Some current favorite music.

Please welcome my better half, Randy. Today he’s sharing some of our current favorite music.

We love music around here. Most of our waking hours there’s some kind of tune playing somewhere within earshot. Here’s some of what we’re diggin’ now:

The Lone Bellow

A couple of months back we first heard The Lone Bellow on a World Café broadcast and were blown away. While these folks are super talented, it’s more than vocal acrobatics. They feature tight, emotional, intense harmonies with more than a little sadness and longing.

An excerpt from the song “You Never Need Nobody:”

“You could calm a storm with your tone
Yeah the way you sing makes a mockingbird hum
The grass you walk on gives way
Saying, “Please (please), please (please)
Come back this way.”

And here’s The Lone Bellow’s live performance on NPR’s Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://youtu.be/zJyf5NqiMNE

The Lone Bellow’s self-titled debut album, The Lone Bellow, was released in January of this year. Don’t miss this up and coming new group.

(And if you’re in the Greenville, SC area Saturday, May 11, 2013, they just so happen to be playing a free outdoor concert at Artisphere.)

Son Volt

Son Volt has been around for many years, but we were introduced to their new record, Honky Tonk, earlier this year by the nice folks at WNCW. Listening to Honky Tonk is like eating good spicy food. That little bit of pain opens up your taste buds and makes the whole meal more pleasurable. Son Volt made this record with the prefect amount of hurt.  There’s a seriousness, honesty and even humility in the music. The writing is heavy and thoughtful. Kind of reminds me of old Haggard or Cash or Willie Nelson.

From the song “Tears of Change:”

“To believe in this love is to travel
To the reaches and beyond without fear
To the lessons unraveled in hours
To the spirit that brought it here
To a love without question
To a love that will be won
There’ a truth that’s underlying
Tears of change that must be done”

Don’t miss out on Honky Tonk. It’s Indie Country gold.

Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott

Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott have been 2 of my favorite songwriters for a long time. Both have had hits recorded by other artists. O’Brien and Scott are fantastic singers, musicians and performers in their own right. Together they are somethin’. We’re Usually A Lot Better Than This was recorded live in Asheville, NC. No trickery, just strings and voices. They play each other’s tunes and some classics too. Fun music. Real music.

These are just a few of our current favorites. While some of the tunes are more favorite than others, in my opinion, all of these albums are best enjoyed in their entirety.

There is so much good music being produced now that is not (or at least not yet) on commercial radio. Seek it out. Find those special gems of radio stations that play a variety of tunes. It’s always nice to mix things up with new music.

Enjoy!