” The east coast clouds are blocking you from the stars” Even When I’m With You
People often send emails telling me to check out certain bands. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad and sometimes they’re Vinnie Ferra. From the moment I first heard his voice I noticed that Vinnie’s got this sound, unique yet familiar, that makes me want to dissect every song on his album, Man vs. Machine. If I have to compare Ferra to anyone, I’d say he’s cut from the Joshua Radin/Ernie Halter/Tony Lucca mold. Vinnie recently sold out the El Rey in LA, which tells me it’s only a matter of time until his following is absolutely huge. Man vs. Machine was recorded in Boston and the first video off the disc looks like a love letter to the city. Plus two for Vinnie on that. Bryan Brash on the viola and Chris Lee on the piano are perfect compliments to Vinnie’s voice and I think you’ll dig the CD. Vinnie is currently giving away the ENTIRE ALBUM here, and it’s everyone’s favorite price – FREE. Vinnie’s hitting the road soon, with some east coast dates included, so to thank him for the free CD, go check him out live.
If you didn’t see it above, click HERE for the full length album, free.
And here’s another one of Vinnie’s songs that’s been floating around. If you don’t think this song is badass, this might not be the blog for you.
It’s been a relatively slow two months music wise, but autumn always brings out some great music. I’ve been sitting on a few things but wanted you to have a little mixtape for the end of summer. There’s a good mix here, and it should tide you over for the next few days. New Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos tomorrow, so until then, I’ll be rocking these songs along with a few other recent favorites.
Julie June – A Silent Film
“Maybe I know what you want, maybe I know what you need”
I can’t say I love the entire CD, but I can say that this song gets a lot of time on the iPod these days. I’m all about the piano driven songs, and this is a very good one.
Won’t Stop Getting Better – Jason Walker “It’s like I’m living on a silver lining”
Jesus this song is happy. What the hell is going on here? I like sad bastard music, so this is a little odd for me. But I love this song. Love it.
Gonna Be Alright – The Vig “Working hard to find my way to you, but all I found was myself”
SK6er’s own Sam “Steamer” Getz is a member of The Vig, so of course I’m giving it a listen. It’s a great little CD and it’s anchored by this tune.
The Only One – Brad Passons “Wish I could take back every little thing that I said, wish I could shake you – wish I’d get you outta my head”
Brad’s not only one of my favorite musicians, he’s one of my favorite people. This song is one of the newer ones he’s been working on, and it’s another example of how he gets better every year. Brad’s been doing a lot of writing in California lately, but I hope he gets back in the studio soon for another full length album.
I Forgot To Fall - Fruit Tree “Leaping in head first and I don’t care if hurts. It always seems so much easier to start.”
The Fruit Tree’s first project showcases some of Scotland’s finest and most exciting musicians including members of Frightened Rabbit and Idlewild. The ultimate goal is to produce an album of collaborative new songs exploring mental health and well-being. This is one of the two songs you can grab over at their site.
“You can always run but you can’t always get away” – I Guess I Miss(ed) You
It’s been a relatively slow few weeks for new music and I’ve not really heard a lot that’s “blogworthy,” but yesterday, I hit the jackpot. I literally bought three CDs yesterday alone that you will be reading about in the next week. On a previous mix, I included a song by The Daylights called “I Guess I Miss(ed) You” that I absolutely love. Their full, self titled release dropped this week and picks up exactly where the Sans Radio EP left off. Siblings always seem to have a very tight sound and Texas-born Ran and Ricky Jackson are no exception. The harmonies are spot on, and the songwriting is superb. Keep it up Lucas. Superb. In all honesty, I had a pretty difficult time in picking two songs to showcase for the blog, as the more I listened, the more I liked them all. There are no true standouts for me, as each song on the album is very, very solid.
“I’m not in a hurry, but maybe I should be” – Why’d You Go
Everyone knows I am a sucker for vocals and songwriting that remind me of Ryan Adams. When I first heard Michael Ford Jr.’s voice, I instantly thought of a “Love is Hell” era Adams, and that’s as high a compliment as I can give. The Apache Relay’s debut album, 1988 brings back memories of early Avett Brothers and was actually produced by Doug Williams, who worked on some of the first Avett albums. The Apache Relay started off as a bluegrass band (with no lead singer) – while Michael Ford Jr. was traveling down the singer songwriter road. The two had a real need for one another and this is a fine example of “the right place at the right time.” Ford gave The Apache Relay a prominent songwriter while The Apache Relay filled out Ford’s gorgeous songs with a bluegrass style. The album contains some upbeat numbers like “Sugarcane” that get your foot tapping while in true Adams fashion, there are some heartbreaking ballads (“Why’d You Go”). Ford’s songwriting is obviously Springsteen influenced (think Nebraska) and 1988 is a great start to what should be an interesting career.
“Kicking around a small blow up globe of the world that is see through and inflatable ” – The Upper Room With my love for banjo growing and growing, Michigan’s Frontier Ruckus was a bit of a no brainer for me. Upon first listen, I wasn’t in love with Matt Milia’s voice, but his songwriting [...]
“If you don’t love music, almost next to family, if you don’t love it enough to want it regardless of what it does to you, don’t get into it." - Dave Brubeck
"Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best." -Frank Zappa
“To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.” - Aaron Copeland
Music Policy
This blog is like a Japanese restaurant in the mall. These songs are much like the bourbon chicken on a toothpick. You take a sample and if you like it, you buy - but it's not cool to just fill up on bourbon chicken for free my friend. So, if you like the music, support the artist. Buy a CD, buy a shirt or better yet, go see them live.
Any artist or representative of an artist can contact me at bfhendricks@gmail.com if you'd like me to take a song off the site.
Also, recommendations and tips are always appreciated via email.
People often send emails telling me to check out certain bands. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad and sometimes they’re Vinnie Ferra. From the moment I first heard his voice I noticed that Vinnie’s got this sound, unique yet familiar, that makes me want to dissect every song on his album, Man vs. Machine. If I have to compare Ferra to anyone, I’d say he’s cut from the Joshua Radin/Ernie Halter/Tony Lucca mold. Vinnie recently sold out the El Rey in LA, which tells me it’s only a matter of time until his following is absolutely huge. Man vs. Machine was recorded in Boston and the first video off the disc looks like a love letter to the city. Plus two for Vinnie on that. Bryan Brash on the viola and Chris Lee on the piano are perfect compliments to Vinnie’s voice and I think you’ll dig the CD. Vinnie is currently giving away the ENTIRE ALBUM here, and it’s everyone’s favorite price – FREE. Vinnie’s hitting the road soon, with some east coast dates included, so to thank him for the free CD, go check him out live.
It’s been a relatively slow two months music wise, but autumn always brings out some great music. I’ve been sitting on a few things but wanted you to have a little mixtape for the end of summer. There’s a good mix here, and it should tide you over for the next few days. New Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos tomorrow, so until then, I’ll be rocking these songs along with a few other recent favorites.
It’s been a relatively slow few weeks for new music and I’ve not really heard a lot that’s “blogworthy,” but yesterday, I hit the jackpot. I literally bought three CDs yesterday alone that you will be reading about in the next week. On a previous mix, I included a song by 
Everyone knows I am a sucker for vocals and songwriting that remind me of Ryan Adams. When I first heard Michael Ford Jr.’s voice, I instantly thought of a “Love is Hell” era Adams, and that’s as high a compliment as I can give. The Apache Relay’s debut album, 
