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Bruce Cockburn is considered by fellow Canadians of his generation to be one of the nation’s greatest singers, songwriters and guitarists, on par with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and the late Gordon Lightfoot. But his familiarity is not nearly as strong with younger indie musicians and music fans, so Tompkins Square Records recruited well-respected indie artist James Toth, known for his work with Wooden Wand, to curate the 13th volume of its guitar series, Imaginational Anthem. Although there is a focus on Bruce as a guitarist, there are also vocal tracks on the album. The tribute will be released on April 5th.

Lake Street Dive announces their first album on Fantasy Records will be released June 21st. Their title track, “Good Together”, exemplifies the mood: “There’s a lot to be angry about in the world right now, a lot of pain and rage and divisiveness, but it isn’t sustainable to constantly live in that anger—you need something else to keep you going,” says drummer Mike Calabrese. “Joy is a great way to sustain yourself, and we wanted to encourage everyone to stay aware of that. In a way this album is our way of saying, ‘Take your joy very seriously.’” Alisa Amador made history in 2022 with the first-ever Spanish language song to win the prestigious Tiny Desk Contest. Then in March of 2023, she performed in Studio B with Emily Scott Robinson and Violet Bell, and her Argentinian folk song appeared on our latest Crowd Around the Mic compilation. Now we await her full-length debut album Multitudes with this first single, “I Need to Believe”. And we have the first new Indigo Girls song in four years, “What We Wanna Be,” recorded last November. The single features on the soundtrack to a new movie musical Glitter & Doom, which charts the romance between aspiring circus performer Glitter (Filipino star Alex Diaz) and struggling musician Doom (UK newcomer Alan Cammish), told through a bold reimagining of 25 iconic Indigo Girls songs, including “Closer to Fine,” “Power of Two” and “Get Out the Map."

We’re pleased to see a new one from one of the funniest, most irreverent, most clever new singer/songwriters on the scene, Portland, Oregon’s John Craigie. This time he’s backed by a band we know called TK & The Holy Know-Nothings: Taylor Kingman (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, bass, vocals), Jay Cobb Anderson (pedal steel, harmonica, piano, acoustic guitar, organ, electric guitar, bass, vocals), Lewi Longmire (bass, piano, trumpet, organ, vocals), Sydney Nash (organ, piano, trumpet, trombone, alto sax, Wurlitzer, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Also featuring Bart Budwig (trumpet, vocals). Music fans who like a little dark humor in their folk, blues & rock, tune in!

It was Washington, DC native Christopher Vrenios’ deep appreciation for the sounds coming out of Kingston, Jamaica that led him to produce and record with legendary reggae artists Sly and Robbie, The Itals, Augustus Pablo, Sugar Minot, and Don Carlos, the original lead singer from Grammy-winning group Black Uhuru. He also has co-written and recorded with fellow DC act Thievery Corporation. This cool new project features roots Reggae beats across an instrumental album that also employs the use of traditional Chinese instruments—a first for the genre.

At the end of 2021, after serendipitously sharing bills separately several times, Willis approached Leigh and Carper about teaming up and playing some shows together. Wanting more than your standard songwriter-in-the-round arrangement, the three learned each other's songs to create a more integrated, band approach. Those first few shows together were so much fun and so well-received that they decided to continue. With Leigh playing lead guitar and mandolin, Carper on upright bass, and Willis playing rhythm guitar, they support each other's distinctive original material with beautiful three-part harmonies. Their new six-song EP was recorded at Bismeaux on the Hill in Austin, TX in December of 2023. It features two songs by each artist, including a couple of Carper/Leigh co-writes, and one reimagined John Prine tune.

We’re glad to have this new one from our friends up in Virginia! Trent Wagler (Vocals, Guitar, Banjo), Jay Lapp (Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals), Eric Brubaker (Fiddle, Vocals), Kevin Garcia (Drums, Percussion, Mallet Keyboards), and Jeremy Darrow (Bass) have twelve new songs on Sideways, out on February 9th. It’s the 13th album for this band that formed in 2005. “This album is dedicated to people who understand that even when we’re growing sideways, we’re still growing,” says Trent.

The Redheaded Stranger turning 90 was certainly cause for celebration this year, and they held quite the party on April 29th and 30th at The Hollywood Bowl. Various audio and video recordings of the soiree have been released (LP, CD, Blu-Ray, etc.), with guests ranging from Billy Strings, Bobby Weir, Charley Crockett, & Dwight Yoakam, to Margo Price, Tyler Childers, Warren Haynes, and Ziggy Marley.

“The swami of swamp rock…JJ Grey is a North Florida sage and purveyor of the funkiest swamp rock the world has ever heard…Chicken-scratch guitar and bone-deep songs.”Oxford American is right on target with that description of Grey and his band, and it’s great to have a new one chronicling stories of his North Florida roots, the first since 2015. His tales are no doubt inspired by his time spent as an avid outdoorsman, dedicated fisherman, and expert surfer – he’s written passionately about his love for preserving the environment of his North Florida home.

Colby grew up in an “underground house” built by his late father on family land in SW Virginia (Boone’s Mill), half a mile from their nearest neighbors. He spent his younger years teaching himself to play guitar, banjo, and mandolin through YouTube videos, and now has this debut album at age 21 that’s getting a LOT of attention! He’ll be at MerleFest this April, and we’ll get to know him on New Tunes at 2 and in subsequent weeks.

Join us as we celebrate one of our favorite regional (Candler area) musicians, with a wonderful, humble, grounding spirit. As his website describes him, “When it comes to the modern-day singer-songwriter, he remains a bastion of musical talent and lyrical aptitude — a melodic voice-of-reason and safe haven amid a 21st century world seemingly gone mad.” This is his 5th solo album, in addition to his former work with Band of Horses. “[The album title track] is about letting go of innocence and facing the reality of a society that is in decline — one that is refusing to change course or even pause itself,” Ramsey says. “It’s searching for hope in all of this. It’s wanting my children to be able to experience this world with wonder and joy and not have to carry the weight of our mistakes. …I feel secure in what I do musically and I believe in what I’m writing. I try to write songs that I believe every word of. I don’t want to ever dance around something or have to sing lyrics that don’t feel like truth to me.”