Tag Archives: Dreamspider Publicity

Album Review- John Mailander’s Forecast – Little Wheel // Hope Looming 

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One woman and six men are seated on a low brick bench in front of a similar wall. They all appear happy.

Band photo by Steph Heath with Smiling Eyes Media 

This is a new group / collective to me and I also had not heard of John Mailander prior to getting the opportunity to preview this album.  Much thanks to Erin Scholze at Dreamspider Publicity for the opportunity as I really enjoyed this EP.

The first song on this release is an interpretation of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Little Wheel Spin and Spin” which first came out on the 1966 album of the same title.  The opening thirty seconds set a slightly tense vibe with a sharp melody line that is tempered by some softer touches.  Train’s vocals ride the edge of the sonic atmosphere here, mostly in front but occasionally falling back, swallowed up in a wave of emotive sound.  The arrangement does a great job of continuing to build tension behind the vocal, gradually bringing in sparse but dynamic percussion.  The song continues to wind itself up through the first three minutes.  The most interesting part for me is that you do not get a big release here, no great cascade that finally breaks the tension.  It kind of washes itself out through the interplay of the instruments and leaves things unresolved at the end.  

“Hope, Looming” is next and this is a purely instrumental track.  It starts wistful and slow with a  quiet guitar melody punctuated by a stark bass and light piano touches.  The arrangement here is very well done, shifting toward a tone that grows more uplifting as other instruments join in.   As you cross over the 2:05 mark of this song things change as the rhythm section gains prominence and the beat quickens.  It is quiet at first and then volume builds along with a blooming musical atmosphere that gathers force and energy.  Right after the four minute mark it dissolves into atmospheric keys followed by aggressive percussion and then a final section that I think can be interpreted several ways but it left me with mostly a nostalgic feeling.  

The final track is “(turnstile)” and although it is a short fifty-five seconds this one is interesting enough to warrant multiple loops of listening.  I will leave you to sort it out when you have a chance to give this album as listen.  

Overall I really enjoyed this EP and felt that the listening and emotional experience it delivered was quite noteworthy.  I would recommend that you get a copy (see purchase link below), find some quiet space and really tune in to the music,  

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list: 

Musicians on this are:  John Mailander (fiddle, piano, electronics), Ethan Jodziewicz (upright & electric bass), Chris Lippincott (pedal steel guitar, Wurlitzer), Dean Miller (tenor saxophone), Mark Raudabaugh (drums, percussion) and Jake Stargel (acoustic guitar).  Special guest doing vocals on “Little Wheel Spin and Spin” – Kristina Train.

Streaming link: 

https://ffm.to/pkmbjow

Purchase link: 

https://johnmailander.bandcamp.com/album/little-wheel-hope-looming

Please let me know your opinion in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.johnmailander.com

https://www.instagram.com/johnmailander

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 


Release Alert- Bill Scorzari – “I Stayed”  from the upcoming album Sidereal Days (Day 2)

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a black and white image of a man with a long beard looking off to the left and upward

Having spent plenty of time listening to Sidereal Days (Day 1) since it came out I was excited to see the press release from Dreamspider Publicity on January 23rd that this new single had dropped.  Also, even though the actual release date for the full Day 2 album is currently September 25th my understanding is that there will be a single out each month until then…so definitely something to look forward to along the way.  

You only have to read the list of musicians (below) to understand you are in for a treat and pushing play brings that thought to life.  The music here is delicately crafted, gentle in tone but with a sharp acoustic melody poking through like pinpricks of pain.  The big acoustic bass plays so well in this song also, a heartbeat offset by the drum line.  Like all of Scorzari’s lyrics the ones here are right from the heart, raw and stark as they weave a story of love lost.  

This is a great first single to hear off of Sidereal Days (Day 2) and I will be looking forward to more music from the album soon. 

Musicians on this are: Bill Scorzari (acoustic guitar, vocals), Erin Rae (harmony vocals), Marie Lewey (backing vocals), Cindy Richardson Walker (backing vocals), Juan Solorzano (pedal steel), Danny Mitchell (piano, Hammond B3 organ), Chelsea McGough (cello), Eamon McLoughlin (violin), Michael Rinne (upright acoustic bass) and Neilson Hubbard (drums, percussion). 

Give this one a listen here: 

https://billscorzari.hearnow.com/i-stayed

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.billscorzari.com/

https://www.instagram.com/billscorzari

His song “When Will My Time Come Along” also appears in my 5 To Spin playlist for 06.30.2025

https://bandcamp.com/jackmesenbourg/playlist/06302025

Prior Reviews: 

Song Review – Bill Scorzari “All Behind Me Now” from the album The Crosswinds of Kansas
Release Alert! Bill Scorzari – “All This Time” 
Album Review- Bill Scorzari – Sidereal Days (Day 1)

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Song Review- Red Clay Revival  – “Devil’s Gonna Get Ya” 

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A male musician on a brightly lit stage, smiling broadly and playing guitar.

Erin at Dreamspider Publicity was kind enough to loop me in on a preview of this single and I initially thought that Red Clay Revival was a totally new band to me.  Something though was tickling the back of my memory as the name sounded vaguely familiar (…and not as a reference to Red Clay Strays although that is another group you could check out when you have a minute) so I dug around my collection.  It turns out that I did have a prior track that featured this band.  They had appeared on an interesting EP from Josh Phillips back in 2023 called Starts to Rain.  Basically the premise of that project was Phillips taking a single from an upcoming full album (’Til We All Move Forward) and including some re-mixes / interpretations of that song by various other musicians and groups.  It was a different approach, kind of a “covers album before release” situation that caught my attention at the time.  Red Clay Revival’s “campfire mix” was my personal fav interpretation of the song. 

This track has a kind of soul / southern rock feel and combines some great guitar sounds with piano, organ, drums and also a bit of banjo providing melody in the background.  Their singer Doug McElvy Jr brings strong and clear vocals to the song along with his work on synthesizer and rhythm guitar.  Check out a couple cool solos along the way and you have a solid listening journey that will leave you feeling a little soulful.  

Musicians on this (other than McElvy) are: Jacob Baumann (drums), Drew Matulich (electric guitar), Daniel Iannucci (bass guitar), Simon George (piano, organ), Shaun Nicklin (banjo) and Billy Cardine (steel guitar) 

You can check out the video here:

It is of course available at your favorite listening channels also – and maybe think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Remember to be a good neighbor 🙂 

Let me know you think! 

Album Review- Bill Scorzari – Sidereal Days (Day 1)

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A bearded man holding a guitar in his lap is looking to the right

Ever since I reviewed the early single “All This Time” from this album I had been (patiently?) waiting for my pre-ordered copy to arrive.  It finally did show up last week and I have been happily listening to it since then.  

One of the best things about Sidereal Days (Day 1) is that it sounds awesome.  Every selection just breathes like it is alive and takes you on a sonic journey to the setting of each story Scorzari is telling.  Making a record that has such great quality and depth of sound across all instruments and vocals takes a lot of patient planning, careful execution and talented production work – much appreciation to the group of people that brought this album together.  

There are ten tracks including three extended play selections (“And Carries Me Away” at 8:10, “Endgame” 7:31 and “Grace” 7:14) that are quite notable for the fact that they do not feel strung out at all.  Instead, they incorporate diverse instrumentation, engaging composition and Scorzari’s simple yet so very real-to-life lyrics to create these interesting and evocative short stories.  I have hit repeat on the CD player multiple times after each of these comes to an end just to go through that experience again.  

The other songs on this album are more traditional in length and there is one (“From Your Heart”) which I think may be the shortest Bill Scorzari tune of all time at 2:21 in length.  It is a powerful 2+ minutes though with a simple guitar melody supported by haunting strings and pedal steel, wistful mandolin, a faint piano and a few magical dobro moments.  A couple other favorites of mine are “All This Time” (my prior review here) and “Did We Tie.”

“Tie” is a slow-paced song with a few notable elements; an organ that adds some subtle but poignant texture, percussion (including some muted cymbal crashes) that peeks out at just the right moments and a deliberate pacing that almost seems like a slow march.  Also, the mix on this track is wonderfully subtle and intricate – get those good headphones on if you have them, sit back and just let this one come alive for you.  I also have to use this track as an example of why I think Scorzari’s lyrics are so unique and powerful.  One line of this song goes like this: “Who’s the bigger fool between you and I.” That would be enough for many songwriters but then there is a little stop after which he adds, “or did we tie?”  It is a simple thing really but it is those kinds of extra little add-ons that caught my attention early in my experience with his songs and I think it is pretty cool.  There are plenty of other examples of this on the record and on his others but “Endgame” here is a great one for a full introduction to his lyrical style.  

A set of great musicians play on this album other than Scorzari including: Brad Talley, Neilson Hubbard, Michael Rinne, Chelsea McGough, Danny Mitchell, Megan McCormick, Cindy Richardson Walker, Joshua Britt, Marie Lewey, Juan Solorzano and Eamon McLoughlin.

You can check out more of the music and information here: 

https://www.billscorzari.com/

Your community – us and you and everyone else – is powerful…remember to support and engage.

And please think about purchasing this album after you listen –  I think it is a worthy addition to every collection.  

Let me know you think! 

Album Review- Larry Keel & Jon Stickley – EP

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Two men sitting on a couch with acoustic guitars - they are smiling and dressed in jeans and jackets

Hearing that these two guitar masters had joined forces to put together this EP was fantastic news.  My familiarity with Keel was rather lacking having only heard his single releases  “Love” and “Faster Horses” which you can still check out here on Bandcamp.  His playing on those two tracks was enough to make them memorable for sure.  The Jon Stickley Trio was a band I was more familiar with having enjoyed their classic albums Lions, Lost at Last (which is quite a tour de force of bluegrass and flat-picking) and Maybe Believe.   They have a few more out there which you can also check out here on Bandcamp.

So, what to expect of this release?  Well, given prior experience I was hoping for a lot of flat-picking guitar magic and interesting song composition.  After listening to the five tracks on this EP I can say that they brought that and more to the music. I was not sure how many lyrical numbers there might be and was surprised to find that three of the tracks hit that mark.  These songs (“Sailor Suit,” “Pioneers,” and “Starborn”) cover a range of themes and blend over a little from their usual bluegrass/ folk styling into alt-county.    There are of course also some really intricate and wonderful picking moments (check “Sailor Suit” around the 2:22 mark or “Starborn” around 1:44) – really groovy! 

 The instrumental songs (“Future Ghost” which is my personal fav on the EP and “Take the Air”) really showcase how well these two masters play off each other and incorporate their individual playing into well-crafted music.  These are acoustic, instrumental tracks that are engaging and thoughtful.  

Overall this EP is a keeper and one to pick up at your earliest opportunity. 

Many thanks to Dreamspider Publicity for including me in the release notes for this album!

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

https://larrykeel.lsnto.me/keelstickleyep

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

Be a Good Neighbor – it builds an awesome community! 

Release Alert! Bill Scorzari – “All This Time” 

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As I already am a big fan of this artist I had been tracking his posts about the development and production of his upcoming albums, Sidereal Days (Day 1) & Sidereal Days (Day 2).   This single is the first one off the “Day 1” album.   You can catch some of that behind the scenes info on YouTube and through various other press and social media. 

The making of these albums has been a long process for him as noted in the press release  from Dreamspider Publicity:

“Bill self-recorded his instrumentation and vocals for this song—and the entire double album—at his New York studio, First Thunder Recording. It was there that, starting in July of 2022, Bill laid out all of his parts and fine-tuned his compositions over two years’ time before bringing those recordings to Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville in August 2024 to continue with engineer Dylan Alldredge, with Bill and Neilson Hubbard co-producing.”

“All This Time” has the kind of simplicity that tends to be a hallmark of Scorzari’s most memorable music.  A soft guitar melody on nylon strings gets things started and is accompanied by an understated acoustic bass that gives just enough texture to the music.  There are also some poignant cello and violin strings here.  The piano comes in to provide a hopeful air to the otherwise melancholy vibe of this track.  

Standby for the album releases currently slated to start in October of this year.  You can stream this one now  (easy access link below):

https://billscorzari.hearnow.com/all-this-time

Once you check it on your usual places please consider a purchase as streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand.  

And if you want to hear what I consider to be his best full album released to date, give a listen to The Crosswinds of Kansas, one song of which I had reviewed here: 

Song Review – Bill Scorzari “All Behind Me Now” from the album The Crosswinds of Kansas