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Zimbabwe-born, Australia-raised artist and musician, Tkay Maidza, grew up playing tennis. Her parents were metallurgists – academics who worked in the field of mining and chemistry – and, as a result, the family moved around Australia often, from Perth to Whyalla, in search of new and better opportunities. Maidza had to learn quickly to rely on herself. That’s exactly what she did – socially, academically and athletically. But, at some point, she outgrew the game. She needed a new focus. That’s when music entered the picture in earnest. For Maidza, music had always been around the family, now it was her turn to try her hand. By making the choice early on to dive into music headfirst, Maidza kick-started a career that will yield her fair share of precious things like gold, silver, platinum and diamonds.

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When Conor Oberst was growing up, there was only one hip record store in town. Oberst, who was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, a town he continues to call home, found the area to be both a blessing and a curse. Omaha, which is the largest city in the state, is only five-percent the size of, say, New York City. But what the region lacked in infrastructure or volume, it enjoyed in comradery and community. Oberst, whose popular band Bright Eyes released its latest record, Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was, this summer (the band’s first in nine years), remembers spending hours in that record shop, flipping through albums and observing gig posters thumb-tacked to the wall.

“There was one cool record store and everything revolved around that,” Oberst says. “That’s where you went to find out about new records and where bands hung their flyers for shows. It was insular but supportive.”

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Nashville-based songwriter, Ingrid Andress, is a “terrible liar.” One listen through her confessional record, Lady Like, which will be re-released as a deluxe version on Friday, and it’s evident: Andress wears her heart on her sleeve as clear as the day is long. On the album, she sings of chance encounters at the bar, broken hearts, family and her signature scuffed-boot-brand of feminism. The deluxe version of Lady Like, which was first released in March just when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, also includes three stripped-down songs at the end of the LP, which both showcase and underscore Andress’ talent for emotive, honest and clear storytelling.

“To me,” Andress says, “it all comes down to the song. For someone who learned how to write in Nashville, there’s something beautiful about listening to a story without all the bells and whistles around it. Those can be fun, too. I enjoy co-producing and turning a song into a wall of sound. But I’m also a sucker for just focusing on the words.”

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Bonnie Bloomgarden, who fronts the Los Angeles-based rock ‘n’ roll band, Death Valley Girls, doesn’t waste precious time. If she’s in a tour van driving from one city to the next, she won’t put something frivolous on the radio. Instead, it’s a potentially world-changing, mind-exploding podcast. Or it’s funk music from a region in Africa recorded in the 1970s that gives her a stronger connection, in some mystical way, to community. Or, when in the studio with her stirring band, Bloomgarden is the type of bandleader who errs on the side of a burst of energy, not painstaking precision, in a given take. That’s why there is such a thick, full boldness to Death Valley Girls’ forthcoming LP, Under the Spell of Joy, out October 2nd.

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Henry Binns, co-founder, along with Sam Hardaker, of the popular electronic band, Zero 7, keeps a garden. There isn’t much else for the artist to do these days in the time of social distancing, COVID-19 and quarantine besides make music and tend to the burgeoning flora. But it’s alright. Both endeavors, actually, are coming along rather nicely. Both are producing. Today, Binns says he has a “lovely, big” garden in his home in rural Somerset, England. And his acclaimed group has a new record, Shadows EP, set for release on October 23rd that features the up-and-coming Australian Jeff Buckley-esque vocalist, Lou Stone. And we’re proud to premiere the EP’s second single, “Outline” today.

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In the history of music, there are major venues like Madison Square Garden, The Gorge or Red Rocks that have long, well-told stories. But there are also smaller, more modest hubs that were, in their own little ways, integral to a thriving sonic movement. In Seattle, Washington during the mid-80s, one of those small hubs was a Kinko’s in the city’s University District. There, eventual Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog drummer, Matt Cameron, would print readers for the nearby University of Washington and, at night, give away hundreds of free leaflet copies to local bands that were making flyers, posters or any number of promotional materials. Cameron was a hero. Still is to many. Especially to those fans of the sludgy rock ‘n’ roll he helped make eternal.

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John Paul Pitts, front man for the West Palm Beach, Florida-based rock ‘n’ roll band, Surfer Blood, remembers boarding an important plane for London. That moment marked perhaps the first major step for the group, which began in 2009. As the band found their seats and put away their bags, Pitts couldn’t help but think about how far the group had come in a short time and how much further they still could go. Since then, the group has enjoyed and endured significant ups and downs, but, nevertheless, the group has subsisted, grown up and enjoyed its hard-earned successes. And today, Surfer Blood is poised to release its latest LP, Carefree Theatre, on September 25th.

“The first time we played in London was a marker of, you know, having actually made it,” Pitts says. “When our first record came out, we went to the U.K. for six-or-seven shows. But being at the airport and getting on that plane, that’s when I was the most excited.”

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In tumultuous modern times, it can be hard to put a sentiment properly into words. So, for Southern California-based songwriter, Zach Gill, he didn’t. During quarantine, the multi-instrumentalist, who also frequently plays with surf-songwriter, Jack Johnson (the two are very close friends), began writing and piecing together a new (mostly) instrumental album, Cocktail Yoga, which features little sonic ecosystems that bubble and bounce, fly and dive from note to note, creating a pleasant, thoughtful palate of music the listener can delve into closely or have in the background like “wall paper.” The nine-song record, which features song titles like “King Dancers Delight” and “Salty Down Dog,” is out today.

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Los Angeles rapper and fashion star, Saweetie (born Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper), is a chameleon. In one moment, she’s in the viral video for her song, “My Type,” atop a basketball rim decked out in sport shorts, talking tough. In another video, she has 8-inch red fingernails clutching a just-as-red solo cup, licking her lips. She spits quick and can ease back on a beat. In other words, Saweetie is comfortable wherever she finds herself. And this knack to switch styles or aesthetics began at a young age, as the eventual world famous artist shuffled between singing Disney princess songs and putting on new outfits as a young person. Now, Saweetie, who recently released the remix for her popular track, “Tap In,” boasts millions of fans and a unique, uncanny ability to fit in wherever she wishes.

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Legendary New York City rapper, Big Daddy Kane, is one-of-one. In fact, sticking to originality is the thesis that has taken him through his creative, groundbreaking life, from winning a Grammy to establishing himself as a fashion icon to releasing his latest song, “Enough,” which vocally and viscerally tackles the frustration and anger Kane feels borne from systemic racism and recent examples of police brutality. The emcee, who was born in 1968, has seen a great deal of life, from the rough and tumble city streets to the ins and outs of the at times seedy music business. Nevertheless, despite the sometimes-drastic highs and lows, Kane keeps a positive demeanor and an uplifted outlook with each day.

“The more time I focus on the negative, the less time I have to get results,” Kane says.

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Legendary KISS guitarist, Ace Frehley, says he remembers the day he saw his future “distinctly.”

Growing up, not only was Frehley a passionate guitar player, but he was also a skilled graphic artist. So, before earning fame and fortune as the face-painted lead riffer of the over-the-top rock group, Frehley had designs on becoming a commercial artist full-time. His father, who was a musician and also taught Sunday School, got Frehley an interview with a friend that owned a deign firm. But, upon entering the company for the visit, Frehley might as well have witnessed a massacre. All he saw were cubicles – and he walked away fast. Ever since, Frehley has gone on to become one of the world’s most famous and successful shredders. That streak continues with his latest LP, Origins Vol. 2, out Sep. 18th.

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When singer-songwriter, Pete Muller, was young, he, like many before him, took piano lessons. He was 10-years-old when he began with classical piano but some five years later, he told his parents he wanted to quit. Classical music wasn’t for him; the strict regimen and memorization didn’t speak to Muller in any artistic way. But, as luck would have it, a friend pointed him in the direction of a jazz teacher in New Jersey who would change Muller’s life forever. Since, Muller has earned attention from The New York Times and People for his songwriting. And we are happy to premiere his latest single, “God and Democracy,” here in American Songwriter Magazine today.

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In 2005, when the Seattle-based, epic rock ‘n’ roll band, Acceptance, put out their debut studio LP, Phantoms, on Columbia Records, it seemed like the world was their collective, proverbial oyster. But, shortly thereafter, the group broke up. The band’s front man, Jason Vena, admits he was the “catalyst” for that breakup. In the ten years between, Vena says, he didn’t keep in contact with the members. There were rumors of arguments and rather unacceptable interpersonal behavior. But, in 2015, that changed.

The band resolved and reunited in Asbury Park’s Skate & Surf venue, which was, serendipitously, the site of their last show a decade prior. Ever since that reunion, the band hasn’t stopped making music. Today, Acceptance is proud to debut the music video for their latest single, “Midnight.”

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When considering the great British singer-songwriter, Michael Kiwanuka, it’s easy to think of his phenomenal voice first. It’s oaken, textured. It’s probably one of the five best male singing voices on the planet today (along with Leon Bridges, Eric Burton, Orville Peck and one other). But Kiwanuka’s path to music didn’t start with his singing voice. Rather, it began with his guitar, an instrument the artist says he was “obsessed” with in secondary school (the equivalent to American high school). Kiwanuka was a musical sponge after he discovered the art form’s importance to his life. His is a deep affection and he brings that to each composition, from new song drafts to his early hits, “Love & Hate” and “Cold Little Heart,” and his 2019 release, Kiwanuka, which is a favorite to win a prestigious 2020 Mercury Prize.

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They say everything is one-part blessing and one-part curse. For Austin, Texas-based songwriter, Kelsey Wilson, who rose to prominence over the years with her band, Wild Child, that is assuredly the case for her relationship to the violin. Wilson, who is set to release her debut solo record, The Bitch EP, under the new moniker, Sir Woman, grew up playing the classical instrument. While she “hated” her lessons and their lack of direction toward self-expression, Wilson grew a proficiency on the violin that would lead her to a 10-year career as a professional artist. But here’s the rub. That time on the road playing an instrument that she never completely bonded with burnt her out. Sir Woman brought her back to life. For evidence of this revival, look no further than her debut single, “Can’t Stay Mad,” which we’re happy to premiere here today.

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