While traditionally a home for indie rock (and now likely more so for electronica and low-fi) it was acts hailing from the Southern states that took the crown and the crowd.
Take Robert Ellis, a lithe Houston virtuoso who harkens back to the days of Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Townes van Zandt, the days when country and folk didn’t have to be hyphenated to sit together in one sentence. Ellis played several shows this year, including sets at the Paste and New West showcases at the Living Room. His voice is clean and band booming; and you get the feeling that he incited a lot of “I didn’t think I like country, but… ” conversations at the night’s end.
Marissa Moss: Why the South Won (the CMJ Music Marathon, That Is)
Robert Ellis gets a nice mention in the Huffington Post for his recent CMJ appearances, including a surprise two-hour cover set (aka, what Houston is accustomed to calling Whiskey Wednesday). Buxton also gets termed a “southern breakout” and an “indie folk collective whose album Mumford and Sons probably have hidden under their pillows.”
Source: The Huffington Post
