The new single from Matthew Check is a rhythmic foot-tapper, upbeat and full of energy. ‘Couple of Reasons’ makes the perfect soundtrack for driving through those wide-open spaces you see in the accompanying video. The harmonies, percussion and melody combine to create a positive vibe but pay attention to the lyrics, which offer a contrast to the song’s sonic happiness.
In the wake of recent press at The Bluegrass Situation, Americana UK, Glide Magazine, Ditty TV, and the Billboard Country Update, Nashville Americana / folk-blues artist Bill Filipiak released new record, Medicine I Need, Friday, Oct. 1, on Vidlicity Records.
As a producer for the most hallowed of Nashville roots-music institutions, the Grand Ole Opry, Filipiak has had a chance to not only brush elbows with, but really get to know and learn from, some of the finest Americana artists around. Which, of course, has been a major influence on his own work. With his latest—and most fully realized—record to date, Filipiak taps the inspiration and wisdom of these artists, honing his lifelong passion for music and songwriting into an impressive, thoughtful and healing folk-blues journey, the aptly titled Medicine I Need.
“When you have the opportunity to talk songwriting with these people and watch them perform—I’m talking about folks like Larkin Poe, Sarah Jarosz, Molly Tuttle, Bryan Sutton and Allison Russell; artists like Lera Lynn and Maggie Rose, who insist on finding their own path while staying true to who they are; or maybe you spend a couple days with a legend like Keb Mo, George Thorogood or Ray Wylie Hubbard—after that,” Filipiak says, “it’s hard not to pick up your instrument, try to emulate what they’ve done, then come up with your own idea and follow through on it.”
And that’s exactly what Filipiak has done with Medicine I Need. The album—his third full-length—features a unique palette: the gritty blues power of a Gretsch Honey Dipper resonator guitar, mellowed by a splash of Beach Boys surf and a healthy dose of Wurlitzer electric piano. Filipiak—who recorded, engineered, produced and played every sound you hear on this singular vision of a record—simmers these ingredients into a potent and satisfying stew of downhome country-blues, folk and Americana.
New York-based singer-songwriter Mimi Oz is back later this month with her third studio album, Growing Pains. Melding influences from jazz, folk, soul, and vintage pop songstresses, Oz’s latest work is a wide-ranging genre sampler, all filtered through her own intimate themes of loneliness and alienation. Oz has already shared a handful of singles from the record, including “In The Water,” “Time Will Tell,” and “Caroline,” and today she’s back with her latest single, “Hate,” premiering with Under the Radar.
Incredible indie / chamber-pop group Takénobu released their new album, Always Leave a Note, early last month to rave reviews. Now the truly dynamic duo—singer-cellistNick Ogawa and his wife, singer-violinist Kathryn Koch—have teamed up with Ghost Cult to share the evocative new video for their single “Got To Get By.” The track is an entrancing melodic wonder, with haunted vocals, a super-catchy hook and deep lyrics that draw you in. Coupled with this amazing video, the visuals are sure to drum up a well of emotions about isolation, mental health and trying to cope through these dark times.
If Tom Waits decided to sing some bluegrass-type songs dipped in a jar of blues spices he’d be as good as Bill Filipiak. 55-year-old Bill comes from the same cloth as Otis Taylor—as he unravels a gritty, upbeat, convincing array of bruised ballads of glittering fragments. Bits of glass in the sidewalk. There’s experience in his musical notes.
Medicine I Need (drops Oct 1 – independent) is Bill’s 3rd LP of welded-together dusty blues, undercurrents of burlesque, foot-stomping boots on the wooden porch & wailing harmonicas scaring off the crows. The penetration of his vintage-ness is ripe. He could sing folk, blues, minstrel & spirituals and still come out the real thing. “Fearing the Dawn” is country-blues brawn & grit.
Read more & check out Bill Filipiak’s recent single “Fearing the Dawn” at Americana Highways.
Emerging Ohio singer-songwriter Angela Perley has returned with an anthem of the post-lockdown era, “Here For You”. The latest track from the genre-defying vintage psych-folk-rock artist serves as a preview of a forthcoming solo album.