Five to Discover: Acts You Need To Know

In this – the age of the Coronavirus – many of us are stuck at home, isolated with only TV screens and the glow of laptops and phones to keep us connected. In other words, there isn’t much to do.

However, one thing that is available to us all is the wide world of recorded music. And now is as good a time as ever to get to know some bands you may not have heard of but ones that you will assuredly enjoy, dear reader.

So, buckle up and get ready for a digital ride around Seattle (twice!), Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Nashville.

Maya Marie, “All I Had,” Seattle
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The Emerald City’s Maya Marie has a voice like a bell. It rings out, chimes, gongs. You get a sense that her musical sensibility is but the mallet or clapper and the knowledge of where and when to strike the hard iron walls. Swinging atop some steeple atop some hill miles from town, the bell meets one end of its arc and begins the dip to its next. The bell cries out as Marie sings in harmony once again.

The Kathy Moore Super Power Trio, “Someday We’ll Fly,” Seattle
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There’s a restrained elegance to the opening of this song composed by the new, upper-cutting rock band. “Someday We’ll Fly” was written to remember the fallen Seattle musician, Shawn Smith, who was both close to the band’s front woman, Kathy Moore, and to, seemingly, every other important musician in Seattle since The Sonics. To bring this memorial to a peak, Moore bucks the elegance about 4-minutes in for Prince-like soloing prowess. Get your tissues ready.

Lizzy McAlpine, “Give Me a Minute,” Philadelphia
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Lean in and listen. The leaves have melodies. The branches have rhythms and beats. Your words aren’t just references and ideas, they are solos creating a bridge to an unknown future. Are you composing the right song for your journey forward? This is the underlying whisper to the new track from Philly’s Lizzy McAlpine (who, rumor has it, is studying music in Boston). Plan, do what you can. Time is ticking away and sheets of music are floating to the floor.

Tommy Siegel, “Anything At All,” Brooklyn
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Some people are gifted, others are gifted twice. Musician Tommy Siegel is an excellent songwriter but the artist is also a skilled cartoonist and illustrator. His work has been highlighted by celebrities and politicians and, here in this delightful music video for the new track, “Anything At All,” Siegel utilizes his dual talents to create a magically-imbued work that would make both new and seasoned music fans smile. What a treat!

Luke Schneider, “Anteludium,” Nashville
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In a world where new songs emerge seemingly every nanosecond, it’s nice to be able to find some space to take a deep breath. To use a metaphor – sure, sometimes fighting the surf or bobbing in the rapids is pleasant. But there are other occasions when you want to be in the center of a still lake and float on a rubber raft, drifting in and out of consciousness. Nashville composer, Luke Schneider, allows you to do just that with your ears.