M. Lockwood Porter & John Calvin Abney

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M. Lockwood Porter
The Berkeley, California-based singer-songwriter M. Lockwood Porter is part of a promising crop of up-and-coming Americana singer-songwriters. In the past three years, he has released two critically-acclaimed albums and performed all over the US, sharing the stage with acts like American Aquarium, David Wax Museum, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Water Liars, Samantha Crain, David Ramirez, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and John Moreland. He has performed at festivals like Outside Lands, Noise Pop, Norman Music Festival, and CMJ. No Depression called Porter’s 2014 album 27 “a solid album worth your time, attention, and money.” In a review of 27, Americana UK said, “Take care with M. Lockwood Porter. He is an important singer-songwriter.”

Like Conor Oberst or Jeff Tweedy, Porter’s songs are equal parts traditional songcraft and indie rock attitude. How To Dream Again was tracked live in three days with minimal overdubs. While Porter dabbled in lush country-rock and expansive power pop on 27, How To Dream Again sounds tougher and leaves more space. The band – consisting of Porter, Peter Labberton, Bevan Herbekian, and Jeff Hashfield, and John Calvin Abney – sounds tight and heavy, like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers if they’d cut their teeth at CBGB. The acoustic songs are raw and haunting, recalling Springsteen’s Nebraska.

The heartbreak and existential crises of 27 have been replaced with boldness, wisdom, and a deeper level of self-examination. “I’m in love, in a very healthy, serious relationship, and I’m happier with where I’m at in terms of my music, but with being further along in my personal life come new questions like “How do you maintain what’s good about a relationship? “Burn Away”, “Bright Star”, and “Strong Enough”, all ostensibly love songs, are really about the uncertainty inherent in love – that there is no guarantee that it will last forever.

Porter – who has degrees in English and American History from Yale University and taught English at an inner-city middle school for 4 years – has also rediscovered an interest in social justice and activism. Porter spent the past two years reading extensively – progressive writers like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Thomas Piketty – and took time to rethink what he wanted to write about. “I strive for 100% honesty in my songwriting, and that means I write about what’s on my mind and in my heart. I spent most of 2015 thinking about how I should respond to what’s happening in the world, so that ended up being a major theme on the record.”

Porter also immersed himself in the works of topical songwriters – some obvious influences (Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan) and others less so (Joe Strummer, Public Enemy’s Chuck D). In the process, he learned about Joe Hill – the protest singer and IWW labor organizer who was executed on highly questionable charges almost exactly 100 years ago. Porter wrote the song “Joe Hill’s Dream” shortly afterwards – at once an examination of Hill’s legacy and a critical look at the recent history of protest songwriting.

The album’s centerpiece, though, is “Reach The Top”, a five-and-a-half minute dissertation critiquing the philosophy underpinning the American Dream, tying together its myriad consequences – isolation, materialism, depression, suicide, drug use, destruction of unions, college debt, gentrification, police brutality, media distortion, and American imperialism – using nothing but his voice, a guitar, and a harmonica. This song alone is a strong case that this California-based Okie transplant may be Guthrie’s closest modern heir.

On How To Dream Again, M. Lockwood Porter blends the personal and political in a way that is courageous, moving, and representative of this historical moment. “I can’t have a conversation with anyone my age right now without talking about things like inequality, gentrification, racial injustice, student debt, or climate change. I wanted to make a piece of art that captures this time, where daily life is political.” Yet at its core, this album is a very personal statement from a thoughtful, daring young artist. “The album is called How To Dream Again because it’s about trying to change my priorities – from chasing dreams of individual success to dreaming about creating something bigger than myself, whether that’s being in love or building a better world.”

John Calvin Abney
“Authoring eleven songs that salute his folk infatuation yet branching out of the pigeonhole just a bit…What’s left is enigmatic, bright blues and rock and roll; landscapes of sounds and instruments put together seamlessly, complete with heady, deeply personal lyrics. He has an almost cherub-like vocal style. The last thing you’d expect is the road experience Abney has amassed. His voice portrays a distant innocence, delivered almost as if you’re the only one that doesn’t get the joke….Better Luck is a solid freshman effort and your first “must-have” of 2015.” – No Depression

“…imagine what Jason Isbell’s alt-country might sound like if he was a little more influenced by freak-folk and indie-pop, then you can imagine Abney’s sound… Better Luck delivers memorable vocal performances, strong songwriting, and tight arrangements…a tight, crisp, earnest album of alt-country/folk songs that resonate easily and deeply.” – Independent Clauses

“Peppered with love songs like the countrified blind faith of ‘Dallas City Lights,’ the self-effacing title track with its prismatic rhythm and country blues of album standout “I Can’t Choose,” Better Luck covers a wide swath of styles…Bearing only minor flaws, Better Luck is a crackerjack debut that marks the emergence of a burgeoning songwriter who should only get better with age.” – Bucket Full of Nails

“John Calvin Abney’s new album “Better Luck” is more about good talent than good fortune. The title track demonstrates his ability to learn from life’s romantic calamities and turn them into a perfect under-three minute song…He may not always be lucky in love but the 20-something musician knows how to turn those heartaches into winning music…Abney’s composition is more poetic than most of those.” – Norman Transcript

“John Calvin Abney is another interesting new name in Oklahoma….The singer-songwriter comes up with modern rootspop in the style of Josh Ritter or Josh Rouse, his clean vocals on the title track tends to Matthew Sweet. Rootspop, but never weak. He can play it all just as well, complex and familiar structures… 4 out of 5 stars.” – Alt-Country.NL

“You’d never know Abney is a newcomer to the craft of composing smart, personal, often wryly pointed American indie folk-rock in the vein of Elliot Smith and Conor Oberst. His slightly weathered tenor vocals cut a lonely groove through 11 songs about loss, regret, burned bridges and yes, sometimes, love… He approaches his music with a fresh innocence and tuneful confidence that propels his melodies and delivers legitimate, heartfelt emotion. Spare, economic production throughout “Better Luck” provides an airy sonic space for Abney’s mostly acoustic music… A truly fine debut.” – Tulsa People