Music
Single Review: Richard Lynch “Radio Friend”
“Radio Friend” is an intimate track about friendship. Richard Lynch tells the story of his friend, radio DJ, and esteemed country artist Ray “Chubby” Howard. You can hear each and every important moment in their friendship in the verses of this song. I always appreciate a song whose lyrics are direct in their reference, and avoid being vague in nature. It’s not easy to communicate imagery as clearly as Lynch does here. Especially when weaving it into the creative boundaries of songwriting. Lynch does this effortlessly. As you listen, you start to develop a sense of who “Chubby” was, and you find yourself wondering what it would have been like to listen to his broadcasts, or hear his music.
Musically, this track strings together that classic telecaster twang underneath a singing, steel six string played presumably by Lynch. There’s a richness in Richard Lynch’s vocals that almost gives you the feeling of sitting on your grandfather’s knee. There’s a comfort to it. It’s secure. I particularly appreciate the chorus of this song. It’s true to the inspiration of the piece. It’s memorable and singable for the everyday listener.
Something in the totality of this track reminds me of last call at my favorite local bar. The farewell bid that Lynch offers to his friend offers a sense of finality with a promise of meeting again in the future. And for those who knew “Chubby” I think they’ll return to this song time and time again for years to come. It’s an honor of his life while also showing Lynch’s skill in this corner of songwriting.
Lynch is an artist you won’t want to miss out on as the years tick by. He gives you the sense that he’s always been there, and always will be. Catch “Radio Friend” streaming on repeat in January of 2022.
–Park of Artistry
Artist Spotlight
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama
Rearranging a song that carries six decades of cultural weight is a creative challenge, but Ghost of Panama approaches “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with clear purpose. The rock band radically reworks Bob Dylan’s counter-culture hit, reshaping its identity while keeping its rebellious spirit. It’s a tribute to musical heritage and a statement of artistic independence all in one.
This new interpretation is very much shaped by the production, made at Ghost of Panama’s home studio in West London. The setting allows an intimate approach to reinterpreting a familiar song and lets the group engage directly with the material, taking it in a new artistic direction.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” centers on the tension between conservation and transformation. Ghost of Panama is true to the song’s rebellious spirit without adding to its legacy, and this approach gives the release an adventurous feel, grounded in countercultural energy but driven by a desire to see what the composition can become in a different musical context.
Their version of this 60-year-old classic shows that respecting a song’s history can also mean breaking the rules and finding new ways to express its spirit. Fundamentally, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” presents Ghost of Panama as artists who want to engage with the past without being tied to it. The release’s strongest identity is a familiar heritage reimagined through a singularly forward-looking creative vision.
Artist Spotlight
“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival
“NO MORE“ carries that kind of emotional weight, and some songs feel like they come from lived experience but reach for something bigger. Amanda Holley blends R&B and soul, turning a lifetime of survival into a vision of healing, awakening, and the determination to move beyond what caused the pain.
“NO MORE“ is a healing anthem for people who have gone through bad experiences and reached a place of higher awareness, but it’s also an emotionally charged protest. The duality is introspective and outward-looking at the same time, turning personal survival into a broader declaration that some experiences, conditions, or cycles should end.
Holley had a premonition of the song six months before the world went into global shutdown. In the vocal booth, working out melodies with her collaborators, she pictured people in the streets. Those images were hard to imagine at the time, but subsequent events would make them painfully familiar.
“NO MORE“ is given a particularly contemplative underpinning by the context. The identity of R&B and soul leaves room for emotion. The song’s themes link survival, awakening, resistance, and the need for change. Amanda Holley is an artist using music to process personal endurance and a broader sense of social awakening. It’s got a complicated significance, and its release feels like a glimpse of a moment when personal intuition and public reality collided in an unexpected way.
Photo Credit: Yulia Shusharina
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