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California country is back, and Mustangs of the West are about to ride again with a new single T-Shirt From California which is available now. The Mustangs were an integral part of the budding Los Angeles 80’s and 90’s alt-country scene, opening for Rosie Flores, Jim Lauderdale and Lucinda Williams. An all-female country band, they were an anomaly on the scene and their career paralleled that of the early Dixie Chicks. As band founder Sherry Rayn Barnett reminisced to Bliss Bowen of The Pasadena Weekly, “We were on a lot of the same bills just before the Dixie Chicks broke. We’d be there one week and they’d be there the next.” After seven years of gigging and touring extensively, the band broke up in the mid 90s and eventually scattered to various cities. Twenty years later, the Mustangs are back with a name change, Mustangs of the West, and three of the original members - Sherry Rayn Barnett (electric guitar, vocals), Suzanna Spring (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), and Holly Montgomery (bass, vocals). They’ve also added Suzanne Morissette (drums, vocals) and Aubrey Richmond (fiddle, vocals) to make the fully rounded quintet. Featuring the same three and four-part vocal harmonies, the chemistry of their voices and instruments creates a powerful sound that draws on both country and rock influences. Re-connecting in 2017, Sherry, Suzanna and Holly rekindled their interest in the Mustang sound and decided to take it into the studio where they added Suzanne, a master’s graduate of the Quebec Conservatory of Music, and Aubrey, a native Californian who has spent the last three years touring and recording with Shooter Jennings. The upcoming single, T-Shirt From California, is a sentimental song about love gone wrong, written by lead singer Suzanna Spring with Wes Hightower and recorded at Snuffy Walden’s Taylor Made Studios. “I wrote ‘T-Shirt from California’ when I was living in Nashville and homesick for California,” said Spring. “Sitting on my couch one morning, strumming my guitar, the chorus melody and chorus lyrics came through, almost complete. I took that chorus into a writing appointment with Wes Hightower, and we wrote verses and the story. He had the idea for those great Beach Boys harmonies in the chorus, and Mustangs of the West has such a beautiful vocal blend; it was natural that we'd record this song.” The arrangements were worked out as a band adding jangly guitars and full harmonies. “Originally the song was called ‘She’s Got Your Heart’, but we renamed it ‘T-Shirt From California’, thanks to the suggestion of Nashville journalist Holly Gleason to revisit the title,” Spring explains. “It just FEELS like California at the edge of summer, driving with the top down, Highway 1. Singing the chorus always makes me smile.” Mustangs of the West, like their wild namesakes charging back along the mesa, are ready to make their mark again.
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 Brother sister duo Henley never thought they’d find themselves performing together. Born into a musical family Shea and Sayre both pursued a career in music, however Shea was influenced by the rock and country genres while Sayre often listened to pop music. With a similar goal in mind, it became clear to Shea and Sayre that they should become a duo.
Later making the move to Nashville, Henley started writing their own music. Influenced by the Rascal Flatts, Sayre often writes heartbreak ballads, while Shea wants his music to reflect personal experiences of his own. Their next single Centerline was written with friend Kenneth Duncan. The duo wanted to write an upbeat summer song and with just a guitar riff to go off of, Centerline was written an hour later. To promote the single, Henley will be performing at the Tin Roof in Nashville and throughout the country for the remainder of the year. For now you’ll find Henley’s music on all streaming platforms and on social media at @wearehenley.  Each from their own unique path, The Stubborn Lovers have a sound like you’ve never heard before. Consisting of female members Jenny Taylor and Mandy Allan along with drummer Pearl Nelson, lead guitarist Todd Melton, and steel guitar player Jeff Porter, The Stubborn Lovers enjoy playing off of each others strengths and experiences.
Jenny, the band’s bassist and songwriter, grew up listening to alternative rock. By the age of 19 Jenny had picked up playing the guitar and joined a few bands before making the move to Portland, where the band resides today. After making the move to Portland, Jenny realized her style of songwriting resonated best with the country music genre. Finding country music allows her to tell a story and combine various styles of music, Jenny set out to form a country band, thus The Stubborn Lovers was born. Meanwhile lead vocalist Mandy grew up in the Nashville area, but refused to listen to country music. To escape the country music scene, Mandy moved to Providence where she started her first band. Later moving to Portland Mandy came across The Stubborn Lovers on Craigslist. Rediscovering her roots, Mandy has learned to appreciate country music. In 2015 the group released their debut EP Feathers and Bones. Following a few lineup changes, The Stubborn Lovers returned this year with the release of their single Porch Light written in memory of Jenny’s late grandmother. Now placing the finishing touches on their next album, The Stubborn Lovers have announced that they’ll be releasing new music on August 17th. Hoping to tour on weekends this fall, the group wants to meet as many new faces as they can. Find all their music on streaming platforms everywhere and on their website at www.thestubbornlovers.com.  Southern California-based Country trio Honey County has released a music video for their new single Sale of the Summer, which premiered yesterday on Radio Disney Country.
“We had a blast filming this music video,” said Dani Rose of Honey County. “It was definitely a challenge to film on separate days since Devon, our third member and lead guitarist, was still touring with Katy Perry during our first full day of shooting, but I think it only speaks to how hard-working of a band we are to overcome the roadblocks we face when we're not all in the same room. And we couldn’t be more thrilled that Radio Disney Country is premiering our video!” "Combine three-part harmonies, hooks, and intense girl power and you have one of today's most dynamic and unique Country Music acts, Honey County," said Phil Guerini, VP, Music Strategy DCWW & GM, Radio Disney Network Watch the full music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1yzrPkOrQ.  Country singer songwriter J.Antonette wants to sway the way people view country artists in New York. Originally from a small town in New York Jessica was an active child, often seen playing in the streets until it was time for dinner. Starting off as a songwriter, Jessica never thought she’d become a singer herself. In fact Jessica’s singing career began when she became a background singer for Melissa Etheridge only a few short years ago. Asked by a producer why she wasn’t singing the songs she writes, Jessica put herself out there and hasn’t looked back since.
Singing about her own life experiences, Jessica’s music is relatable while reflecting her silly personality. Now fronting her own original project, Jessica released her EP Paper Trail. However while writing her 5 song EP, this former pop singer noticed a harsh stereotype surrounding New York based country artists or artists not from southern territories. Since then, she has set out to change perceptions through her movement #NYDoesCountry. For the future, Jessica just wishes to continue doing what she loves. As for now you can find J.Antonette’s music on all streaming platforms and on her website at www.jantonette.com/. |