Shawn Brown’s EP, "Into the Furious Light," doesn’t slip quietly into the stream of modern indie-folk releases; it instead cups its hands around your soul like you’re a candle in danger of flickering out. The Portland troubadour crafts songs that feel like fragments of conversations—maybe ones you walked in on too late or letters unsent to someone dear but no longer near. You’re never...

California's Own Ismay Paints the Landscape of Americana-Folk Music with Rich, Earthy Hues. California's golden vistas carry the reverberations of a heartfelt tone, which the mountains softly reflect. Avery Hellman, better known by their stage name Ismay, is an engaging folk/Americana musician whose music beautifully reflects the spirit of her native California. As early as 2020, publications like American Songwriter and No Depression were raving about the...