Young Readers

A lonesome horn drags along like an underwater funeral procession, drums doing a shuffle stutter step, until Jordan Herrera reaches for the mic from his blood soaked bed in a Civil War infirmary.

"Whiskey chased the fear out of me, I fear i won't... make it out of this infirmary..."

But it all comes down to one simple thought, one short line that we've all made wishes upon, whispered to ourselves, or invoked while kneeling in prayer... "I wish I was home."

Young Readers is the vehicle singer/songwriter Jordan Herrera (left) uses to drive his musical musings into the driveways and lonely parking lots of our homes and towns. And that vehicle is not unlike the solitary cars seen in the meticulously arranged photographs of Gregory Crewdson. Mysterious, magnetic and pulling us in even as they pull away.

This song's line-up includes Jordan on vocals/guitar/piano, Kyle Reid on lead guitar/lapsteel/noise, David Leach playing upright bass and trombone, and the backbone... Steve Boaz with drums and organ. Recorded to analog tape the new single "Homesick/Hymnal" can be found on in Portland, Maine's Lorem Ipsum Recordings. - Sixeyes

I decided that with another big independent music festival approaching (Torontos’ NXNE) I’d start sifting through the list of announced artists and see what DIY deliciousness I could stumble on for Dingus. My first click brought me to Young Readers, an Oklahoma-based mellow folk group with a very relaxing, mature sound and some great festival cred to their name. The band has done quite a bit of touring, hitting up SXSW & other great festivals and just a year ago released a free EP titled Family Trees. The 6-track release features warm, acoustic mid-west style folk songs with string arrangements that create, dare I say, a sound almost like a folk Jonsi. Refreshing to hear this group with all the Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers up in our grill lately. Check this band out, they’ll be in a city near you soon! - Dingus

The album isn’t dead, as you’ll see when my top albums of the year list rolls around tomorrow. But these songs stuck out over and above the albums that encompassed them–or not, as #4's album has yet to be released. Viva la album, viva la single.

3. “All I Have” – Young Readers. This is one of the most romantic tunes I’ve heard in a long time; it’s right up there with “Above All Men” by J. Tillman.


- independent Clauses

Independent Clauses is somewhat of an alternate universe when it comes to music reviewing. I rarely cover the hip bands, often love things no one else does, and generally attempt to be true to what I hear. If there’s a radar to be on or under, we’re hanging out on a different screen altogether. This is more by happenstance than choice: I never set out to be contrarian. And I don’t feel like a curmudgeonly naysayer of popular music, as you’ll see tomorrow. I just have a different lens than many people. Here’s the view from that lens.


11. Young Readers – Family Trees EP. I haven’t been floored as hard by an opening track all year as I was by “All I Have.” Beautiful whisper-folk in the vein of old-school Iron and Wine.
- Independent Clauses

Independent Clauses is somewhat of an alternate universe when it comes to music reviewing. I rarely cover the hip bands, often love things no one else does, and generally attempt to be true to what I hear. If there’s a radar to be on or under, we’re hanging out on a different screen altogether. This is more by happenstance than choice: I never set out to be contrarian. And I don’t feel like a curmudgeonly naysayer of popular music, as you’ll see tomorrow. I just have a different lens than many people. Here’s the view from that lens.


11. Young Readers – Family Trees EP. I haven’t been floored as hard by an opening track all year as I was by “All I Have.” Beautiful whisper-folk in the vein of old-school Iron and Wine.
- Independent Clauses

I fell in love for the first time when I was five. The object of my affection was Bobby, a shaggy-haired, brown-eyed boy with the sweetest smile in all of Kindergarten. I was giddy when we were paired as Red Riding Hood’s parents in a school play. We stood behind a brown paper door holding hands, awaiting our “daughter’s” knock, and for a fleeting moment, the world was mine. In the pictures from that day, I am a grinning fool in a red bonnet, clasping hands with “my man.” Then the show came to an end and Bobby ran off to play with a little tart named Amanda. I was left alone in the torn paper ruins of our broken home. It’s a tale as old as time.

Bobby was the first in a long and relentless line of crushes and loves. I love Love. I love it when it’s a new and exciting crush who doesn’t even have a clue that feel that way about them. I love it when it’s a freshly opened map you are about to explore together. I love it when it’s settled and nurturing and supportive. I even try to love Love when it breaks my heart and makes me question everything about myself because, if you work at it, all of those heartaches can teach you something valuable about life that you just can’t learn any other way. Gleaning some wisdom from those painful love lessons can open you up and expand your compassion and understanding toward others as well as yourself.

The essential companion to love is music. I don’t know if you can even have one without the other, or why you’d want to. There are songs for the giddy and joyful times, the sad and lonely times, the lusty times, the times of our content and discontent, the times for looking back on past loves, and yes, the times when your heart is just pulverized bits of dust. Music can be that which pulls you apart and puts you back together. It can make your heart swell and your pulse quicken, or be the catalyst to coax out some tears that need to be cried. Love and music just go hand in hand.

Below are my 100 favorite songs from 2012 concerning matters of the heart. They are in no particular order. With the exception of the first three songs, you can listen to all of these on my Spotify “Matters of the Heart 2012 Playlist.”

Love on, Lovers!

Top Love Songs 2012

• Reignwolf | “Palms to the Sky” (look this up on YouTube; he’s not released an LP yet)

• Young Readers | “Boxcar” (available on their Bandcamp page)

• Jump Starts | “Don’t Need Much” (available on their Bandcamp page)

• Lemolo | “Letters”

• Maps & Atlases | “Old & Gray”

• Bahamas | “Lost in the Light”

• Annie and the Beekeepers| “Come On”

• Milo Greene | “Cutty Love”

• Communist Daughter | “Heart Attack”

• Shovels & Rope | “Lay Low”

• The Lumineers | “Flowers in Your Hair”

• Heartless Bastards | “Only for You”

• Glen Hansard | “Maybe Not Tonight”

• Ben Howard | “Promise”

• The Temper Trap | “Need Your Love”

• Field Report | “Evergreen”

• Santah | “I Love the Way You Seal a Deal”

• Keaton Henson | “Small Hands”

• Ponderosa | “Heather”

• Bowerbirds | “Sweet Moment”

• Chuck Prophet | “Little Girl, Little Boy”

• The Vacations | “Before You Change Your Mind”

• The Local Strangers | “I Will Let You Down”

• Josh Ritter | “Darlin”

• Dolorean | “What Could You Do?”

• John K. Samson | “The Last And”

• Tyler Lyle | “Love is Not Enough”

• Trampled by Turtles | “Alone”

• Alabama Shakes | “I Found You”

• Jukebox the Ghost | “Everybody Knows”

• Father John Misty | “O I Long to Feel Your Arms Around Me”

• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros | “That’s What’s Up”

• Fiona Apple | “Valentine”

• First Aid Kit | “Emmylou”

• The Avett Brothers | “I Never Knew You”

• Michael Kiwanuka | “Bones”

• Regina Spektor | “How”

• Langhorne Slim | “Coffee Cups”

• The Wooden Sky | “Take Me Out”

• Justin Townes Earle | “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now”

• Barnaby Bright | “I Love You Softly”

• Lord Huron | “She Lit a Fire”

• Of Monsters & Men | “Love, Love, Love”

• Spiritualized | “Too Late”

• ZZ Ward | “Last Love Song”

• Counting Crows | “Untitled (Love Song)”

• Stars | “Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It”

• Leonard Cohen | “Crazy to Love You”

• Andrew Bird covering Townes Van Zandt | “If I Needed You”

• Jack White | “Love Interruption”

• The Royalty | “I Want You”

• Good Old War | “Amazing Eyes”

• Bruno Mars | “If I Knew”

• Ellie Goulding | “JOY”

• Mikky Ekko | “Pull Me Down”

• The Local Strangers | “Artificial Love”

• Amos Lee | “May I Remind You”

• Duncan Sheik covering Howard Jones | “What is Love”

• The Mowglis | “San Francisco”

• Wax Poetic (featuring Sissy Clemens) | “No Escape”

• Ben Sollee | “Some Lovin”

• Mariachi El Bronx covering Bob Dylan | “Love Sick”

• Greg Laswell (featuring Ingrid Michaelson) | “Landline”

• Meshell Ndegeocello covering Nina Simone | “Turn Me On”

• The Lumineers | “Stubborn Lov - PlayBack:stl

8. Young Readers
Family Trees
When an album comes wrapped in a coloring sheet and packed with a set of crayons, you get an idea of where you’re headed. Family Trees is as gentle and polite as you expect, but it’s not childish — more trying to remember, a few years and a few heartbreaks later, what being a kid was like. Songs like “Boxcar” are quaint, lovely and warm your heart like little else could. - The Oklahoma Gazette

Jordan Herrera loves music so much, he hardly can step away from it, even for a moment. Always listening, of course, but always playing, too.
Months ago at Norman Music Festival, Herrera played with four different bands (Chrome Pony, The Gentle Art of Floating, Good Morning Grizzly and The Nghiems) in three days, and that didn’t even include a performance by his own solo project, Young Readers.

“I used to go crazy if I went a month without playing a show,” he said. “Now, with the balance, I still don’t understand why I’m not able to play at least once a week. I like to think I’m playing music at a professional level, even though it never pays like it.”

Young Readers gives the Oklahoma native the opportunity to play as much as he wants, whenever he wants. While others help flesh out the songs on occasion, it’s mostly just Herrera: his quaint, but commanding voice and his simple, lovely acoustic guitar. It’s a stark departure from his more animated performances with other bands.

“There is definitely a different energy,” Herrera said. “I get to dance the night away playing with Chrome Pony; I leave bruises on my hips from playing a little too rough with Good Morning Grizzly; and with Young Readers, I’m able to sink into the sus tain of a slowly picked guitar.”

Despite starting as nothing more than a humble side project, Herrera has found just as much success as those other acts.

“Doing it alone makes the successes that much more unreal,” he said. “At the start, it was just me recording these songs in my bedroom. The fact that the EP (Family Trees, downloadable for free at youngreaders.bandcamp.com) has been reviewed in other countries blows my mind. I’m just as surprised as the next person.”

The music itself is of note, but so, too, is the album’s packaging: a coloring sheet and word search that includes a box of crayons.

“I’ve always wanted to do something interactive,” Herrera said. “I think the honesty and lightheartedness of the songs are almost reflective of someone who would enjoy coloring a bear and a hippo with only four crayons. It’s been a gift to watch the stages of everyone’s excitement grow.”

Currently on tour as Young Readers, Herrera has chalked up a fulllength debut for next spring.

“If I had it my way, I would be on the road year-round,” is said. “I love to travel and I love the adventure of new places and people. Hopefully, this let’s me do that.” - Oklahoma Gazette

I’ve gone to three weddings in May, so I’ve been thinking often about wedding music. Even though pop music has been infatuated with infatuation for as long as it’s been alive, odes to the type of committed love that marriage is intended to foster are hard to find. Even songs that are ostensibly about everlasting love do not necessarily merit wedding performance. It takes an incredibly rare sort of song to convey the intimacy and vulnerability of married love, unless you’re Ray LaMontagne–and then every song can pretty much fit.

Early Iron and Wine tracks had the intimacy down as well; and it’s somewhere between those two artists that Young Readers’ Family Trees falls. Yes, those are huge shoes to fill, but the near-reverent beauty and fragility of “All I Have” and “Naked” leave me in the same state of mind as the work of those songwriting giants. Both songs are gentle, expansive tunes that create a distinct mood without a great deal of musical elements. “All I Have” uses a steady acoustic guitar strum to imbue an elegant string section and Jordan Herrera’s quiet voice with a gravitas enviable by LaMontagne. When a choir comes in for the climax of the tune, it sounds positively revelatory. The lyrics are perfect for the sound, as Herrera nearly whispers, “If all I have is you, then the rest is okay.” It’s going on my “song of the year” list for sure.

The sparse, slow fingerpicking of “Naked” recalls Iron and Wine immediately; since Sam Beam doesn’t make ‘em like that anymore, this is a wonderful thing to be bestowing upon the world. And it does feel like this song is a gift. The songs are so intimate that it feels like Herrera is cracking open the door for me to see into a corner of his life that he doesn’t show to just anyone. The fact that there’s almost no build to “Naked” over its nearly-six-minute duration just impresses me more: there are few people who can write six minutes of sparse fingerpicking as engaging as this.

The rest of the tunes are solid as well. “Wooden Frame” retains the wistful romanticism of the aforementioned tunes despite being more upbeat, while “Blame” is another bedside confessional. “Boxcar” is a swaying tune that evokes the feel of traveling in the lyrics and music.

Jordan Herrera has created more immediately lovable music in 25 minutes than many bands make in a lifetime. Family Trees is a gorgeous, heartfelt EP that will command your ears and heart. I haven’t heard a better release all year, and I eagerly anticipate more material from Young Readers. If you’re a fan of romantic, honest music, you need to download this. And it’s free. What more can you ask for? - Independent Clauses

I’ve gone to three weddings in May, so I’ve been thinking often about wedding music. Even though pop music has been infatuated with infatuation for as long as it’s been alive, odes to the type of committed love that marriage is intended to foster are hard to find. Even songs that are ostensibly about everlasting love do not necessarily merit wedding performance. It takes an incredibly rare sort of song to convey the intimacy and vulnerability of married love, unless you’re Ray LaMontagne–and then every song can pretty much fit.

Early Iron and Wine tracks had the intimacy down as well; and it’s somewhere between those two artists that Young Readers’ Family Trees falls. Yes, those are huge shoes to fill, but the near-reverent beauty and fragility of “All I Have” and “Naked” leave me in the same state of mind as the work of those songwriting giants. Both songs are gentle, expansive tunes that create a distinct mood without a great deal of musical elements. “All I Have” uses a steady acoustic guitar strum to imbue an elegant string section and Jordan Herrera’s quiet voice with a gravitas enviable by LaMontagne. When a choir comes in for the climax of the tune, it sounds positively revelatory. The lyrics are perfect for the sound, as Herrera nearly whispers, “If all I have is you, then the rest is okay.” It’s going on my “song of the year” list for sure.

The sparse, slow fingerpicking of “Naked” recalls Iron and Wine immediately; since Sam Beam doesn’t make ‘em like that anymore, this is a wonderful thing to be bestowing upon the world. And it does feel like this song is a gift. The songs are so intimate that it feels like Herrera is cracking open the door for me to see into a corner of his life that he doesn’t show to just anyone. The fact that there’s almost no build to “Naked” over its nearly-six-minute duration just impresses me more: there are few people who can write six minutes of sparse fingerpicking as engaging as this.

The rest of the tunes are solid as well. “Wooden Frame” retains the wistful romanticism of the aforementioned tunes despite being more upbeat, while “Blame” is another bedside confessional. “Boxcar” is a swaying tune that evokes the feel of traveling in the lyrics and music.

Jordan Herrera has created more immediately lovable music in 25 minutes than many bands make in a lifetime. Family Trees is a gorgeous, heartfelt EP that will command your ears and heart. I haven’t heard a better release all year, and I eagerly anticipate more material from Young Readers. If you’re a fan of romantic, honest music, you need to download this. And it’s free. What more can you ask for? - Independent Clauses

Young Readers is the solo project of Jordan Herrera, from Enid, Oklahoma. He is writing slow melancholic bedroom indie folk songs, using acoustic guitar and some bass, violin and organ in the background.

It is well done but also very conventional and half of this EP is simply too saccharine for me. I'm surviving and still there for the review because the three other songs are striking this Hotel Alexis / Sparklehorse (their softest side) vibe.


I really prefer when Jordan plays slower, adds some tension and explores more melancholic, sad and depressive directions as it makes his songwriting more deep, subtle and intense.

The absolute highlight of this EP is "Naked", closely followed by "Blame" and finally "Lion Tamer". These are simple but efficient and authentic songs. - Derives

With CD sales declining, and online and digital downloading changing the face of music, it has also changed how local “undiscovered” artists get their music out.

Soon, we might not see CDs any longer. However, Jordan Herrera, of the Enid-based band Young Readers has made a special effort to release his new solo EP “Family Trees” in CD format, but with a unique touch he hopes will make it special.

Jordan plays guitar, bass, violin and other instruments, and describes his thirst for music as “zombie-like.” The EP is the product of him locking himself in his room and recording what he describes as “a deep burden entwined within his chest.”

The CD of Indie music is nothing short of special. The six acoustic songs take you on an emotional journey driven by solid talent. It is well-produced and meaningful, while creating a soothing energy that leaves you wanting more.

In an effort to make the CD extraordinary, the packaging was put together with a youthful playfulness.

“I thought I’d give physical copies one last chance,” Jordan said. “The artwork resembles closely that of something you would find in a coloring book, which makes sense. Each CD comes packaged with its own little box of crayons and was printed and hand-pressed on construction paper. The listener is, for the first time, allowed to color the album the way they see fit, choosing to stay within the lines or not at all.”

Jordan said that in case some people might not feel comfortable channeling their inner child, he also included a 22-bank word search on the back of the CD cover for the active-thinking adult. - Okie Magazine

Young Readers is the indie folk project of singer/songwriter Jordan Herrera. Herrera released Young Readers’ debut EP Family Trees on March 6th (read my review here).

For more information on Young Readers check out their Facebook, Twitter, BandCamp, and Last.fm pages.

This interview was conducted with Jordan Herrera via email on March 8th, 2012.

Dave: Young Readers is essentially a solo project. What made you decide to play under that moniker instead of your name?

Jordan Herrera: Young Readers was originally a two-piece. I wrote a few songs with my friend London and we had plans to keep up with the project, but I wasn't able to commit when I moved to Stillwater to go to school. Now that I'm taking a break the tables have turned, so I decided to see what I could do with the project myself.

Dave: When did you first start playing and writing music?

Jordan: I started playing violin when at the age of three, but I didn't get into writing music until after I picked up guitar in middle school. I started my first band when I was in 8th grade and haven't looked back since.

Dave: You just released your debut EP Family Trees digitally, with plans for a CD release as well. What made you decide to release the EP on CD? Do you have any plans for a vinyl release?

Jordan: Releasing a physical copy, I feel, is the next step in taking something seriously. I know CD's are on their way out but I wanted to have something I could put into people's hand. I hope that with CD's I'll be able to reach an audience that maybe might not be aware of the digital release or vis versa. If the funds allow I would like to put out a vinyl later this year. The kids love 'em!

Dave: Most of the songs on Family Trees are you singing with an acoustic guitar, but other instruments are present as well. Did you play all of the instruments on the EP?


Jordan: Yes. I didn't feel it was necessary to boast in the credits, but I recorded everything on the EP. I had originally planned for London to do backup vocals for some of the songs but she wasn't able to make to the studio in time. Still, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out.

Dave: Do you have any specific type of songwriting process? What inspires you to write?

Jordan: My writing process recently reminds me of a packrat. A few times a week I'll think of a good lyric or guitar riff, record it or write it down and save it for later. Then when I have some time, I take out all the pieces and put together the ones that fit; like putting together a puzzle. I'm mostly inspired by the things people say. I probably put a little too much thought into it, but there's a very natural rhythm in the way people speak, I just twist it to make it rhyme.

Dave: You are heading out for a regional tour this month. Will this be the first time that you have played outside of Oklahoma?

Jordan: I've been on the road a few other times with other bands, but it's definitely going to be a different experience by myself. I couldn't be more excited!

Dave: What are your thoughts on the music scene in Oklahoma?

Jordan: I love the Oklahoma music scene! It's grown so much in the past few years, and not just up but out as well. The diversity of bands found all over the state is bigger than the selection at Hastings. And no matter what mood you're in, you don't have to travel very far to catch a great show.

Dave: This is a High Fidelity inspired question. What are your top 5 favorite artists/bands, albums, movies, television shows, books/authors?

Jordan: My top 3 favorite bands will probably always be The New Frontiers, Copeland, and Manchester Orchestra. I've also been listening to a lot of My Morning Jacket and Margo and the Nuclear So and So's lately. I'm a sucker for anything Christopher Nolan puts out. And my favorite movie is The Last Samurai. I haven't watched cable in at least 5 years but I always manage to stay up to date with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I've been trying to read more and more, I have a name to keep up with. Haha I've been going through a big classics phase. Right now I'm reading The Invisible Man (Wells) and The Wind in The Willows. I'm always open for suggestions!

Dave: What’s next for the band?

Jordan: After this little tour I'm going to take a small break and probably only play a few local shows here and there. I'm sure I'll stay busy with the other projects I help out. The plan is to save up as much money as I can and go back on the road for a couple months starting in July.

Dave: Any final thoughts?

Jordan: Nope! Thanks for taking the time to review my EP! I've enjoyed all of the questions! - Oklahoma Lefty

Young Readers is the indie folk project of singer/songwriter Jordan Herrera. Herrera released Young Readers’ debut EP Family Trees on March 6th (read my review here).

For more information on Young Readers check out their Facebook, Twitter, BandCamp, and Last.fm pages.

This interview was conducted with Jordan Herrera via email on March 8th, 2012.

Dave: Young Readers is essentially a solo project. What made you decide to play under that moniker instead of your name?

Jordan Herrera: Young Readers was originally a two-piece. I wrote a few songs with my friend London and we had plans to keep up with the project, but I wasn't able to commit when I moved to Stillwater to go to school. Now that I'm taking a break the tables have turned, so I decided to see what I could do with the project myself.

Dave: When did you first start playing and writing music?

Jordan: I started playing violin when at the age of three, but I didn't get into writing music until after I picked up guitar in middle school. I started my first band when I was in 8th grade and haven't looked back since.

Dave: You just released your debut EP Family Trees digitally, with plans for a CD release as well. What made you decide to release the EP on CD? Do you have any plans for a vinyl release?

Jordan: Releasing a physical copy, I feel, is the next step in taking something seriously. I know CD's are on their way out but I wanted to have something I could put into people's hand. I hope that with CD's I'll be able to reach an audience that maybe might not be aware of the digital release or vis versa. If the funds allow I would like to put out a vinyl later this year. The kids love 'em!

Dave: Most of the songs on Family Trees are you singing with an acoustic guitar, but other instruments are present as well. Did you play all of the instruments on the EP?


Jordan: Yes. I didn't feel it was necessary to boast in the credits, but I recorded everything on the EP. I had originally planned for London to do backup vocals for some of the songs but she wasn't able to make to the studio in time. Still, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out.

Dave: Do you have any specific type of songwriting process? What inspires you to write?

Jordan: My writing process recently reminds me of a packrat. A few times a week I'll think of a good lyric or guitar riff, record it or write it down and save it for later. Then when I have some time, I take out all the pieces and put together the ones that fit; like putting together a puzzle. I'm mostly inspired by the things people say. I probably put a little too much thought into it, but there's a very natural rhythm in the way people speak, I just twist it to make it rhyme.

Dave: You are heading out for a regional tour this month. Will this be the first time that you have played outside of Oklahoma?

Jordan: I've been on the road a few other times with other bands, but it's definitely going to be a different experience by myself. I couldn't be more excited!

Dave: What are your thoughts on the music scene in Oklahoma?

Jordan: I love the Oklahoma music scene! It's grown so much in the past few years, and not just up but out as well. The diversity of bands found all over the state is bigger than the selection at Hastings. And no matter what mood you're in, you don't have to travel very far to catch a great show.

Dave: This is a High Fidelity inspired question. What are your top 5 favorite artists/bands, albums, movies, television shows, books/authors?

Jordan: My top 3 favorite bands will probably always be The New Frontiers, Copeland, and Manchester Orchestra. I've also been listening to a lot of My Morning Jacket and Margo and the Nuclear So and So's lately. I'm a sucker for anything Christopher Nolan puts out. And my favorite movie is The Last Samurai. I haven't watched cable in at least 5 years but I always manage to stay up to date with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I've been trying to read more and more, I have a name to keep up with. Haha I've been going through a big classics phase. Right now I'm reading The Invisible Man (Wells) and The Wind in The Willows. I'm always open for suggestions!

Dave: What’s next for the band?

Jordan: After this little tour I'm going to take a small break and probably only play a few local shows here and there. I'm sure I'll stay busy with the other projects I help out. The plan is to save up as much money as I can and go back on the road for a couple months starting in July.

Dave: Any final thoughts?

Jordan: Nope! Thanks for taking the time to review my EP! I've enjoyed all of the questions! - Oklahoma Lefty

Young Readers is the folk project of Oklahoma singer/songwriter Jordan Herrera. Family Trees is a six-song EP of dark and moody folk tunes driven by Herrera’s almost breathy vocals and acoustic guitar. Many of the songs also include strings adding additional layers of texture to the melodies (“All I Have” and “Lion Tamers” for example). All six songs are ballads with moments that are equally tender and desperate (often in the same song). - Oklahoma Lefty

Meet Oklahoma native and multi-instrumentalist, Jordan Herrera. Jordan has offered his musical services to many bands in the past, and has added lush fiddle and cello parts to his friends’ albums. Young Readers is his first solo mission, and I must say that the simplicity and honesty of Jordan’s voice and acoustic guitar swallowed me whole. His album, Family Trees will be released on March 6th digitally and physically here, with hand-pressed coloring book artwork including crayons! I really love the release of an album that seems to coincide perfectly with the natural rhythm of life on Earth. Family Trees begs you to come out of hibernation in effort to reconcile winter’s events and eventually welcome anything and everything that is new. Somehow I really vibe with this and I think you will too. - PORTALS

Young Readers, an acoustic folk project from Okie musician Jordan Herrera, is set to release the Family Trees EP on March 6 via Bandcamp.

Herrera is already well-known in Oklahoma music circles for his previous work in a number of bands (Black Canyon, Riley Janzen and the Spirits, Good Morning Grizzly), but the Young Readers project is the first exploration of his own personal sound.

The opening track of the EP, "All I Have," is streaming below.

In addition to the digital release, Herrera is taking a unique approach to the physical distribution of the music. The album artwork resembles a coloring book, and each CD will come packaged with its own box of crayons. It will be hand-pressed on construction paper, and will also include a word search on the back side.

Young Readers will hit the road following the album's release, with dates scheduled in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. - Playful Prairie

Time to meet the band from Oklahoma called Young Readers.

Young Readers is the formation of Jordan‘s sound all alone. With two microphones and a handful of instruments, he locked himself in his room and recorded an EP that has the weight of a heartfelt burden, entwined deep within your chest.

They are releasing a new EP entitled Family Trees on March 6th, 2012 and you can check it out now!
I really loved the songs, This new EP shows us that success is coming. - Beat of the Day