In case you need to catch up…go check out my initial 7 favorite things I had heard in 2014. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
https://www.redlineroots.com/2014/07/the-best-things-i-have-heard-in-2014-so-far/
Back? Ok, good. Well, there was an incredible amount of amazing music this year. But some just stood out. Not all records, not all “new artists”, but a mix of stuff that was new to me, released this year, and performers (and performances) I hadn’t yet really taken in. Here is my favorite of 2014 (the second half)…
Dan Blakeslee “Owed to the Tanglin Wind” : I don’t think I need to really expand upon why I love Dan as a performer, songwriter and a person so I will just focus on the record. But…I love this guy and he is just an incredible person. There is a warmth and subtle comfort to this record. It is vintage, old suitcase, yellowed paper, sepia toned goodness packed into a recording. If a record could be a blanket that you can curl up into, this would be one of the most cozy blankets ever. There is also a bit of splendor and wonder to Dan’s latest release. The textures and layers of sounds are just magical and make it a sure bet on any one’s best of list for 2014…obviously mine included.
https://danblakeslee.bandcamp.com/album/owed-to-the-tanglin-wind
Smith&Weeden “Smith&Weeden” : Hail, hail rock n’ roll…the boys of S&W first came on my radar via Michael Panico. Then I met Jesse while he was running sound this summer at Newport Folk in the Late July tent. He was a nice dude, so I checked out his band more and then immediately kicked my own ass for not getting into them earlier. With tasty guitar solos, huge harmonies, and Smith’s whiskey soaked voice leading the charge, these guys are a force of nature. Truly a great sound with catchy barroom laments and rock….good rock. Rock you like a…well just really good f’in music. Smith&Weeden proves that rock n’ roll is not dead, in fact it is alive and doing very well in our sister city of Providence with these fellas at the helm steering the ship.
https://smithandweeden.bandcamp.com/
Ryan Adams Self Titled: Ok…so he isn’t local or independent, but Ryan Adams
has had more of an effect on me as a songwriter than any other musician out there today. His self-titled new release had a groove to it that harkened back to the Cardinals days after coming off the acoustic driven ‘Ashes & Fire’, that was a bit subdued to my ear and didn’t have that burning deep heart that I always knew Adams for. Seriously, when that riff kicks in on Gimme Something Good or the placement of My Wrecking Ball on the album…that’s the kind of stuff that f’in melts my heart and makes me happy that there is music in the world.
Charlie Rose “Stowaways”: Something that made me super excited was seeing (and hearing) Charlie Rose get at it for himself in “Stowaways”. The guy plays with so many talented artists and makes them sound THAT much better, he deserves the limelight more than most any other person I could mention. Defined by super smart arrangements and Rose’s pleasant, but emotion driven, voice this album became a quick “go to” for me. And, there is a whole lot of variety on the record as well. With a bluesy number here, a straight folk tune there, the guy simply excels at every style and does so with an effortless grace (at least it seems so to us because its just so damn natural). I want to hate the guy but I can’t, because as much as his talent makes me jealous, he is just a good dude that makes such great music both on his own and with others.
http://www.charlierosemusic.com/
Isa Burke, Ellie Buckland and Mali Obomsawin: Matt Smith has probably tried to turn me onto these gals without me knowing it at least a handful of times and for whatever idiotic reason, I didn’t catch them until this past campfire festival at Club Passim. My god. I fell in love with the music coming off of the stage that day. The harmonies, the attitude, the musicianship. These 3 young ladies absolutely KILL it and do so without breaking a sweat. I don’t know. I really don’t know what else to say…this trio is probably my personal favorite new act of the year (at least to my own ears, I know they aren’t “new”, just new to me). Seriously ladies, you got it!
Joe Fletcher “You’ve Got the Wrong Man”: When I first saw Joe’s indiegogo campaign I didn’t think anything could be better…then I heard his record and I was floored. Stripped down to the bare bones of a song. The story and the writer shine through. There is no make-up, there is no hiding or covering up. Fletcher’s soul shines in these songs. He is an artist when it comes to telling a story and these songs are sheer proof of that fact. This is what folk music is supposed to be. This is what good music is supposed to be. Joe Fletcher…you sir may be “the wrong man” but you created a damn “right” record. This thing is pure gold.
Ron Gallo and Andrew Combs in the Late July tent at Newport Folk Festival: I absolutely loved Ron Gallo’s latest release “Ronny” it was very close to being in this spot right here, but it is very difficult to put onto a recording what is captured and felt in a real life experience. Watching Gallo sing to a gathering crowd of young folk fans and their parents (and of course other types of folks) was somewhat comical, but really endearing and wonderful to witness. He put his whole heart into those tunes and those kids were eating it up. There was a switching back and sitting in that took place and when Andrew Combs grabbed the guitar to sing a few I immediately went “holy shit, I think I have another new favorite songwriter on my list”. I am not even sure who I was missing on the main stages during this performance but the fact that I didn’t give a damn is why these fellas and their NFF performance landed on this list. (meh, f**k it…put Ron Gallo’s “Ronny” here too…shit was gooooooood!)
https://andrewcombs.bandcamp.com/