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Musings on folk, Americana, country, bluegrass and newgrass


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First Listen: Super Doppler releases ‘Edge Off’ as part of its ‘Super Secret Singles Club’

I was first introduced to the unique retro country-tinged, psych rock music stylings of the band of brothers, Super Doppler,  at Southwest Virginia’s Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival and FloydFest several years ago.

Over the years, the band’s sound has evolved and its new single,  “Edge Off,” which will be released on Wednesday, June 27, is representative. A sound that has evolved, albeit retroactively, to be reminiscent of what you might have hear blasting out of your 1975 Chevy Vega speakers as you cruised around with the windows rolled down.

“Edge Off” is the fifth single Super Doppler has released this year as part of the band’s monthly digital single series, “Super Secret Singles Club,” that runs through July 2018. The band is also gearing up for an extensive headline tour of the U.S. this summer to promote the new singles.

The single was written and produced by Super Doppler and tracked and mixed by Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording in Richmond, Virginia, and mastered by Cameron Henry at Welcome to 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Six months after the release of Super Doppler’s debut, Matthew E. White-produced album “Moonlight Anthems” (June 2017), the band announced its “Super Secret Singles Club,” a monthly digital singles club that would span from February through July 2018. Bridging melodic psychedelic pop with country-funk grooves, twangy dueling guitars, and a proclivity for layered vocal harmonies, Super Doppler has come to embrace a spirited, genre-agnostic ethos, according to the band’s bio. The “Super Secret Singles Club” releases are no exception, continuing to defy the stifling label of a traditional “genre” while exploring the depths of what is considered rock ‘n roll.

All born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, the members Super Doppler began their journey as a loose collective of high school friends with a common interest in late nights and loud music. Desperate to escape the impending reality of the 9 to 5 workday, the group decided to hit the open road and play for anyone willing to listen. No matter how dark the basement or lonely the bar, it was here in the farthest fringes of the music industry that these ragtag renegades would make their stand.

Four years and 500+ shows later after forming, the band released “Moonlight Anthems,” their debut record under the Super Doppler moniker. Produced by fellow Virginia wunderkind White of Spacebomb Records, “Moonlight Anthems” showcases the shared retro influences of the five-piece band; more specifically, a group of high school friends turned bandmates that includes two sets of brothers, Michael and Bryan Adkins (guitar and drums, respectively), and fraternal twins, Neal and Cole Friedman (keyboards and bass, respectively), alongside long-time comrade Harry Slater (guitar).

With six new singles set for release over the first half of 2018 and a full length record that is less than a year old, Super Doppler wants you to know they are here to stay. With stops at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March and Sloss Music & Arts Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, the band has plans to stay busy on the road throughout the rest of 2018.

Want to hear more? Follow Super Doppler on Spotify

 


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Gaelic Storm to headline Scythian’s 2018 Appaloosa Roots Music Festival over Labor Day Weekend

Scythian announced today Gaelic Storm will be headlining the Celtic rock band’s annual Appaloosa Roots Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018.

Gaelic Storm, Santa Monica, California’s internationally renowned Celtic band, has been topping the Billboard World Music Charts for decades.

The band also announced its full lineup on its new festival website, designed by none other than Danylo Fedoryka, that is full of visuals and videos to give fans a sense of the festival.

In an email, the band writes: “We invite you to our hometown for a music festival set under the Blue Ridge Mountains. Appaloosa is making waves and was chosen by Virginia Tourism to receive a ‘Virginia is for Music Lovers’ grant. We hope you can come join us this Labor Day Weekend and allow us to host you in our hometown of Front Royal, Virginia!”

In addition to Gaelic Storm and Scythian, Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Mandolin Orange will also headline. The lineup includes Town Mountain, Humming House, Fireside Collective, Mountain Duo and Will Overman, among many others.

Visit http://appaloosafestival.com for advance ticket sales and more information.


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Reevestock Music Festival 2018

In what has become a trend for many bands, Charlotte-based folk-rock band Time Sawyer is once again hosting the Reevestock Music Festival in its hometown of Elkin, North Carolina, on Aug. 4-5, 2017, featuring none other than Time Sawyer, the Marcus King BandTown MountainDavid ChildersWilliam Wild and the Corey Hunt Band.
Started in 2011, the festival began as a fundraiser “for our beloved Reeves Theater, one the town’s oldest buildings, as we looked to aid in the buildings restoration,” Time Sawyer writes on its website. “In 2014, the Reeves building was purchased and is now privately owned.  The group is finishing the rebuilding and it will re-open as a performing arts venue with a bar and restaurant.

“Reevestock as a festival lives on, pushing into the future, still as a benefit festival put on by The Foothills Arts Council. We have created the Reevestock Scholarship Fund from the money raised each year at the festival to serve as our fundraising project. These scholarships are made available to Elkin and Starmount seniors looking to continue their education at any two-year program, four-year program, or technical school.“Reevestock offers something for everyone in the family and looks to benefit the community in every way possible. Great music for all ages, food and drinks made available by your favorite restaurants, and even activities for the kids. Music helps to bring us all together and that’s what Reevestock is all about. We hope to see you all the first weekend in August for some great music and fun.”

For ticket information and a schedule for Friday’s free show and Saturday’s lineup, visit http://www.reevestock.com.


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Listen Up: Live music opportunities abound for Memorial Day 2018

There are numerous live music festivals and venues throughout North Carolina, Virginia and beyond on tap to help you celebrate the official kickoff of summer over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend. Following are a few highlights. If I’ve missed one, let me know! Continue reading


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The Cleverlys sign with same label as Balsam Range, Lonesome River Band and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

If you were fortunate enough to catch The Cleverlys, a five-member trio known for its unique musical stylings, at MerleFest 2018, then you most likely know why the good folks over at  Mountain Home Music Co.  have decided the to make them the latest group to sign with the award-winning label. Continue reading


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32nd annual Carolina Blues Festival partnering with Greensboro Bound: A Literary Festival and local food bank on May 18-20, 2018

The 32nd annual Carolina Blues Festival,  the longest-running blues festival in the Southeast U.S., will host international, national, regional, and local blues acts for a weekend of full of blues, rain or shine on May 18-20, 2018, in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, at LeBauer Park, organizers say.

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8th Annual Chantilly Farm Bluegrass & BBQ Festival to feature Balsam Range, Seldom Scene and Love Canon, among many others May 25-27 in Floyd, VA

I’ve never made it up to the annual Chantilly Farm Bluegrass & BBQ Festival in Floyd, Virginia, in part because it is over Memorial Day Weekend, when I can usually be found at another southwest Virginia music festival, Rooster Walk, which is just down the winding road at Pop’s Farm in Axton,Virginia.

Chantilly’s lineup for its eighth annual event set for May 25-27, 2018, however, may be the just the charm needed to get me up there this year. Continue reading


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World-class guitar show wraps up Marvelous Music Mainstage Series on Friday, May 11, at the Cary, NC, Arts Center

From the good folks at the Town of Cary, North Carolina:

Catch a world-class guitar show at the Cary Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 11, 2018, as Loren and Mark wrap up the Marvelous Music Mainstage Series.  Continue reading