Blues rocker JD Simo has a busy spring ahead of him; having just wrapped up a tour of the States, he's headed out to Europe to take on the UK and the Netherlands with Tommy Emmanuel before he returns to our side of the pond to support the Allman Betts Band. Plus, Simo has just put out a new record called Off At 11, in which they channel the gritty sound of Clapton, Hendrix, Lightnin' Hopkins, and B.B. King. The songs retain all of the energy and drive of a live performance of the blues; you can hear the passion in Simo's guitar solo on the title track as if it's blistering your eardrums before your eyes. Simo says about the album: “There’s an underlying theme of LOVE that permeates the album. Both outward love but also inner and self love. These days, everything is so heavy, but I just want to point out some joy, love and deep passion; in this world, we all share that spirit. OFF AT 11 does that.” Take a listen to "Off At 11" below. - Will Sisskind

The groundhog predicted an early Spring, but it's still a little chilly here in Nashville, which means we're all fools for taking weather advice from something that lives in the dirt. So if you need to warm up, pour yourself a tall glass of brown liquor and throw on Della Mae's new EP The Butcher Shoppe, which contains six new tracks of their spirit-lifting bluegrass music. The group of women roots rockers recorded these songs at the Butcher Shoppe Studio in town, bringing in collaborators such as original Della Mae guitarist Avril Smith, as well as Molly Tuttle and Alison Brown. Tracks include a smoky cover of "Sixteen Tons", the rapid-fire instrumental "No-See-Um Stomp", and the lead single "Bourbon Hound", which suggests that you make yourself another Old Fashioned. We agree.

Della Mae is bassist Zoe Guigueno, guitarist Celia Woodsmith, fiddler Kimber Ludiker, and mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner, all of whom share vocal duty in wonderful harmony. Take a listen to "Bourbon Hound" below. - Will Sisskind

What do you do when you've received accolades from the press for your debut album, toured Europe, performed with Greta Van Fleet and the Regrettes, and been compared to Kurt Cobain? You come home to Nashville and you play a show for your friends. That's what Welles -- the moniker of singer-songwriter Jesse Wells -- is doing on March 16th, as he thunders back into town to play a rip-roaring set at the Basement. If you've missed out on his smash single "Seventeen" or his debut album Red Trees and White Trashes, think of Welles's sound as Ty Segall meeting Jay Reatard and going at it all over the genre spectrum. On stage, Welles's higher-octane tracks will have you jumping as he gets in your face; his more soulful tunes will leave you standing in awe. Check him out at the Basement on March 16th, and take a listen to "Seventeen" below. - Will Sisskind

If you've popped past the Cambria Hotel lately, you may have noticed Tony Lucca playing in their True Music Room. The Americana artist will continue his monthly residency in the venue with a performance on March 4th, playing songs from his catalog and including ones from his upcoming album Ain't No Storm, which is set to drop on March 29th. This new set of tracks -- which has a sound eager to please fans of Jason Isbell or Dawes -- stands as one of the most raw the artist has ever crafted, as Lucca does away with LA flash and focuses on making the base elements of each song shine. With good production and minimal overdubs, as well as collaborations from East Nashville musicians like Ted Pecchio and Patrick Sweany -- songs like "Other Side of the Clouds" help Lucca further claim his stake among the top in the Nashville Americana scene. Take a listen to it below. - Will Sisskind

Playing with Andrew Leahey at 3rd & Lindsley on March 3rd is Boo Ray, whose outlaw sound and rough voice will have you smelling whiskey and swamp water psychosomatically. The artist's new video for "Back Down To Georgia" -- a track from his latest release Tennessee Alabama Fireworks -- traces the journey of a woman delivering a recipe in parts to Ray to help him make Nashville's famous Hot Chicken. The track has Boo Ray and his band's signature sound of a tight group that's thundered up and down the roads of the Bible Belt together over the years, their vocal cords becoming coated with smoke and their instruments loud enough to shake the Delta. Take a look at the video for "Back Down To Georgia" below, and catch Ray on March 3rd at 3rd & Lindsley. - Will Sisskind