Felton Music Review — October

While Covid-19 continues to keep us in our homes, it does allow us all to spend more time with the things we love or maybe things we have forgotten. For us at Felton Music Hall it has kept us closer to our stereos and has allowed us dig into some really great music.

Below is a list of songs we’ve been listening to in October of 2020. We celebrate new music, local music & toward the end we honor some of the many musicians who have passed away in recent months. We hope you enjoy our first installment of Felton Music Review.

Please follow up here on Medium & on Spotify to keep up with our posts & playlists.

And in the meantime, let us know what you’ve been listening to…we’d love to hear it!

Collie Buddz — “Brighter Days”

• Felton Music Hall alumni Collie Buddz has dropped a new banger, perfectly timed for that last minute end-of-summer-and-into-fall-backyard-hang.

Hiss Golden Messenger — “Brown Eyed Woman”

• Grateful Dead songs are like blank canvases. They will allow artists, for generations to come, to paint their own masterpieces on the foundations they have laid. This cover from Hiss Golden Messenger is one of our favorite renditions.

Jackson C. Frank — “Blues Run The Game”

• Jackson C. Frank is a mysterious folk troubadour. He was like a spirit that few got to know, yet he was one who many accomplished musicians admired. He released his first & only record in 1965, which was produced by Paul Simon. Unfortunately due to numerous personal issues, along with being diagnosed with schizophrenia, Frank was never able to have the illustrious career many expected him to. Even through all his hardships and little recognition in the 1960’s, his music in 2020 still lives on, influencing folk artists to this day.

Pacific Range — “Comin’ After You”

• One of the most exciting young bands on the jam circuit, Pacific Range (who opened for Howlin’ Rain in Felton), recently released their debut record High Upon The Mountain. One of their most enticing songs on the record is “Comin’ After You.”

Coffis Brothers — “Beating Myself Up”

• Felton natives, Jamie & Kellen Coffis just released a new record entitled In The Cuts, drawing on folk & rock influences young & old. Part rock revival, part modern folk, the record is a huge jump for one of California’s most exciting up & coming bands. One of our favorite tracks on there is “Beating Myself Up.”

Pacific Roots — “Run Dem Trees”

• Santa Cruz has a long history of producing amazing reggae bands, and Pacific Roots seem to be next in line to take the torch from the greats who came before them. Their new music has slicker production & tighter musicianship, which is really showcased on “Run Dem Trees.” Be on the look out for more Pacific Roots shows in Felton this fall & winter!

Neil Young — “We Don’t Smoke It No More”

• Neil Young’s (a Catalyst alumni) “new” album Homegrown was recorded between 1974 & 1975 following On The Beach, but remained archived until June of 2020. One of our favorite tracks on the record is “We Don’t Smoke It No More”, a sultry, blues-rock song ripe for boomer & millennial appreciation alike.

Bobcat Rob & the Nightly Howl — “Engineer”

• Santa Cruz based artist Bobcat Rob seldom disappoints with his music, and his new track “Engineer” is a delightfully wispy Americana banger.

The 1975 — “Birthday Party”

• Since their debut in 2013, few bands have been as consistent as The 1975. On their new album the band explores tons of new sonic territories, but one of the many highlights is the slow-burning-banjo-laced-anthem “Birthday Party.”

The Movement — “Alien”

• CaliRoots recently produced their first Riddim Compilation, which takes a series of artists who record their own unique track over a singular beat (or riddim). This year’s riddim was made by Collie Buddz and the compilation featured artists such as Ozomatli, SOJA, Pepper, Iya Terra & The Expendables. One of our many favorites from the record was The Movement’s stand out track called “Alien.”

Gary Blackburn — “Streak Of Gray”

• One of Santa Cruz’s most loved songwriters, Gary Blackburn, recently put forth a handful of new tracks, one being the front porch swinging, cold beer drinking tune, “Streak Of Gray.”

HAIM — “Summer Girl”

• HAIM, America’s most divisive band, just released their third & best record to date entitled Woman In Music, Pt III. The final track on the album “Summer Girl” (which was released last summer) draws on the influence of Lou Reed. Many feel like it’s a rip off, we just think it’s good, fun music…art inspires art, and ”Summer Girl” illuminates that very idea.

The Call — “I Still Believe”

• One of the COVID binge shows we dove into this summer was Waco. Waco was a miniseries dramatizing the battle between David Koresh’s Branch Davidians & The FBI. During one of the many stand offs, Koresh defiantly plays “I Still Believe” loudly through the speakers as the FBI listens on. The song is absolutely incredible and it was arguably one of greatest take away from the show it self. If you don’t know it already, you’ll be happy you discovered it here.

John Craigie — “I Am California”

• Craigie’s breakout song “I Am California” ages like the wine he sings about, getting better with every spin; and with more time, Craigie’s love balled to California will surely place itself alongside Zeppelin & Joni as one of the best songs ever written about the Golden State.

Eddy Davis & Woody Allen — “Lonesome Blues”

The Charlie Daniels Band — “Saddle Tramp”

Wallace Roney — “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Joe Diffie — “Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox (If I Die)”

Ennio Morricone — “Gabriel’s Oboe”

John Prine — “I Remember Everything”

• Loved banjo player & long time collaborator with Woody Allen, Eddy Davis, Southern Rock legend Charlie Daniels, Grammy Award winning trumpet player Wallace Roney, chart topping country crooner Joe Diffie, beloved film composer Ennio Morricone & one of folk music’s greatest voices John Prine have all passed away in recent months. Their music speaks louder than any words we could say here, so we’ll let them take us out on this mix.