a tribute song to Levon Helm

Steven Denmark's new single “Only Home I Need” opens with brief atmospheric keys before Denmark’s emotive vocals propel the track forward, ushering in layers of sparse guitars, quietly thumping percussion, and reverb-washed pedal steel as Denmark chronicles the lifespan of a romantic relationship from its wanderlust-fueled beginnings to the unavoidable reality of mortality.

https://www.instagram.com/stevendenmark/

Billy Woodward’s newest track “Pearly Gates” is pensive Americana at its finest. Out May 20, the track details the struggles of mental health, comparison and the strength to find another way. “Driven by eleventh hour introspection and that unnerving urge for change, ‘Pearly Gates’ is a sort of rally cry for the soul,” he explains. He shares that this song was inspired by a difficult period of Woodward’s life wherein he worked an “unforgiving job” and found that as a result, his “desires and dreams” were withering away. “My feelings of discontent and the stripping of my artistic self were alarming and increasingly difficult to ignore,” he says. Knowing that this moment lent itself to a “crossroads” in his life, Woodward took a risk and followed his intuition. “Either I continue the route of security in trade for the fire in my heart or I take the riskier path through the weeds and trenches in order to tend to my pilot light.”

With folky instrumentation and alt-country sensibilities, “Pearly Gates” is slow-building, allowing the lyrics to shine atop Woodward’s evocative vocals. Although the lyrics share the darkness of that time for Woodward, there is a silver lining as he ultimately chooses the salvation of his soul above all. In the last line of the song he sings, “I still try to hold onto the hope that one day I will return - fortified with strength I yearn to find.” “That still reminds me of just how low down I felt and how much I was grasping for hope of a future, stronger version of myself,” he says. In this way, Woodward offers a candid portrayal of his own experience while musically walking listeners through how to “nurse” our own “internal fire” in order to find something better. “At its core ‘Pearly Gates’ is a song about being uncompromising when it comes to matters of the heart and soul - always keeping a steady hand on the lantern through the fog that inevitably rolls into life.”

Italian singer-songwriter Silva Martino Cantele, will release his new album 'A Ride' on June 17th via Bronson Recordings.

Following first single 'This Isn't Me', Phill has now shared new track 'The Fault is Mine', a haunting confessional delivered with banjo, Fender Rhodes, harmonica and glistening slide guitar.

New album 'A Ride', like all the best concept albums, takes you on a journey. This one concerns the last three days of an American runaway’s life. Part road trip, part engrossing mystery, part search for redemption, it’s the fictional tale of a troubled man whose past comes back to haunt him, as in the best Americana/Alt-Country tradition. 'The Fault is Mine' describes the moment the anonymous fugitive protagonist of 'A Ride' acknowledges his faults and accepts his burden. But even in his darkest hour, he can see a glimmer of light and hope in the distance.

The origins of 'A Ride' go back to 2015. On tour in the US, Reynolds took in the shifting landscapes, the people he met and their stories. All of this fed into the album he recorded at the all-analogue TUP Studio in Brescia, near Milan. Reynolds played almost all of the instruments himself and co-produced 'A Ride' with longtime collaborator Bruno Barcella.

Via eleven chronologically-sequenced songs, we travel with him. There are epiphanies and dream sequences, drunken dive-bar nights and chats with Jesus and Lucifer. As the narrator battles with his own dark side, it is ultimately we, the listeners, who must weigh up and flesh out his story. But it’s important to remember that, on 'A Ride', things may not always be as they seem.

LISTEN TO 'THIS ISN'T ME' HERE

https://li.sten.to/phillreynolds-thisisntme

PRE-ORDER 'A RIDE' HERE

https://phillreynolds.bandcamp.com/album/a-ride

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www.instagram.com/silva_phill.reynolds

www.phillreynolds.bandcamp.com