NY TIMES, ROLLING STONE, USA TODAY SPOTLIGHT GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL JULY 10-12 IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

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DETAILED SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED INCLUDING SIGNATURE SOUNDS 20^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The Green River Festival has earned early buzz from the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and USA Today ahead of its July 10-12 dates in Greenfield, MA.

NY Times said, “The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival may have pool parties and palm trees, and South by Southwest may offer an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. denizens, but only Green River Festival delivers hot-air balloons. The jazz, folk and country-heavy event, which celebrates its 29th season this year, evolved from an annual balloon festival on the same grounds, and it still launches several in tribute each year. This summer’s roster veers toward folk and experimental-rock direction with sets by Tune-Yards, Punch Brothers, and J Mascis, as well as a heavy roots and jazz contingent in Steve Earle and the Dukes, Valerie June and Marco Benevento.”

Rolling Stone said, “Bring a blanket,” calling the fest “relaxed.”

Green River Festival 2015 teaser video.

Here’s a Spotify playlist of artists performing at the 2015 Green River Festival.

Elmore Magazine called it “one of the summer’s most exciting festivals.”

The previously announced lineup includes Steve Earle & The Dukes, Punch Brothers, tUnE-yArDs, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Milk Carton Kids, J. Mascis, Booker T. Jones, Langhorne Slim, and more. A detailed schedule is here.

“EVOCATIVE” (CMT EDGE) EILEN JEWELL UNVEILS MOST PERSONAL ALBUM TO DATE AND FIRST IN FOUR YEARS WITH VIVID, CINEMATIC ‘SUNDOWN OVER GHOST TOWN’ MAY 26 ON SIGNATURE SOUNDS

Eilen Jewell had to move back to her hometown of Boise, ID for ‘Sundown over Ghost Town’ (May 26 / Signature Sounds) to turn out as her most personal record to date, a meditation on home. Written north of Boise in the mountains of Idaho, Jewell’s fifth album sees the songwriter coming into the most emotional writing of a career filled with vivid, evocative, metaphorical imagery. Jewell says, “I’m more comfortable in my own skin, have a clearer sense of who I am and the kind of music that I want make.”

Check out the first single “Rio Grande,” as premiered by CMT Edge, here.

The wide-angle landscapes where she wrote and recorded ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ seep into the music: waters rush through gorges and canyons, falls plunge down rugged cliffs, and Rocky Mountains towering above wide-open vistas. With influences that range from Mavis Staples to Marty Robbins and from Sleepy John Estes to Loretta Lynn, her broad-eared approach to Americana lends itself to a cinematic sound.

Jewell’s influences come from the literary world as well as the musical world. She cites poets Mary Oliver and Miller Williams along with novelists John Steinbeck and William Faulkner as favorites who’ve made an impression on her style. “One can use imagery as vehicle for talking about anything,” she says simply. A pair of those images stand out on an album full of them:

“A lucky horseshoe in a pile of junk…”

“A half-broke horse… too wild for this world, too tame for mustangs…”

Jewell has opened for Loretta Lynn and Lucinda Williams and sold out headlining concerts this winter in NYC, Boston, and DC. NPR.org has said, “She’s got a sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the shiny surface.” USA Today has proclaimed, “Give me more of that voice… Dark and haunting… but alluring just the same.”

Stay tuned for announcement of a nationwide tour.

NPR FRESH AIR PERFORMANCE/CHAT ON DOM FLEMONS AIRS TOMORROW AS USA TODAY STREAMS NEW ALBUM ‘PROSPECT HILL’ NOW

Tune in to NPR today for Dom Flemons’ long-form interview and performance on Fresh Air.

Stream the new solo album ‘Prospect Hill’ (Music Maker Relief Foundation) now at USA Today.

Raves have come in from the UK and US:

“Exceptional.”
-Robin Denselow, The Guardian (UK), July 28, 2014

“Unforgettable.”
-Clive Davis, The Times (UK), July 25, 2014

“Flemons’ harmonica-heavy, foot-tapping folk makes for the perfect hot summer soundtrack.”
-Dacey Orr, Paste, June 2, 2014

“This is interracial hoedown music, irresistibly delivered with a wink and a strut, and it sounds unlike anything else on the market today.”
-John Morthland, Wondering Sound / eMusic, July 25, 2014

“Dom Flemons satisfied an old-time craving.”
-Chris Parton, CMT Edge, June 4, 2014

“A mix of traditional and original songs that explore different moods and strains of Americana… from both the head and the heart.”
-James Reed, Boston Globe, June 26, 2014

“Flemons is a likeable vocalist and has a style on several instruments that is so natural and adept that he could charm snakes.”
-Wayne Bledsoe, Knoxville News-Sentinel, July 26, 2014

“The new album from former Carolina Chocolate Drop Dom Flemons is all quick hits, nervous fits… It's like flipping through radio stations on a road trip.”
-Chris Vitiello, Independent Weekly (NC), July 16, 2014

“Musically, it ranges from fife & drum, original and traditional folk music, ragtime, hokum, early jazz, blues, proto-rock & roll, and more but they are no museum pieces: they relate to experiences in the 21st century with humor, heart, and life.”
-Woody, HearYa, June 27, 2014

Eden Brent clips

NPR Song of the Day (Aug 5, 2010)

NPR Weekend Edition (Aug 20, 2010)

USA Today Playlist (Aug 16, 2010)

American Songwriter video premiere (March 18, 2014)

Eden Brent on WGN-TV (June 13, 2014):

OUT LAST WEEK, SPIN, USA, RELIX HAIL 'FESTIVUS 2,' HEARTWARMING INDIE POP CHRISTMAS MUSIC COMP

Out last week, Highline Records' indie pop Christmas music compilation 'Festivus 2' saw track debuts this week at SPIN and USA Today and a full album stream at Relix. SPIN debuted LIlys' psychedelic verstion of "Good King Wenceslas."

Western Lows' dream pop rendition of "Silent Night" premiered at USA Today.

Relix is streaming the entire release.

Here's a music video for "The Coldest Night" by Left With Pictures, assembled from mid-century footage, also brand new last week.

1. Silent Night - Western Lows
2. I Wish You A Merry Christmas - Ulysses
3. In The Bleak Midwinter - Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou
4. Ho Ho Hos Before Hos - Red Pony Clock
5. One Christmas Wish - The Priscillas
6. It's Christmas - Piney Gir
7. Don't Freat Out On Me - Mi Mye
8. Good King Winceslas - Lilys
9. The Coldest Night - Left With Pictures
10. Baby Jesus Was The First Glam Rocker - Glam Chops
11. Silver Bells Sing Their Chime - Francis Macdonald and Anna Sheard
12. Christmas at the Foodbank - Dodgy
13. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlmen - Dennis Hopper Choppers
14. Thank God It's Christmas - Darling BOY
15. My Heart Is As Pure As The Snow - Antony Elvin
16. Three Kings - Alexander's Festival Hall

GLEN HANSARD ON DECLAN O'ROURKE: "ONE OF THE TRUE GREATS"

O'ROURKE LAUNCHES EAST COAST TOUR DECEMBER 3

This week, Oscar- and Tony-Award winner and composer of the hit Broadway musical Once, Glen Hansard weighed in on Declan O'Rourke, saying, "Declan O'Rourke is one of the rare breed, he arrived fully formed, his songs, and delivery belie his age, and ours. He's a timeless troubadour with a voice that breaks through all your defenses and gets to the heart of the matter. One of the true greats of our island."

O'Rourke will kick off an east coast tour on December 3 as others have sung his praises from NPR World Café, which tabbed him a "Next" artist, to USA Today, which said, "The Irish balladeer's storytelling skills shine."

Travel + Leisure premiered the "Time Machine" video.

Declan O'Rourke December East Coast Tour Dates

December 3 - Tellus 360 - Lancaster, PA

December 4 – Passim - Cambridge, MA

December 6 - The Cutting Room - New York, NY

December 7 - Divinity Lutheran Church - Baltimore, MD

NPR World Cafe, USA Today Tout Declan O'Rourke As Travel + Leisure Premieres Lush Music Video

NPR WORLD CAFÉ NEXT FEATURES DECLAN O'ROURKE AS ACCLAIM MOUNTS FROM USA TODAY & SPIN

TRAVEL + LEISURE PREMIERES NEW MUSIC VIDEO "TIME MACHINE" FILMED IN RURAL IRELAND

Declan O'Rourke – who made his US debut with the stunning new album 'Mag Pai Zai' (Rimecoat / Missing Piece) – was last week's featured Next artist on NPR World Café.

World Café host David Dye says, "It is definitely time for this music to cross the ocean... O'Rourke has a penchant for writing about love and history with equal amounts of ease and gravity."

Today, Travel + Leisure premiered the new video for "Time Machine," gorgeously filmed in rural Ireland and featuring O'Rourke's nephews as stand-ins for his younger self. In the piece, he talks about how a priest gifted him his first guitar in Melbourne, Australia.

Other acclaim has come in from a variety of critics, including USA Today, in which he was featured on a Playlist alongside major stars like Neko Case, Nine Inch Nails, Lorde, Drake, Lupe Fiasco, and Nirvana.

Acclaim for 'Mag Pai Zai'

"Compassion, romance, a sense of mortality, and a sense of history run through the songs of Declan O'Rourke… his calling is as a balladeer, proffering reassurance in the face of inevitable sorrow." – Jon Pareles, NY Times

"Declan O'Rourke is long overdue for a stateside breakthrough." – Luke McCormick, SPIN

"The Irish balladeer's storytelling skills shine." – Edna Gundersen, USA Today,

"Warm, enveloping voice." – Eric Danton, Wall Street Journal

"Classic crooing sound." – Nate Storey, Travel + Leisure

"Greatness... A listen to a song like 'Time Machine,' 'Caterpillar DNA' or 'Langley's Requiem' is to feel a biting wind blow right through you, and have you reaching for the first warmth available. Heaviness has never had a better home."– Bill Bentley, Morton Report

"Be warned: O’Rourke isn’t just another balladeer with an acoustic guitar. His voice, lyrics and arrangements have distinct impact." – Chuck Campbell, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Camper Van Beethoven Clips

NY Times (October 1, 2013) profile of David Lowery

LA Magazine Online (December 12, 2012)

American Songwriter Online (December 6, 2012)

Billboard.com (November 8, 2012)

NPR World Café (February 21, 2013)

NPR California Report (Jan 25-27, 2013)

USA Today.com (Jan 18, 2013)

SPIN.com (Jan. 14, 2013)

MTV Hive (Jan 25, 2013)

eMusic (Jan. 8, 2013)

Stereogum (Jan 20, 2013)

"DELIGHTFUL" (PITCHFORK) NEW CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN 'LA COSTA PERDIDA' OUT THIS WEEK ON 429 RECORDS AS BAND TAPES NPR WORLD CAFÉ AND NPR MOUNTAIN STAGE THIS WEEK

429 Records released indie rock pioneers Camper Van Beethoven's new album 'La Costa Perdida' this week, which has earned raves from press and bloggers. In addition, the band is taping NPR's World Café today and NPR's Mountain Stage on Sunday and has added new tour dates (at bottom). Here's what we're reading:

"Delightful… It does illustrate how unique this band still is, 30 years after it formed. And it truly is a kick to hear CVB ply its craft with road-tested assurance and subtly virtuosic musicianship."

– Steve Hyden, Pitchfork Media, January 17, 2013

"For 30 years and counting, Camper Van Beethoven have existed in a parallel-universe borderland, coming across like a punk band perpetually on a Balkan bluegrass bender. But they finally bring it all back home to their native California on 10th album, La Costa Perdida, recalling '60s-vintage West Coast pop filtered through their timeless, idiosyncratic prism."

– David Menconi, SPIN, January 14, 2013

"I'm so happy the band is back."

– Whitney Matheson, USA Today.com, January 18, 2013

"The new album’s lead single, 'Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out' [is] a swirling, Eastern-flavored psychedelic jam."

– Michael Nelson, Stereogum, January 10, 2013

"A uniquely skewed, bong-tastic surrealism… There's Americana, Mexican music, ska, fiddles both mournful and manic."

– Thomas Connor, Chicago Sun-Times, January 19, 2013

"Camper Van Beethoven still remain [sic] easy to love."

– Matt Melis, Consequence of Sound, January 21, 2013

"If the frigid air of winter is getting to you, rather than crank up the heat, throw on La Costa Perdida. It will wipe away all your seasonal depression."

– Steve Bonanno, Boston's Weekly Dig, January 7, 2013

"Engaging."

– Chuck Campbell, Scripps Howard Newswire/Knoxville News-Sentinel, January 15, 2013

"[The] writing glimmers in thick San Francisco Bay fog… Enter these redwoods at your own risk, and prepare to be bewitched."

– Tris McCall, Newark Star-Ledger, January 4, 2013

"Sure to satisfy… It’s an album unmoored in quiet, often fascinating ways."

– Matthew Fiander, PopMatters, January 21, 2013

"Northern California Girls" (radio edit) lyric video.

Postable, embeddable "Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out" mp3.

CVB Tour dates:

Wed Jan 23 - Sky City – Augusta, GA

Thu Jan 24 - 40-Watt Club - Athens GA

Fri Jan 25 - The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC

Sat Jan 26 - The Earl – Atlanta, GA

Sun Jan 27 - Mountain Stage - Charleston WV

Thu Feb 14 - Burnsville PAC - Minneapolis MN (w/ Cracker)

Sat Feb 16 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco CA

Sun Feb 17 - Hopmonk - Novato, Novato, CA

Mon Feb 18 - Odd Fellows Hall - Davis CA

Thurs Feb 21 – Hollywood, CA – House of Blues (w/ Leftover Salmon)

Fri Feb 22 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle WA

Sat Feb 23 - Mississippi Studios - Portland OR

SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION SELL OUT MERCURY LOUNGE, EARN SHOWER OF PRAISE FOR "ROWDINESS" (BROOKLYN VEGAN)

UP NEXT: NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL JULY 28; CELEBRATE BROOKLYN AUG 4

Spirit Family Reunion packed Mercury Lounge on Friday, celebrating the release of their debut LP 'No Separation.' The sold out show comes with a wave of acclaim for the band, who are next set to grace the stage at Newport Folk Festival July 28 and Celebrate Brooklyn August 4. Here's some of what we're reading:

"Spirit Family Reunion fit right in with the bands they'll be sharing the stage with at this year's Newport Folk Festival [and] the rowdiness of other revival bands like The Felice Brothers and Deer Tick."

– Brooklyn Vegan

"For those who like their tunes a little more homegrown and banjo-filled, I highly recommend this New York band's brand new release, 'No Separation.'"

– USA Today

"Beautiful and raucous… best of what's next"

– Paste Magazine

"[Spirit Family Reunion was] seemingly transporting the crowd to an alternate universe where percussion was both invented and perfected with the washboard... In this world, the harmonica is always played with Dylanesque eloquence, perfection is a ragged, imperfect thing and the crowd always claps at the right time, completely in rhythm. Through it all, there was plenty of dancing, foot stomping and hollering…"

- House List (Bowery Presents blog)

"We couldn't be more excited."

– Baeble Music

"Rabble-rousing Brooklyn folkies Spirit Family Reunion deliver foot-stomping, throaty, joyful songs. We defy you not to tap along."

– Time Out New York

"The group, inspired by church revivals, has drawn comparisons to The Band."

– American Songwriter

"Ready-to-break... rousing and raucous."

– No Depression

"Raucous… With the blessing of Levon Helm (they were the last band to open for him before he passed away) and a growing army of fans on the back of their album No Seperation, Spirit Family Reunion are dragging traditional Americana back into the spotlight."

- Elmore Magazine

KEVIN GORDON EARNS NY TIMES FEATURE, RAVES FOR FIRST ALBUM IN 7 YEARS

LUCINDA WILLIAMS ON GORDON: "SONGS LIKE SHORT STORIES"

Kevin Gordon – the southern rock & roll songwriter and poet – has earned a feature in today's New York Times under the headline "A Musician Or a Poet? Yes to Both," including Gordon talking about his love of poets Richard Hugo and Denis Johnson.

Peter Applebome also spoke with Gordon fan Lucinda Williams, who told him, "He’s writing songs that are like short stories, and I really like the kind of swampy, bluesy sound."

That's not all we're reading about Gordon and 'Gloryland,' his first new album in seven years.

"'Glorlyand' [is] an often harrowing tour of the back-roads South with scenes of burning churches, a serio-comic brawl after a ZZ Top concert in Shreveport, La., and — most memorably — the time the Klan showed up when his seventh-grade marching band performed about 90 miles from there in Colfax."
- Peter Applebome, New York Times, February 22, 2012

"Four stars… The sheer brilliance of the lyrics to Colfax/Step in Time alone justifies a top rating for the first album in seven years from this Southern-raised poet/rocker. Gordon sketches a not-so-simple portrait of a junior-high marching band on a bus trip, and every single image feels, tastes, smells and sounds absolutely true."
- Jerry Shriver, USA Today, February 14, 2012

"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah."
- Geoffrey Himes, Nashville Scene, February 16, 2012

"Astonishing… He knows exactly how to build and sustain interest in a song… The guitar crackles with electricity, the voice manipulates supple rhythmic shifts to make the words fit the spaces they are given. Here we are reminded that Gordon went to graduate school as a poet. He's learned a lot from other singers, but his poetry skills are stronger than most in the songwriting game.
- Steve Pick, Blurt Magazine, February 14, 2012

"Four stars… Vivid… [Gordon] tells these Southern-based tales so exquisitely that they resonate with his listeners. 'Gloryland' certainly stands as a glorious example of Americana songwriting."
- Mike Berick, American Songwriter, February 14, 2012

"Impressive… nuanced insights set alongside snarling slide guitar, rugged riffs, [and] gospel choruses."
- Mitch Myers, MAGNET, Issue 84

"MOVING HARMONIES" (WXPN) OF BREAKOUT INDIE-ROOTS BAND SONS OF FATHERS TO MAKE LA DEBUT JAN. 11 AT HOTEL CAFE

Breakout Texas indie-roots band Sons of Fathers – whose incredible natural harmonies have stunned fans – will make their LA debut January 11 at Hotel Café. The band has seen quite a rise from their formation in San Marcos, TX earlier this year to their live radio debut on WXPN and acclaim from national publications like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Legendary instrumentalist Lloyd Maines, who co-produced the self-titled debut album, told the Austin American-Statesman, "(Songwriters David Beck and Paul Cauthen) definitely have their own sound. The result is the Everly Brothers meets Neil Young and Merle Haggard and the Clash."

Here's video of Sons of Fathers playing their eponymous track.

Here's video of Sons of Fathers playing "Weather Balloons."

Sons of Fathers have earned universal acclaim:

"All of the album's songs have the uneasy stillness of an echoing rifle shot… 'Sons of Fathers' features the Austin, Texas, duo singing and playing in a tight, heartfelt vocal style reminiscent of Crosby, Stills & Nash."
– Wall Street Journal

"David Beck and Paul Cauthen harmonize like David Crosby and Graham Nash, only with a touch of Texas twang."
-USA Today

"Their rich vocal harmonies are nothing short of moving."
–WXPN

"Full of their signature melodies and the feel of Texas on the road."
– NPR.org

"Sounds like [the] Avett Brothers."
- AOL Music

"Their harmony-rich, boot-scooty tunes feel so well-worn."
- Austin Chronicle

"Gloriously rich harmonies."
– Austin American-Statesman

"Not to be missed."
– KUT

"Don’t grab a substitute when you can have the real thing… 'Sons of Fathers' does Americana proud."
– American Songwriter

"Such poise and passion."
– Blurt

"Easily the best of its genre in years."
- Gatehouse Media

WHO: Breakout indie-roots band Sons of Fathers
WHAT: LA debut concert
WHEN: 9pm, January 11, 2012
WHERE: Hotel Cafe
TICKETS: TBA, here