Americana
Newport Folk Fest Marks the Glorious Return of Festivals in US
Most major music festivals coming back in 2021 chose to give perspective attendees a fair amount of time to decide to get vaccinated while still keeping the events “summer.” Hence September is jammed with nearly sold-out fests, from Bonnaroo to BottleRock. But many are looking towards August’s Lollapalooza as the first real test of what a post-pandemic festival looks like, which isn’t entirely accurate. Over the weekend (July 23rd-25th), Newport Folk Festival returned for part one of its slimmed-down Folk On 2021 double-event — and there really is no better way to bring music festivals back. Typically on the smaller side of capacity limits anyway, Newport cut back to just 5,000 daily attendees to help mitigate COVID risks. They also broke up the schedule over two back-to-back three-day chu...
Brandi Carlile Announces New Album In These Silent Days, Shares “Right on Time”: Stream
Brandi Carlile has announced a new studio album called In These Silent Days, and shared the lead single, “Right on Time”. Written and recorded by Carlile while in quarantine with her longtime bandmates Tim and Phil Hanseroth, the album found inspiration from her recent memoir, Broken Horses, leading to 10 tracks that arose from “a time of deep and personal reckoning.” As Carlile explained in a statement, “There’s plenty reflection… but mostly it’s a celebration. This album is what drama mixed with joy sounds like. It’s resistance and gratitude, righteous anger and radical forgiveness. It’s the sound of these silent days.” Along with the Hanseroth brothers, the album features a guest appearance from Lucius’ Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig on the track “You and Me on the Rock.” Advert...
Yola Shares the Origins of Sultry New Single “Starlight”: Exclusive
In the new music feature Origins, musicians share unique insights into their most recent single. Today, the great Yola tells us how she shines like “Starlight”. After sharing lead single “Diamond Studded Shoes” and title track “Stand for Myself” off her upcoming sophomore album, Yola is back today with a third taste, “Starlight”. According to the Grammy-nominated British artist, the song is “about looking for positive physical, sexual and human connections at every level of your journey towards love.” Of course, that includes that occasional fling, harmless but still nurturing. The sultry track, featuring additional percussion and electric guitar from Stand for Myself producer Dan Auerbach, finds Yola cooly and patiently waiting to fulfill her smoldering desire. “Ain’t no crime, somet...
Yola on Stand for Myself and Playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s New Film
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Yola sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about Stand for Myself, a record that finds the English musician in a “genre fluid” mood as she tries out several new sounds. Along with the musical diversity, she also discusses the divide-and-conquer politics that appears in some of the songs; her base in poetry; and working and living with friends Aaron Lee Tasjan, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah. Yola will also be playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic, and we get to hear all about the part as well as Tharpe and queer women’s role in creating rock & roll. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WF...
Amigo the Devil Performs “Murder at the Bingo Hall” Inside a Cave in Celebration of Upcoming 2021 US Tour: Watch
Amigo the Devil recently announced an extensive 2021 U.S. tour that kicks off in late August. The dark-folk troubadour also known as Danny Kiranos will be playing more than 50 shows across the States, and is celebrating his return to the live stage by sharing an acoustic performance of “Murder at the Bingo Hall” exclusively with Heavy Consequence. Back in April, Amigo released his stellar sophomore album, Born Against, and was named Consequence‘s Artist of the Month upon its release. The singer-guitarist opened up to us about the new LP, his collection of curiosities, and the influence of such artists as Tom Waits, Fiona Apple, and Leonard Cohen. He also shared a track-by-track breakdown of the new album. Excited to get out back on the road again after being locked down for more than a yea...
Amigo the Devil Announces 2021 US Tour
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-08T16:31:02+00:00“>June 8, 2021 | 12:31pm ET Amigo the Devil has announced an extensive 2021 US tour kicking off in August. The entire trek will be supported by Tejon Street Corner Thieves, while IV and the Strange Band (led by Hank Williams III’s son Coleman) and Stephanie Lambring will also appear at select dates. The lengthy 50-plus show itinerary begins on August 18th at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and runs all the way through November 18th, when it wraps up in Dallas. It’s the second major headlining tour for Amigo, aka Danny Kiranos, who will bring his macabre brand of Americana storytelling to each gig. In addition to the headlining shows, Amigo will make festival a...
Willie Nelson Announces Outlaw Music Festival Tour with Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams & More
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-24T15:30:54+00:00“>May 24, 2021 | 11:30am ET Still going strong at 88 years old, Willie Nelson is returning to the road with his Outlaw Music Festival Tour. The 14-date trek is taking place from late August through late October. Featured guests include Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Lucinda Williams, The Avett Brothers, and Gov’t Mule. Other artists on multiple dates include Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Kathleen Edwards, and Ida Mae. Chris Stapleton, Ryan Bingham, and Yola will solely play the opening date on August 22nd in Austin, Texas. Further stops are scheduled in Philadelphia, PA; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Phoenix, Arizona before the final date on October...
Wilco Announce Return of Sky Blue Sky Destination Festival with Spoon, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Thundercat
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-21T17:07:46+00:00“>May 21, 2021 | 1:07pm ET Wilco are bringing back their Sky Blue Sky destination festival to the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The all-inclusive experience takes place January 17th-21st and features three headlining sets from the Americana veterans. The lineup also boasts performances from Spoon, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Thundercat, Waxahatchee, and Stephen Malkmus. Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy will also take the stage for a solo set. Other artists include Tank and the Bangas, Mountain Man, Nubya Garcia, The Autumn Defense, Nels Cline & Julian Lage, and Neal Francis. Britt Daniel will play a DJ set. Tickets will be capped at 2,500 guests, with...
Amigo the Devil Digs Further Into His Own Voice on Born Against: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-15T22:13:59+00:00“>April 15, 2021 | 6:13pm ET The Lowdown: Amigo the Devil is back with his second full-length album, Born Against, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 debut, Everything Is Fine. The Austin-based artist also known as Danny Kiranos has been winning over fans with his unique dark Americana vibe that pairs clever storytelling with an infectious musical soundtrack. While Amigo continues to tackle the macabre subjects that were featured on his first LP, Born Against offers a more introspective look at the dark side of the world. The Good: There’s not one single genre that can apply to Amigo the Devil, and that’s a good thing. While his music is deeply rooted in folk, h...
Artist of the Month Amigo the Devil on Born Against, Collecting Curiosities, and the Influence of Tom Waits and Fiona Apple
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T19:22:27+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 3:22pm ET Artist of the Month is an accolade we award to an up-and-coming artist who we believe is about to break out. We turn our attention in April to the dark Americana singer-guitarist Amigo the Devil, as he releases his sophomore album, Born Against. Amigo the Devil is Consequence’s Artist of the Month for April 2021, but the singer also known as Danny Kiranos has been conquering our souls for a few years now. We first debuted his music with his infectious song “Everyone Gets Left Behind” (featuring Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk) off his 2018 debut album, Everything Is Fine, and he’s been killing it ever since. In 2019, we wit...
Amigo the Devil Shares New Song “Murder at the Bingo Hall”: Stream
Dark Americana artist Amigo the Devil has returned with another chilling tale, “Murder at the Bingo Hall”. The track is from the Austin singer-songwriter’s forthcoming sophomore album, Born Against, arriving April 16th. Once again, Amigo the Devil assumes the role of a grim storyteller, weaving a tongue-in-cheek tale of bloodshed in the most unlikely of places. As the temper of the paranoid bingo-playing protagonist grows fiercer with each passing number, the song careens to a climactic, violent conclusion. Amigo the Devil, aka Danny Kiranos, has become one of Americana’s rising acts thanks to his brand of entertaining narrative songwriting. Think Marty Robbins’ Gunfighter Ballads channeled through the grim post-modernism and black humor of Breaking Bad. Holding to the folk-music conventio...
Hiss Golden Messenger Announces New Album Quietly Blowing It, Shares “If It Comes in the Morning”: Stream
Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C Taylor will find out this weekend if his last LP, 2019’s Terms of Surrender, takes home the Best Americana Album at this year’s Grammy Awards. Even with that anticipation looming, the ever-prolific Americana artist has already set his sights on his next effort, as he’s today announced Quietly Blowing It. As a preview of the June 25th release, Taylor has shared “If It Comes in the Morning”. Arriving via Merge, Quietly Blowing It was written during the spring and summer of the tumultuous 2020. Even before that year “rolled up on us like an existential mugger,” as Taylor himself puts it, he was feeling burnt out. He’d canceled an Australian tour in 2019, and left the road ready for “the time and space to mourn something, though I wasn’t sure what.” When h...
