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Writer's pictureP.d. Casteel

The Mix (April 2023): RAGS AND RICHES, The Red Clay Strays, Oh He Dead


The Mix is a snapshot of three songs representing different genres of music that OMI would like to get on our follower's radar. Of course, if you’d like a deep dive into the music we love you can listen to our Spotify playlist New Indie Music.





Hello, Goodbye - RAGS AND RICHES

Let’s just start with I love anything that has that pop-punk/power-pop/emo sound. RAGS AND RICHES have that sound nailed down. “Hello, Goodbye” is an earworm that will stick with you all day. Kentucky siblings Tanner and Peyton Whitt seemed to know how to bottle up a good time and drop it into a tune. I recently played “Hello, Goodbye” for a group of friends and the consensus was this had a very “Bowling for Soup” vibe with the pacing of a Weezer song. I like to put it in the vane of up-and-coming artists like England’s Royals, Australia’s Bakers Eddy, or Florida’s Camp Trash. And for the record, the Old Man is insanely jealous of the beards these guys are rocking! Add this one to your playlist and let’s home there is an album on the horizon.



Wondering Why – The Red Clay Strays

Alabama band The Red Clay Strays have woven together a sound with a flavoring of rockabilly, Delta blues, and dual-lead-guitar southern rock. It creates a sound that feels immediately nostalgic. What elevates the band are the vocals of frontman Brandon Coleman. Coleman has the unique ability to sing traditional country and has vocals like Travis Tritt. Then he can transcend the sound in a manner similar to Roy Orbison and Orville Peck (for this reason TRCS are great to see in concert). ‘Wondering Why” is a restrained country blues ballad. The production is tight and while the song doesn’t try to do much it manages to create those moments when you just close your eyes and sway.

I’m adding Brandon Coleman to the list of my favorite emerging vocalists along with The Great Leslie’s Ollie Trevers, Oh He Dead’s C.J. Johnson, and Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s Wes Leavins. This is a great band to follow and adding “Wondering Why” to your playlist is a no-brainer.



California – Oh He Dead

DC-based band Oh He Dead has another groove that you won’t be able to resist. Vocalist/guitarist Andy Valenti and vocalist C.J Johnson started as a duo and Valenti had to create soulful vibes with a single instrument. That element of the band’s origin has paid off. As the band has grown the music has remained relatively sparse, but very tight (except in concerts where they really like to rock out). “California” is a cheeky track that features Valenti's R&B guitar and Johnson’s one-of-a-kind raspy vocal. For fans who have caught the band on tour over the last years or so you knew this song was coming. The song is meant to be fun. The background vocals accentuate this fact. “California” is a great tune you should be streaming. If you haven’t spent time with Oh He Dead use this song as your gateway drug. There is so much good music to explore.

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