LA-based singer-songwriter Marlon Rabenreither has been cutting his tonal teeth in the City of Angels for the last decade and a half with bands like The Sister Ruby Band and C.G. Roxanne And The Nightmares, before establishing his own melodic moniker Gold Star shortly after. While expressing an atmospheric attitude that pulls from several elements of previous decades, Rabenreither’s ability to bridge those generational gaps is both exciting and compelling as his journey continues to unfold like a perfectly preserved Lincoln Rose in the dead of winter/

Having worked with artists such as the late great Rodriguez, Sean Hayes, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and the mighty Tom Waits, to name a few, LA-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Seth Ford-Young has been building a career in music for over four decades. Having come from the highly influential punk/hardcore and DIY culture in DC in the 1980s, the musician eventually relocated to the West Coast, where he eagerly established the creatively conscious collective Phi-Psonics. Over the years, Young has carefully constructed a brilliant and electrifying ensemble of musicians and collaborations to help explore the band’s never-ending nature of composition, timing, and radical responses to the intense identity of what being in a band is really about.

Mariam Saleh, known professionally as Bong Wish, is a Palestinian-American singer-songwriter based in Massachusetts, whose critical connection to the lyrical legends of the past bridges a biblical bond that can be heard from one end of the earthly equator to the next. Former bassist for the revered garage rock outfit Fat Creeps, Saleh ventured into the solo realm with her critically acclaimed 2023 debut, “Hazy Road,” and has since carved out a poetic place for her atmospheric abilities as a stand-alone force in the never-ending narrative of human expression.

Nathaniel Russell is a brilliant multi-disciplinary artist and musician based in Indianapolis, Indiana, whose work connects the startling subconscious with everyday imagery that provokes the juxtaposition of youth. While meditating in various media like print, music, drawings, paintings, murals, sculptures, set designs, posters, books, and commercial illustrations, Russell’s elemental efforts manage to carry melodic moments from one emotion to the next, and without any hesitation, to connect to something deeper and poetically powerful.

From Montreal to Durham, Joshua Tree, and Nashville, Alex Nicol, a singer-songwriter originally based in Canada, is a self-made wordsmith whose vision for himself in the Volunteer State is something straight out of the liberating literature of legends and tall tales, which Nashville is infamously known to ask of its sonic subjects over the decades. Crashing landing in Music City, Nicol got busy investing in his visceral vision for a creative career steeped in melodic meditation by linking up with one of his harmonious heroes, M.C. Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger), making not only his dreams of working with one of the greats come true, but putting forth his greatest effort yet, “Only Hoping,” which is swt for release October 2nd. A captivating body of work that pairs well with the ghostly glow of the melodic moonlight, which reveals a poetic pathway to the harmonies of the heart, similar to that of Neil Young or F.J. McMahon. Nicol may be new to town, but his distinctive drawl on sophisticated songwriting is a fantastic forest whose roots run deep through the essence of its ecosystem, while simultaneously summoning the true response to lyrical legitimacy.

A supergroup? The melodic manifestation after years of cosmic coincidence? Whatever it is, the California-based duo Western Extra, consisting of members Chris Rose (Vampire Hands, Robust Worlds, Web of Sunsets) and Donovan Quinn (Skygreen Leopards, New Bums), released their dynamic debut “Zig Zags on the Book of Changes” without hesitation over the summer, and thank God they did. We sit down with Quinn to discuss the band’s origins, which he says dates all the way back to 1997, the project’s overall process, and approach for bringing this brilliant body of work to life, working with the legend himself, Ben Chansy, and bringing on members Andrew Mart and Leslie Medford to help further expand the whispering wisdom that is Western Extra.

From the sonic soul and meditative mountains of the Primitive Guitar culture, Argentine-based saint of strings Mariano Rodriguez has been on the scene for over a decade and a half, while carrying the cosmic torch of some of his heroes like John Fahey, Robbie Basho, and several others. Having participated in some of the genre’s most critical compositions, such as “Imaginational Anthem, Vol. 7,” “Basket Full of Dragons (A Tribute To Robbie Basho Vol. 2),” and “Ten Years Gone: A Tribute to Jack Rose,” Rodriguez has placed himself amongst the greats, and will go down in harmonious history as one himself.

Indianapolis, Indiana-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and sonic student of experimental exploration Landon Caldwell has been on the melodic market for nearly two decades. Having participated in groups such as Burnt Ones, Thee Open Sex, and Creeping Pink, Caldwell’s incredible output is nothing to take for granted. Blending and bending genres from one end of the galaxy to the other, Caldwell’s alchemical abilities to shift sounds and tonal textures into this fever dream of tangible teachings are sophisticated, as demonstrated throughout his diverse catalog of cosmic content.

Some have hobbies, while others passionately and obsessively collect anything and everything on their favorite and most cherished subject(s). This is the case for Miami, Florida-based Deadhead, archivist, and vintage seller of all things Grateful Dead, Jesse Lockwood. A fan whose cosmic connection to the Dead is universally undeniable, what makes Lockwood’s collection, and passion project, Primarily Dead, so incredible, is the deadly dedication to the band’s harmonious history and iconic impact on society through their mostly bootlegged merch. The electrifying ecosystem surrounding the Dead, specifically in the 1980s and 1990s, in parking lots around the country, is just as infamous as the shows they played. From the band’s crucial community and cosmic commitment to making ‘unofficial’ merch, taping shows, and carrying the tonal torch for all to hear and wear, their culture and history have only grown stronger since the passing of the late, great Jerry Garcia in the summer of 1995. While peering into the fragile fibers of the vintage clothing world, one may notice the varying prices, rarities of certain items, and climate in which they dwell, but for Lockwood, it’s all about the music. These garments speak of an endless treasure trove of melodic memories that continue to carry on through their brilliant graphics, stains, pinholes, and scars worn proudly by those who celebrate the past, present, and future of The Dead’s touch on the human experience.

From Philly to the Big Apple to LA, Swimming Bell’s Katie Schottland has quite a unique connection, and an anatomical approach to music, having started playing later in life than the more typical start-up when you're a teenager first finding your parents’ or grandparents’ record stash up in the attic. While making her critical connection to writing and recording music is nothing short of a melodic miracle, Schottland hit the ground running towards the end of her 20s and hasn’t looked back since. With the release of her 2017 debut “The Golden Heart,” the musician immediately gained momentum, conjuring a lush and wonderful body of work that transcends both Coasts by effortlessly expressing the country’s beautiful bookends the way Mitchell and Parton did during their romantic reign on the people’s psyche. Following up on last year’s full-length LP, “Charlie,” Schottland has returned with an electrifying EP, “Somnia,” set for release later this month on Perpetual Doom. We sat down to chat with her about her early years in Philly before relocating to Brooklyn to attend acting school. Quickly shifting mediums and focus, she began playing music as Stills before starting Swimming Bells, and the rest is history, as they say.

From the rich realms of one of the country’s most influential states for music, art, and creative culture, Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based folk, and purveyors of psychedelic perfection, Blue Cactus, have melodically made a name for themselves in this crazy world. Consisting of members Mario Arnez and Steph Stewart, the group has evolved into an electrifying effort in the endless eternity of songwriting where conquering your craft is just one poetic particle in the universe of unity. With a brand new album, “Believer” set for release later this month, we had the band sit down to tell us their story, and the journey from the end of the soul to the other.

What hasn’t Rademaker done, and where hasn’t he been in all his epic years surfing the sonic soundscapes of music? A veteran in the iconic industry who supported bands such as Billy Idol, The Feelies, Meat Puppets, and The Pixies, Rademaker occupied several outstanding outfits, most notably The Tyde. A blistering body of work that echoes the legendary layout of Soft Machine’s volume-based catalog, the band has ultimately stood the test of time by demonstrating a retro resilience in sound, survival, and soothing situations. From Illinois to Florida, LA, and back to the Sunshine State, Rademaker, alongside his brother Brent, a member of the legendary Beachwood Sparks, has sealed their legitimate legacy in music and its harmonious history just as all sonic siblings have of the past. Not everyone is offered this unique universality in the timeline of existence, but if the moment should manifest itself, you seize it.