Pacify the Morning by The American Strays

About the artist

The American Strays are a newly formed group and make St. Paul, Minnesota their home and primarily consist of singer/keyboardist/songwriter, Suzanna Kennedy and songwriter/drummer, Matt Horner. The band is their brainchild, and their music is straight from the rustic soil where Americana/roots rock music is planted, while always searching for novel expressions towards the genre, to create without borders. A& R man Ted Myers, formerly of Concord and Rhino Records, commented, “I’m partial to Americana music, and you guys have a really fresh and real approach to it.”

That approach, from their debut, 6-song EP, was aided by California producer Scott Mathews whose method showcases a stylized Americana/roots rock mix with crossover appeal, using everything from a dulcimer to a sitar to even layering an on-the-spot, classical music radio broadcast into their third track “Bound,” stamping each song with its own identity, centered by Kennedy’s distinct, bold vocals. “There is a unique vocal persona happening here that that really stands out in the huge crowd of female singers,” again says A&R man Ted Myers.

Suzanna and Matt are presently writing new songs, working with the band, and promoting their EP.

The American Strays’ EP is just a cross section of what they can do, so look for more from them in 2012. Their EP is digitally distributed through Blue Pie Records.