Vents Magazine interviews Nashville indie-folk/Americana group Lake and Lyndale. READ MORE…
Vents Magazine
Vents Magazine debuts new single from David Burchfield, “Feelin’ Pretty Alright”
Years before David Burchfield refined his distinctive blend of heart-on-sleeve indie folk, Woody Guthrie wanderlust and effortlessly genuine Americana, the Kansas City native earned his songwriting stripes in the trenches alongside like-minded artists Joe Pug and David Ramirez. Growing up in a house soundtracked by Bonnie Raitt & Neil Young records, Burchfield picked up the guitar at age 12, and cut his teeth singing Sunday-morning hymns in the church. Later, he spent his college summers working at a wilderness area in New Mexico, picking old-time songs with friends around the campfire at night.
Vents Magazine champions Julie Amici & Dean Mueller’s new record, I Loved You So: “a top contender for best eclectic/folk record of the 2020s so far”
When two singer/songwriters as skilled as Julie Amici & Dean Mueller get together, you know that some sparks are going to fly, and that’s exactly what happens shortly after pressing play on their new joint album I Loved You So. I Loved You So has all the hallmarks of a brooding, immensely reflective folk-rock effort, but in songs like its title track, Amici & Mueller make it very clear to us that they have no interest in following the rules and conventions commonly associated with contemporary alternative folk music.
There’s a reflective tone to this number offered up amidst lighthearted swing, and though that same tone is recycled in the slow-rolling “Sardines and Saltines,” it doesn’t sound as though it’s been simply repurposed with a new melody and a different groove. In this album, these two players cover as much ground as they can within eleven of the more eccentric songs you’re likely to hear before the spring season is over, yet their efforts sound anything but overambitious – on the contrary, their willingness to reflect honest emotionality through both texture and tonality is a breath of fresh air this year. READ MORE…
Vents Magazine interviews Julie Amici & Dean Mueller about their new album, recent single, influences, the Portland music scene, the pandemic’s effect on touring & more
Julie Amici & Dean Mueller make Americana in the old-school sense. Their new LP, I Loved You So, is a thick, low-simmering stew of country, folk and blues peppered with subtle hints of jazz and gospel. In the last few years, this melting-pot of traditional American sounds has taken them from their hometown of Portland, Ore., all the way to Memphis, Tenn., where they’ve been recognized by the Cascade Blues Association not only as recording artists and performers, but also for their nonprofit work—bringing the gift of music to disadvantaged children, people with autism and the elderly through the Mudd Nick Foundation, United By Music and their own organization, Fly Me to the Moon, operated in partnership with the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.
For their new album, I Loved You So, Julie & Dean once again partnered with producer Alan Jones (Esperanza Spalding, Kelly Joe Phelps), who was also at the helm for their 2017 debut EP, Yellow Roses. For the sessions, Jones was on drums and percussion, and Amici handled the bulk of the lead vocals, with Mueller also singing a few songs and playing rhythm guitar, as well as electric and upright bass.
Vents recently caught up with Julie & Dean to discuss the new album, recent single “Frame It on the Wall,” their songwriting influences, the Portland, Ore., music scene, and the pandemic’s effect on touring. READ MORE…
Vents Magazine interviews country singer Craig Gerdes about his new single, forthcoming album Tough As Nails, and the life of a road-dog stuck in quarantine
Steeped in the white lines, black tar and diesel smoke of the American highway, Tough As Nails—the latest LP from Craig Gerdes—is raw and real, a document of a road-tested band fast on the rise. Ever since the central-Illinois songwriter released his lauded 2018 debut LP, Smokin’ Drinkin’ & Gamblin’—and right up until the current pandemic—he’s been on tour almost constantly, playing upwards of 150 shows per year, including opening slots and festival support for top country and Americana artists from Tyler Childers and Paul Cauthen to Jamey Johnson and Cody Jinks, as well as a lengthy run with hard-rocker-turned-country-star Aaron Lewis.
Sit with him for five minutes and you’ll know that Gerdes is a natural-born storyteller. Really, Tough as Nails (out April 24) is a documentary in album form. It deals with real people, real places and real struggles, collected along the interstate as Gerdes and his band played an endless parade of one-night stands. New single “Pennies, Feather and Dimes,” premiering today at Vents, was written as a tribute to our departed ancestors, family and friends. READ MORE…
VENTS Magazine debuts new video from Emby Alexander, discussing upcoming singles & new 𝑺𝑶𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝑬𝑹𝑨 LP.
Arizona-based experimental pop outfit, Emby Alexander, are unquestionably adept at crafting resplendent, oblique and big-hearted hooks that relentlessly shift and wriggle, as is the nature of their infectious, experimental pop schema. Touring extensively and playing festivals throughout North America, the band has garnered international recognition, opening for The Dodos on their 10-year anniversary tour of Visiter, and sharing bills with Weyes Blood, Courtney Marie Andrews, Miniature Tigers, Chicano Batman and more.