If there’s one thing that has held true with all the music I’ve adored the longest, it is great songs – rock, country or pop – never go out of style. Sorry, economists: there is no law of diminishing returns for timeless songwriting.  

This is a truth exceptionally gifted Nashville-based songwriter Caitlin Rose understands better than most. The splendor of a great song will forever triumph over emerging trends, market…

John Fullbright instantly became one of the most exciting songwriters and performers around, irrespective of genre designations, when he splashed on to the radar in 2012 with his tremendous debut album, From the Ground Up. Then 24 years old (he just turned 25 last week), Fullbright wields both a staggering pen and a possessed, twangy growl that belie his supposed youth. Championed by the likes of the No Depression community, NPR and even the Grammys (his debut…

Ivan & Alyosha are a Seattle four-piece who play an enchanting brand of harmonic, folk-leaning rock with swelling choruses. Their songs beg to be sung in unity, and they benefit from a comfortable, earnest romanticism that hits home on the first and the hundredth listen. After starting as a duo consisting of Tim Wilson (lead vocals, acoustic guitar) and Ryan Carbary (guitar, piano and vocals) at the time of their 2009 debut EP, The Verse,…

Chicago trio Fort Frances visited Indianapolis on Saturday night for a celebratory set on the heels of the release of their excellent, new Harbour EP, freshly out on Tuesday. New to the band, I'd been truly delighted to have both the five-song collection and their 2011 debut, The Atlas, burning up my stereo all week long. However, I was even more elated to discover the trio's harmony-driven indie folk sound given a positively visceral blast of rock-and-roll,…