Author: Jonathan Frahm

Album | Twisted Oak – Cold Coffee and Half Smoked Cigarettes

Rarely does it seem that even contemporary folk releases on the indie scene wear their hearts on their sleeves as wholly and evidently as Twisted Oak’s Cold Coffee and Half Smoked Cigarettes. Its influences and central themes are presented right on…

Album | Steve Wheeler – Stormseeker

The titular opener of Steve Wheeler’s Stormseeker wouldn’t feel unfit in a cinematic score. As raucous strings soar with abandon, pounding percussion drives the track forward as it continuously builds in tempo. An operatic section liberates itself as bombastic horns sound…

Album | Geoff Gibbons – Shadow of a Stone: Songs of Remembrance

Basking in understated poignancy, Geoff Gibbons’ Shadow of a Stone EP is a potential sleeper hit on the indie folk scene. Inundated by lush production and lyric-focused arrangements, the Vancouver singer-songwriter’s intimate knowledge of what makes contemporary folk shimmer stands to…

Single | Julia King – Cannonball

Unlike many acts who bill themselves as a cross between pop, folk, rock, and soul, Julia King has synthesized these genres into something cohesive and trained. Moreover, it’s undeniably her, representing a ‘Julia’ state of mind more than anything. Each…

Album Premiere | Alex Dunn – Scattered Poems

With his debut album, Scattered Poems, Alex Dunn proudly walks in the footsteps of singer-songwriters who have laid Seattle’s unwittingly roots-laden musical foundation. A gateway of the Gold Rush, Washington has a hefty catalog of warm folk songwriting enveloped in the…

Video Premiere | Joe Goodkin – What Remains is Love

In the end, love is the answer. This philosophy may well be as timeless as love itself as an end-all answer to what has, is happening, and has happened. It’s no wonder that the meditative ponderance is at the center…

Premiere | Jane Frank – Practical Jackets

On her newest single, Jane Frank lays it out, well, frankly. The San Francisco indie artist revels in musical influences ranging in eras as far back as 1950s rock’n’roll to more contemporary alternative facets. That much is evident from the…

Premiere | Christine Fellows – Roses on the Vine

The titular single of Christine Fellows’ forthcoming album, ‘Roses on the Vine’ is every bit as hauntingly poignant and emotive in its sparse, wistful, and warmly-crafted folk as you can imagine. Hot on the heels of a charming craftwork affair…

Interview | FFS 5 Q&A with James Houlahan

Four albums deep, James Houlahan is still reveling in the wonder and imagination of the record-making process. His new LP, The Wheel Still in Spin, drifts through varied states of being, musically and lyrically evoking the stillness against constant motion…