Born & Bred is your source for music emanating from the hills of West Virginia. We are excited to showcase the enormous and diverse talent that has been bred here. Check out new releases from TeamMate, Travis Echols, Emmalea Deal & The Hot Mess, Nat Frederick, Allen Talbott, Soda Pop Gypsies and Beyond The Barrier.
Listen to all of the amazing West Virginia Music on our Spotify Playlist and Apple Playlist.
TeamMate is a pop duo comprised of Scott Simons (The Argument) and Dani Buncher. These teammates make some killer pop hooks that draw you in and keep you listening to see what’s next. You can check out “Brace Yourself” below and stay tuned as they drop more songs over the next couple of months on streaming.
Allen Talbot brought a bunch of friends together to make his new single “Shady Grove” a reality. The song features collaborations from Derrick McDonald, Jesse Milnes, Michelle Fincham, Kristin Federer, David “Bubba” Scott, Jessica Wanless, Ko Cha Ta Seth Young, Kevin Arbogast, Willie Ward, Jared Roy and The Last Funkazoid. The track is a cornucopia of sounds that comes together in a fantastic groove that makes Talbott look like a mad scientist for dreaming up this roster and pulling it off. Listen below.
Photo by Mark Moody – Mon Media
Beyond The Barrier released their new song “Float On.” No, not that song. This original track has the author finding that no matter what they do or where they go everything leads back to a person they can’t seem to, or maybe they don’t want to, escape. Listen to their newest track below.
Emmalea Deal & The Hot Mess has released a new track that sees them tackle “The Ghost Of You” by My Chemical Romance. Covers are always risky but Emmalea and company were able to apply their touch to this 2004 emo staple. Listen to it below.
Charles Wesley Godwin dropped a twenty-three track live album “Live From The Steel City.” This collection was recorded at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on September 13, 2024 and one year later you can now relive that magical night over and over. The career spanning track list is sure to please his fans and showcases why the Morgantown native is blowing up all around the world. Listen to the live version of “Family Ties” below. You can also pre-order the vinyl to be released in November from his shop.
A Story Told continues to pop out hit after hit this year. They released “32 (And Whatever You Are)” to streaming platforms. The Charleston based group has created another perfect song that straddles the line between sorrow and joy. The plea for another chance to start over new with a past love isn’t a new concept but their spin on the narrative will have you listening over and over. Listen below.
Philip Bowen has been putting out songs that are full of wisdom and hard truths lately. That remains true with his newest single “Best Pretender” in which he discusses hiding who you are from others and even yourself. It’s a hard look in the mirror that asks do you even know who you are or have you bought your own lies? Listen to the new song below.
Nat Frederick. We are just happy to finally include that name in a Born & Bred post. We’ve been fans of this country artist long before launching the magazine portion of what we do but this is our first chance to cover a release from him since doing so. He’s played plenty of shows in that time but hasn’t put out new music since 2019. If you’re not familiar with him now is the time to get acquainted with Nat by checking out his newest single “Autumn” below and we are sure you’ll like him as much as we do.
Travis Echols released “Squeeze” (feat. Szeshwan Kenobi & Todd White). The soulful hip hop track is a must listen for fans of southern hip hop. The three artists blend together to create a cohesive track while showing off the strength of each of them as individuals. Listen to it below.
Photo by Tim Petty
Hip Hop artist B Hyphen dropped a new single “Touch Grass.” The rapper and podcaster has been part of the WV Hip Hop scene for a while and released a full length album last year entitled “Hyphen.” This newest track follows up his release of “Chains & Whips” earlier this month. Listen to “Touch Grass” below.
Soda Pop Gypsies continue their streak of new music with their newest song “The Queen Of Swords.” The Philipi based four piece has released ten singles in 2025 with this new release. When you listen to the tracks as a collection, you realize this band isn’t afraid to tackle a multitude of genres, and set themselves apart as a genre defying group. The one consistent in this group will always be front-woman Jamie Kittle’s powerful vocal and that’s true on “The Queen Of Swords.” Listen to it below.
