John Mark Nelson: Sings the Moon

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Local singer songwriter John Mark Nelson’s music is something that never ceases to put you into a good mood. His third album Sings the Moon drops today. Nelson’s folky bluegrass sound is stronger than ever on the single “Boy,” as well as “The Moon and the Stars.” The release show is at the Cedar Cultural Center this Saturday, and next week he'll be in the Current’s studios for an in-studio performance. He'll then be off to Europe, so tune in for the in-studio or catch him at the show while he’s in town.

American Scarecrows: Yesteryear

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Indie folk rockers American Scarecrows are following up on their debut album Keep Your Devils Around (2011): their sophomore album, Yesteryear, drops today. The album includes the single “Cheshire” and another pre-released track called “Gods of the West.” Both tracks are warm summertime stories, and that summertime sound comes at a perfect time for the solstice change. If you missed the album release show last Thursday at the Entry and you want to catch American Scarecrows live, you'll have to wait until their show at the Triple Rock on Saturday, July 19 with the Evening Rig.

Buckrodney: Foxhole

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Continuing this week’s country theme is self-described Americana/indie-rock quartet Buckrodney. The band was only founded last year, but its members have been playing a variety of music for quite some time. Their debut EP Foxhole was released last month, and they are having their EP release show at Mill City Nights this Friday. You can also check out some more songs off the EP on their SoundCloud. If you enjoy some smooth steel guitar and some good stories, these guys are worth paying attention to.

Aaron Bolton is a senior at the University of Minnesota. Currently he writes for growyourflow.com and is the music reporter at Radio K. He hopes to continue a career in music journalism.