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!

ford

Elijah Ford & The Bloom – As You Were

Elijah Ford is a California native, turned Austin based, musician, songwriter and producer, who began his solo career after breaking from touring with Oscar and Grammy award winning musician Ryan Bingham. Ford put out his 1st solo album ”Upon Waking” in 2011, and an EP called ”Ashes” in 2012. After spending the last 2 years touring Europe and the US, Elijah and his band, The Bloom, are releasing a new full length album called ”As You Were” on September 16th, 2016.

Elijah is no stranger to industry, as both of his parents have been life-long musicians. Elijah Ford is the son of former Black Crowes’ guitar heavyweight Marc Ford, and toured as part of Ford Sr’s Fuzz Machine at the age of 17, before getting the gig with Bingham, where he stayed until 2012. The younger Ford has surely taken some valuable rock n’ roll notes from his father, but has also put together a sound that’s completely his own.

The new album, entitled ”As You Were”, was recorded at Austin’s legendary Arlyn Studios. Produced by Stew Jackson (Massive Attack, Phantom Limb) and engineered by Jacob Sciba (Gary Clark Jr, Willie Nelson), it pushes the pop-rock sound of the ”Ashes” EP into groovier, more hook filled heights. Joined on bass by Jesse Ebaugh (Heartless Bastards) & guitar by Ricky Ray Jackson (Phosphorescent, The Happen-Ins), The Bloom has crafted a concise, powerful slab of rock ’n’ roll with honest and direct songwriting. More information at Hemifran.

cross

Mary Beth Cross – Feels Like Home

Mary Beth Cross is an award winning singer, songwriter and musician. Her music is a soulful, intimate acoustic mix of original and classic tunes. Her new EP, titled “Feels Like Home”, incorporates traditional bluegrass instruments into her arrangements. Mary Beth’s originals are inspired by the stories of her family, the forests and farms of her Wisconsin upbringing, and Colorado, where she makes her home. Her previous CD, “Beyond Good And Evil”, received the 2014 ’CD Of The Year’ award by the Rural Roots Music Commission.

“Feels Like Home” is her 5th release. She has performed shows across the US and in Canada including Nashville, TN, New York, NY, Madison, WI, Le Mars, IA, St Louis, MO, house concerts, major and private showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conferences, the Boulder International Film Festival, and the 2014 IBMA Convention in Raleigh, NC. Mary Beth has held bluegrass and folk workshops for schools, libraries, history museums, and hospitals. She can be found playing listening rooms, event centers, house concerts, weddings and festivals in the Colorado Front Range and beyond. More information at Hemifran.

cullman

Brian Cullman – The Opposite Of Time

The Opposite Of Time” continues the work Brian Cullman began with his previous album, ”All Fires The Fire”, but pares down the sound, opening the window to let in as much light and as much air as possible, with most tracks recorded live in the studio. Jenni Muldaur is on backing vocals, Aaron Johnston and Didi Gutman (The Brazilian Girls) are on drums and keyboards, Glenn Patscha (Ollabelle, Sheryl Crow) plays piano and organ, Byron Isaacs (Levon Helm, The Lumineers) plays bass, and Jimi Zhivago (Glen Hansard, Rufus Wainwright) plays guitar and co-produced the album together with Cullman.

From the swampy groove of “Times Are Tight” to the unexpected blues trawl of “Walk The Dog Before I Sleep”, the songs on ”The Opposite Of Time” detour and detox, stopping here and there to check things out before leaving again. “And She Said” swings hard between a Byrdsian jangle and a Harritone. “After All The Gifts” is a heartbreaker, springs from the ghost of Nick Drake’s bedsit (Drake himself being someone Cullman knew and opened for once upon a time). And the last song, “Unspoiled”, is such a proper ending, a Brian Enoy piece of lovely calm and release. More information at Hemifran.

hanson

Lynne Hanson & The Good Intentions – 7 Deadly Spins

Roots music, rough-around-the-edges folk. Canadian songwriter Lynne Hanson prefers ‘porch music with a little red dirt’. Lynne’s songs are like a favourite pair of jeans. They’re faded and worn through in spots, with a bit of honestly acquired grit ground into the seams. Lynne is a winner of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, has been been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, and has toured Canada, the US, Europe and the UK. Lynne has toured in support of grammy nominated songwriters Gretchen Peters and Steve Forbert, as well as guitar legend Albert Lee. Her songs may be full of grit, but Hanson’s live performances are polished, whether she’s playing solo or with her band The Good Intentions. And she’s managed to get around, having toured Canada, the US, Europe and the UK. She’s played showcase gigs in Austin, Phoenix and Memphis, and performed at several historic music venues, including the legendary 100 Club in London, England, and the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennesee. More information at Hemifran.

mcdonough

John McDonough – Surrounding Colors

John McDonough is a singer songwriter from Austin, Texas, whose shows span 5 decades of hits combined with unique originals. John’s acoustic guitar work, passionate vocals, and personal lyrics result in a modern singer songwriter pop sound, best described as progressive indie americana. John has spent the last 21 years playing in and around Austin while co-producing and self-releasing 6 CD’s of original music. He has played to the rowdy crowds of 6th Street, the dinner crowds of Austin restaurants, and everything in between. 6 years ago he decided to retire from practicing psychotherapy and focus solely on music, writing, recording, and performing.

In those 6 years he has written and recorded 3 new CD’s, played over 300 gigs, performed in 7 major Austin music festivals as a solo artist, and twice appeared and performed on local radio. He has drawn comparisons to Harry Chapin and Elton John for his vocal style and abilities, while Austin radio host Stephen Rice has compared John’s emotional storytelling to the songwriting styles of James Blunt and Damien Rice.  2017 will be an exciting year for John, as he will continue to gig in and around Austin, continue to produce music videos for tracks off his latest 2 releases, “Dreams & Imagination” and “Surrounding Colors”, and tour the United States and Europe. More information at Hemifran.

By Published On: oktober 1, 2016Categories: In Focus, Miscellaneous

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

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.