Quinn Sullivan – “Getting There”
Every once in a while there comes a young musician who just has it. At age 14 with two full-length albums already released, Quinn Sullivan is one of those musicians. Sullivan kicked his first album out of the nest just a month before he turned 12, and this week the kid prodigy unveiled another set of freshly recorded tracks on Getting There. Sullivan acknowledges blues as his genre of choice, but when I listen to him play, I hear more than that: I hear someone discovering their destiny. It is so rare to hear so much talent in someone so young – for another thing, how many other rising guitar players are lucky enough to call Buddy Guy their mentor?
The song featured here is the title track for Getting There, a four minute-long track that tells of the young singer/guitarist’s journey thus far. Lord, I ain’t been everywhere, but I’m getting there, he sings before diving into the song’s first big solo. What’s impressive about “Getting There” is not Sullivan’s documentation of the cities and venues he’s visited while on tour, but rather the instinctive inflection in his voice and natural playing style. Sullivan might only be 14 years old, but he plays with the soul of any of history’s timeless blues icons.
Prior to the release of Getting There on June 18, Sullivan performed alongside Buddy Guy at the 2013 Crossroads Festival in April. The young artist has shared the stage with Guy multiple times since the two first met when Sullivan was eight years old. Listen to a stripped version of “Getting There” below, and check out Sullivan’s website here. With his drive and youth, there’s no telling how far Sullivan will go.
Go To PostShareTweet+1Annie McQueen – “Take Me Home”
When the middle third of Annie McQueen’s Take Me Home comes on–it’s stepping out of the comfort zone and melding independence and dependence into an anthemic combo. The independence of doing something just for yourself, the dependence of needing love.
It’s such a fascinating contradiction, one that probably could be written about for the next million years without any definitive answer, and one that I can guarantee goes way above my experience and writing here.
So I won’t try to be pseudo-profound, I’ll just point out this song. It’s a song that I like and think that you should listen to.
You can like on Annie McQueen on Facebook. Enjoy Take Me Home.
Go To PostShareTweet+1Eb & Sparrow – In The Harbour
Took a few days to enjoy the weather (and honestly not do anything, which included not writing about music). The break was enjoyable but I tremble at the thought of going through emails as I start the process. Nevertheless, I’ve been sitting on this gem for over a week and I can’t any longer. Eb & Sparrow released a 3 song EP makes me wonder what country would sound like if it stayed on a traditional track instead of today’s …
Go To PostShareTweet+1The Analog Affair – “We Were Lovers”
These are hazy days. There are fires burning thousand of acres of land down south in Colorado. The smoke has crept up to Denver and it caused an eerie haze over the city streets yesterday. The fires are amplified by high winds and high 90′s temperatures. The heat has also thrown a wrench into my sleep–in that, it’s taking me forever to fall sleep because it’s so hot. And when I do fall asleep, I’m having this recurring dream. It’s …
Go To PostShareTweet+1Empire Of The Sun – “DNA”
Be mine, be my DNA, don’t want to fade away. I have to readily admit that the lyrics aren’t Dylan-esque here, but for whatever reason, I really like that line. I guess as someone that is writing about music, I should be able to better articulate why I like something, but in this case, it eludes me. Empire Of The Sun is the Australian electro duo that’s been together 5+ years (I can’t believe that it’s been that long since …
Read MoreBuffalo Tales – “Amsterdam”
Wes Carr released a new video for his song Amsterdam this past week. The song should be shared on its own strength, and the video is an added bonus. It’s a foot stomping gem from Australia. Buffalo Tales is the the project for Sydney-based singer-songwriter Wes Carr. I’ve featured a song from his Buffalo Tales moniker previously on the Oz mix. Here’s the Buffalo Tales Facebook page. You can watch above or just listen below. Enjoy Amsterdam.
Read MoreSmall Sur – “Rockaway”
Nobody says there’s something about a Saturday morning, but perhaps they (whoever they are) should. I’ve featured Small Sur in the past and the project released their latest album, Labor, last week. It is a reminder that soft sounds that are thoughtful and serene can overpower a ton of overdubs and over-production. You can listen and buy the whole album over at Bandcamp. The highlight for me is the LP’s shortest song, Rockaway. The turn of gracefully to gracelessly was …
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