Rose Baby Flower

BLUEWHITE
Words & Music by Grayson Hugh 

                      Here we are now 
        driving through these small stick towns 
                    on a winter day. 
              Thin trees on the hill snow. 
                       Grey wood bone 
      stumps and driftwood on the frozen pond. 
              Crow stands on a pine top. 
      Shall we follow this falling of winter light? 
                And go where it takes us 
                        into the late day 
           where the snow in the shell of the afternoon 
               is a cold bluewhite.
                      Then toast the twilight 
                          pale indigo. 

                  Up in the cornstub fields 
                grey hulls of barns sleeping 
                          leaning, old. 
             Owls know where the moon is. 
                The pale iris imprint bloom. 
                    The town is melting.   
                  Pull our windows down,
       hear the tires whisper black wet smooth. 
         The brook is rising up the stone mill wall.
                   And deep in the forest 
     where the dirt road goes by the high cliff banks 
                    the moss is showing 
                     beneath the snow. 

                        I look at you. 
                   You you you you you.
                My heart starts to bloom. 
               Bloom bloom bloom bloom 
                             bloom 
                      cold bluewhite.
 
                 To the distant fields 
           our eyes travel over the valley 
              to those Bruegel woods
          where the worn light's blurring 
   the candle glow of a foxes’ fur by the stone wall spine.
                    Stars are growing.
      To where shall we go in the shadow of the night? 
               Somewhere foreign and far away.
                  At four o'clock in the morning 
                       by the lake hill shapes 
                           we're wide awake. 
                       Just our small voices
                          snow brume pines.
 
                           I look at you. 
                      You you you you you. 
                    My heart starts to bloom. 
                  Bloom bloom bloom bloom 
                                bloom 
                            I love you.
                   You you you you you. 
                           I love you. 
                     You you you you     
                               you 
                      cold bluewhite. 



© 2010 by Swamp Yankee Music/ASCAP

An American Record

Bluewhite

Greywater

More Than One Way Home

“Divided Kind” (September 13 via Different Time Records) opens with the title track; frontwoman Devin Tuel’s honey-toned vocal accompanied by gospel-tinged piano, deftly broadening to an exuberant celebration of liberation, abetted by a chorus of soaring voices, electric, acoustic, and 12-string guitars, stentorian Hammond B3 organ, communal handclaps and tambourines, and galvanizing bass and drums. That these first four minutes, a veritable wall-of-sound, were performed and recorded completely by the two members of Native Harrow (the aforementioned Devin Tuel and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Harms), augmented solely by a drum kit performance from longtime collaborator Alex Hall (Pokey LaFarge, JD McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms), is perhaps as perfect an introduction as any to their world.

Philly-based Native Harrow have remained largely independent - musically, professionally, and aesthetically, since their beginning, meticulously crafting and perfecting a sound and style that is melded together from pieces of folk, soul, and rock n’ roll. This music is distinctly American (but not Americana…). Or maybe Pan-American. This is the lifetime’s work of two scholars of music whose individual background’s in the arts have forged a strict artistic discipline that exists in sharp contrast to the more traditionally laissez-faire world of rock and popular music. The duo’s songs and albums have thus far completely refused categorization. Either they’ve never been pigeonholed, or if so, they’ve remained completely ignorant to it. Over a catalog of six albums, Native Harrow have produced a discography of “rich, engrossing records” and “instant classics” while single-mindedly following their own artistic code, acquiescing only to the exigence of the song; each song its own world with its own rules. 

Following the eruption of its title track, Side A of “Divided Kind” transitions nimbly through hazy tremolo-laden dusty canyons, past an intimate soulful love letter, and towards a moody anthem of devotion buoyed by propulsive grooves, before ultimately settling on a gentle bird’s-eye-view of love and transcendence. Side B opens with the debut single, “Goin’ Nowhere” a soul transmission over incendiary bass and undulating layers of guiro, congas, tambourines, shakers, and handclaps that sidesteps into moments of infinite dial-toned burnished, Rhodes-propelled soul-jazz and self-assured blues rock à gogo before ending in a spectral folk reading on celestial meditation.

Divided Kind

Goin' Nowhere

Cracked Pepper by Lady of the Red

This is another rare concert record of Sofia Rotaru’s performing Love Blooms Just Once (Тільки раз цвіте любов), written by Ukrainian composer Volodymir Ivasyuk in 1973, which has become a national hit in Soviet Ukraine and across the USSR in 1975, after Rotaru’s stellar performance in the musical film “Song will stay with us”. In 1977, the song was included into Rotaru’s highly acclaimed LP “Sofia Rotaru sings Volodymir Ivasyuk’s Songs”. This live version was aired on Ukrainian radio in 1975 and was recorded on tape in mono quality. Audio was polished and reverbed with Logic Pro. 

Sofia Rotaru - Love Blooms Just Once | Live in 1975 | Софiя Ротару - Тільки раз цвіте любов

Hold My Love

“Divided Kind” (September 13 via Different Time Records) opens with the title track; frontwoman Devin Tuel’s honey-toned vocal accompanied by gospel-tinged piano, deftly broadening to an exuberant celebration of liberation, abetted by a chorus of soaring voices, electric, acoustic, and 12-string guitars, stentorian Hammond B3 organ, communal handclaps and tambourines, and galvanizing bass and drums. That these first four minutes, a veritable wall-of-sound, were performed and recorded completely by the two members of Native Harrow (the aforementioned Devin Tuel and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Harms), augmented solely by a drum kit performance from longtime collaborator Alex Hall (Pokey LaFarge, JD McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms), is perhaps as perfect an introduction as any to their world.
 
Philly-based Native Harrow have remained largely independent - musically, professionally, and aesthetically, since their beginning, meticulously crafting and perfecting a sound and style that is melded together from pieces of folk, soul, and rock n’ roll. This music is distinctly American (but not Americana…). Or maybe Pan-American. This is the lifetime’s work of two scholars of music whose individual backgrounds in the arts have forged a strict artistic discipline that exists in sharp contrast to the more traditionally laissez-faire world of rock and popular music. The duo’s songs and albums have thus far completely refused categorization. Either they’ve never been pigeonholed, or if so, they’ve remained completely ignorant to it. Over a catalog of six albums, Native Harrow have produced a discography of “rich, engrossing records” and “instant classics” while single-mindedly following their own artistic code, acquiescing only to the exigence of the song: each song its own world with its own rules.
 
Formed a decade ago, Native Harrow spent their first five or six years crisscrossing the United States and Canada on numerous tours, averaging more than 150 concerts per year in 47 states and 4 provinces, on the back of two self-released albums, Ghost (2015) and Sorores (2017). In 2019, they released Happier Now, partnering with London alt-country stalwarts Loose Records. The record garnered glowing reviews, with Rough Trade selecting it for its album of the month, writing “Beautifully soaring... rolling grooves ground languid and dreamy clearwater shimmers of sound.” The critical acclaim and Americana chart success of the album prompted three back-to-back UK tours in 2019 and early 2020, ultimately leading to a three-year stint living and touring in the UK and Europe. In this time, Native Harrow released two more critically acclaimed records with Loose; Closeness (2020) and Old Kind of Magic (2022), playing for audiences ranging from rock clubs in Norway and Sweden to opera halls in Portugal, and every stop in-between, as well as performing at festivals such as BST Hyde Park (supporting the Eagles and Robert Plant & Alison Kraus), Greenman Festival, Black Deer Festival, The Great Escape, Celtic Connections, Moseley Folk Festival, SXSW, and many more.
 
Whereas Native Harrow’s previous records have grown increasingly more expansive, both stylistically and in terms of the musical forces applied, “Divided Kind” counters this categorical unfurling with a lateral move towards the ground, with both feet firmly planted, in a folk-soul-rock sound that still explores their love of RnB, jazz, country, and farther-flung inspirations while simultaneously digging in, with more authority, to the musical world they have constructed. Or maybe they’re still searching, and “Divided Kind” is what’s next. Their refusal to be put in a box, and their relentless insistence on catering to the demands of each individual song suggests the latter is likely the truth at hand.
 
Following the eruption of its title track, Side A of “Divided Kind” transitions nimbly through hazy tremolo-laden dusty canyons, past an intimate soulful love letter, and towards a moody anthem of devotion buoyed by propulsive grooves, before ultimately settling on a gentle bird’s-eye-view of love and transcendence. Side B opens with the debut single, “Goin’ Nowhere” a soul transmission over incendiary bass and undulating layers of guiro, congas, tambourines, shakers, and handclaps that sidesteps into moments of infinite dial-toned burnished, Rhodes-propelled soul-jazz and self-assured blues rock à gogo before ending in a spectral folk reading on celestial meditation.
 
“Divided Kind” was produced and recorded by the pair, in their home studio surrounded by the vintage acoustic and electric guitars, dusty semi-functional amplifiers, and out-of-date Rhodes, B3, piano, and assorted percussion they’ve grown accustomed to. Chicago-based Alex Hall was again drafted to add drums and to mix, and Philadelphia drummer and engineer Joshua Friedman mastered the record. London-based musician Joe Harvey-Whyte added the pedal steel to “Borrowing Time”, with all other voices and instruments being performed by Tuel and Harms. “Divided Kind” is available everywhere September 13 on Different Time Records.
 
“Timeless”
— PASTE
 
“Refuses to stagnate”
— THE LINE OF BEST FIT
 
“Exquisite. Expect forays into desert funk, warm ‘70s groove, 
jazz and piano balladry.”
— UNCUT
 
“Reflective, dulcet-toned folk-rock duo with shades of Linda Ronstadt and Carole King… Happier Now was one of 2019’s overlooked gems.”
— THE TIMES

Lady of the Red (a.k.a. Larysa Musick) is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and illustrator with a name that plays on the term femme fetale and nods to her birthplace in the Red River Valley of Canada.

Musically, she draws inspiration from Joni Mitchell, Karen Dalton, Bobbie Gentry, Bonnie Rait, Billie Holiday, Heart and Dolly Parton. The result is a contemporary, eclectic Americana blending elements of country blues and retro soul with free abandon.

Instagram:
@muddymurphy_

https://instagram.com/muddymurphy_?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==

Born and raised in Vermont, independent singer-songwriter Hans Williams grew up listening to the likes of Al Green, Tracy Chapman, Steely Dan and James Brown – all favorites of his parents. After moving to New Orleans for school, he now calls the city home, continually finding inspiration from its deep-rooted musical scene. Crafting music as a form of personal catharsis, Hans channels his emotions into each composition, aiming to provide solace and resonance for others who connect with his work. With his signature raspy vocals that cut deep and a guitar always at the core of his production, his DIY-approach to indie-folk music has connected with audiences worldwide. 

Contact: hanswilliamsmgmt@gmail.com
Booking: joe.wohlfeld@unitedtalent.com

Born in the USSR, raised on reel-to-reel and rhythm. A life soundtracked by Soviet estrada, Euro/Italo disco, and 70s Western funk — reimagined for dancefloors and daydreams.

🌀 From Kyiv, Vilnius, Tbilisi and Moscow’75 to Ibiza and Berlin ’25
Vinyl collector turned sound collagist. Mixing Eastern Bloc nostalgia with soulful tape grit and house grooves.

🎛 Genres: Disco edits • Funk reworks • Estrada • Soul tape collages • Lo-fi groove

📡 New drops weekly | Collabs welcome

“Grayson Hugh is an American original, a singer-songwriter of soulful rhythm and rough-sweet blues.  He is the uncompromising truth in a fake-it-till-you-make-it world.” - Leonard Pitts Jr., Winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, Miami Herald, January 9, 2019
"Grayson Hugh has been there and is back again. His story - our story - has to be heard" - Robert Doerschuk, CMAWorld.com, May 10, 2010.
"Hugh's piano playing is a veritable cyclone of soul, drawing its energy from such diverse regions as the swampland funk of Professor Longhair, the testifying soul of Ray Charles, with rhythms of African drumming and American bluegrass thrown in the mix." - Alt. Country, August, 2010 (Belgium)

New tracks tagged #Folk-soul