“Heart in Wire” by Matthew Mayfield
25
Apr

Singer-songwriter Matthew Mayfield has been in the studio for the past few months carving away at some new songs. This one, “Heart in Wire,” is a raw performance cut on April 7th. Mayfield will be on the road doiing a co-headlining acoustic tour with David Ramirez starting in May. 2 guys. 1 van. 18 shows. Check out the YouTube video of “Heart in Wire” here.

They stop in Houston at Warehouse Live on May 25!

[audio:Heart in Wire.mp3|titles=Heart in Wire|artists=Matthew Mayfield]
“Heart in Wire” by Matthew Mayfield

Image courtesy of Speakers in Code

“Without A Word” by Birdy
17
Apr

As Dr. Luke would say, “this is one we don’t want to get lost in the first place.” 15 year old singer/songwriter, Birdy, is a discovered gem.

She is starting out with an album of covers. The popular “1901” by Phoenix is one she chose to cover.

“It’s just an introduction to my style,” she explains. Sign up for her mailing list to receive your free download of “Without A Word.” Stream the others on SoundCloud.

[audio:Without A Word.mp3|titles=Without A Word|artists=Birdy]
“Without A Word” by Birdy

Image courtesy of Birdy’s Facebook photos

Skinny Love - Single - Birdy

“Flinty” by Anya Marina
16
Apr

Away from everything and everyone she knew in California, Anya Marina is settled into Portland, Oregon – a place she knew she loved after filming her first and second music videos there (“Move You” and “Satellite Heart”). In Portland, she recorded the Spirit School EP, made some musician friends, and put together a great band for the new album Felony Flats. The album was made with the help of Cody Votolato (little brother of solo folk musician, Rocky Votolato), Jeff Bond, Joe Plummer, Eric Earley, Joe Cunningham and Gus Baum. Felony Flats was released on March 13.

[audio:Flinty.mp3|titles=Flinty|artists=Anya Marina]
“Flinty” by Anya Marina

Image courtesy of Anya Marina’s photo library

“High Tide” by Nehedar
6
Apr

Emilia Cataldo was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts. On a world journey which led her to Israel, she took on the Hebrew name Nehedar which means “wonderful.” In 2000, Cataldo settled in New York City, where she began writing and performing her own music. She adopted “Nehedar” as her stage-name.

Nehedar has self-released five albums – Pick Your Battles in 2007, Dreamlike in 2008, Pterodactyl Baby in 2009, Power Plant Beach in 2010 and her latest, High Tide on March 15, 2012. Whenever possible, she includes Luis Cataldo (her saxaphone playing father).

Nehedar has enjoyed comparisons to Tracy Bonham, Bebel Gilberto and Ingrid Michaelson.

Stream High Tide in its entirety here.

[audio:High Tide.mp3|titles=High Tide|artists=Nehedar]
“High Tide” by Nehedar

mp3 courtesy of James Moore, Music Marketer for Independent Music Promotions

Image courtesy of Nehedar’s Fotografia

“14” and “Where Do We Go From Here” by Carrousel
6
Apr

Carrousel is a Florida-based, dream-pop/folk outfit who will celebrate the release of their debut album, 27 Rue de Mi’chelle, on May 15, 2012.

The group is fronted by Joel Piedt, and features Rob Polischuck, Malee Bringardner, Patrick Chin, Erich von Hinken, and Landon Lee. The album’s protagonist, Michelle, is Piedt lost love and cause for heartbreak.

“I think the hardest part was having persistence to complete the project. It was a grueling two and a half years, especially with the way we went about piecing it together,” admits Piedt. “We were inspired by Brian Wilson’s modular recording, so we attempted to piecemeal parts of songs together to give the album a certain feel,” Piedt elaborates.

Another inspiration for the album is Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, where he describes his time spent with expatriates at 27 rue de Fleurus. “Conveniently enough, the name Michelle was French. So, 27 rue de mi’chelle was born,” says Piedt.

Piedt is now ready for his next challenge: pulling the songs off live for audiences across the U.S.

The video for “14” can be viewed here. This video explores a new concept – one side of the screen backwards (as a performance) and one forward.

Reverse Side
Forward Side

[audio:14.mp3, Where Do We Go From Here.mp3|titles=14, Where Do We Go From Here| artists=Carrousel, Carrousel]
“14” and “Where Do We Go From Here” by Carrousel

EPK (mp3’s, links and images) courtesy of Alex Steininger at In Music We Trust PR

“Providence” by Tracee Perrin
25
Mar

Los Angeles native, Tracee Perrin has released her Debut EP Providence. The EP was tracked and produced by Daniel Dempsey (Rod Stewart, Chris Duran) and mastered by Mark Chalecki (veteran of Capitol Records). Perrin’s skills as a songwriter shine with embraced emotions and unabashed sentiment.

The title track is about escaping what binds you to your past. Piano, strings, guitar and soaring vocals combine to build an honest, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hopeful collection of material.

She has been compared to the likes of Sara Bareilles, Jewel, and Joss Stone.

[audio:Providence.mp3|titles=Providence|artists=Tracee Perrin]
“Providence” by Tracee Perrin

mp3 courtesy of Sera Roadnight, MT Press

Image courtesy of Perrin’s bandcamp page

“The Sound of Silence” and “Little Balloon” by Jenny & Tyler
24
Mar

In 2010, husband-wife duo Jenny & Tyler released their third record Faint Not. For a limited time, you may download (via NoiseTrade) all of Faint Not plus three acoustic versions of brand new songs – in anticipation of their new full-length release Open Your Doors.

New album coming April 3!

Along with the release of their new album, Jenny & Tyler recorded a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound Of Silence” which is now available on iTunes. All of the proceeds from this s/s iTunes chart topper will go to organizations that fight human trafficking.

Please have a listen to the “The Sound of Silence” cover and “Little Balloon” from the new release.

[audio:The Sound of Silence.mp3, Little Balloon.mp3|titles=The Sound of Silence, Little Balloon|artists=Jenny & Tyler, Jenny & Tyler]
“The Sound of Silence” and “Little Balloon” by Jenny & Tyler

Image and mp3 courtesy of Jenn dePaula of MIXTUS MEDIA

“Lonely Man” by Alpha Rev
23
Mar

Alpha Rev formed in 2005, when lead singer Casey McPherson’s former group Endochine disbanded. They released a self-titled EP in 2006 and a full-length in 2007 titled, The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Learned.

Their newest effort, New Morning, hit stores about a year ago (April 2011). I saw these guys at SXSW in Austin this past weekend and it was awesome! Great group, please check ’em out!

This song was my favorite of the live set they played. It’s from another EP titled, City Farm: Roots – EP.

[audio:Lonely Man.mp3|titles=Lonely Man|artitst=Alpha Rev]
“Lonely Man” by Alpha Rev

“Drive By” by Train
23
Mar

I’ve loved them from the beginning – fifteen years and counting – and I finally took my opportunity to see Train live. Houston knows how to do it right. They’ll never make rodeo tickets too expensive, to the point where their own Houstonians don’t want to come out and enjoy the show. So, at $ 16 bucks a pop, we get to see some pretty great shows down here!

From the latest release, Save Me, San Francisco, have a listen to “Drive By.”

“Drive By” by Train

Image courtesy of MixRedding.com

Plus, for old time sake, let’s revisit “All American Girl” from My Private Nation.

[audio:All American Girl.mp3|titles=All American Girl|artists=Train]
“All American Girl” by Train

2012 Houston Rodeo Setlist:

1. “If It’s Love”
2. “Meet Virginia”
3. “Drive By”
4. Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” (mashup covers)
5. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” (cover)
6. “She’s On Fire” (sung with a country twang)
7. “Soul Sister” (sing-along/ fans were invited on stage)
8. “Calling All Angels”
9. “Save Me, San Francisco”
10. “Marry Me”
11. “Soul Sister” (reprise/ sung by Train)
12. “Drops of Jupiter”

“All These Eyes” by Joshua Ketchmark
12
Mar

The narrative songwriter from outside Peoria, Illinois, Joshua Ketchmark, relocated to Nashville eight years ago and has been writing and playing live ever since. He is releasing 3 EP’s this year and “All These Eyes” is the first single from the first release The Bittersweet.

Follow Joshua via M T Press on SoundCloud and watch the first EP trailer here.

[audio:All These Eyes.mp3|titles=All These Eyes|artists=Joshua Ketchmark]
“All These Eyes” by Joshua Ketchmark

mp3 courtesy of Sera Roadnight of M T Press

Image courtesy of Josua Ketchmark’s facebook “Karus Cruentus/List of Regrets” photo album