Most of you (or okay, those who only follow this blog) probably know that I’ve got ears for Folk/ Folk Rock. I’m not sure how that happened, but I guess that’s the effect of googling and clicking similar artists/sounds links.
When I was young, the extent of my Hillbilly-ness revolved around Nickelcreek‘s “This Side.” Today is a different story: my song bank has a mixture of Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Head and The Heart, Bon Iver, Ben Howard, nu folkers Noah and The Whale, Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn, Ben Howard — you name it. I do realize lately that my ears are leaning into a bit of electro pop/indie pop lately (must be because of the trend too), but there are a few newbies ( at least in my ears) that manage to keep me folkin’ it out – if that makes any sense.
First off, we’ve got The Apache Relay. They’re from Nashville, and is composed of singer-songwriter Michael Ford, Jr., Mike Harris, Ben Ford, Brett Moore, Kellen Wenrich, and Aaron Early. They used to be called Michael Ford, Jr. and The Apache Relay, since Ford used to venture out alone, but soon enough they dropped and became a group. The Apache Relay has been around for a while now, catching the ears of a few people from the industry, including my favorite band everrr Mumford and Sons, in which they’ve opened for in 2011. This year, the band is will showcase their talents in SXSW, Canadian Music Fest, and Newport Folk Festival. Busy, busy, busy.
The Apache Relay – American Nomad
The first track that caught my attention from the band was “Home is Not Places,” but their track “Tongue Tied” clearly was the favorite.
Next, we’ve got Cheer Up Charlie Daniels. The band is also from Nashville, and has been playing since 2008. There’s not much to be said about the band just yet, but they’ve garnered attention from their Bonnaroo performances, as well as in Soundland and Next Big Nashville.
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels – Bunsen Burner
With a performance like this, who wouldn’t like to hang out with this band?
Like a fish out of the Nashville pool, we’ve got The Lumineers from Denver, CO. Still quite a young band, The Lumineers self-recorded their EP in 2011 and decided to go on a tour — gaining their fans along the way. I sense success for these guys in the days to come, but in the meantime, we wait.
The Lumineers – Ho Hey
“Ho Hey” was also featured on US TV show “Hart of Dixie” (Episode 10).
This is quite a good set, I think. They all seem fun to watch — especially The Apache Relay, oh god, that would be a blast. Good any more good folk bands?
Dawn Lanuza 