What I was listening to last week…

Søn Of Dad – Stephen Wilson Jr.
Before he was on stage at the CMAs receiving a standing ovation, Stephen Wilson Jr. was a scientist. He had a stable job working in the R&D department at Mars Candy company, putting his degree in microbiology to good use. But as he would go into the office each day he said there was this “feeling that you could hear” and it was saying “you’re not supposed to be here.” It was getting louder and his biggest fear was that one day, “that feeling that you could hear would be gone… like it had moved on, like it gave up on me.” This was scarier than the prospect of quitting his job with no direction, no publishing deal, and no other job lined up. The album that he wrote and released shortly after quitting that job is called Søn Of Dad and was inspired by his father’s death in 2018. It carries an emotional weight that sits with you long after you listen. The song Father’s Søn roots you in your lineage, Kid begs you to reflect on childhood memories, Year To Be Young 1994 makes you wish you were listening to Nirvana in the 90s. I like the description I read of his music as “death cab for country.” His live performances are a deep rabbit hole and are so good. This one of Father’s Søn ft. HARDY is one of my favorites.

Girl Song – Anna Shoemaker
At SXSW several years ago I asked for songwriting advice from an artist who I’ve looked up to since I was a kid (Chris Porterfield from Field Report). He told me to “listen to women.” Last summer I discovered Anna Shoemaker’s album Someone Should Stop Her and it was all I listened to for weeks. Her voice has a stark texture that cuts through when she sings, the melodies are catchy, and the lyrics are emotionally resonant. The style is like indie mixed with folk laid on top of a pop foundation. Some of my favorite songs are Real Life, Fields, and Game Of Thrones. She also just released a new song called Girl Song that I listened to on repeat for a few days. Listen to women.

Save – Ra!
As I was leaving a bar in downtown Austin last week I noticed a wall of sound pouring out of La Perla (a very small Austin staple that has been around for decades). It was unusual because I’ve never heard music coming out of that bar and because it sounded incredible. I wandered in and stood in the ~30 person capacity room and listened to the last few songs of this band’s set. I was blown away. If Deftones, The White Stripes, and Soundgarden all had a baby it would be Ra!.

Listen to the playlist with all of these songs

Happy Thanksgiving!
Dawson