In late 2024, I started seeing videos of Jesse Welles, a folk singer from Arkansas. He was playing protest songs in the vein of Woody Guthrie. I made an assumption that his online presence was his main act, but learned of his album Middle last spring. It was one of two full length records of new music he released in 2025, along with a couple of volumes of his previous work. He appeared on several other tracks by artists like Margo Price and Marcus King, and performed a duet of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, with Joan Baez. He’s been nominated for four Grammy awards and received the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech award at the 2025 Americana Music & Honors Awards. I get the feeling we’ll be hearing about him for decades to come.
Late this year came something a bit different than what we normally spin. Flash Poetry is the nom de plume of Australian poet, producer, musician and free-style rapper, Nico Lim. His debut, Reality, Now, is a spoken word album with a rap delivery. He takes on social issues with a message of hope and a sound based on hip-hop, rock, soul, jazz, and blues. The groove pulls you in. The message is inspiring.
As we begin 2026, we're spinning a debut album from Harper Finn titled Silo Park. Finn is a New Zealander who wrote songs during time he spent in New York. New-to-us this year is music from Meredith Moon, Gordon Lightfoot's daughter. Her 3rd release is From Here to the Sea, a mix of folk and Americana.
We're looking forward to discovering new hidden gems in the year ahead.
