Episode 30 features folk-soul sounds from WI to LA transplant Nick Shattuck‘s crowdfunded EP, in addition to music from MPLS surf-punk superheroes The Sex Rays, melodic indie-pop band The Owls, punk trio Baby Guts, folk-rock quartet Reina del Cid, Duluth slowcore act Low, and disbanded blues rockers A Night in the Box.

Nick Shattuck was a regular staple in the music scene of La Crosse, WI and the surrounding area from 2006 to the fall of 2011, when he moved to the Los Angeles area. The following spring, Shattuck put out a crowd funding campaign with an ambitious $5,000 goal to fund the recording and manufacturing of a new 5-song studio EP. Drawing largely upon his friends and family back here in the Driftless, Shattuck surpassed his goal by $700 and released the Up Late, Dreaming EP publicly last summer.

Recorded in LA with producer Ben Leathers, Up Late, Dreaming is an impressive collection of brand new material that boasts fuller arrangements and a higher level of detail and production than his debut effort, 2010’s Chorus and Verse.

The song featured in this episode, Sun Burns On, is a stunning example of the growth and vision found in Shattuck’s new EP. Spacious and euphoric dual harmonies are cleverly blended with a harmonica in a section opens the song and is reprised throughout (including a chill-inducing instance without the backing tracks before the final chorus). Well-mixed percussion, tasteful electric guitar noodling, and a violin solo all make their presence felt as well. Most importantly, Shattuck’s silky smooth vocals come through with both grace and power. Throughout the EP, it is clear that Shattuck is following his heart and has found his groove.

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Nick Shattuck
“Sun Burns On”
Up Late, Dreaming
Independent
2013
4:02

The Sex Rays
“Hidden Charms”
The Sex Rays
Independent
2011
3:08

The Owls
“Peppermint Patty”
Daughters and Suns
Magic Marker
2007
3:12

Baby Guts
“Tiny Cuts”
The Kissing Disease
Guilt Ridden Pop
2008
1:47

Reina del Cid
“Pretty Lie”
Blueprints, Plans
Independent
2012
5:06

Low
“Breaker”
Drums and Guns
Sub Pop
2007
2:53

A Night in the Box
“Fiddle Foot Jones”
Write a Letter
Afternoon Records
2008
2:10