By Greg Walker
Kate Bollinger
Look at it in the Light, Ghostly International
Look at it in the Light, Kate Bollinger’s debut release on Ghostly International, is a soul-searching expedition. “Pleases me to know I might be wrong / if only I had known it all along,” the Charlottesville, Virginia, native sings on “I Found Out,” the EP’s opening track. According to the artist notes on Bandcamp, Light’s title is a “reference to the aspects of Bollinger’s life that she knows need examining.” And examine she does, in an honest, emotionally piercing way that anyone struggling to grow can relate to. The resulting music is as sweet and playful as it gets when you’re tackling tough self-examination. Working with Richmond artists John Trainum and Chris Lewis, Bollinger has been likened to Big Thief, Cat Power, and Weather Station. (As a bonus treat, take a look at Pear Juice Productions’ humorous, charming music video for “Who Am I But Someone,” which captures a throwback feel, with modern sensibilities.) Bollinger takes the stage at The Southern Café & Music Hall on June 18 (release date, April 22).
Work Wear
Charger EP
Films on Song
Sonatine EP, WarHen Records
Whether it’s the Southern-tinged alternative rock of Work Wear or the post-punk of Films on Song, this split EP is a deep musical dive, with three songs from each act. Charger and Sonatine play like a stacked bill at a small club: Work Wear’s songs all pass the seven-minute mark, and brim with vulnerability (“What is it you would say / If I never changed?”) and adventurous guitar breakdowns à la Modest Mouse. Films on Song’s tracks are shorter, and often favor absurdity (“We can leave this planet if you’re bored and want to go / I’d be happy happy to”). It’s a you’ve-been-punked, tongue-in-cheeky taste of what we hope to hear more of from this “small gang of humans.”Check out the double EP on Warhen’s Bandcamp page at a pay-what-you-will price (release date, May 6).
Shadowgrass
Shadowgrass, Self-released
The members of bluegrass country band Shadowgrass met in 2014 at fiddler conventions in southern Virginia and North Carolina, bonded over a love of hot pickin’, and have been traveling the country ever since. The group’s high-energy, soul-resonant music frequently ventures away from traditional bluegrass, and has won a slew of awards.
And whether it’s Grateful Dead’s ”Mr. Charlie” or Hall & Oates’ “Rich Girl,” Shadowgrass’ spin on classics is a progressive, string-rich sound that doesn’t forget where it came from. The band’s solid writing is evident on intricate instrumental tracks like “Carl’s Breakdown” and “Creatures of Havoc,” and the vocally rich “Brushy Mountain Pen” shows a talent for storytelling that might find other musicians covering Shadowgrass songs in the future. Shadowgrass appears on the main stage at HoustonFest in Galax, Virginia, on June 10 (release date, April 29).
