mexico City and on the road in the United States and in hotel rooms all across Latin America.” Although there’s considerable variation in the ten original songs, they’re cohesive in sound and structure. Particularly appealing thanks to the sun-kissed melodies, charming vocals and a rich instrumentation of guest musicians. This is 70s-indebted folk rock with a psychedelic edge—thematically a personal exploration of doubt, hope, fear, unity, love and loneliness—that exudes warmth and comfort.



Para Llevar is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Normaltown Records. Also featuring Wolfgang Ryan Zimmerman, Julius DeAngelis, Corey Campbell, Josh Kaler, Cannon Rogers, Clay White, Fernando Ramírez, Clay White, Andrea Franz and Alejandra Moreno on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: The Psych Fi’s || Can Con

Jerry Leger enchants with new “spontaneous psychedelic rock” project

By / / Country & Folk, Psych / Leave a Comment

The Psych Fi’s are a new country-tinged psych-rock project from esteemed Canadian singer-songwriter Jerry Leger, evolved out of performances with The Del Fi’s, whose other members also contribute to the new band. Their debut album Can Con was recorded live earlier this year in a haunted Toronto studio, where no fewer than eighteen musicians walked in and out—most of them did not know the compositions yet. Still, the five drawn-out songs—44 minutes in total—feel thoughtful and weighty. The compelling 14-minute opening medley Alone in a Room of Mirrors / James Cagney sets the tone without ever boring, and the other tunes hold your attention effortlessly. A timeless journey that enchants.


Can Con is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Bobo Integral. Featuring Jerry Leger, Don Stevenson (Moby Grape), Kate Boothman (Katie Cruel) , Angie Hilts, Nichol Robertson, Jason Kenemy, Dave Clark (The Rheostatics, Woodshed Orchestra), Michael Eckert, Ken Yoshioka, Matthew Cooke, Les Armstrong, Chris Bennett, Shawn Clarke, Katie Methot, Dan Mock, Kyle Sullivan, Alan Zemaitis and Aaron Goldstein.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bobo Integral

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