There is no shortage of amazing original music being made by artists Born & Bred here in the mountain state. Every week we continue to be amazed by the quality and quantity of artistry created by the talented storytellers of our home.
Listen to all of the amazing West Virginia Music on our Spotify Playlist. More streaming services being added soon.
William Matheny has released an EP entitled “The Poor Message Bringer” to streaming. The four song collection is a reimagining of songs Matheny has previously released over several projects. These new versions feel like William is sitting in your living room playing these songs so that you really hear what it is he’s conveying in his lyrics. If you’ve not listened to this storyteller, who recently did a run of shows with The Wallflowers, these four songs are a great place to start. Listen to “Blood Moon Singer” below.
After being available on YouTube for a few years, John R Miller has released “Fireside Sessions Volume l” to streaming. The EP has 5 song selections from what Miller says was the first round of the series that was captured around a bonfire. Most of them are stringband re-imaginings of songs from “Depreciated”, along with “Forgiven and Forgotten” This recording makes you feel like you’re sitting around the fire with this group of musicians as they recorded these renditions. Listen below.
Photo by David McClister
Hello June released something a bit unexpected from the band that would best be described as folk laden alternative. The song “California” from their 2023 album “Artifacts” was placed in the hands of Charlie Brown Superstar for him to work his magic in the form of a remix. And the result works in a lot of unexpected ways. Typically a remix has the pitfall of drowning out the vocal and narrative but this one actually allows both to shine. Check out the invigorated version of “California” below.
The Danger Of Falling have released their full length album “A Field Guide To A Broken Heart.” We can’t wait for the vinyl of this project because it needs to be heard in all of the various formats. These guys are pros at what they do and quite frankly should be one of the biggest bands coming out of West Virginia. These songs are well crafted and the production is top notch. They’d fit perfectly on a tour with another band that released an album today, Linkin Park. Their sound is polished and ready for some big stages. The standout track to us is “I Watched You Disappear.” It shows the range and depth of this five piece. Listen to it below and go catch them at a show.
The Holler Hounds are an unpredictable group. There is a consistent thread through their music and that is that it’s going to be good. So when you’re going to take on a legendary artist like Gordon Lightfoot you better be great. And that’s exactly what The Holler hounds delivered on this cover of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Lead singer Jesse Lee delivers a haunting vocal on this cover that we think Lightfoot would be very proud of. Listen below.
Jared Henry turns out songs quicker than most artists we have seen. He seems to be generating new music every six to eight weeks and each time he has something different to offer. It might be pop, have a country flair, feature a hip hop artist, or have a heavier rock sound to it. The latter is true of this new drop, “Walls.” This pop rock track has Henry talking about the need to build walls to keep people out of his life. Jared has never been one to shy away from sharing his feelings through his music and that’s no different here. If you want a musical feel good that has some painful feelings this is the track for you. Listen below.
