Loud Strange Sometimes Feline

Looking for collaborators, local and not.

Layla Frankel doesn’t fit in a box.
			
When she moved to Nashville she tried. She sought out musical standing in the neatly defined singer-songwriter scene and the cliques of wannabe country stars. But she was too bluesy for the country artists. Too poppy for folk. And she had more soul on stage than most Nashville audiences had seen before.

Raised in a musical family in Chicago, Layla began performing on stage when she was just four years old. Her involvement in the internationally acclaimed Chicago Children’s Choir gave her a foundation in music theory that she still draws on today. The city itself gave her a soundtrack of hip-hop, R&B, and Latin beats. Even her favorite rock station played folk, pop, and blues. That accessibility to so many genres shaped her outlook on what music should be: unbound by labels, and free to experiment with form, sound and musicality.

Over the years, Layla’s music has developed into a form all of its own, with a genre that might be best described as “Soulcana.” It integrates the vocal style of Bonnie Rait and the sophisticated pop sound of Sheryl Crow. It pays homage to the cryptic, poetic lyricism of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. Most notably, it plays with melodies and unexpected chord structures, learned from studying jazz, and showcases her stunning vocal power and agility.  Every song is written with intentional artistry and the mission to tell a story that fans can relate to on some level. From activist-fueled folk song “TLC,” to retro-soul slow jam “Without Suffering,” to a ballad serenading her inner muse, “Josephine, Layla delivers dynamic, genre-bending songs that push the envelope of the traditional love song. 

Layla’s R&B single, “You Can’t Love Me Like I Loved You,” was a finalist in both the 2020 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and The Great American Song Contest, and “Josephine” was a semi-finalist in the Music City Song Star songwriting contest.

Her latest single, Motown-inspired holiday pop song, “Hanukkah Honey,” is set for release in November 2023.

Lake Toba is a lyrical old-timey duo from Eugene, Oregon, featuring tight harmonies and strong instrumentation melded into a unique and intimate experience

Born in Belgium, near the waves of the North Sea.
(Ex-)Composer of poetic and intimate sounds.
(Ex-)Singer of Renaissance Polyphony.
Sometimes those worlds intertwined.

In the mid 2000s, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens said he was going to make on album for all 50 US states, but he gave up after 2 albums because he's a coward. In March of 2020, I banded together with the goofs of the internet while under quarantine to finish this project once and for all. 

- My name is Joey Clift! I'm a comedy writer and I picked up the ball Sufjan Stevens was too scared to carry and took it all the way to the endzone with help from hundreds of people. Follow me on twitter here - https://twitter.com/joeytainment

- First 26 Albums Released on 4/16/20
- 14 More Albums (+2 EPs) Released 5/4/20
- Final 10 States Released: 5/27/20

Glassmen is experimental indie rock with a blend of guitar, organ pedals, drums, and vibrato that is jarring, fragile, sharp, and sometimes spooky.  Sarah Jennings Evans started Glassmen in 2012 after being diagnosed with a rare joint condition that left her unable to use her arms.  She created music with voice, organ pedals, and loops of old recordings.  Guitar came back as her arms recovered.  Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Vivian Lin (TUO TUO) kept busy playing in other people’s side projects (The Party Drug, The Divine Hammers), but was looking for a musical home.  She joined Glassmen in 2015 to add drums and vocals.

Eagan Heath is following