So Far, So Good 2016

A little later than usual but here's my annual list of my favorite songs of the year so far! Hope you find some new favorites here!

So Far, So Good 2016

1. Blurred Vision...Andrew Morstein
2. Broken... Maggie Rose
3. On The Blvd...Chris Ayer
4. Uncontainable...Set It Off 
5. Glow Like The Moon...Dave Barnes
6. Where I Thought I'd Be...Hailey Steele
7. Show You the World...The Alternate Routes
8. Smoke...Matt Wertz
9. Asking For A Friend...Native Run
10. Cinderella...Boyce Avenue
11. My Church...Maren Morris
12. Oh Canada...Missy Higgins
13. Someday...Jesse Terry & Abbie Gardner
14. Without You...Parachute
15. Looking Up...SafetySuit
16. Little Thing Called Love...Melodime
17. Think of You...Chris Young (Duet with Cassadee Pope)
18. Kisses at Airports...Cassadee Pope
19. Keep Shinin On...Kari Kimmel
20. Ordinary Life...Wild Wild Horses
21. Hallelujah...Panic At The Disco
22. You, Me & the Sea...Green River Ordinance
23. We Are...Natalie Stovall & The Drive
24. If You Want The Rainbow...Leftover Cuties
25. Drive It Like You Stole It...Hudson Thames (from the movie Sing Street)
26. Generation Rent...Megson
27. Other Kids...Before You Exit
28. Better...Haley Reinhart
29. Don't Give Up...Toby Lightman
30. Shed A Little Light... Maccabeats & Naturally 7 (James Taylor Cover)

Best of 2015 (Jan 4, 2016)

Happy New Year!  This blog has been quiet for the last 6 months but never fear, our Best of 2015 list is finally here!  Be sure and take a listen to some of this great new music!! There is no particular order other than what I thought sounded good as if this were a compilation album. The songs are not ranked, they all deserve a place on the list.

Best of 2015
1. I Hear Your Voice...The Empty Pockets
2. Katie...Von Grey
3. Brand New...Ben Rector
4. For A Moment...Distant Cousins
5. Who Do You Love...Marianas Trench
6. You Matter To Me....Sara Bareilles (featuring Jason Mraz)
7. Vintage...High Dive Heart
8. Quit Pulling Me Down...Secret Someones
9. Middle of America...Will Hoge
10. Holding Her Freedom...Gabe Dixon
11. The Corner Dwellers...Vocal Few
12. Cathedrals...Ruby Amanfu
13. Run Away...Darling Parade
14. Back To You...Canyon City
15. Comfort...Carbon Leaf
16. The Other Side...Aaron and Andrew
17. Same As You...The Silent War
18. Love That Lasts...Tim Halperin
19. Necessary...Michael Tolcher
20. The Loneliness Waltz...The Ballroom Thieves
21. I Want That...Good Graeff
22. Life We Chose...Jared & The Mill
23. Let It Burn...Magic Giant
24. Camp...Pen Pals
25. Comets...Charlie Simpson
26. I'm A Man...Andrew Morstein
27. Gibbberish...MAX (featuring Hoodie Allen)
28. May I Suggest...Dan Nichols, Rosalie Boxt, Ellen Dreskin and Josh Nelson

So Far, So Good 2015 (July 5, 2015)

July 1, 2007 - No More Kings - the first blog post of the Emerge Music Group.  Now, 8 years and over 400 bands later, it's time to change things up.  I haven't missed a week of posting in 8 years no matter what was going on in my work or personal life.  And while I won't be posting every Sunday as I have been, I will still be sharing my favorite new bands with anyone who wants to read about them so be sure to follow me on Twitter (@emergemusic) and keep an eye on our Facebook Page and Blog when there is more to share than just a quick tweet.

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this and read some of these - hopefully you've found some new bands/music that has made your day/week/life better.  It's been fun sharing all of these bands with you!

To round out 8 great years of blogging I am happy to share my mid-year "best of" list - "So Far, So Good 2015" - the best songs I've heard during the first half of the year. Some of these songs are brand new, some of them were just new to me.  Either way, I hope everyone can find a few songs to enjoy from this list!

So Far, So Good 2015
*Tracks are in alpha order by first name of artist/band.

1. The Other Side - Aaron and Andrew
2. I'm Ready - AJR
3. Shine On - Alan Doyle
4. Too Far - Alex G
5. Noah - Amber Run
6. Dial Tones - As It Is
7. Wild Woman - The Ballroom Thieves
8. Just The Same - Barnaby Bright
9. Left The Broken - Bethan Leadley
10. Winter Hymns - Charlie Simpson
11. Wasting Water - Connor Zwetsch
12. Boston Town - Della Mae
13. The Way She Walks - Dirty Loops
14. I Hear Your Voice - The Empty Pockets
15. FourFiveSeconds (Cover) - Gentleman's Rule
16. Like A Drum - Guy Sebastian
17. Vintage - High Dive Heart
18. Mad Mission - Honor By August
19. Weapons - Hudson Taylor
20. Let You Go - Irene & The Sleepers
21. Hold On - Jared & The Mill
22. Would You Know - Leah Capelle
23. Shut Me Up - Lindsay Ell
24. Other Suns - Magic Giant
25. Billion - Mat Kearney
26. Catch & Release - Matt Simons
27. Necessary - Michael Tolcher
28. You Life Me Up - Mikey Wax
29. We're All In This Together - Sam Roberts Band
30. Same As You - The Silent War
31. Our Streets - Stokeswood
32. Getaway - Strange Fiction 
33. Love That Lasts - Tim Halperin
34. Downtown - Whitehorse
35. Middle of America - Will Hoge
36. Mrs. Magoo - Witchita 

Have a great week and enjoy the music!

Ira

High Dive Heart (June 28, 2015)

If there was a check list for what you need to be successful in the music business in 2015, High Dive Heart is getting a check mark next to every item on that list.  They are a duo that features great male and female lead vocals, their songs are catchy and upbeat, their music can easily be categorized as pop, acoustic or contemporary country, and they have that "Mumford-esque" quality at times that everyone is in love with right now.  Their first single, "Vintage" is one of my favorite songs of the year and is doing well on Spotify now which will hopefully translate to radio play soon. They have a 4 song EP available now on Noisetrade which I highly recommend. More music is coming soon and check out the video for Vintage below!




Have a great week and enjoy the music!
Ira

Bethan Leadley (June 21, 2015)

Lab Records has done it again.  I hop on to their website to make sure I haven't missed any new signings or releases and there she is - Bethan Leadley (or "Musican Bethan" as she's sometimes listed).  A few youtube videos and iTunes samples later and I'm downloading her EP "New Kinda New" and loving each of the 4 songs.  I don't know a lot about her - she's British, she can sing, she can write and she has that special quality in her voice that got me hooked quickly.  Looks like more music is on the way in the near future but for now check out "Left The Broken" and see the video for "Safe Lined" below.




Have a great week and enjoy the music!
Ira

Stokeswood (June 14, 2015)

Atlanta based Stokeswood is the future of music.  They must know it too because their new EP, being released this Tuesday (6/16/15), is called "2075."  What makes this band special is that their music is both futuristic and classic at the same time. The first single, "Our Streets" (see video below) quickly makes you wonder whether you've been "Rick-rolled." But that doesn't last long and somehow this song feels like it was ripped from the 90s and fused perfectly with modern electronic music. I urge you to check them out and you can do so by downloading a "pay what you want/can" sampler on Noisetrade. I can't wait to hear the rest of the new EP in just 2 days but for now I'll keep obsessing over "Our Streets."

Have a great week and enjoy the music!
Ira

Native Run (June 7, 2015)

I'm excited to feature Native Run this week for two main reasons. First is that country music just belongs in the summer time! Second is that it happens to be lead singer Rachel Beauregard's birthday today so what better time to bring attention to this country duo that is quickly making a name for themselves in Nashville and beyond.  "Good On You" is the song that should make them country radio stars.  It's everything you want in a modern country song and I like everything about it.  They only have 3 songs available for purchase, so far, but I hear that new music may be in the works. Don't wait to see what comes next for them, go give them a listen now and get ahead of the game.

Have a great week and enjoy the music!
Ira