We’re settling into summer the right way with two new highly anticipated releases from William Matheny and John R. Miller.
John R.’s fourth studio album, The Great Unknowing, comes after the critically acclaimed Depreciated (2021) and Heat Comes Down (2023), building upon and expanding past the sound we have come to know and love. Refusing to stay within the confines of a genre, John is bursting outside of the mold of Americana and Folk with continuous re-invention.
An album full of stories, John’s lyrics and musicianship paint a vibrant, textured picture of places and memories long gone. From neon-lit dive bars to being stuck in traffic, themes of isolation, capitalism, and – strangely enough – communism carry this record from track to track.
Following an impromptu cover of “Walk of Life” at 123 Pleasant St. in Morgantown, WV last year, this same track closes out the album in what we believe to be the perfect ending.
“You know after all the violence and the double-talk
There’s just a song about the struggle and the strife,
He did the walk, the walk of life”
Following 2023’s That Grand, Old Feeling, Material Witness marks the next step in Matheny’s musical progression. Released under his own record label, Diamond Teeth Records, this record is an ambitious undertaking of musical prowess, being his most diverse record yet. Examples of this can be found on the track “Where Do The People In My Dreams Go?”, in which a string quartet is introduced for the first time in his sound.
Working with fellow member of the Whizzbang Gang, Justin Francis as producer, this album released alongside the single “I Wish I Was Back In West Virginia” featuring John R. Miller! Similar themes of home can be found throughout the album, acting as a throughline from track to track.
“Lord, I’m one
Lord, I’m two
Lord, I’m nothing without you”
William has proved time and time again that he is making his mark in the musical history of our region, and this album only goes to prove that point.
We can’t wait for what comes next from our roster.
