Music Blog

Ever since the turn of the millennium, there hasn’t been a hotter trend than that of acoustic guitar singer/songwriter. Back in 2002, John Mayer paved new ground for independent songsters when he released the EP Inside Wants Out on his own and built strong local followings, and then created a huge splash and label interest at South by Southwest. When the song “No Such Thing” started getting radio play and he became a mega star, it was like turning yourself into an acoustic singer/songwriter was suddenly the coolest new thing.

Not to mention, the invention of the web has made it a reality for thousands of singer/songwriter hopefuls to strike out cross-country with their guitar and a handful of soulful ballads and make a living, sometimes a very good one, traveling from coffee shops to clubs to bars. They sell T-shirts and posters and self-produced CDs. They get the word out about their music with their myspace pages and net radio stations and sell digital downloads of their tracks and ringtones. Since record labels don’t hold total control over music distribution now, the concept of distributing one’s own music independently has become popular and individual artists now have a much greater level of control over their personal careers.

Here are some of the most exciting artists of the new millenium who have utilized independent ways of promoting their material to create names and careers for themselves.

Tristan Prettyman - Tristan is a native the North County area of San Diego, and her material embodies that fun, easy, beach-music style. Her fun, happy lyrics and uplifiting guitar stylings make it the perfect music for either a long, relaxing bath accompanied by flickering candles or a fun family barbacue in the middle of summer. It might not be possible to take a trip down to the beach, but you can start spinning Triz’s CD and that’s all it takes to make it seem like you’re there. Tristan’s concerts give you the feeling of having spent that time spending time with one of your best girlfriends, chatting about men and pop culture, rather than attended a concert. Her debut EP (The Love EP) was self-produced, and her two subsequent efforts (twentythree and Hello…x) have both been studio produced.

Matt Nathanson - Matt’s career is the fruition of a long history of promoting relentlessly and near-constant touring, building a strong, even fanatical, fanbase built from years of touring and above-the-call-of-duty efforts to personally connect with fans. His lyrics are symbolic and poetic - they go far beyond the standard Pop ABAB rhyme schemes and “You’re so amazing I love you so much,” themes that dominate the airwaves on mainstream radio. His initial effort was the independently produced “Please,” released in 1993, while Matt was still in college. Over the next ten years, his independent releases included, “Ernst,” “Not Colored Too Perfect,” “Still Waiting for Spring,” and “When Everything Meant Everything.” He then released, “Beneath These Fireworks,” on Universal and “Some Mad Hope,” on Vanguard. He also released a concert recording entitled, “Live at the Point.” The combination of his winning material and hilarious, personal banter in live shows have made Matt one of the favorites among the singer/songwriter fan community.

Ernie Halter - Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Ernie Halter sprinkles a bit of Soul into the acoustic mix. He self-released the home-recorded “Lo Fidelity,” and later studio recordings “Congress Hotel,” and “Starting Over.”