Your Front Row Seat To Americana Music
A roundup of the latest in Americana, alt-country, folk, and bluegrass music. Yes, the Pew Playlist is supposed to be published each Friday. But some things are worth the wait. This week we're featuring plenty of traditional sounds, with a few appearances from their more modern counterparts. Without further ado, here is this week’s Pew... Continue Reading →
A new Spotify playlist rounding up the best new Americana. Sit back, relax, and take a listen. Loyal readers of Mother Church Pew will be familiar with the Pew Playlist. It's been a regular feature of the blog and a fan favorite. It's also a lot of fun to put together because I get to... Continue Reading →
The Oh Hellos - Eurus EP Eurus, the second installment of The Oh Hellos' four-EP project inspired by the Greek mythological wind deities that bring the seasons, is out today. Throughout the series, there’s an overarching question being asked: “Where did my ideas come from?” With each EP and the “wind” it represents, siblings Tyler and... Continue Reading →
Animal Years - Far From Home Brooklyn-by-way-of-Baltimore pop rockicana trio Animal Years released their new EP today via eOne Records, a follow up to their acclaimed debut Sun Will Rise. Produced by Ryan Hadlock, renowned for his work with The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile and Vance Joy, Far From Home houses five life-affirming fist-pumpers that are a guilty pleasure... Continue Reading →
Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton - Wildflower Blues The Be Good Tanyas co-founders Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton gracefully wind their twangy way through rootsy folk and ragtime jazz, to soulful R&B and rollicking rock n' roll on their new album, Wildflower Blues, out today via their own label, Cinquefoil Records. Featuring originals and covers of Townes... Continue Reading →
Penny & Sparrow - Wendigo Kyle Jahnke and Andy Baxter follow up their acclaimed 2015 release, Let A Lover Drown You, with Wendigo, their brand new album out today via I Love You. Known for their cerebrally poignant lyrics and aching harmonies, this Texas-bred Florence, Alabama-based alt-folk duo sets the bar even higher with this record. Named for a... Continue Reading →
Ben Sollee and Kentucky Native - self-titled With his new album, internationally acclaimed cellist, composer, singer-songwriter, and environmentalist Ben Sollee pushed the boundaries of our bluegrass-leaning imaginations; with his stellar accompanying string band, Kentucky Native, Sollee has corralled and incorporated the sounds of bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle, Celtic folk, and Congolese rhythms. Paying homage to the... Continue Reading →
Pokey LaFarge—Manic Revelations On his last album, Pokey LaFarge and his swoon-worthy trembling tenor seemed to celebrate the sounds of the late 1940s and early 1950s, and on Manic Revelations, out today, LaFarge has dipped a toe or two in the early 1960s. Though he relishes the sonic styles of yesteryear, his lyrics are timeless, and... Continue Reading →
Rev. Sekou - In Times Like These Probably one of the most important and relevant albums yet of 2017, Rev. Osagyefo Sekou combines the blues learned during his youth--the sound and the experiences as well--with testimony-inspiring Pentecostal roots gospel. Sekou, a noted activist, author, documentary filmmaker and theologian, has infused in his album, In Times Like These,... Continue Reading →
Craig Brown Band--The Lucky Ones Forget Detroit's Craig Brown released his debut full-length via Third Man Records (SWOON), and it's a countrified hum-dinger. Equal parts honky-tonk hillbilly and dive bar derelict, Brown has crafted a rock and pedal steel-infused collection of barroom punkicana that will surely delight showgoers of all ages. The Company Stores--Little Lights... Continue Reading →