One Chord to Another – 18th Anniversary Festival

One Chord to Another hits 18 years on the 17th of September. It’s a pretty long time to do absolutely anything let alone a music blog. Therefore I thought I should do something to celebrate the crazy fact that I’ve been doing this almost my whole adult life. It might not have been a wise career move to spend 18 years and hundreds and hundreds of hours in something that has only made me lose money, but still I feel that my life is much richer thanks to onechordnet and I’m proud that I’ve managed to keep this thing alive for so long. I’m a shy and quiet man and this has kind of been my voice in this world.

That’s why it’s time for an anniversary festival. OCTA18 will be an online festival in the spirit of the legendary Couch by Couchwest Festival (CXCW). The goal is to get unique live videos from the artists that have shaped the 18 years of onechordnet. It’s not open for everyone due to the reasons that a) the idea is to celebrate the 18 years of the blog, so naturally it makes sense to include only people who have been featured here b) I’m just one man and at this point it’s impossible to know would there be 5 or 500 videos if its open and I have a limited amount of time to spend on this. However, if you’ve been featured on the blog during its existence, I would love to have you on the event (maybe still more than just one playlist inclusion for example, just ask if you have any doubts, I try to invite and ask some myself too but it’s not always easy for a man who has a masters degree in self-doubt). I would love to get submissions from all the eras of the blog, because both the early Finnish pop days and the current americana emphasis are important parts of the history of this little music blog. Obviously a lot of the early favorites have stopped making music ages ago, so that might get a bit tricky.

If you want to participate, here are the basic instructions:

1. Shoot a live video of one song. Bonus points if it’s a song that I’ve praised here over the years, but really you can just choose the one you want (so can be a new song too or a song that I’ve never mentioned on the blog). It can be just a quick phone video or you can use as much time, equipment and creativity as you wish. There does not have to be any birthday wishes or so, but it does need to be made for this event. So keep it hidden or at least do not share it on your social media before I’ve posted it during the anniversary week. Afterwards you can of course do what you want with it.

2. Upload it to youtube/vimeo and tag it OCTA18. Send the link to submissions(at)onechord.net. Don’t use the other addresses on the contact page, because they might get lost in the crowd in the other inboxes (I get a hundred or so emails every day). Also don’t use this one for the other promo emails. Just this anniversary festival stuff on this email address.

3. That’s basicly it. I will then post it to the blog during the anniversary week. I’ll tag you so you know when it’s live.

4. Submission deadline is 31st of August, because I’m indeed just one man with a dayjob and I’ll need some time to write the posts beforehand. It’s not absolutely set in stone, so ask if you would love to do it, but you are not able to do it before that date. I just need to get most of them in advance. Otherwise I will be in big trouble, if I get lots of videos.

I’m happy to answer, if you have any questions. There might be a small live event in Turku too, but more about that later if it happens.

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OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #50

Another week, another weekly playlist.

It’s episode 50. Hurray. That’s kind of the goal I had set for myself. I skipped one or two during the Christmas season when nothing happened on the release front, so I’ve almost done a full year now. Time to see where I am and decide whether I should continue as I have done this first year of playlisting. There’s a small poll up at Facebook for a few more days, if you want to have a say. I might or might not listen. Also you can just drop an email or comment here if you don’t do social media. So far based on the few votes, biweekly or monthly playlist is leading. Which I kinda assumed was the case, because I’m fully aware this is a lot to digest every freakin week. The weekly playlist has lots of both good and bad and I haven’t made up my mind one way or another. I think I’ll do at least a couple more like I have and then decide on my vacation how to continue. The playlist will definitely continue. The update frequency is the only question mark.

Things heated up again after the 4th of July festivities and there’s lots of great albums. Joanna Sternberg, Joseph Huber and Purple Mountains topped my list, but the week also gave beautiful albums from Anna Wiebe, Have Gun, Will Travel, Matt Harlan, Will Fox, Megan Palmer & Rayvon Pettis, Mal Blum, Cool Original, Grand Vapids, Henry Parker, Motel Radio, Paul McClure, The Steel Wheels and Lotte Kestner. The lone EP is from Andrew Thoreen. I didn’t know anything about him, but saw J.E.Sunde recommending it on FB and I have no reason to ever doubt him.

The small Finnish section contains new singles from Heavy Breathers, Spring Teeth and Litku Klemetti. I’m sure that’s not all, so hit me up, if and when I’m missing something important.

The international singles charts contains should-be hits from Michaela Anne, Kelsey Waldon, Eilen Jewell, Beth Bombara, Elijah Ocean, Jeremy Ivey, Ottoman Turks, Mikey Erg and lots of others. The record store day single from Lilly Hiatt and John Hiatt also make an appearance in the digital world. And as usual, everything else could be mentioned just as well.

There should be an announcement coming of One Chord To Another’s 18th Anniversary Festival sometime fairly soon. You don’t need to book a trip to Turku, because it’s an online birthday party and therefore all happens at your own place. So far the info is only on my personal FB, but I’ll make it public as soon as I’ve figured out the finer details. I’ll try to make it happen during the next week, because this blog hits 18 in September and time is soon running out if and when I want artists to participate. That’s it for now. Take care. Love.

1. Joanna Sternberg – Don’t You Ever (Then I Try Some More, Team Love Records, 2019)
2. Joseph Huber – Another Man’s Shoes (Moondog, 2019)
3. Purple Mountains – All My Happiness Is Gone (Purple Mountains, Drag City, 2019)
4. Anna Wiebe – I Felt It in the Wind (All I Do Is Move, 2019)
5. Michaela Anne – Child of the Wind (single, Yep Roc, 2019)
6. Have Gun, Will Travel – Infinite Traveller (Strange Chemistry, 2019)
7. Matt Harlan – Darla Mae (Best Beats, Eight 30 Records, 2019)
8. Beth Bombara – Tenderhearted (single, 2019)
9. Will Fox – Against the Tide (Which Way, Twosyllable Records, 2019)
10. Kelsey Waldon – Anyhow (single, Oh Boy, 2019)
11. Megan Palmer & Rayvon Pettis – Try Not to Breathe (Nothing Is Sweeter, Blue Rose Music, 2019)
12. Jeremy Ivey – Diamonds Back To Coal (single, Anti-, 2019)
13. Elijah Ocean – I Left My One Spot (Back at the 5 Spot) (single, 2019)
14. Ottoman Turks – Apathy (single, State Fair Records, 2019)
15. Heavy Breathers – Conquistador (single, Axis of Evil, 2019)
16. Spring Teeth – Land of Bones (single, I Call It Blood Detective Records, 2019)
17. Jordan Jones – Rumors Girls (single, 2019)
18. Litku Klemetti – Mitä muutakaan tekisin (single, Luova Records, 2019)
19. Mal Blum – Things Still Left To Say (Pity Boy, Don Giovanni Records, 2019)
20. Mikey Erg – Hopland Superette (single, Don Giovanni Records, 2019)
21. Cool Original – Offended (I Never Said I Didn’t Care, 2019)
22. Bad Heaven Ltd. – Bed (single, 2019)
23. Grand Vapids – Bit and Bridle (Eat the Shadow, Mumblecore Records, 2019)
24. Lilly Hiatt – You Must Go (single, New West Records, 2019)
25. Eilen Jewell – 79 Cents (The Meow Song) (single, Signature Sounds, 2019)
26. Andrew Thoreen – The Sum Is on My Brain (Songs of Isolation for Rock Quartet EP, Sound of Music, 2019)
27. Queen of Jeans – Get Lost (single, Topshelf Records, 2019)
28. Fionn Regan – Collar of Fur (single, Abbey Records, 2019)
29. The Teskey Brothers – So Caught Up (single, Decca Records, 2019)
30. Billy Strings – Take Water (single, Rounder Records, 2019)
31. Henry Parker – Silent Spring (Silent Spring, 2019)
32. Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints – Tu N’es Jamais Trop Vieux (single, 2019)
33. Rachel Sermanni – What Can I Do (single, 2019)
34. Albi & The Wolves – I’d Go Anywhere (single, 2019)
35. Paul & The Tall Trees – Then We’ll Wave (So Long) (single, Big Crown Records, 2019)
36. Good Service – Summer Muses (single, 2019)
37. Motel Radio – Midnight (Siesta Del Sol, 2019)
38. Sam Evian – Right Down the Line (single, Saddle Creek, 2019)
39. Strange Ranger – Message to You (single, Tiny Engines, 2019)
40. Jason McCue – Even Though (single, 2019)
41. The Sidekicks – Ode to Jerry (single, Epitaph, 2019)
42. Lillie Mae – Terlingua Girl (single, Third Man Records, 2019)
43. Pieta Brown – Ask For More (single, Righteous Babe Records, 2019)
44. Paul McClure – The Morning My Love (Market Town, Clubhouse Records, 2019)
45. The Steel Wheels – Time To Rest (Over the Trees, Big Ring Records, 2019)
46. Lotte Kestner – Thin (Remixes, 2019)

Playlist Link

Oh and do buy the vinyl/cd/download. Spotify and other streaming services are perfect for these introductory purposes, but try to buy at least the music that matter the most to you

If you are looking this after a week has gone, the embedded Spotify will show the latest playlist. I’ll just update the same playlist because a) if someone wants to follow it, they can just follow that one list and will get a new set of songs each Sunday b) so that I don’t have a trillion of different playlists on my Spotify account

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OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #49

Another week, another weekly playlist.

There was not a whole lot of movement on the release front due to summer and especially because there was 4th of July festivities in the US. There was some great ones from other markets though. The albums from Emma Russack, Jesca Hoop, Jack Cade and The Soft Cavalry (Steve Clarke and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell) were on my radar. I’m sure there was more than that. However, the slow week gave me opportunity to look back on things I’ve missed during the year and I found some gold (and a huge hole in my Australian music education that I tried to fill a bit) and therefore these 2019 albums/eps make first time appearance on the playlist this week: Rose City Band, Hectorine, Louise Connell, Lolas (I didn’t even know they were still active), Carla Geneve EP (I had the single, but managed to miss the release of this great EP), Gena Rose Bruce, Shane Smith & The Saints, Jade Jackson, BATTS, Asha Jefferies EP and Renata Zeiguer EP.

On the singes chart, the biggest one is the Finnish summer jam from Jari Raaste. Esther Rose, Garrett T. Capps and The Commonheart I managed to miss last week, so they are here now. Other international (should be)-hits came from Kacy & Clayton, Dylan Earl, Jacob Faurholt, Christopher Gold & The New Old Things, Dolly Valentine, Melissa Mary Ahern.. oh well, I might just as well namedrop them all. There’s lots of older singles too.

Anyway, that’s it for this week. I made a quick mid-year report earlier in the week, if you want to know my biggest favorites of 2019 so far. Back next week with episode #50. Do I stop there yes/no? Is there a need for a weekly playlist or would bi-weekly or monthly be better?

OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #49

1. Emma Russack – Winter Blues (Winter Blues, Spunk Records, 2019)
2. Kacy & Clayton – The Forty-Ninth Parallel (single, New West Records, 2019)
3. Esther Rose – Sex and Magic (single, Father/Daughter Records, 2019)
4. Dylan Earl – Just Because (single, Rootsy Music, 2019)
5. Garrett T. Capps – All Right, All Night (single, Shotgun House Records, 2019)
6. Rose City Band – Rip City (Rose City Band, Jean Sandwich Records, 2019)
7. Jari Raaste – Ilmalaiva (single, Fonal Records, 2019)
8. The Commonheart – Do Right (single, Jullian Records, 2019)
9. Christopher Gold & The New Old Things – Thirty Five (single, 2019)
10. Jacob Faurholt – Dark Moons (single, Raw Onions Records, 2019)
11. Hectorine – Old Man Willow (Hectorine, Galaxie Records, 2019)
12. Dolly Valentine – Michigan, 1997 (single, Holy Golden Music, 2019)
13. Jesca Hoop – 01 Tear (Stonechild, Memphis Industries, 2019)
14. Jack Cade – He Lies on His Side (Bear Bones, 2019)
15. Ainslie Wills – Fear Of Missing Out (single, 2019)
16. Karine Polwart – Chance (single, Hegri, 2019)
17. Louise Connell – Most Righteous People (Squall Echo Rale, 9th Story Records, 2019)
18. Frank Turner – Sister Rosetta (single, Xtra Mile, 2019)
19. Attic Lights – King Of Whatever (single, Elefant, 2019)
20. Lolas – A Dozen or Seven Tapestries (A Dozen or Seven Tapestries, 2019)
21. Parsnip – Lift Off! (single, Trouble In Mind, 2019)
22. String Machine – Eight Legged Dog (single, 2019)
23. Molly Drag – Out Like a Light (single, Egghunt Records, 2019)
24. Carla Geneve – I Hate You (For Making Me Not Want to Leave the City) (Carla Geneve EP, Dot Dash, 2019)
25. Melissa Mary Ahern – Maria, Maria (single, 2019)
26. Gena Rose Bruce – I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You (Can’t Make You Love Me, Dot Dash Recordings, 2019)
27. Jess Cornelius – No Difference (single, 2019)
28. Erin Durant – Sand Dunes (Islands, Keeled Scales, 2019)
29. Nev Cottee – Morning Sun (River’s Edge, Wonderfulsound, 2019)
30. Harrison Whitford – Both My Friends (Afraid of Everything, Screwdriver Records, 2019)
31. Chris Staples – Running Out of Time (Holy Moly, Barsuk, 2019)
32. Espanola – Espanola (Espanola, Surly Young Records, 2019)
33. Shane Smith & The Saint – Oklahoma City (Hail Mary, Geromino West Records, 2019)
34. Jade Jackson – Secret (Wilderness, Anti-, 2019)
35. Asha Jefferies – Chaos (Hold Yourself Together EP, 2019)
36. BATTS – Don’t Treat Me Like You Do (The Grand Tour, THAA Records, 2019)
37. Renata Zeiguer – Permanently Lonely (Faraway Business, Northern Spy, 2019)
38. Long Beard – Sweetheart (single, Double Whammy Whammy, 2019)
39. Mega Bog – Shadows Break (Dolphine, Paradise of Bachelors, 2019)
40. The Soft Cavalry – The Light That Shines on Everyone (The Soft Cavalry, 2019)

Playlist link

Oh and do buy the vinyl/cd/download. Spotify and other streaming services are perfect for these introductory purposes, but try to buy at least the music that matter the most to you

If you are looking this after a week has gone, the embedded Spotify will show the latest playlist. I’ll just update the same playlist because a) if someone wants to follow it, they can just follow that one list and will get a new set of songs each Sunday b) so that I don’t have a trillion of different playlists on my Spotify account

Continue Reading