Angels - Tom Walker

LCM #SongOfTheDay: ‘Angels’ is the excellent new track by Scottish born but London based singer-songwriter Tom Walker. Tom is releasing his debut album ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ on the 19th October, supported by a full UK and mainland European tour, The London date will be at the 02 SBE on the 17th October.

Tom Walker is a Scottish singer-songwriter who grew up near Manchester and signed with Sony Music's Relentless Records. He released his debut single "Sun Goes Down" in March 2016. On 19 May 2017 he released an EP ‘Blessings’, through Relentless Records. His most successful hit commercially is "Leave a Light On" in 2017.

Tom has been honing his sound over the past couple of years and this is in some part influenced by sharing a house with twelve others, also musicians where they would jam together in their home-built studio. He has also cited musicians such as John Mayer, Paolo Nutini and Angus Young (AC/DC) as having an impact on him as an artist. At the end of 2015 Tom signed with Relentless Records.

Tom was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month appearing on NBC's Today show with Kathie Lee Gifford where he performed live his hit "Just You and I". The song has accumulated over 29 million Spotify streams. His follow-up single is "Blessings", the title track from his debut EP ‘Blessings’ EP. On 13 June 2017, Tom released the single "Heartland", co-written and produced by Naughty Boy. Tom has described the meaning behind the track as a reference to temptation getting the better of you and the consequences of those actions. On 22 August 2017, the single was added to the BBC Radio 1 playlist.

In mid-2017, Tom was named as one of the new additions to the BBC Radio 1 Brit List, alongside other rising British talent such as Stefflon Don and J Hus.

Tom Walker has played sold-out tours and support slots for artists like George Ezra, Gallant and Jake Bugg. On 28 September, Walker began his US tour, in Connecticut, supporting The Script. On 13 October 2017, Walker released his single "Leave a Light On" on Relentless Records. The single was co-written and produced by Steve Mac (Clean Bandit's "Symphony", P!nk's "What About Us", Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You"). The track was also featured on Spotify's New Music Friday playlist around the world and Walker was featured as the cover image for New Music Friday Germany. The music video for "Leave a Light On" was produced by Charles Mehling (Paolo Nutini, Olly Murs, The Script) and filmed in Croatia.

http://www.iamtomwalker.com/

Don't Know How To Love You - Haley Reinhart

LCM #SongOfTheDay: ‘Don’t Know How To Love You’ is the great new single from LA based singer-songwriter Haley Reinhart. We have been big fans of Haley’s music for a while and love this rich and powerful soul and blues track.

Originally from the Chicago area, Haley was born into a musical family with a deep love of rock-and-roll, funk, jazz, classic pop, and the blues. In her early childhood, she started joining her parents’ rock band ‘Midnight’ onstage and quickly found herself hooked on performing. "One memory that stands out is my golden birthday, when I turned nine on September 9, 1999,” says Haley. "My parents were playing a tattoo convention and there were all these tough-looking people and biker dudes there, and I got up to sing a LeAnn Rimes song with my hair in little Princess Leia buns. But then once I started singing it got so quiet and the tattoo machines all went off—everyone was listening to me. I was so overcome by it, I cried right afterward, but they were happy tears. I just thought to myself, ‘This is amazing.’”

Through the years Haley continued singing with Midnight, and later joined a high school jazz band that led her to perform at major jazz festivals across Europe while still a teenager. She then studied jazz in college and, at age 20, landed a spot on season 10 of American Idol, eventually finishing in third place. The following year, Haley made her full-length debut with ‘Listen Up!’, a 2012 Interscope Records release that premiered at #17 on the Billboard 200 chart.

A milestone year for Haley, 2015 marked the release of "Can’t Help Falling in Love” (a song included on her 2016 sophomore album Better). Chosen as the unforgettable soundtrack to the Extra Gum ad spot "The Story of Sarah and Juan,” Haley’s spellbinding rendition hit #1 on Spotify’s global viral chart in 2015 and has now amassed over 57 million streams on the platform. That same year she began collaborating and touring with YouTube sensation Scott Bradlee’s ‘Postmodern Jukebox’, offering up jazz/ragtime/swing-inspired updates of songs like Radiohead’s "Creep” and The White Stripes’ "Seven Nation Army.” To date, Haley’s Postmodern Jukebox contributions have garnered more than 112 million views on YouTube.

https://www.haleyreinhart.com/

Kite - Lucie Silvas

LCM #SongOfTheDay: With a ‘Westworld’ themed video our featured song today is ‘Kite’ by London born but Nashville based singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas. This wonderful pop rock anthem is the opening track taken from her recently released fourth studio album ‘E.G.O.’

Lucie will be on a UK tour at the end November/early December with her London date at the O2 Kentish Town Forum on the 2nd December.

If you would like to treat yourself to Lucie’s new album, there is a special deal in the link below for you.

http://luciesilvas.com/

Silhouettes Of You - Isaac Gracie

LCM #SongOfTheDay: ‘Silhouettes Of You’ is the great single from London singer-songwriter Isaac Gracie. It’s taken from his self titled debut album released through Virgin EMI in April. The album was largely produced by Markus Dravs at RAK Studios in London and features eleven tracks including the recent singles ‘Terrified’ and ‘The Death of You and I’.

Isaac Gracie has been finding his feet and working out who he is and discovering what he wants since the industry spotlight fell on him. The fuss was caused by a dusty-sounding, careworn home recording of Last Words that was uploaded online without expectation and any anticipation of what might follow. The voice behind it was completely new to the premise of where writing a great song might lead him. Even now he’d tell you that he’s still slowly working it all out, but this debut collection sounds as fully-realised and confident as any of recent memory. Isaac Gracie is a new British voice, poetic in his placement of words and accomplished in their delivery.

Nina Cried Power - Hozier ft Mavis Staples

LCM #SongOfTheDay: With a brand new EP released on the 6th September, 'Nina Cried Power' is the explosive and emotive title track by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. It also features the great Mavis Staples. We are big fans of Andrew's music here at LCM HQ and can't wait for the new album. Please let us know what you think about the song?

Hozier will be headlining in #London tomorrow (11/09) at Koko. It might be a great chance to hear the new EP tracks live as well as some old favourites. 

https://hozier.com/

Little Love - James Smith

LCM #SongOfTheDay: We really like this great track 'Little Love' from Upminster based singer-songwriter James Smith. It's the very popular title track of his new EP released in June having gained almost 2M views on YouTube. Recently signed to Virgin EMI Records, the 19-year-old James is certainly one to watch for the future. 

I Dont Trust Myself (With Loving You) - Lindsay Ell

Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is 'I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You) a wonderful cover from Nashville based singer-songwriter Lindsay Ell. It's taken from her recently released new album 'The Continuum Project' which is a re-working of Lindsay's favourite album John Mayer's 'Continuum' As you can see from the video, Lindsay plays all the instruments on the album.

Crediting Sugarland's Kristian Bush with making her ask what kind of artist she really wanted to be, Lindsay comments “You can tell when it clicks into gear.” Bush gave her a deceptively simple task before getting to work on her new album 'The Project' – recording her own version of her all-time favorite record, note for note and completely alone. For Lindsay, that record is John Mayer’s 'Continuum', and after locking herself in a studio for two weeks straight, she had a musical epiphany. “It made me realize that I love music when it’s great, and simple,” she says. “When it’s great, it can stay simple – it doesn’t need to be that complicated.”

Lindsay will be headlining in London at The Borderline on October 16th. Don't miss it

https://www.lindsayell.com/

Bleach Blond Bottle Blues - Larkin Poe

With an exciting new album 'Venom & Faith' due for release on November 9th via Tricki-Woo Records, our next LCM featured artists are sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell better know as the excellent Larkin Poe. Rebecca and Megan are originally from Atlanta in Georgia but are now based in Nashville. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the first single from the the new album the rocking 'Bleach Blond Bottle Blues'. If you pre-order the new album, you get this track straight away.

Rebecca & Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe are singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist sisters creating their own brand of Roots Rock 'n' Roll: gritty, soulful, and flavored by their southern heritage. They are descendants of tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allan Poe.

Photo credit: Madi Clark

http://www.larkinpoe.com/

I'll Play The Blues For You - Daniel Castro

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, we take a trip to California and stay with our super smooth blues covers for our next LCM #SongOfTheDay 'I'll Play The Blues For You' by the excellent San Jose based Daniel Castro and his band. This wonderful track is included on Daniel's 'No Surrender' album.  It's a great cover of the great Albert King classic first released in 1972.

Daniel was born in Ensenada, Baja California and also lived in Tijuana. The family later moved to Buena Park, California when Daniel was eight. Even as young kids, Daniel and his older brother Mario wanted to play guitar. "In Tijuana we found an old piece of plywood in a field. We took it home and cut two guitars out of it, painted on the knobs and pick guard, and strung some fishing line with nails on them." After bugging their mother and father for years they finally got their first real guitar from Sears - a St. George electric guitar with no amplifier. The brothers shared the right-handed guitar, which was no problem for Mario who was right-handed but a huge problem for Daniel who was a lefty. Daniel’s brother would laugh at him while he tried to play it upside down, so he finally taught himself to play right-handed. Daniel’s older sister, Jypsy, who was singing in a band, introduced Daniel to all the big soul stars at the time and taught him to play Jimmy Reed riffs in the key of E. Jypsy also gave Daniel two BB King records and "when I heard that Lucille vibrato, that was it...it made me cry.”

In 1969, Daniel's brother Mario was killed in a car accident. Daniel was fifteen at the time.  "I was sitting on the curb in front of our house after my brother's funeral and a friend came up and said ‘Daniel you take that guitar and play your heart out for Mario wherever you go.’" And that’s what Daniel’s been doing ever since.

As he grew up in the L.A. area, Daniel was heavily influenced by the blues greats Albert KIng, B.B. King, and Albert Collins. As a kid, Daniel would hang outside clubs like the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach to hear these blues legends perform and wait for a glimpse of them through the curtains. After cutting his teeth in South Central L.A. blues clubs with “Mighty Mouth” Delmar Evans, who worked with the Johnny Otis Show, Castro backed other great artists from Otis’ band, including Pee Wee Crayton and Little Esther Phillips. He also recorded and toured with many other artists including legendary Small Faces singer-bassist Ronnie Lane.

Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995, Daniel formed The Daniel Castro Band and quickly became a hot draw in the burgeoning local blues scene. In 1999, Daniel recorded his first release, No Surrender, followed in 2003 with Live at The Saloon, a double CD recorded at San Francisco’s oldest bar and mecca for the blues faithful. Both CDs highlight the talents of Daniel’s playing, songwriting, and arranging and feature stellar performances by some of the Bay Area’s best sidemen.

 In 2011, Daniel began looking to form a new band. He had always been surrounded by great players but wanted to focus on his original material, which required working with musicians that shared his passion, would commit to strenuous rehearsals, and had the natural chemistry needed to help him realize the music’s potential. Daniel began getting together with bassist Johnny Yu, whom he had played with in the past and who had recorded several cuts on his “No Surrender” CD. They quickly became a team, working out arrangements to many of Daniel’s new original tunes and forming the nucleus of the new band. Daniel and Johnny began performing as a trio, using a platoon of drummers as they searched for the elusive third member of the band. In early 2012, Johnny reconnected with drummer David Perper, whom he had worked with in a variety of settings over many years. David got together with Daniel and Johnny at their rehearsal space and it soon became obvious to all that they collectively had something unique. With Johnny and David, Daniel has an intuitive and explosive rhythm section, able to anticipate each others moves and support Daniel’s music as it deserves. “We have something special. It’s hard to describe, but we feel it and so do our audiences. We’ve all come from different backgrounds and our personal stories vary. We all come to this band with our past and are forming our future.”

http://www.danielcastro.com/

Don't Let It Die - Carousel

Released July 27, 2018 T. Eatherton: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass C. Hobart: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion S. Holburn: Vocals T. Shaer: Cittern, Harmonium, Fiddle T. Strike: Drums -- Recorded, engineered and produced by Peter Waterman of Longcroft Recording at SS2 Recording. Mixed by Rees Broomfield at SS2 Recording. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Artwork by C. Asher.

One of the fast rising young bands in UK Americana and our LCM 'Favourite New Artist 2017' are the great Southend based band Carousel. We are thrilled that they are headlining our next LCM gig at the Green Note in Camden on the 26th September as part of their UK tour. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is their latest single the very catchy and rockin' 'Don't Let It Die' recently released on the 27th July via Longcroft Recording. Catch them if you can.

Carousel are a 4-piece Indie Americana music collective, based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Fusing influences from the worlds of americana, country, folk, rock’n’roll and roots music, their influences range from Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Johnny Cash to the modern day Americana stylings of Nathaniel Rateliff, Phoebe Bridgers and The Lone Bellow.

Talking about the new single, the band explain "‘Don’t Let It Die’ was written as an open letter to creative minds. Within the lyrics, we wanted to encapsulate the feeling of being inspired but misunderstood, as many of us artists are. Equally, we felt the need to reiterate how important art is to society. It is so crucial that art plays its part in people’s lives in times of political and social struggle, that they welcome it in and find some respite within.”

Following appearances this summer at Cambridge Folk Festival, Beautiful Days Festival and Black Deer Festival, Carousel will be playing their heartfelt, engaging music on an 8 date headline UK tour in September / October:

facebook.com/carouseluk
instagram.com/carousel_band_uk
twitter.com/carouselbanduk

Half Way - The Sisterhood Band

Our LCM featured artists today are a very talented US duo with a rich musical heritage, who played a storming set at yesterday's 'Nashville To London' festival. Both very good singer-songwriters in their own right, Ruby Stewart and Alyssa Bonagura combined to form The Sisterhood Band. Their music is an organic blend of the open melodies of classic West Coast folk and the magnetic swagger of timeless rock n' roll, powered by Alyssa and Ruby's soaring richly textured harmonies and effortless chemistry. Both ladies have strong musical DNA. Alyssa is the daughter of Kathie Baillie & Michael Bonagura (the core of country band Baillie & The Boys) and Ruby's father is rock icon Rod Stewart. As a lovely flavour of their music our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great live version of 'Walk Away' taken from their recently released debut EP 'Summer Setlist'.

If you would like to see Alyssa and Ruby live in London they will be supporting Steven Tyler at the O2 Kentish Forum on the 7th August.

The pair met through a group of musical friends while both working on their solo careers. Immediately bonding over growing up in the music business and sharing a mutual love and idolization of folk goddess Joni Mitchell, it wasn't obvious to them that their friendship should turn professional until they were jamming on some Joni songs backstage after seeing a Rod Stewart gig together. He listened to their glistening harmonies of a song or two and told them "you two should start a band." 

After only a year of knowing each other, the duo are capturing attention immediately all over the globe, and recently signed their first record deal with Sony Music Nashville on stage at their 3rd & Lindsley show.  They've written and recorded their first EP which features the theme song “Tenderize My Heart” for the Stewarts & Hamilton's show on E!, performed at Fashion Weeks in Milan and Miami, landed a slot on the main stage at CMC music festival in Australia, opened for Gary Clark Jr. & Steven Tyler, made guest appearances at Rod Stewart's Vegas show at Caesar's palace and were the opening act on Sir Rod's summer and winter stadium tour, while headlining their first club tour in the U.K. After making their Grand Ole Opry debut on the eve of the historic solar eclipse, the girls are currently recording and producing their debut album in Nashville, TN.

Their meeting was happenstance, but the music they create together can only mean that nothing is ever truly coincidence. Voices of sirens, lyrics of poets; these two musical heirs are soul sisters are messengers of the music in their hearts. Two very different worlds colliding with one common thread makes the music they create one of a kind. Fresh sounds, haunting melodies, and signature voices and harmonies are what set The Sisterhood apart from any other female group in today's popular music.  

Photo credit: Matthew Berinato

http://www.thesisterhoodband.com

Lay It On Down - Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Our next LCM featured artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of the world's best young blues rock guitar players. Nominated for five Grammy's and a host of other awards, Kenny's music is well worth exploring. Still barely in his 30s, the Louisiana born but now LA based axeman and singer-songwriter has been selling millions of albums. With a host of top ten singles shining a light on the rich blues of the past and moving ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has championed since his teens. He met Stevie Ray Vaughan at 7 and shared the stage with New Orleans legend Bryan Lee at 13. As an adult, he continues to create genre-defining blues-infused rock n' roll. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great acoustic version of the title track of his excellent #1 album 'Lay It Down'.

Photo credit: KWS On Tour Inc.

https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/

Wish I Knew You - The Revivalists

We head to a sultry New Orleans to met our next LCM featured artists the award winning indie rock band The Revivalists. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is their game-changing big hit “Wish I Knew You,” a great song from their third album, "Men Amongst Mountains". Guided by dynamic percussion and punchy horns, the single features a contagious hook and feel-good chorus that has resonated with fans across all different genres.

Though the album was released in July of 2015 (debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart), the band's break out single "Wish I Knew You" has a rare and undeniable staying power. The song steadily picked up steam in 2016 spending over 40 weeks on the Billboard Adult Alternative Chart where it peaked at #1 and maintained for multiple weeks. By 2017, the song crossed to Alternative radio rising quickly to #1 and breaking the Billboard chart record for most single-week spins ever at Alternative radio. “Wish I Knew You” then peaked inside the Top 15 at Adult Pop Radio and ultimately spent 9 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100. 

The meaning behind “Wish I Knew You” is up for debate and the band could not be happier about it. “Some of the best songs are the ones that don’t have just one meaning,” says vocalist David Shaw. “We love hearing all the different interpretations our fans have. Of course the song talks about the idea of wishing for more time together earlier in life, but we’ve heard all different takes on who that someone is, what the message means, and even what point of view the lyrics are coming from. We hope that people make our songs their own and ‘Wish I Knew You’ is like a canvas that our fans have filled with their imaginations and personal experiences. That is what we want our music to do.” 

The success of “Wish I Knew You” has opened many doors for the band, earning them praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, Flaunt, Paste and Interview, nabbing them a nod as a ‘YouTube Artist on the Rise,’ and landing them performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (the host called the song his “summer jam”), Conan, The Today Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where Shaw shared a rare and impromptu mid-performance dance with the star. "That was a surreal moment for us," he marvels. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be dancing with Ellen DeGeneres!”   

Comprised of acclaimed musicians David Shaw [lead vocals/guitar], Zack Feinberg [guitar], Andrew Campanelli [drums], George Gekas [bass], Ed Williams [pedal steel guitar], Rob Ingraham [saxophone], Michael Girardot [keyboard & trumpet], The Revivalists are recognized as an extraordinary live band. And while “Wish I Knew You” has had a seismic effect on their career, The Revivalists’ relentless touring over the past several years has played a major part in getting them to this point. 

The band has sold-out headlining tours in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and performed sets at such marquee festivals as Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. This past year they were invited to perform on the main stage at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest (after six years playing the second stage) for 40,000 people, attracted 5,000 fans to their show at Central Park’s SummerStage in New York City, and visited cities like Toronto for the first time playing to packed houses. 

Watch out too for their latest single 'It Was A Sin'.

Good Kisser - Lake Street Dive

We head to Brooklyn, New York today to meet our next LCM featured artists the wonderful Lake Street Dive. The band have recently released a great new album entitled 'Free Yourself Up', the second album with Nonesuch Records and a follow-up to their highly acclaimed 'Side Pony' We have been great fans of the band since the release of their 2014 album 'Bad Self Portraits'. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is one of the very catchy lead singles 'Good Kisser'.

Lake Street Dive is a multigenre band that was founded in 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band's original members are Rachael Price (lead vocals), Mike "McDuck" Olson (trumpet, guitar), Bridget Kearney (upright bass), and Mike Calabrese (drums). Akie Bermiss (keyboards) joined the band on tour in 2017 and is on their 2018 album. Lake Street Dive started at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The band was named after a street with many dive bars in Olson's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band tours in North America, Australia, and Europe from their base in Brooklyn

Nobody - The Sheepdogs

Our LCM featured artists today are the multi-award winning The Sheepdogs, a great Canadian band based in Saskatoon.. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is 'Nobody' the lead track taken from their latest album 'Changing Colours' released in February. We love the retro Country Rock sound.

If you would like to see the band live they will be at The Black Deer festival on June 23rd and The Borderline in London on June 29th.

Trends come and go, styles fall in and out of fashion, but The Sheepdogs remain steadfast in their commitment to rock n’ roll excellence. Since their inception, the band has always sought to play the kind of music they themselves love: “Pure, simple, good-time music,” as singer/guitarist Ewan Currie puts it. It’s no surprise, then, that the band’s fifth LP, Future Nostalgia, is firmly rooted in the rock tradition that listeners have come to expect from the boys.

The idea was simple: find a nice, quiet, secluded place and make a record packed with all the hot guitar licks and sing-along choruses they could muster. So the band holed up in a rented house in the remote, idyllic setting of Stony Lake, Ontario, and set about creating a studio where they could work all hours of the day. “We wanted to cut out all the noise and get back to a place where we could just fully immerse ourselves in music,” says Currie, who took on production duties for the album. “We worked hard, but we also made sure to keep it loose and have ourselves a good time.”

Future Nostalgia is the middle ground between the JUNO-winning, platinum-certified Learn & Burn, which spawned the rock radio staple “I Don’t Know,” and its equally successful follow-up, 2012’s The Sheepdogs, featuring the instantly-recognizable, Gold-certified singles “Feeling Good” and “The Way It Is.”

The former was recorded by Currie and the band in their hometown of Saskatoon before they were propelled to fame as the first unsigned band to grace the cover of Rolling Stone, pressure free and at their own pace. Its follow-up, however, recorded in Nashville with producer and Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, was a much more formal and rigid studio experience. This time, the band aimed to combine the successes and lessons learned from these opposite ends of the recording spectrum.

Future Nostalgia builds upon The Sheepdogs’ foundation of feel-good vocal harmonizing and nasty guitar jamming. “Our musical journey has been about trying to find how we sound our best,” states Currie, and the album represents the pinnacle of their progress thus far. That’s made immediately clear from the opening riff of “Downtown,” an undeniable straight-up rocker that sparkles with the warmth of summer. Down at the other end of the street is “Bad Lieutenant,” which walks a dark and sexy strut courtesy of bassist Ryan Gullen and drummer Sam Corbett, who also tear up the furious “I Really Wanna Be Your Man.”

Newcomers Rusty Matyas and Ewan’s brother Shamus Currie, on guitar and keys respectively, bring a new spirit to the wistful back porch vibes of “Same Old Feeling” or the brooding melancholy of “Jim Gordon.” Elsewhere, the ominous groove of “Help Us All” calls to mind the bleak violence of Blood Meridian as sung by Sly & the Family Stone, punctuated by a devastating trombone solo from Shamus.

Now, The Sheepdogs are eager to embark on the next leg of their journey, which will involve many miles logged and stages played. “I’m excited for people to hear the album, because it’s a labour of love,” Currie says proudly. “Now, it’s just about getting it out there and getting people into it.”

From their cramped Saskatchewan jam space to gold and platinum records and shows with rock icons, The Sheepdogs haven’t strayed from their goal of sharing pure, passionate rock n’ roll with anyone who’ll listen – and Future Nostalgia is packed with it.

Here I Come - Soul City

Our LCM featured artists today are US band Soul City. When musicians Nicole Boggs, Tyler Summers, Ryan Yerdon and Nic Rodriguez get together to form Soul City, they evoke the spirit of 60s and 70s soul, R&B and funk. Nicole Boggs powerful vocals are perfectly matched with live horns making the songs vibrant, punchy and poignant. Positive and fun with depth, Soul City makes vintage tones that are fresh and timeless.

You might recognise this song as it was used in a Grammerly commercial. Also, please out Nicole's and The Reel's new single 'Unlying'.

I'm With Polly - City Of The Sun

Our LCM featured band today are the New York’s genre-bending trio 'City of the Sun', who have been breaking instrumental-rock norms since their inception in 2011. The band’s sound has an array of influences including indie rock, American folk, flamenco, and blues; it’s been called worldly, cinematic, a mix between Rodrigo y Gabriela and Explosions in the Sky. Having honed their signature sound as buskers in NYC, they gained wider attention playing TED Talk conferences and Sofar Sounds sessions across the US, and posting live videos from exotic locations around the world. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great live version of 'I'm With Polly' filmed in in Antigua, Guatemala

COS has since been established as a powerhouse group in the post-rock sphere. They’ve toured with Peter Bjorn & John, G.Love, STS9, and Thievery Corporation; were featured emerging artists at Billboard’s Hot 100, Firefly, and Bottle Rock Napa music festivals; and scored “The C Word” documentary soundtrack (directed by Meghan O’Hara and narrated by Morgan Freeman).

In 2016, City of the Sun released their first live album ‘to the sun and all the cities in between,’ debuting at #12 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Lead track “Everything” hit #2 on Spotify’s US Viral 50 chart and #5 on the Global Viral Chart; it has over 11 million streams to date on the platform.

After completing a European tour in 2017 the band released their EP 'Untitled',  with lead track “Perfect Instance” garnering over four million streams on Spotify in the EP’s first month.

Healing - Rebelution

On our worldwide journey to introduce some great music we travel to Santa Barbara, California to meet our next LCM featured artists Rebelution. A big thank you to our friends at Laurel Canyon Radio for the introduction. Rebelution will soon follow up their Grammy-nominated 2016 album 'Falling Into Place' with another amazing studio album (their sixth) full of their signature take on modern reggae. 'Free Rein' features a band at the top of its game, delivering anthems that will rock their core audience at their sold-out live shows, while also exploring new sounds, like the acoustic "Healing," the moody "Constellation," and collaborations with two of the hottest young Jamaican producers around Phillip "Winta" James and Don Corleon. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great summer song and the first single 'Healing'. The new album is due for release on June 15th.

Fourteen years into an effervescent career, California reggae band and touring juggernaut Rebelution remains abundantly creative. Its members (singer/guitarist/lyricist Eric Rachmany, keyboardist Rory Carey, drummer Wesley Finley, and bassist Marley D. Williams) are as focused and committed as they are easygoing and laid-back. And they haven’t lost a step since 'Falling Into Place', their 2016 studio album, became the band’s fourth release to top the Billboard reggae chart, earning them their first ever Grammy nomination in the category of Best Reggae Album. Ever expanding and reaching wider audiences, the Rebelution phenomenon continues to spread good vibes on tour, and in the studio.

'Free Rein', their sixth studio album, while still rooted in the Jamaican inspiration that Rebelution’s songs and sounds have always paid homage to, takes experimental leaps and new adventures too, welcoming old fans and new audiences alike. The musicians collaborated with Jamaican artists on three of the 12 new tracks. Don Corleon (Sean Paul, Rihanna) produced “Rise On Top,” a pointed reflection on celebrity and ambition; and Winta James, producer for Damian Marley and Chronixx, worked with the band on “Settle Down Easy” and “City Life,” two songs that reflect a more confessional perspective.

With 'Free Rein', Rebelution is poised to continue spreading the joy. The band boasts an impressive 85 million spins on their Top 5 Spotify tracks alone, and will continue playing sold-out shows as well as taking the coveted headlining slots at some of the nation’s top festivals this year. Additionally, Rebelution continues to transcend the world of music and break barriers with their entrepreneurial prowess. 

Hands On The Radio - The Weeks

Our next LCM featured band The Weeks have been described as high-energy, rowdy, raucous, longhair Mississippi glam rock. Hailing originally from Jackson this great four-piece is now based in Nashville. Big thanks to our friend Dave Postal at Laurel Canyon Radio in LA for the recommendation. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a live version of 'Hands On The Radio' taken from their 2017 sophomore album 'Easy'. The video was filmed at the Paste Studios in New York.

The band will be on a UK tour in July with their London date at The Garage on the 20th.

"We moved to Nashville in 2010," remembers frontman Cyle Barnes, who formed the band in Jackson, Mississippi, with his three longtime bandmates: drummer (and twin brother) Cain Barnes, guitarist Sam Williams, and bass player Damien Bone. "We spent 2011 to 2015 touring. November 2015 was the first time we ever spent an entire month in Nashville."

Those years on the road were eye-opening for The Weeks, all of whom were just teenagers when they began playing together in 2006. By their early 20s, the guys were touring Europe with Kings of Leon, promoting the newly-released 'Dear Bo Jackson' in front of 20,000 people each night. Back in America, The Weeks continued playing their own club shows, too. The experience taught them how to bridge the gap between arena shows and smaller gigs. In short, it taught them how to be themselves, no matter the audience.

Appropriately, 'Easy' consolidates the band's strengths. While the songs on 2013's 'Dear Bo Jackson' were thick with horn arrangements, strings, and guest appearances, Easy is a leaner, louder beast. The Weeks began working on its 11 tracks after returning home from a long tour and taking some time to rest, reflect, and regroup. Newly energized, they began writing songs at Sam and Damien's home in Nashville, with Cyle and Williams splitting the bulk of the songwriting duties. The whole process relied on collaboration, with the full band fleshing out the newer songs.

"Everyone would come to the house, make food, hang out, and play music 'til four in the morning," Williams remembers. "We wrote 25 songs, then picked our favorites for the final tracklist.

No Hard Feelings - The Avett Brothers

We head to Concord, North Carolina to meet our next LCM featured band the excellent Grammy nominated The Avett Brothers. The band feature Scott & Seth Avett along with Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon. Mike Marsh and Tania Elizabeth are also touring members of the band. They combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, indie rock, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a novel sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the "heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones." Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the personal and very moving 'No Hard Feelings' taken from their last album 'True Sadness'.