The Best Americana, Country and Folk Music Publicity
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.
“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.”
Paula Boggs Band knows they’re cool — and they know that has nothing to do with age. “Goo Goo Dolls decries the sorry state of the music industry — and the fact that probably no rock’n’roll band will reach the ascendancy of certain ’90s radio darlings, not to mention those who never got the chance because they weren’t straight white men. On this live recording, the Seattle-based Americana band brings some New Orleans groove to the proceedings, proving that Boggs and her band have what it takes to wow a crowd with their music — if only there was infrastructure to support them.
Mike Montrey has long been celebrated for his dynamic presence and soulful voice. With Love, Time, Mortality (out August 2nd) the band continues to build on their impressive repertoire, showcasing a rich blend of folk, rock, and Americana influences. Montrey has been a fixture in the music scene long enough to avoid clichés about musical journeys; his work speaks for itself. His previous collaborations with names like Grammy-winning producers Jim Scott and Marc Swersky brought different flavors to his music. However, with Love, Time, Mortality, Montrey brings us into his most personal songwriting yet.
Montrey’s voice was born for punk and is right at home in folk and Americana. Like many before him — Langhorne Slim, Two Cow Garage, John Moreland — there is pleasure in taking things more slowly, and savoring the experience. In our interview, Montrey talks about life on the road and what musicians need to stay there.
Fresh off her triumph as a Kerrville Folk finalist, Tai Shan starts the summer right with “Jump On In,” the first single from her forthcoming third album Wildflower Moon.
Produced by Neilson Hubbard (John Prine, Jason Isbell), “Jump on In” blends the swampy feel of vintage Bonnie Raitt with the lyrical poignancy of Joni Mitchell that transports you right into the song’s setting like you’re splashing into an oil painting.
“‘Jump On In’ is a song about swimming,” Shan tells Rock & Roll Globe. “Every summer, my family hits the road and travels across the country playing shows. In the heat of the day, we often take out our phones or consult that tattered Rand McNally Atlas to find a river. Finding access can sometimes be tricky, driving up dirt roads, sandy paths, and mountain roads in our van with our 13 ft trailer bouncing behind. We’ve had a few flats along the way. But as soon as we’re in that water on a cool day, it’s peaceful and fun.”
Not exactly renowned for its inclusivity or progressive views on the spectrum of sexual identity, country music has nevertheless been a source of inspiration for numerous LGBTQ artists over the years, from Lavender Country and Peter Grudzien in the ’70s to Orville Peck and Brandi Carlile today.
With the May 31 release of Blood In Her Dreams, it’s time to give the pioneering Shawna Virago her wildflowers. In the early ‘90s, well before the fight for trans inclusivity and representation entered mainstream discourse, she was one of the very few openly transgender musical performers in America.
After years of performing solo and in a band, Virago released her debut album, the mostly acoustic Objectified, in 2009. While the flavor of Los Angeles punk pioneers X has always inspired Virago’s (comparatively quieter) music, Blood In Her Dreams finds her adding an electric jolt of cowpunk adrenaline to her lyrically detailed, emotionally resonant Americana. Songs like “Ghosts Cross State Lines,” “Eternity Street” and “Climb to the Bottom” paint empathetic, vivid portraits of hard-luck types who’ve been battered but not beaten by life; like Lucinda Williams, Virago finds a dusty beauty in the rugged troublemakers living a country mile from polite society.