The Heartbeat of EarToTheGround – A folk and acoustic playlist

Ryan David Orr – “The floor of this house”
-The easy going acoustic folk style of this track reflects what we’re all about on this site. There’s a sensibility here that might make you think about CSNY and that’s okay. The connectedness and deep rootedness in the lyrics are fascinating and satisfying. This one’s a keeper.

Cam Monroe – “Secrets”
-Something about Cam Monroe reminds me of Jeremiah Daly, and that’s a huge compliment. His phrasing feels good to me, rolling from one idea to another. When he croons the chorus “am I the only one who knows who I am?” I feel it in a deep place. I used to tell my wife no one knew the REAL me. She forgave me anyways. I think Monroe captures that kind of thing really well here. The balance of melody and lyrics is exceptional.

AdamBricks – “Try”
-Apparently this artist is undergoing a name change. I don’t know which way, though, so I just went with this one. In any event, this is a cool indie rock song. The singer songwriter soul of this reminds me of Kyle Cox and the new order of indie singer songwriters. It’s a cool vibe that’ll get your head nodding in approval with the artist’s attempt to make it work. You’re doing it, dude. Keep it up.

Sheldoncole – “Freak”
-This song has a darkness to it that isn’t typical of our site, necessarily, but he pulls it off really well. The brooding darkness leads from one line to the next. The slow developing style is intriguing, pulling the listener into the lyrics. I like that it’s not formulaic as so much new music seems to be. This really stands out in a good way. The lead vocal, especially, is fantastic.

The Gallerys – “The Lucid Trail”
-This is one of my favorite finds in early 2019. I love the harmonies, obviously, but there’s also a soulful sincerity to the lyrics that win me over as well. I can’t help but compare to bands like Oasis or even (gasp) back to some of the 60s bands like Simon and Garfunkel. This is a really fun and thoughtful song that keeps me coming back to it.

Vern Matz – “Cityscapes”
-There’s a careful line with the whole “understated singer songwriter” vibe. Sometimes it works and sometimes it will make you feel awful. Matz has crafted a subtle sound that is just on the “feels good” side of that genre. It’s got this ambling, hopefulness despite lyrics like “where the stars forget to shine.” The chord progression feels old fashioned and, in a word, happy, despite some slightly despairing lyrics. It’s worth a spin.

Ginerva – “Lips”
-Take a dash of modern indie pop music and insert some classic, timeless piano work, and top it off with a world class female vocalist. That’s what I feel listening to this track from Ginerva, a genre-bending (or maybe blending) piece that has all sorts of emotion in it. If sound can be tactile, Ginerva has captured that. Everything from the piano strings to the perfectly balanced vocal, this is an exquisite piece of art.

John McGlynn – “Sarah Jane”
-If love songs are your thing, you’ll love John McGlynn’s latest track “Sarah Jane.” I love the phrasing on the acoustic guitar and then the quality on the lead vocal. When the other strings (a cello, I think?) enter the track, you will positively melt. I have never been to London, but this song makes me want to walk its streets with my wife. There’s a sentiment in this song that feels like it could be 200 years old and no one would be the wiser. Beautiful articulation from start to finish.

John Adams – “Flames”
-This neosoul track has a ton of energy to it. It’s the kind of song that comes through our submission process and we can’t help but think, “oh yeah.” It puts a big smile on my face from the production to the lead vocal. It’ll make you sway and sing along. It’s about the complexity (ups and downs, you might say) of a relationship. The big pop sound works on this one.

Abigail Lapell – “Down by the water”
-We love supporting traditional music and we just don’t get that much in our submissions. Imagine our joy when we found Abigail Lapell’s sincere acoustic work here. Her vocal sounds like it was born in the hills (like my ancestors). It’s a superbly sweet song about the joy that music can bring to our ordinary lives. It’s almost an anthem for what ETTG is all about. This duo is such a gift.