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The Bluegrass Situation Premieres New Song From Mike Montrey Band

Coming from Americana and country camps, don’t miss a hilarious video from Jordie Lane paying homage to an East Nashville favorite, Nashville Biscuit House, Cole Gallagher shares a track that dropped earlier this week entitled “Traveling Man’s Blues,” and Mike Montrey Band serve up a quintessentially country love song, “Holdin’ on to Nothin’.”

“‘Holdin’ on to Nothin’ is about the process of love. It seems, more often than not, the story of love in songs is about the beautiful beginning, the tragic end, or the celebration of sustained love. However, it is often what we choose to hold on to or let go of in the most critical moments of a relationship that allows us to move forward or move on. Sometimes we just hold on to hope and sometimes we’re holdin’ on to nothin’.” – Mike Montrey

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Americana UK Reviews Jake Neuman’s New EP

Okay, it’s July, and time for our regular ‘EP’s Round-Up’, of all that falls under the Americana Music banner. This month’s collection offers a broad selection of the genre, so plenty to get your teeth into, and hopefully something to satisfy all tastes. Dig in…

…As usual I have saved what I consider to be the best until last, though to be fair it was a very tight call. Jake Neuman & The Jaybirds debut release is this five-track EP entitled “Little Bitty Town”, recorded at Peacedale Records and Studio in Connecticut under the watchful eye of producer Gregory Dwane Griffith. Twentyfive year old Neuman’s backstory is a compelling narrative of resilience and determination which saw him struck down with a life-threatening brain haemorrhage back in 2020 during which time he turned to music as a lifeline.

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Americana UK Reviews Jake Neuman and the Jaybirds’ New EP

As usual I have saved what I consider to be the best until last, though to be fair it was a very tight call. Jake Neuman & The Jaybirds debut release is this five-track EP entitled “Little Bitty Town”, recorded at Peacedale Records and Studio in Connecticut under the watchful eye of producer Gregory Dwane Griffith. Twentyfive year old Neuman’s backstory is a compelling narrative of resilience and determination which saw him struck down with a life-threatening brain haemorrhage back in 2020 during which time he turned to music as a lifeline. Fully recovered, the EP’s opening track ‘Saved’, bears witness to the scars of battle but is infused throughout with a sense of triumph over adversity and a sound and lyrical integrity that immediately draws comparison to Jason Isbell. Second track ‘Say What You Mean‘, squares up to deceit, as seen through the eyes of a young man who has already endured much, with no punches pulled, while ‘Two DaysAgo’, narrates the sudden upheaval of a breakup, full of lyrical sagacity and not one ounce of self-pity. Throughout the five tracks Neuman is musically supported by The Jaybirds who include Jeff Hill on bass, Tony Leone on drums, and Jimmy Wallace on keys, and together deliver a raw, alt-country groove, that provides the perfect conduit for his engaging blue-collared poetry.

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Rainbow Rodeo Reviews Shawna Virago’s New Album

Blood In Her Dreams, the latest album by Shawna Virago, is a shining example of what results from opening the door for queer people to places that, historically, have ostracized us. Too often, queer and trans stories are left out of talk about folk, country, and Americana music, despite our experiences being most authentic to the roots of the genre. 

Virago is an iconic San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and transgender woman who’s been performing as her authentic self, as she notes in interviews, since the early ‘90s. Dubbed the ‘fairy godmother of trans country artists,’ Virago’s work is a north star for a genre struggling to connect to its roots.

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WMOT Interviews Jared Deck on The Sting

In a nation beset by disinformation and division, Oklahoma country soul artist Jared Deck has taken his truth, quite deliberately, to the nexus of music and politics. While writing and recording his latest album, he also marched his faith in progressive ideas and civil process to the public stage of the statehouse in Oklahoma City as a Democratic representative from District 44.

The crabby “shut up and sing” crowd simply won’t know what to do with him.

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B-Sides & Badlands Premieres Paula Boggs Band’s Live Performance

“An exorcism, we need it now,” warbles Paula Boggs. That line underscores in bright red ink the very sociopolitical climate today. While “America 2020” specifically reflects the state of things in 2020, it could not be more timely than it is now. With the presidential race heating up, and as Kamala Harris makes her bid for the White House, the track sees a live version that captures the anxieties, displeasures, and aching desires for a better future.

With musician Anton Patzner supplying skin-scratching fiddle, “America 2020” in its live form takes on a powerful new shell. Boggs wields her voice like a torch, offering warmth and light but not skimping on the sheer rage rattling in our collective bones. “When I was little, I pledged the flag / People need symbols, national swag / I don’t begrudge protest or fight,” she sings, her voice steely as a skyscraper. “You see I wore the uniform to protect your right.”

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