Zoe & Cloyd - Victoria Staff - Burr Island - Anya Baghina
In May, Asheville, North Carolina duo Zoe & Cloyd will release their album, Songs of Our Grandfathers, which weaves together the musical legacies of Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller’s families. Both of their grandfathers were hard-working practitioners of musical styles — klezmer and bluegrass — birthed in two different cultures and originally separated by thousands of miles, yet Weinstein and Miller artfully blend them in exciting and innovative ways.
Ahead of the album release, Zoe & Cloyd have released four singles from the album, and now they share a music video for one, “We’ll Meet Again Sweetheart,” from the rich bluegrass heritage of John Cloyd Miller’s grandfather.
Says Miller, “This classic bluegrass number was one of four sides my grandfather Jim Shumate recorded with Flatt & Scruggs for the Mercury label in 1948. That early lineup of the Foggy Mountain Boys — featuring Jim, Mac Wiseman, Cedric Rainwater and, of course, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs — was a force of nature and set the standard for bluegrass moving forward. We were excited to revisit the energy and tastefulness of that iconic recording." It’s a track that will bring a smile to those who know every note of the vintage recording even as it reflects Zoe & Cloyd’s unique creative touches.
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This is a thoughtful and beautiful song that is delivered with vocals that are full of touching emotion and combine wonderfully with a perfectly matched musical backdrop.
Victoria Staff has the following to tell us: "Is it a cliche to say I don't remember not writing music? You can blame my parents for putting me in piano lessons at five, they say it "developed character." But from day one, I was more interested in playing the pieces I made up than the music I was assigned.
I write music for the same reasons I run and bake and hang out with friends and family – it makes me feel better, and I'll continue to write music as long as it makes me happy. And that's what I want you to hear in my music, holding on to the memories I want and finding a way to process the memories I need to let go of.
There was a coffee shop in Vancouver that I spent a lot of time in while I lived there. It shut down during the pandemic and I was devastated. First and foremost – they had INCREDIBLE banana bread and chai lattes, but also this shop was a keystone in my Vancouver life and it was gone forever.
I wrote "Olive and Ruby" so I could try to hold onto the way I remembered the cafe. I didn't want it to be one of those memories that just turns lackluster with time and fades. I wanted to make sure I held onto all the little bits that made that place familiar."
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From the UK’s West Country, duo and best friends, Tom England and Oskar Porter, are to release their stunning debut single ‘Distant Stars.’ Recorded at Kundalini Studios in Devon and produced by Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene/Paul Weller/The Specials/P.P. Arnold), the song explores themes like the expansiveness of the cosmos and how selflessness can allow us to open up to the boundless beauty of the universe.
Burr Island say, “It's about trying to discover a greater truth in life through someone we love.” With its raw instrumentation, tight harmonies, and bursting positivity, ‘Distant Stars’ will leave you feeling uplifted and full of life. Having harnessed a core following round the Glastonbury type fields of yore, Burr Island are an Alternative Indie Folk duo, whose close harmonies have brought comparison to the iconic Simon & Garfunkel, however, their originals and equally introspective lyrics bring new meaning to that golden era of San Francisco ‘happening’ hippie spirit, as channelled through their beloved West Country, as they take you on their own Burr Island; an intimate, melodic journey and state, in search of meaning and humane value.
The duo, born in 2022 after a decade of friendship, explore themes of growth, beauty, and truth in their music. The West Country pair grew from strength to strength in 2022 with several headline shows, plus recording at Kundalini Studios in Devon with Steve Cradock (OCS). In September, they supported Steve Pilgrim & Paul Weller at Union Chapel in London, before embarking on their biggest venture yet, a UK December Tour supporting Ocean Colour Scene, playing at multiple O2 Academy venues and music halls. They’ve since landed a live agent, PR and a very passionate team who intend to see Burr Island break through to a mainstream audience as only the very best do.
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Indie pop artist Anya Baghina is proud to release “For Now”, the lead single from her upcoming self-titled album. due for release this summer. Anya Baghina spends "For Now" self-analyzing and talking to herself, trying to understand why she makes certain life choices and how to follow her own intuition rather than others'. It's about accepting insecurity and doubt, realizing you don't have to follow another's path or follow someone's footsteps.
Anya Baghina releases her debut self-titled LP on June 23rd, 2023. It was mixed by Lucas Knapp (Dear Life Records, Double Double Whammy), mastered by Elaine Rasnake at Daughterboard Audio, and produced by Jonathan Franco. Accessible melodies are balanced with sometimes nonlinear song structures and progressive arrangements, ranging from shoegazey dream pop to slide guitar-fuelled jangly indie folk to synth-driven ambient soundscapes to distorted indie rock. Its lyrics oscillate from resigned to hopeful, biting to patiently observant, and grief-stricken to something approaching peace.
In "For Now", Anya Baghina says she is talking to herself, trying to figure out why she's made certain decisions in life and how to follow her own guidance. "When I mention 'her' in the song, it’s a personal reference to my mother, who passed away in 2017. It’s about coming to terms with insecurity and doubt, and realizing you don’t have to follow a path that is laid out for you. As a result of my efforts to become the person she wanted me to be, I lost myself. During that time, I created an artist residency as a safe place for grief and re-discovery. It was my opportunity to 'take a seat and listen carefully' and find my own voice" says Baghina.
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