Hemma

Minneapolis vis Eau Claire artist Hemma just dropped a stirring and powerfully hushed new single called “Pastures of Heaven.” Written last fall at an equestrian center in Lakeville, Minnesota, the song is an aching, finger-picked ballad about huge life transitions as Hannah Hebl sings stark poetics: “Walking with a horse in tow is like / wanting nothing  / It’s like diving in  / head first  / from the shore” Stream and purchase the song at hemma.bandcamp.com.

It was only last fall when we heard the most recent output from Chippewa Valley duo DeKam & Johnson who make acoustic upbeat pop songs in the area. Their string of EPs caught on nicely, and now they’re back with their debut album called Late At Night, a nine-track effort full of split harmonies, catchy guitar riffs, huge horn sounds, and glossy pop production. To hear the record and learn more, go to dekamandjohnson.com.

This is nostalgia at its finest. If you’re the type that spent the ’90s singing “Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion / rendez-vous and I’m through with you” as Eve 6’s smash hit “Inside Out” played on just about every radio in existence, then you’re in for a treat. The band in its original lineup is coming to Eau Claire for a concert in the dome at The Complexx on April 21. Tickets are $19 to $32 and you can win a meet-and-greet by liking Wagner’s Lanes and The Complexx on Facebook.

In an effort to bring more local hip hop to the Chippewa Valley’s airwaves, a cool team-up between Blugold Radio 99.9 and 95.9 JAMZ will bring a locally-produced weekly show called Midwest Hip Hop to each station. The show broadcasts the best hip hop tunes from artists all over the Midwest, including some from our very own Chippewa Valley. Midwest Hip Hop airs Sundays at 9pm on 95.9 JAMZ, and at 9pm Wednesdays on Blugold Radio 99.9, so tune in!

Now back home from a month-long West Coast tour, Eau Claire native alt pop artist Pat Keen is gearing up for a special show at The Oxbow Hotel gallery on March 23, a joint performance with Adelyn Rose (which also happens to be near both of their birthdays). After the show, Keen is spending some time in the Valley recording new songs with the help of Shane Leonard (Field Report, Kalispell) and engineer Brian Joseph at Hive Studio. You can get tickets to the Oxbow show at volumeone.org/tickets.