Follow Friday: Milky Chance, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Rocket Summer, and More

Milky Chance

To start off this week’s Follow Friday, we have a warm welcome to the Ernie Ball Family for the German electric-folk powerhouse, Milky Chance! Their name may sound familiar; Milky Chance hit a home run with their first-ever single, “Stolen Dance,” which swept radio charts around the world. Since then, the band has been steadily bulking up their discography with more hits. Their most recent release, Mind The Moon, came out just last month.

We also recorded this album with breaks in between. We decided to record it in different studios and different places because we wanted to get inspired by different instruments and studios. We just wanted to get affected by our surroundings. We started in our home studio. Then we took a break, then we continued in a studio in Italy for two weeks and took another break and then had another two weeks in Norway. So we just took more time to really get into it, which was nice.

Clemens Rehbein, Interview Magazine

Their latest album is already making a mark on their fanbase, with standout tracks “Oh Mama” and “The Game” climbing the ranks. To catch Milky Chance on their upcoming 2020 tour, check their official websites for tour dates.

Milky Chance uses Ernie Ball Power Slinkys, Paradigm 80/20 Bronze Lights, and Hybrid Slinky Bass strings.

Listen to Milky Chance‘s latest, Mind The Moon, below.

The Oak Ridge Boys

Want more folky goodness? Or, maybe you want to get in the Christmas spirit? What if we told you that The Oak Ridge Boys have you covered on both accounts? Well, their new album Down Home Christmas is a perfect combination of your favorite Christmas classics and the classic sound of long-time country veterans.

Down Home Christmas began much like the other seven Christmas albums we have recorded. But things changed. Most of the songs I had collected were put on the shelf, and we started looking for songs that addressed specific subjects related to Christmas. With very simple instrumentation, the four Oak Ridge Boys’ voices are out front, and in your face, with the awesome, huge sound of RCA Studio A wrapped around, but not over-powering it.

Duane Allen, Oak Ridge Boys Official Website

With their latest release, this marks seven full-length Christmas albums for the Oak Ridge Boys. With the big day just around the corner, there could not be a more perfect time to check out their official website for tour dates this holiday season.

The Oak Ridge Boys use Ernie Ball Super Slinky Stainless Steel bass strings.

Get in the Christmas spirit with The Oak Ridge Boys down below.

The Rocket Summer

The Rocket Summer is the solo power-pop project of multi-instrumentalist powerhouse, Bryce Avary. Since his inception in 1999, Avary has released seven studio albums, including an iTunes number one release, Of Men and Angels. His most recent album, Sweet Shivers, was released earlier this year.

I think for me, as time goes on, I feel like an alien of sorts. [Laughs.] I still think that music and albums are the be-all, end-all for me. When I went to Texas, it was based on how I could be so immersed making something just pure. Along the way, in the last few years, life experiences happened. All these years, I’ve never really learned how to handle this whole thing where I write from such a deeply personal place, and yet I really don’t love explaining everything about my personal life.

Bryce Avary, Alt Press

The Rocket Summer delivers if you are looking for alternative rock that is unabashedly bright. Just check out the music video for their track, “Blankets.” The entire video, coated in sheets of white, does a great job of translating how it feels to listen to one of Avary’s songs motion. To catch them live, check out their official website.

The Rocket Summer use Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys, Power Slinkys, Not Even Slinkys, and Everlast Medium Coated Phosphor Bronze strings.

Get some Sweet Shivers with The Rocket Summer down below.

Steelheart

Hard rock legends, Steelheart, are still bringing the heat in 2019. After rocking their way through the ’90s with hits like “We All Die Young,” “I’ll Never Let You Go,” and “She’s Gone,” Steelheart has kept the ball rolling with some recent albums. Through The Worlds Of Stardust and Rock’n Milan came out back to back, with their cut “My Dirty Girl” even making a live single in 2019.

The songwriting process could be different ways. A vision of a song. The lyrics, what it is. A title. Once you have a title you have a story. Sometimes I’d pick up the guitar and it would be a riff, you know? Or a melody would come to me. I’d sing it into my voice recorder. There are many different ways that it comes to me. You have to be really open and perceptive.

Milijenko Matijevic, Love is Pop

After listening to the live releases from Steelheart, it is apparent that they sound just as polished on the record as they do on stage. To check that out for yourself, head to their official website and look out for tour dates near you.

Steelheart rocks out with Ernie Ball Power Slinkys and Earthwood 12-String 80/20 Bronze strings.

Hear the hits from Steelheart down below.

Havok

Colorado thrash metal rockers, Havok, are known for their brutal sound. With blistering guitar riffs and drums to match, Havok lives up to the legacy that thrash metal has established. Their most recent album, Conformicide, was met with critical acclaim and even reinvigorated fans of the genre.

There are those who strongly feel that no modern thrash band could ever outdo the classic bands who laid the foundation for thrashOn the other side are those who fully embrace the re-thrash movement, basking in its homage to the greats and are fully supportive of a new generation thrash bands picking up the torch and carrying on the great name of thrash metal. Among these bands, and arguably at the top of the pack, stands Denver’s Havok.

Metal Injection on Havok’s Conformicide

With all the hype, Havok has high expectations for the future of thrash. If you want to keep up with the latest news from the band, be sure to head over to their official website to learn more.

Havok gets brutal with Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms and Regular Slinky Bass strings.

Listen to the top tracks from Havok below.