Trail Mix | July 2016

We’re a few days late in getting the July mix out and into your ears, but I think you’ll agree that the holiday break made the wait worthwhile.

Featured this month is a track a band whose name sums up, perhaps more than any other, the Trail Mix experience – National Park Radio. This Arkansas quintet’s moniker so aptly brings to mind what this mix is all about – getting outside with music. It’s also perfectly fitting that National Park Radio’s blend of rootsy Americana and bluegrass meshes perfectly with what Trail Mix showcases each month. Check out “There is a Fire,” from the band’s debut record that drops later this month, on the mix.

British folk trio Bear’s Den caught my ear late in 2014, when the band released its debut album, Islands. This month, Bear’s Den returns with its sophomore release, Red Earth & Pouring Rain, and the mix is happy to feature the first single from the record, “Auld Wives.”

Cereus Bright, from Knoxville, Tennessee, is a band that has been on my radar for a while. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the band’s newest release, Excuses, was also its first. This is a band worth getting to know, and you can commence your introduction by checking out “River Run” right here.

Of course, we are just scratching the surface so far. There’s still lots of great stuff to check out. New tunes from The Motet, J.D. Malone & The Experts, and The Way Down Wanderers await.

Also, be sure to check out the new tunes from Moon Bros., Amy Blaschke, Ted C. Fox, Marley’s Ghost, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Luke Whittemore, Greg Humphreys Electric Trio, Fialta, Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer, and Libby Koch.

Stay tuned to the Trail Mix blog this month. Scheduled are chats with the guys behind Abide Drum Company, The Americans, Bear’s Den, and Tommy Womack.

And, as always, seek out some of the records from these artists who have shared their music with Trail Mix. Dig a track? Buy a record. Go to a show. Tell a friend. Help spread the word about these musicians making great roots music.

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