To officially put 2015 in the rearview mirror, we asked some of our favorite artists to look back on the past 12 months of music and memories. Click here to read our first collection of reflections.
AL SCHNIER (MOE.)
What will you remember most about 2015?
This was an incredible year for me, personally. So many awesome things for me, my family – love, home, happiness & more. All of things that really matter. Furthermore, it was a great year of celebrating our 25th Anniversary with the moe. famoe.ly. It was an amazing year all around.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
Probably Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free. He writes great songs. Southeastern was one of those great albums that hadn’t come around in a while for me. Then he went & did it again.
What was your favorite show of 2015?
Fare Thee Well. Hands down. I still get chills from it. I had so much fun. The band sounded great and everyone there was gushing. The outpouring of love was a great thing to be a part of.
What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
New Mastersounds. I’m not sure it qualifies as “emerging,” but I’d love to see these guys be as big as The Roots some day. They’re a great band with killer hooks and should be on the next Guy Ritchie soundtrack.
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
A new album (or two), Summer Camp, more festivals, rock hard abs ;)
SIMON ALLEN (THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS)
What will you remember most about 2015?
Playing the longest tour of our career so far: 32 dates over 6 weeks across 19 states. This coincided with our getting our own gear for the first time (I now have a lovely Ludwig silver sparkle kit) so we no longer have to rent it or borrow from the opening band.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
Nina Simone Sings The Blues from 1967
What was your favorite show of 2015?
A trio from Asheville called The Digs opened up for us on the aforementioned tour and their set blew me away.
What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
The Digs!
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
Yes: a live all-analog studio record that we made in Nashville right at the end of the fall tour. It features tunes from across our 17-year career that still feature regularly in our live set and was recorded in front of a small studio audience of superfans. I’m supposed to be writing the sleeve notes for that right now so that the vinyl will be ready in time for Jazzfest. Happy new year and byeee!
JESSE MILLER (LOTUS)
What will you remember most about 2015?
Working hard and playing hard. Lotus had a massive tour at the beginning of the year, but I balanced that with some really great times off the road in California, Colorado, NYC and at home in Philly.
In the wider world, the rise of Bernie Sanders and the growing awareness of the problems of extreme wealth inequality.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
Neon Indian – Vega Intl. Night School
D’Angelo and the Vanguard – Black Messiah
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
What was your favorite show of 2015?
Shows I attended – Underworld 6/21/15 at Hollywood Bowl in LA
Shows I performed – Lotus 10/31/15 at Fillmore Denver
*What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
Vulfpeck – everyone in the Lotus camp has been into them for a couple years. Seeing that band get a lot more attention in 2015 and having them sign on with our booking agency can only mean bigger things in 2016. I’m seeing a big resurgence in styles and sounds that emphasize live instrumentation-funk, Muscle-Shoals sounding rock and soul, even the growth in interest in modular synths. I think the pendulum swung really far to the digital side and now it is swinging back. And Vulfpeck represents that movement – they aren’t a retro band, but they take influence from late 60s- early 80s and make it fresh.
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
A new Lotus album, the first Lotus live DVD and as always writing new music and producing new sounds.
TAUK
What will you remember most about 2015?
All of the TAUK family and friends will remember our Red Rocks Performance. It was a monumental day in our camp.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
The Choose Your Weapon record by Hiatus Kaiyote was an ‘album of the year’ snub. Great depth and expression of sound through melody and feel.
What was your favorite show of 2015?
It’s fair to say our sold out Terminal West show in Atlanta was one of the greatest shows of 2015.
What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
2016 is a big year for a lot of emerging artists. Narrowing them down to a favorite might be the hardest thing to do, but lookout for Hiatus Kaiyote, Vulfpeck and Thundercat.
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
We’re excited to be back touring with Umphrey’s McGee this spring and finally making our first trek to the West Coast. We’ll also be releasing a new album later in the year. And keep an eye out for our drummer Isaac Teel’s documentary and debut solo album release.
ALWYN ROBINSON (LEFTOVER SALMON)
What will you remember most about 2015?
What I will remember the most about 2015 are the wonderful musicians that I had the opportunity to watch perform at various venues and how that inspired me to change my approach towards my own instrument.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand, Snarky Puppy We Like it Here, Tedeschi Trucks Band Everybody’s Talkin’
What was your favorite show of 2015?
Tedeschi Trucks Band at the American Roots Festival in North Carolina. That band is amazing.
What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
There are so many bands that it’s hard to say, but I’m excited to see what emerging artist(s) hit the scene.
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
Working on a few side projects, trying to get more comfortable writing for other artists, and playing with as many musicians as possible!
NATALIE CRESSMAN (TREY ANASTASIO BAND)
What will you remember most about 2015?
One of the stand-outs of 2015 for me was the past TAB tour, which felt like the strongest we’ve ever been as a band. It was so much fun to get on stage every night and push for new heights as a group and we had so much fun both on and offstage. The band has become a second family to me and I’ve grown a lot from working with everyone involved. Another high point of 2015 was finally recording two projects that I’ve been spending a lot of time writing for over the past year: my full band’s next EP and my first ever duo album with guitarist Mike Bono. This fall I finally put out some new music for the first time in awhile, music that also was a real departure from what I’ve previously released. After two very jazz-tinged releases, it was really a big deal for me personally to release something in the indie electronic/future R&B vein as primarily a vocalist, rather than a trombone player. I was nervous about what that step would mean but seeing my cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills” break 100k Soundcloud plays within a month and knowing that there were people all over the world enjoying it was really reassuring. I also put out my first single from my next release, the Traces EP and toured the Midwest with my band for the first time. It was awesome and humbling coming off a sold out Trey tour to go straight to playing smaller shows with my band and driving a minivan around the Midwest, but people’s response to the new material makes me very excited to keep putting out new original music and visiting new places with my band.
Which album or albums have you listened to most this past year?
I’ve had Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly on repeat all year. I’ve probably listened to it every other day since it came out, I love it that much. Other standouts for me were D’Angelo’s Black Messiah, Emily King’s The Switch, Ibeyi’s self-titled debut album, The Internet’s Ego Death, and Alina Baraz’ Urban Flora EP. And even though it came out a few years back, I’m absolutely obsessed with Jessica Hoop’s album The House That Jack Built, which my guitarist introduced me to. There’s so much more but these are the ones that I had on repeat for months at a time.
What was your favorite show of 2015?
I got to see D’Angelo live at The Best Buy Theater with my TAB bandmate James Casey in March and that was probably one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, period. Definitely the highlight of this year for me as a concert-goer. The band was unreal and experiencing D’Angelo’s musical prowess live left my jaw on the floor. I was dumbstruck by how good that show was.
What emerging artists should we watch out for in 2016?
It’s hard to say whether they’re even emerging anymore because I’ve thought the world of them for ages now, but I am eagerly waiting for Snarky Puppy’s next record to drop in February and with all the amazing special guests involved, I feel like it’s gonna be another big year for them. But I am also really looking forward to seeing what happens in 2016 for Brasstracks, my trumpet player/producer and drummer’s band. They’ve been putting out amazing music for the last couple years but just started playing shows this year and they’re already touring with GRiZ, Lido, and Gramatik and working in the studio with some heavy people that I probably shouldn’t even mention in this article :) I can’t wait for their EP to drop because their new music is fire and I think they’re gonna go big this year!
Any big plans in the works for 2016?
Yes! The plan is to release another single in February and then put out my whole EP this fall and do a big ol’ CD release tour with my band. My duo record will also likely come out this year, so I’m really engrossed in a lot of projects right now in addition to what I do in other bands. It’s really exciting to be finally putting out all this music I’ve been working on and to see where it takes me this year.
