Mike Viola shares new single "Ordinary Girl" and chats with American Songwriter
SONG PREMIERE + INTERVIEW
"Mike Viola has spent a large part of his career making music with others and for others. His newest single, 'Ordinary Girl,' off his forthcoming album, Godmuffin, is one of a handful of new tracks the pop-rock musician wrote by himself and for himself. Well, actually, he wrote it for his daughters, who both sing background vocals on the track." Check it out over at American Songwriter!
Mark Bryan shares acoustic version of Hootie classic "Wishing" with Americana Highways
TRACK PREMIERE
Beyond proud of Mark Bryan and Midlife Priceless, the album he's going to be delivering next year. We've got a bunch of singles coming your way first, including tunes co-written with Wyatt Durrette (Luke Combs, Zac Brown Band), and Stephen Fiore (Young Mister), along with the first official single "Wanna Feel Something," out Oct. 30th. For the Hootie & The Blowfish fans, Mark closes the album with a vocal and acoustic guitar version of the band's 1998 song "Wishing" and Americana Highways has just posted it up!
Du Jour chats with Mandy Moore about starring in the new Mike Viola video
INTERVIEW
Du Jour recently caught up with the multifaceted Mandy Moore, who appears in Mike Viola’s new video for “Drug Rug.” Viola and Moore have been working together since 2009, most recently on her LP Silver Landings.
According to Moore, “He’s a genius and the video (directed by my sis, Caitlin Gerard) is hilarious and so dang good.”
Mike Viola talks with Evan Toth on The Vinyl District's Radar podcast
INTERVIEW
Mike Viola - you probably know his voice from That Thing You Do, Walk Hard, or his band The Candy Butchers; or, perhaps you’ve heard his production on Mandy Moore’s Silver Landings - has a new LP, Godmuffin, due later this year. Evan Toth of WFDU recently interviewed Mike for The Vinyl District’s Radar podcast, finding that “2020 may have been one of the weirdest years that most of us have experienced in our lifetime, but it’s been musically fruitful for Viola.”
Inara George chats with PopMatters about "The Youth of Angst," her latest bundle of songs, out now.
INTERVIEW
Jedd Beaudoin chats with Inara George for PopMatters: In a mere three-song bundle, "exemplary of George's musical diversity and unique brand of songwriting.... one can find various strands of the American songwriting tradition throughout, whether blues, radio pop or the brand of songwriting that elevated Cole Porter to a pillar of the form." Listen to "The Youth of Angst," out now on Release Me Records.
Figg chats with American Songwriter about its decade-delayed debut album.
INTERVIEW
"Delicately weaved in textured instrumentation and melodies... pensively moving through different twists and tangles." Deep dive today with Figg over at American Songwriter as writer Tina Benitez-Eves finds out what the band's debut album is all about and what happened during the decade between it being recorded and being released.
Chance Emerson answers 5 Questions for Ditty TV; Shares "Annabelle" video
INTERVIEW
Chance Emerson's debut album came out just as everything was closing down. His record release party was actually one of the last shows at the Middle East in Boston and Chance left his freshman year of college and the country soon after. Today, Chance chats about this and more with Ditty TV from his home in Hong Kong. Click to read the interview and see the video for the "Annabelle" single which American Songwriter says shows “wisdom and assuredness that belie his age.”
The Orange Peels chat with LA Weekly about "Square" re-issue, upcoming album.
INTERVIEW
The Orange Peels have lots to say to LA Weekly today about the upcoming 40-track reissue of the 1997 debut album Square (Minty Fresh, June 26th), the upcoming brand-new double-album (out this fall), and the upcoming state of the world. Read it here.
Samantha Sidley chats with Forbes about "Interior Person"
Chance Emerson chats with American Songwriter about upcoming "Annabelle" single.
INTERVIEW
Chance Emerson chats with American Songwriter today, which says, "When Chance Emerson sings 'Everything will be alright in time' at the close of his new single, 'Annabelle,' it’s easy to believe him. The Providence, Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter delivers the line with wisdom and assuredness that belie his age."
Samantha Sidley discusses life and "Interior Person" with Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times
INTERVIEW
“Samantha Sidley's bubbly, LGBTQ-friendly jazz-pop belies a traumatic journey,” says the Los Angeles Times today in its interview with Sam about her life and debut album Interior Person. Sam speaks with Mikael Wood about the ‘quietly radical” record and the life that led up to it. It's a powerful read. Sam plays The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles tomorrow evening at 7PM PST.
Samantha Sidley chats with Jerry Nunn of Windy City Times
INTERVIEW
Windy City Times has posted writer Jerry Nunn's chat with Samantha Sidley! Her debut album Interior Person is out now on Release Me Records featuring Sam singing songs written for her by some of the most important women in her life: Inara George, Alex Lllly, and Barbara Gruska (Sam’s wife!).
Samantha Sidley talks with Bay Area Reporter in advance of her show at Rickshaw Stop
INTERVIEW
Samantha Sidley chatted with The Bay Area Reporter ahead of tonight's performance in San Francisco at Rickshaw Stop with Alex Lilly and The Bird and the Bee!
"Sidley assumes that most of her audiences are LGBTQ, but says that she would welcome straight audiences because love is universal,” The Reporter reports. “She notes that gay people have had to listen to music from a straight perspective for a long time and have been able to relate to the music. Why then, couldn't straights relate to a song from a lesbian perspective?"
Matt Micucci of JAZZIZ conducts a Q & A with Samantha Sidley, whose Interior Person LP comes out soon
INTERVIEW
"Samantha Sidley’s Interior Person (out via Release Me Records on September 13) feels like a breath of fresh air. But it is also its meticulously crafted sound, which blends vintage jazz with more modern pop elements, that makes it such an outstanding debut."
Matt Micucci spent some time chatting with Sam for JAZZIZ. Enjoy!