BMI at Loufest 2016

Initially inspired by both Grace, the haunting debut by the late Jeff Buckley, and the soulful uplift of gospel music, Lakeland, FL singer/songwriter JMR (otherwise known as Joshua Michael Robinson) followed his muse to Nashville. Informed by the loss of his mother, JMR’s debut EP is powerfully affecting, pairing his delicate voice with minimalist electronics, acoustic flourishes and subtle R&B stylings, resulting in moving songs that leave few listeners indifferent.

Pairing the buzzsaw guitar-wallop of punk with sweet, girl-group harmonies and indelible pop hooks, St. Louis’ own Bruiser Queen is a high-energy duo that makes irrepressibly fun music rife with both melody and muscle.

Ft. Worth’s Quaker City Night Hawks play an amplified blend of countrified hard rock that packs rootsy grit and bluesy groove with a spacy aesthetic. Their new album, El Astronauta, goes down like a burly boogie cocktail with a Southern-fried sci-fi chaser.

An ethereal trio that merges the familiarity of folksy pop with a surreal, psychedelic sheen, Twin Limb makes lush, dreamy music that feels as if it was channeled on the astral plane.

After over a decade of life on the road as a struggling country musician, songwriter Bonnie Bishop said goodbye to endless touring and returned home to her native Texas to focus on storytelling rather than songwriting. But a crucial call from GRAMMY-winning producer David Cobb coaxed her back to music, resulting in her emotional return to richly written, country-blues form with Ain’t Who I Was.

Led by self-taught singer/songwriter Kristine Leschper, Mothers’ distinctively unconventional indie rock displays both Leschper’s penchant for adventurously experimental songwriting and her deeply personal lyrics.

Nashville-based trio NAWAS augment a classic R&B style with an intricate, cutting-edge electronic sound, punctuated by the disarming falsetto of lead vocalist Jake Nawas. The finished sonic product is filled with both urban swagger and soulful swoon.

On the corner of R&B and hip-hop is where Anderson .Paak finds his fever pitch, rapping effortlessly in a way that reinvents the overlap. Backed by his equally versatile band The Free Nationals, Paak flexes every musical muscle to deliver moment after moment of crowd-pleasing reasons to party and dance.