Known for their gritty, melodic indie pop songwriting, John-Allison Weiss emerged at the end of the 2000s as an early crowd-funding hero with a strong D.I.Y. ethos that has defined them throughout their career. After establishing themselves among the punk underground, they became a staple of the Warped Tour and released highly rated albums like 2013’s Say What You Mean and 2015’s New Love. Touring with everyone from Lou Reed to Letters to Cleo, Weiss has also collaborated as a songwriter with artists including Tegan Quin and Kevin Devine. Following a live album and 2021’s Death Valley Demos EP, they signed with Get Better Records and issued the singles “Different Now” and “Feels Like Hell” from their upcoming album ‘The Long Way’ out February 17th.
Artist Category: Indie
E.W. Harris
E.W. Harris is an alt-folk songwriter, producer, and artist based in Brooklyn, NY. A self-styled “Folktronicist” and “Dystopian Romantic,” Harris combines sonic textures, powerful vocals, and memorable melodies to create music he calls “folk tunes from an (im)possible future.” Originally from post-industrial Akron, OH, his musical career flourished in the indie/art rock scene of Athens, GA in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Harris’s reputation grew with his experimental approach to songwriting, recording, and genre. Upon relocating to Brooklyn, NY in 2009, his collaboration with Irish folk singer/songwriter Niall Connolly would lead Harris to focus more heavily on songwriting, to produce Connolly’s first US record, release seven albums of his own, and tour heavily throughout the US and Europe.
Harris’s music is, in a word, eclectic, and his riveting live performances have attracted attention and acclaim. I Am Entertainment Magazine called his first album “uniquely cool and strange … It’s been a while since I’ve heard something so eclectic and interesting.” Bandcamp staff reviewer Alec Spurlock said Harris’s sound “reminds me of a modern-day Neil Young, but the style is more complex in the most beautiful way possible.” The Salisbury Post declared that Harris delivers an electro-pop performance of found sounds and lyricism that combine “to create an experience like no other.”
For the past year, Harris has been working extensively with producers Kia Eshghi (Hanging Moon Records) & Chris Butler (Greedy Dilettante Records), with a laser focus on writing and recording Harris’s songs. The first fruits of this labor, “Bad Ghost,” is scheduled for release on their co-imprint (Hanging Dilettante) July 2021, and future single releases are slated for Fall & Winter 2021. The full album, “Homunculus IV,” is expected by Spring 2022.
Pesky J Nixon
Bombastic yet brilliant, these folks from New England exude a genuine musical authenticity and mirth on stages up and down the East Coast. Drawing influences from contemporary urban balladeers, rowdy southern bluegrass, and the sardonic yet wry wit of New England’s localized folk scenes, Pesky J. Nixon (PJN) creates an atmosphere both inviting and challenging for audiences.
Compelling harmonies and narratives rein in disparate instrumentation including- zydeco style accordion, virtuosic mandolin, a variety of tribal percussion, and a myriad of string instrumentation. With rich harmonies and musical versatility PJN brings a unique brand of infectious energy and stage banter to every stage they grace. At times putting on a show that borders on brotherly bickering these boys specialize on bringing the audience into their world, songs, and stories.
The band’s new album “Red Ducks” serves as a serenade to their roots in the Folk scene with unique approaches to covering songs from the bands local friends and some of their musical icons. The record is currently in the top 10 Roots Music Chart earning praise both domestically and internationally.
Released in 2010, the band’s first studio album, Monkey Business & Mislaid Hopes, was consistently listed among the top records in the industry. Darius Rips, from the folk publication Oliver di Place describes the album as “…songs of partings, taken with the best possible grace”. Kerrville New Folk Winner RJ Cowdery says of the band “Sweet Jesus! You guys can play on. Want to hear me some more PJN!”
Coral Moons
Coral Moons is a 4 piece indie-soul band from Boston, MA. Their music has roots in blues, jazz, soul, funk and 60’s rock bringing their stories to life. Their songs reflect everyday anxiety and pains while also admiring its beauty. With strong lead female vocals, their inspiration pulls from Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lake Street Dive, Allen Stone and The Allman Brothers.
Union Duke
Sweat flies and floorboards tremble – Union Duke is a Toronto folk quintet with an explosive live show. Bridging soulful indie rock with bluegrass and country, the group belts out soaring harmonies with three, four and even five voices. The songs are irresistible, the perfect fit for the heatwave of the dance hall or the cool breeze of the park. These five guys have been making a commotion in one way or another since they were kids, and years of making music together have brought them to this: a heartbreak of twang and a bootshake of rock and roll. Union Duke is two fifths city, two fifths country, and one fifth whiskey.
The band works hard, travelling back and forth across the country playing to fans young and old from coast to coast. They’ve played sold out shows where crowds know all the words. They’ve performed at countless festivals including TURF, Mariposa, and Summerfolk, topping the list of must-see acts. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and they leave every audience smiling – maybe the golden days aren’t so distant after all.
Corey Laitman
Teenender
Evie Joy
Known for her joyful wordplay and tap-dance breaks, Evie’s first album, ‘Verbatim’ was released in 2013 and upon release, Sara Bareilles quoted that she has “a great voice and a really unique sound!”
Since then Evie has toured the globe playing everywhere from streets in London to famous bars in Seattle and even on Caribbean cruise lines. She has studied opera for 12 years and enjoys bubble tea and doing good deeds in a skunk costume (for anonymity purposes ;). She is also organizing a large-scale project to distribute and teach the homeless to play ukulele and planning a Ted Talk for her created music genre: ukulele rap. She now resides with her uke, Ed, in New York City. They’re going on 6 years and going strong.
David Berkeley
David Berkeley returns to Club Passim to release his deeply personal new album, A Pail Full of Fire. Berkeley’s gift as a songwriter and storyteller is that he sees the tragedy and comedy in life, writing songs capable of both breaking and healing the heart. He has been called a “musical poet,” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and the New York Times praises his “lustrous, melancholy voice with shades of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake.” That voice and his gift with words is what first sets Berkeley apart from all other guitar slinging songwriters. But it is his onstage charisma and unparalleled between-song repartee that truly puts him in a class by himself. Each show is completely unique, and his humanity shines through every note he sings and every word he speaks. Berkeley has released eight studio albums, one live album, and authored two books, each of which pairs with one of his albums. He was a guest on This American Life, telling an outrageous story of a private serenade he was once hired to perform, and he has won many songwriting awards and honors including ASCAPs Johnny Mercer Songwriting Award. Berkeley is also one half of the wildly creative transatlantic folk duo Sons of Town Hall who are in the midst of rolling out their radio theater podcast, Madmen Cross the Water, in conjunction with their new album, Of Ghosts and Gods.
Elizabeth & the Catapult
Elizabeth Ziman, who performs as Elizabeth and the Catapult, is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter from New York, living and working in Brooklyn. She’s toured with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Kishi Bashi; collaborated with Esperanza Spalding, Gillian Welch, Blake Mills and Ben Folds; scored, with Paul Brill, a variety of international award-winning documentaries including Trapped, a Peabody winner; and won the 2015 Independent Music Award for Songwriting, Folk category. Her songs have been featured in national television campaigns for Google, Amazon, Sky TV, and “So You Think You Can Dance”.
Always writing, Elizabeth has narrowed her vast collection of previously unrecorded material down to her fourth full-length studio album KEEPSAKE, produced by Dan Molad (Lucius) and featuring collaborations with Richard Swift (The Shins). KEEPSAKE is her most personal and cohesive record yet, comprised of both upbeat and sentimental songs, many of which came to her in dreams. The album was produced by Dan Molad and Peter Lalish (Lucius), featuring performances from Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Antony and the Johnsons, Joan as Policewoman) and Richard Swift (The Shins).
