15 Minute Live Performances
15 Minute Live Performances: Jordan Hawkins
In June, rising R&B singer-songwriter Jordan Hawkins gave us a glimpse into what a typical day in his life is like. The North Carolina native’s experience isn’t like your usual artist. Before diving into the deep end of pursuing music, Hawkins worked in finance with the goal of becoming an investment banker. But, like all good plans, life sometimes gets in the way. Hawkins, who first started singing as a kid in his church choir, is inspired by a number of multi-faceted guitar-slaying artists, including Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and John Mayer. Having left North Carolina behind, Hawkins now resides in Los Angeles and recently released his debut EP, Heart Won’t Stop, which is a strong sign of things to come from this rising artist. Accompanied by Stari on bass, Charles Nutrivore on keys, and...
15 Minute Live Performances: Erin Rae
Erin Rae is one of our favorite artists to emerge in the past year. The singer-songwriter is one of Nashville’s finest rising talents. Her breakthrough album, Lighten Up, produced by Jonathan Wilson, is shaping the latest generation of cosmic country. Earlier this year, we spoke with the 31-year-old and she explained to us how everything came together, from a creative and mental wellness place. “I think I have realized in the last couple of years, I was born with a certain set of anxious tendencies. Kind of an overactive, maybe hypervigilant mind. But then I also got to learn that I can sing, and that has always provided a soothing antidote to my brain.” In her 15 Minute Live Performance, she showcases her earnest songwriting and her outstanding ability to connect through live performance....
15 Minute Live Performances: WYATT
Tulsa has an interesting history musically. It has the Woody Guthrie Museum and soon will have one dedicated to Bob Dylan. In addition to that and being the home of The Outsiders, some great singer-songwriters have emerged from the Oklahoma city. The latest is Wyatt. Born Wyatt Sanders, the guy does it all, literally. He’s songwriter, producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. His work includes “Wish” by Diplo and Trippie Redd that went platinum, “Needed” by iann dior, “ENDZ” by 88GLAM, which he co-produced with Daytrip. Not too shabby! As great as those accolades are, WYATT is pretty great on his own. His incorporation of distinct melody is prevalent in his own material as well. That is on full display in his 15 Minute Live Performance, which includes a cover of John Lennon’s “Jealous...
15 Minute Live Performances: The Wanderers
Australia has a rich history of blessing the rest of the world with terrific bands. The Wanderers could be the latest band to follow in that tradition. The band dazzled at several SXSW showcase events last week, showing audiences in Austin what they’re fully capable of when armed and operated. Don’t say we didn’t tell you because we did! A few weeks ago, we caught up with the band’s Dusty Lee Stephensen in our A Day in the Life feature. He filled us in on what you will hopefully know in due time. “Your favorite albums from Dad’s record collection, that you only listen to while he’s out because you don’t want him to know you think it’s cool,” Stephenson said It’s a bit of everything really. Funk, soul, neo-soul, disco, fuzzy guitars, sax lines, harmonies… it’s all the shit we like to hear o...
15 Minute Live Performances: Neal Francis
If there’s a name that you best be aware of in 2022, it’s Neal Francis. Ever since the Chicago-based musician teased out tracks of his new album, In Plain Sight, late last year, he’s been an absolute tear. “Problems,” Francis’ the groovy, laidback earworm has been a fixture across SiriusXM’s rock channels because of the way it seamlessly checks every box on what a good rock song should sound like. And the results speak for themselves. Francis is playing before his biggest audiences yet and is not only an artist on the rise, he’s an artist that’s there. Rewinding for a second, when we caught up with Francis in our Day in the Life feature, he outlined exactly what his process is. As he said in that feature, “Soul, R&B, funk, rock, disco, psychedelia, classical: All of those in a mix...
15 Minute Live Performances: AJA
In our ongoing 15 Minute Live Performance series, we’ve featured a lot of great talent from north of the border. Today, AJA is the latest Canadian artist who has captured our attention. Whatever is going on up in Canada is pretty strong. Anyway, her musical chops are very impressive. And guess what? AJA is only 17. Yes, your eyes don’t deceive you. This talented artist is barely able to drive. Yet, when you listen to her, her voice and songwriter has the maturity of someone far beyond her years. Blending her astute pop sensibility with a splash of modern R&B, AJA’s sharp and oftentimes personal lyrics pack a punch and manage to light up your ears in the process as well. Here’s the setlist from AJA’s performance: Better Off Without YouLove at First Song (Unreleased)Big Girls D...
15 Minute Live Performances: The Delevantes
Nashville-based country-rock outfit The Delevantes are the brainchild of two New Jersey-born brothers, Mike and Bob, raised on strong harmonies, something that’s a key component to their own sound. Releasing a debut album back in 1995, The Delevantes were part of the first wave of what’s now known as Americana. The band’s contemporaries were Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Son Volt, the Jayhawks. As for 2021? Well, The Delevantes show no sign of slowing down, releasing their new album, A Thousand Turns, at the end of the year. In this 15 Minute Live Performance, the brothers go back to their roots. They’re joined by E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent, who lends his, er, considerable talents to the set. (He also produced the band’s first album Long About That Time in 1995 that was released on Rou...
15 Minute Live Performances: Foy Vance
Welcome to 2022 and with another year of 15 Minute Live Performances by our favorite artists. This week, Foy Vance. Over the past few years, the mustached singer-songwriter has dazzled audiences in his home of Northern Ireland and beyond. His brand of accessible folk has made him a staple on indie, college and satellite radio, and he has won over fans on the alternative and coffeehouse circuit too. Last September, Vance released his latest studio album, Signs of Life, which is another remarkable step forward for the 48-year-old. He tackles his demons through his songs. Written during the pandemic, Vance honestly addresses his past issues of addiction, in particular alcohol and painkillers. For the first time in 20 years, the songwriter was stuck at home, not able to tour as the lockdown to...
15 Minute Live Performances: Robert Finley
One of the great things about 2021 was discovering new artists in unexpected places. Not every new artist was created equally. Not every rising artist was created equally. Which brings us to Robert Finley. The 68-year-old bluesman was a revelation. Once we heard his story and unlikely rise, it was so captivating and compelling to us that we made Finley the subject of our June 2021 cover story. And deservedly so. As we traced in Liza Lentini’s terrific profile, Finley may have garnered attention on America’s Got Talent, but he showcased his true chops on his new album, Sharecropper’s Son. The Louisiana native inked a deal with Black Keys guitarist/frontman Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. From there, Finley’s album was produced by Auerbach and it remains one of the most underrated a...
15 Minute Live Performances: TRISHES
Music has always played a major role in TRISHES‘ life. Whether it was as a toddler in Trinidad or spending her formative years in the U.S., she has always been performing. In our recent Day in the Life feature, she explained that after she performed at a talent show in middle school, she realized that music was her calling. “People were just so affected by the performance that I started to understand that I could move people,” she said. “I could make them feel things.” Recently, TRISHES released her debut album, The Id, which had been in the works for several years. Lyrically, she explores self-identity over what she calls “experimental minimalist beat-driven pop.” She self-released, co-produced, and wrote nearly the entire album with co-conspirator Hakan Mavruk. Her unique style shines on...
15 Minute Live Performances: TRISHES
Music has always played a major role in TRISHES‘ life. Whether it was as a toddler in Trinidad or spending her formative years in the U.S., she has always been performing. In our recent Day in the Life feature, she explained that after she performed at a talent show in middle school, she realized that music was her calling. “People were just so affected by the performance that I started to understand that I could move people,” she said. “I could make them feel things.” Recently, TRISHES released her debut album, The Id, which had been in the works for several years. Lyrically, she explores self-identity over what she calls “experimental minimalist beat-driven pop.” She self-released, co-produced, and wrote nearly the entire album with co-conspirator Hakan Mavruk. Her unique style shines on...
15 Minute Live Performances: TRISHES
Music has always played a major role in TRISHES‘ life. Whether it was as a toddler in Trinidad or spending her formative years in the U.S., she has always been performing. In our recent Day in the Life feature, she explained that after she performed at a talent show in middle school, she realized that music was her calling. “People were just so affected by the performance that I started to understand that I could move people,” she said. “I could make them feel things.” Recently, TRISHES released her debut album, The Id, which had been in the works for several years. Lyrically, she explores self-identity over what she calls “experimental minimalist beat-driven pop.” She self-released, co-produced, and wrote nearly the entire album with co-conspirator Hakan Mavruk. Her unique style shines on...
