According to American Songwriter, “Sean Rowe digs deep, creating some of the most touching, reflective, introspective music you’re likely to hear from anyone who seems like they would rather arm wrestle you than gaze into the depths of your soul.” Although Sean Rowe finds inspiration in upstate New York, his home base, a big piece of his heart leans toward the south, particularly Memphis. Inspired by southern folk-blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, Sean has a voice that perfectly fits into that tradition. So, to make his most recent record, New Lore, he traveled to Sam Phillips’s recording studio in Memphis to work with Matt Ross-Spang, producer of records by Jason Isbell and Margo Price. They tapped into the history of that legendary space to hone a sound that is at once rich and stark, putting Sean’s deep and dynamic range at the forefront. Because if high notes can shatter windows, Sean’s low and guttural ones can meld sand into glass.

Sean’s inspiration comes from the rawness, the element of risk he finds in the blues and soul music. He takes that inspiration and applies it to his own experiences, from his wrenching ode to parenthood “I’ll Follow Your Trail” to the naturalistic “The Very First Snow,” wrapping these lyrics in carefully layered instrumentation, anchoring them in his sly and idiosyncratic guitar style. A song Sean wrote five years ago, “To Leave Something Behind,” found its way to Ben Affleck’s attention and the soundtrack for Affleck’s film. The Accountant. It’s a song about the things in life we pass down to our children, the things we learn from our elders, the shadows we leave behind when we are gone.

In addition to living the troubadour life, Sean is interested in harvesting wild food. He has a video series on YouTube called “Can I Eat This?” Sean gives tips and information about foraging for natural food. It’s a fascinating look beyond the man who writes the songs!

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Kaiti Jones’s new album, Vows, references the daily vows we take in our relationships, the promises we make to our families and the things we believe in. “The stories we tell ourselves and others, and the characters and memories to which we give power, are constantly taking vows with the things around us,” she says. “I think this is a universal part of the story of humankind,” a story she hopes to tell in the collection of songs she sings in her shows.

• Sean Rowe digs deep, creating some of the most touching, reflective, introspective music you’re likely to hear from anyone who seems like they would rather arm wrestle you than gaze into the depths of your soul. American Songwriter
• The record [New Lore] itself is a masterpiece with Rowe’s dazzling songwriting leading the charge. His writing is strong enough to turn heads with lines like “But every time we fight/It’s like a Newton’s Cradle/We can’t be the flame forever/​Forever’s not where it’s at.” If I’m honest, the line’s song title had me Googling “What is a Newton’s Cradle?” After the results popped up, I sheepishly thought “OH, THAT IS WHATTHAT IS.” Wow! To compare fighting with your partner to a little metal desk toy that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy and which was named after Sir Issac Newton is just beyond brilliant. Well done! Cindy Howes, Folk Alley
• As a genre, alt folk has enjoyed its fair of the spotlight in recent years, and for good reason. With New Lore, Sean Rowe makes a strong, dramatic and innovative entry into the genre and continues to solidify his position as one of its most talented songwriters. The Fire Note, Online Music Magazine
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• Kaiti Jones has one of those voices with a real pop sentimentally, it just works so well. Red Line Roots
• Armed with her guitar, the occasional uplifting fiddle, sporadic percussion, and her honey-sweet voice, VOWS is a simple but elegant debut LP from Kaiti Jones. Sound of Boston

• Sean Rowe’s

• Website | Video | Interview

• Kaiti Jones’s

• Website | Video | Interview