Hemifrån is an independent A&R, promotion and marketing company, based in the heart of Sweden, specializing in, what they call, “gut music” – The kind of music that you can feel in your gut, no matter what. Hemifran is promoting a lot of singer-songwriter, westcoast-pop, country, AOR and more. Here are featured some of their latest news – it is not all west coast, but dig into it!

Into The Blue

B.R. Lively – Into The Blue

“Into The Blue” is a cinematic record rooted in folk music, southern gothic soul, and the therapeutic rush of the open road. There are sweeping string arrangements, folk anthems, Motown inspired rhythms, Nick Drake worthy acoustic guitars, and slow, stripped down ballads. At the center of the mix is Lively himself, a self-taught singer and multi instrumentalist who isn’t afraid to shine a light on the lessons learned during his physical and spiritual journey. More information at Hemifran.

Dark Blues Sky

ELS Band – Dark Blues Sky

E.L.S. Band was founded in 2015 in Karlskoga, Sweden. The repertoire has been and is so far, well chosen covers that span blues, soul and some rock’n’roll. The band has over the years played at a number of different festivals and clubs.

E.L.S. Band has built up a faithful and growing crowd of followers which is not so strange, with a singer of absolutely highest class and a very experienced and competent band. They have  just released their first full length album, “Dark Blues Sky” on Sound Station Records. The goal now is to release an album with their own material, the work has started. More information at Hemifran.

Good Sad News

Doug Collins & The Receptionists – Good Sad News

By no means some retro-rocker or vintage-white-dudecome-lately, Doug Collins is nonetheless a songwriter, rocker, man out of time. His lived in and poetric songs evoke the glory days of AM radio country pop rock, and this 10 song long player is his most fully realized collection of songs to date, highlighted by seriously addicting country rock and alt pop gems like “Conversation With My Heart”, “I Saw You Dancing”, and the big heart bursting ballad “Please Don’t Make Me Leave You”. More information at Hemifran.

Let´s Die Together

The Smoking Flowers – Let´s Die Together

They have influences that range from Led Zeppelin to Gillian Welch and The Ramones to Neil Young. Kim was ironically considered by one of those very influences when she was up for the female vocalist spot in Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy. Unbeknownst to Kim, mr Plant had been listening to some of her recordings and loved her voice. But as fate would have it her friend Patti Griffin got the role. “The job was clearly destined for Patti. I mean look at her and Robert now! I do believe in a good love story, after all”, says a sighing Kim. More information at Hemifran.

Sparks Like Little Stars

The Campfire Flies – Sparks Like Little Stars

The Campfire Flies are a songwriter’s dream sextet, bringing together some of New Jersey’s most acclaimed indie rock writers and performers. John and Toni Baumgartner and Ed Seifert from Speed The Plough, Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried from The Cucumbers, and Matt Davis from The Thousand Pities. More information at Hemifran.

Keep The Flame Alight

Martha L. Healy – Keep The Flame Alight

Martha L Healy was raised on a diet of Eagles, Traveling Wilburys, Bruce Springsteen and folk heroes, The Dubliners. These were, and still are, staples of the Healy family vinyl collection. At the same time, in her native Scotland, she was listening to female artists like Sheryl Crow, Carole King, Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline, and picked up the guitar to start writing her own songs. More information at Hemifran.

Citizen Alien

Leaf Rapids – Citizen Alien

Through their own family’s stories they created a new world from the old, delving into the intimate truths told by voices from decades long gone. Each of the album’s 10 songs spins out a thread, binding history and identity to time and place. Threads that crossed oceans, stretched from Kyoto to Iceland’s wind whipped northern coast, tangled in the heart of the Canadian prairie. Stories of lives that crept forward in boats acros the water, lunches packed in liquor store bags and battered suitcases bursting at their seams. More information at Hemifran.

Almost Home

Lazy Afternoon – Almost Home

Lazy Afternoon from Sweden delivers catchy americana, a pot of influences from country and folk fock with a pinch of tex mex in it. Now their 2nd album, ”Almost Home”, is out. More information at Hemifran.

Cool Change

Shift It Baby – Cool Change

Thilo grew up in a small village in East Germany. Once moving to the West, his self taught guitar style led very quickly to busking, then performing in local pubs and clubs. With a constant need for inspiration he travelled far and wide, playing with musicians from different backgrounds, developing his percussive and unique style. More information at Hemifran.

Shed My Skin

Dan Navarro – Shed My Skin

“Shed My Skin” is Los Angeles native Dan Navarro’s long awaited 1st studio solo album, after 14 albums in 20+ years with Lowen & Navarro, triple A aadio mainstays in the 1990’s. Dan went solo in 2009 after the retirement and subsequent death of Eric Lowen due to ALS. More information at Hemifran.

Moving On

John Cee Stannard – Moving On

“Moving On”, the new album from John Cee Stannard, release date May 24th, 2019, sees John Cee moving forward, not from the last album, but from his earlier 2013 “Doob” album. Because this is very much a follow up to “Doob” we are including a copy for reference as it was not widely distributed at the time. More information at Hemifran.

Minus One

Paris Nourallah – Minus One

Born out of Michigan in the winter of 1969, Faris Nourallah moved as a child with his family to Texas, the Lone Star State. He grew up listening the likes of Clash, Beatles and Elvis Costello, and soon he’s involved in playing music in a band. Started writing songs in 1999 and building up his own studio in Groveland, Dallas.

All albums played, recorded and mixed all by himself. The 1st solo album came to be called “I Love Faris” and was released in 2003 on the indie USA label Western Vinyl. Critics was immediately hit by his ability to put down songs of disarming beauty as the ones included in ”I Love Faris”, the debut solo album. The stone was thrown in the open water and the waves started to spread.

Then there was time for ”Problematico”, which was also received with great reviews. With the 3rd album, ”King Of Sweden”, Faris’ name landed strongly in Europe too, where his music became sort of a must for the indie lovers. Critic points at Faris as one of the smartest songwriters around, comparing him to the likes of Ray Davis, John Lennon and Plush, and his records’ feeling to literary milestones like ”Catcher In The Rye”.

The myth creeps more and more, but mainly, people loves Faris. People declared the man and his music to be precious jewels to take care of. So, how can one possibly reach such a status without ever playing in public? How can it be possible to have a European label like Green UFO’s releasing a best of? How can it be possible to not love Faris’ songs?

Now, 8 years since the latest release, his 9th solo album sees the light of day. ”Minus One” contains 14 out of 30 unreleased songs. The remaining songs are planned to be released in the future. These songs, sent by e-mail in 2004 and 2005 to the founder of Ruth Records have been preserved in a basement. Rediscovered in 2018. More information at Hemifran.

By Published On: april 27, 2019Categories: In Focus, Miscellaneous

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About the Author: Kbremer

Good music enriches your life. At BLUE DESERT we are passionate about this particular yet wide-ranging style of music we call West Coast Music. This site is a modest tribute to the music and the performing artists, who through the (many) years have given us - and continue to give us - endless hours of musical enjoyment. As long-time fans we want to share our enthusiasm, experiences and views with fellow connoisseurs as well as curious newcomers. If we can do our bit to help promote this great music and all the gifted artist – well, then we have succeeded.