News/Thoughts

Americana Music Profiles

I Write Every Day

Banjo Bones is a native of Puerto Rico, but has spent nearly half of his life in the US; with the last 10 years or so in Sacramento, CA where he now calls home. His career in music spans nearly 40 years with five albums to his credit, and a sixth one just released on October 31st called, Lucifer’s Hand. ...

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Song Writer, Poet, Story Teller

Columbus, Ohio musician, Ryan Warner, taught himself how to play guitar in 1996 as a freshman in college. “It took me a while to get through college though,” Ryan recalled. “Every time I started making headway in school it seemed like my music took off. I would be playing music three or four nights a week, and then not go ...

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Brick By Brick

Although John Vento is a self proclaimed “late-bloomer” to the professional music scene, he didn’t waste anytime playing catch-up with the caliber of his music. His 2019 album, Love, Lust and Other Wreckage, earned him the IMEA Award for Best Americana Album. And the single, “Rainbows And Lightning,” reached the Top 20 on the iTunes Canada charts. While in his ...

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Ed Taylor Collective

Ed Taylor Collective (The ETC) is the latest musical venture for Auckland, NZ based Country/Americana guitarist, Ed Taylor. Although Ed has been a guitarist for the better part of his life, including attending the Auckland University School Of Music, majoring in Classical Guitar Performance in 1996, he didn’t start writing songs until about 10 years ago. That addition to his musical ...

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Raveis Kole

Laurie Raveis, Dennis Kole are an Americana / Indie Folk duo based in Bellingham, Washington. Their synergy as a singer/songwriter couple has allowed them to craft a unique sound blending what they call “Southern California freedom,” with a sprinkling of “Middle Eastern mystery, European panache, and a gypsy’s adventurous spirit.” Laurie and Dennis actually met in a jam class at ...

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Ten Penny Gypsy

Little Rock, Arkansas’ Justin Patterson and Laura Lynn Danley both had solo music careers prior to discovering each other 10 years ago at a songwriting festival. That musical connection led them to collaborative efforts in songwriting, and eventually forming the duo, Ten Penny Gypsy, in 2017. Justin told me, “We were working on songs for what we wanted to be ...

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To Live In Two Worlds

Growing up in the Black Forest of Germany, Thomm Jutz didn’t have many opportunities to be exposed to American music. When he was 10 years old however, he stumbled across a country music show on the American Forces Network. Not long after, he found a TV show called “Country Time With Freddy Quinn.” It featured a guest artist from Nashville. ...

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Shayne Cook

Shayne Cook has spent most of his musical career playing in other people’s bands. He decided it was time, though, his own project. His debut LP, Epiphonetics, introduces us to an impressive nine song collection of original material. When speaking about the songs on his record, Shayne said, “The music is a look on how our take on the world ...

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One Man Band

December 1st, 2020 marks the release date for the sophomore project, Wanderlust, from Chicago based blues and roots singer, Justin Howl. Blues Blast Magazine called him a “strong singer” whose tunes “will strike a chord with you.” Justin is a one-man-band. He is singer, songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. While he acknowledges a debt to the Chicago blues influence, he says, ...

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This Frontier Needs Heroes

When singer-songwriter Brad Lauretti performs publicly, he bills himself under the moniker, This Frontier Needs Heroes. He’s released four albums under that title, and currently releasing the fifth, Go With The Flow. Brad started out like many young men, playing in high school bands with his friends. He didn’t start taking the craft of writing songs seriously until he got to ...

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