Starting his musical journey as a drummer and eventually finding his way to the guitar, Minneapolis-based folk/country artist Michael Gay (f/k/a Almighty American) draws his inspiration from his dad’s record collection. With the sounds of Willie Nelson, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker deep within his heart, Michael is releasing the first two new singles this week under his own name. A matched set, “Long, Cold Winter” is about persevering through the cold hard winter while “Good Night” is about enjoying a summer night by the Mississippi River. According to Michael: “It is my little ode to Minnesota, celebrating both sides of the coin. Living here has taught me to embrace seasons in life even when you’re looking for that chapter to close. We’re stronger for it.” The sentiment resonates with a lot of us this year, just as we enter what is likely to be an unusually long, lonely […]
Like so many of our favorite artists, Memphis rapper Daz Rinko just loves to mix it up. His recent single “Candy Mane” is a dreamy concoction of hip hop, R&B and retro 80’s dance pop, like a pure sugar rush like you get from mixing all the fountain soda flavors together. Produced by Italian producer Cheap Limousine, “Candy Mane” gets it’s throwback vibe from the classic DX7 piano, bouncy synth bass lines and electric guitar dripping in spring reverb. Daz leans further in to the nostalgia vibe with a nod to MTV in the video: Daz’s brilliant 2017 debut EP “Black Boy Joy” showcased his southern take on future bounce and lyrically tackled some of the struggles facing black youth today. It frankly sounds fresher and more relevant than much of what was released this year. It’s no surprise he received praise and recognition from NPR, Noisey, Pigeons & Planes, […]