The Heart's Swift Foot is the newest release from Kalamazoo based folk duo Red Tail Ring. The responsible parties are Michael Beauchamp and Laurel Premo and their twelve track opus is as ripe with instrumental technique and musicianship as it is with folk authenticity and engaging story telling. You might ask, "How does one get all steeped folk authenticity?" Well, degrees in Ethnomusicology, English Literature, and time abroad studying Finnish traditional music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki would be a pretty good start.

Regardless, the only thing about this record that sounds academic is the duo's attention to instrumental and vocal intonation. The rest just sounds like satisfying Americana through the lens of a contemporary mid-western duo. Enjoy the bookend tracks from this album below and then make friends with the duo via their Facebook page, Official Web Page, and find all of their music on Itunes.

Red Tail Ring: Ohio Turnpike

Red Tail Ring: My Heart's Own Love

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A few weeks ago, Bridges and Powerlines released Better, a strong six track collection with each song named after a Brooklyn neighborhood.

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Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners is a five piece band that is as steeped in whiskey as they are old-timey Americana. They are: Jacob Miller on guitar,vocals, and kazoo. Ben Bailey on washboard, snare, and vocals Kyle Neumann on harmonica, tenor banjo, and dobro. Joy Pearson on vocals, tenor banjo and kazoo, and finally, Mike Team on the upright bass.

Their album, East Side Drag, was released in June of 2012 and boasts eight tracks of the finest pickin' and singin' that Portland Oregon has to offer. However, beyond a slick brand and a niche market, Jocob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners are bringing real musical talent and authenticity to bear. For my taste, Hesitation Blues and the Belmont Strut are the high points of the album. I love the combination of Jacob Miller's tenor warble alongside his enviable guitar impersonation of Mississippi John Hurt. Furthermore, the subtly Ben Bailey's washboard percussion amplifies the song's interesting texture.

Read on to give the full album a listen. You dig?

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Portland OR seems to be teeming with a unique breed of melancholic Americana and Mama Bird Recording Co. has been quietly amassing their talents for the last couple of years. TWD has previously written about both Denver and Sainseneca leaving us to address Barna Howard; the third artist represented on that label.

As I previously mentioned, all of Mama Bird's artists fall under the guise of folk musicians. However, as opposed to Denver and Saintseneca who sound uniquely contemporary, Barna Howard's compositional voice is a throwback to the tradition of Arlo Guthrie and the folk musicians of that ilk. Listen below to the two track teaser from his 2012 full length self-titled released and take note of the way Barna slips in and around his vowel sounds while singing and uses his highly polyphonic guitar to lay out a three voice accompaniment in the traditional folk style. 

His playing is clean, his voice is clear, and his stories are welcoming and well written. Barna Howard should have a bright future in the folk community where a talent such as his is surely to be recognized and sought after. Click here to purchase his full length album and then drop him a line on his facebook page and let him know that you dig it.

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Community Center is a Baltimore based indie rock band of eclectic composition. This six piece band boasts a cast of multi-instrumentalists who don't shy from tag team vocal work and sound as if they are making music for the simply pleasure of it. Their newest EP is self-titled was released on January 20th of this year. Most notably, Community Center has been seen around town performing at the EMP Collective, the Wind Up Space, and the Baltimore Theater Collective. Check out their tune When I Grow Up I Want To Be Ten Feet Tall below:

Additionally, Daniel Benbow of Community Center will be one of the valiant home brewers competing at the Home Brew Hullabaloo presented by yours truly and the EMP Collective later this month. Make sure to let him know that you listened to the EP here and that you liked the band on Facebook. 

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It's Super Bowl week here in Baltimore and good vibrations abound around town in a way we we only get to enjoy when our beloved birds are rolling through their competition in spite of what the critics predict. That's why I wanted to share this hometown gem entitled Baltimore Rap from friends of the Dig PB&Jamz. 

PB&Jamz are Paul Diem, Jeremy Durkin, Britt Olsen-Ecker, Aldo Pantoja, and Melissa Wimbish. Baltimore Rap from PB&Jamz is an infectious celebration of the city's highs, lows, quirks, pitfalls, and Berger cookies. There is something relatable in this song for every Baltimorean from Dundalk to Charles Village, Locust Point to Roland Park, and everywhere in between. I dare you not to turn it up and sing along. It's OK, really. You don't have to be ashamed, cautious, or in anyway reserved. PB&Jamz is a juggernaut of feel good Balti-mania. You're welcome.

 

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Released in November of 2012, NYC based hip hop artist PremRock's latest release, Mark's Wild Years, uses Tom Waits as the singular source for sample material on his 13 track confessional of an album. Given Tom Waits' pension for dramatic imagery and inventive instrumental grooves, it is amazing that it took this long for someone in the hip hop world to find their own voice alongside Waits. Check out PremRock's use of Dirt In The Ground below and then read on for the both my full thoughts. You dig?

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We have a cool new discovery to share with you this morning. Inbal Dimri is a singer-songwriter from Israel and she has a five song EP you should listen to.

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