working together through an organic approach, as they help new and veteran artists find their place

The Messenger: A Tribute to Ray Wylie Hubbard, a superlative new collection from Eight 30 Records, features performances by a who’s who of Americana music including Rodney Crowell(“In Times of Cold”), Bobby Bare (“Snake Farm”), Charlie Musselwhite (“Resurrection”), Tom Russell(“Dust of the Chase”), James McMurtry (“The Messenger”), Terri Hendrix (“Without Love”), Jonathan Tyler (“Wanna Rock N Roll”) and others. “We're so proud of this record,” says Jenni Finlay, who co-produced the set with label co-owner Brian T. Atkinson. “We are so excited to celebrate one of our very favorite songwriters and humans alive today.” Additionally, James McMurtry and his band served as the “house band” on several key tracks on the album, which will be released digitally on August 16 and is scheduled for a physical release later this fall.

Matt Harlan crafts sociopolitical narratives with an artist's eye (“What We Saw”) and a poet's elegance (“Mountain Pose”). Evidence: Best Beasts. The seamless new collection due out July 12 on Austin-based Eight 30 Records spotlights a rapidly rising songwriter growing exponentially with each track (“Gravity”). Political unrest maps the landscape. “Best Beastsbecame much more political than I imagined,” Harlan says. “Everything I started to write ended up being about current events. The theme throughout the record is me trying to makes sense of our crazy world today.” Keep an eye out for more news and song premieres from the album featuring legendary instrumentalists Rich Brotherton (Robert Earl Keen), Danny Barnes (Bad Livers) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers) soon!