“Light instrumental beats and the sweet vocals of its singer… a perfect song for a quiet day to just relax and enjoy the beauty around you. Come check out this beautiful work and be enchanted by this fun duo.”
Begin your day with this uplifting new song from husband and wife folk-duo Raveis Kole. The main take-away from ‘So Nice’ is the simple joy Laurie Raveis and Dennis Kole take in one another’s company and in performing together. The chorus melody and harmonies soar, lifting the we listeners and bringing light into our days. In the video, the couple play and sing, walk and drink, with genuine smiles on their faces; such delight is both refreshing and welcome in challenging times. Indeed, the song was inspired by the collective, joyous experience of playing to an appreciative crowd after pandemic restrictions were lifted. the audience were thankful as Raveis sang and this reflected in the lines: “So nice to be right here // Hanging out with friends old and new..Right now can you feel the wind’s at your back // Take a deep breath, relish this moment.” The sentiment is simple and direct and all the more powerful for that. Sonically and thematically, ‘So Nice’ feels free. Kole considers the song’s meaning: “I couldn’t help but reflect on the simplicities of life unfolding, that sense of expanded joy because people hadn’t been able to participate fully in life and were almost glowing with excitement to be out, to be together, enjoying live music.” Further exclusive reflections from Laurie Raveis and Dennis Kole about the song are below; huge thanks to them for their thoughtful comments and insight.
Heartland Canadian indie rockers The Sarandons deliver defiant optimism on their debut full-length album Sightlines, a rich body of work replete with spirited rhythms, lustrous synths, punctuated guitars and delightfully rugged vocal harmonies, produced by Dan Hosh (Wild Rivers, City and Colour, Glorious Sons) at Double Car Recording and Trench Recordings in Toronto. The Sarandons have shared stages with Dakota Mill, Mattie Leon, Julie Title and more.
A deep reflection on how the Brooklyn, New York-based singer and songwriter reached sobriety, “Old Wooden Floor” is a frank outpouring of the despair and survival of that moment in time, and one of the shared stories and narratives from Check’s own life that plays out on his second album, Without a Throne.
Check’s book of songs is getting more revelatory as time goes on. Scanning personal and peripheral stories and even the biblical with the old testament tale of King David’s son in “What a Father Would Do (Absalom),” Without a Throne cracks open a time capsule of long-forgotten songs in waiting, some for decades.
“Los Angeles folk & roots outfit Diane Hubka & The Sun Canyon Band releases new single “Baton Rouge,” out today. Hubka’s charming vocals lure you into dancing along to this feel-good Guy Clark cover. It’s like a sunny walk through a swampy town in this song about picking up your life and starting somewhere new. Something we can all relate to in this post-covid world. New Orleans-born drummer Lynn Coulter (Leon Russell, Carole King, Rita Coolidge) takes zydeco and african beats and melds them with legendary guitarist Albert Lee’s (Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, The Everly Brothers) one-of-a-kind guitar sounds.”
“From the first listening, “River” invites us to swim at sunset, and to drink until the middle of the night. Sharing good times with friends is definitely something that should never go away! Even if algorithms try to dictate your life, stay focused on what matters most: real life. And this song is exactly what makes it possible to put the feet on the ground and to disconnect if only for a moment.
Super festive, the song is probably one of the catchiest we’ve heard this year. If it doesn’t make you want to throw down your chair, get up, and dance, then we don’t understand anything.”