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On her 2018 debut album Lush, seventeen-year-old Lindsey Jordan sang “I’m in full control / I’m not lost / Even when it’s love / Even when it’s not”. Her natural ability to be many things at once resonated with a lot of people. The contradiction of confidence and vulnerability, power and delicacy, had the impact of a wrecking ball when put to tape. It was an impressive and unequivocal career-making moment for Jordan.On Valentine, her sophomore album out November 5th on Matador, Lindsey solidifies and defines this trajectory in a blaze of glory. In 10 songs, written over 2019-2020 by Jordan alone, we are taken on an adrenalizing odyssey of genuine originality in an era in which “indie” music has been reduced to gentle, homogenous pop composed mostly by ghost writers. Made with careful precision, Valentine shows an artist who has chosen to take her time. The reference points are broad and psychically stirring, while the lyrics build masterfully on the foundation set by Jordan’s first record to deliver a deeper understanding of heartbreak.On “Ben Franklin”, the second single of the album, Jordan sings “Moved on, but nothing feels true / Sometimes I hate her just for not being you / Post rehab I’ve been feeling so small / I miss your attention, I wish I could call”. It’s here that she mourns a lost love, conceding the true nature of a fleeting romantic tie-up and ultimately, referencing a stay in a recovery facility in Arizona. This 45-day interlude followed issues stemming from a young life colliding with sudden fame and success. Since she was not allowed to bring her instruments or recording equipment, Jordan began tabulating the new album arrangements on paper solely out of memory and imagination. It was after this choice to take radical action that Valentine really took its unique shape.Jordan took her newfound sense of clarity and calm to Durham, North Carolina, along with the bones of a new album. Here she worked with Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee). For all the album’s vastness and gravity, it was in this small home studio that Jordan and Cook chipped away over the winter of early 2021 at co-producing a dynamic collection of genre-melding new songs, finishing it triumphantly in the spring. They were assisted by longtime bandmates Ray Brown and Alex Bass, as well as engineer Alex Farrar, with a live string section added later at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond.Leaning more heavily into samples and synthesizers, the album hinges on a handful of remarkably untraditional pop songs. The first few seconds of opener and title track ‘Valentine’ see whispered voice and eerie sci-fi synth erupt into a stadium-sized, endorphin-rush of a chorus that is an overwhelming statement of intent. “Ben Franklin”, “Forever (Sailing)” and “Madonna” take imaginative routes to the highest peaks of catchiness. Jordan has always sung with a depth of intensity and conviction, and the climactic pop moments on Valentine are delivered with such a tenet and a darkness and a beauty that’s noisy and guttural, taking on the singularity that usually comes from a veteran artist.Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
Jon Ward Beyle
A compelling songwriter and natural performer, Jon Ward Beyle expertly draws on the sounds of acoustic Americana and folk as well as the energy of rock & roll to back his honest, cut-to-the-bone lyrics. Having honed his craft through live performances the past four years, Beyle’s debut full-length album Worth Stopping For is set to bring him into the folk-rock spotlight. Worth Stopping For, released on December 2nd, 2021, shows Beyle’s versatility as both a songwriter and a performer. Armed with an eclectic mix of foot-stomping, thought-provoking, intensely transparent songs and a backing band of strong local musicians, Beyle never hesitated to push the envelope while exploring various themes and musical styles throughout the recording process. Beyle has become a staple of the Triangle, NC music scene playing such venues and festivals as Cat’s Cradle, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, The Pour House Music Hall, The Pinhook, and The Station. Additionally, Beyle is the host of the popular weekly music series Beer & Banjos in Carrboro, NC aimed at highlighting traditional and acoustic music from the state of North Carolina. Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Rebekah Todd
Rebekah Todd’s brand of “Cosmic Soul Rock” is a force to be reckoned with! Based out of North Carolina, Rebekah and her band bring a fresh energy to each performance, which carries fans to a place that can only be described as transcendental and unforgettable. Pulling from a wide range of influences from Hiatus Kaiyote to Tedeschi Trucks Band, Todd focuses on the art of expression, above all else. Todd currently has three releases under her belt; an EP, two LP’s with a third full length album “Realign” set for a Fall 2022 release. Todd has received countless awards and recognitions including 2013 Carolina Music Awards “Best Female Musician,” 2016 winner of Floyd Fest “On The Rise” Competition, 2017 Wilma Magazine’s “Woman to Watch,” 2018 Encore Magazine’s “Best Female Musician” and much more. The band is adored at festivals and Rebekah is known for exhilarating performances with acts such as Keller Williams, Big Something, Vince Herman, Andy Frasco, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, The Fritz and has been billed alongside acts such as Karl Denson, Mavis Staples, Dr Dog, Dumpstaphunk, Artimus Pyle, Shovels & Rope, Hiss Golden Messenger, Citizen Cope, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers and Rusted Root. In addition to having her own podcast (Rebekah Toddcast), she has been featured on Michael Franti’s podcast “Stay Human.” Keep your eyes peeled for this rising star, as she aims towards the sky with no limits!Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Movements
Reflecting personal changes from a whirlwind five years, Movements realize the full scope of their storytelling, musicianship, and vision on their second full-length album, No Good Left To Give [Fearless Records]. Not only does the music address the emotional push-and-pull of relationships, but it also explores loss, love, mental health, and even intimacy through a prism of newfound clarity soundtracked by post-punk grit, alternative expanse, heartfelt spoken word, expensive rock, and subtle pop ambition. The Southern California quartet—Patrick Miranda [vocals], Ira George [guitar], Spencer York [drums], and Austin Cressey [bass]—quietly worked towards this moment since forming in 2015. Following the 2016 EP Outgrown Things, the group cemented a singular sound on their 2017 full-length debut, Feel Something. Eclipsing 40 million total streams by 2020, it immediately connected by way of “Daylilly” [11.1 million Spotify streams], “Full Circle” [6.1 million Spotify streams], and “Colorblind” [5.5 million Spotify streams]. Along the way, the four-piece received acclaim from Brooklyn Vegan, AXS, Rock Sound, Culture Collide, and more. In between packing shows worldwide, they joined forces with Alzheimer’s Association for the “Deadly Dull” video and covered “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. for the Songs that Saved My Life compilation. Recorded with longtime producer and frequent collaborator Will Yip [Title Fight, Turnover], they introduce this chapter with spectral and soaring “Ghost” and unassumingly intimate “Skin To Skin,” among other anthems.Links: Website
Andrea Gibson’s You Better Be Lightning Tour
Andrea Gibson (they/them/their) is one of the most stirring and influential spoken word artists of our time. Best known for their live performances, in which they regularly sell out large capacity rock clubs and concert halls, Gibson has changed the landscape of what it means to attend a “poetry show” altogether. Gibson’s poems center around LGBTQ issues, gender, feminism, and mental health, as well as gun reform and the dismantling of oppressive social systems. Their live shows, in which they are often accompanied by musicians, have become loving and supportive ecosystems for audiences to feel seen, heard, and held through Gibson’s art. Gibson is the author of six-full-length collections of poetry, including You Better Be Lightning (Button Poetry 2021), which has sold over 25,000 copies worldwide. Winner of the Independent Publisher’s Award in 2022 and 2019, Andrea is also a three-time Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist. In 2017, Penguin Books published Take Me With You, an illustrated collection of Gibson’s most beloved quotes, and in 2019, Chronicle books published their first non-fiction endeavor, How Poetry Can Change Your Heart. In addition to their publishing accolades, Andrea has released seven full-length albums, combining their socially active spoken word with musical collaborations. They are the winner of the first Women’s World Poetry Slam, Gibson has gone on to be featured on BBC, Air America, CSpan and The Good Life Project.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
Stephen Day
The pandemic hasn’t left anyone’s life unchanged. In February 2020 Stephen Day was gearing up to tour his 2019 album Guess I’m Grown Now. He and his band were prepping for his first show in Asia then ready to return to the states for his first headline tour a week later. As news on COVID-19 started to spread and the world began to shut down, Day’s view of the immanent future, like everyone else’s, was no longer certain. On March 7th flights to the Philippines were canceled, then SXSW along with his official showcase slot that was no longer, and he and his team had to make the decision to cancel his tour. Like that, Day, along with the rest of the world was in a new digitally driven community. Over a year later as the world starts to re-open the 25 year old Nashville resident has taken the time to reflect on his place in culture, business, and art. “It felt like the world around me and the world inside me was begging for me to dig deeper, in a way asking me to accept the calling of being an artist and I did my best to answer back.” Since the shutdown Day released his first self-produced project Original Song’s and Sound, collaborated with Allen Stone, and passed 43 million streams on his catalog. American Songwriter called his track “Every Way (Supernatural),” “a huge musical leap forward” and went on to add that it “signals rebirth and renewed creative force.” The five song EP made alone in the confines of his bedroom lend to the crooner vocal performance his fans have come to love as well as moving his sound into a contemporary space. Since the start of 2021 Day has written, recorded, and finished his second full length album which will be out this fall. The project was co-produced by Micah Tawlks (COIN, Hayley Williams, Liza Anne) and Day. Eager to get it out to fans Stephen says, “I put so much of myself into this record in hopes that we could all grow a little closer together after the year and a half we’ve had of being separated. It feels like the easiest way to re-enter and rebuild a more social and communal world is by remembering how to give away a little bit of yourself to someone and trusting them with it.” The project represents a new era for Stephen that isn’t afraid to push boundaries sonically or in subject matter. He’s come a long way since his 2016 debut and looking forward to the future ahead.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Field Medic
Field Medic is the lo-fi folk project of Kevin Patrick Sullivan. At eighteen, he discovered the music of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, who changed his perspective on what a song could be and led to him developing his own style which he describes as “freak folk/post country with an emphasis on finger style guitar and lyrics.”Sullivan initially embraced lo-fi because he felt that his home recordings were a truer method of expressing what he was creating than anything he could do in a studio. Drawing inspiration from new wave and rap, Sullivan pushed the boundaries of what a folk song could be, incorporating new elements in each subsequent release from analogue drum machines to Casio keyboards to banjo. The immediacy of that recording process and the freedom of experimentation inherent within are central to Field Medic’s character, extending through his music to his freestyle, improvised mixtapes and his poetry.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Honey Magpie
Known for vocal harmonies, classical string instruments, and nature-inspired lyrics, Honey Magpie is fronted by Millennial singer-songwriters Rachael Hurwitz (guitar, keys) and Pippa Hoover (cello). Their sound invites comparisons to all-female folk groups like I’m With Her, but draws more influence from pop than bluegrass or old time. The band formed in 2015, when all members were in their mid-to-late 20s. Despite what felt like a late start in music, Honey Magpie pursued performing and recording wholeheartedly. They gained early success in the Triangle when they won the band contest at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in 2015. They released their debut album Honey Magpie in 2017, and have since been featured in the Oak City Sessions video series and on WUNC’s The State of Things. Their single “Undecided” premiered on Pop Matters in January 2020. Their second album Midnight Morning draws from a richer range of musical influences and boasts a higher production level than Honey Magpie. Listeners will recognize elements of 90s rock, 60s pop, country, and femme-fronted indie pop, supported by a full rhythm section of bass, drums, guitar, and keys. Millennials experiencing a “quarter-life crisis will relate to the album’s mix of joy, angst, and reflection on life, and fans of all ages will love the new depth in the band’s sound. Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud | YouTube
Joe Purdy
Mask and Proof of Vaccination and or a negative Covid-19 test taken by a licensed health professional within the previous 72 hours before the event are required for entry.Joe Purdy is an internationally acclaimed folk artist who has released 14 albums and a soundtrack to a movie in the last 15 years. Along the way, his songs have turned up on numerous TV shows, film soundtracks and he has co-starred in an acclaimed film.“American Folk” marked Joe’s first foray into acting. He also contributed to much of the soundtrack. It earned several awards including Best New Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival.Joe’s last album, “Who Will Be Next?”, is deeply rooted in the tradition of artists such as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. It is a searing commentary of our turbulent times. Joe’s determination to honor the giants of American folk music while applying his formidable skills as a writer and vocalist reveal him as a compassionate observer and participant in our times.Joe has just finished a new album which will be released soon and supported by a Worldwide Tour in 2022.Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Holy Fawn
Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
