Indie blues

Allisen & The Wy’s Guys: “Tell Me (Like A Man)”

If you’ve seen Big Wy’s Brass Band, then you’re already hip to the spark that is multi-instrumentalist Wyatt Corder. Furthermore, you’re probably familiar with the fact that Wy’s got high standards for the folks he plays with; if he hand picks you as a performer, it’s a real privilege…especially when it comes to pulling off Amy Winehouse covers.

This is where singer Allisen Hinojosa comes in. Corder and Hinojosa first met as DJ colleagues at KVRX, shared interests in the vintage blues-soul section, got together in 2021 to jam a few times, and soon found success with their Amy Winehouse tribute Back to Black. Back to Black’s still alive and well, but the pair have also begun channeling their chemistry into an original project, aptly titled Allisen & The Wy’s Guys.

The two best bets for which venues you’ll catch Allisen & The Wy’s Guys? C-Boy’s Heart & Soul (where they play 6:30-8:30PM every Thursday this month) and the Continental Club, where they’re staging a two-night takeover. Tonight it’s Back to Black at 11:30PM after openers The Point at 10PM and tomorrow it’s Indoor Creature opening up at 10PM followed by Allisen & The Wy’s Guys at 11:30PM for a single release show.

And the single in question is nothing short of awesome. Absolutely embodying the airtight modern flavors of Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, “Tell Me (Like A Man)” is yet another benchmark of Austin’s overall progression from the “boring blues” of decades past to the slick, seductive soulscape it is today.

Chrissy Symone: “March 14”

These days, participating in a youth choir – in school, at church, or wherever – is like a gateway drug for future singing sensations. Based on the abundance of success stories in recent history, it’s pretty clear that placing some discipline on your pipes at an early age gives you a huge leg up later on.

See: Chrissy Symone. Born in Georgia and now based in Austin, Chrissy was first bit by the songwriting bug back in her school’s choir about a dozen years ago. Since settling into the pandemic mentality, Symone’s been padding out an impressive SoundCloud presence with original acoustic tunes that arrange piano, guitar, and vocals into consistently pleasant jazz-and-blues-adjacent soft indie pop. But of course, Symone’s voice is the prime attraction. Her delicate delivery, poignant lyricism, and effortless ability to navigate intervals and registers make Chrissy one of the most slept on artists in the Live Music Capital.

Well, today Chrissy Symone gave the world a much-welcomed wake up call. Despite its initial appearance on SoundCloud nearly a year ago, Symone just released her flagship Spotify single “March 14”. Huge kudos to Chrissy for including an instrumental rendition as well – one that truly illustrates the weight and impact her vocals can bring to a track like this. Chrissy Symone has a don’t-miss SoFar Sounds session coming up on May 7th, and while you’ve got calendar dates in mind, take a tranquil trip back exactly one month with “March 14”.