Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.1.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # petal motel ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://petalmotel.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Summer Bandcamp Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/summer-bandcamp-shopping-list/) - This year in music is turning out to be wildly amazing. And there's never been a better time to buy music on Bandcamp - on Juneteenth (6/19), Bandcamp is donating all of their shares of Bandcamp sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a racial justice organization with a long history of effectively enacting change - [Aux Meadows - Dust Kingdom](https://petalmotel.com/aux-meadows-dust-kingdom/) - Ambient country is a genre that raises eyebrows sometimes. It’s not exactly new, with its earliest forms dating back to at least the ‘70s, but its surge in popularity is something music geeks like me love but may elicit confusion from others. Aux Meadows is an Oakland-based act making some of that ambient country goodness, - [Alien Eyelid - Bronze Star](https://petalmotel.com/alien-eyelid-bronze-star/) - Cosmic American music has many active scenes across the states and even a burgeoning group of talent in the U.K. Given the genre’s origins, Southern California is a natural place for cosmic cowboys and cowgirls to do their spacey square dancing. The Pacific Northwest is also teeming with cosmic talent these days, including artists like - [hi world](https://petalmotel.com/hi-world/) - what i've been listening to lately: Totality by Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas i'm choreographing a modern dance to Clock No Clock. I never got into NIS... until I suddenly did. Dreams of a Sunflower River by Black Brunswicker I love everything Black Brunswicker does, this is a 2019 recording that is "drone heavy - [New Circles Around the Sun and a solo Neal Casal release](https://petalmotel.com/new-circles-around-the-sun-and-a-solo-neal-casal-release/) - “When you look back at the body of your work you see everything, to express a full life, and not just one part of a life. That’s the goal…” - Neal Casal - [A Cosmic Roundtable Pizza: Scott Hirsch, Bobby Lee & Joe-Harvey Whyte in conversation](https://petalmotel.com/a-cosmic-roundtable-pizza-scott-hirsch-bobby-lee-joe-harvey-whyte-in-conversation/) - Last week, Joe-Harvey Whyte and Bobby Lee released their phenomenal futurustic time capsule of a record, Last Ride, on Curation Records. Tomorrow, Scott Hirsch releases Lost Padre, a textural exploration of a man's existential crisis, on his own Echo Magic Records. The lads got together to play a show in Topanga and our friend Roberto - [Joe Bourdet - "Illinois"](https://petalmotel.com/joe-bourdet-illinois/) - Our good friend Joe Bourdet is releasing a Meadow Rock rendition of Dan Fogelberg's "Illinois" today. Illinois by Joe Bourdet Joe says "I have a mischievious friend, who for years when he went digging through the LP stacks at Amoeba Music in Hollywood would collect all of the Dan Fogelberg records he came across, and, - [Swimming Bell - Somnia](https://petalmotel.com/swimming-bell-somnia/) - Somnia by Swimming Bell Today, Katie Schottland aka Swimming Bell releases her latest EP, Somnia on Perpetual Doom. Her lovely voice lulls the listener, as promised by the title, and the entire record feels like "Song to the Siren," even sight and pen name unseen. Lush pedal steel understatedly adds depth to the dreamlike synth - [Jerry David DeCicca - Cardiac Country](https://petalmotel.com/jerry-david-decicca-cardiac-country/) - Cardiac Country by Jerry David DeCicca Today, living folk legend Jerry David DeCicca releases Cardiac Country, perhaps his finest and most meaningful work yet, which is saying a lot considering his large body of solo albums and work with Black Swans. Jerry tells his story much better than I ever could, included below. In the - [Quiet Cowboy - Ambient](https://petalmotel.com/quiet-cowboy-ambient/) - AMBIENT by Quiet Cowboy Today, Boise/NYC duo Ron Raymond and Michael Chacon, known together as Quiet Cowboy, release Ambient, a four-track EP that "joins the gritty street of New York City to the pristine wilderness of the Boise Mountains in Idaho. It's very much of the genre, it checks all the boxes - it's achingly - [Will Stratton - Points of Origin](https://petalmotel.com/will-stratton-points-of-origin/) - Points Of Origin by Will Stratton I received this record in early December, the record came out this Friday, and I immediately opened my editor because I was immediately floored. Some of this was written then, some now, because so much has changed. First of all, this album has everything I love - a concept, - [Heat Manager - "Palm Springs"](https://petalmotel.com/heat-manager-palm-springs/) - Heat Manager, the new project from members of High Times, Tiger High, and the Echo Friendly, blends California folk with east coast wit with "Palm Springs," the debut single from the upcoming Relaxed American LP, out 3/14 on their American Grapefruit imprint. The song about feeling disillusioned at Coachella back when indie rock still made - [Albums of the Year 2024](https://petalmotel.com/albums-of-the-year-2024/) - I had to, right? I can't belive some of these were released this year, it's been a long one. I know we're quiet here but we still love music and we still love you. somesurprises - Perseids Perseids by somesurprises Setting - At Eulogy at Eulogy by Setting marucoporoporo - Conceive the Sea Conceive the - [John Calvin Abney - Shortwaving](https://petalmotel.com/john-calvin-abney-shortwaving/) - Shortwaving by John Calvin Abney A year or so ago, I saw Lizzie No perform at Pappy and Harriet's, and she was incredible, as expected, but her band was especially a delight - Nelson Williams on standup bass and John Calvin Abney shredding the guitar, adding so much depth and heart to Lizzie's wonderful folk - [Joe Wilkinson - "Where the Wait Isn’t Long”](https://petalmotel.com/joe-wilkinson-where-the-wait-isnt-long/) - A few years ago, we talked with Joe Wilkinson about Basement Dreams as part of our serial retrospective of Neal Casal's solo albums. Recently, Relix premiered a song Joe wrote about Neal, featuring the keys magician John Ginty, the angelic harmonies of Angie McKenna, and Chuck Wood on bass, Fredo Ortiz on drums, George Kapitanelis - [Bobby Lee Live](https://petalmotel.com/bobby-lee-live/) - Last year, Bobby Lee's Endless Skyways was on constant rotation at my house. It's the kind of music I'm always in the mood for - atmospheric and animated, shimmering and intricate, transcendent and timeless. Today, Bobby shares a live video, recorded last June at Tesla Studios in his hometown of Sheffield. He is a true - [Adeline Hotel shares "I Will Let Your Flowers Grow" and how to let go](https://petalmotel.com/adeline-hotel-shares-i-will-let-your-flowers-grow-and-insights-into-letting-go/) - On September 27th, Adeline Hotel, the moniker of Dan Knishkowy plus a semi-consistent group of close friends (who all happen to be amazingly talented), will release Whodunit, the project's latest studio album. Reflecting on the aftermath of a divorce, the album is the opposite of a typical separation album. It's introspective, explorative, and overwhelmingly positive. - [Summer Bandcamp Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/summer-bandcamp-shopping-list-2/) - Happy summer! Here's a list of albums recently released, or coming in the next month or so-ish that I think you should listen to. Unfortunately there next Bandcamp Friday is in September, so load up those shopping carts. Danny Paul Grody - Arc of Night Arc of Night by Danny Paul Grody Duo Quintelium - - [Ki Oni & Luke Elliott in conversation](https://petalmotel.com/ki-oni-luke-elliott-in-conversation/) - Chuck Soo-Hoo (AKA Ki Oni) and Luke Elliott are two of my favorite ambient magicians, whether they're collaborating together, with others, or solo. On the heels of Luke's latest release, Every Somewhere, out now on AKP recordings (which also received the honor of Bandcamp's "Best of Ambient" from our friend Ted Davis); and Chuck's last - [Beachwood Sparks - Across the River of Stars](https://petalmotel.com/beachwood-sparks-across-the-river-of-stars/) - My favorite band released a new album, after an 11 year hiatus. Not that its members haven't all been busy - I've been sketching a family tree, Peter Frame-style, and its many branches have me rethinking its structure, more like a mycelium system, all interwoven and interconnected and to me, one living organism hosting many - [Riggings - The High and Lonesome Racket](https://petalmotel.com/riggings-the-high-and-lonesome-racket/) - Hear N.C.-based Riggings' new single "The High and Lonesome Racket" from her upcoming album Egg, featuring Mya Byrne and Real Swan, out 6/21 on Horse Complex. - [Spring Bandcamp Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/spring-bandcamp-shopping-list/) - I started this year truly intending to post more, but life gets in the way. If I spent a quarter of the time I spend feeling bad about not writing, writing, well, that would fix it. I have some sort of creative paralysis where it seems impossible most days to do anything other than work - [Trummors - "Hey Babe"](https://petalmotel.com/trummors-hey-babe/) - I am thrilled to announce the debut single from Trummors' upcoming album, 5, out April 12th via Ernest Jenning Record Co. Trummors are my very favorite duo, and this song hits especially close to home, reflecting on the rare nature of lifetime love. I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting Annie and Dave but - [Nora Nygard - I Wish I Could See You](https://petalmotel.com/nora-nygard-i-wish-i-could-see-you/) - I Wish I Could See You by Nora Nygard A stunning portrait of grief, loss, and isolation, Nora Nygard's I Wish I Could See You is a finale to her epic body of work in this genre, after spending the last five years releasing over 300 ambient and drone pieces. The 40-minute piece piece begins - [Andy Aquarius - "Waters Above, Waters Below"](https://petalmotel.com/andy-aquarius-waters-above-waters-below/) - We are delighted to kick off the new year with mystical new sounds from Andy Aquarius. His EP Holy Rude was one of our top listens last year, and his upcoming album Golla Gorroppu (out March 2024 via Hush Hush Records) promises more enchantment. The first single "Waters Above, Waters Below" is enigmatic, haunting, and - [Rosali - "Rewind"](https://petalmotel.com/rosali-rewind/) - Rosali Middleman has returned with the announcement of a new record, out 3/22 via Merge, and made in Omaha with David Nance (bass, guitar), James Schroeder (guitar, synth), Kevin Donahue (drums, percussion), and Ted Bois (keys). Rosali's magnificent voice soars in the lead single, and the musicality is timeless. I am obsessed and can't wait - [Albums of the Year 2023](https://petalmotel.com/albums-of-the-year-2023/) - Hello all! It's been a while. There was truly an overwhelming amount of amazing music that came out this year. I am so grateful to all the artists, labels, and publicists for their patience and perseverance in this exceedingly difficult landscape. I feel like I missed so much and I know there are some amazing - [Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah - "Baby I'm There"](https://petalmotel.com/lee-gallagher-and-the-hallelujah-baby-im-there/) - So pleased to share an exclusive video from Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah's new album, The Falcon Ate The Flower, out today! Lee has been a long-time Petal Motel favorite with his unique and soaring vocals, and canyon rock and roll sensibilities mixed with psychedelic folk respect. The album's credits are stacked with more favorites, - [Andrew Collberg - "Temporary Cruise"](https://petalmotel.com/andrew-collberg-temporary-cruise/) - A few years ago, Andrew Collberg released an excellent album called 1986 and I'm thrilled at the news that he's to release a new one, Popcorn Graveyard, featuring the guitar and pedal steel prowess of LA-based Connor Gallaher (who's played with Calexico, Pearl Charles, Anna St. Louis, and Jeffrey Silverstein) and the result is gorgeous, - [The Answers In Between - "Cigarette" & "Mindfuck"](https://petalmotel.com/the-answers-in-between-cigarette-mindfuck/) - Today The Answers in Between, formerly known as Fell From the Tree, release a pair of power pop sad girl dance tracks with evocative lyrics, exploring the relationship between desire and identity in different ways. I read a book recently with the brilliant line "do I want your body or do I want your body?" - [Aaron Dooley - "Westbound Alameda"](https://petalmotel.com/aaron-dooley-westbound-alameda/) - More front range rock is on the horizon with the release of Aaron Dooley's The International Disassociation Of:, out October 6th on the always amazing Centripetal Force label, with cassettes available through the also incredible Island House records. Bassist and composer Aaron Dooley rounded up an epic ensemble of musicians to make something blurring the - [Julien Ledru - Mellotone Valley](https://petalmotel.com/julien-ledru-mellotone-valley/) - Oh, how refreshing it was to find an album full of beautiful acoustic fingerstyle guitar. It's been a while since I heard anything in the style, as our collective unconscious has moved into experimental spaces replete with effects pedals and nebulous discord. Not to dismiss either thing - both are absolutely my shit and necessary. - [Adeline Hotel - "Little Chili"](https://petalmotel.com/adeline-hotel-little-chili/) - Adeline Hotel's releases evolve continuously, expanding genres, and Dan Knishkowsky's latest, Hot Fruit, is his most out there- and one of his most gorgeous releases yet. Following last year's The Cherries are Speaking, Dan continues his (formerly) unconscious fixation on fruit with a spiritual jazzy motif, Hot Fruit's theme ponders the notion of self as - [Skyway Man - "The Holding On"](https://petalmotel.com/skyway-man-the-holding-on/) - James Wallace's pseudonym could easily be JAMS Wallace, but he opts for Skyway Man, whom he describes as " a superimposed image, always flickering in and out of existence, different each time. One Skyway Man chased love across dimensions, another followed death through the underworld, this Skyway Man is reckoning with the reliance of his past - [Mapache on songwriting, collaboration and their new album Swinging Stars](https://petalmotel.com/mapache-on-songwriting-collaboration-and-their-new-album-swinging-stars/) - Petal Motel contributor and author, photographer, wanderer, and all-around brilliant creative Roberto Johnson was kind enough to interview Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci about their new record, Swinging Stars. Mapache has been dear to my heart ever since I saw Sam and Clay singing under the stars at Landers Brew Co. (RIP) here in the - [Golden Brown - "Withywindle"](https://petalmotel.com/golden-brown-withywindle/) - The exquisite front range rockstar Golden Brown is back with Wide Ranging Rider, out September 8th via Inner Islands. The beautiful video by Sia Urroz is as lovely as the song, featuring Stefan's amazing children Lola, Oscar, and Scout, who are the cutest, most lovable creatures I've ever seen (you can follow them on Instagram, - [Rose Haze - "Slow Decay"](https://petalmotel.com/rose-haze-slow-decay/) - Today, Bay Area-based band Rose Haze shares the premiere of the video for their new song, "Slow Decay." What was Kate Ramsey's alter-ego is now a full band, with misty, swirling guitars and synth, and timeless, soaring vocals, reminiscent of Swervedriver, sweetly discordant rather than saccharine. Shoegaze is alive with Rose Haze! Explore Rose Haze's - [Late Summer Bandcamp Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/late-summer-shopping-list/) - It's late summer and thinking of seasons changing brings my stress levels up, but thank goodness, music is on the way to save me. Here's a list of a few beautiful new releases that are coming out around this time. Bandcamp Friday is September 1st, so add these to your cart and check out then! - [Jerry David DeCicca - "Manzanita Bay"](https://petalmotel.com/jerry-david-decicca-manzanita-bay/) - One of our very favorite Texas-based troubadours has announced the release of his fifth solo album, New Shadows, out on September 21st. True porch music (Jerry literally wrote the album on his front porch,) he describes the album as "literary-goth and avant-Americana meditation, absurd and ruminative," which sounds like true Jerry music and is exemplified - [A Conversation with Thomas Oliverio from Tommy and the Ohs](https://petalmotel.com/a-conversation-with-thomas-oliverio-from-tommy-and-the-ohs/) - This review and Q&A were written by Nick, who runs The Third Eye psychedelic rock blog. Nick is a Philadelphia-area native who recently moved to Tennessee with his wife and two fuzzy children. Since moving to his new home, Nick’s enjoyed being surrounded by honky-tonks in the Nashville area, listening to WMOT Roots Radio, and - [Nightblooms - "Matters of Time" (feat. Chessa Rich)](https://petalmotel.com/nightblooms-matters-of-time-feat-chessa-rich/) - Petal Motel is excited to premiere the song "Matters of Time" from Nightblooms, the nom de plume of artist Sam Logan. The Greenboro, NC dweller is releasing his debut album, The Slow Decline, in a series of three installments, the first being the EP Night Blooms in the Apocalypse, out 9/1/23 via Sleepy Cat Records. - [Tan Cologne - “Visitation” ](https://petalmotel.com/tan-cologne-visitation/) - Elated for news of more ethereal, moody, gorgeous sounds from Tan Cologne, my favorite pair of Taos-dwelling true artists. Lauren Helene Green and Marisa Macias recently returned from a residency in Puglia, Italy where they recorded a new EP to come soon, and today share this video straight out of my dreams. I was listening - [GospelbeacH - I’ll Close My Eyes / York Blvd.](https://petalmotel.com/gospelbeach-ill-close-my-eyes-york-blvd/) - My favorite living band, GospelbeacH, shares a duet of singles today. "I'll Close My Eyes" is reflective and wistful, while "York Boulevard" is bouncing and boisterous, a companion piece to 2017's "Kathleen" from Another Summer of Love, calling attention to that magnificent main drag in Highland Park. I'll Close My Eyes & York Blvd. by - [Ki Oni - "Reincarnation At The End Of The World"](https://petalmotel.com/ki-oni-reincarnation-at-the-end-of-the-world/) - One of my very, very favorite ambient artists, Chuck Soo-Hoo, aka Ki Oni, is announcing the release of a new record, A Leisurely Swim To Everlasting Life, out August 25th on AKP Recordings. I cannot wait to listen as Chuck's music is always evocative, illustrative, and healing. A Leisurely Swim To Everlasting Life by Ki - [Kareeta - Freeway Junkie Queen](https://petalmotel.com/kareeta-freeway-junkie-queen/) - Freeway Junkie Queen by Kareeta California country rock is back in a big way with the release of Kareeta's second LP, Freeway Junkie Queen, out tomorrow, July 7th via North Shore. Produced by Greg Loiacono and recorded at Dave Schools's Spacecamp studio, Schools joins the band on bass, with founding members Chuck Harris on vocals, - [Joe Bourdet - Silk Robe, Garden Flowers](https://petalmotel.com/joe-bourdet-silk-robe-garden-flowers/) - Silk Robe, Garden Flowers by Joe Bourdet Sitting here in my silk (well, polyester but silky-feeling) robe, I couldn't be more thrilled to share new music from Joe Bourdet. His 2021 solo debut Meadow Rock remains an all-time favorite. Where many have tried, few have succeeded as vociferously as Bourdet to capture the essence of - [Centripetal Force & Third Man Records Announce Luke Schneider's 'It Is Solved By Walking'](https://petalmotel.com/centripetal-force-third-man-records-announce-luke-schneiders-it-is-solved-by-walking/) - Thrilled to hear news of a new Luke Schneider album and just as thrilled to learn that the best psych label, Centripetal Force, is partnering with Third Man for its release. Luke's otherworldly pedal steel meditations are revolutionary and I cannot wait to walk around and listen to It Is Solved By Walking and receive - [Gunn-Truscinski-Nace - "On Lamp"](https://petalmotel.com/gunn-truscinski-nace-on-lamp/) - I knew this year for music was going to be exceptionally excellent before I even opened my inbox to my delight and screams at the news of a new Gunn-Truscinski now-Trio, featuring Bill Nace. It's no dang secret how much I love the duo and I am beyond thrilled to find a new activity to - [kintsugi - "Let Me Show You"](https://petalmotel.com/kintsugi-let-me-show-you/) - Good morning, please enjoy this track from brother-sister duo kintsugi, aka Kessiah and Stephan Gordon, who created a beautiful album Life in Death honoring their mother, out July 14th. The lead single was written shortly after her death in 2019 and the pair began listening to music, and then writing together, as a means of - [The Far Sound - "Further Exploration"](https://petalmotel.com/the-far-sound-further-exploration/) - On June 2nd, Centripetal Force Records will release the debut self-titled album from The Far Sound, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Rick Pedrosa (Abronia, Federale) A high lonesome meets Appalachia droning in every sense, zyls replete, a measured, raw drum-skin-filled reminiscent of Nathan Bowles meets The Howard Hughes Suite, totally out there and otherwordly and - [Prairiewolf - "Calcedonia"](https://petalmotel.com/prairiewolf-calcedonia/) - I'd heard whispers of something tremendous brewing at the foot of the Rockies and the news was indeed as earth shaking as I'd hoped - the announcement of Prairiewolf's debut studio record, out May 5th on the best psychedelic label in the nation, Centripetal Force. A Rocky Mountain supergroup of sorts featuring Stefan Beck (aka - [decker. - "Mojave"](https://petalmotel.com/decker-mojave/) - Proud to share the latest single named after my favorite desert from my second favorite desert, Sonoran dweller decker.'s 8th studio album, Ouroborous, out June 9th via our beloved Royal Potato Family. In his most ambitious and most epic work to date, Brandon Decker brought 16 musicians together to record at EastWest Studios (formerly Cello - [Danny Paul Grody - “Light Blooms”](https://petalmotel.com/danny-paul-grody-light-blooms/) - So excited to share the first single from Danny Paul Grody's upcoming album Arc of Day, out June 16th on Three Lobed Records. If you're unfamiliar, Danny is an incredibly imaginative and intricate guitarist making sounds that are lighter than air. Grody's newest mixes types of guitars and field recordings with Rich Douthit's gentle percussion, - [Nashville Ambient Ensemble - "Prism"](https://petalmotel.com/nashville-ambient-ensemble-prism/) - Light and Space by Nashville Ambient Ensemble We are honored to share "Prism" from Nashville Ambient Ensemble's upcoming album Light and Space. As said before, NAE's compositions are a gorgeous sonic embodiment of the accompanying exhibition, particularly the piece referenced below. Bending light, color, absence, space, purity, planes... their music is so ethereal, understated and - [Spring Bandcamp Friday Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/spring-bandcamp-friday-shopping-list/) - Heyoooo it's been a while but I'm trying hard to keep up and stay current so here's a little roundup of music released this year I've been enjoying. My recommendations for your Bandcamp Friday purchase below: Tony Delk's 53 Point Game by Mavis Guitar Tony Delk's 53 Point Game by Mavis GuitarMicrotones meet pedal steel - [Anna St. Louis - "Phone"](https://petalmotel.com/anna-st-louis-phone/) - The most dreamy and ethereal Anna St. Louis announces her return with the debut single, "Phone," from upcoming LP In The Air, a name most suiting of St. Louis's gossamer sounds. At first listen, this album is more dynamic than the stark beauty of previous records (not to dismiss either- it's new and fresh, like... - [Roxy Gordon - "An Open Letter To Illegal Aliens"](https://petalmotel.com/roxy-gordon-an-open-letter-to-illegal-aliens/) - Paradise of Bachelors is reissuing Roxy Gordon's 1988 album Crazy Horse Never Died on May 12th. Regrettably, I'd never heard of the late Choctaw, Assiniboine, and Texan poet, journalist, artist, activist, and musician Roxy Gordon (First Coyote Boy) who passed in 2000, but reading about his lifelong accomplishments, plus the fact that Townes and Terry Allen - [Wila Frank - "Tonight"](https://petalmotel.com/wila-frank-tonight/) - Today Wila Frank shares "Tonight," the latest single from her upcoming album Black Cloud, an album of longing, heartache, revenge (in the form of living well). Her lyrics cut to the bone, production is sparkling, and her voice is otherwordly. At first listen I thought of Fiona Apple, in terms of emotional depth and wisdom - [marine eyes - make amends](https://petalmotel.com/marine-eyes-make-amends/) - My ambient queen of LA cynthia bernard, aka marine eyes, is celebrating the 2-year anniversary of her debut solo release, idyll. idyll is a pivotal album for me - right when I was getting into ambient music, cynthia's music pushed me over the edge. I've compared her sounds to enya-like as far as scope of - [Song Preservation Society - Every Other Somewhere](https://petalmotel.com/song-preservation-society-every-other-somewhere/) - This lovely record from three friends (Trevor Bahnson, Ethan Glazer and Daniel Wright) who reunited ten years after going their separate ways after a promising journey gathered in Ojai around a firepit during the panpan to share songs was brought to my attention by Scott Hirsch, who produced it alongside Syd Sidney. It is just - [Lilah Larson - "I"](https://petalmotel.com/lilah-larson-i/) - Listen to the first single from Larson's upcoming collection of guitar soli, out 4/21 on Ruination Record Co. - [Jeffrey Silverstein - "Cowboy Grass"](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-silverstein-cowboy-grass/) - Better late than never, we're sharing Jeffrey Silverstein's new single from the upcoming Western Sky Music, out 5.12.23 on Arrowhawk Records. Jeffrey ceases to shy away from twang with the new record, both in nomenclature and in sound. The new single has Barry Walker Jr. at his Sneakiest Petiest, and Silverstein at his Bermaniest. Unsurprisingly, - [compassion: a petal motel compilation for human rights](https://petalmotel.com/compassion-a-petal-motel-comp-for-human-rights/) - On March 3rd, Petal Motel is sharing a Bandcamp-exclusive digital compilation benefiting the National Network of Abortion Funds. Songs range from atmospheric soundscapes to heartfelt jangle folk songs, and everything in between. Petal Motel put out the call for Petal Motel-esque songs (anything with acoustic guitar, pedal steel, drone, field recordings, intricate riffs, and other motifs - [Nashville Ambient Ensemble announces Light and Space](https://petalmotel.com/nashville-ambient-ensemble-announces-light-and-space/) - Nashville Ambient Ensemble's debut release Cerulean in 2021 was pivotal in its collaborative, compositional nature. Headed by the visionary Michael Hix, the ensemble featuring Deli Paloma-Sisk (vocals), Jack Silverman (guitar), Kim Rueger (piano), and Luke Schneider (pedal steel), with the addition of violinist Alicia Enstrom, returned to score Nashville's Frist Museum's exhibit Light, Space, Surface: - [Joe Harvey-Whyte on Flatland / Spaceland](https://petalmotel.com/joe-harvey-whyte-on-flatland-spaceland/) - Flatland / Spaceland by Joe Harvey-Whyte Joe is a producer, pedal steel player, composer, and visual artist whose work we came to love via his work with the Hanging Stars and on the 15th of October he'll release his solo debut Flatland / Spaceland, an pair of sister soundscapes inspired by Edwin A. Abbott's 1884 - [Wes Tirey Returns](https://petalmotel.com/wes-tirey-returns/) - Wes Tirey comes back to the Petal Motel podcast [virtual] studio for our first podcast episode since 2021. We talk about his 2019 album No Winners in the Blues which was just re-issued on wax on Full Spectrum Records. Wes is a unique songwriter and this album is especially unique as a departure from his - [Bobby Lee - "Reds for a Blue Planet"](https://petalmotel.com/bobby-lee-reds-for-a-blue-planet/) - Good news! The always enchanting Bobby Lee returns with a third album, Endless Skyways, out this spring on Tompkins Square. Endless Skyways is Bobby Lee’s third full album and second release on Tompkins Square. Returning to the full band sound of his debut, the name Endless Skyways is borrowed from a line in Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land, one - [New! Fruit Bats! Album!](https://petalmotel.com/new-fruit-bats-album/) - Goooood morning! Nothing like waking up to an announcement that Eric D. Johnson has been at it again. “Over the years there's been a lot of geography in my music, a lot of landscapes,” Johnson says. “Sometimes the places are real, sometimes they're emotional. I've always liked the idea of songs and albums that exist - [Hibernation](https://petalmotel.com/hibernation/) - Hello Petal Motel friends! This blog is entering a formal sleepy time/hibernation period for the next several weeks as we get through the holidays and prepare something extremely special for you to be released in Q1 2023, featuring several of your favorite artists and then some. Please stay tuned and thank you for all your - [Hataałii on writing "Presidents Got Me All Night Long" and more](https://petalmotel.com/hataalii-presidents-got-me-all-night-long/) - Hear the newest single from the prolific young musician, "Presidents Got Me All Night Long" and read about his songwriting process in his own words. - [Gold Dust - "Mountain Laurel"](https://petalmotel.com/gold-dust-mountain-laurel/) - Hear the third single from The Late, Great Gold Dust, out 11/4 on Centripetal Force Records. - [Droneroom - A Little Lighter](https://petalmotel.com/droneroom-a-little-lighter/) - From the album Easy Payday out 11.11.22 on Moonlight Cypress Archetypes, droneroom shares his heavier, pensive side with a meditative composition along with a video featuring shots familiar and unheimlich. The album Easy Payday is a full on collaboration with Nashville's Josh Byrd. Josh was given 4 pieces with the instructions to 'destroy them' and - [Tino - For the Stratus Family](https://petalmotel.com/tino-for-the-stratus-family/) - I followed Tino first for his stunning visual artworks, but became captivated by the way his sound collages provided an essential complementary component for them, most recently Interpreting Clouds from Sound as Language, so I'm extremely honored to present the video for "For the Stratus Family," a sound collage that might echo our benevolent space - [Elkhorn behind the scenes](https://petalmotel.com/elkhorn-behind-the-scenes/) - Shots of Drew Gardner & Jesse Sheppard and friends recording Distances, out 9/16 on Feeding Tube. I don't like the word "choogle" because it feels a bit like "hysteria" to me - a meaningless catchall; you know what it means, but basically it's a descriptor for something rocking. Well, Elkhorn is choogling and I can't - [The Late, Great Gold Dust](https://petalmotel.com/the-late-great-gold-dust/) - Hear Gold Dust's first single from The Late, Great Gold Dust as well as his interpretation of Karen Dalton's "Something On Your Mind". Album out 11/4 on Centripetal Force. - [Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country- "People are Beautiful"](https://petalmotel.com/garrett-t-capps-people-are-beautiful/) - See the video for the title track from GTC & NASA Country's out-of-this-world new album, out 10/21 on Spaceflight Records. - [VAXXERS twin releases](https://petalmotel.com/vaxxers-twin-releases/) - Today North Carolina's Alex RIggs aka VAXXERS releases two inspired experimental albums, one soothing and centering; the other more avant-garde; both excellent. VAXXERS is the long running experimental project of Durham, NC musician Alex Riggs. Anything that isn’t singer-songwritery is VAXXERS. VAXXERS has released many albums of noise, ambient, electropop, loop-based music, folk, soundtrack work, - [Lauren Helene Green - "Canyon Loop"](https://petalmotel.com/lauren-helene-green-canyon-loop/) - Elated to share this gorgeous ambient guitar song from Lauren Helene Green's upcoming solo debut album Outer Highway Realms, out October 7th, 2022 on Royal Oakie Records. Lauren is half of Petal Motel favorite Tan Cologne, as well as an artist, woodworker, bright light, and so much more. As a lover of all of Lauren's - [Cass McCombs - Heartmind](https://petalmotel.com/cass-mccombs-heartmind/) - In Cass McCombs' ever-enigmatic evolution, Heartmind, out today on ANTI is some of McCombs' less opaque lyricism, although for Cass, all is still open to interpretation. For Cass, music is metaphor, used to address the human condition; while the album is unapologetically lurid with cultural references to Tammy Wynette, S.E. Hinton, Elon Musk to perhaps - [Rain, Wind and Speed](https://petalmotel.com/rain-wind-and-speed/) - UPDATE 8.18.22 - The Neal Casal Music Foundation is reissuing special edition vinyls of Rain, Wind and Speed- get yours here. This is part two of Petal Motel’s series where we go through each Neal Casal solo album one by one and chat with friends and fellow musicians who participated in their making. Neal Casal's - [Eli Winter - "Davening in Threes"](https://petalmotel.com/eli-winter-davening-in-threes/) - Today we have a gorgeous new single from Eli Winter's upcoming self-titled album, out August 19th via Three Lobed. This rambler features the talents of Eli's friends Cameron Knowler and Yasmin Williams on electric guitar, and Sam Wagster's gorgeous pedal steel playing augments the trio's immense talent. The video features Eli solo but you can - [Sunstack Jones (feat. Tan Cologne) - Even Though](https://petalmotel.com/sunstack-jones-tan-cologne-even-though/) - Nearly a year ago, I dreamt that two of my favorite dreamiest-sounding artists on opposite sides of the globe would collaborate, knowing the resulting sound would be everything I could ever want and more. Fast forward to the present, and with this release, I was proven right. Kaleidoscopic layers of synth, soft acoustic and ethereal - [Bonny Light Horseman announces new album + shares new video for single "California"](https://petalmotel.com/new-blh/) - Oh my fucking god. All I have ever wanted in this life is more Bonny Light Horseman. Ask and you shall receive. Waves of golden guitar, harmonies from the angels, percussion of the devil at his best. Please just kill me and let me live in BLH land forever. Bonny Light Horseman today announced their sophomore album Rolling - [Wes Tirey shares 3 covers; announces vinyl release](https://petalmotel.com/wes-tirey-shares-3-covers/) - Today Wes Tirey announces that his epic double album The Midwest Book of the Dead will be released on vinyl via Mapache Records on 6/18. Pre-orders begin next week. To celebrate, Wes is sharing three covers that showcase his unique, stirring vocals and intricate guitar picking style. Listen below and find out why Wes is - [JPW - "Wealth of the Canyon"](https://petalmotel.com/jpw-wealth-of-the-canyon/) - Petal Motel is beyond thrilled to announce and premiere the first single "Wealth of the Canyon" from JPW's debut solo album, Something Happening / Always Happening, out September 9th on Fort Lowell Records. JPW is of course the moniker for none other than Jason P. Woodbury. It's no surprise that the tastemaker's first full-length is a - [AC Sapphire - "Stick And Poke Tattoo"](https://petalmotel.com/ac-sapphire-stick-and-poke-tattoo/) - Today the effervescent songwriter and musician AC Sapphire shares her latest single "Stick and Poke Tattoo". Her 2020 release Omni Present, produced by Matt Adams of the Blank Tapes, was a Petal Motel favorite and a desert road trip staple. Sure to add to this same soundtrack is the upcoming Desert Car, out July 16th - [Cass McCombs - "Belong to Heaven"](https://petalmotel.com/cass-mccombs-belong-to-heaven/) - Today one of my very favorite transcendental musicians Cass McCombs releases a brand-new song, "Belong to Heaven," which truly captures many stages in the grief process, from the devastation, to the ire, to the nostalgia, beautiful through and through. For “Belong To Heaven,” McCombs reunited with Grammy Award-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid, with whom he worked on Catacombs, WIT’S - [Tan Cologne - "Topaz Wave"](https://petalmotel.com/tan-cologne-topaz-wave/) - Petal Motel faves Tan Cologne are back with a new song as incandescent as its name. Following their usual formal of ethereal effect pedals, meditative drums beating and hypnotic vocals, it's so good to hear from the Taos-based duo. The song is about: A surface of water experiencing a light bloom, signaling transformation. Soft turning - [Rose Haze - "Charge On"](https://petalmotel.com/rose-haze-charge-on/) - Today San Francisco's Kate Ramsey, AKA Rose Haze, shares the first single from her upcoming album Maximum Security Prism, to be self-released on May 6th. At one point along the mixing phase, I thought, 'why am I so intense?’ Eventually the self-critic in me wandered off again and I fell back in love with it - [BRIM - "California Gold"](https://petalmotel.com/brim-california-gold/) - Pedal steel, central valley sounds mixed with swirls of psychedelia. BRIM sounds like My Morning Jacket meets GP meets Sloan. The title track from their debut album California Gold reminds us why California tropes are just that - wisps of nostalgia, vestiges from a Huell Howser show (the album is dedicated to the California TV - [GospelbeacH - "It's Too Late"](https://petalmotel.com/gospelbeach-its-too-late/) - Good news for us all - my favorite band, GospelbeacH, releases a new song today, building anticipation for their upcoming full-length. Luther Russell's driving guitar line and Jonny Neimann's piano anchor the reflective piece, a bit wistful but GospelbeacH can never discard their sunshine-infused optimism. Like the spirit of Brent Rademaker, head of GospelbeacH and - [Mary Lattimore & Paul Sukeena announce West Kensington; share single "Altar of Tammy"](https://petalmotel.com/mary-lattimore-share-single-altar-of-tammy/) - West Kensington is the product of harpist Mary Lattimore and her neighbor, guitarist Paul Sukeena, recording in "strange times," which I think we all know is a code phrase for. It's a funny-business new-age sound, definitely an unearthly, beautiful listen but at times almost seems to take classic ambient concepts and turns them on their - [Diatom Deli shares "Disarray" from upcoming Time~Lapse Nature](https://petalmotel.com/diatom-deli-shares-disarray-from-upcoming-timelapse-nature/) - Diatom Deli's newest "Disarray" from upcoming album Time~Lapse Nature (love an album title with a tilde) is a more delicate, traditional turn from her previous more experimental recordings, but the result is absolutely gentle and lovely. Her voice is exquisite and the kaleidoscopic strums of acoustic guitar and distant chimes evoke relatable wistfulness. She reminds - [V.C.R. - Blue](https://petalmotel.com/v-c-r-blue/) - I have to highlight this gorgeous single from V.C.R.'s upcoming spring release on Leaving Records. This multi-faceted song is a sensory overload in the best way possible and I can't wait to hear more. V.C.R.'s voice is enchanting and the retro vibe and resounding drums hypnotize the listener. One of those songs that makes you - [awakened souls - Night Songs](https://petalmotel.com/awakened-souls-night-songs/) - Although I look to ambient music to soothe and quiet the mind, very few do it quite as well as Cynthia and James Bernard. I first discovered Cynthia's music as marine eyes, her 2021 album idyll a soothing shower of sonic wonder, and Unfailing Love , her collaboration with zakè, a deeply profound, romantic exploration - [Droneroom - "Mojave Pastoral"](https://petalmotel.com/droneroom-mojave-pastoral/) - Petal Motel is pleased to premiere "Mojave Pastoral" from our friend on the other side of that same desert, Blake Edward Conley AKA Droneroom. The track is from his upcoming album Whatever Truthful Understanding, out 4/15 on the aptly-titled Desert Records. The track is Morricone on the moon, high dronesome at its finest, painting a - [MIX MONDAY VOL. 73 - PETAL MOTEL](https://petalmotel.com/mix-monday-vol-73/) - My friends and favorite label (well, one of them) Ruination Record Co. create a weekly mix and recently I had the honor of curating a guest mix for them. Thanks so much to those guys and check out the amazing music they release on Bandcamp. > MIXCLOUD> BNDCMPR> SPOTIFY This mix begins with lots of Big Drone Energy, - [Golden Brown - "Ghosts"](https://petalmotel.com/golden-brown-ghosts/) - Stefan Beck AKA Golden Brown is proving to be truly prolific with the announcement of his seventh full-length album and - the third since October. "Ghosts" is a gently droning saunter through a pacific landscape, pastoral but modern, a much-needed balm for our current era. Beck's 1936 aluminum lap steel does the heavy lifting while - [Daytime Moon - "Aardvark"](https://petalmotel.com/daytime-moon-aardvark/) - Pleased to share the second single from Daytime Moon’s instrumental ambient guitar album Chrysanthemum. “Aardvark” is a spacey, droning experiment in drop A tuning (hence the name) on a Les Paul Jr. Brent says this is his favorite on the album and the most fun to record. Chrysanthemum is out this Friday! Chrysanthemum is a - [Buffalo Nichols: An Introduction, and a Farewell](https://petalmotel.com/buffalo-nichols/) - Carl Nichols's soul-baring self-titled debut is out October 15th on Fat Possum (he's the first solo blues act the label's signed in 20 years, and, as we discussed, with great power comes great responsibility). I loved Nichols's work as half of critical folk duo Nickel & Rose, and his tremendous vocals, powerful narrative lyricism, and - [If I Could Only Remember My Name](https://petalmotel.com/if-i-could-only-remember-my-name/) - Ah...If I Could Only Remember My Name. A record that has travelled the roads and decades of my life burned into my heart and mind since I bought my first copy in some crumbling cardboard box marked $1 LPs all those years ago.The majesty of this album is in the artist's ability to elevate the - [RVBY MY DEAR - "Black Moon"](https://petalmotel.com/rvby-my-dear-black-moon/) - Coming 3 years after the release of her debut album Waiting, “Black Moon” is RVBY MY DEAR’s first single since moving to LA and reestablishing herself as an independent solo artist. Progressing from her rock band roots in Brooklyn NY and continuing her collaboration with renowned producer Andrew Lappin (whose recent successes include producing the - [Daytime Moon - "Soaker"](https://petalmotel.com/daytime-moon-soaker/) - Petal Motel is pleased to share the first video from Chrysanthemum, an album we're assisting with the release of. Is it ethical? IDK but no one is paying me. As you know, I love guitar music and begged the guitarist of the band I play in, Daytime Moon, to record a solo guitar record and - [Marcel Sletten - "Your Love"](https://petalmotel.com/marcel-sletten-your-love/) - Marcel Sletten, who runs the label Primordial Void and released one of our favorite ambient albums last year is back with a new album entitled Irish Words and a Bottle of Myrrh, to be released on his own label on February 25th. Petal Motel is pleased to share the first single, "Your Love" from the - [Essential Guitar Records - Bandcamp Shopping List for Winter 2022](https://petalmotel.com/bandcamp-winter-2022/) - You know I'm a slut for acoustic finger-style (or flat-pick, or electric, really any kind of soft->shred->soli guitar playing). I asked - many Twitter friends delivered. Here are a bunch of newer guitar (ok, I also added a few non-guitar, but, stringed-instrumental) albums (most recently released or about-to-be-released) that are just... music to my ears. - [Shane Parish - "Haul Away Joe"](https://petalmotel.com/shane-parish-haul-away-joe/) - Shane Parish's Liverpool, a collection of reimagined sea shanties, is out March 4th on Dear Life Records. Today he shares the video for single "Haul Away Joe." Shane's interpretations turn trad into transcendent. I first heard this song on the album "Foc'sle Songs and Shanties", which I learned about when I was reading Bob Dylan's - [Ross Jenkins - "Small House"](https://petalmotel.com/ross-jenkins-small-house/) - Today, Ross Jenkins shares the first single from his cosmic Canadian album Free All Day, out March 4th. The first single, "Small House" features Barry Walker's pedal steel adding an element of the unheimlich to the cozy, delicate melody, intricate guitar picking, and Ross's sensitive, pensive voice. Listen here: Free All Day by Ross Jenkins - [So Much Love to Give : A Mix by Marcel Sletten](https://petalmotel.com/marcel-sletten-so-much-love-to-give-a-mix/) - Marcel Sletten runs a label called Primordial Void, and he also recently released this incredible psychedelic ambient album last year on Sound as Language that's become one of my favorite electronic records. As I've gotten to know him a bit on the internet, his diverse array of musical interests intrigued me. So naturally, I asked - [Davide Cedolin - Contemplations & other Instrumentals from the Valley](https://petalmotel.com/davide-cedolin-contemplations-and-other-instrumentals-from-the-valley/) - I was just thinking that we're past due for an album of gorgeous acoustic guitar instrumentals and just like that, this gift from Davide Cedolin arrived in my inbox. I'd recently been revisiting his instrumental Guitar Meditations in "C" and his songs from Embracing the Unknown was right up my alley. Contemplations and other Instrumentals - [Howless - Rain & Ice](https://petalmotel.com/howless-rain-ice/) - Mexico City's newest indie darlings are set to release their upcoming debut To Repel Ghosts on February 18th. Finally, some fresh industrial-sounding noise rock from these youths who have clearly done their homework. “Rain and Ice” is the second single, a heavy low notation synth lead-in creates an atmospheric & moody staging for a recurring - [Tess Parks shares "Happy Birthday Forever" from new! album!!!!](https://petalmotel.com/tess-parks-happy-birthday-forever/) - OMG. I love Tess Parks so much and was literally just thinking that I wish she'd put out something new (her last full-length solo album was released in 2013) and bam! And Those Who Were Seen Dancing is out May 20th on Fuzz Club and we're so pleased to share the first single today and Hand Drawn - [Ruby Landen - Front Teeth](https://petalmotel.com/ruby-landen-front-teeth/) - Last year, we loved Ruby Landen's timeless-sounding album Martyr, well, a lingering, neo-folk journey with pensive, sensitive lyrics and lovely guitar work. Ruby's back today with a new song out via Ruination Records. "Front Teeth" was written soon after the recording of Martyr, well, and "focuses on fragments of memory, woven together in a fabric - [Lunar Noon - "The Rain"](https://petalmotel.com/lunar-noon-the-rain/) - Today, Lunar Noon (the moniker of SF-based Michelle Zheng) released the second single from upcoming debut album Symbolic Creature is out February 18th The album is "inspired by a souvenir she got from her trip to Mt. Mitake in Japan, with the title a nod to the meaning found in objects and omens comes and the - [I’d Like to Walk Around In Your Mind: A British Folk Mixtape by Scott Hirsch](https://petalmotel.com/id-like-to-walk-around-in-your-mind-a-british-folk-mixtape-by-scott-hirsch/) - Scott Hirsch is one of our very favorite musicians, not only because of he's a tremendous writer of songs and maker of sounds, but also because he's a true head with a deep love for the classics and a wealth of musical knowledge. Scott turned me onto "the purple one" (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady), - [Vintage Hips: the Greg Loiacono & Tim Bluhm interview](https://petalmotel.com/the-mother-hips-interview/) - In this interview, I ask Greg Loiacono all about the Mother Hips' new album, Glowing Lantern, made in the midst of the pandemic and embracing the collaborative spirit of the Hips' youth. I also ask Greg for lots of musical advice, and later we're joined by Tim Bluhm. The two share memories from their 30+ - [Lou Turner: In conversation with poetry & music](https://petalmotel.com/lou-turner/) - Lou Turner is a native Texan and current Nashville resident. She plays with the band Styrofoam Winos and she released a solo album entitled Songs for John Venn last year on Spinster Sounds. She also published a book, Shape Note Singing, on Vegetarian Alcoholic Press. Songs for John Venn is truly a glowing masterwork, reflecting - [Sail Away with Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection](https://petalmotel.com/spencer-cullum-jr/) - Spencer Cullum cut his teeth in Detroit playing with a rock and roll band before moving to Nashville and becoming an in-demand session player, playing with Miranda Lambert, Kesha, and Deer Tick. Eventually he began writing his own songs and invited Nashville luminaries like Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs, Erin Rae, and Skyway Man to play - [Kareeta - Kareeta](https://petalmotel.com/kareeta-kareeta/) - Kareeta by Kareeta In the spring of 2020, Chuck Harris and Jon Siembieda holed up in Costa Mesa to quarantine together after a last hurrah rocking out at a friend's show the night before the world shut down. The two music heads began playing along with Howlin Rain's The Alligator Bride; soon enough, prolific writer - [Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros announce spring 2022 tour](https://petalmotel.com/bobby-weir-wolf-bros-announce-spring-2022-tour/) - Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros just confirmed a 13-date tour this spring. The band will feature Don Was, Jay Lane and Jeff Chimenti + the Wolfpack, and the legendary Barry Sless will join on pedal steel. The tour will kick off on March 9th at the Ryman Presales begin this Wednesday, December 15 at 10am local time - [No Depression Classic : A Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/no-depression-classic-a-playlist/) - Alt-country is like a comfort food; raised on it, informed my taste, I feel like I'm more sophisticated now but deep down inside, this is who I am. The genre has its problems, but damn that music was good! Please enjoy this photo of me in cowboy boots in Dallas, Texas in 2007 - [Songs of the Year 2021](https://petalmotel.com/songs-of-the-year-2021/) - Oh, did you think I was done with year-end lists? There's one more. Earlier this week, Petal Motel released our favorite albums of the year. Now here's a playlist of some of our favorite songs from the past year. I avoided picking songs from albums that I view as concepts as a whole, and instead - [Josh Kimbrough - Slither, Soar & Disappear, Track by Track](https://petalmotel.com/slither-soar-disappear/) - Josh Kimbrough's solo debut record Slither, Soar & Disappear was one of my very favorite albums that came out on Tompkins Square in 2020, and now it's being issued on vinyl via Worried Songs. Josh's guitar-based record isn't like all the others. There's no lonesomeness like many records we love via Tompkins Square. Instead, there's - [Petal Motel's Albums of the Year (2021)](https://petalmotel.com/petal-motels-albums-of-the-year-2021/) - Picking favorite albums of the year is always a daunting task; yet a chance for introspection and a guideline by which to mark the passing of time. Petal Motel never ranks; but simply compiles and points out a few that have meant the most to our staff (me) throughout the duration of this topsy-turvy year. - [A La Sombra De Un Árbol : A Mix Curated by Buck Curran](https://petalmotel.com/a-la-sombra-de-un-arbol-a-mix-curated-by-buck-curran/) - I love acoustic guitar more than almost anything, especially gorgeous, intricate, finger-style work. So when Buck Curran introduced himself, I was immediately enamored with his playing - thoughtful and deliberate, intensely intimate, moody and sensual. In 2020 he put out No Love is Sorrow, his third solo release after many years as half of psych-folk - [Fretwork and Filigree : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/fretwork-and-filigree-playlist/) - I love guitar music more than almost anything and it seems that we're in something of a heyday for it. Here are a handful of my favorites, some new, some from a few years ago now, all thoughtfully sequenced. Whether it's the rich, full warmth of solo guitar songs, or electrified, cranial improvisational jams; cinematic - [River Zzyzx : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/river-zzyzx-playlist/) - Another Saturday mix for you, again from my Bandcamp collection, a little more experimental this time around. Got some some elements of Indian classical, some new age-y, jazzy business, culminating in all of the pedal steel and bottleneck guitar of my dreams I've been really into instrumentals lately, particularly when I'm writing. I feel guilty - [Vortex Variations : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/vortex-variations-playlist/) - Inspired by a recent conversation you'll be hearing soon! Here's a mix of songs both traditional and Morricone-inspired, and post-modern psychedelia, which capture the cosmic, mysterious energy spirals only found in Southwestern landscapes, made by musicians in New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, and of course California. You can listen on Mixcloud or on Spotify. TRACKLIST:Hacienda Brothers - [Call and Response : A Mix by Michael Feuerstack](https://petalmotel.com/call-and-response-guest-mix/) - Montreal musician Michael Feuerstack was kind enough to curate this week's playlist for Petal Motel. Earlier this month, he released the album Harmonize the Moon on Halifax's Forward Music Group. Formerly recording with The Wooden Stars prior to a stint under the nom de plume Snailhouse, Michael recorded this album all on his own at - [Strange Strings Excursions : A Mix by Son of Buzzi](https://petalmotel.com/strange-strings-excursions-a-mix-by-son-of-buzzi/) - Son of Buzzi is Blind Joey Deaf, the mysterious persona cultivated by Zurich musician Sebastian Bischoff. Earlier this year he released Fluss, a collection of "sound collages" made by layered, multi-dimensional guitar soli, electric guitar, and the sparkling, gentle sound of the river Limmat captured on New Year's Eve. Bischoff is a talented player, and - [breathing light](https://petalmotel.com/breathing-light/) - Things are looking up, right? Concerts are being planned, the vaccine rollout is going swimmingly in the US, I even quit my old job and got a shiny new one. Everyone should be on cloud nine. But no, unfortunately, it seems that after a year of discomfort (thankfully that's all it was) and disinterest, the - [ragenap mix](https://petalmotel.com/ragenap-mix/) - Our friend Joel Berk, aka ragenap, is a prolific inventor of distorted, monster of heady tones, master of swirling psychedelic expanses, and mind-bending melodies. He recently released a cassette entitled Thankrupcy on American Dreams, an improvisational, heavy head trip, as well as a split with Prana Crafter in early 2020 that got tons of air - [192kbps of Pure Vibes : A Guest Mix by Bobby Lee](https://petalmotel.com/bobby-lee/) - If you haven't dug into Bobby Lee's specific brand of time-traveling, astral plane exploration soundtracks, it's time. Bobby Lee's desert edge is like an east-of-the-Atlantic, ayahuasca-tasting J.J. Cale through a prism, the sound of your mind expanding featuring plenty of chromatic bottleneck guitar and resplendent reverberation. Last year, Bobby Lee released Shakedown in Slabtown, a - [Desert Sandscapes : A Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/sandscapes-a-playlist/) - Those who dwell in the desert tend to strongly identify with their terrain and integrate the landscape into their identity. We are the desert people. There's a phenomenon I'm noticing in which people who call the desert home leave only to explore other arid zones. I meet people from Tucson who come to Joshua Tree - [Devin Hoff on the Magic of Anne Briggs](https://petalmotel.com/devin-hoff-on-the-magic-of-anne-briggs/) - Last week, Devin Hoff released Voices From the Empty Moor (Songs of Anne Briggs) on Kill Rock Stars. Devin is a storied solo bassist as well as a collaborator with a range of artists as far-reaching as Yoko Ono, Nels Cline, Cibo Matto and Mike Watt. After decades of intense fascination with Anne Briggs, Devin - [Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal Review/Podcast](https://petalmotel.com/highway-butterfly-the-songs-of-neal-casal-review-podcast/) - If you're not new to Petal Motel dot com, you're aware of my revere for Neal Casal, as a musician, a songwriter, a guitarist, a music lover, and a person. Last year I did a complete retrospective on his solo albums, and well, there's a dedication to him imprinted on the bottom of the site, - [Erin Rae - "Candy & Curry"](https://petalmotel.com/erin-rae-candy-curry/) - Today, the ethereal-voiced folk singer Erin Rae shares the latest single from her upcoming album, Lighten Up. The album features Kevin Morby, Hand Habits, and is produced by Jonathan Wilson (hence the hazy, multi-faceted effect that you can hear particularly well on this track; Wilson is credited as performing 'machines' in addition to drums & - [Mae Krell - "Phantom Limb"](https://petalmotel.com/mae-krell-phantom-limb/) - Mae Krell shares a deeply personal new single today about overcoming addiction and the continuous process of recovering. “People often expect me to be ‘healed’ now that I’m sober, not realizing that my disease will continue to trail behind me for the rest of my life,” Mae says. “‘phantom limb’ speaks to my recovery, and what it's - [Steve Gunn shares film, tour dates, good news!](https://petalmotel.com/steve-gunn-shares-film-tour-dates-good-news/) - Some Steve Gunn news! First of all, please enjoy this short concert film of Steve performing Live from the Rat Fink Room, filmed early this fall at the first stand-up comedy club ever, located at 5th and 3rd Ave in New York. The performance features Gunn's songs "Fulton" aned "On the Way" from his latest - [Johanna Samuels - Excelsior!](https://petalmotel.com/johanna-samuels-excelsior/) - Johanna Samuels's latest release, Excelsior!, makes good on its promise. Johanna's previous releases have all sparkled with her brilliant harmonies and clever lyrics, and Excelsior continues Johanna's musical trajectory, ever upward. Samuels recorded the album at Sam Evian's studio near Woodstock, with Evian producing; vocal contributions by Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, Olivia Kaplan, and - [Chelsea Rose - "Be Yrself"](https://petalmotel.com/chelsea-rose-be-yourself/) - Today Chelsea Rose shares the video for "Be Yrself," a standalone (and standout) single released in advance of her upcoming 12" Truth or Consequences, to be released early next year on Paul Is Dead Records. Chelsea's sultry voice effortlessly carries the catchy ditty with a groovy guitar solo and a toe-tappin' rhythm. "Be Yrself" was - [Tori Amos - "Spies"](https://petalmotel.com/tori-amos-spies/) - ???? NEW TORI AMOS ???? Um, somehow I missed the memo but the goddess herself released a new record recently? I'm so sorry. Today shares a lyric video for the song "Spies," featuring animated creatures that taunt Tori's daughter Tash at their Cornish home in the night. "Spies" is a mystical demystification, an urgent lullaby, - [Mother Hips - "I Don’t Want To Drive You Away"](https://petalmotel.com/mother-hips-i-dont-want-to-drive-you-away/) - Today, Northern California musical icons the Mother Hips share their first-ever cover song from their upcoming new album Glowing Lantern, due out December 3rd on Blue Rose Music. The song was written by David Wiffen (whose songs have also covered by Tom Rush, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Hiss Golden Messenger), and the band first heard - [Cher added to lineup for monastery benefit concert](https://petalmotel.com/cher-added-to-lineup-for-monastery-benefit-concert/) - Everyone's favorite multi-talented superstar will be joining Laurie Anderson, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, Angelique Kidjo, Steve Miller, Gregory Porter and Maggie Rogers for WisdomSound on November 8th. Richard Gere will be there too. The live-streamed event benefits Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery and Nagi Nunnery, two Tibetan religious institutions. The benefit will be viewable live at - [Rose Hotel - "Expansion"](https://petalmotel.com/rose-hotel-expansion/) - Rose Hotel's single "Expansion" is the first from the upcoming EP The House That We Knew, due out soon on Cold Lunch Recordings. Rose Hotel is Atlanta-based musician Jordan Reynolds, and in her latest she conjures an image of a post-apocalyptic folk future, with shades of melancholia, relief, and a resigned, reserved, yet cautious optimism. - [Hella Halloween : A Petrifying Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/hella-halloween-a-petrifying-playlist/) - Happy Halloween weekend. Here's a playlist I started in 2015 when I was heavily in a really weird phase of musical life where I was listening to *only* new wave music and Nancy & Lee (I... have no idea) which, the former, now, just makes me think of Halloween. Added more recently discovered scary songs, - [Julie Doiron - “Darkness To Light"](https://petalmotel.com/julie-doiron-darkness-to-light/) - Today Julie Doiron shares a gorgeous new single from her upcoming album I Thought Of You, out November 26th on You’ve Changed records. The song features just the right amount of twang, with Julie's clear, wizened, gorgeous vocals and lyrics complimented by Daniel Romano's ripping guitar line and our friend Michael Feuerstack adding soft and - [Bewitching Documents : the Pelt interview](https://petalmotel.com/the-pelt-interview/) - This Friday, Pelt releases their latest recording Reticence / Resistance as part of the Three Lobed Recording's 20-year anniversary series. It's also the first Pelt release since 2012, and the 18th record in their nearing-30-year run, never minding the numerous overlapping projects of each individual member and in other iterations and formations. The family tree - [Bandcamp Friday : Spring Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/bandcamp-shopping-list/) - Bandcamp is doing it again! This Friday, May 1st, and every first Friday through July, the streaming and purchasing platform is once again waiving their revenue share. Many artists are releasing special live albums, compilations, EPs, singles, etc. to further tempt you to buy. Several record labels are also waiving their share, so 100% of - [Trevor Beld Jimenez - "Blue Sky Morning"](https://petalmotel.com/trevor-beld-jimenez-blue-sky-morning/) - Our friend TBJ is back with a new song, the "Blue Sky Morning." Trevor's music is warm, inviting and sunny, so a blue sky anthem is especially appropriate. Trevor's dear friend Rick Swan created the lovely Zuma-inspired artwork to match. Blue Sky Morning by Trevor Beld Jimenez Blue Sky Morning was recorded, mixed and mastered - [Scorpio Season : A Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/scorpio-season-a-playlist/) - Scorpio Horoscope: As the leaves change and shadows drape themselves across the land before it's even time to pour a cocktail, you may find yourself turning inward. Lean into it. Take this time to reflect, not to run away from your feelings. Although you may feel a bit moody and introspective, know that you're not - [Ryan Pollie - "On The Nose"](https://petalmotel.com/ryan-pollie-on-the-nose/) - Ryan Pollie just announced a brand new album, STARS, out December 12th and shares the new single, "On The Nose" today, with a rollicking, rolling lead guitar line and twinkling keys that, despite the autumnal glow of the video, remind us that in Los Angeles, every day can feel like summer. Ryan says Inspired by - [Norman Blake - Day by Day : Review by Cameron Knowler](https://petalmotel.com/norman-blake-day-by-day-review-by-cameron-knowler/) - Petal Motel is pleased to publish this piece by musician/author/artist Cameron Knowler. We're aware of Norman Blake's relevance in the world of guitar and banjo music mainly through getting to know Cameron, and who better to discuss Norman's latest release on Smithsonian Folkways than his #1 admirer? Day by Day, a collection of both originals - [Shamir - "Gay Agenda"](https://petalmotel.com/shamir-gay-agenda/) - Fuck. Yes. Philadelphia-based multi-disciplinary artist just released a gorgeous new video directed by Jenny He for his incredibly powerful new song, "Gay Agenda." Shamir's unique, melodic voice cuts through the fuzzy noise and layers of synths to condemn socially constructed illusions of reality and proudly rejects heteronormativity and embraces queerness. A true anti-assimilationist anthem. Love - [Andrew Smith - "Magic Mess"](https://petalmotel.com/andrew-smith/) - Today, NYC-based musician Andrew Smith releases a catchy, bubbly power pop late summer anthem. The song, like many of Andrew's, is about getting in touch with your feelings, feeling them, and staying true to yourself in the midst of stressful situations (his latest EP was called To My Therapist and he says, “Many of my - [Sacred Bones announces Songs for Tres](https://petalmotel.com/sacred-bones-announces-songs-for-tres/) - On the birthday of the late Tres Warren, Sacred Bones has announced a tribute record of songs by Tres's bandmates in Psychic Ills, collaborators, and other special guests. Various Artists "Songs for Tres" by Psychic Ills Tres passed in March of 2020. Unable to gather to mourn properly, the other constant half of Psychic Ills, - [Falling Hard : An Autumn Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/falling-hard-an-autumn-playlist/) - It's fall and that means it's loner folk season. British folk too, although I really think dead of winter is when Lindisfarne sounds best. For me though, fall is really about classic Cosmic American Music. People like fall, right? I'm not too into the foliage thing, preferring sweeping snow-dusted desert vistas to foggy ochre mountains. - [Scott Hirsch - Windless Day](https://petalmotel.com/scott-hirsch-windless-day/) - Windless Day by Scott Hirsch Scott Hirsch's magical new album, Windless Day, is out today on his own Echo Magic label. Recorded mostly at Scott's studio of the same name in the flourishing wilds of Ojai, a place (I imagine) to be filled with the spirits of the former owners of the vintage instruments and - [Howlin Rain: An interview by Jiah Carron](https://petalmotel.com/howlin-rain-an-interview-by-jiah-carron/) - Petal Motel is pleased to introduce Jiah Carron, a Canadian music journalist and label executive who's a huge psych and private press junkie. I thought Jiah would be the perfect person to interview Ethan Miller of Howlin Rain and it turns out, I was right. Their conversation was deep, long, and literary. Thanks for reading! - [IKSRE - "Pobblebonk" (feat. Luminem)](https://petalmotel.com/iksre-pobblebonk/) - Today, days away from musician Phoebe Dubar aka IKSRE's new album, III, Petal Motel is pleased to premiere "Pobblebonk," a shimmering, effervescent song featuring Luminem. I love the texture field recordings add to a song, especially when it makes me pause my music player to make sure it is actually a bird song and not - [Patrick Shiroishi - "The Long Bright Dark"](https://petalmotel.com/patrick-shiroishi-the-long-bright-dark/) - The final single from composer and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi's upcoming album, Hidemi, is out today: Hidemi by Patrick Shiroishi The inventive album is completely instrumental, aside from a single line in this track, the album's closer. Shiroishi sings in Japanese, “Is this the end of the storm?” Patrick's last album, Descension focused on the experience of - [Noah - "Moonchild"](https://petalmotel.com/noah-moonchild/) - Today, Hokkaido-born Noah announces her new upcoming EP Étoile, out October 27th release via FLAU. The first release, "Moonchild" is vibey and enigmatic, with layers of gauzey vocals draped over discordant trip-hop beats. Excited to hear the full EP when it comes! Pre-order the album here - [Whisperer: Piedmont Pastimes - an interview by Lou Turner](https://petalmotel.com/whisperer-piedmont-pastimes-an-interview-by-lou-turner/) - Petal Motel is blessed to have contributing author Lou Turner return with another fantastic interview with a musician creating understated intricate folk from Appalachia. Sam Fuller Smith, aka Whisperer's Piedmont Pastimes is a tender and sentimental collection of tunes, pondering fatherhood, the musical roots of the Carolinas, and the possibility for a future of possibilities - [Wes Tirey : An Interview by Lou Turner](https://petalmotel.com/wes-tirey/) - Petal Motel is pleased to publish our first contributor who isn't Lara. Musician, poet, and writer Lou Turner was kind enough to conduct this wonderful interview with the most talented Wes Tirey about his latest album, The Midwest Book of the Dead, out April 30th on Dear Life Records. The Midwest Book of the Dead - ["Province" by Bartees Strange, Ohmme & Eric Slick; "Ever New" by Anjimile](https://petalmotel.com/listen-to-province-by-bartees-strange-ohmme-eric-slick-ever-new-by-anjimile/) - WOW YES. Today Sylvan Esso's artist-centric label, Psychic Hotline, shares the second installment of their 7" single series with a pair of covers. Side A features Bartees Strange, Eric Slick, and Ohmme's cover of "Province" by TV on the Radio, and Side B is Anjimile's cover of Beverly Glenn-Copeland's "Ever New." Listen here: Province/Ever New - [Route 66 : A Road Trippin' Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/route-66-a-road-trippin-playlist/) - Two and a half hours of the classics, or songs that will be regarded as classics, to keep you awake late at night on that last long stretch of the I-40, or to start your engine as you motor through the scorching desert. I'm absolutely shamelessly sharing phots from Route 66 road trips over the - [Desert Liminal - Watercolor](https://petalmotel.com/desert-liminal-watercolor/) - Chicago's Desert Liminal shares the song and video for "Watercolor," the last single and opening track from their upcoming record, Glass Fate. Featuring understated but highlighting string parts, lo-fi keys, and warbly, ethereal vocals, the whole thing sounds like a distant siren's song from a dream. Desert Liminal's Glass Fate is out October 1st on - [Goldkey - Breeze Before I Go & Clear the Way](https://petalmotel.com/goldkey-breeze-before-i-go-clear-the-way/) - Petal Motel friend Goldkey has shared two new tracks. Songwriter and musician Mike Horn's voice sounds great on these two contemplative songs ripe for release on the edge of autumn equinox, with dreamy layers of guitar grooves, reflective keys, and whimsical harmonies. The thought occurs to me that Mike would be an amazing country singer, - [awakened souls & From Overseas - Keep the Orange Sun](https://petalmotel.com/awakened-souls-from-overseas-keep-the-orange-sun/) - Earlier this year, marine eyes released a gorgeous ambient album that had soothing vibes on par with Enya (which is high praise, I love Enya and until now absolutely no one could quiet my brain like her pure moods.) My obsession with idyll is likely a direct cause of my newfound and growing interest in - [Hayden Pedigo - "Carthage"](https://petalmotel.com/hayden-pedigo-carthage/) - Check out the latest single from Hayden Pedigo's upcoming album, Letting Go here. Gotta be honest with you, I haven't listened to it because I am waiting to listen to the album in full this weekend on a road trip through the desert, where an album I know will be this special will sound best, - [Hayden Pedigo - "Letting Go"](https://petalmotel.com/hayden-pedigo-letting-go/) - Texas musician Hayden Pedigo just announced a new record, Letting Go, to be released 9/24 via Mexican Summer. The title track pairs Pedigo's signature intricate finger-picking with ambient synth, bass, field recordings, and pedal steel courtesy of Luke Schneider. Pedigo and recording engineer/producer/arranger Andrew Weathers are both adept at creating sonic landscapes very much interdependently - [Hayden Pedigo - Letting Go](https://petalmotel.com/hayden-pedigo-letting-go-review/) - I thought I may have burned myself out on acoustic guitar records earlier this year, but Hayden Pedigo's Letting Go proved me wrong. In an interview, he described it as "closer to new age in tone" and perhaps that's what's so attractive about it - blending futurism with tradition, welcoming and embracing the new era - [marine eyes - idyll](https://petalmotel.com/marine-eyes-idyll/) - idyll by marine eyes idyll is the debut record from Los Angeles-based Cynthia Bernard, aka marine eyes. Cynthia is also half of the electronic ambient duo awakened souls. She worked on this album while her children were sleeping or attending virtual school to create this collection of songs that signify the coming of the spring. - [Aspirational Arias : Experimental & Ambient Music to Breathe To](https://petalmotel.com/music-to-breathe-to/) - There was a recent article slamming many ambient albums I love and it seems so strange because that's the beauty of the genre- it's abstract, thwarts tradition, and what's incredibly boring to one person could be extremely soothing to another, and vice versa. It's like, criticizing dreams?? Weird. I already know I'm going to get - [Kareeta - Buttons](https://petalmotel.com/kareeta-buttons/) - Today the newly-formed band Kareeta premieres the first single, "Buttons" from their upcoming self-titled debut album. Buttons by Kareeta Kareeta rose from the swamps and southern delta heat during the uncertain spring of 2020. Emerging as a fully formed amalgamation of the music that shaped its core, the band settled out west in California and - [George is Lord - Behind That Locked Door](https://petalmotel.com/george-is-lord-behind-that-locked-door/) - Today, California's premiere George Harrison tribute band George is Lord shares the first single from their upcoming self-titled collection of George songs, from both his solo and Beatles catalog. The band consists of Anna Pomerantz, who did not consider herself a Beatles fan until she re-listened while learning to play drums, Anna's drum teacher Lindsay - [Ryan Pollie - The Shore House](https://petalmotel.com/ryan-pollie-the-shore-house/) - Ryan Pollie just released his first song in two years! Produced at his home in Eagle Rock and featuring a rippin' guitar solo by Michael Rault, the song is instantly relatable and while sounding sweet and radio-friendly, makes the heart hurt just a touch with its sentimental, wistful message. Inspired by my father, The Shore - [Dori Freeman - Ten Thousand Roses](https://petalmotel.com/dori-freeman-ten-thousand-roses/) - Ten Thousand Roses by Dori Freeman Dori Freeman continues a prolific streak of album releases with Ten Thousand Roses, out tomorrow on her own boutique label Blue Hens Music. Her past albums have proved her abilities as a songwriter and singer to convey raw emotion and conjure evocative and lush imagery in perfectly polished, succinct - [Jackson + Sellers - "Hush"](https://petalmotel.com/jackson-sellers-hush/) - Check out the single "Hush" from Jackson + Sellers' upcoming debut, Breaking Point. This rocking, edgy-Americana duo record is dangerously good- their harmonies electric, the musicianship powerful and timeless. Aubrie Sellers and Jade Jackson slid into one another's DMs over the pandemic after a brief meeting at Americanafest, and watched their idea for a potential - [Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8](https://petalmotel.com/nala-sinephro-space-1-8/) - Space 1.8 by Nala Sinephro Need an instant out-of-this-world astral projection assist? Nala Sinephro's debut LP Space 1.8, a suite of cosmic synth-jazz-spiraling-celestial jams is here to help. The London-based Sinephro composed the pieces based around the concept of sound's ability to move matter. In addition to composing the record and playing pedal harp and - [Maria Taylor - "It's Coming For You"](https://petalmotel.com/maria-taylor-its-coming-for-you/) - My azure bae has shared a new song today, hot on the heels of a very recent Azure Ray album release. "It's Coming For You" induces waves of nostalgia for those who came of age listening to Maria's charming vocals and reverb-laden guitar solos from the likes of the Breeders. “It hasn't been the easiest - [Maurice Louca - Higamah (Hirudinea)](https://petalmotel.com/maurice-louca-higamah-hirudinea/) - Saet El Hazz (The Luck Hour) by Maurice Louca Maurice Louca has shared the second single from upcoming album Saet El-Hazz (The Luck Hour) The droning, hypnotic single is a stunning endcap on a collection of songs drawing heavily on Arabic music, psychedelic folk, and freeform jazz. Saet el Hazz is a coded saying in Egypt - [Adeline Hotel announces The Cherries are Speaking, goes deep in Q&A on the album](https://petalmotel.com/adeline-hotel-the-cherries-are-speaking/) - Our friend Dan Knishkowy, known to the world as Adeline Hotel, is back at it with The Cherries Are Speaking—his second album of 2021 and a complete departure from February's Good Timing, a collection of interwoven guitar wanderings. Featuring Macie Stewart from Ohmme on strings, and V.V. Lightbody, Caitlin Pasko and Eric D. Johnson of - [Rick Deitrick - Coyote Canyon](https://petalmotel.com/rick-deitrick-coyote-canyon/) - Coyote Canyon by Rick Deitrick Rick Deitrick used to press small batches of his albums and leave them on hiking trails for people to find. Recorded between 1972-197 and reissued by Tompkins Square Records, Coyote Canyon, like many of Rick's releases, is acutely in tune with and inspired by nature. Echoing the cascading of a - [Ruby Landen - Martyr, well](https://petalmotel.com/ruby-landen-martyr-well/) - Martyr, well by Ruby Landen When you hit "play" on Ruby Landen's Martyr, well- you might do a double take. Ruby's clear, lilting voice, accompanied by soft fingerstyle guitar parts will immediately make you believe you're listening to a late 60s Brit folk record. Ruby's soft, sweet songs are wistful and sincere, injecting beauty and - [Steve Gunn - Other You](https://petalmotel.com/steve-gunn-other-you/) - Other You by Steve Gunn To be Steve's neighbor and hear his guitar explorations over the last 16 months or so would be an enviable position. Since the onset of the pandemic, he's released a good amount of music, including an EP of covers, two of which originally recorded for Aquarium Drunkard's Lagniappe Sessions with - [Pelt announces new album, Resistance Reticence, as part of Three Lobed's 20th anniversary series](https://petalmotel.com/pelt-announces-resistance-reticence/) - The next release up from the always-great Three Lobed Recordings's 20th anniversary series is... drumroll please... PELT! Everyone's favorite freak folk ensemble has returned, bridging the gap between drone and folk, past, present and future, tradition and invention. Resistance Reticence is available now for pre-order and out in the world on October 29th. The two - [Songs from the Dharma World : A Playlist by Howlin Rain](https://petalmotel.com/songs-from-the-dharma-world-a-playlist-by-howlin-rain/) - Ethan Miller of Howlin Rain compiled an excellent playlist for Petal Motel in homage to the universe of their new album The Dharma Wheel. As expected from one of the headiest musicians of modernity, the playlist comprises of space funk, burnout rock, ambient free jazz, Italian prog, contemporary underground heroes, rare psych, DLR and more, - [Scott Hirsch - "Dreamer" (Live performance)](https://petalmotel.com/scott-hirsch-dreamer-live-performance/) - Scott Hirsch is releasing his third album, Windless Day, on October 8th. Lush and smooth, polished and perfected, the album showcases Hirsch's finely tuned skill as an engineer and producer. His celestial songwriting style is in full effect, as heard on his latest single, "Dreamer." Dreamy words and mystical themes abound, as usual. Highly recommend a - [MX PSYCH - a Playlist by UAY](https://petalmotel.com/mexican-delight-a-playlist-by-uay/) - I asked Guadalajara psych band UAY to create a playlist of Mexican psychedelic music. UAY's name is the phonetic translation of a Mayan word for spell or wizard and their heavy, hypnotic sounds are indeed entrancing. I figured they'd be authorities on the scene, considering they curate and throw an psych fest and series called Mexicadelia - [The Roseline - "Paper Plane"](https://petalmotel.com/the-roseline-paper-plane/) - Today, Kansas City's The Roseline shares a single from their new album, Constancy, that'll be out later this year, so keep your eyes on them. Paper Plane by The Roseline “This song is arguably the most epic and ambitious thing we’ve attempted. It’s almost seven minutes long and bookended by spacey guitar loops, so it’s - [Sophia Knapp & Dungen - "Song"](https://petalmotel.com/dungen-sophia-knapp-song/) - Tendrils of piano unfurl, joined by harmonious synth and Sophia Knapp's luminous voice in this lush cover of Turid's 1971 song. This is the latest release from the collaboration between Knapp and Dungen that reaches astronomical heights vocally and instrumentally. Song by Sophia Knapp, Dungen ‘Song’ pairs Dungen’s verdant arrangements with Sophia Knapp’s angelic voice to - [Bea Troxel - "Gettin' Where"](https://petalmotel.com/bea-troxel-gettin-where/) - Nashville singer and songwriter Bea Troxel has announced a new album, Gettin' Where, to be released on September 17th via Ruination Record Co. The album deals with identity, learning to live in your own body, and according to Bea, "these songs are about action, about being seen and learning to claim desire," a deeply personal - [Ode to Gene : A Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/ode-to-gene-a-playlist/) - 50 years ago, Gene Clark's White Light came out, an aural and lyrical poem produced by Jesse Ed Davis that is so completely intimate, vulnerable, and warm. It's the album that got me into Gene and although I love the maximalist, mysterious opus that is No Other, White Light is as close to my heart - [Jerry David DeCicca - "Texas Toad"](https://petalmotel.com/jerry-david-decicca-texas-toad/) - Today, the European label Worried Songs announces their vinyl release of Jerry David DeCicca's The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures. The album was released digitally last year and has delighted audiences since. JDD, an Ohio native, lives in the Texas hill country with a whole menagerie. The vinyl will be available on October 1st - [Corntuth - The Desert Is Paper Thin](https://petalmotel.com/corntuth-the-desert-is-paper-thin/) - Last week, ambient musician Corntuth released their record The Desert Is Paper Thin, a concept record soundtracking a long desert drive throughout the course of an entire day, from sunrise to late evening. Corntuth recorded it during the pandemic as a means of escapism, and summoned industry veteran Pete Finney to add lush pedal steel - [Spencer Cullum - Seaside](https://petalmotel.com/spencer-cullum-seaside/) - In anticipation of the vinyl release of Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection, today the British-born, Nashville-living musician releases the previously unreleased "Seaside," a breezy, carefree cancion featuring gorgeous backing vocals and effervescent flute-playing. The album Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection is out 9/24 and is Spencer's effort to create a trad British folk album, weaving in elements - [Raphi Gottesman - Unwrapped Gifts : A Guest Mix](https://petalmotel.com/raphi-gottesman-unwrapped-gifts-a-guest-mix/) - In early 2021, Oakland musician Raphi Gottesman released an album on German label AOsmosis. The instrumental The Clarity of Dawn features many guest instrumentalists around the world but the majority of the work is done by Raphi himself, broaching themes of finding hope in the face of his young son undergoing treatment for leukemia. The record - [Danielle Durack - Broken Wings: Listen](https://petalmotel.com/danielle-durack-broken-wings-listen/) - Arizona singer and songwriter Danielle Durack has announced a new album and released the first single, "Broken Wings." Durack co-directed and conceptualized the winking video herself. The song is “a kind of wry take on my questionable taste in men," Danielle explains. "The song is pretty self critical, like, 'why do you keep doing this - [Beachwood Sparks & Gospelbeach cover "You Don’t See Me Crying" from Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal](https://petalmotel.com/beachwood-sparks-gospelbeach-cover-you-dont-see-me-crying-from-highway-butterfly-the-songs-of-neal-casal/) - Today the Neal Casal Music Foundation has announced the full track list for the upcoming tribute Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal, a 5-LP box set featuring Neal's friends, colleagues, and admirers paying tribute to the prolific musician's immense body of work. Today the "second" single is out - Neal's dear friends Beachwood Sparks - [Mouth Painter announces new album Tropicale Moon, shares first single](https://petalmotel.com/mouth-painter-announces-new-album-tropicale-moon-shares-first-single/) - Mouth Painter is Barry Walker, Jr. (guitar, pedal steel, vocals), Valerie Osterberg (flute, saw, percussion, effects, vocals), and Jason Willmon (bass). Today they announce their third album, Tropicale Moon, and share the first single, "A Yardin' I Once Went." Tropicale Moon is out September 3 on Arrowhawk Records (digital/cassette) and Feeding Tube / Cardinal Fuzz - [Cameron Knowler - Places of Consequence](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-places-of-consequence/) - In Cameron I recognize what many other desert dwellers, or those born within it seem to intrinsically understand - how sound is inextricably bound to place, how landscapes influence song, and how aesthetics are the other side of the coin of music, somehow. After this year's earlier release with fellow guitarist and best mate Eli - [Above and Beyond with Johanna Samuels](https://petalmotel.com/above-and-beyond-with-johanna-samuels/) - Johanna Samuels isn't a person who loafs around when touring slows down. She had a busy ass year while staying at home, organizing, community building, and writing copious amounts of songs. As we began to see the light, she released her gorgeous album Excelsior!, a deeply personal album dealing with topics ranging from love, sexual - [Tashaki Miyaki - Castaway: Track by Track](https://petalmotel.com/tashaki-miyaki-castaway-track-by-track/) - LA babes Tashaki Miyaki are releasing their second full-length Castaway on July 2nd. Lead songwriter, and producer of the album Paige Stark did us the honor of writing a track-by-track guide to the gorgeous album. The California three-piece is a sparkling example of the more glimmering lights, nighttime vibe of the modern LA sound. Tashaki - [Xisco Rojo - Transfigurations : A Guest Mix](https://petalmotel.com/xisco-rojo/) - Madrid-based guitarist Xisco Rojo recently released a shockingly gorgeous album of drone-meets-Spanish-guitar, an enigmatic, darkly psychedelic record called Transfigurations about the power and magic of love. Intricate guitar compositions are accompanied by twinkling chimes upon the album's opening, and Xisco adeptly uses the space between notes to add an aura of intrigue and sorcery. This - [Ben Reddell Band - ¡LA Baby!](https://petalmotel.com/ben-reddell-band-la-baby/) - Texas native-turned-Angeleno Ben Reddell honors both his adopted city and his homeland of Texas on his EP, LA Baby, out today. LA has a storied history of honky tonks, but unfortunately, few of the historic ones are still operating. However, one person is responsible for keeping that outlaw spirit alive and well in California and - [Nico Hedley premieres "Waking Dreams"](https://petalmotel.com/nico-hedley-premieres-waking-dreams/) - Nico Hedley announces a new album, Painterly, out September 3rd via Whatever's Clever. The first single "Waking Dreams" proves that you can make country record in New York City. With lush instrumentation and Nico's introspective lyrics, it's a fresh-sounding spin on classical countrypolitan. Personnel includes Ryan El-Solh on guitar, Carmen Rothwell on double bass, Jeff - [Yola shares "Starlight" from upcoming album Stand For Myself](https://petalmotel.com/yola-shares-starlight-from-upcoming-album-stand-for-myself/) - The amazing Yola announced a new record, out 7/30, and today releases this anthem to sex positivity and liberation. Eschewing conservative social norms, "Starlight" celebrates love, romance, and ultimately the route to self-love through those normative relationships that may not be tied to tradition. Softly lit, Yola's powerful, towering voice creates a soundtrack to this - [Jeff Mix and The Songhearts’ “Speed of The Sound of Loneliness” from upcoming John Prine tribute, Kiss My Ass Goodbye](https://petalmotel.com/jeff-mix-and-the-songhearts-speed-of-the-sound-of-loneliness-from-upcoming-john-prine-tribute-kiss-my-ass-goodbye/) - Nashville label Devil's Tower Records and Portland's Groove Family Records have announced a limited vinyl release of Kiss My Ass Goodbye, an official Record Store Day release (7/17) featuring legendary and emerging artists from Nashville, Las Vegas, Athens, Seattle, Chicago and beyond paying tribute to everyone's favorite songwriter. Proceeds benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission. On - [No Kill - Gold Chorus](https://petalmotel.com/no-kill-gold-chorus/) - Gold Chorus by No Kill The opening organ notes of "Always" from No Kill's Gold Chorus prepare you for a somewhat reverential and awe-some 37 minutes. Brooklyn's Jamie Cogar is No Kill, and her debut record is quite a staggering feat - lush, colorful grunge-infused noise rock, walls of sound and interlaced fuzz and effects - [Greg Loiacono - "Last Day of June"](https://petalmotel.com/greg-loiacono-last-day-of-june/) - Happy last day of June! Today, Greg Loiacono shares his new instrumental tune of the same name, a heartfelt tune about hope, patience and dedication inspired by a Takoma Records compilation Greg found in his father's collection at a young age. This song will be part of an entire album of instrumental music that Greg - [Cameron Knowler - "Kuyina"](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-kuyina/) - The third single from Cameron Knowler's visionary Places of Consequence premiered today on Deepest Currents and because Places is teed up to be one of our albums of the year, we're sharing it here too. Places of Consequence by Cameron Knowler Knowler is a highly skilled technical player, academic and focused, but emotion shines through - [Pony Hunt - "That Feelin"](https://petalmotel.com/pony-hunt-that-feelin/) - New Orleans band Pony Hunt's second album, VAR! is out July 23rd via Wing and Wing. Pony Hunt's celestial retro vibe- self-described as "cosmic doo-wop" reflects upon queerness, gender identity, and self-awareness. Today they premiere their latest single from the album, the dream-like "That Feelin'" with a stop-you-in-your-tracks opening beat and singer and songwriter Jessie - [Starlight Cleaning Co.](https://petalmotel.com/starlight-cleaning-co/) - Rachel Dean and Tim Paul Gray, both accomplished performers, songwriters, and recording artists in their own rite, released their debut record together as Starlight Cleaning Co. just last week on Sofaburn Records. Produced by Bart Davenport and engineered by Joel Jerome, the duo recorded the album at their home studio, the very same in which - [Joe Bourdet: from the Mountains to the Sea](https://petalmotel.com/joe-bourdet-interview/) - Joe Bourdet has been a staple on the LA scene since the days of Josh Schwartz's Painted Hills and bluesy-rock outfit Whispering Pines, and more recently he's played GospelbeacH's Let It Burn and the upcoming Ben Reddell Band EP. At long last, he's releasing his solo debut, Meadow Rock, inspired by the rolling hills of - [Ripley Johnson of Rose City Band](https://petalmotel.com/ripley-johnson-of-rose-city-band/) - I remember the *day* the first Rose City Band record quietly dropped, and when I say quietly, I mean, well, quiet in that distinct way the project's mastermind and (usually) sole member Ripley Johnson makes richly textured, vibrant psychedelic music without relying on noise or feedback alone. It took no time at all for the - [Wes Tirey, the Writer](https://petalmotel.com/wes-tirey-2/) - [Derek Monypeny - The Hand as Dealt](https://petalmotel.com/derek-monypeny-the-hand-as-dealt/) - Derek Monypeny's latest The Hand as Dealt raises many questions about the nature of desert sound. A sonic representation of the multifaceted darkness and light found within the shadows of the Mojave mountains, The Hand as Dealt, questions about traditionalism and experimentalism, the binary between the natural and the inorganic, and the duality of spirituality - [Damon & Naomi share "Sailing By" and announce "A Sky Record" with Kurihara](https://petalmotel.com/damon-naomi-share-sailing-by-and-announce-a-sky-record-with-kurihara/) - Damon and Naomi are back with A Sky Record, releasing July 22nd. Today they premiere the first single from the album, "Sailing By." A Sky Record by Damon & Naomi "Sailing By” is also the title of a light classical waltz that’s played every night shortly before the 1am end of the broadcast day on - [Soft Sailors - "What We Live"](https://petalmotel.com/soft-sailors-what-we-live/) - LA's Soft Sailors share their video for "What We Live" today, featuring bandleader Geoff Geis being followed by a haunting, human-sized crow played by Jenna Heffernan, who may or may not be a figment of his imagination. Adam Boren Bennett shot the footage during flower season at Deb's Park on a cheap toy camera with - [The Sun Rises Here](https://petalmotel.com/neal-casal-the-sun-rises-here/) - The Sun Rises Here is Neal's true, honest-to-god, soft-country-rock record. He flirted with it on Fade Away Diamond Time, but this album solidified his place in the "alt-country" registry. This album has all of the necessary elements - mandolin, pedal steel, lots of acoustic guitar, a sometimes twang-y vocal- to give it a true New - [Evolfo - "Drying Out Your Eyes" (Live Performance)](https://petalmotel.com/evolfo/) - Sharing a live performance of the Brooklyn-based Evolfo's "Drying Out Your Eye" days before their album Site Out of Mind drops (June 18th on Royal Potato Family.) Equally jazzy as it is acid-drenched, the 7-piece band set out to ascend from their previous release, the acclaimed 2017 Last of the Acid Cowboys, aiming for the - [Joe Bourdet - "Mantra"](https://petalmotel.com/joe-bourdet-mantra/) - This is the first post on Petal Motel about Joe Bourdet, but it won't be the last. Joe's putting out an instant classic of an album, Meadow Rock, on June 18th and I've been waiting impatiently since the moment I heard a pair of singles he'd previously released, "Seamist" and "El Capitan." The full album - [Cameron Knowler - "Lena's Spanish Fandango"](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-lenas-spanish-fandango/) - Places of Consequence by Cameron Knowler It's your lucky day because there's a new Cameron Knowler track out. "Lena's Spanish Guitar" showcases the musician's versatility and unique adaptability to various styles although Cameron can probably tell you everything about the roots of every kind of music that ever was, where it came from, what it - [Cameron Knowler announces Places of Consequence, premieres "Puerto Suelo"](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-announces-places-of-consequence-premieres-puerto-suelo/) - Petal Motel is so excited to announce the release of Cameron Knowler's upcoming solo album, Places of Consequence. The album will be out on American Dreams on July 16th (>>Pre-order here! - [Muwosi - Of Compassion](https://petalmotel.com/muwosi-of-compassion/) - Of Compassion by Muwosi A few months ago, I subscribed to Leaving Records' Bandcamp upon realizing that a few albums I was about to buy - Green-House, Nailah Hunter - shared the label. And that shit changed my life!! I'm finding so much amazing music through the label, leaping away from my comfort zones of - [Michael Cormier shares video for "Last Hurrah" from upcoming album More Light!!](https://petalmotel.com/michael-cormier-shares-video-for-last-hurrah-from-upcoming-album-more-light/) - People in the music industry usually wear many hats - it's not uncommon for label managers to also be in radio, or for publicists to also write for publications, etc. In this case, Dear Life co-head Michael Cormier is also a talented musician. Paired with the grotesque and funny visuals by Luisa Levine, and the - [Filmmaker Michael Roberson shares video for Mason Lindahl's "Outside Laughing"](https://petalmotel.com/filmmaker-michael-roberson-shares-video-for-mason-lindahls-outside-laughing/) - A while back, Tompkins Square released Mason Lindahl's Kissing Rosy in the Rain, a gorgeously downcast, haunting Flamenco-flavored record. To match the elegant spookiness of the song, filmmaker Michael Roberson created this highly Bataillean short film that echoes the record's chiaroscuro elements. You can revisit the Petal Motel review here and get Kissing Rosy in the - [Jeffrey Alexander & the Heavy Lidders share "Carousel Of Flowers" from upcoming S/T release](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-alexander-carousel-of-flowers-listen/) - Jeffrey Alexander is releasing his project with the Heavy Lidders on Arrowhawk Records on August 6th. The Heavy Lidders boasts a killer lineup of, well, heavy hitters Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner (Elkhorn) and Scott Verrastro. Ryan Jewell, Pat Gubler, Rosali Middleman, Marissa Nadler and more also make appearances The first single, "Carousel of Flowers" - [Upupayāma shares "Hopsa-japapé" from upcoming vinyl release on Centripetal Force/Cardinal Fuzz](https://petalmotel.com/upupayama-hopsa-japape-listen/) - At the very end of last year, Appenine forest-dweller, dreamer, and musical magician Alessio Ferrari released Upupayāma digitally. Now, Centripetal Force (North America) and Cardinal Fuzz (UK/Europe) are pleased to announce the upcoming vinyl release of Upupayāma’s self-titled debut. The album is being presented in a 350 copy vinyl pressing, 150 of which will be - [Harpooner - Let's Hear the World Together : A Guest Mix](https://petalmotel.com/harpooner-lets-hear-the-world-together-a-guest-mix/) - Musician Harpooner, the nom de plume of Scott Schmadeke, picked songs from all the countries he’s going to this summer while he’s taking an artist residency in Turkey to make this playlist for Petal Motel. Harpooner's sophomore release, In Two Minds, was released on Cold Lunch Reords on on April 30. The album is smooth, silky - [Subversive to Care - an AAPI Charity Benefit Compilation](https://petalmotel.com/subversive-to-care-an-aapi-charity-benefit-compilation/) - Paul is Dead Records is releasing a star-studded, bandcamp-exclusive compilation of contribution from over 50 artists who are close friends and family members of the label. The compilation aims to bring attention to the alarming increase in hate crimes and general animosity and racism towards Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, to call on others to actively - [Nyxe - "Love Me Destroy Me"](https://petalmotel.com/nyxe-love-me-destroy-me/) - LA native Pam Shaffer, aka Nyxe, is a podcaster, therapist, writer, and a musician who has just released the latest single from upcoming album, The Lovely Unknown. Listen here! Songwriting has been a way for her to process her own thoughts and feelings after delving into tricky emotional landscapes with clients. Her podcast, Why Not - [David John Morris](https://petalmotel.com/david-john-morris/) - David John Morris found himself taking Red River Road to Gambo Abbey in Nova Scotia, Canada and smiled to himself. It was one fortuitous signal among many along the way that led him to this place. Inside the Abbey, the Cornish songwriter became a temporarily ordained Buddhist monk and spent several months inside sans musical - [Ifeanyi Elswith - "Fefestyle"](https://petalmotel.com/ifeanyi-elswith-fefestyle/) - Last week, 22-year-old rapper Ifeany Elswith shared the music video for "Fefestyle" from last year's Everything Festyle with Rosebud Allday. The video is the result of the need to create during pandemic-induced inertia. The video reflects the mood of Ifeanyi's music as well - namely, cruising with your friends with good tunes blaring. Ifeanyi's most recent - [Stevie Weinstein-Foner - "Give Me A Song"](https://petalmotel.com/stevie-weinstein-foner-give-me-a-song/) - Stevie Weinstein-Foner shares the video for the gorgeous second single, "Give Me A Song" off upcoming album Wondering, out 6/18 on Wild Kindness Records. Stevie's music is Californiana at its finest. With lovely, canyon-country acoustic strums, Blythe Gruda's climbing complementary vocals, and a Bluebird-like picked coda, "Give Me a Song" is a cinematic marvel, and - [Josh Kimbrough](https://petalmotel.com/josh-kimbrough/) - We interviewed Josh Kimbrough, the fingerstyle guitarist and composer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Josh put out his fantastic solo debut record, Slither, Soar, and Disappear last year on Tompkins Square, as well as a Christmas EP entitled Yule Chime. Josh grew up in the Chapel Hill-area and became an integral part of the music - [Bill MacKay & Nathan Bowles](https://petalmotel.com/nathan-bowles-bill-mackay/) - When Drag City announced that the super powers that are Nathan Bowles and Bill MacKay were joining forces, music fans rejoiced, knowing the result would be greater than the sum of its parts, which are already pretty great. The two musicians have many commonalities, including their versatility and adaptability to any musical situation, their respective - [Buck Curran](https://petalmotel.com/buck-curran/) - Buck Curran, the prolific singer, songwriter, luthier living in Bergamo, Italy, has a lot going on. Buck's Obsolete Recording label seems to be endlessly pumping out the jams, in the form of interstellar ambience, ruminative ragas, and melancholy melodies. I thought the best way to cover all the things going on with his label, Obsolete - [Jeffrey Silverstein](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-silverstein/) - Jeffrey Silverstein is an east-coaster turned PNW-er who teaches, writes, runs, meditates, and obviously, makes some extremely cool music. He has a beautiful new EP called Torii Gates that is out tomorrow on Arrowhawk Records. Last year, Jeffrey's full-length You Become the Mountain made our AOTY list - an album of "effortless meditation" - even - [Sarah Louise](https://petalmotel.com/sarah-louise/) - I first became a fan of Sarah Louise's floral fingerstyle acoustic guitar playing on her albums Deeper Woods and Field Guides, and remained intrigued by her more maximalist turn on 2019's Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars, but nothing prepared me for Earth Bow. Sarah's latest album is a sparkling, expansive exploration of meaning and melody, and also Sarah Louise's - [wake up - "i gotta getaway"](https://petalmotel.com/wake-up-i-gotta-getaway/) - Today, Highland Park's wake up releases the video for "i gotta get away" from their album tigers can’t be choosers released via Paul Is Dead records in February. The video features the band's frontman's fiancé Kathryn Grace as a young woman fed up and frustrated with city life, who decides it’s time to flew the coop and live - [classic and modern new age essentials : Guest Mix by Luke Schneider](https://petalmotel.com/classic-and-modern-new-age-essentials-guest-mix-by-luke-schneider/) - You may have noticed that my interest in electronic, ambient and new age is growing, and Nashville Ambient Ensemble is partially to blame for that. In my conversation with Michael Hix and Luke Schneider a few weeks back, Luke mentioned that *all* he listens to is private issue new age music. As my interest in - [Greg Loiacono - "What Can I Say"](https://petalmotel.com/greg-loiacono-what-can-i-say/) - Our favorite NorCal crooner is back with another retro-pop swooner, streaming everywhere today via Blue Rose. "What Can I Say" is the third single in a series of four Greg recorded last summer. Loiacono is accompanied on “What Can I Say?” by Mikael Jorgensen (Wilco), Pat Spurgeon (Rogue Wave), Charles James Gonzalez and Emilie Raines, - [Charles - "Impudent Hussy"](https://petalmotel.com/charles-impudent-hussy/) - Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and video director Charlotte Ercoli Coe, aka Charles, has released a new single from her brilliantly weird upcoming album, Let's Start a Family Tonight (out 5/21 on Babe City). I wrote this wonderfully bitter song on the second darkest day of my life. I felt like Quasimodo / permanently marked territory that no - [Red Ribbon - "High"](https://petalmotel.com/red-ribbon-high/) - Today LA-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emma Danner, aka Red Ribbon, shares the haunting single and video for "High" off upcoming Planet X out June 11 via Danger Collective Records. It could just be about drugs, or it can be about whatever in your life makes you high. I lost my first love to an opioid addiction - [nasimiYu - P O T I O N S](https://petalmotel.com/nasimiyu-p-o-t-i-o-n-s/) - P O T I O N S by nasimiYu I'm new to nasimiYu but was immediately spellbound by her ekphratic, expressive poetry. Every single sound on this album was made by nasimiYu herself, although her unique use of forward vocals may be the standout, from the opening vocal-chords of "Watercolors," layered with her own honeyed - [Fiver with The Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition - Jr. Wreck](https://petalmotel.com/fiver-with-the-atlantic-school-of-spontaneous-composition-jr-wreck/) - Fiver is the alias of the enigmatic musician Simone Schmidt, a masterful songwriter and storycrafter, a legend in Canada, who today releases their final single prior to the release of their self-titled album on Friday, May 7th via You've Changed. Throughout 2017-2018, Toronto-based Simone Schmidt (Fiver) arranged the music in a small white house in - [Greg Loiacono - Mystic Traces](https://petalmotel.com/greg-loiacono-mystic-traces-album-review/) - Whatever project Greg Loiacono's involved with sounds quintessentially Californian. Mystic Traces is no different. Loungey and open with a laid-back sound, the album cruises and coasts like a drive down the 1. It's easy listening in the best and truest sense of the phrase.Between his work with the Mother Hips, the Green Leaf Rustlers, and - [Greg Loiacono : Seed](https://petalmotel.com/greg-loiacono-seed-listen/) - Wow this song is a MOOD. I love this Greg - that edge, grit, and angst! This is the sound and the vibe that made so many young audiences fall head first for the Mother Hips 30 years ago. Greg relays a sentiment we can all relate to, "We don’t have a choice about being - [Greg Loiacono and Jamie Drake - Bound To Fall](https://petalmotel.com/greg-loiacono-and-jamie-drake-bound-to-fall/) - Greg Loiacono and Jamie Drake share their latest duet, "Bound to Fall" out today via Blue Rose Records. Their smooth crooning was first heard together on Loiacono's 2019 single "San Felipe," but this song was cowritten together by the talented pair. The track features also features Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen and was mixed by Scott - [Heavy Mellow : A Mix by Greg Loiacono](https://petalmotel.com/heavy-mellow-a-mix-by-greg-loiacono/) - This Saturday, sharing this amazing mix curated by our friend and musical favorite Greg Loiacono. He didn't make it for us specifically but it's got so many favorites we asked if we could share. Also, I'm kind of on vacation so keepin' it easy and breezy with this excellent soundtrack. Thanks so much to Greg, - [Loner folk legend Dave Bixby announces "Harbinger Orchestra"](https://petalmotel.com/loner-folk-legend-dave-bixby-announces-harbinger-orchestra/) - Dave Bixby is a living folk legend, and quite literally developed a cult following. his definitive loner acid folk album, 'Ode to Quetzalcoatl’ was recorded following a long period of time Dave spent in what he calls ‘the void’, a dark, depressive episode after a prolonged period of taking LSD almost daily. The haunting 1969 - [Cancion Franklin - Just Made Rent](https://petalmotel.com/cancion-franklin-just-made-rent/) - My favorite NYC blues-rocker is back with a new single, "Just Made Rent," a song for everyone who has: A) Just made rentB) Drinks too much C) Is in a little bit of debt D) All of the above Option B is how I came across Cancion's music. Up until the pandemic, he had a - [Rhiannon Giddens - They're Calling Me Home](https://petalmotel.com/rhiannon-giddens-theyre-calling-me-home/) - They're Calling Me Home (With Francesco Turrisi) by Rhiannon Giddens They're Calling Me Home is timeless, and simultaneously very much of the times. Recorded in just six days by Rhiannon Giddens and her partner Francesco Turrisi in the midst of lockdown, the collection of originals and traditional tunes creates a beautiful impression of yearning. Themes - [Ki Oni - Stay Indoors and Swim](https://petalmotel.com/ki-oni-stay-indoors-and-swim/) - Stay Indoors and Swim by Ki Oni Los Angeles ambient artist Ki Oni is here to satisfy your need for twinkling, therapeutic, synthetic-nature-vibes to quiet your incessant inner monologue. Stay Indoors and Swim was originally released as a three-song EP last year and is now expanded to an eight-track album by Ki Oni, the stage - [Jesse Aycock](https://petalmotel.com/jesse-aycock/) - Get Jesse Aycock on Horton Records. - [Playlist for the Freeze and the Thaw : by Minor Moon](https://petalmotel.com/playlist-for-the-freeze-and-the-thaw-by-minor-moon/) - Minor Moon's album Tethers was released on 3/26, a cinematic, visionary record blending midwest Americana, smart lyricism, and iridescent harmonies. From beginning to end, each track contains lush, full orchestration, with Wurlitzer and lap steel adding sparkling, sweeping elements, and songwriter and band leader Sam Cantor's sometimes winking, sometimes somber, always solid vocal delivery rounding - [decker. - In Outer Space & DNA](https://petalmotel.com/decker-in-outer-space-dna/) - Sedona's musical mystic decker. invites you to enter the vortex with the latest video for his new single, "In Outer Space & DNA" exploring the cosmic symbiosis between the macro and the micro, sacred geometry, and more. It's no wonder this dweller atop electromagnetic and leyline convergences considers his music "psychedelic desert rock." "Here we - [No Kill - Swooning](https://petalmotel.com/no-kill-swooning/) - Brooklyn artist No Kill announces her debut album today, Gold Chorus. The shiny, bright noisy-rock album is illuminated by (real life name) Jamie Cogar's silvery vocals and voluptuous lyrics. "Swooning" is the first single from the album, accompanied by a video centered on the concept of the female gaze - the protaginists peer into the - [V.V. Lightbody - Really Do Care](https://petalmotel.com/v-v-lightbody-really-do-care/) - Chicago's V.V. Lightbody has released a new single, "Really Do Care," a contemplative, groovy reflection on relationships. Really Do Care by V.V. Lightbody Lightbody's acclaimed 2020 album Make a Shrine or Burn It (Acrophase Records) showcases the musician's myriad multi-instrumental, vocal, and song-writing talents. "Really Do Care" is the lone B-side, featuring a burning thread - [Jesse Aycock - Sadder Than a Sunset](https://petalmotel.com/jesse-aycock-sadder-than-a-sunset/) - Today, Tulsa, Oklahoma-based musician Jesse Aycock shares the video and single, "Sadder Than a Sunset," from his upcoming self-titled album, out April 16th on Horton Records. Of the 13 tracks on the album, “Sadder Than a Sunset” felt the most cosmic. Sometimes songs feel like they come from another place in time. This is one - [Hard Working Americans Live at Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds on 2014-08-03](https://petalmotel.com/hard-working-americans-live-at-kenai-peninsula-fairgrounds-on-2014-08-03/) - Just posting this here for posterity and for your revisiting/listening pleasure. In 2014, Todd Snider missed his plane en route to a Hard Working Americans gig but luckily there was already a tremendous vocalist as well as masterful shredder in the band who was able to step in and sing his heart out. I've been - [Marjorine - Salton Sea](https://petalmotel.com/marjorine-salton-sea/) - Salton Sea by Marjorine Nicholas Comaratta spent the last ten years playing in psych bands and experimenting with hardware-based electronic music. When the pandemic hit, he had to deeply re-think his creative approach and figure out a way to balance and marry the worlds he'd been liminally wavering between. On the anniversary of Sgt. Pepper - [Mountain Music](https://petalmotel.com/mountain-music/) - Soon I will go to the mountains.. these are the songs I'm excited to listen to there. Last week I watched Without Getting Killed or Caught and was struck again at how the songwriters who write these stories of immense sadness and joy have such a lore that surrounds them which makes these stories even - [Bill Callahan - Cowboy](https://petalmotel.com/bill-callahan-cowboy/) - When it comes to songwriting, few compare to Bill Callahan. He has a rare gift for telling the truth without much fanfare, gut-punching tenderness and understated depth, prismatic stories of vivid characters sometimes in the guise of objects or animals. Bill captured my attention when I was just a teenager with his brilliant A River - [Trevor Beld Jimenez - Get Ready to Fly](https://petalmotel.com/trevor-beld-jimenez-get-ready-to-fly/) - Petal Motel is pleased to premiere the brand new video for one of our very favorite songs from Trevor Beld Jimenez's solo album I Like It Here, which came out last November on Curation Records. Back in the early pan days, Trevor did a lot of live streaming and this was one of the first - [The Howard Hughs Suite & Geir Sundstøl - Afterglow](https://petalmotel.com/afterglow/) - Portuguese label The Slow Music Movement rounded up 13 songs by artists (some already Petal Motel faves, some soon to be Petal Motel faves) to make songs that explore their respective folk roots but simultaneously look ahead and incorporate fresh, musical innovations to carve out the Future of Folk. Longtime Petal Motel favorite The Howard - [Tan Cologne](https://petalmotel.com/tan-cologne-interview/) - Tan Cologne is Lauren Green and Marissa Macias, two interdisciplinary artists living in Taos, New Mexico. Last year they released their debut album, Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico on Labrador Records, followed by a single "Heretic Porcelain" last October. With their sweeping, kaleidoscopic soundscapes that emulate the New Mexico horizon, Tan Cologne's - [Garrett T. Capps](https://petalmotel.com/garrett-t-capps-interview/) - [Nashville Ambient Ensemble : Interview](https://petalmotel.com/nashville-ambient-ensemble-interview/) - Video by Tyler Blankenship - [Cameron Knowler & Eli Winter](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-eli-winter-interview/) - Friends, roadmates, and instrumental guitarists Cameron and Eli are putting an album out tomorrow on American Dreams Records. The record, influenced by a wintry tour in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, features six transcendent originals, and three interpretations of "folk" songs (using that word loosely - "Cumberland App" is a post-modern arrangement of Cumberland Gap, - [Jerry David DeCicca](https://petalmotel.com/jerry-david-decicca-interview/) - I'm late to the game when it comes to the music of Jerry David DeCicca, but he's a true veteran of the modern music world, having lived on the road for many years with his band Black Swans before opting for a "Quiet Life" (get it? that's a song title) when he moved to Texas - [Lydia Luce](https://petalmotel.com/lydia-luce/) - [Thanya Iyer - I Like These : Guest Mix](https://petalmotel.com/thanya-iyer-i-like-these-guest-mix/) - Canadian musician Thayna Iyer's 2020 album KIND made our albums of the year list and I enjoy it more and hear new things with every listen. KIND goes beyond exploring interconnectivity, sense of place and identity and invokes the need for community care and support. It's a reminder of what can be achieved with nurturance. - [Jeffrey Silverstein : Trip Sitter](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-silverstein-trip-sitter/) - Today, Petal Motel favorite Jeffrey Silverstein unveils a new track and accompanying video for "Trip Sitter" from his upcoming EP Torii Gates, out 4/16 on Arrowhawk Records. Replete with a heavy layer of acidy, fuzzed-out guitar work, layered with Barry Walker Jr.'s cinematic pedal steel work, this song is a perfect sampling of what to - [Cameron Knowler & Eli Winter - Strawberry Milk : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/cameron-knowler-eli-winter-strawberry-milk-listen/) - What's better than one acoustic guitarist? Two acoustic guitarists, interweaving and interloping, playing complementarily and conversationally, balancing classic folk guitar elements with modern experimentalism. Also, a fantastic rendition of Michael Chapman's "Caddo Lake." Longtime friends Cameron Knowler and Eli Winter offer all this and more on Anticipation, their upcoming record of duets, recorded on the - [Best of Stills : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/best-of-stills-playlist/) - I grew up on CSNY but until recently, had never dug deeply into Stephen Stills' solo albums or any of his work outside CSNY. The more I learn about his career, the more blown away I am. From his nearly complete mastery in recording CSN's self-titled debut, Supersession with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield, the - [The Hanging Stars - I Woke Up in July [EP] : Review](https://petalmotel.com/the-hanging-stars-i-woke-up-in-july-ep-review/) - Simultaneously retro and innovative, the Hanging Stars are the best Americana band in the UK since Matthews' Southern Comfort with their perfect blend of British dream pop and Californian country-rock, like the Stone Roses met Buffalo Springfield. The three-track EP gets its name from the opener "I Woke Up in July," one of the strongest, - [Bandcamp Friday Shopping List : Brain Soothers Edition](https://petalmotel.com/brain-soothers/) - I don't know about you but this has been a hell of a week, my every muscle is so tense you could poke me and I'd snap in two. I've really needed some quieter, mellow sounds of beauty to put on to quiet my racing thoughts and I'm sure you do too. Here's what's been - [Mojohand - Losing Hand](https://petalmotel.com/mojohand-losing-hand-video-premiere/) - New Jersey cosmic Americana psych rockers Mojohand release their single, "Losing Hand" today. The tune features Dan Horne on pedal steel and is one of Mojohand's best releases to date. They may be east coasters, but the heart of their sound is in the west. You can buy the single on Bandcamp today - check - [Steve Gunn at Rough Trade : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/steve-gunn-way-out-weather/) - I'm getting really excited to see Steve Gunn perform this weekend at Industry City with Hand Habits. To prepare, I'm reliving this performance at Rough Trade. The audience was rapt - you could hear a pin drop. His expert playing and haunting voice are absolutely transfixing. This will be my fourth time seeing him this - [Steve Gunn at Industry City in Brooklyn](https://petalmotel.com/steve-gunn-industry-city-brooklyn/) - Every time I’ve seen Steve Gunn has been so special and unique. I’ve seen him four times this year, the first two with fellow guitar virtuosos William Tyler and Ryley Walker, respectively, and once more solo. I didn’t think anything could top the latter - the audience was rapt. You could have only heard a - [Gunn-Truscinski Duo - For Eddie Hazel : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/gunn-truscinski-duo-for-eddie-hazel-listen/) - Long time collaborators Steve Gunn and John Truscinski are releasing their glorious sonic masterpiece, Soundkeeper, on Friday, October 9th. Following the first single, "Valley Spiral," here's a taste of what's to come. On this single, Gunn says: For the Duo, our collaboration over the years has been inspired by extensive discussion of albums and musicians - [Steve Gunn - The Unseen In Between : Album Review](https://petalmotel.com/album-review-steve-gunn-the-unseen-in-between/) - This review was initially published on a now-defunct review site, hence the odd formatting. Artist Name: Steve Gunn Album Name: The Unseen In Between Standout Song: Lightning Field Deep Cut: Paranoid Five free-association words: Stark, stripped, silvery, psychedelic, spiriting Feeling of album in one word: Hope Your Review (1000 characters max): I listened to this - [Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Soundkeeper : Review](https://petalmotel.com/gunn-truscinski-duo-soundkeeper-review/) - Soundkeeper is a 72-minute suite of swirling guitar, gentle and decided drums, a cascading sound odyssey. It's instrumental, but far from ambient- engaging, pulsating, building tension that culminates in staggering climaxes, crashing and oscillating, waves of sound. One song flows seamlessly into the next, only the sounds of cheers from the audience in the midst - [Trevor Beld Jimenez - I Like It Here](https://petalmotel.com/trevor-beld-jimenez-i-like-it-here/) - A lot of folks are going to hear Trevor's power pop, AM radio gold, sunshine-y Californiana record I Like It Here, out today on Curation Records, and draw some immediate parallels, due to his sun-drenched vocals, his lyrical references, and his history. I'm going to try to avoid leaning on that too heavily in favor - [Trevor Beld Jimenez - Everybody, It's Christmas](https://petalmotel.com/trevor-beld-jimenez-everybody-its-christmas/) - It's difficult for everyone this year to muster up the holiday spirit. Fortunately for us all, Trevor Beld Jimenez, who just released his solo debut last month, is back, releasing more Christmas magic to bring good cheer and tidings to all with this special Christmas song, "Everybody, It's Christmas." If you're having a blue Christmas, - [Trevor Beld Jimenez - Faces in the Crowd : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/trevor-beld-jimenez-faces-in-the-crowd-listen/) - The highly anticipated first single from Trevor Beld Jimenez upcoming solo debut I Like It Here is streaming on all platforms today. I wrote "Faces" on my mom’s piano in a flurry of songs that were coming out and it was the first one from that batch where [my wife] Tania said, “This one is - [Vetiver : On Tour](https://petalmotel.com/vetiver-see/) - In the wake of the release of the astonishingly gorgeous Up On High, Vetiver just announced their east coast tour dates. Andy Cabic and his band, a tight-knit ;) four-piece, put on a stellar show, one that I rearranged massive plans and traveled state lines to see again. Understated but intricate, they perform a lovely - [Sounds from the Bardo Vol. I : Experience!](https://petalmotel.com/sounds-from-the-bardo-vol-i/) - This is not a song - this is a psychedelic experience. Last time we talked to Prana Crafter, he was writing his PhD dissertation on psychic communication in music. Makes perfect sense that he'd partner with the "misfit seekers" that make up Psychedelic Sangha, an NYC-based collective that offers peer-supported psychedelic experimentation, and hosts soundbaths, - [Pacific Range - High Upon the Mountain](https://petalmotel.com/pacific-range-high-upon-the-mountain-review/) - High crested mountain peaks giving way to arid, sweeping, open horizons; lush, ancient forests; hurtling through a canyon before the road breaks open to a vast and sparkling sunlit surf - Pacific Range's debut full-length LP High Upon the Mountain is Curation Records' first official release. The album takes listeners on a sonic tour of - [Pacific Range : Tune In](https://petalmotel.com/pacific-range-see/) - Pacific Range is possibly the platonic ideal of a Californiana band - not in name alone, but their psychedelic combination of surf, country, and jammy sounds that peak and crest like the waves depicted in the imagery that reflects their origins (Chico State) and chosen home (the Santa Monica Mountains). The band released their excellent - [Best of Nash](https://petalmotel.com/best-of-nash/) - Happy birthday to Graham Nash, a progressive thinker, activist, celebrated songwriter, singer, guitarist and pianist, and arguably the most affable and posessor of the smallest ego of the bunch. To celebrate the iconic musician's 79th birthday, here are just a few of our favorite Nash performances - ten in fact. Happy birthday, Willie! - [Farmer Dave and the Wizards of the West - FDWOW](https://petalmotel.com/fdwow/) - Ten years after Farmer Dave's surf opus Flash Forward to the Good Times, he's back with Wizards of the West, a collective and constantly-evolving collections of musicians focused on a singular goal of spreading love via music. Where Flash Forward represented water, the eponymous debut of this project is all air and space. That isn't - [Pacific Range - Studio Walk : Video Premiere](https://petalmotel.com/pacific-range-studio-walk-video-premiere/) - Curation Records isn't only purveying cool Californiana canciones, but curating a community. To repeat Pacific Range labelmate Farmer Dave's statement from a past interview, "the emphasis [in music] going forward is on family... You want to be with your community." In that spirit, I asked some friends and fans to help write this article. It's hard - [20 Years of Beachwood Sparks](https://petalmotel.com/20-years-of-beachwood-sparks/) - Just over 20 years ago, the definitive, and one of the greatest modern Californiana records was released. Today, founding Spark Brent Rademaker's Curation Records reissues a remastered, refreshed, revitalized sparkling, fully-loaded array of re-issue offerings. The double-LP features one record containing the original tracks mastered by John Golden re-imagined for vinyl by JJ Golden; while - [Aaron Lee Tasjan - Computer of Love](https://petalmotel.com/aaron-lee-tasjan-computer-of-love-listen/) - One of my favorite modern rockers announced a new record, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! out February 5th on New West. I love ALT's cinematic writing and recording style, his lyrics that speak directly to experiences of my own, and his big-hearted persona. "Computer of my Love" is the third single, a comical yet poignant commentary on - [Ran On Pure Lightning](https://petalmotel.com/ran-on-pure-lightning/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. This short and sweet collection of songs released in 2002 came to be after Neal finished a tour as a part - [No Wish to Reminisce](https://petalmotel.com/no-wish-to-reminisce/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. The shimmering 2006 release on Fargo Records, No Wish to Reminisce, is one of the most impressive bodies of work Neal - [Fade Away Diamond Time](https://petalmotel.com/fade-away-diamond-time/) - This is part one of Petal Motel's series where we go through each Neal Casal solo album one by one and chat with friends and fellow musicians who participated in their making. In 1994, Neal Casal and several other musicians set up shop in a mansion in Santa Ynez, California, and spent a few weeks - [Field Recordings](https://petalmotel.com/field-recordings/) - To use Neal Casal's own words to describe his 1997 release, it "...really isn't a record at all... it's a sadly broken but strangely contented family of demos, dirges, out-takes, take-outs, songs proper and song fragments." Containing outtakes from Fade Away Diamond Time, electrified versions of songs from Basement Dreams, and preliminary singles, each song - [Basement Dreams](https://petalmotel.com/basement-dreams/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal's solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. A collection of recordings made between 1996-1998 at Neal's home studio in New Jersey, 1998's Glitterhouse release Basement Dreams was named - [Anytime Tomorrow](https://petalmotel.com/anytime-tomorrow/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal's solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. The beachy, sun-filled Anytime Tomorrow marks a turning point in Neal's musical career. It's when Neal really goes electric, and it's - [Neal Casal - Everything is Moving / Green Moon : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/neal-casal-everything-is-moving-green-moon-listen/) - This morning I had a dream about literally getting a message from Neal - I dreamed that I got an Instgram DM and I thought, "hmm this probably isn't actually him but wouldn't it be nice if you could DM from beyond the pale?" Before I got to read the message, my eyes shot open. - [Mapache - Life On Fire](https://petalmotel.com/mapache-life-on-fire-listen/) - Hell yeah. Some summery seventies vibes bringin' some sun on a winter's day. Mapache's self-titled debut was an instant California classic, and this tune promises that their upcoming release will demonstrate their detailed historical knowledge and maturing musical prowess with effortless rhythms and intricate guitar playing that'll have you flying past the palm trees on - [Lizzie No - Holidays : Review](https://petalmotel.com/lizzie-no-holidays-review/) - Lizzie No is the monarch of wide-eyed, bedroom folk pop, writing earnest, heartfelt songs filled with candid sincerity. Holidays is no different - a short and sweet collection of songs that capture a very relatable array of emotions felt throughout celebratory seasons. As a terminal grinch, I balked upon seeing the title of this EP, - [Leslie Mendelson - People's Parties](https://petalmotel.com/leslie-mendelson-peoples-parties-listen/) - Early last year, Leslie Mendelson released an excellent, highly-anticipated solo record that was unfortunately eclipsed in the news by the pandemic. When planned tours were relegated into bedroom live-streams, Leslie had to rethink how to perform her rock and roll songs on her own. The result was a sweet EP of acoustic versions of songs - [Kenny Roby - The Reservoir](https://petalmotel.com/kenny-roby-the-reservoir-album-review/) - The Reservoir is Kenny Roby’s first studio album in seven years, and he certainly had a well of inspiration to draw from. Made on the heels of great loss, The Reservoir is less punchy honky-tonk than the bulk of Roby's previous work. It's a more sophisticated, polished, folk-rock album, perhaps a musical metaphor for Roby's - [TOF Productions presents: Neal Casal Music Foundation Benefit](https://petalmotel.com/tof-productions-presents-neal-casal-music-foundation-benefit/) - TOF Productions has announced an evening of music and conversation to benefit the Neal Casal Music Foundation on Thursday, July 9th at 8:00 PM EST. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite. Gary Waldman, Neal's lifelong friend and manager, will host the event live from Applehead Recording in Woodstock. He'll be joined by the full Kenny - [Black River Sides](https://petalmotel.com/black-river-sides/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. Last November, the entirety of Neal Casal's solo discography became available on Spotify, and the difficult-to-find Black River Sides was at - [Roots and Wings](https://petalmotel.com/roots-and-wings/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. Neal said that No Wish to Reminisce was the best album he'd made... until he followed it up in 2009 with - [Zephaniah OHora - Don't Have That Last Drink](https://petalmotel.com/zephaniah-ohora-dont-have-that-last-drink-listen/) - The highly anticipated sophomore record from Zephaniah OHora seems to be on the horizon. OHora recently released the b-side "Don't Have That Last Drink" from the record produced by Neal Casal, made in Brooklyn in early 2019. Although OHora reckons this song is more reminiscent of his previous record than the new one, the song - [Johnathan Rice - The Long Game : Album Review](https://petalmotel.com/album-review-johnathan-rice-the-long-game/) - The Long Game by Johnathan Rice I'm pleasantly surprised as I listen to the eponymous first track of “The Long Game,” Rice’s first album in six years. Those albums remain in my memory remnants of my indie pop teenagehood and as such, I hadn’t given them much airtime since then. On this record, Rice’s voice - [Jeff Tweedy - Guess Again : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/jeff-tweedy-guess-again-listen/) - Jeff Tweedy's announced a new album entitled Love is the King, out digitally on dBpm Records on October 23rd. Here's a taste of the record with the single "Guess Again," a sweet, simple classic Tweedy tune. Jeff returns to his roots, saying of the two singles released today (the eponymous track is also available on - [Jeffrey Silverstein - Petal Steel : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-silverstein-petal-steel-playlist/) - Jeffrey Silverstein's album You Become the Mountain was released in early April. It's become my go-to album when I'm in need of some soothing, quietly affirming, binaural tones. It's ambient, affirmative, extremely pretty, and a little weird. Which makes sense considering that the record's inspired by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, meditation, long-distance running - [Jeffrey Silverstein - Rivers Running By](https://petalmotel.com/jeffrey-silverstein-rivers-running-by-listen/) - Portland-based musician Jeffrey Silverstein has announced Torii Gates, an EP out 4/16 via Arrohawk Records. Hear the stunning first single, "Rivers Running By" here. Torii Gates by Jeffrey Silverstein The EP is a natural segue from Silverstein's 2020 album, You Become the Mountain, a continuity that stems from Jeffrey's previous signature pure and cleansing tones; - [Sweeten the Distance](https://petalmotel.com/sweeten-the-distance/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. From the definitive riff of the eponymous opening track, to the hymnal chords of the closing one, Neal Casal really hit - [Sounds from the Bardo, Volume II : Experience!](https://petalmotel.com/sounds-from-the-bardo-volume-ii/) - Psychedelic Sangha, the NYC-based collective of 'misfit seekers,' is back with their second immersive, packable psychedelic experience. This time, Scott Metzger, Jeff Hill, and Tony Leone provide aural accompaniment to Jessica Angima's guided meditation and Bubba Ayoub's visuals. "We approached the music knowing that people would be meditating, so we wanted the music to be - [Tim Bluhm - Hag Heaven](https://petalmotel.com/tim-bluhm-hag-heaven/) - Tim Bluhm releases his eighth solo record, an 11-track tribute to Merle Haggard, on November 20th. A portion of all revenue from album sales will go to the Blue Rose Foundation, which provides pre-school scholarships to financially disadvantaged children. I tapped my good friend and fellow critic Jon Siembieda to help listen to this album. - [GospelbeacH - Dark Angel : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/gospelbeach-dark-angel/) - GospelbeacH dropped their first single today, "Dark Angel" from Let it Burn, out October 4th on Alive Natural Sound Records. Can't wait for the full album and to see these guys live in the desert. "It’s pretty plain that it’s about loss and breakups and heartbreak. But there’s a lot of redemption there. I had - [GospelbeacH - Let It Burn](https://petalmotel.com/gospelbeach-let-it-burn-album-review/) - “So the music helps, it’s everything. That’s why the album is called Let it Burn because you let those feelings burn. You don’t let the good stuff burn, you let the bad stuff burn.” When I interviewed GospelbeacH’s Brent Rademaker in July, he described Let it Burn as less PCH and more Sunset Boulevard. Let - [GospelbeacH : On Tour](https://petalmotel.com/gospelbeach-see/) - GospelbeacH is bringing the sunshine to Europe this February. You can't miss it, especially if you've never seen them. They're the reason I go to shows in an almost insatiable, they brought me to so many other artists I love, Brent is probably the reason you're reading this website! I'm listening to Let It Burn - [Fruit Bats - Holy Rose](https://petalmotel.com/fruit-bats-holy-rose-listen/) - One of our very favorite artists Eric D. Johnson, aka Fruit Bats, just announced a new record, The Pet Parade, that'll be released on March 5th via Merge Records. Eric says, "It’s a floaty record with lots of hypnotic cry-alongs, but there are also some bona fide jams in there for swaying to." Have a - [Mojohand - Easy Daisy](https://petalmotel.com/mojohand-easy-daisy-listen/) - New Jersey cosmic Americana soul-rockers Mojohand have released a new song today, again featuring that celestial steel playing from Dan Horne! These guys can certainly jam but I'm loving all these slower grooves they're busting out lately. Really shows their influence of Beachwood Sparks, a band we both love. This is also the first song - [Trummors - Dropout City](https://petalmotel.com/trummors-dropout-city-album-review/) - Dropout City is the fourth album by Trummors. The band consists of Anne Cunningham and David Lerner, who share songwriting duties, and call on an assortment of musical friends that vary from album to album to make the true desert music they've become known for. Blending the best sounds from psychedelic music, country-rock, and folk - [The Blank Tapes - Look Into the Light : Album Review](https://petalmotel.com/the-blank-tapes-look-into-the-light-review/) - The Blank Tapes released their second album of the year, available today on Bandcamp. A seasonal companion to the Superbloom EP, Look Into the Light is a heady, heavy autumnal record. The title track has a funky, tropical sound, a slight departure from their more summery, laid-back stoner jams. The Tapes' characteristic lushness and fascinating, - [The Blank Tapes - Superbloom](https://petalmotel.com/album-review-the-blank-tapes-superbloom-ep/) - This review was initially published on a now-defunct review site, hence the odd formatting. Artist Name: The Blank Tapes Album Name: Super Bloom Standout Song: Exotica Deep Cut: Sweat Lodge Five free-association words: Psychedelic but make it sunny Feeling of album in one word: extraterrestrial What atmosphere suits this album best?: of course, a sun-filled - [Neal Casal Music Foundation](https://petalmotel.com/neal-casal-music-foundation/) - The Neal Casal Music Foundation (NCMF) will be raising funds to provide instruments and lessons to students in Neal's home states of New Jersey and New York, as well as supporting MusiCares, Backline, and other mental health organizations for musicians, as Neal expressly requested in his parting note. The foundation, spearheaded by Neal's longtime friend and manager Gary - [Dan Horne - Poor Moon : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/dan-horne-poor-moon-listen/) - Dan Horne has announced a solo record! Yes, that Dan Horne- are credits necessary? Happy to list 'em anyway: producer/engineer extraordinaire of very very favorite records like Tip of the Sphere by Cass McCombs, From Liberty Street by Mapache, and High Upon The Mountain by Pacific Range; he's played various instruments on favorites like The - [Dan Horne - Blackjack : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/dan-horne-blackjack-listen/) - We're just days away from the release of Dan Horne's debut solo EP, The Motorcycle Song EP. The record's four tracks all show a side of this talented dude's many musical proclivities. Here's the second single from the album, "Blackjack," a swinging instrumental jammer that recalls a rural version of Stereolab hanging with Todd Rundgren, perched atop a - [Circles Around the Sun Meets Joe Russo - Peace Reprise : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/circles-around-the-sun-meets-joe-russo/) - This song is a transporting exploration of space and time. It begins with a haywire but rhythmic cacophony of percussion and almost spooky keyboards that soon gives way to a steadily grooving guitar riff that feels like home. The song's six and a half minutes ends all too quickly - can't wait to see these - [Bonny Light Horseman : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/bonny-light-horseman-listen/) - Today! A much anticipated first single from supergroup Bonny Light Horseman appears on the horizon. Hear the eponymous song from Eric D. Johnson, Anais Mitchell, and Josh Kaufman today. Listen on any streaming platform - [Bonny Light Horseman at Rough Trade and Levon Helm Studio](https://petalmotel.com/bonny-light-horseman-at-rough-trade-and-levon-helm-studio/) - It may be 2020 but the spirit of the 1800s is alive and well. I heard Wild Mountain Thyme three nights in a row this week, performed by two different bands. There's no chance of traditional music being forgotten any time soon, if Anais Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric D. Johnson have anything to say - [CRB's New York run - the last American shows](https://petalmotel.com/shows-review-crb-new-york-run-june-27-july-1-2019/) - I’ve written about the Chris Robinson Brotherhood many times before. I feel they’re one of the most unique bands I've ever heard, playing music like no one has ever made before, drawing inspiration from the Dead, Rolling Stones, the Byrds, and a whole lot of Bluesy stuff I’m only now becoming familiar with. I can’t - [Aaron Lee Tasjan's Cyborg Manifesto : Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!](https://petalmotel.com/aaron-lee-tasjan-interview/) - Donna Haraway's 1985 essay, "The Cyborg Manifesto," written for The Socialist Review, urges progressive thinkers to move past the colonialist, socially limiting paradigms used to define identity, instead to form coalitions based on affinity, celebrating that very "otherness" that oppressive ideological apparatuses have worked to denigrate. Haraway challenges the desire to classify and fit neatly - [Finding Dark Peace with Leslie Mendelson](https://petalmotel.com/leslie-mendelson-see-interview/) - Leslie Mendelson is one of my favorite singer-songwriters. She writes really powerful songs that can break your heart like a twig in a mere second; she exudes confidence onstage but her lyrics, on her latest album particularly, are oh so vulnerable. She put out a great record, sparse yet heavy, just at the precipice of - [Upupayāma - Track by Track](https://petalmotel.com/upupayama-track-by-track/) - Upupayāma is Alessio Ferrari, resident of a small mountain village in the Apennine mountains in Italy. Upupayāma's self-titled debut is really an impressive feat - Alessio plays every instrument himself and the sound is as sophisticated and psychedelic as you'd expect from more seasoned loner psych players, with intricate musicianship, imaginative storytelling, invented languages, and - [Dan Horne](https://petalmotel.com/dan-horne-interview/) - You know Dan! He's everywhere, especially this year. He's produced, played on, or written on so many favorite albums - to name just a few from 2020 - Circles Around the Sun's self-titled, Mapache's From Liberty Street, Trummors' Dropout City, Pacific Range's High Upon the Mountain, some badass tracks from Mojohand, and now, his debut - [Canción Franklin](https://petalmotel.com/cancion-franklin-interview/) - I saw Canción at my favorite bar in the East Village a few years ago and was impressed and excited not just by his music, but his performance - it is really rare to see someone having as much fun on stage as he does. He's really electrified when he's playing, his whole body becomes - [Avi Vinocur](https://petalmotel.com/interview-avi-vinocur/) - San Francisco's Avi Vinocur is a prolific multi-instrumentalist who records with both his band Goodnight Texas, and under his own name and has played with everyone from Phil Lesh to Metallica. We caught up with him to learn a bit more about his process, Goodnight Texas's whole shtick, and stories from the bay. MM: When - [Brent Rademaker](https://petalmotel.com/brent-rademaker-interview/) - GospelbeacH has released two records and one collection of unreleased songs, covers, and live tunes since their start in 2016, and their new record Let it Burn will be released on October 4th. The first single will be out next week. Brent opened up about GospelbeacH’s upcoming record, his inspiration, and also delivered some exciting breaking news. - [Prana Crafter](https://petalmotel.com/prana-crafter-interview/) - Will Sol's experimental, interstellar sonic scapes are hallucinogenic enough to make you shut your eyes and find yourself transported to his native Pacific Northwest woods. The man known as Prana Crafter's early life sounds like something out of an old-timey classic country album, murder-ballad included, but as we chatted, things in his life got spacier - [Farmer Dave Scher](https://petalmotel.com/farmer-dave-scher-interview/) - Farmer Dave called me and immediately the call dropped. I called back. "I'm in a canyon!" he pronounced. Of course he was. With roots in California dating back to the mid-1800s, Farmer Dave admits that California is an easy place to fall in love with, whether you have roots or not. He speaks like an - [Kenny Roby](https://petalmotel.com/kenny-roby-interview/) - In the late 90s, Kenny Roby ushered in the alt-country wave that spread across the world with his band 6 String Drag. Since then he's released a steady stream of records both with the band and on his own. We talked about his latest release, a gorgeous 16-track, deeply personal record called The Reservoir out - [Zephaniah OHora](https://petalmotel.com/zephaniah-ohora-interview/) - The thing about Zephaniah OHora that's been discussed to death is some sense of astonishment that such a real deal country sound could come from New York City. Well, why not? As a newcomer to NYC, I'm personally grateful to Zeph for cultivating NYC's country scene. He's the guy in control of the live music - [John Lee Shannon](https://petalmotel.com/john-lee-shannon-interview/) - John Lee Shannon met Neal Casal at the recording sessions for Zephaniah OHora's Listening to the Music. As fellow guitarists and music lovers, they became fast friends and Neal became a big fan of John's playing, hand-picking him to make up the band that would go on to record what would become Kenny Roby's album - [Juliet Quick](https://petalmotel.com/juliet-quick-interview/) - New Yorker Juliet Quick's latest EP, Circles, shows remarkable precocity and mindfulness. With lyrical depth and unwavering strength, Glass Years addresses depression, anxiety, assault, and global warming. Her voice is crystal clear, and the takeaway message is one of overcoming and liberation. Out tomorrow on Substitute Scene! Glass Years by Juliet Quick Can you tell - [It’s So Easy (When You Know What You’re Doing) : A Tribute to Ted Lucas](https://petalmotel.com/a-tribute-to-ted-lucas/) - Jeffrey Silverstein has teamed up with Perpetual Doom to curate a full-length tribute compilation, featuring a createive array of artists to celebrate Ted Lucas, the largely underground Detroit psych-stoner-rocker of rock and roll's golden era, the late 1960s and 1970s. Lucas was Motown's "exotic string" specialist before he moved to LA and started several bands - [Fruit Bats - The Pet Parade](https://petalmotel.com/fruit-bats-the-pet-parade-review/) - Fruit Bats' ninth full-length album oozes with romance. A missive from isolation, Eric D. Johnson recorded The Pet Parade from deep within the throes of isolation. The opening lines, "Hello from in here to all you out there / It feels like it's been years," greet the listener with Johnson's warm, familiar voice, and a - [Bandcamp Friday Shopping List - March Edition](https://petalmotel.com/bandcamp-friday-shopping-list-march-edition/) - SO many great records are being released today. I've noticed an interesting trend lately - lots of new releases coming my way with album art featuring doorways. Guess we all have, you know, leaving on the brain. My urge for going is stronger than ever in some ways. One year into the pandemic and some - [Sasha and the Valentines - Flower](https://petalmotel.com/sasha-and-the-valentines-flower/) - Austin-based band Sasha and the Valentines have shared their song "Flower," a shimmering nostalgic pop song, dealing with the side of human relations we may be less proud of but are relatable all the same. "Flower" is the second single from their upcoming debut album, So You Think You Found Love?, out April 16th via - [Emily Zuzik - Piscean Planetary Phases : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/emily-zuzik-piscean-planetary-phases-playlist/) - Americana singer and songwriter Emily Zuzik had a birthday last week and to celebrate, she made us this great playlist of other Piscean musicians. The result is a dreamy flow of songs by artists who live in their own world just a bit, and through their music, allow us to visit. Emily is an LA-based - [Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - Viscosity : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/leanne-betasamosake-simpson-viscosity/) - Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson recently announced Theory of Ice, out March 12th, 2021 on You’ve Changed. Today Leanne shares the single for "Viscosity," an indictment of constant connectivity and a call to return to a more natural state of being. Theory Of Ice by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson Leanne has - [Starlight Cleaning Co. - Don't Take It Away : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/starlight-cleaning-co-dont-take-it-away-listen/) - Mojave desert-based duo Starlight Cleaning Co. has announced their debut album. The self-titled record will be released on May 21st via SofaBurn Records. Starlight Cleaning Co'.s sound fuses the glittering LA pop sound with high-desert Americana; likewise, Gray and Dean's powerful vocals mingle splendidly to echo the tradition of the great musical couples that went - [Satomimagae - Numa : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/satomimagae-numa-listen/) - Tokyo-based musician Satomimagae announces Hanazono, her fourth full-length album and first via RVNG Intl and Guruguru Brain. Today she shares the first single, Numa, and the accompanying video directed by Soh Iedeuchi. Hanazono is dreamy and understated, minimalistic and naturalistic, inspired by private moments of awe experienced in nature. Satomi's musical history begins in middle - [Elkhorn announces "Southern Star"](https://petalmotel.com/elkhorn-announces-southern-star/) - WarHen has announced a cassette release of Southern Star from cerebral psych duo Elkhorn announces Southern Star. Today you can hear the first track, recorded at the Montauk Salt Cave in the East Village of New York, a magical, intimate spot where attendees can breathe in therapeutic Himalayan salt while reclining in zero-gravity chairs. Let - [Deniz Cuylan - Flaneurs In Hakone : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/deniz-cuylan-flaneurs-in-hakone-listen/) - Film composer Deniz Cuylan has taken time away from scoring Netflix productions to compose a gorgeous record of classical instrumental guitar tunes. Hear the immersing, captivating first single here. The memory is distant but distinct: Deniz Cuylan, five years old, early 1980s, at home in Istanbul, Turkey, listening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony on his parents' - [Fruit Bats - The Balcony : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/fruit-bats-the-balcony/) - Eric D. Johnson, aka Fruit Bats, has shared the second single and the absolutely delightful accompanying video from upcoming album The Pet Parade. Johnson says the video, co-directed by wife Annie Beedy, was “inspired by Cabaret (the film version) mixed with the Star Wars cantina scene and a dash of The Mighty Boosh, with a storyline inspired by Dirty Dancing and Steve McQueen’s - [Bandcamp Friday Shopping List : Valentine's Day Edition](https://petalmotel.com/bandcamp-friday-shopping-list-valentines-day-edition/) - Happy Bandcamp Friday! This is technically the winter edition, but in order to chase away the post-blizzard blues I'm going to make it all about love - whether it's music about traditional love, music I love, or music exploing self-love and self-discovery. Some of it's new, but I'm also picking things I've bought over the - [Nashville Ambient Ensemble - Conversion : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/nashville-ambient-ensemble/) - This is not your mama's Nashville sound. The elements are there - unmistakably hypnotic vocals, haunting pedal steel, and the spirit of collaboration and community. But this talented collective has arranged the parts in an experimental, genre-defying manner, and the results are glorious. Cerulean by Nashville Ambient Ensemble Organized and led by electronic composer Michael - [Nico Hedley & Field Guides - Worldly & The City is a Painting : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/nico-hedley-field-guides-worldly-the-city-is-a-painting-listen/) - Brooklyn friends Nico Hedley and Field Guides have announced the release of a split 7" out February 14th on Whatever's Clever, featuring Hedley's song, "Worldly," and Field Guides's "The City is a Painting." Check out the video for the songs here. Hedley and Kupstas have both perfected a wistfulness and a subtle melancholy. The songs - [Tyler Rigdon & the Second Arrangement - Everything Changed : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/tyler-rigdon-everything-changed-listen/) - New York's Tyler Rigdon & The Second Arrangement has announced a new album, My Bakersfield, about a time-traveling cowboy. I "met" Tyler in a Gram Parsons facebook group, and was instantly drawn to his steel-laden, mysto-conceptual work. Everything Changed (Single) by Tyler Rigdon & The Second Arrangement Tyler Rigdon is a songwriter based in New - [Juliet Quick - Circles : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/juliet-quick-circles-listen/) - "Circles" is about filtering out the feedback of others and just living inside yourself, even if that isn’t always the easiest place to be. I have trouble doing that—I have had this lifelong compulsion to be perceived as ‘good,’ even to people who I don’t think are ‘good!’ The particular kind of depression I was - [Bill MacKay & Nathan Bowles - Joy Ride : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/bill-mackay-nathan-bowles-joy-ride-listen/) - Guitar and banjo virtuosos, respectively, Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles have announced an album of duets, entitled Keys, out on Drag City on April 9th. Listen to the first single, "Joy Ride," below. MacKay has been one of my favorite guitarists for the past few years, recording a slew of artful, interesting albums alone, and - [Farewell, Tres Warren](https://petalmotel.com/farewell-tres-warren/) - I was pretty late to the game with Psychic Ills but when I started listening to them a few years ago, I never stopped. I can't count how many times Inner Journey Out was stuck on repeat as I sat alone staring at mountains as the sun melted across the valley. The songs on that - [Sam Burton - I Can Go With You](https://petalmotel.com/sam-burton-i-can-go-with-you/) - Sam Burton's debut record I Can Go With You is this amber-sounding, deep pool of moonlight. From the gentle lapping of the opening notes on "Nothing Touches Me," to the resolution of "Tomorrow is an Ending," it's moving, cohesive, and a real thing of beauty. This album's sound is so quietly large, so melancholy and - [Ailsa Tully - Parasite : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/ailsa-tully-parasite-listen/) - Let Ailsa Tully's latest single, "Parasite," be a warning. The biting song faces power dynamics and imbalances within the music industry head-on, and Ailsa's voice makes it clear she isn't one to be crossed. Ailsa unites the world of her Welsh choral music heritage with field recordings and folk. Her work echoes the experimentation of - [Mason Lindahl - Kissing Rosy in the Rain : Review](https://petalmotel.com/mason-lindahl-kissing-rosy-in-the-rain/) - Kissing Rosy in the Rain by Mason Lindahl In the last year, Tompkins Square has put out some of my favorite guitar albums that share a warm, intimate vibe - Josh Kimbrough's Slither, Soar, & Disappear, John Lee Shannon's In & Of come to mind, records that feel like you're sitting right next to the - [Jeff Frantom - Très rythmé](https://petalmotel.com/jeff-frantom-tres-rythme/) - Jeff Frantom is one of my favorite guitarists, a true rising star in the LA scene. Somewhat of a child prodigy, his musical journey has traced quite an interesting arc - from slaying post-metal guitar solos as a tiny third grader, he grew up, went to USC and graduated with a Master's degree in jazz - [Maria BC - Devil's Rain](https://petalmotel.com/maria-bc-devils-rain/) - Late last year, we premiered the first single from Maria BC's upcoming EP, Devil's Rain. Today, they release the title track that sounds like a lost Cocteau Twins demo. Have a listen here. “When I was little, I would spend summer months with my grandparents in northern Ohio. My grandmother would sit with me on - [Kishi Bashi - Early Morning Breeze : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/kishi-bashi-early-morning-breeze-listen/) - The extraordinarily talented Kishi Bashi has shared a tribute to Dolly Parton via Joyful Noise Recordings on the morning of her birthday from the album Coat of Many Colors, which is also having a birthday this year - 50 years, in fact. The cover introduces a subtly transformed sonic palette, including a short violin solo - [Sunstack Jones - Last Room at the Petal Motel : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/sunstack-jones-last-room-at-the-petal-motel/) - Golden Repair by Sunstack Jones Liverpool's Sunstack Jones released an amazing record on Mai 68 Records in 2020 called Golden Repair that I missed when I compiled my Albums of the Year. Had I listened to it in time, it would have surely topped the list. Upon hearing the opening notes of "Where You Gonna - [Yasmin Williams - Urban Driftwood : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/yasmin-williams-urban-driftwood-listen/) - Northern Virginia guitarist Yasmin Williams just released the eponymous single from her upcoming album, Urban Driftwood, out on January 29th via Spinster Sounds. As a lover of acoustic guitar, Yasmin's style thrills me - it's far from the usual ambient fare that I often play in the background while I work, her combination of fingerstyle - [Desert Skies: Modern California Country-Rock Essentials](https://petalmotel.com/desert-skies-modern-california-country-rock-essentials/) - Originally posted on Riffs & Rhymes on 1.13.21. Thanks for asking me to talk about all of my favorite records, Roberto; and teaching me about some new ones! Last month, Beachwood Sparks officially reissued their self-titled debut album in light of its 20th anniversary. The reissue, out via Brent Rademaker’s L.A. imprint Curation Records, includes an exquisitely packaged - [Adeline Hotel - "Photographic Memory" and "I Have Found It"](https://petalmotel.com/adeline-hotel-photographic-memory-and-i-have-found-it/) - Adeline Hotel makes me feel the way I felt when I "discovered" Yo La Tengo in junior high - such a warm fuzzy feeling, quiet but so big, delicate and unassuming. When Dan Knishkowy told me he was releasing an acoustic, instrumental companion piece to last year's Solid Love, I squealed out loud. Solid Love - [Bobby Lee - Origin Myths EP](https://petalmotel.com/bobby-lee-origin-myths-ep/) - British primitive cosmic rocker Bobby Lee has announced a forthcoming EP, out March 5th on Natural Histories. Among a plethora of incredible British cosmic cowfolk musicians, Bobby stands out with his shimmering guitar tones, standing at that interstellar crossroads between Americana, American primitive, psychedelic and shoegaze. Hot on the heels of his excellent 2020 release, - [Stephen Heath - “I Can’t Take It” : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/stephen-heath-i-cant-take-it-listen/) - Known for his precision guitar work in L.A. Takedown, as well as for acts like Paul Bergmann, Weyes Blood and Death Valley Girls, Stephen Heath lends his craft to a propulsive collection of original material—bristling with static, impulse, and freedom. His solo debut Gavin Gruesome, out now on Perpetual Doom, is a record of fuzzed-out, - [Redray Frazier - Better Man : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/redray-frazier-better-man-listen/) - Portland, Oregon-based rock ’n’ soul troubadour, Redray Frazier has some serious musical chops, opening for the likes of Lenny Kravitz and Ben Harper to touring with David Byrne. This is his first single for New York Greystone Music Group (run by Redray's brother, whom I met at... where else? 11th Street Bar) after spending the better part of the - [Buck Curran: WFMU 'The Frow Show' Live Session (Feat. Jodi Pedrali) : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/buck-curran-wfmu-the-frow-show-live-session-feat-jodi-pedrali-listen/) - Buck Curran: WFMU 'The Frow Show' Live Session (Feat. Jodi Pedrali) by Obsolete Recordings Bergamo-based guitarist Buck Curran and keyboardist Jodi Pedrali created this mostly-improvisational recording for Jesse Jarnow's "The Frow Show" on WFMU. Buck's 2020 record No Love is Sorrow and Morning Haikus, Afternoon Ragas have both been heavily in my rotation the last - [Medicine Hat - Take Your Medicine : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/medicine-hat-take-your-medicine-playlist/) - Something about Medicine hat, the Americana duo from Ventura, California, instantly feels like home. The band, comprising of Michelle Votrian and Robert Ramirez, play music that's both familiar and filtered through a unique, softly psychedelic lens. The single "Rear View Mirror" off their latest album, Fences, exemplifies this sort of obscured nostalgia - capturing the - [Chasing Rainbows - I Don't Wanna (Go To Bed Tonight) : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/chasing-rainbows-i-dont-wanna-go-to-bed-tonight-listen/) - Chasing Rainbows is a Dutch/American band. Their album Until We're There came out earlier this year on Drink Me. Born of decades of international friendship, their latest album is a festive reunion of the friends who worked on their first album, recorded at the same studio, a dive into nostalgia and a celebration of community. - [Dirt Reynolds - The Day David Duke Came to Destrehan](https://petalmotel.com/dirt-reynolds-the-day-david-duke-came-to-destrehan/) - Dirt Reynolds is the alter-ego of Louisiana native and East Nashville resident Chris Watts. As a young man, he was stabbed in a barfight and a judge told him to join the military. So he did. Then during Hurricane Katrina, he was shot in the Superdome while serving in the National Guard, he went back - [Olivia + Harrison - The Shadow : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/olivia-harrison-the-shadow-listen/) - I met Harrison Flynn in 2017 standing in line at Amoeba in LA, waiting to get our copies of Barefoot in the Head signed by Chris Robinson and Neal Casal. If I recall correctly, I think we talked a lot about Sweetheart of the Rodeo maybe, the Dead, the usual suspects. I tried to get - [Songs of the year - 2020](https://petalmotel.com/60-favorite-songs/) - Here's a list of 60 of our favorite songs from this year, some of them from our favorite albums, some not, all fantastic. We wrote about fifteen of them, too, because we usually look at albums holistically and don't get to spend a lot of time normally examining a song at a time. It was - [Albums We Loved This Year](https://petalmotel.com/albums-we-loved-this-year/) - Another banner year for music. I have grown to dislike ranking albums, as if art was mere sports. Ugh! I'll get right the point. Please buy these albums and support the artists! It's more essential than ever to pay the folks who are likely sustaining you culturally this year. I won't tell you which I - [Maria BC - Adelaide : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/maria-bc-adelaide-listen/) - Brooklyn-based artist Maria BC releases their first single from upcoming EP Devil's Rain today. Made in the midst of quarantining, Maria BC had to record quietly so as not to disturb housemates and neighbors, resulting in a collection of songs with an intimate, sparse, lullaby-like quality. Maria explains Adelaide as a song inspired by a - [Neal Casal Music Foundation Livestream Benefit](https://petalmotel.com/neal-casal-music-foundation-livestream-benefit/) - On Saturday, December 5th, TOF Productions will host a livestream benefit for the Neal Casal Music Foundation. Eric Krasno, Jaime Wyatt, Brent Rademaker, Kenny Roby, Ross James, and Aaron Lee Tasjan will all perform. In addition, Dave Schools will give a status update on the Highway Butterfly tribute record, Joe Russo and George Sluppick will - [Toadvine - She : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/toadvine-she-listen/) - Toadvine "blends weirdo garage rock energy with alt country-tinged sweetness." They recorded and mixed their debut self-titled EP themselves, featuring four originals and this tribute to one of their many influences. It's rare that I hear a Gram Parsons cover that I approve of. I heard this song before I read the blurb and was - [Neal Casal : Solo Records 1995-2012](https://petalmotel.com/neal-casal-a-retrospective/) - "When you look back at the body of your work you see everything, to express a full life, and not just one part of a life. That's the goal..."n.c., 2004 or 2005? unknown Thank you to everyone who has generously agreed to tell stories and share memories about their time with Neal. Everyone of his - [Return In Kind](https://petalmotel.com/return-in-kind/) - This review is part of a series in which I review Neal’s solo records one by one chronologically, and chat with various friends and bandmates who were part of the making of each record. Neal Casal's 2005 covers album Return In Kind showcases what an absolute head Neal was - the song choices display the - [John Jeffrey - Passage](https://petalmotel.com/john-jeffrey-passage/) - Each of John Jefrey's "anti-compositions" are like pieces of stained glass. The multi-instrumentalist spent breaks between tours as drummer for Moon Duo working on his solo record, inspired by the serene natural landscape of his home of Vancouver and propelled by the idea of nature's sentience; as well as Alice Coltrane and Canadian painter Takao - [Tan Cologne - Heretic Porcelain : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/tan-cologne-heretic-porcelain-listen/) - The Taos hum is loud on this one. Tan Cologne is made up of New Mexico artists Lauren Green and Marissa Macias who combine forces to create sounds tied to the landscapes that surround them. They released their debut record Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico earlier this year, a sparse, elemental collection - [Gwenifer Raymond - Hell For Certain : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/gwenifer-raymond-hell-for-certain-listen/) - The Welsh guitar phenomenon has released the second single and video from her forthcoming album, Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain. Her playing is intense, intricate, and absolutely enrapturing. Not a song for soft background noises - this song's enough to rouse some spirits, clearly. The album is composed of 8 tracks Raymond recorded herself in - [Uay - Somos Luz : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/uay-somos-luz-listen/) - Guadalajara-based duo UAY takes their name from the phonetic translation of a Mayan word for spell or wizard, and they do indeed create a sort of magic with their hypnotic, frenzied playing. HALFSHELL RECORDS · Uay - Somos Luz Uay has contributed a track to Call and Response, a mutual aid compilation by Halfshell Records - [Max Look - Seventeen : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/max-look-seventeen-listen/) - Former Midwesterner Max Look made the right move coming over to California - his breezy, Mac DeMarco-meets-fucked-up-Tweedy vibe seems better suited to friendlier climates. Seems Max has wasted no time observing the storied tradition of young musicians heading to the desert to absorb the spirit. Max has played in a handful of outfits over the - [WL - Water's On My Side : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/wl-waters-on-my-side/) - Portland's WL is releasing a new album, ADHD on November 13th on the Beacon Sound record label. The first single, "Water's On My Side" is out today. "Fusing spacious electronic minimalism, shimmering guitars, and the empyrean voice of Misty Mary, Portland’s WL (pronounced ‘well’) arrive at the end of 2020 with an album of lustrous, - [Now They're Ghosts (Autumn Mix) : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/now-theyre-ghosts-autumn-mix-playlist/) - Named after a line from "In The Garden," the haunting Elvis Perkins song written for his brother's incredibly beautiful and terrifying film The Blackcoat's Daughter, this mix has a lot of timely new releases, vicissitudes hopefully interwoven with more uplifting, reassuring familiar favorites. Many of these new releases are staggeringly gorgeous and thoroughly autumnal, to - [October and the Eyes - All My Love : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/october-and-the-eyes-all-my-love-listen/) - New Zealand-born, London-based singer, songwriter and producer October and the Eyes announces her debut EP, Dogs and Gods, out November 20th on KRO Records. Today, she shares the lead single and video "All My Love,” a track that "lures you into a warm embrace of October’s coy and breathy sweet-nothings." “All My Love' is unfortunately a love song - something - [Adeline Hotel - Ordinary Things : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/adeline-hotel-ordinary-things-playlist/) - Earlier this year, Adeline Hotel released an album called Solid Love, a really tender, sophisticated piece of art with Brigid Mae Powers adding her heavenly harmonies. The instrumentalism is intricate but understated, resulting in a record of subdued, elegant beauty. As the air becomes crisper, it's become a go-to. Dan Knishkowy, singer and song-writer for - [Nick Mitchell Maiato - Pino Carrasco : Album Review](https://petalmotel.com/nick-mitchell-maiato-pino-carrasco-album-review/) - Nick Mitchell Maiato lives in Valencia, Spain. The other members of One Eleven Heavy live elsewhere. According to bandmate James Toth, the average band member commute is about 2500 miles, which...eh, if you vigorously bike for ten days straight, isn't too bad, really. If only those borders were open! If only a global pandemic... Anyway. - [Jennifer Castle - Monarch Season : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/jennifer-castle-monarch-season-listen/) - Jennifer Castle's Monarch Season is unbelievably otherworldly-sounding. Suffused with home-grown, delicate playing and Castle's breathtaking, breathy, fae-like vocals, the album contemplates her notion of song as “the balm of love and prayers unrequited.” Monarch Season by Jennifer Castle Of the title track from the album, Jennifer says: I remember writing Monarch Season last year this - [Herman Dune - Say You Love Me Too : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/herman-dune-say-you-love-me-too-listen/) - The Swedish-born artist has released the first single from his record Notes from Vinegar Hill. Herman Dune's lyrics and delivery are heavily reminiscent of David Berman, to whom the record is dedicated. Caitlin Rose's backing vocals along with pedal steel cement the Americana breeze that wafts through the album. Dune is certainly a character, in - [Steven King - Drenched on a Bench : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/steven-king-drenched-on-a-bench-playlist/) - Steven King just released a B-side from his 2019 album, Steven King on Ice on Broom Closet Records. "Satellite" is a compliment to the folky middle American lyric-driven garage-y album, evoking nostalgia and a youthful sense of wonder. Steven made this playlist for Petal Motel and said this: I haven’t been able to have much - [Faye Webster - Better Distractions : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/faye-webster-better-distractions-listen/) - Atlanta's Faye Webster released a dreamy single yesterday, in wake of another standalone single, "In a Good Way," and her 2019 release Atlanta Millionaire's Club. Faye's also announced a livestream performance on Noonchorus on Tuesday, October 6th at 9 PM EST from her favorite studio. You can get tickets here. Stream the single on your - [Pearl Charles - "What I Need" : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/pearl-charles-what-i-need/) - Indie country-rock darling Pearl Charles has announced a new record entitled Magic Mirror, out January 15, 2021 on Kanine Records. Her usual sound with hints of Americana and folk rock has been infused with a surge of crystalline late 70s/early 90s flavor. Here's a sneak peek of what the "disco dreamworld" record has to offer - [Moon Duo - Lost Heads : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/moon-duo-lost-heads/) - Listen to experience Moon Duo's kaleidoscopic, celestial-psych track "Lost Heads" from the upcoming release Stars are the Light. Pre-order Stars are the Light on Bandcamp. - [Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah - Highway 10 : Video Premiere](https://petalmotel.com/lee-gallagher-and-the-hallelujah-highway-10-video-premiere/) - Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah released their second full-length record L.A. Yesterday earlier this summer. Recorded at engineer and guitarist Jason Soda's Palomino Sound studio (Trummors, Miranda Lee Richards), Gallagher's heady, ageless cosmic rock and roll will hit the listener like a bolt of lightning. Soda's searing guitar solos, Gallagher's unique and impassioned voice, Kirby - [A Dose of the Desert : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/a-dose-of-the-desert-playlist/) - Some songs just sound so much better in certain backdrops. That's largely what this website is about. Some albums, especially a few in particular that came out this year like NOCONA's Los Dos, Trummors' Dropout City, and Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah's L.A. Yesterday are enough to make you take a very long drive, just - [Bandcamp Friday : Autumn Shopping List](https://petalmotel.com/bandcamp-friday-september-shopping-list/) - It's September, so basically fall. This list includes a lot of pre-orders, which I suppose is sort of a way of storing away sustenance for worse weather. And luckily, there's a lot coming that'll keep you warm and maybe less sad about shorter days and no longer being able to drink in the bike lane. - [AC Sapphire - Desert Stars : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/ac-sapphire-desert-stars-listen/) - "Ethereal folk rocker" AC Sapphire's album Omni-Present was released in February 2020. Her dreamy vocals carry ruminative lyrics and accompany her unique instruments of choice. Produced by Matt Adams of the Blank Tapes, this is some good desert music! Check it out. Buy Omni Present on Bandcamp. - [Psychedelic Cowboy : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/psychedelic-cowboy-playlist/) - Hi friends, It's been a minute. Lots of great stuff coming up - new Neil Young next week, Bob Dylan, later in the summer that Zephaniah OHora and Kenny Roby. Missin' live shows something bad and hoping all our artist friends are staying afloat. I hope people take this time to buy and deeply listen - [Troubled Folk Songs : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/troubled-folk-songs-playlist/) - I suppose it's time to release this playlist into the wild. I've been working on it since November, gradually. Initially I named this one "Things I'm Sensitive To." I'd been fascinated by this concept of 'unearthed' records for a minute, but had little guidance after a while and so went it alone. Over the next - [Songs for 6000 Feet : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/songs-for-6000-feet-playlist/) - I'm currently quarantined in the place I lived as a teenager, and it was here where the vast fields and mountains inspired my interest in and subsequent love for Americana. This is essentially the playlist I made fifteen years ago, with some additions to keep it feeling fresh and up-to-date. I used to listen to - [Top 10 Most-Listened Artists of 2019](https://petalmotel.com/my-most-listened-to-artists-of-2019/) - Musically, 2019 was set to be a banner year, and it was. It was also the most gutting. I think I went to more shows than ever before this year, I saw so many amazing bands and musicians and traveled all over the country to do so. Many of my favorites released gorgeous albums, and - [James Elkington - Nowhere Time : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/james-elkington-nowhere-time-listen/) - James Elkington announced upcoming album Ever-Roaming Eye, out April 3rd on Paradise of Bachelors. Elkington is one of the best living guitarists today, but he's also a multi-instrumentalist of staggering talent, adept at instruments I haven't even heard of (mandola?). You can hear his brilliant playing on some of my recent favorite albums by Joan - [Bonny Light Horseman - Deep in Love : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/bonny-light-horseman-deep-in-love-listen/) - No words, really. Why am I writing about music???? How dumb to try to use words to try to describe already perfect existing words and art. Listen to this song. It's so fucking beautiful. Every piece is perfect. Ahhhhh Listen on your favorite streaming service and pre-order the album (to be released on January 24th, - [The Californiana Primer : Playlist](https://petalmotel.com/the-californiana-primer-playlist/) - Here's a draft I wrote on 8/16 when I started making this playlist, "What is Californiana, anyway? I don't know, sounds made up. A true California album does not need to be made by California natives or locals, it can simply have influences of traditional sounds associated with those made in Laurel Canyon in the - [Vetiver - To Who Knows Where : Listen](https://petalmotel.com/vetiver-to-who-knows-where-listen/) - Late last year, Andy Cabic and friends holed up in Yucca Valley, California to make a record that I've been eagerly anticipating the announcement for. Vetiver's signature acoustic, soothing but surprising freak folk tones married with Thom Monahan's shimmering production always equal perfection. Stoked to hear the full thing, and hopefully catch a show down - [Eric D. Johnson with JRAD : Show Review](https://petalmotel.com/eric-d-johnson-with-jrad/) - If you read my review of Gold Past Life, the shimmering, gorgeous early summer album from Fruit Bats, you know that it's probably going to end up at the top of my albums of the year list. I missed him in Brooklyn last month and I'm going to miss him again in New York in - [Fruit Bats - Gold Past Life : Album Review](https://petalmotel.com/album-review-fruit-bats-gold-past-life/) - This review was initially published on a now-defunct review site, hence the odd formatting. Artist Name: Fruit Bats Album Name: Gold Past Life Standout Song: Mandy from Mohawk (Wherever You May Be) Deep Cut: Dream Would Breathe Five free-association words: summery, shimmering, nostalgic, enchanting, brilliant Feeling of album in one word: timeless What atmosphere suits - [5 Ways to Support Artists Right Now](https://petalmotel.com/5-ways-to-support-artists-right-now/) - The music industry’s been turned on its head as record sales have fallen by the wayside and touring has become the main source of income for musicians. And thanks to our current situation, thousands of tour dates have been canceled and artists of all calibers are facing uncertain financial futures. They’ve also been some of - [Songs of the Year : 2019](https://petalmotel.com/songs-of-the-year-2019/) - Spotify's Wrapped feature delivered today, and although I obviously recognize the irony that I'm about to use their service to self-promote my vain tastes, it's become increasingly clear that it's a necessary (emphasis on) evil in the streaming age. I try to support artists by going to shows, buying merch, buying vinyl directly and using - [The Obvious LA Songbook: playlist](https://petalmotel.com/the-obvious-la-song-book-playlist/) - This blog post almost seems redundant because all the music I listen to with a few exceptions could probably go onto this playlist. That's what this whole dumb website is about, right? Anyway, I'm going to LA tomorrow and wanted to add one more playlist to my collection of 900million. I actually made the ultimate - [See America Right : playlist](https://petalmotel.com/see-america-right/) - I made this playlist in 2013 and it still slaps. Highly recommended for countryside highway drives. ## Pages - [contact](https://petalmotel.com/contact/) - hello! you can reach me at Lara@petalmotel.com. We ("we") accept submissions for consideration for review, but please be aware that this is a labor of love and thus my output has slowed due to life. I wish I could write about everything that moves me but the truth is, some weeks the digital records pile - [compassion: a petal motel compilation for human rights](https://petalmotel.com/compassion-a-petal-motel-compilation-for-human-rights/) - Petal Motel releases compassion: a compilation for human rights featuring SUSS, Scott Hirsch, Bobby Lee, Golden Brown, and more. On March 3rd, Petal Motel is sharing a Bandcamp-exclusive digital compilation benefiting the National Network of Abortion Funds. Songs range from atmospheric soundscapes to heartfelt jangle folk songs, and everything in between. Petal Motel put out - [Music at the Joshua Tree Saloon](https://petalmotel.com/music-at-the-joshua-tree-saloon/) - Looking for something to pass the time on a hot desert night? Worried that you'll find yourself bored of looking at nature while passing through the high desert? Luckily, there are plenty of things to do in Joshua Tree. Petal Motel hosts music 3 nights a week at the Joshua Tree Saloon. 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