Nearly four decades after first taking flight, The Riflebirds of Portland return to their origins with the reissue of April, their long-out-of-print debut album, released today April 3, 2026 on Regional Records. Produced in 1988 and newly re-imagined in 2025 by Marvin Etzioni (Grammy winner and founding member of Lone Justice), April captures a young band at full emotional stride, its folk-rooted melodies, literate songwriting, and understated power sounding as vital now as they did at the dawn of their story.
Originally released only on cassette in 1989 and mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering, April has long been a whispered cult favorite among those who encountered it during the band’s brief but promising late-’80s run. Now fully restored and reintroduced, the album stands as both a time capsule and a revelation.
“You’d think listening to the songs on The Riflebirds of Portland’s April would amount to a trip down what one song calls Memory Street,” writes acclaimed author Peter Ames Carlin. “But what really matters here is how timeless it all sounds. The sweet, deceptively simple melodies, the complexity of feeling, the spare but effective production, all sound perfectly contemporary… Springtime, like youth, may be fleeting. But the joys of The Riflebirds of Portland’s April persist. Listen.”
Formed in Portland, Oregon in 1985, the original Riflebirds centered on songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lee Oser and guitarist Kevin Kraft, later joined by vocalist Kate Lieuallen and drummer Kevin Jarvis. Their initial run (1985–1989) yielded two singles and April, produced by Etzioni, with the song “Pieces of Time” earning placement on the coveted College Music Journal CD and early interest from Columbia Records. Before momentum could fully build, the band dissolved.
Life carried the members in different directions. Lee and Kate married in 1988 and moved east, where Lee became a professor of English literature and author, and Kate a children’s librarian. Kevin Kraft settled in Silicon Valley. Kevin Jarvis built a successful career in Los Angeles as a session drummer, engineer, and producer, working with artists including Brian Wilson, Lucinda Williams, and Elvis Costello. Decades later, Lee reconnected with Etzioni, and in 2024 the original lineup reunited as The Riflebirds of Portland, adopting the new name to reflect both their roots and a naming conflict abroad. With Etzioni once again producing, the band reconvened at Jarvis’s Sonic Boom Room studio in Venice, California.
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| Photo - Stacie Huckeba |
Nashville outlaw country siren India Ramey releases “We Ride At Dawn,” the latest from her forthcoming LP Villain Era, out May 8 via Copaco Records/Blue Élan Records. In celebration of the release, Ramey will also embark on a Nashville Honky Tonk tour. “Nashville reaches so many different audiences depending on the room, so I wanted to take this new music on a mini-tour of some of my favorite spots around town,” she shares.
A callback to “King of the Ashes” from her 2020 album Shallow Graves, “We Ride At Dawn” delivers an anthemic feminist call to action in response to the stripping away of women’s bodily autonomy. Through a spaghetti western lens, Ramey spins a scorched-earth tale in which a band of women rises up, chases down the bandits who have destroyed their town, and reclaims what was stolen. It’s a promise of revenge from the ones who survived.
“We Ride At Dawn” follows “Scattered and Smothered,” a tongue-in-cheek, 2 a.m. Waffle House booth confessional, and “Welcome to My Villain Era,” a danceable declaration from a woman done suffering fools and setting boundaries with anyone who dares to cross them. “If my boundaries offend you,” Ramey says, “I’ll happily play the villain in that story.”
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“Music City Royalty” indie artist Lauren Braddock celebrates a GenX milestone birthday with the release of “Purple Party!”
Known for being a “fierce artist” with “a poet's eye and a child's heart,” Lauren-the daughter of Hall of Fame songwriter Bobby Braddock-has seen her songs covered by legends like Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton.
Produced by Grammy-winner Don Henry, “Purple Party” is a “Beatles meets Prince” anthem-a vibrant call for peace, inclusivity and radical joy.
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It’s been said spring can be revolutionary and when it comes to Gil Scott Heron’s music, ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ came out in April 1974' while ‘B-Movie’ came out in March 1981 two special and very political tracks. In these times of political unrest, these classic tunes ring as true as they did half a century ago, their blasé laid-back acuity only seem sharpened by today's events.
Tackling such milestones as "B-Movie" and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" can be tricky, but Guillaume Metenier & Slikk Tim not only have been producing music together for years, but most importantly are on the same page when it comes to personal convictions. "We felt like we couldn't just do a quick dub of these tunes and chicken out on the political aspect of the music", says Tim. "As we started to work out different ideas, it became evident the meaning of the tunes were dead-on with the realities of our time".
'B-Movie' -- here reworked as “Nothin’ But Bad TV" is a perfect example, the new lyrics echoing the bizarre similarities between yesterday's US president with today's one. "We played that one pretty close to the original as the vocal parallel felt right , but the dub version takes it a step further", says Guillaume. 'The Revolution...' is a different affair, going for a heavyweight, stripped-down arrangement, brooding with intensity -- the vocal restrained here to a heartfelt acknowledgement of Scott-Heron's spirit amidst the controlled sonic chaos.
"We took our time to make sure we would approach these works in a real way. Of course , we don't share Scott-Heron's hardships -- but when it comes to his attitude, we wanted to be all the way with it, from the music to the meaning", concludes Tim. "And then even if you remove the words -- you still get the message across".
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The new single 'Snake' by Oxford, UK indie alternative band Emma Hunter, has been released today April 3rd 2026. 1950s-inspired guitarist, and loop-maker Emma Hunter, together with the trip-hop-inspired percussionist Tom Bruce, and bassist Hayley Wright, create evocative, sun-blistered soundscapes. Intricate melodies and harmonies lie at the heart of every darkly imaginative song. Emma Hunter is an experienced singer and songwriter working in collaboration with Tom and Hayley. Their influences include; PJ Harvey, Imogen Heap and the mysticism of Ancient Mexico. Sharon Van Etten and Anna Calvi are her most prolific comparisons.
'Snake' is the last single to be released from Emma Hunter’s album Yolanda. The album tells the story of Yolanda and Danny-star-crossed lovers from a time, long ago: 1950s Mexico. The album explores the tensions between love and desire; addiction and death. Emma Hunter, often compared to Sharon Van Etten or PJ Harvey, plunges the listener into a cinematic world of sunsets and dust, darkness and desire. Each song creates both evocative soundscapes and a visual world for the listener akin to the kind of music you would expect to find in a David Lynch film.
'Snake' is no exception and layers vocal harmonies over lush, Morricone, flamenco style guitars and in a dark cinematic soundscape. 'Snake' explores themes of addiction and love. The snake becomes a metaphor for alcohol, taking inspiration from Mayan mythology. Yolanda is asking Danny to choose her over his addiction and the lyrical content portraying themes of anguish and longing are represented in the dramatic nature of the music. They have played the main stage of Truck Festival, Riverside and Cornbury Festival, the Oxford 02 Academy and other venues throughout the UK and have featured in numerous music magazines both published and online and have been played on radio shows around the world.
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