by Jane Lambert

Premiere: emily + shawn Return with Their New Folk Single “you and i”

For Brooklyn-based modern folk duo emily + shawn, the stuff in life that makes a difference requires heavy lifting, and careful attention to detail. Their music is an authentic reflection of their lives. emily + shawn’s songs are informed by their ethics, their myriad of experiences and interests, and their day to day interactions, which they characterize sweetly as “healthy clashes.”

They just released their new acoustic folk ballad about finding love and connection in the smaller moments that usually get forgotten. It’s a tonal departure from their previous singles, but just as beautiful. It has a strong Mumford and Sons meets The Lumineers with an Ingrid Michaelson undertone.

“’you and i’ is a song we wrote about our life as both a music duo and as a couple,” shares the duo. “Memories of living in New York City are present throughout, and the pensive chord progression gives the listener an element of nostalgia we tried to create lyrically. We produced this with David Baron of The Lumineers and wanted to emulate their raw, stripped-down feeling within the folk-rock genre.”

Connect with Emily + Shawn via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok // Spotify // Soundcloud

05.19.22

by Jane Lambert

‘For You, The Garden,’ For Us a Dream!

Wurmy Wormfield (also known as Charles Herman-Wurmfield) is an artist, musician, filmmaker, teacher, gardener, beekeeper, parent and partner creating since the age of 13. This Silverlake, CA based entertainer helped overturn a Los Angeles public school parking lot and transform it into a community garden and educational center. This call to action inspired a transformative personal journey that brought forth a lifelong love of music which led to Wurmy Wormfield being formed and culminated in the opulent folk-pop album, For You, the Garden

Chances are, For You, The Garden is not your first experience with Wurmy’s artistry. As a director, his work includes D’Arcy Drollinger’s award-winning rock operas, Cereal Killers and Possession of Mrs. Jones, seminal collaborations with Tony-nominated cabaret singer and actor Justin Vivian Bond; and the feature films Fancy’s Persuasion, Legally Blonde 2, and Kissing Jessica Stein.

For You, The Garden is a compilation of Wurmy’s previously released EPs and singles into one convenient place. The 18 songs bring to life the community garden he helped put together in Silver Lake, CA.

Charles speaks from his heart stating, “Let’s dream for a moment as long as we are singing and dancing. Let’s imagine there might be a community garden here one day! Let’s see, I’ve got these pumpkin seeds here in my pocket, we could write our intentions on them, add water and see what sprouts up! So grab a pumpkin seed and let’s imagine a community garden. Shall we…” (Garden Song)

While the album was made for kids, specifically dedicated to his own, For You, The Garden is really for all ages. There is always something to be learned, especially when it comes to our Earth and empathy. There is no defines genre and no topic not sung about. Adults can enjoy the music from Wurmy too.

As an older dad, and a pandemic dad, he states he is aware of the time passing, and wanted to make sure and set nature / love of nature to a song so the kids could always know how he felt about it, and even share that joy with their own children, one day. The light hearted music dances on the breath of a dream and spins its web into the garden of the future.

Listen here:

Find Wormy via:

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

03.18.22

by Jane Lambert

Craig Norris Byrd Premieres His Debut Solo Album, ‘Remissions’

Craig Norris Byrd has no problem writing songs about the trials and tribulations that life throws at us. The folk-rock singer/songwriter takes the personal and makes it relatable with his conceptual music and lyrics. His debut album, Remissions, gives us a look at his passions and values. The 10 track album is heavy with a cathartic artistic statement where he purges his pain and struggle into his music. “I am not so interested in publicizing what I have done, but I am interested in sharing where this album comes from,” shares Craig . “This album is a personal statement I had to get out of the way before I could move on.”

Remissions pulls from many different folk traditions, and harkens us to the likes of Paul Simon and a little bit like Johnny Cash. It was solely composed, arranged, and produced by Byrd, but features a bevy of ace musicians supporting his fine songcraft.

The songs on the album take on darker themes. His song “Your Bud” is about his father’s descent into dementia and how he never got to fix their relationship. “He died with much regret and never got the chance to meet my two sons,” Craig shares. “His mental acuity steadily diminished and he met his death in a hospital when he woke up from back surgery and did not know who he was and what was going on. He was unrestrained and proceeded to tear out his sustenance and medication tubing and get up to try and leave. This resulted in physical trauma from which he never recovered.” He sings “And I was wrong to let the pain I went through/keep us so far apart until just now,” trying to grapple and cope with the memory of his father.

Not every song is as heavy as “Your Bud” and “Gina Rides a Tiger,” a song about his sister’s death by breast cancer. He also has a few love songs, like “Consuelo,” which is sung entirely in Spanish and dedicated to his wife. It even has a bit of Latin influence in the way he plays guitar. The song “Merge” is a conceptual take on love going beyond the physical and thinking more about the emotional and mental aspects.

Listen to Remissions:

Needless to say, each song is vulnerable, raw, and poetic. What separates Craig from the pack is his openness and love for what he does. He writes music with a meaning, hoping to affect the lives of others in a positive way.

Find more on Craig Norris Byrd via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // TikTok // Spotify // Soundcloud