Update on my side project – Compilation Creation Playlist, “Yer Bird” Style

I hope you readers are also following my other “night job” of running Yer Bird Records …(waits while sound of crickets gets louder…)…as we have been slowly but surely announcing updates on our upcoming compilation CD set for release this Summer.  I had said to myself repeatedly that I would do my best to not cross pollinate with my blogger life here at Slowcoustic – in other words, I have a pseudo financial interest in Yer Bird doing well so it is hard to promote it without feeling like I am pandering to you all to “buy my wares”.  But screw it, its going to be soo good, that as a music blogger I would be remiss in not letting you know!

So the compilation will be called “Folk Music For What Lies Ahead” which is an all encompassing phrase to go with me & my wife now being recent owners of the label and possibly moving the label ahead with the music that we find dear to our ears, the “slow & acoustic” type.  It also has a bit of a secondary meaning in the fact that “folk music” has taken on a wider range in definition the last few years, falling in line with terms such as “indie” and “alternative” did years ago.  Natural progression I guess – so in turn the compilation includes 18 artists that can range quite a bit across the spectrum of music that can be referred in internet circles as “folk”.

Now that the title has been established (yikes, now you know why its another couple of months…) – we think we have the cover art (similar to the great pic above and from a friend of the blog – more on that as it materializes).  I have heard artists lament on cover art and others flippantly put something that might catch a non-fan into picking up a disc or album.   I find I like to have something that I like in general just to start out with.  I think the photos that we will be using are incredible and can be considered art alone, so cover art has been discovered to be a bit overwrought for us…sigh.

Now the music!!!  Again, 18 artists that include a combination of Yer Bird Artists and some others that we just feel represent great music and artists we admire.  All the songs are in and I have been listening constantly for the last 4-6 weeks or so and I try not to be biased, but this collection is going to be fantastic.  There are solo acoustic, gothic folk, country tinged folk, gorgeous indie-pop-folk, bluesy edged tracks and even good old singer songwriter stuff!  All tracks are either unreleased (as of yet), alternate versions or new songs all together, and this deep pool of talent have graciously agreed to donate a track to the project.

So far we have only announced 6 artists because we are dragging it out a bit due to the release being about 2 months away.  So I thought I would update you on the artists so far and make a Saturday playlist out of it – but remember these are not the songs for the compilation, just songs from the artists to remind/ensure you how good it will be.

Yer Bird Records Compilation (with no songs from the actual compilation) Playlist

• Nic Garcia – “Triumph”, from 2005’s The Desperate Ones [Visit Him]
• Lotte Kestner – “Leif Erikson (Interpol Cover)”, from 2008’s China Mountain [Visit Her]
• The Gunshy – “It’s Time I Got Out Of PA”, from 2008’s I Gave Too Much Time To The Wine And Other Collected Eps [Visit Him]
• Sharon Van Etten – “For You”, from 2008’s Because I Was in Love (but check out the version on her self titled as well) [Visit Her]
• Cam Penner – “Thirteen”, from 2009’s Trouble & Mercy [Visit Him]
• The Mountains & The Trees – “Up & Down”, from 2009’s Hop, Skip & A Jump [Visit Him]

There you have it, you are up to speed – check back at Yer Bird Records every Friday for another update on the artists.  I am sure I will have another update here too, so don’t worry!  I am pretty sure we will have some give-aways here on Slowcoustic for it as well, so stayed tuned!

~Smansmith