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Stripped Down Americana

British-American national, Alternative Country singer, Gram Phillips, who mostly performs as Tupelo Lime, loves to sing what he calls “stripped down Americana.” Gram got his musical exposure hanging out in the San Francisco punk music scene in the 70s and 80s, listening to groups like Flipper, MDC, and Negative Trend. But it was two years in the Trinity mountain region ...

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Country Heart

Charlotte, North Carolina’s Jennifer Lauren – lead singer of the band, Diamonds and Whiskey says she’s been a Carolina girl her whole life; “born and raised here,” she said. “I’ve traveled all over, but this is home. I don’t think I’ll ever leave.” Diamonds and Whiskey says they are a “combination of barroom beauty and backwoods danger, beauty queen and ...

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Sea Green Number Five

California’s Bobbo Byrnes is a storytelling singer/songwriter – his music is bountiful with hints and flavors of the beloved 70s AM Gold. His latest release, Sea Green Number 5, is a more intimate approach; a mostly acoustic project, compared to his previous albums. Bobbo is also a painter, and the tracks for this album were recorded in his living room ...

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James Reams

James Reams family heritage is rooted in southeastern Kentucky where he comes from a long line of traditional singers. He grew up playing both old-time and bluegrass music, and spent much time as a young adult playing up and down the eastern seaboard. When James’ mother fell ill, he moved west to care for her. Subsequently, he made new musician friends ...

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Mozart To Blues

Katie Knipp has been an indie blues artist for nearly 20 years; recently racking up a number 10 hit on the Blues Albums Billboard Charts with her fifth album release titled “Take it With You.” After having two children close together; and battling through all that comes with being a mommy, she’s quite happy to be putting renewed attention on ...

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Gold Mines, Cowboys, and Miners

Crown King, AZ was home to a young Silas Hite. It was a tiny mountain town where he spent his days exploring gold mines and hanging out with old cowboys and miners. Sounds like treasure for a future song writing career; and it was. He’s now an Emmy-winning composer, having co-scoring credits for blockbuster and independent films such as Nick & ...

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Scotland’s Malcolm MacWatt

Scotland’s Malcolm MacWatt got his first guitar at age 12. When his dad bought him the Johnny Cash at San Quentin album, he was hooked. “It was all about roots music from there on,” he said. He was especially into the more traditional, folk elements of it, with its roots going all the all the way back to Britain and ...

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Flatpicking Champ Rebecca Frazier

Virginia native Rebecca Frazier is perhaps best known for her work with her bluegrass band, Hit & Run, which made history as the only band to win competitions at Rockygrass (2002), Telluride Bluegrass Festival (2003), and the SPBGMA Band Championship in Nashville (2005). Yet her story is not your typical mountain or mountain valley upbringing with late night jams and weekend music parties that are common stories ...

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Addison Johnson

“Country music is not just about pickup trucks,” says Addison Johnson. The lyrical depth of a song matters to Addison, and to that end, his approach is to take every listener of his music on a journey reliving personal life experiences he’s written about along the way. This Nashville Singer Songwriter has his roots not only in country, but also ...

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To The Same Island

In the time of Covid-cancelled tours and shows, I am on our floating home, Ocean Girl,  considering what to write for an ‘on the road’ article. Time to tap the well of past experiences. Some years back Amy and I were in the Canary Islands, off Spain. We were waiting for a storm to blow itself out to start sailing across the ...

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