Anthem Collective Singer-Songwriter Spotlight

Where in the World is Ben Howard?

The British sing-songwriter known for the quality of his lyrics and folk music has taken a nearly three yearlong break since his last album release in 2014. Ben Howard, the 29 year old from Devon, England released his third album on October 26, 2014 where it went straight to number 26 on the UK Official Albums Chart. He did a short tour in the United States the following year with folk band Daughter before he disappeared from the music scene.

While this may seem out of the ordinary, Howard has never been a huge fan of the spotlight. He is known to rarely give interviews, photo-shoots and when he does he admits he can be at times irritable and standoff-ish. In one of those rare interviews given to the Evening Standard magazine, Howard said, “I meet a lot of people who are awkward around me now. I was always embarrassed about that; the more attention I got, the less I wanted it and the more it would manifest in a physical way and I would be hunched over about it.”

However, the length of his break and his lack of social media presence has fans wondering if or when he will be back. His Facebook, which the last post was from June 7, 2016 is flooded with messages from fans asking, “Please release something! We’re missing you!” and fans posting photos and videos of them covering his songs. His Twitter and Instagram share the similar comments.

Howard’s time out of the spotlight has not slowed down the love of his music, for fans are constantly listening to his older albums, adding the song “Only Love” to their playlists and even getting lyrics from his songs tattooed on their bodies.

It seems that if some have forgotten about Ben Howard and his music, his fans are willing to keep the music alive and will hold out hope for the day he releases a song, or single, or just a simple message to the world saying, “I’m back”.

Ben Howard's Official Facebook

Ben Howard's Twitter

Ben Howard Fan Twitter Account

The Best of Ben Howard

Rising Country Pop Singer Polly Baker Gushes with Promise of Adventure in Romantic “Wild” Video

Rising country pop singer Polly Baker promises a captivating love filled adventure in her stunning sun-splashed video for "Wild". Baker has performed throughout the United States, generating a social media buzz that has garnered her radio airplay, interviews, and showcases. She has been the opening act for Chanel West Coast, W!ldcard, The Afters, and Melissa Manchester. More information on Baker is available on her official website.

The video for “Wild” is a fun and flirty ode to the thrills of young love. Baker’s adopted city of Los Angeles is front and center, as Baker and her beloved stroll the city’s shores and streets. The visuals are warm, vivid, and inviting. According to Baker, the aesthetically pleasing quality of “Wild” is purposely artistic in nature:

“I loved the idea of writing a song that allowed the listener to paint the story within their imagination. From driving along Laurel Canyon with my co-writer and penning the purple skies we saw that sunset as the first lyric of the hook to the red dress I had worn on a rainy day outing to Manhattan Beach...the melody and lyrics are a visual memory for me and I wanted to make sure that the music video captured those moments."

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Baker grew up in a musical family that instilled within her a love for music. Baker was merely four years old when she first sang at church alongside her parents and two older brothers. She gravitated towards singing and playing piano, beginning piano lessons at age five and penning her first song, “Dreams,” at the age of ten.

Baker performed in yearly festivals and competitions for sixteen years. She also served as the lead keyboardist and background singer for the worship team at a local church. In just a few years, Baker went from singing and playing piano in her basement to performing in front of more than 10,000 church-goers every Sunday. After winning a worldwide songwriting competition at the age of nineteen, Baker began opening shows for national acts.

Baker recently graduated from Berklee College of Music. She released her self-titled debut EP, produced by Grammy-winner Dave Darling, on June 3, 2016.

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For more information on Polly Baker, visit her social media: FACEBOOK | TWITTER |YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD

Enticing Electronic Elixir: Buoyed by Blissful Beats and Bright Imagery of Captivating “Drops” Video, Buzzing Berliner SolarrioDelivers Perfect Antidote for Melancholic Fall Days

Vivid colors contrast with melancholic lyrics and mesmerizing beats in “Drops,” the visually stimulating video from electronic popster Solarrio. Described as “an attempt to numb his pain,” “Drops” is the first single from Solarrio’s forthcoming ’80s-inspired self-titled EP, available January of 2017 via Believe Digital. More information on Solarrio is available on his official website. 

Sounding like a blend of present-day electronic acts such as The Weeknd and the warm analog sounds of retro ’80s music, “Drops” features melancholic lyrics that eventually give way to the soft glow of feel-good modern beats. According to Solarrio, “Drops” is his attempt to deal with failure and heartbreak:

“The song is me trying to numb the pain of failed relationships. Sonically and production-wise, it’s probably the most experimental song on the EP. I was working on the beat with a friend of mine and that one synth sound reminded me of drops. I developed the theme from there.”

Solarrio has been a music producer and songwriter for over a decade, producing artists such as Raf 3.0. The duo produced "Wie Kannst Du Nur" ("How Can You?"), a heavy drum and bass track that the National Basketball Association (NBA) used for their promo for the 2013 NBA Finals and for their “Forever Dirk” celebration of German player Dirk Nowitzki, who became one of the NBA’s top 10 all-time scoring leaders in 2013.

Tired of Talking”: Swedish Pop Singer LÉON’s New Hit on Moving On

LÉON is an indie pop singer, songwriter from Stockholm, Sweden. LÉON was featured on InStyle’s ‘6 Female Indie Artists You Should Be Listening to in 2016’. After listening to a few of her tracks we know why she is featured on this list. One track in particular has the making of being a hit and it's titled “Tired of Talking”.

LÉON released her first EP titled Treasure on October 23, 2015 with Columbia Records. The first single off of the EP is titled “Tired of Talking”. After listening to the track it is easy to see why she was featured as an artist that we need to be listening to in 2016. LÉON has a very powerful voice that she showcases in this track. The lyrics are powerful, honest, and radiance her confidence as a musician and songwriter.

LÉON recently sat down for an interview with TheWindow.Barneys.com, where she said that she has been around music since she was very little and that her dad introduced her to Motown at the age of six which has been one of her early influences. LÉON has a powerful, soulful voice that she showcases in her track “Tired of Talking” and on numerous cover songs.

LÉON has been blowing up not just on her social media but even on the social media of a famous pop singer. LÉON’s single “Tired of Talking” was mentioned by the famous pop singer, Katy Perry, on Twitter where she said that LÉON was “one to watch”. In the past year she was also signed by Columbia Records, had her first United States tour, and had “Tired of Talking” blow up on the internet.

For more information on LÉON, visit her social media:

Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

A Country Kind of Covenant: Acclaimed Singer Songwriter Michael Colton Promises Enduring Love on Charming “Won’t Fall Away” Ballad

“Similar to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, Colton’s guitar work is thoughtful, brazen, and victorious.” (Indiemunity)

       

Singer/ songwriter Michael Colton  has penned the ultimate oath of enduring love with his charming new country -tinged ballad, “Won’t Fall Away.”According to MTM.com, Colton “has depth, warmth, and grit - and he can play the hell out of his guitar.”

Produced by Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty) and Steve Trovato, Colton’s upcoming release, California Blue, displays Colton’s blend of storytelling, straightforward tunefulness, and incendiary guitar work. Colton’s recent live appearances include SXSW, The Sundance Film Festival, and Los Angeles’ House of Blues. More information on Colton is available on his official website.

Diving deep into the explosive traditions of virtuosos Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton, Colton began his musical career as a cocky young guitarist. Exploring that music led him further down that road, all the way to blues legend Robert Johnson. Colton went on to record an EP of Johnson’s songs, the critically acclaimed The Robert Johnson Sessions.

After paying his dues in countless bars and coffee houses, Colton had a career-altering encounter with acclaimed producer Blake English (George Benson, Jennifer Lopez) at an informal studio jam. Impressed by Colton’s chops, English recruited Colton for session work and eventually producedThe Robert Johnson Sessions.

Colton honed his already considerable talent while recovering from an acute head trauma that nearly ended his life: “To keep my brain sharp, I started playing guitar five hours a day like my life depended on it. Somehow, I feel like music healed me better than any medicine I was given.”

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For more information on Michael Colton, visit his social media: FACEBOOK/ TWITTER/ INSTAGRAM

A Country Kind of Covenant: Acclaimed Singer Songwriter Michael Colton Promises Enduring Love on Charming “Won’t Fall Away”Ballad

“Similar to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, Colton’s guitar work is thoughtful, brazen, and victorious.” (Indiemunity)

       

Singer/ songwriter Michael Colton  has penned the ultimate oath of enduring love with his charming new country -tinged ballad, “Won’t Fall Away.”According to MTM.com, Colton “has depth, warmth, and grit - and he can play the hell out of his guitar.”

Produced by Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty) and Steve Trovato, Colton’s upcoming release, California Blue, displays Colton’s blend of storytelling, straightforward tunefulness, and incendiary guitar work. Colton’s recent live appearances include SXSW, The Sundance Film Festival, and Los Angeles’ House of Blues. More information on Colton is available on his official website.

Diving deep into the explosive traditions of virtuosos Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton, Colton began his musical career as a cocky young guitarist. Exploring that music led him further down that road, all the way to blues legend Robert Johnson. Colton went on to record an EP of Johnson’s songs, the critically acclaimed The Robert Johnson Sessions.

After paying his dues in countless bars and coffee houses, Colton had a career-altering encounter with acclaimed producer Blake English (George Benson, Jennifer Lopez) at an informal studio jam. Impressed by Colton’s chops, English recruited Colton for session work and eventually producedThe Robert Johnson Sessions.

Colton honed his already considerable talent while recovering from an acute head trauma that nearly ended his life: “To keep my brain sharp, I started playing guitar five hours a day like my life depended on it. Somehow, I feel like music healed me better than any medicine I was given.”

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For more information on Michael Colton, visit his social media: FACEBOOK/ TWITTER/ INSTAGRAM

Dance of Despair: Alt-Rocker SEE Tells Tumultuous Tale of Addiction in Powerful “She Cries” Video

NY native has been featured in Paste Magazine, PureVolume

WATCH SEE’S STIRRING VIDEO FOR “SHE CRIES” HERE

“A sparkly blend of pop and synthy alt-rock.”

(PureVolume.com)

Two distraught dancers fly and fight their way through the angst of drug addiction in “She Cries,” the poignant new video from charismatic singer/songwriter SEE. Credited byPaste Magazine with “blending sultry pop vibes and amazing harmonies,” the Long Island, NY multi-instrumentalist has received more than 1,000,000 YouTube views of her steamy “Potions” video in just two months. Her growing portfolio of raves and reviews includes features in Mind Equals Blown, New Music Weekly, and Sound Fiction. More information on SEE is available on her official website.

SEE recently released her debut EP, Ties, on Blue Élan Records. Co-produced by Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Pete Yorn) and Walt Dicristina, Ties masterfully combines elements of pop, alternative rock, and singer-songwriter stylings.

According to SEE, the video for “She Cries” captures the heartbreaking impact of addiction on both the addicted and their loved ones:

“I wrote “She Cries” while watching someone I am close with try to break away from the cycle of addiction. Addiction can take many layers and forms, but we chose to represent it visually through substance abuse. We were lucky to recruit two incredible dancers and a wonderful choreographer, so it created an environment in which we blended all these different elements of art into one project.”

At the age of eighteen, SEE began to sing and perform as a solo artist. She soon decided to forgo college in order to pursue a full-time music career. Her gamble paid off, as one year later she signed with Blue Élan Records in June 2015.

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To learn more about SEE, visit her social media: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM| YOUTUBE  

Southern Discomfort: Rising Rocker & Storyteller R​od Melancon Spins Tales of Louisiana’s Darker Side on ​LA ​14 EP

“Americana has a strong voice in Rod Melancon.” ( No Depression)

Deep in the swamp lands of South Louisiana, in the small towns off State Highway 14, there are stories waiting to be told. There are ghosts to conjure up in the night fires and the bayou jamborees. Much like Johnny Cash captured the Arkansas of his childhood and Bruce Springsteen brought Asbury Park alive for millions, singer-songwriter Rod Melancon has introduced to listeners the stories of South Louisiana’s small towns and conflicted characters. The Daily Country raves that Melancon’s tales are "experiences personal and universal to one of Americana’s finest rising artists, destined to create his own legend and legacy." The latest vehicle for Melancon’s intriguing storytelling is his five-song EP, LA 14, released in April via Blue Élan Records.





LA 14 is a preview of the full album to be released next year. With the help of producer Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam), Melancon has pushed his song-cycle into a swamp-tinged, country blend that moves out to the parameters of psychedelic-rock and deep southern blues. His songs here, while entirely original, echo the poetic soul of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.
While the singer-songwriter’s debut album, 2012’s My Family Name, mined classic country music for inspiration and his fresh new songs call up the spirit of Cash and Merle Haggard, it was his second album, 2014’s Parish Lines, that found him truly pushing the boundaries between alt-country and blues-rock.

That same year, Melancon was spotlighted as one of CMT Edge’s “Five Rising Roots Acts to Watch.” By the end of 2014, Melancon was highlighted by the premiere Americana arbiters, including American Songwriter and No Depression. Critics took notice and hailed Melancon’s debut as one of the best of 2014.

The centerpiece of LA 14 is “Lights of Carencro ,” a chillingly dark and personal song and video. Emerging from Melancon’s father’s point of view, “Lights of Carencro” tells the story of the death of his brother in 1976. Melancon vividly paints the experience of tragedy and loss as he tells the engaging narrative, performed through a nightmare-like spoken word mixed in an eerie high frequency.
Fans can watch and hear in person Melancon tell his tales of Southern discomfort during his current tour.

For more information on Rod Melancon, visit his social media: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE 

Nashville's Americana hero Ben de la Cour crowned 2016 Kerrville New Folk Winner

We wanted to let you know about Ben de la Cour's recent achievement in being crowned a 2016 Kerrville New FolkWinner for his album Midnight In Havana. You can listen to Midnight In Havana below.

The 6 winners were chosen over 600 songwriter entries from North America, Europe, Australia and Japan and performed at the New Folk Winners Concert on day 11 of this year's Kerrville Folk Festival, which took place on Sunday June 5th. 

   

Death and Darkness, Discovered: World-Traveling Singer Ben de la Cour Tells Tales of Substance Abuse, Murder, and Mental Illness on Haunting Midnight in Havana LP

“Ben de la Cour is a folk musician with the songwriting acumen of a young Nick Cave and the lyrical wisdom of a vitriolic Leonard Cohen. His songs are stark, melancholic, and packed with emotion.”
(Fresh Deer Meat)

LISTEN TO MIDNIGHT IN HAVANA ON SOUNDCLOUD HERE

Rising singer/songwriter Ben de la Cour has established himself as the face of the Americanoir sound with the official release of his dark and mysterious sophomore LP Midnight in Havana. Credited by Red Line Roots with offering “subtle hints of Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, and Leonard Cohen,” de la Cour’sextensive travels have taken him to strange and sometimes dark and desperate places, places he documents so eloquently on Midnight in Havana. Midnight in Havana is being released via Nashville’s Flour Sack Cape Records, a label that “aims to document the constantly evolving sound of one city.” More information on de la Cour is available on his official website.

After growing up in Brooklyn, de la Cour set out to see the world as an amateur boxer, bartender, and agricultural worker. He spins world-weary poetry of a road less traveled, and on Midnight in Havana tales of substance abuse, murder, and mental illness sit in perfect juxtaposition with the occasional lighthearted glimmer of hope. In the end though, darkness almost always wins… an unlikely hero, but one that suits de la Cour perfectly.

Case in point is the haunting “Down to the Water’s Edge,” the first single from Midnight in Havana. Described by de la Cour as a “creepshow manifesto” in which the narrator obsesses over his unknowing victim,” “Down to the Water’s Edge” represents de la Cour’s affection for David Lynch and the film-noir genre:

“I'm a big film-noir fan, and I also really enjoy the detective novels of Ross MacDonald and Raymond Chandler. I knew I wanted the album to have something of that feel to it, with the weird lighting and dark spaces. That informed everything from the song "Midnight in Havana" to the album title and the artwork, which I did myself.”

Midnight in Havana was recorded and mixed over the course of a year at Greenland Sound in East Nashville. According to de la Cour, the process was “limited to one session or less a week, so it really felt like a labor of love between engineer/co-producer Joe Lekkas and myself.”

You can purchase the album on iTunes here.

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For more information on Ben de la Cour, visit his social media: FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

Fight the Fiction: With Political Lies Running Rampant, Outspoken Psychedelic Folk FunkstersPilgrim SpeakeasyCall Out Dishonest Politicians in “Unbelievable”Single

Europe’s troubadours of truth, the psychedelic folk funk collective known as Pilgrim Speakeasy, are taking on dishonest politicians with their stinging new single “Unbelievable.”Both an expression of incredulity towards current political elites and a statement on their attempt to “pass off fiction for reality,” “Unbelievable” is the first single from Pilgrim Speakeasy’s forthcoming album Freak Deco. According to music blogger Jani Ekblom, Pilgrim Speakeasy present “an irresistible musical visionwhere genres and styles mix and live together in harmony." 

According to Mika Roth of Desebeli.net, Pilgrim Speakeasy excel at mixing and matching a variety of genres:

“Pilgrim Speakeasy make the impossible possible by combining influences adopted from an enormous field and crafting them into a living, breathing entity. They sum up nearly everything ever done in rock into a new collage with mystic-political messages that drill straight into the listener’s brain.”

Pilgrim Speakeasy began as the “freak-powered vehicle” for the expressions of a psychedelic troubadour, Roger Roge, a Scotland-born expatriate currently residing in Finland. Although solely producing albums since 2000, Pilgrim Speakeasy remain an open entity that has welcomed the talents of esteemed contributors from many countries, including Brazil, Senegal, United Kingdom, Columbia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

At present, the Pilgrim Speakeasy collective consists of Roger Roge, Panu Mölsä (bass, ukulele), and Markus Mulkahainen (drums, percussion). The project is currently putting the finishing touches onFreak Deco, the follow-up to the group’s acclaimed Lo-Fi Love at the Park Cafe album.

For more information on Pilgrim Speakeasy, visit their social media: FACEBOOK/ YOUTUBE/ TWITTER