Based out of New Haven, Connecticut, Saint James play an earnest country-leaning indie rock that you might not expect from former members of local favorites Quiet Giant, My Heart To Joy and Call It Arson. The band has members in Brooklyn and Boston, and while New Haven is right between those two urban centers, the space between the three cities is full of rolling hills, verdant meadows, and dense forests. The band’s sound itself sits right in that pocket, with notes of traditional punk sprinkled into the mix of country. With inspiration from bands like The Replacements, Land of Talk, and Lucero, they don’t give up any of their punk and emo roots on their latest EP, 2022’s Us & Your Friends. For a group whose music is a product of the long stretches of nowhere between bustling big cities, it’s fitting that their backwoods-tinged Americana calls back to late nights with friends at the local dive bar and foggy early mornings on the way to work the next day.
Tuxis Giant is a staple in Boston’s DIY music scene. Drawing influence from artists like Jason Molina, Bill Callahan, and Pile, Tuxis Giant blends alt-country ethos, art-rock experimentation and evocative storytelling. Their new EP–titled In Heaven–was released by Candlepin Records in November 2022.
PYRAMID ROSE BAND
Connecticut based Americana band founded by singer-songwriter Greg Moran, featuring S.G. Carlson (The Tines) and Mark Almodovar (Saint James).
Life is a gift and we must protect it with fire, laughter, and good lyrics. With the combination of pointed, playful narratives and nostalgic indie/folk sensibilities, the music of Haunted Continents (solo project of CT-based troubadour James A.M. Downes) is a smirking middle finger to the vapid parts of modern life, and at the same time, an open palm to anyone who loves love but breaks out in hives when surrounded by the herd.