Song: If I've Not Told You

Guys, this is basically the most amazing song you'll ever listen to. Trust me. I know this guy, and he's so rad. I'd probably compare him (loosely) to Simon & Garfunkel - and I only say "loosely" because it just seems wrong to say someone is as good as Simon & Garfunkel.
Anyway, do yourself a favor and listen.

Love,
Scout

Playlist: Misc. Zooey

Love,
Scout

Texture Like Sun - One Great Prize

I love everything about this. It reminds me of the park scene in Benny & Joon. 

Love,
Scout

Live and Die

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Gregory Alan Isakov

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Gregory Alan Isakov a) was born in South America and now abides in Colorado b) sings brilliant, dreamy, folk music c) has a cool name d) all of the above. Check him out. You know you want to.

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His website, Myspace, and Facebook.

Love,
Scout

P.S. I accidentally threw a Wilder Atkins song in that playlist and I'm too lazy to change it. Just consider it a bonus :)

Artist Spotlight: Bryan John Appleby

Autumn: The perfect time for light folk music and flannel shirts. Well, I can at least help with the first one.

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Thanks again to Today's Letters for introducing me to Seattle based Bryan John Appleby. Appleby is a folk musician with a very light sound and lots of smooth picking. When he does have more music behind him, he has his friends in the background banging on mason jars and pots and pans. He has two albums that can be heard here.

Check out his website, Bandcamp, and Myspace.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Monsters of Folk

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I first discovered Monsters of Folk through the television show, Parenthood. That show has such an amazing soundtrack, so I'm constantly looking up songs from it. Anyway, I heard Monsters of Folk and immediately loved them - and later found out that one of the talented quartet is none other than M. Ward! It also turns out that the three other guys are also in other bands - namely Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket.

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M. Ward, Jim James, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis started their folk/indie band in 2004 after touring together. They realized they worked well together and, as time permitted, released an album in 2009.

Check out their website and Myspace.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Noah Gundersen

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I can't get enough of Noah Gundersen. I listened to him for about two weeks straight and I'm still not tired of him. And if that doesn't show how much I like him, how about I share this song for a third time?

Noah Gundersen has such a rich, earthy voice, varying between clear notes and a Tom Waits kind of growl. As beautiful as his voice is, I love his lyrics even more. They are harsh and honest, sweet and romantic. He frequently duets with his sister, Abby, bringing a soft undertone to the mix.

Here by Evan Dell Photograhy

Check out his Bandcamp, Myspace, and Facebook.

Love,

Scout

P.S. If you want a more thorough Artist Spotlight post, click the link under the first picture. That person did an amazing job!

The Civil Wars, Between The Bars

Mesmerizing to listen to and to watch. I love them so much.

Love,

Scout

Artist Spotlight: Don McLean

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I've always loved McLean's American Pie, but it wasn't until I got the American Pie vinyl a couple weeks ago that I really listened to him. I feel like he's one of those one hit wonder artists - he has so much great music, but no one ever talks about him unless they're talking about American Pie. His style is folky, sometimes mixed with old style rock (like Buddy Holly type rock), and a lot of his songs have a sort of mournful tone to them. Anyway, here are some of his songs that I really like.

This is quite possibly my favorite.

This one just makes me laugh.

Now, if you haven't heard his song American Pie...well, shame on you. You need to listen to it right now. There's so much musical history in this song, not to mention it's simply amazing. Anyway, it starts off with Buddy Holly's death in February, 1953. Y'all should really look it up. He even dedicated the American Pie album to Buddy Holly!

Check out his website.

Love,

Scout

Artist Spotlight: The Milk Carton Kids

If you've paid attention to any of the previous Artist Spotlight posts, you've probably noticed that I like chill, folky music. Well, today we have a legitimate folk band.

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The Milk Carton Kids is a fairly new duo band. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan joined their musical skills in early 2011 in California to release two albums - Retrospect and Prologue. Their voices are similar to The Avett Bros., but their music is folk/acoustic.

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Both of their albums are available to download for free! from their website. Check them out here.

Check out their website, Myspace, Facebook, and Bandcamp.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: M. Ward

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I cannot believe I haven't talked about M. Ward before! Matthew Ward has been around for a while - since 1999, performing as himself and as a part of Monsters of Folk and the ever wonderful She & Him.

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M. Ward has a gravelly yet smooth voice, and his music is a mix of folk and a kind of bluesy jazz, depending on which song you are listening to. His music is very soothing, but still fun. His newest album, A Wasteland Companion, comes out in April. He has had many exciting musical escapades, one of the coolest, in my opinion, being touring with Bruce Springsteen in 2004. Of course, being in a band with Zooey Deschanel has to be fun, too.

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Check out his website, Facebook, and Myspace pages.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Billy Bragg & Wilco

I don't know much about Billy Bragg & Wilco, nor do I know much about either artist on their own. I do know that I love their Mermaid Avenue albums. 

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A while back I came across the song Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key. I first heard this live version of Matt Costa singing it. I loved the song so I went searching for it, hoping to find it in better quality. I found that the song was originally sung by Billy Bragg & Wilco. I wasn't as excited about this version, because I was already a fan of Matt Costa, but I did like that I could hear the song clearly, and I eventually ended up buying the song because I like it so much. 

Later, when I was reading Bob Dylan's Chonicles: Volume One, I heard the story behind the two Mermaid Avenue albums, and how they were almost connected to my favorite folk singer of all time. 

Back in the day, Woody Guthrie was THE folk singer - right up there with Joe Hill. He ended up in the hospital, and Bob Dylan ended up visiting him and becoming friends with him. At one point during one of Dylan's visits, Guthrie told him that he had a bunch of songs back at his house that he'd written but never sung, and he offered them to Dylan. Dylan went over to his house later, but never ended up getting the songs because Mrs. Guthrie was not at home - it was just little Arlo Guthrie and the baby sitter who didn't know where the songs were. Bob Dylan left and never went back for the songs. 

Eventually, Woody Guthrie's daughter, Nora, put together the idea for Mermaid Avenue - two albums of songs written by her father and sung by a current artist in order to reach a new generation. 

In my opinion, it worked. Here are a few songs.

Read more about the albums here. 

Billy Bragg's website.

Wilco's website. 

Love,

Scout

Artist Spotlight: Rudder North

My cousin drew my attention to this band on his blog last Tuesday. This here is a cover of When You Were Young, by the Killers. And, really, who doesn't love this song? 

Rudder North is a band of two guys from my home state of Maryland. They have a light, acoustic sound that seems to me to be very vocal focused. They definitely have skills with music, but they don't drown out the lyrics or vocals with music, which is something I'm fond of. According to their Facebook page, they play over seven instruments, including harmonica. But if you don't like harmonica, it's still cool, because it's in the background. It's also pretty awesome that they both play multiple instruments at once. I mean, I have some rhythm, but not when it comes to keeping a steady beat for a long time (think Jerry Van Dyke or The Jerk), so I can't imagine trying to keep two different rhythms (we can discuss drummers later). 

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Anyway, check out their website, Facebook, and Myspace.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Ray Lamontagne

I love Ray Lamontagne. Maybe it's because his name is so much fun to say. Maybe it's because no one ever says they like Ray Lamontagne, so when I say I love Ray Lamontagne, I feel like I'm one of the elite few that knows who he is. Or maybe it's just that his voice is so soothing and wonderful, and has a marvelous raspy-ness to it. It's just wonderful.

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All that being said, sometimes I feel kind of lame for loving Ray Lamontagne as much as I do. Sometimes I feel like only old fogies are supposed to love Ray Lamontagne, or adults with no life.
Whatever. I still love him. Here are a few of my favorites.

Check out his website.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: The Paper Kites

I discovered this band last week sometime, from someone's blog or something. I don't remember.
The Paper Kites have a light, folksy sound with good harmonies. I am always a fan of good harmonies. And they're all fairly attractive, don't you think?

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I have definitely been playing this band on repeat since I discovered them. Their music is similar to that of The Honey Trees and Bon Iver, though more upbeat. I hope you like them!

Check out their Myspace and Facebook.

Love,
Scout

Artist Spotlight: Brown Bird

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I found Brown Bird via Today's Letters. Their style is similar to that of Bon Iver or Mumford & Sons. Their music is a beautiful mix of folk, blues, and a good ol' southern feel. Maybe it's because I'm listening to them on a dreary grey day, but they also feel beautifully sorrowful.
Hope you like them!

Check out their website and Myspace.

Love,
Scout