Kate Vargas
A reformed wild child, in recent years Kate Vargas has traded the party for meditation, yoga, clean eating and a renewed focus on what she values most—her music. The New Mexico-raised, NYC-based artist is building ever more mindfully on her sound, and the music press is taking notice, Vargas receiving praise from a variety of respected outlets including Billboard, NPR, Noisey, and the Huffington Post, the latter assessing, “There is an unlimited amount of potential in this superstar on the rise.”
Vargas has packed houses from Ireland’s Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival to The Troubadour in London, The Mansion on O Street in Washington D.C. to New York’s Bowery Electric. Featuring her singular folk-style storytelling, Vargas’ songs are grounded in a darkly melodic, reverb-washed sonic palette of dream-pop, dusty folk and junkyard blues, all carried by rough-hewn vocals and guitar playing. In equal measure, she channels a surprising array of artists, from Tom Waits, Fiona Apple, and 16 Horsepower to Lana Del Rey and K. Flay.
Eric McFadden
Hailing from the crossroads of the Southwest and the heart of New Mexico, Eric McFadden has crafted a rare and enticing brand of high desert blues and gritty, flamenco-infused rock that leaves listeners spellbound. McFadden’s sound has not only charmed audiences all over the world, countless musicians have been taken by his inimitable playing and musicianship, with McFadden receiving invitations to tour with the likes of funk legend George Clinton, The Animals’ Eric Burdon, and New Orleans sweethearts Anders Osborne and Tab Benoit. Right from the moment Joe Strummer spotted him in San Francisco, nicknamed him ‘Lightning,’ and gave him a gig opening for Strummer & The Mescaleros, Eric McFadden has claimed his place amongst the greats.
Drawing from his multifarious musical experiences and influences, Eric McFadden has developed his own unique and meaningful voice as a songwriter and 2021 will be hearing much more of that voice. Honing in on a sound that’s a rousing mix of Jack White, Django Reinhardt, and Jimi Hendrix, we can expect to witness McFadden as we never have before - as a wild talent harnessing his power, as a man settling into his skin. This is the year for Eric McFadden and every music lover should be watching out and taking notes.