March and Spring are still trying to figure out their issues but we have some new releases that can warm you up as they do. Check out new music from Travis Echols, The Wild Shoats, Emma Ruth Shirey, Lamar Riddick and Matthew Malinoski.
Listen to all of the amazing West Virginia Music on our Spotify Playlist and Apple Playlist.
Hip hop artist Travis Echols and frequent collaborator Szeshwan Kenobi released a single called “My Season.” This southern hip hop sound fits Echols delivery like a glove as he talks about the changing of life and growing up to deal with your issues that allow you to step into the season you should be in. Check it out below.
The Wild Shoats released their first full length album Yell In The Shoats and we’ve been listening to it on repeat. The track “Lazarus” brought us to tears as they recounted the losses of miners in the Monongah mine disaster of 1907 at the Fairmont Coal Company’s Number 6 & 8 mines. The latter half of the song talks about the tragic death of African American men who were killed during the building of “Hawks Nest Tunnel” due to their exposure to silica as they dug through the rock. Many died and were buried in a nearby field owned by Martha White due to there being no cemeteries that would take them. The song issues a line of hope in the chorus. “Rise on up Lazarus” is a call for West Virginians to shake off the dust of the past and to come out from the death placed on us by corrupt corporations that have stolen our resources and people for way too long. Listen to this haunting track below.
Emma Ruth Shirey has released her second single “love you well.” This young vocalist has a captivating vocal that draws you in a with her smooth vibrato. This love song talks about how love changes a person and what it means to love someone with all of you. The song, based on 1 Corinthians, shows off Emma’s vocal control and her ability to croon with just a guitar. Listen to it below.
Matthew Malinoski is a fantastic rhythm guitarist with a bluesy folk approach to his vocals. He has written a fantastic track entitled “Angry” that shows off his propensity for crafting a song with a story that pulls you in and keeps you interested in what’s happening next. You can listen to “Angry” below.
Lamar Riddick has brought the heat with his new song “D.N.D.” Lamar was one of the first rap artists we knew about in West Virginia. He’s been grinding at this for a while and it shows with his output and that’s evident on this new track that feels like it should be on video games and at sporting events as hype music to get the crowd going, Lamar has garnered national attention for his rap and this song should show you why. Check it out below.
