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Brokedown Radio

We’re three episodes in at this point so, I suppose, it’s time to announce that, in the wake of retiring the podcast, I’ve moved on to (internet) radio.

I am thrilled to announce that I have joined the roster at NQRA.live with my new show, Brokedown Radio.

My aim with BDRadio is to continue one of the missions of BDPod and continue to spread great music, both new and old, to as many ears as will turn my way. Across each episode, you’ll hear a broad mix of tunes, jams, sonic experiments, and whatnot. You can follow along on the NQRA website where you’ll find streams of each show along with full playlists for each episode.

NQRA has an outstanding roster of shows covering all kinds of music from selectors around the globe.

Don’t just take it from me…

NQRA delivers genre-free, curated online music content (journalism, DJ mixes, podcasts, and video), made by musicians, artists, critics, industry professionals, and fans. 
Our growing online archive pushes out new, free programmes every day via Mixcloud and YouTube, as well as publishing articles directly here on our website. 
We were borne out of a desire for more exciting options than those offered by algorithmic recommendations. And, because we’re fortunate to be connected to some of underground music’s most exciting, discerning lifers, we have an opportunity to deliver just that.
Our radio contributors aren’t merely crate diggers. They are people who treat curated audio as an art form in and of itself; a medium by which to communicate soundscapes that define their artistic purpose.

From NQRA’s “About” page

Here’s a peek at my first show. Go here for the rundown & track list.

Second Single – “Hanging On”

Check out the latest single, “Hanging On”:


There is some press on this one, thanks to Here Comes The Flood:

Starting out as a Neil Young-esque gentle country-tinged song on which he acts as his own backing vocalist, he goes all out with a lengthy progressive folk instrumental part – for which he goes electric, introduced in the video by inserting a bit footage of the fake towns that were built in the 50s to learn more about nuclear bomb tests in Nevada.

The second single from “Turned Around” is out now and available for download with pre-orders at both Bandcamp and AmpWall. The album comes out on 16 September on cassette, CD, and digital download.

New Album, “Turned Around” – Out Sept 16, 2025

Album art. on a black background sits a rectangular doily. Upon it sits a blurry black and white photograph shot across a river depicting the far bank with houses behind bare trees that lean out over the river. their reflections are seen on the calm water. At the top, text reads, "J.M. Hart" At the bottom, text reads, "Turned Around".

I am thrilled to share my latest album, “Turned Around”, comes out on September 16, 2025. This record marks yet another step forward in my ongoing pursuit of better arrangements, better songs, and better records. My fifth album in as many years, this one features a bit more bombast at times while still seeking quiet moments in between. To assist in this, Ryan Jewell returns on drums for four tracks. He also mixed and mastered the album. Mike Horn (Seawind of Battery) brings his shimmering guitar work to one song, and Mike Gorman (The City of Light) joins from Tyler, Texas with mandolin and vocals on another. The rest is me and the results, I hope you’ll agree, are sound.
But don’t just take my word for it:

“It’s a slow-motion bummer…” sure feels like that – call it hypernormalization, call it imperial decline, but I think we can all agree it doesn’t feel great. This condition grinds, like an engine with old oil, a blister in your boot, like sand in an oyster; ever-present. We can’t candy-coat the destructive nature of these processes, but the last one does still create pearls, right? One such pearl is JM Hart’s new record, Turned Around. A gentle letter full of wise words dropped in your mailbox by an old friend, someone who isn’t afraid to be honest about what scares them, even if it hurts to say it, but who is also there to lend a hand when you’re hurting – to light a candle in the darkness. 
It’s a home-made record you can be at home inside of, straight out of Fredericksburg, VA, with a little help from some friends; session man at-large Ryan Jewell on that Ralph Molina Crazy Horse boom-boom-bap, Mike Horn (AKA Seawind of Battery) lending his vision of Cosmic Americana to the proceedings in the form of drifting tele-melodies, and Mike Gorman (City of Light) doin’ the Dawg on mandolin/back-up vocals. The rest of the production is all JM and if you’ve been following his musical march down the sunken road he’s dialed things up, the psychedelic-pop-folk-country atmosphere here is pure Gene Clark No Other style vibey bliss, there is something for everyone in the movements of these eight honest songs, from the maximal indie-pop-flange-folk of the album opener “Give Me Love” to the sepia-toned Acony-isms of “Central Time” and the epic ruin of the eight and a half minute thesis track, “Holding On.” 
We might be caught in a loop of losing things we take for granted faster than we can clock that they’re gone. “How are you holdin’ on” could become the default greeting for any American with their head screwed on straight, because how the fuck ARE you holding on? Music helps, and it helps more when you can feel the understanding in it. JM Hart understands, and when you listen to Turned Around, it feels like he’s listening to you.
-J.Moss

You can pre-order digital downloads, cassettes, and compact discs starting July 1 via Bandcamp at:
https://jmhart.bandcamp.com/album/turned-around

It’s also now available via Ampwall at: https://ampwall.com/a/jmhart/album/turned-around

Streaming on all sites that don’t rhyme with “modify” available on the release date, Sept. 16.

The first single, “Give Me Love” has a full video available via Youtube as of July 1 as well.
https://youtu.be/X9rm0JdQ9Mw

Update: A second single has been released!

New Album, “As We Know It”, Out Sep. 17

Friends, my new album, “As We Know It”, will be release on Sep. 17. Pre-order will be on Friday Sep. 6.
“As We Know It” is a set of seven songs about such charming topics as climate disaster, war, and the county fair. Dire all, but there is some light in there. If a song is supposed to be a mirror on the world around me, then I suspect that I may have landed quite near that mark. Sonically, the album ranges from the clamor of electric guitars, to the quiet simple sound of strings and wood. There’s a lot in here.

The first single, “Catch Me At The Fall Line” will be available on Bandcamp on 9/6 and features the talents of Ryan Jewell on drums and Dave Heumann (Arboretum) on Lead Guitar.

Both Dave and Ryan appear elsewhere on the album, along with Mike Gorman (City of Light Music) but, mostly, it’s me playing acoustic & electric guitars, bass, keys, banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, and probably a couple of other things I’ve forgotten.  The songs are, as usual, all original and there is even an instrumental number in there. 

Head to the Bandcamp link on Sep 6 to pre-order the DL or the Compact Disc, or pre-save and rock it on your favorite streaming service come Sep 17!

Cover Art of J.M. Hart's "So Below" album.

“So Below”, a New Album

Out October 6 on CD, Lathe-Cut LP, Digital, & Streaming

Cover Art of J.M. Hart's "So Below" album.

Friends, I am excited to announce that I will be releasing a new album entitled “So Below” on October 6. Moreover, the album will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 1, on Bandcamp.

Largely recorded in my home studio, affectionately named Shrunken Road Studios, where I also produce the Brokedown Podcast, this third effort contains nine songs both spanning and expanding the scope of my sound heretofore.  

From straight-ahead busker folk to fuzzed out breakup ballads to psychedelic spaces somewhere in between; the world opens up a bit wider on “So Below”. The title comes from the alchemical principle that is often paraphrased, “As above, so below.” But, “Below”, is where we live, love, and die. “Below” is where we fight wars, drink coffee, and gaze out at rising rivers. “Below” is what we can hold in our hands, so the songs are about that realm.

Once again a few friends help out here and there including drummer Ryan Jewell (Mosses, Ryley Walker, half of the recent albums in my collection), and returning collaborators Ben Taylor (Ben Taylor’s Finest Hour, JC Brooks & Uptown Sound) and Scott Ferber (The Jauntee). Mixing and Mastering duties were again performed by Rob Dobson. Otherwise, I play all of the guitars, bass, and random stringed instruments on the record.

“So Below” will be available on most streaming platforms as well as on Bandcamp. Also available, via Bandcamp, will be Compact Discs and a very limited edition, hand-numbered, lathe-cut LP.

“The Investigation of the Rainbow” - Johann Melchior Füssli (Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved)

Physical purchases will come with a special download of “Zones Below”, a digital-only album featuring songs from the album “So Below” remixed by some friends:

James Toth (James & The Giants, Wooden Wand, One Eleven Heavy), J. Moss (Modern Folk Trio Band), Ben Taylor (Ben Taylor’s Finest Hour, JC Brooks & Uptown Sound), Brian Mosley (Electric Catnip), Doug Kaplan (Mr. Doug Doug), & Francis Thornton II (Without Mirrors, Programmed Cell Death).

You can find “So Below” at: https://jmhart.bandcamp.com/album/so-below

—Further news:

In July, I got out and played a show, live, in person, opening for Jon Camp and Kevin Coleman. It was a small affair, conveniently local, and great fun. I’m hoping to play more shows in the near future. Watch this space for details!

J. M. Hart performing; playing acoustic guitar and singing.