Megan Davies – The Story of “Doesn’t Matter”
What I’ve always loved most about music is that you can create something that feels so personal, and have it end up becoming personal to somebody else, too. Megan Davies has a feel for music like that. I’m not really sure where it comes from, but I think maybe it’s related to her experience in […]
Patric Johnston – The Story of “Gold”
Man, this song grooves. That’s what I thought the first time I heard “Gold”, by Patric Johnston. 84 listens later, and I’m still feeling it. One of my favorite questions to ask artists is: what makes a song good? People offer a lot of answers, but almost all of them are centered around this vague emotive reaction […]
Vug Arakas – The Story of “Lines of Love”
A few years ago, I went to a Bruce Springsteen concert with my dad. It was in this vast, old, rickety concrete arena that was absolutely packed with a very middle-aged crowd. To be honest, I didn’t grow up on Springsteen; I could’ve named probably three songs of his before that night (“Born in the USA”, […]
Elvea – The Story of “Breathing Underwater”
Elvea is one of those musicians who’s definitely an artist, in the fullest sense of the word. I mean that she’s a creator to the core. But I also mean it in the first, more literal sense, too – like, she’s a painter. With music. Something in the sounds she chooses evokes painting to me. There’s […]
Tyson Motsenbocker – The Story of “Memphis”
I’m not good with change. I think that’s why I like Tyson Motsenbocker’s music. Tyson, by proof of his songs and his own admission, is also a person who struggles with change. He’s had to deal with it in profound ways; he lost his mom to cancer, and a lot of his available material is centered around that experience, on […]
Simeon Ross – The Story of “Arise”
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a moody rock song. For all of the feel-good music I listen to (and as I try to hurry spring into existence, there’s a lot of it), so many of the songs that actually make me feel the best are the ones that make commiseration easy. Commiserative songs are the ones that invite you […]
Valley – The Story of “Swim”
There are a lot of indie bands out there. When I’m bored, I’ll go through a million layers of “related artists” on Spotify, hoping to find one that sticks out in a long, often unfruitful search. I found Valley during one of these searches. Anytime I find a small indie act with a few hundred […]
Garden City – The Story of “Where You Are”
Garden City makes one-take videos that are packed with honesty and heart. Full disclosure: I met Dan and Joel (the pair behind Garden City) in college. And, like literally everyone else who was on our small Grove City campus during that time, I’ve been waiting for them to finally make more music together. They’ve been living 2,000 miles […]
*repeat repeat – The Story of “Girlfriend”
I can’t surf. *repeat repeat makes me wish I could. It’s that kind of music. This band is groovy. And smartly self-aware. From what I’ve seen, those qualities seem to be essential to writing super catchy “dumb little love songs,” which is the term Jared (lead vocalist and main writer) uses to describe the band’s single “Girlfriend” […]
David Ryan – The Story of “Give Me Your Love”
By his own admission, David Ryan is on quite a journey. He’s from New England, but he lives in Nashville. He got his start as a drummer; today, he’s an independent singer-songwriter. He started playing in rock and metal bands, but his own music has been subtle and reflective, with an Americana inclination. He’s a well-rounded musical paradox. And […]
