Your Front Row Seat To Americana Music
“You have to go through something for it to be real,” soulstress Nicole Wray, a.k.a. Lady Wray, has said of her rollercoaster ride of a music career. From earning gold records and presiding as a member of the 90s hip hop ruling class, to bandmate fallout and struggles with the music business, Lady Wray and... Continue Reading →
Virginia-born singer/songwriter Lady Wray has everything you’d want in a singer: an infectious Jackson-5-family-member flare, a range like Aretha’s, and a church upbringing that’s brought a pure, healing texture to her voice and gained her a mentor in Missy Elliot. But the struggles of the music business, with both label and band-mate fallout, have taken the artist... Continue Reading →
Soul music—a genre synonymous with places like Memphis, Detroit, Chicago, and…Des Moines? That’s right, y’all. Des Moines, Iowa has a thriving arts community which is home to my new favorite blue-eyed soul outfit, The Maytags, who will release their debut full-length record, Love Lines, on July 1st. “What’s happening here is super unique; there have... Continue Reading →
Mother Church Pew had so much fun with The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers last week! Not only did we have the honor of presenting their show in Nashville, the band sang a new and unreleased song just for us the next day at The Quill in East Nashville. Written by drummer and co-founder Will Wadsworth,... Continue Reading →
It’s a familiar story—musical boy meets musical girl, they join musical forces, and fall in love along the way. Lee Ferris and Bianca Caruso, otherwise known as soul-icana duo Freddy & Francine, have put twists, turns, and an alternate ending on this age-old tale. The pair met on the set of a musical, formed a... Continue Reading →
“It sounds so cliché, but I’ve always loved music. When I was a little kid, I heard Joe Cocker sing, and I remember really liking the sound of his voice. It made me want to sing. I’ve always identified myself as a singer; there were always other girls who were prettier than me, or smarter... Continue Reading →
“We get labeled as a retro band, and though we draw a lot of influence from older music, I feel like the way we put things together is very different,” says Lech Wierzynski, frontman for soulful rhythm and blues-y collective The California Honeydrops. The golden-voiced Wierzynski, who also plays guitar and trumpet, was born in... Continue Reading →
Blue-eyed soul man and all-around force to be reckoned with Nathaniel Rateliff, and his band, The Night Sweats, descended upon the Music City recently to perform at the Mercy Lounge. The show was sold out, which was no surprise, and the crowd, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, let the spirit of soul take them over as they worked... Continue Reading →
"I've always had a thing for lyrics," says Son Little, the artist formerly known as Aaron Livingston and literal son of a preacher man, who recently released his self-titled debut album on label ANTI- Records. "I've written a lot of songs in the last few years, and had done a lot of work where there was... Continue Reading →
Have you ever heard a song that grabbed your heart, invaded your soul, held onto both for dear life, and made you feel things you forgot you could even feel? Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have created an entire album of songs that do exactly that, a self-titled debut on Memphis, Tennessee's renowned label Stax Records, home of... Continue Reading →