What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1287620
"Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs" Colter Wall La Honda Records/ Thirty Tigers On Aug. 28, 24-year-old Colter Wall, whose dusty baritone voice and deep well of stories are almost single-handedly carrying traditional western music into the future, released his new self-produced album. About the album, Wall said, "these songs are punchier than I am." Giving credit where credit is due however, Wall is no slouch on the ranch. As any new cattleman would, he adds to his herd, as he does his musical legacy with "Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs." Wall's name has been appearing everywhere in the lead up to "Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs." From underground music blogs to a feature with the legendary outdoor brand, Filson, to a broad swath of celebrity fans. Recently, comedian and podcast magnate Joe Rogan dubbed Wall "legit as f***" and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace name- dropped Wall in his recent GQ feature. Longtime fan Jason Momoa just featured Wall's music exclusively in a gone-viral video about restoring his wife, Lisa Bonet's, first Ford Mustang. Needless to say, Wall's voice and songs have attracted fans from all walks of life and his new record was only just released. "Royal Green" Royal Green Bryan Devendorf, founding member and drummer for The National, has shared a new project under the moniker Royal Green and has released a self-titled debut album, his first as the lead vocalist. The 8-song album dropped Aug. 28 and features original songs as well as some surprising covers. Devendorf's "Royal Green" approach was a "many- channels-open" style of creation. Satellite signals, strange voices from lost television documentaries and radio operas are all woven into its fabric — like it's using these endless tides of media and information to unlock the subconscious. Even its covers — Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, The National, The Beatles — are like stunning, albeit satanic takes on hymns, or like Ameri- can standards almost dragged into the underworld. "X'ED" Mike Huguenor Lauren Records Hip hop production is too often ignored in rock music, or else used in a way that seems obvious, or culturally appropriative. With his debut album, "X'ED," out Sept. 4, San Jose musician Mike Hugue- nor sets out to rewrite the rules of the guitar, and the aforementioned production style. The album's intro, debut single "Slight Blue" is meant to sound like a rapper coming in before the verse starts, hyping up what's to come. Except in this case, instead of a hype-up, it's a hype-down, a mournful wail, a slight blue lament. Armed with three guitars — an electric and two acoustics — Huguenor worked on this album over the course of two years at District Recording Studio in San Jose, where he was allowed to record hours and hours of improvised material, even if he only ended up salvaging a few seconds from the session. Slowly, the songs started to show themselves. The result is an album that defies expectations at nearly every turn. In each song, he builds songs that remain woven into the fabric of pop songwriting, with hints of tropicália, krautrock, and musique concrete mixed in — all with only one instrument at his disposal. "100 Summers" James Lee Baker There's something to be said about the ingenuity it takes to put a group of great musicians together in a great room to record great songs, and having them all coming together in one take. Undoubtedly, James Lee Baker has just pulled it off. Coming as no surprise to Baker's existing fans — No Depression once said, "to call him anything other than brilliant would be criminal" — his new album "100 Summers" accomplished this feat with graceful execution and the backbone of timeless songs and stories. Out Sept. 4, "100 Summers" is a collection of soothing folk-song melodies that circle around a centralized theme; that of personal transformation. Recorded in one-take recordings at Blue Rock Studios in Wimberly, Texas, "100 Summers" finds Baker working with an exceptional group of collaborators — among them, Chris Bell (the man behind the boards for the Eagles, Don Henley and Christopher Cross), Doug Pettibone (John Mayer, Jewel, Lucinda Williams), Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson, Billy Bob Thornton), Roscoe Beck (Leonard Cohen, Eric Johnson), Paul Simon's Grammy-winning accompanist Joel Guzman, Americana Songwriter of the Year nominee Mark Erelli, and Laurie MacAllister from the famed folk group Red Molly. With not enough live music to fill a weekly list, this spot will be filled by news and reviews of new albums, both local and national. Send information about your new releases to Jocelyn Murphy at jmurphy@nwadg.com. 12 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2020 LISTEN HERE! A-List Celebs Are Cowboy's Fans