Will Overman w/ Justin Wells
Justin Wells first came to national attention with cult favorite Southern rock band Fifth on the Floor, which released a pair of well-received independent records before teaming up with Shooter Jennings on their breakout third album, 2013’s Ashes & Angels. The record debuted on the Billboard Country charts, earned critical raves, and helped land the band dates with the likes of Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Blackberry Smoke. The album would prove to be the band’s last, however. With the rug suddenly pulled out from under him, Wells decided to write his way through the disappointment, emerging stronger and more creatively invigorated on the other side with his solo debut, Dawn in the Distance. The record (and its subsequent touring) prompted the best reviews of Wells’ career, with Rolling Stone hailing his “gift for melody” and Saving Country Music praising his “stunning insight and honesty.” With his extraordinary second album, The United State, Kentucky’s Justin Wells explored our innate humanity and everything that comes with it: the joy, the sorrow, the ecstasy, the pain, the hope, the fear. Recorded with acclaimed producer Duane Lundy (Ringo Starr, Sturgill Simpson’s Sunday Valley, Joe Pug), the collection starts in the womb and works its way methodically to the afterlife, transcending politics and race and religion to tap into something far deeper, something infinitely more primal and timeless. While thematically speaking to commonalities in people’s lives, The United State underlines Wells’ commitment to carving his own path, tradition and genre be damned. w/ Will Overman:Will Overman’s music can be best described as a combination of Rock, Country, and Americana, but it’s not your typical Country-Americana sound. Sonically it is restless by nature, always searching for something new, and with Will’s heart-worn lyrics and dynamic vocal delivery, it makes for a memorable mixture that is hard to place but easy to love.
Crawford & Power
Virginia natives Crawford & Power are making waves within the country music scene with their unique sound. Authentically southern, Jake Crawford’s powerful vocal blended with a modern approach to the Dobro from Ethan Power, create a brand of country that has been lauded as a breath of fresh air to the genre.The duo have already opened for a variety of artists including The Marshall Tucker Band, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, The Charlie Daniels Band, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, 38 Special, Gary Allan, and Jerry Douglas, among many other major acts.With the help of their debut EP, “Play a Hank Jr. Song,” the duo have quickly eclipsed over 5 million on-demand streams. C&P followed up their debut release with many single releases between 2019-2021 highlighted by “She Liked to Get High” & “Letting You Go.” Crawford & Power are spending time in the studio with Producer Grady Saxman, and just released their new EP, “Bring it On Home,” on September 30th. With new music in store for fans in 2023 and beyond, these guys are just
Rob Leines
Southern Rock with an Outlaw Country attitude. A safe haven for rowdy behavior.
Kelsey Waldon with William Matheny
On her new album No Regular Dog, singer/songwriter/guitarist Kelsey Waldon shares a gritty and glorious portrait of living in devotion to your deepest dreams: the brutal self-doubt and unending sacrifice, hard-won wisdom and sudden moments of unimaginable transcendence. Revealing her supreme gift for spinning harsh truths into songs that soothe and brighten the soul, the Kentucky-bred artist ultimately makes an unassailable case for boldly following your heart—a sentiment perfectly encapsulated in No Regular Dog’s raw and radiant title track. No Regular Dog is country to the bone, a songwriter’s album in the tradition of Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and Waldon’s fellow Kentuckians Loretta Lynn and John Prine—writers steeped in place and emotion, whose songs are so well woven, and feel so natural, that the hard work of writing them is camouflaged.
High Cotton
Lisa Dames and Shawn Patch formed High Cotton out of their love for old school country music. Playing mostly as an acoustic duo, they perform country music from before country was cool. Rounding out the band are Mike Chiusano on drums and Jeff Mitchell on bass. Paying homage to artists like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Lynn Anderson, Buck Owens, and Gerry Reed… if you were a fan of Hee Haw, you’ll be a fan of High Cotton. In November of 1961 Patsy Cline made her first and only appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She remarked to the Grand Ole Opry band that they were in “High Cotton” now.
Sunny Sweeney With Carri Smithey
Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimedTrophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen’s multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeney’s finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing.
Karly Driftwood, Mackenzie Roark, + Carri Smithey
Karly Driftwood: “Once in a while a record will come along and make the listener pay attention, whether it be by the songwriting, the playing, or by sheer force. On Karly Driftwood’s debut record, Too Mean to Die the Virginia-born singer-songwriter eschews country music stat quo and instead leans on the dark themes of life. Too Mean to Die is a country record that’s scarred, jagged like shards of a broken beer bottle but also sugary sweet – if your idea of puff pastry is laced with arsenic. The songs are just as much influenced by the Misfits or Danzig as they are Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton; to put a finer point on it, Karly Driftwood is a potent mixture of equal parts Sylvia Plath and The Drive-By Truckers. Even her stage name, “Driftwood” is a nod to Otis Driftwood from Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects.” – Farce The MusicMackenzie Roark: There are shades of blue that don’t wash away and those hues are perfectly captured in the songs of Richmond’s own Mackenzie Roark. Exploring the tragically beautiful narratives littered across the honky tonk heartbreaks of the South, her songs lull heartache through brutal yet honest truths. With her sound firmly planted in the distant past of country and folk music, Mackenzie Roark brings those antiqued tones to new life in her forthcoming debut full length album, “Rollin High, Feelin Low.”Carri Smithey: The debut album by The Carri Smithey Band – Midnight Ride, plays as a veteran effort; 11 songs steeped in classic country and finished with the accouterments of rock and roll. Recorded and mixed by Dynamic Soundworks in Wilmington, NC, the album portrays a rich modern vibe while still living in a world of rustic sensibility.