The Americana Heartbeat - October 2025
Fresh stories from the heartlands, each one telling its own story of love, loss, and the places that shape us.
Featuring Colter Wall, Tristan Tritt, Garrett Hendricks, Kate & Brendan, Miss Emily, Josh Fortenbery, Jaclyn Reinhart, Ladybird, Mariel Buckley, Charles James & The Rise and Gnarly Darling.
The Americana Heartbeat - Honky Tonk • Country • Bluegrass
Colter Wall - 1800 Miles
Colter Wall’s 1800 Miles is a proud nod to old-school country, the kind that doesn't need polish to make its point. Taken from his upcoming album Memories and Empties (out November 14), the song is a firm declaration of identity: country music made far from Nashville's spotlight.
Recorded at the legendary RCA Studio A with his touring band, Wall's weathered baritone rolls over pedal steel and fiddle in pure 1970s honky-tonk fashion. The lyrics draw a line between the commercial and the real, reminding listeners that authenticity often lives 1,800 miles from Music Row.
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Tristan Tritt - Southern Accents
Tristan Tritt brings a personal touch to Tom Petty's classic Southern Accents, turning it into a heartfelt tribute to heritage and influence. With warm vocals and a gentle Southern lilt, Tritt doesn't try to reinvent the song. Instead, he leans into its quiet nostalgia, giving it a modern country polish that still feels lived-in and true to its roots.
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Garrett Hendricks - Goat Leather Boots
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Garrett Hendricks blends the grit of the Pacific Northwest with the heart of the South on his new album Northwest & Southbound. Goat Leather Boots stands out as one of the record's liveliest moments - a loose, rootsy groove where outlaw country meets swampy funk.
Beneath the laid-back rhythm and confident swagger lies Hendricks' trademark storytelling: finding meaning in motion, chasing freedom before time catches up. Produced by Caleb Fisher, the album is packed with character and heart, and Goat Leather Boots captures both in one catchy, dust-covered ride.
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Kate & Brendan - Little Bird
Fiddle-and-cello duo Kate Gregory and Brendan Hearn give new life to Emmylou Harris and the McGarrigle sisters' Little Bird on their upcoming debut, One Year Since (out November 14). Their version trades the original's country-folk softness for a rustic old-time arrangement; fiddle and cello intertwine with tight harmonies, gentle foot percussion, and a warm acoustic pulse.
The result feels intimate and timeless, like a tune heard drifting from a wooden porch in early autumn. It's a charming glimpse of what's to come from the pair's first full-length collaboration.
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Miss Emily - Solid Ground
Solid Ground is the emotional core of Miss Emily's upcoming album The Medicine (out November 7). Written during a period of hardship as a young mother, the song unfolds like a promise - a vow to build stability out of love when there's little else to give.
Produced by Grammy-winner Colin Linden, it's steeped in soul and blues with a gospel warmth running underneath. Miss Emily's powerhouse vocals carry every word with honesty, and while the message is deeply personal, its spirit is universal: finding hope when the ground feels shaky.
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Josh Fortenbery - Poppy's Waltz
From the Alaska-based songwriter's new album Tidy Memorial, Poppy's Waltz is an upbeat tribute to Fortenbery's grandfather, a WWII veteran whose pride and pain lived side by side. The song pairs folk storytelling with a lively country rhythm, balancing humor, reverence, and reflection.
Recorded amid the icy landscapes of Juneau with a DIY spirit, it captures what Fortenbery does best: turning deeply personal stories into something warmly human.
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Jaclyn Reinhart - Hero Call
Photo credit: Nick Miller
Hero Call stands tall with the quiet courage of someone choosing self-worth after heartbreak. Reinhart's voice has that blend of smoke and sunlight, tough but tender. There's a little southern grit in the guitars, and by the final chorus, you can almost see her walking barefoot out of the wreckage, free.
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Ladybird - Redneck Repent
Ladybird's Redneck Repent, from their new album Clementine, walks the line between Saturday night trouble and Sunday morning grace. It's a wry, good-natured story about slipping up, dusting off, and heading back to the pew, or maybe the bar.
With its twangy guitars, toe-tapping rhythm, and lyrics that feel straight out of a Midwest diary, the song captures that familiar tug between redemption and temptation. Honest, funny, and irresistibly human, it's Ladybird at their best, finding beauty and humor in the little stumbles along the way.
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Mariel Buckley - Anvil
Photo Credit: Emma Palm
Anvil, featuring T. Buckley, is the quiet storm at the heart of Mariel Buckley's new album Strange Trip Ahead. Co-written with Robby Hecht, the song faces the heavy question of whether to have children; a conversation weighed down by love, fear, and societal pressure.
Built on restrained rhythm and pedal steel tension, it moves slowly but deliberately, mirroring the gravity of its subject. Buckley's voice, strong yet vulnerable, turns uncertainty into something beautiful, showing that sometimes the hardest choices are what define us most.
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Charles James & The Rise - About A Cow
This is a darkly poetic meditation on greed and consumption, told through the perspective of a cow as an unexpected narrator. About A Cow speaks of the sacrifices and consequences that arise when desires or profit come at the expense of others, turning a simple animal's life into a lens on human behavior.
Musically, it unfolds like a cinematic folk fable, with emotive vocals, plaintive piano, and compelling strings blending flawlessly to deliver a lush storytelling masterclass.
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Gnarly Darling - Barnflower
Gnarly Darling bring a fresh spark to New England's Americana scene with Barnflower, a taste of their upcoming debut album out November 14. Blending roots rock and bluesy groove, Barnflower showcases the band's signature mix of jangly guitars, harmonica, and lush vocal harmonies.
The chemistry between Ryan Feeley, Pete Lassey, Jessi Rigordaeva, Gary Goodman, and Eric Turner shines through, each adding their own voice to the band's rugged charm.
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Spotify Playlist
About Eugenia Roditis
Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.
Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com
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