Fanatic Promotion: Recent Episodes
Fanatic Promotion
Fanatic is a music marketing company established by Josh Bloom in 1997 to build fan-to-fan connections between artists and the media. For over 20 years, Fanatic has continued to help launch careers through the strategic advocacy of creative talent.
Written by Alex Lilly. First performed at We the Women, a performing arts collective for female voices in LA and NYC. www.wethewomencollective.com
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Lyrics
The world has changed for now We must rearrange our lives somehow And say goodbye to big things and small This song is for all those little filthy things
Goodbye to all those reckless things Double-dipping was bad Well now it’s a crime You took a sip of my drink Now you’re doing hard time Goodbye to casual flings for the time being Farewell to those carefree feelings
I used to borrow my dance studio’s filthy yoga mat But now it seems, as it should be, I won’t be doing that
Goodbye to all those reckless things Now I must decline joining your conga line I mustn’t partake In sharing my steak This extrovert is losing her mind I miss the kiss-kiss and even a handshake
Goodbye to all the reckless things Don’t touch anything - now that is my motto No more feelin’ around for a ripe avocado My only wish Is to not feel like a petri-dish Farewell to those carefree dreams
Goodbye to bowling with a greasy old ball at the all star lanes While eating chicken fingers then licking your fingers Now that just makes you insane
Goodbye to fun and filthy things Like a kissing booth or a fondue party I shut mine all down, cuz I’m such a smartie And goodbye to casual flings, just in your dreams for the time being Goodbye to those dusty, dirty, trusting, germ-y things
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“This will be the last in my series of distractions.”
Jared Putnam of The March Divide has been releasing two and three-song singles throughout 2019 as real-time follow-ups to his most recent full-length album, "Anticipation Pops," released in the summer of 2018. “Distractions, Vol. 5” will be released on December 13th, preceded by the song “Crowded Room” on November 22nd. A lyric video for the song “It’s Not Over” is streaming now.
“Something I started as an outlet to release songs I was working on between releases has slowly evolved into more of a personal song writing challenge,” Putnam explains. “I knew that I wanted to push myself to finish the series before the year was over, so I really dove into a lot of new releases from 2019 that I’ve found inspiring.” Putnam lists Pete Yorn’s collaboration with Jackson Phillips of Day Wave as a stand-out.
“He brought a whole new vision to what he was already doing, flawlessly, in my opinion. I also found myself obsessed with the new Julia Jacklin album Crushing and American Football’s LP3, which made me wanna get that Fender sound back into my songs.”
Putnam was also inspired to collaborate in more of a band setting than he has in quite some time.
“I tapped my friend Bobby Rivas, a crazy-talented writer and player, to help me with the overall direction of the songs. He also helped bring a focus to the production that I often can’t find on my own. I also had my friends Ernie Garcia on bass and Jason West on drums.”
One of the resulting songs, “Crowded Room,” is one of the catchiest The March Divide songs to date, and its in-your-face, youthful quality really does call back to Putnam’s younger years spent recording and touring with his then-band, The Conversation.
“‘Crowded Room’ really comes from a strange place.” he says. “I recently had a friend send me a text about a song called ‘Starting To Rain,’ off of my old band, The Conversation’s first album. It really got me thinking about the lyrics from that album, and the context of where they were coming from. ‘Starting To Rain’ was a rebellious song I wrote in my 20’s about being in a constant state of drug induced indifference, and the lack of accomplishment that often accompanies such a state.”
“Distractions, Vol. 5” is just the latest representation of Putnam’s evolved state of mind and work ethic since that time. A mere three-song collection in a catalog comprised of dozens of songs that Putnam has recorded and released in only the last five years.
The new three-song single “Distractions, Vol. 5” by The March Divide is out December 13th. The first four releases in the series are out now, along with "Anticipation Pops," the fourth full-length album by The March Divide. All are available via Slow Start Records.
“A few years ago, I covered an Ariana Grande tune, “Bad Decisions,” as an experiment. It’s a dance-pop tune which I wanted to make sound like a J Hacha De Zola song. Ya know, make it sound ‘creepy and dark.’
Musically or lyrically speaking, that song is very different from what I do. It couldn’t be any more different and was quite challenging for me, especially vocally. Obviously Ariana Grande is an ultra-amazing vocalist - a real song bird - and then there’s me!
I had a lot of fun turning that song into a ‘Tom Waits-esq barroom roar’ as Cover Me put it. Fast forward almost three years later and I’ve decided to keep experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what I do by covering some more pop tunes. However, interestingly enough, this time things are a bit different.
During my "Icaro Nouveau" recording sessions, I recorded what I thought would be another one-off pop cover, ‘Writer In The Dark’ by Lorde. It has a dark, moody, and almost even slightly “dangerous” feeling.
I have always admired Lorde’s songwriting prowess. There has always been something cynical and maybe even a bit dark about her songs and ‘Writer In The Dark’ is no different. I was able to really connect to the darker overtones of the lyrics. I could totally relate to that whole ‘scary love’ vibe.
The version on her album was pretty stripped down. I didn’t play with the tempo very much on my version, but wanted to make it a bit of a party when the listener least expected it. Adding some Cumbia vibes, Farfisa, and Saxophones picked things up a bit without taking away from the darkness of the song.
I was quite happy with this cover and put it under my hat for a bit, hoping for the right moment to release it.Suddenly, some new pop artists emerged with even more tunes that I felt like I could relate to. A friend of mine passed this song along to me – ‘Bury A Friend’ by Billie Eilish – who I didn’t know about at the time. As he passed it along he said ‘You should do this song! This could be a legit J Hacha De Zola tune!’ When I finally put some ears to it, I couldn’t agree more.
Billie is truly making some moves that ya just don’t see very often for a pop star nowadays. This song is an exploration of the darker side of songwriting. The instruments on the original tune are electronic, so we decided to have a go at it and put my brand of creepiness on using some interesting folk instruments like a Kaval, Gadulka, and Banjo. Also that’s an Upright acoustic Bass thumping away on there! It almost feels like a strange Balkan Bluegrass folk-music type of thing. I hope folks will dig it.
Another tune that came to my attention is ‘Nightmare’ by Halsey. I try to stay ‘current’ on things, and I asked my friend’s little sister ‘Hey what are you listening to? What do the kids think is cool today?’ This kid gave me a laundry list of pop artists that she really liked and from this list, I found ‘Nightmare,’ another song which I could relate to. It is a song of coming into one's own power and owning up to what one is. It's about self -acceptance despite one’s imperfections. It is a song of liberation. I love it!
Production wise, we took the tune into a different direction. It’s got this strange mix of a Latin – 80’s Christopher Cross – ‘Kokomo’ thing going on complete with Bass Sax, Latin Piano, palm muted Guitars and Clarinets.
We had a lot of fun making this EP. I have developed a big admiration for all the artists I have covered over the last few years, especially these ladies! They are all incredible vocalists and performers. I can’t sing anywhere near as good as they do, so it was very challenging for me to even try to do what they do!
Dream System 8 is a synth-based pop duo out of Los Angeles that combines the talents of veteran musicians Erica Elektra and David Klotz. The band will follow up its debut album "We Sleep Again" (Minty Fresh, 2018) with a new single “I Like The Way That You Hold Me” on Nov. 1st.
Recording with synths and gear dating to the early 1980’s – a large assortment of Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas, the Crumar Performer, LinnDrum LM-2, and Omnichord System 100 – Dream System 8’s sound emerges from these origins of artifice with natural-sounding pop songs inspired by Vangelis, The Human League, Tangerine Dream, and Duran Duran.
“I hit stop while we were recording and saying ‘Wait a second, is this a love song? Did we just write our first love song?,” Klotz remembers about the session for “I Like The Way That You Hold Me”.
“Our album 'We Sleep Again' is filled with songs about break-ups, loss and grief, so this new song is a welcome departure. When Erica and I met each other years ago, we were both in a post-break-up fog and the album we made was reflective of that. But in the last year, Erica and I both met new partners and now we’re both happier and in better places in our lives.”
With that, Klotz and Elektra agreed to try something different.
“I came across an old Pro Tools session, something I started years ago,” Klotz says. “I didn’t think there was much of a space for a vocal, but Erica thought otherwise. We fleshed it out, but after laboring over it, I finally suggested that we start fresh on a new idea. Erica continued to insist that it could still be a song, and a week later she called me and said, ‘I have lyrics!’”
“It’s just the ultimate love song about meeting someone and knowing immediately that they are the one and how good it feels when someone is finally treating you the way you’ve always wanted to be treated,” Elektra says.
Those feelings are crystal clear in Elektra’s performance.
“I put up a mic, played the track, and she sang the whole song in one take,” Klotz explains. “I hit record and I was absolutely beside myself. Her melody was so inspiring. It elevated the song to an entirely new level and I’m not even talking about the lyrics, but the vocal melody on its own! I loved it so much.”
“Erica and I have worked together for three years now and I’m constantly surprised and amazed at our collaboration. If it were up to me alone, this song would never have seen the light of day. I’m glad Erica saw something in my little demo!”
“I Like The Way That You Hold Me,” the latest single by Dream System 8 is out Nov. 1st, 2019 via Minty Fresh. The band’s debut album "We Sleep Again" is available everywhere now.
"Letter to the Last Generation" is an album with an atmosphere, a delicate blend of acoustic instruments and synths, and Simone White’s “sweetly airy and hypnotic” (NPR) voice. A natural evolution from her last studio album Silver Silver, White presents a collection of songs tinged with ache, longing and doubt in an apocalyptic landscape in the not-too-distant future.
“The song ‘Letter to the Last Generation’ is, like the title says, written to the future, an apology of sorts,” she explains. “And through that, I hope, a kind of startling viewpoint for us in the present. What would you say to children a hundred years from now? How would you explain what we're doing?”
The album’s unofficial global theme is also reflected in the song “Tiny Drop,” featuring collaboration with fellow singer-songwriter Andrew Bird on violin, which premiered at UN World Environment Day in 2018.
“I wrote ‘Tiny Drop’ as an anti-war song, but the music video for it focuses on the effects of plastic pollution in the ocean,” White says. “We're all tiny drops that make up the world. Every small action you make, every vibration affects the whole. "
While White’s activist voice is loud, "Letter to the Last Generation" will remind listeners of the “cathartic intimacy” and “mesmerizing intelligence” (MOJO) of her masterful songwriting, sung with a voice “like ether” (NPR).
“‘Letter to the Last Generation’ was originally going to be a one-off song,” White says of the tune that inspired the album. “But that day of recording felt so right. It was so much fun, we were playing live, everyone in the room. I felt excited about making a record for the first time in ages and I only really heard the kind of album I wanted to make on that day.”
That particular group of musicians includes Jebin Bruni (Aimee Mann, Meshell Ndegeocello), producer Pete Min, who co-wrote three of the album’s songs with White, and adored multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, Andrew Bird. Grammy®-nominated bassist Kaveh Rastegar (Bruno Mars, CeeLo Green) also appears on the album.
“Kaveh was asking me how I came up with the melody of the first line of (album track) ‘Genuine Fake,’” White recalls. “He was grooving with it, playing it on the bass, and I answered him, ‘I don’t know, it was just suddenly there!’”
While the press has rightly praised White’s vocals and lyrics throughout the years, it is arguably these “suddenly there” melodies that keep people coming back.
"Letter to the Last Generation," the sixth album by once again NYC-based (after 15 years in Los Angeles) singer-songwriter Simone White, arrives on October 18th.
Samantha Sidley is a jazz vocalist, born-and-raised in Los Angeles, and she likes girls.
The words “I like girls” are the first thing you’ll hear when Sidley’s debut album Interior Person (Sept. 13th, Release Me Records) opens. The song is an unassuming anthem, a future standard for an evolving culture. It’s also a fun and funny ice-breaker that you’ll sing along with.
“I Like Girls” is a peek into what plays out as a meticulously crafted debut album featuring Sidley’s beautifully trained voice taking confident ownership of songs written for her to sing by some of the most important women in her life.
These other “girls” include fellow musicians Inara George, Alex Lilly, and Sidley’s “Top One” favorite musician of all-time, her wife, Barbara Gruska.
“Inara and Alex and Barbara wrote songs that are all very personal to my story – they literally are my story – and from my lesbian perspective, which I appreciate so much,” Sidley says. In addition to co-writing many of the songs here, and playing drums (masterfully) on many of the tracks, Gruska also produced Interior Person in a studio constructed in Sidley’s childhood bedroom (more on that later.)
“My whole life was a song,” Sidley says of her childhood. “If I looked at a tree, it was a song. If I felt happy, sad, joy, it was a song. When I first heard Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ I remember thinking: ‘I understand.’ I’ve always considered myself an interpreter, which is sort of and undervalued art form. I like to take a song and make the story true for me.”
Sidley soon discovered Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, soul music in general, and her own personal “soulfulness” itself. You know, like all seven-year-olds do. Later, considering how annoyed 11-year-old Sidley was when her vocal instructor wouldn’t allow her to sing Holiday’s “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)” at her first recital, it all made perfect sense.
A decade later, Sidley got to sing whatever she wanted, performing at NYC’s legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, where she lived in Dorothy Parker’s room, listened to a lot of Anita O’Day and Ella Fitzgerald, and landed a rave review in The New York Times.
Unfortunately, the universe slapped back when Sidley’s father became terminally ill. She moved back to Los Angeles to be with him until the end, and then to grieve with her mother and sister whom she considers her best friends.
“And then Barb came into our life.”
Two years of living in a house under renovations later, and Gruska had transformed Sidley’s childhood bedroom into her music studio.
The couple now lives in an apartment just down the street.
“She knows exactly how I express myself and what my intentions are,” Sidley says of her working relationship with Gruska. “Collaborating on this record has actually been a much longer collaboration of us getting to know each other.”
“All of these women have been a huge part of my artistic livelihood,” Sidley says, referring to Gruska, George and Lilly. “They have given me the stories to sing and the opportunity to share and be vulnerable. I have found strength through of all my deep sorrow by singing.”
Samantha Sidley likes girls and it’s easy to like her back.
Interior Person, the debut album from Samantha Sidley, arrives Sept. 13th, preceded by the single “I Like Girls,” out June 21st.
Is Vincent Sinex a pseudonym?
It may be hard to convince you otherwise after listening to "Wild Places," Sinex’s upcoming new solo album as The Late Innings, out Sept. 6th. The Los Angeles native’s music sounds like his name. It rides that edge of time when the late 1970s became the early 1980s. When pop became new wave. When AM became FM.
“I have been recording since my early 20’s when I first got a four-track cassette recorder, a couple of guitars and a drum machine,” Sinex says. “I was inspired by the performances in the 1982 concert film ‘Urgh! A Music War,’ which captured the energy, intensity, and diverse sounds of 80’s new wave bands. When I saw groups like XTC, Magazine, and Echo and The Bunnymen in that film, it made me want to pick up a guitar and try to make that kind of music myself.”
Based on those incredible influences, Sinex went on to teach himself some recording basics, knock out a few cover tunes, write and record some songs of his own, and ultimately form a short-lived band. Then, a ten-year detour into a more institutional type of education followed, earning Sinex a Master’s degree in Computer Science, but keeping him from music, and the march of technology.
“Once I had my degree, I returned to working on music, but technology had changed a lot,” he remembers. “Even though I had new gear, I initially struggled to write any new material.”
The dedicated science student that he is, Sinex decided to take an analytical approach to writer’s block.
“I had to teach myself the craft of song construction, so I got a bunch of songbooks by people I admired, and I started studying how their songs were put together,” he explains. This exercise led Sinex out of his slump and to the writing and recording of his debut album Arrived and Departed, released in 2015.
For "Wild Places," Sinex performs everything you’ll hear, including the meticulously layered background vocals. The album explores themes that are particular to today’s cultural challenges, mostly relating to privacy in a society where almost nothing is private anymore.
“Our Secret,” the first single from "Wild Places," illustrates this idea with lyrics directly inspired by a story from Sinex’s life. The song sounds straight out of the era of high-waisted pants, even higher hair, and Day-Glo-decorated keytars, but the message is darker.
“I think of this track less like a ‘song of the summer’ and more like a ‘song of the bummer,” Sinex half-jokes.
The song is about a guy who returns to his favorite vacation spot, only to find that it is now overrun by tourists.
Sinex recalls, “We went to a beach that seemingly no one knew about, and we had the whole place to ourselves that afternoon. After that trip, I thought, ‘The next time I want to go back there, will it still be a secret, especially since in the age of social media, nothing is a secret anymore?”
Well, almost nothing. Because if Vincent Sinex really is a pseudonym, that secret is still safe.
"Wild Places," the latest album by The Late Innings arrives on Sept. 6th, preceded by the single “Our Secret”.
“This one was a bit more of a challenge to get done than the other ‘Distractions’ releases,” Jared Putnam says of “Distractions, Vol. 4,” the latest in his series of “between albums” singles releases. “Because of my tour & life schedule. Every time I’d get in the zone, I’d have to walk away for a couple of weeks.”
“Distractions, Vol. 4” is out July 26th and features two new The March Divide songs, “All I Wanna Do Is Laugh” and “Real Life Is Hard.”
The songwriting and performing career of San Antonio-based artist Jared Putnam aka The March Divide continues to wind and weave its way along the highways of America. Putnam is invading the hearts and minds of new fans every day as he continues a seemingly endless tour, with over 100 dates already played or announced for 2019, and more on the way.
The latest songs, as evidenced by their titles alone, are poignant, visceral and go to show the progression of Putnam’s songwriting over the years, a deeper, more personal, and risk-taking approach that he began to develop in earnest with his most recent full-length, 2018’s Anticipation Pops.
“One of the things that I like most about the ‘Distractions’ series is that I don’t feel like I need to live up to any expectations,” Putnam says. “I can just go wherever it takes me, not like with an album, where there needs to be some sort of cohesive theme to the songs and production.”
Showing audiences more and more of what Putnam’s about has helped The March Divide build a loyal following in the markets that Putnam frequently visits, and he’s not only a good showman on stage, he takes the time in-between songs and after the gig to connect with fans. It’s a personal touch that’s keeping him in business.
“People are almost always streaming music instead of popping in a CD or putting on a record,” he says. “But, I want to be a songwriter, not a t-shirt salesman, so I continue to push my physical sales. There are plenty of people out there that still want physical media, like me!”
He continues, saying, “‘Please form a single file line at the merch table, no pushing or shoving, please, there is plenty for everyone,’ is generally what I’ll say from the stage at the end of my set. It makes people laugh, so I just keep using it. After that, I walk around the room, and make a point to talk to every group of people. I even go outside and talk to the smokers.”
It’s Putnam’s affable way of grinding it out and hustling that has allowed him to do the thing most touring songwriters are unable to do, which is to keep on doing it at all. His growing fanbase funds the tour and their belief and appreciation of Putnam’s work has pushed him to his best songwriting to date. Putnam is a prolific artist, with four full-lengths, several EPs, a string of cover tunes, and now the “Distractions” series over a mere six years or so. He finds creative ways to get his tunes out.
“‘Distractions’ is something I came up with as a way to continue to release the music I’m working on, between albums,” he explains. “The name refers to the fact that when I’m writing and recording these songs, it’s usually a distraction from the things that I feel like I should be doing, like the business part of what I do. But at the end of the day, writing and recording is all I ever want to do anyway.”
The new two-song single “Distractions, Vol. 4” by The March Divide is out July 26th. The first three releases in the series are out now, along with Anticipation Pops, the fourth full-length album by The March Divide. All are available via Slow Start Records. Look for Jared Putnam out on the road throughout 2019.
The upcoming new album by Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter Ryan Traster (July 19th, Slow Start Records) features that warm, worn-in vibe of an album that’s been in your cool parents record collection since you were a kid. Eventually, it gets passed down to you to take along into “the real world” and is there when you need to be reminded of being a kid again.
It’s that gem of a find in a milk crate of vinyl at the local tag sale on a Sunday afternoon. The kind of album that becomes an all-time favorite, only discovered there by the person who knows what they’re looking for and has the time to dig for it.
Choses Obscures (the title translates from French as “obscure things,” and implies a “dark energy”) is both of those things, and that implied darkness provides a subtle mask that contrasts and deepens the sunny images above.
When Traster throws curve balls with lyrics of places and times that don’t abide the most famed of singer-songwriter eras (the kind that even the album’s cover art evokes), things get real.
It comes as a jaw-dropping surprise to hear Jesus and Mary Chain name-dropped on “Endless Summer Blues” when Traster sings, “We were living in Echo Park / I was smoking dope in the backyard / You were listening to all those Mary Chain records / We had the endless summer blues.”
According to Traster, the album’s cosmic-country, straight outta Laurel Canyon feel is heavily influenced by Skip Spence, Bert Jansch, and Judee Sill, all of whom passed before their time. That “beyond the grave” murkiness pervades Traster’s lyrics in a profound way, even down to that JAMC reference.
Choses Obscures is “born from the subconscious in troubled times, both personally and globally,” Traster explains.
“I wrote a good chunk of this record while traveling the east coast, following a few years of international touring,” he says. “I ended up in Nashville, going to dive bars alone, and hanging out in a dingy bedroom.”
After that long world-wide stretch on stage, Traster was actually unable to perform when he got to Nashville, as he had sustained a vocal cord injury on the road.
“My focus was solely on crafting the best material I could with the plan to record it when I regained full health,” he says.
It was a dark period for Traster, but he managed to find inspiration while working at Nashville’s world famous Ryman Auditorium, where “listening to old timer’s tales, and being submerged in song, helped me create what I believe is my best material to date.”
The album’s first single “New Again” backs up that claim, a sonic re-birth as its title suggests.
The song lands in that friendly Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne zone that makes it an instant earworm. It’s just that kind of song that you hear as a kid, sticks with you, and is there when you need to be reminded of being a kid again.
Choses Obscures, the second full-length album by Ryan Traster, arrives July 19th from Slow Start Records.
“There’s a good chance you’re feeling nervous, if you’re anything like me.”
This lyric, from the song “You And I,” opens the debut album by Tolani, a Brooklyn-based five-piece led by the band’s namesake, Sameer Tolani.
The record is raw in many ways.
In its personal lyrics, candid production techniques, and cathartic vocal and instrumental performances that speak openly to the brutal honesty and authenticity of this record.
For example, rarely are guitar solos played the way they are meant to be played: As desperate expressions of the soul. Here, guitarist Raj Diwan lets loose song after song, to great effect.
“This record is my attempt at being honest with the world,” Tolani says. “I spend a lot of time filled with existential stress,” he confesses. “Sometimes I think I’m a beautiful weirdo, but I pretend a lot, and I wanted to make a record in which I could be authentic.”
“To you I’ll speak, the things I keep known only to myself,” Tolani sings on the album’s penultimate cut “Climbin’ Up A Mountain,” singing directly to the listener.
Tolani makes no issue about coming to the songwriting and record-making game with more passion than practical experience. It’s what makes the album so charming, frankly.
“I have a limited palette, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. The music that comes out is an expression of how I’m feeling, and letting it out is like therapy for me.”
In this way, Tolani’s songs can remind of John Lennon’s “primal scream” period, albeit with less screaming.
“Honestly, I’m the weakest of the bunch, musically,” he continues. “It’s a gift for me to be able to play with these guys.”
Indeed, Tolani has surrounded himself with ace players that deftly support his music whims.
“They bring a level of musicianship that elevates my simple ideas,” he says.
“Raj’s guitar tone is to die for. His solos are always a highlight,” Tolani exclaims of the previously mentioned Diwan’s playing.
“Simon (Witt, Keyboards) is our secret weapon. He can play anything. He’s absurdly humble about it too.” The band is rounded out by Andrew Schaeffer on Drums and Turner Stough on Bass.
“I love Andrew’s drumming style. He’s so smooth, and Turner’s a local legend.”
As the lyricist and singer, Tolani explains, “My aim is to express my inner self outwardly, in a way that people who’ve faced similar struggles can hopefully relate to. When that happens, all the unpleasant life experiences that led to these songs are worth the struggle.”
On another optimistic note, Tolani leaves this personal observation: “Songwriting inspired the changes I’d been longing for. Fulfillment will only come if I stay true to myself. This record began as a coping mechanism and ended up as catharsis. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
The self-titled debut album by Tolani arrives on June 14th, 2019.
While living in Italy in his late 20’s, Derek Virta of BVRTH wasn’t playing or listening to any music, he was just riding his bike all over Tuscany. By the time he moved back to Chicago six months later, he was an amateur bike racer, later winning three Minnesota (he is now based in St. Paul) state championships.
Virta refers to BVRTH music as “psych sludge,” which is not a total misnomer, but is likely overly influenced by Virta’s history playing in Graveface Records “house band” Dreamend and touring with Black Moth Super Rainbow. In actuality, Virta’s music takes that rich goo of a sound and bathes it in precise production values that make it not just rich, but wealthy.
Virta also counts Aphex Twin, Grails, Air, Stereolab, Suicide, and Low as influences on BVRTH.
The music on Virta’s self-titled debut BVRTH album (out April 19th) is immediately impressive, especially for a guy who only jumped back into writing and recording in late 2018, handling all of the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and programming himself.
So what put Virta off of music and onto a bike in the first place? Before escaping to Tuscany, Virta was on another fast track, when after quickly forming a new band, he even more quickly started attracting the attention of the music industry.
“We got an entertainment lawyer and all of a sudden we were talking about our clothing and image and ‘average age,’ and I didn’t want any part of that,” he explains. “This is about the time I went to Italy. I didn’t have the intention of ever playing music again.”
It’s a story that drives some musicians in their late 20’s to an early grave, but it literally drove Virta (via his bike) all over the world. Eventually the path led him back to music, but at a pace he would now set himself.
“The love for music didn’t come back in a flash, it was slow,” he says. “Hundreds of unfinished musical snippets recorded here and there, lots more travel and biking all over the world. I recorded a little bit with friends, and it was like pulling teeth to get me to record, but if you asked me 99 times, on the 100th, I’d say ‘okay.’”
Growing up, Virta discovered Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Unwound in high school, and also found himself getting into jazz at the same time. His love of hip-hop can be heard on BVRTH, too, especially on the upcoming single, “Warden,” inspired by Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digital Underground.
“I was pretty much a sponge,” he says.
Everything Virta soaked up gets wrung out on the eight-track BVRTH album, contributing to the instantly familiar, but intensely layered, quality of these instrumental (save for “You Walk Alone,” which features vocals by The Nurse) tracks.
Even Virta loses his place sometimes.
“My writing process is all over the map, it’s a challenge working with myself,” he jokes. “In the past, I’d be able to use my jazz knowledge to figure out what to play over something that was already written. But there’s a freedom and weird internal struggle that comes with working alone, that when it goes right, is worth it.”
Sounds like a different kind of ride.
BVRTH is the self-titled debut album by BVRTH aka Derek Virta, out via the musician’s Virtageaux Records label on April 19th .
Ryan Thompson has been a visual artist, poet, husband, father, businessman, alt-rocker, and singer-songwriter. It took a lot of living to find his voice, and now Thompson is finally set to release his debut album of songs about that life (and maybe about your life, too.)
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th. The album is comprised of Country-influenced songs about feelings and events that we’ve all experienced. Songs that resonate lyrically, but also melodically.
“Even the sad songs need hooks!,” Thompson jokes with the bit of truth that all good humor has. These essentials get taken home on the album by the pro-style of session players on drums, pedal steel, and keyboards. Full-of-heart female backing vocals merge beautifully with the swells, bends and layers of a Hammond B-3. Thompson named this band to represent these sounds that they made together: “We are strong, but delicate. We are wolves with a conscience. We are Delicate Hounds.”
“I did not spend my twenties on the music scene, trying to make a name for myself,” Thompson explains of his origins. “From the age of 21, I focused solely on my family and building my business career to support us. I always loved everything about making music, but it just wasn’t in the cards during these years.”
The Sacramento-based musician finally found sound in his 30’s, though he had yet to discover himself.
“I started what was basically a 90’s, alternative band with some lifelong friends,” Thompson remembers. “It’s kind of weird, but I wrote most of our songs on the bass guitar, and even though the songs were not great, and we were definitely not good, after a couple years practicing and writing, we put together some pretty catchy tunes.”
As so many bands assembled “just for fun” will do, Thompson’s went away. It was at this time that the burgeoning Americana genre began to take hold, drawing Thompson to artists such as The Avett Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Justin Townes Earle. Coincidentally, Thompson had just moved from playing bass to playing guitar at this time, though he had yet to start focusing on writing again.
The change happened when another friend, in need of an acoustic guitarist for his new country band, approached Thompson about joining them.
“It was fun because the crowds were always into it and could sing along and dance,” Thompson says. “I enjoy that type of energy and I also love the formula for country songs. So, I started writing songs on the side. The most popular was called ‘Poppin’ Pills and Sweatin’, which I wrote based on a discussion about how Johnny Cash must have felt when he was flying while all hopped up on pills. The crowd always loved this song, and after I started to write more and more, I decided to leave the band and focus on my own sound.”
“I reached out to Max Hart to see about recording the songs. He had just worked with The War on Drugs and was finishing up the We Are Scientists album. He is also the full time keyboard and guitar player in Melissa Etheridge’s band, so the fact that he was interested in taking on my project was flattering. I went to Los Angeles to record my tracks, and we continued to work on things remotely between LA and Sacramento. It truly was a collaboration. Both of our visions are represented, and I believe fulfilled, on this album.”
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th, preceded by the singles “Stop!,” “Dreamin’ and Wishin,’” and “The Gift.”
Ryan Thompson has been a visual artist, poet, husband, father, businessman, alt-rocker, and singer-songwriter. It took a lot of living to find his voice, and now Thompson is finally set to release his debut album of songs about that life (and maybe about your life, too.)
"Waiting on a Ghost" by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th. The album is comprised of Country-influenced songs about feelings and events that we’ve all experienced. Songs that resonate lyrically, but also melodically.
“Even the sad songs need hooks!,” Thompson jokes with the bit of truth that all good humor has. These essentials get taken home on the album by the pro-style of session players on drums, pedal steel, and keyboards. Full-of-heart female backing vocals merge beautifully with the swells, bends and layers of a Hammond B-3. Thompson named this band to represent these sounds that they made together: “We are strong, but delicate. We are wolves with a conscience. We are Delicate Hounds.”
“I did not spend my twenties on the music scene, trying to make a name for myself,” Thompson explains of his origins. “From the age of 21, I focused solely on my family and building my business career to support us. I always loved everything about making music, but it just wasn’t in the cards during these years.”
The Sacramento-based musician finally found sound in his 30’s, though he had yet to discover himself.
“I started what was basically a 90’s, alternative band with some lifelong friends,” Thompson remembers. “It’s kind of weird, but I wrote most of our songs on the bass guitar, and even though the songs were not great, and we were definitely not good, after a couple years practicing and writing, we put together some pretty catchy tunes.”
As so many bands assembled “just for fun” will do, Thompson’s went away. It was at this time that the burgeoning Americana genre began to take hold, drawing Thompson to artists such as The Avett Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Justin Townes Earle. Coincidentally, Thompson had just moved from playing bass to playing guitar at this time, though he had yet to start focusing on writing again.
The change happened when another friend, in need of an acoustic guitarist for his new country band, approached Thompson about joining them.
“It was fun because the crowds were always into it and could sing along and dance,” Thompson says. “I enjoy that type of energy and I also love the formula for country songs. So, I started writing songs on the side. The most popular was called ‘Poppin’ Pills and Sweatin’, which I wrote based on a discussion about how Johnny Cash must have felt when he was flying while all hopped up on pills. The crowd always loved this song, and after I started to write more and more, I decided to leave the band and focus on my own sound.”
“I reached out to Max Hart to see about recording the songs. He had just worked with The War on Drugs and was finishing up the We Are Scientists album. He is also the full time keyboard and guitar player in Melissa Etheridge’s band, so the fact that he was interested in taking on my project was flattering. I went to Los Angeles to record my tracks, and we continued to work on things remotely between LA and Sacramento. It truly was a collaboration. Both of our visions are represented, and I believe fulfilled, on this album.”
"Waiting on a Ghost" by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th, preceded by the singles “Stop!,” “Dreamin’ and Wishin,’” and “The Gift.”
Ryan Thompson has been a visual artist, poet, husband, father, businessman, alt-rocker, and singer-songwriter. It took a lot of living to find his voice, and now Thompson is finally set to release his debut album of songs about that life (and maybe about your life, too.)
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th. The album is comprised of Country-influenced songs about feelings and events that we’ve all experienced. Songs that resonate lyrically, but also melodically.
“Even the sad songs need hooks!,” Thompson jokes with the bit of truth that all good humor has. These essentials get taken home on the album by the pro-style of session players on drums, pedal steel, and keyboards. Full-of-heart female backing vocals merge beautifully with the swells, bends and layers of a Hammond B-3. Thompson named this band to represent these sounds that they made together: “We are strong, but delicate. We are wolves with a conscience. We are Delicate Hounds.”
“I did not spend my twenties on the music scene, trying to make a name for myself,” Thompson explains of his origins. “From the age of 21, I focused solely on my family and building my business career to support us. I always loved everything about making music, but it just wasn’t in the cards during these years.”
The Sacramento-based musician finally found sound in his 30’s, though he had yet to discover himself.
“I started what was basically a 90’s, alternative band with some lifelong friends,” Thompson remembers. “It’s kind of weird, but I wrote most of our songs on the bass guitar, and even though the songs were not great, and we were definitely not good, after a couple years practicing and writing, we put together some pretty catchy tunes.”
As so many bands assembled “just for fun” will do, Thompson’s went away. It was at this time that the burgeoning Americana genre began to take hold, drawing Thompson to artists such as The Avett Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Justin Townes Earle. Coincidentally, Thompson had just moved from playing bass to playing guitar at this time, though he had yet to start focusing on writing again.
The change happened when another friend, in need of an acoustic guitarist for his new country band, approached Thompson about joining them.
“It was fun because the crowds were always into it and could sing along and dance,” Thompson says. “I enjoy that type of energy and I also love the formula for country songs. So, I started writing songs on the side. The most popular was called ‘Poppin’ Pills and Sweatin’, which I wrote based on a discussion about how Johnny Cash must have felt when he was flying while all hopped up on pills. The crowd always loved this song, and after I started to write more and more, I decided to leave the band and focus on my own sound.”
“I reached out to Max Hart to see about recording the songs. He had just worked with The War on Drugs and was finishing up the We Are Scientists album. He is also the full time keyboard and guitar player in Melissa Etheridge’s band, so the fact that he was interested in taking on my project was flattering. I went to Los Angeles to record my tracks, and we continued to work on things remotely between LA and Sacramento. It truly was a collaboration. Both of our visions are represented, and I believe fulfilled, on this album.”
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th, preceded by the singles “Stop!,” “Dreamin’ and Wishin,’” and “The Gift.”
Ryan Thompson has been a visual artist, poet, husband, father, businessman, alt-rocker, and singer-songwriter. It took a lot of living to find his voice, and now Thompson is finally set to release his debut album of songs about that life (and maybe about your life, too.)
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th. The album is comprised of Country-influenced songs about feelings and events that we’ve all experienced. Songs that resonate lyrically, but also melodically.
“Even the sad songs need hooks!,” Thompson jokes with the bit of truth that all good humor has. These essentials get taken home on the album by the pro-style of session players on drums, pedal steel, and keyboards. Full-of-heart female backing vocals merge beautifully with the swells, bends and layers of a Hammond B-3. Thompson named this band to represent these sounds that they made together: “We are strong, but delicate. We are wolves with a conscience. We are Delicate Hounds.”
“I did not spend my twenties on the music scene, trying to make a name for myself,” Thompson explains of his origins. “From the age of 21, I focused solely on my family and building my business career to support us. I always loved everything about making music, but it just wasn’t in the cards during these years.”
The Sacramento-based musician finally found sound in his 30’s, though he had yet to discover himself.
“I started what was basically a 90’s, alternative band with some lifelong friends,” Thompson remembers. “It’s kind of weird, but I wrote most of our songs on the bass guitar, and even though the songs were not great, and we were definitely not good, after a couple years practicing and writing, we put together some pretty catchy tunes.”
As so many bands assembled “just for fun” will do, Thompson’s went away. It was at this time that the burgeoning Americana genre began to take hold, drawing Thompson to artists such as The Avett Brothers, Drive-By Truckers, and Justin Townes Earle. Coincidentally, Thompson had just moved from playing bass to playing guitar at this time, though he had yet to start focusing on writing again.
The change happened when another friend, in need of an acoustic guitarist for his new country band, approached Thompson about joining them.
“It was fun because the crowds were always into it and could sing along and dance,” Thompson says. “I enjoy that type of energy and I also love the formula for country songs. So, I started writing songs on the side. The most popular was called ‘Poppin’ Pills and Sweatin’, which I wrote based on a discussion about how Johnny Cash must have felt when he was flying while all hopped up on pills. The crowd always loved this song, and after I started to write more and more, I decided to leave the band and focus on my own sound.”
“I reached out to Max Hart to see about recording the songs. He had just worked with The War on Drugs and was finishing up the We Are Scientists album. He is also the full time keyboard and guitar player in Melissa Etheridge’s band, so the fact that he was interested in taking on my project was flattering. I went to Los Angeles to record my tracks, and we continued to work on things remotely between LA and Sacramento. It truly was a collaboration. Both of our visions are represented, and I believe fulfilled, on this album.”
Waiting on a Ghost by Ryan Thompson & The Delicate Hounds arrives on May 24th, preceded by the singles “Stop!,” “Dreamin’ and Wishin,’” and “The Gift.”
“Some people have an internal monologue,” explains NYC-based bandleader, Oliver Kennan, “I have an internal jukebox and I want to show people what it sounds like.”
Beneath Kennan’s youthful appearance lies an old soul. A first listen to “Waiting,” the second cut on his debut album Oh Boy (May 10th, Hornblow Recordings) makes it clear that his internal jukebox is stocked with classic 45s from the golden age of soul and funk. It’s the vintage kind, where you can see the inner workings behind the glowing glass dropping your current bop into play. On Oh Boy, Kennan is spinning bits and pieces of those records into something entirely his own.
The jukebox is stocked with modern hits, too: Kennan’s stated influences range from Otis Redding to Arcade Fire, Dr. John to Radiohead, and Wilson Pickett to Amy Winehouse. Kennan’s vocals, songwriting, and guitar playing skills honor all of his heroes, classic and contemporary, but his greatest talent may be in leading his band. The ensemble is comprised of accomplished performers in their own right, and together they are one of the city’s most exciting soul ensembles.
“Waiting” is an up-tempo funk number that recalls the Tower of Power, and tells the classic story of a young man searching for love in the loneliest big city in the world. The tune is followed by “The One,” a song notable for the fact in that it sent Kennan in the musical direction that eventually became the Oh Boy album.
“It was the first song I wrote where I really felt like I had found my voice,” he says. “Writing ‘The One’ allowed me to take a big batch of songs that seemed very different and view them through the same lens. The songs on Oh Boy were written over several years, and they vary in style and vibe, but now they represent who I am as a whole.”
Kennan’s newfound confidence in his writing encouraged him to push further when it came time to record Oh Boy, too.
“It inspired me to record everything live to tape just like my favorite classic records,” he explains. “Recording live gives the music an organic feeling, full of idiosyncrasies, which shows what a band can really do without modern studio techniques.” Oh Boy was recorded at The Bunker Studios and Thump Studios in Brooklyn, and was mastered by industry icon, Bob Ludwig.
The recording setup also made for a fun feeling that permeates the grooves and makes these tunes jump up and out.
“My goal was to show who I am and what I believe in,” Kennan confides. “I want people to feel like they’re reading my journal on the dance floor at my party.”
If Kennan is still journaling, he’s still learning, which means Oh Boy is just the beginning of his artistic journey.
Album opener “Which Way Is Up” addresses this, and starting the album with a confession lends credibility to Kennan’s words right out of the gate, letting you know it’s not all show for this crooner.
“The song is a conversation with myself about all the things I can’t be sure about, and a way to make peace with that,” he says. “I used to feel very confident about my view of the world, but I have come to realize how little I am certain about.”
Back to speaking of show, though, this song also addresses every listener’s need for a group of backing vocalists sent from Heaven (or your paradise of choice.) Damn, burnt my fingers!
Listening to Oh Boy, it’s clear that Kennan can be sure of what he’s chosen to do with his life. There is an honest innocence within the strong foundation that these songs are built on.
Years before catching footage of 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, which introduced the then 16-year-old Kennan to Redding, Hendrix, and two years later, music school, he was already well on his way.
“My fondest memories from childhood are dancing with my family,” he remembers. “I think I’ve been trying to recreate those moments ever since.”
Oh Boy, the debut album by New York City’s Oliver Kennan, arrives in May 10th via Hornblow Recordings.
“Some people have an internal monologue,” explains NYC-based bandleader, Oliver Kennan, “I have an internal jukebox and I want to show people what it sounds like.”
Beneath Kennan’s youthful appearance lies an old soul. A first listen to “Waiting,” the second cut on his debut album Oh Boy (May 10th, Hornblow Recordings) makes it clear that his internal jukebox is stocked with classic 45s from the golden age of soul and funk. It’s the vintage kind, where you can see the inner workings behind the glowing glass dropping your current bop into play. On Oh Boy, Kennan is spinning bits and pieces of those records into something entirely his own.
The jukebox is stocked with modern hits, too: Kennan’s stated influences range from Otis Redding to Arcade Fire, Dr. John to Radiohead, and Wilson Pickett to Amy Winehouse. Kennan’s vocals, songwriting, and guitar playing skills honor all of his heroes, classic and contemporary, but his greatest talent may be in leading his band. The ensemble is comprised of accomplished performers in their own right, and together they are one of the city’s most exciting soul ensembles.
“Waiting” is an up-tempo funk number that recalls the Tower of Power, and tells the classic story of a young man searching for love in the loneliest big city in the world. The tune is followed by “The One,” a song notable for the fact in that it sent Kennan in the musical direction that eventually became the Oh Boy album.
“It was the first song I wrote where I really felt like I had found my voice,” he says. “Writing ‘The One’ allowed me to take a big batch of songs that seemed very different and view them through the same lens. The songs on Oh Boy were written over several years, and they vary in style and vibe, but now they represent who I am as a whole.”
Kennan’s newfound confidence in his writing encouraged him to push further when it came time to record Oh Boy, too.
“It inspired me to record everything live to tape just like my favorite classic records,” he explains. “Recording live gives the music an organic feeling, full of idiosyncrasies, which shows what a band can really do without modern studio techniques.” Oh Boy was recorded at The Bunker Studios and Thump Studios in Brooklyn, and was mastered by industry icon, Bob Ludwig.
The recording setup also made for a fun feeling that permeates the grooves and makes these tunes jump up and out.
“My goal was to show who I am and what I believe in,” Kennan confides. “I want people to feel like they’re reading my journal on the dance floor at my party.”
If Kennan is still journaling, he’s still learning, which means Oh Boy is just the beginning of his artistic journey.
Album opener “Which Way Is Up” addresses this, and starting the album with a confession lends credibility to Kennan’s words right out of the gate, letting you know it’s not all show for this crooner.
“The song is a conversation with myself about all the things I can’t be sure about, and a way to make peace with that,” he says. “I used to feel very confident about my view of the world, but I have come to realize how little I am certain about.”
Back to speaking of show, though, this song also addresses every listener’s need for a group of backing vocalists sent from Heaven (or your paradise of choice.) Damn, burnt my fingers!
Listening to Oh Boy, it’s clear that Kennan can be sure of what he’s chosen to do with his life. There is an honest innocence within the strong foundation that these songs are built on.
Years before catching footage of 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, which introduced the then 16-year-old Kennan to Redding, Hendrix, and two years later, music school, he was already well on his way.
“My fondest memories from childhood are dancing with my family,” he remembers. “I think I’ve been trying to recreate those moments ever since.”
Oh Boy, the debut album by New York City’s Oliver Kennan, arrives in May 10th via Hornblow Recordings.
While living in Italy in his late 20’s, Derek Virta of BVRTH wasn’t playing or listening to any music, he was just riding his bike all over Tuscany. By the time he moved back to Chicago six months later, he was an amateur bike racer, later winning three Minnesota (he is now based in St. Paul) state championships.
Virta refers to BVRTH music as “psych sludge,” which is not a total misnomer, but is likely overly influenced by Virta’s history playing in Graveface Records “house band” Dreamend and touring with Black Moth Super Rainbow. In actuality, Virta’s music takes that rich goo of a sound and bathes it in precise production values that make it not just rich, but wealthy.
Virta also counts Aphex Twin, Grails, Air, Stereolab, Suicide, and Low as influences on BVRTH.
The music on Virta’s self-titled debut BVRTH album (out April 19th) is immediately impressive, especially for a guy who only jumped back into writing and recording in late 2018, handling all of the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and programming himself.
So what put Virta off of music and onto a bike in the first place? Before escaping to Tuscany, Virta was on another fast track, when after quickly forming a new band, he even more quickly started attracting the attention of the music industry.
“We got an entertainment lawyer and all of a sudden we were talking about our clothing and image and ‘average age,’ and I didn’t want any part of that,” he explains. “This is about the time I went to Italy. I didn’t have the intention of ever playing music again.”
It’s a story that drives some musicians in their late 20’s to an early grave, but it literally drove Virta (via his bike) all over the world. Eventually the path led him back to music, but at a pace he would now set himself.
“The love for music didn’t come back in a flash, it was slow,” he says. “Hundreds of unfinished musical snippets recorded here and there, lots more travel and biking all over the world. I recorded a little bit with friends, and it was like pulling teeth to get me to record, but if you asked me 99 times, on the 100th, I’d say ‘okay.’”
Growing up, Virta discovered Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Unwound in high school, and also found himself getting into jazz at the same time. His love of hip-hop can be heard on BVRTH, too, especially on the upcoming single, “Warden,” inspired by Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digital Underground.
“I was pretty much a sponge,” he says.
Everything Virta soaked up gets wrung out on the eight-track BVRTH album, contributing to the instantly familiar, but intensely layered, quality of these instrumental (save for “You Walk Alone,” which features vocals by The Nurse) tracks.
Even Virta loses his place sometimes.
“My writing process is all over the map, it’s a challenge working with myself,” he jokes. “In the past, I’d be able to use my jazz knowledge to figure out what to play over something that was already written. But there’s a freedom and weird internal struggle that comes with working alone, that when it goes right, is worth it.”
Sounds like a different kind of ride.
BVRTH is the self-titled debut album by BVRTH aka Derek Virta, out via the musician’s Virtageaux Records label on April 19th .
While living in Italy in his late 20’s, Derek Virta of BVRTH wasn’t playing or listening to any music, he was just riding his bike all over Tuscany. By the time he moved back to Chicago six months later, he was an amateur bike racer, later winning three Minnesota (he is now based in St. Paul) state championships.
Virta refers to BVRTH music as “psych sludge,” which is not a total misnomer, but is likely overly influenced by Virta’s history playing in Graveface Records “house band” Dreamend and touring with Black Moth Super Rainbow. In actuality, Virta’s music takes that rich goo of a sound and bathes it in precise production values that make it not just rich, but wealthy.
Virta also counts Aphex Twin, Grails, Air, Stereolab, Suicide, and Low as influences on BVRTH.
The music on Virta’s self-titled debut BVRTH album (out April 19th) is immediately impressive, especially for a guy who only jumped back into writing and recording in late 2018, handling all of the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and programming himself.
So what put Virta off of music and onto a bike in the first place? Before escaping to Tuscany, Virta was on another fast track, when after quickly forming a new band, he even more quickly started attracting the attention of the music industry.
“We got an entertainment lawyer and all of a sudden we were talking about our clothing and image and ‘average age,’ and I didn’t want any part of that,” he explains. “This is about the time I went to Italy. I didn’t have the intention of ever playing music again.”
It’s a story that drives some musicians in their late 20’s to an early grave, but it literally drove Virta (via his bike) all over the world. Eventually the path led him back to music, but at a pace he would now set himself.
“The love for music didn’t come back in a flash, it was slow,” he says. “Hundreds of unfinished musical snippets recorded here and there, lots more travel and biking all over the world. I recorded a little bit with friends, and it was like pulling teeth to get me to record, but if you asked me 99 times, on the 100th, I’d say ‘okay.’”
Growing up, Virta discovered Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Unwound in high school, and also found himself getting into jazz at the same time. His love of hip-hop can be heard on BVRTH, too, especially on the upcoming single, “Warden,” inspired by Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digital Underground.
“I was pretty much a sponge,” he says.
Everything Virta soaked up gets wrung out on the eight-track BVRTH album, contributing to the instantly familiar, but intensely layered, quality of these instrumental (save for “You Walk Alone,” which features vocals by The Nurse) tracks.
Even Virta loses his place sometimes.
“My writing process is all over the map, it’s a challenge working with myself,” he jokes. “In the past, I’d be able to use my jazz knowledge to figure out what to play over something that was already written. But there’s a freedom and weird internal struggle that comes with working alone, that when it goes right, is worth it.”
Sounds like a different kind of ride.
BVRTH is the self-titled debut album by BVRTH aka Derek Virta, out via the musician’s Virtageaux Records label on April 19th .
"Sisters & Brothers" (April 12th) is the upcoming third album by the Atlanta, Georgia-based ROCK band (all-caps for a reason!), The Pinx. "Sisters & Brothers" follows-up 2016’s Freedom, which PASTE called “an authentic tribute to classic American rock and roll.”
The new record could have been titled The Pinx: LIVE instead.
The basic tracks for this new collection of songs (save for the closing 42-second lock groove comprised solely of the soothing sounds of its namesake) were recorded live in the studio, including band leader Adam McIntyre’s insistent vocals. The dueling Allman Brothers-esque guitar leads of McIntyre and Chance McColl happen to sound particularly majestic in this setting. The current lineup of The Pinx is fleshed out by Charles Wiles on Bass and Cayce Buttrey on Drums.
“I wanted the audience to enjoy a rock and roll band doing what a rock and roll band does,” McIntyre says of his intentions behind the process of recording "Sisters & Brothers." Harmony vocals, guitar solos and extra “studio magic” came later courtesy of two magicians (producers Brian Carter and Joey Jones), marking a departure for McIntyre, who is used to wearing all of the hats.
“I’ve tried to be the singer, lead guitarist, frontman, songwriter, producer, engineer and mixer,” he says of his past recordings, “but 'Sisters & Brothers' is a tale of letting two talented engineers do their work while we did ours as a band.” That said, it was still McIntyre’s idea to bring Carter and Jones together.
“Brian likes hooks, melody, bombast and fire,” McIntyre explains. “His productions always capture something in the atmosphere, something golden. Joey usually records a sound that is indisputably metal, but the first thing you notice about those albums is how beautiful they sound. I was gambling that if I brought Brian and Joey together, we’d make a one-of-a-kind recording that I couldn’t do by myself.”
The gamble paid off this time around as "Sisters & Brothers" sounds like the legit combination of the styles of the men that McIntyre placed at the helm. The songs here are undeniably melodic and hummable, but it’s as if you’re tapping along while careening towards a brick wall. "Sisters & Brothers" embodies elegance within chaos.
In addition to McIntyre’s artistic inspirations behind handing over production chores, he also did it for the sake of his mental health, confessing that he’d “be setting my band up for failure” if he had handled the job himself. The “extremely stressful year” that preceded the recording of "Sisters & Brothers" is reflected in the dark turn of the tunes.
“Freedom was a party record, but 'Sisters & Brothers' is for darker times,” McIntyre explains. “That’s not a bad thing, though. Darkness is important.”
That said, the new album opens with a final party moment to draw listeners in before taking them on a decidedly more turbulent trek than The Pinx has offered before.
“It was going to be the most party-like song on the record, so I led off with it,” McIntyre says of “Mercy!,” which is also the album’s first single.
“I was somewhere out of town about to play a show, talking to someone, when a lady slapped my ass,” he remembers of the incident that inspired the song. “I’ve worked in enough restaurants where that kind of thing was rampant, so I just kind of turned my head while I kept talking and watched as this lady turned ghost white when she realized she’d slapped a stranger on the ass, not her husband. She apologized later.”
"Sisters & Brothers", the third album by Atlanta-based ROCK band, The Pinx, arrives on April 12th, preceded by the singles “Mercy!,” “Magic Touch,” and the title track.
"Sisters & Brothers" (April 12th) is the upcoming third album by the Atlanta, Georgia-based ROCK band (all-caps for a reason!), The Pinx. "Sisters & Brothers" follows-up 2016’s Freedom, which PASTE called “an authentic tribute to classic American rock and roll.”
The new record could have been titled The Pinx: LIVE instead.
The basic tracks for this new collection of songs (save for the closing 42-second lock groove comprised solely of the soothing sounds of its namesake) were recorded live in the studio, including band leader Adam McIntyre’s insistent vocals. The dueling Allman Brothers-esque guitar leads of McIntyre and Chance McColl happen to sound particularly majestic in this setting. The current lineup of The Pinx is fleshed out by Charles Wiles on Bass and Cayce Buttrey on Drums.
“I wanted the audience to enjoy a rock and roll band doing what a rock and roll band does,” McIntyre says of his intentions behind the process of recording "Sisters & Brothers." Harmony vocals, guitar solos and extra “studio magic” came later courtesy of two magicians (producers Brian Carter and Joey Jones), marking a departure for McIntyre, who is used to wearing all of the hats.
“I’ve tried to be the singer, lead guitarist, frontman, songwriter, producer, engineer and mixer,” he says of his past recordings, “but 'Sisters & Brothers' is a tale of letting two talented engineers do their work while we did ours as a band.” That said, it was still McIntyre’s idea to bring Carter and Jones together.
“Brian likes hooks, melody, bombast and fire,” McIntyre explains. “His productions always capture something in the atmosphere, something golden. Joey usually records a sound that is indisputably metal, but the first thing you notice about those albums is how beautiful they sound. I was gambling that if I brought Brian and Joey together, we’d make a one-of-a-kind recording that I couldn’t do by myself.”
The gamble paid off this time around as "Sisters & Brothers" sounds like the legit combination of the styles of the men that McIntyre placed at the helm. The songs here are undeniably melodic and hummable, but it’s as if you’re tapping along while careening towards a brick wall. "Sisters & Brothers" embodies elegance within chaos.
In addition to McIntyre’s artistic inspirations behind handing over production chores, he also did it for the sake of his mental health, confessing that he’d “be setting my band up for failure” if he had handled the job himself. The “extremely stressful year” that preceded the recording of "Sisters & Brothers" is reflected in the dark turn of the tunes.
“Freedom was a party record, but 'Sisters & Brothers' is for darker times,” McIntyre explains. “That’s not a bad thing, though. Darkness is important.”
That said, the new album opens with a final party moment to draw listeners in before taking them on a decidedly more turbulent trek than The Pinx has offered before.
“It was going to be the most party-like song on the record, so I led off with it,” McIntyre says of “Mercy!,” which is also the album’s first single.
“I was somewhere out of town about to play a show, talking to someone, when a lady slapped my ass,” he remembers of the incident that inspired the song. “I’ve worked in enough restaurants where that kind of thing was rampant, so I just kind of turned my head while I kept talking and watched as this lady turned ghost white when she realized she’d slapped a stranger on the ass, not her husband. She apologized later.”
"Sisters & Brothers", the third album by Atlanta-based ROCK band, The Pinx, arrives on April 12th, preceded by the singles “Mercy!,” “Magic Touch,” and the title track.
"Sisters & Brothers" (April 12th) is the upcoming third album by the Atlanta, Georgia-based ROCK band (all-caps for a reason!), The Pinx. "Sisters & Brothers" follows-up 2016’s Freedom, which PASTE called “an authentic tribute to classic American rock and roll.”
The new record could have been titled The Pinx: LIVE instead.
The basic tracks for this new collection of songs (save for the closing 42-second lock groove comprised solely of the soothing sounds of its namesake) were recorded live in the studio, including band leader Adam McIntyre’s insistent vocals. The dueling Allman Brothers-esque guitar leads of McIntyre and Chance McColl happen to sound particularly majestic in this setting. The current lineup of The Pinx is fleshed out by Charles Wiles on Bass and Cayce Buttrey on Drums.
“I wanted the audience to enjoy a rock and roll band doing what a rock and roll band does,” McIntyre says of his intentions behind the process of recording "Sisters & Brothers." Harmony vocals, guitar solos and extra “studio magic” came later courtesy of two magicians (producers Brian Carter and Joey Jones), marking a departure for McIntyre, who is used to wearing all of the hats.
“I’ve tried to be the singer, lead guitarist, frontman, songwriter, producer, engineer and mixer,” he says of his past recordings, “but 'Sisters & Brothers' is a tale of letting two talented engineers do their work while we did ours as a band.” That said, it was still McIntyre’s idea to bring Carter and Jones together.
“Brian likes hooks, melody, bombast and fire,” McIntyre explains. “His productions always capture something in the atmosphere, something golden. Joey usually records a sound that is indisputably metal, but the first thing you notice about those albums is how beautiful they sound. I was gambling that if I brought Brian and Joey together, we’d make a one-of-a-kind recording that I couldn’t do by myself.”
The gamble paid off this time around as "Sisters & Brothers" sounds like the legit combination of the styles of the men that McIntyre placed at the helm. The songs here are undeniably melodic and hummable, but it’s as if you’re tapping along while careening towards a brick wall. "Sisters & Brothers" embodies elegance within chaos.
In addition to McIntyre’s artistic inspirations behind handing over production chores, he also did it for the sake of his mental health, confessing that he’d “be setting my band up for failure” if he had handled the job himself. The “extremely stressful year” that preceded the recording of "Sisters & Brothers" is reflected in the dark turn of the tunes.
“Freedom was a party record, but 'Sisters & Brothers' is for darker times,” McIntyre explains. “That’s not a bad thing, though. Darkness is important.”
That said, the new album opens with a final party moment to draw listeners in before taking them on a decidedly more turbulent trek than The Pinx has offered before.
“It was going to be the most party-like song on the record, so I led off with it,” McIntyre says of “Mercy!,” which is also the album’s first single.
“I was somewhere out of town about to play a show, talking to someone, when a lady slapped my ass,” he remembers of the incident that inspired the song. “I’ve worked in enough restaurants where that kind of thing was rampant, so I just kind of turned my head while I kept talking and watched as this lady turned ghost white when she realized she’d slapped a stranger on the ass, not her husband. She apologized later.”
"Sisters & Brothers", the third album by Atlanta-based ROCK band, The Pinx, arrives on April 12th, preceded by the singles “Mercy!,” “Magic Touch,” and the title track.
"Sisters & Brothers" (April 12th) is the upcoming third album by the Atlanta, Georgia-based ROCK band (all-caps for a reason!), The Pinx. "Sisters & Brothers" follows-up 2016’s Freedom, which PASTE called “an authentic tribute to classic American rock and roll.”
The new record could have been titled The Pinx: LIVE instead.
The basic tracks for this new collection of songs (save for the closing 42-second lock groove comprised solely of the soothing sounds of its namesake) were recorded live in the studio, including band leader Adam McIntyre’s insistent vocals. The dueling Allman Brothers-esque guitar leads of McIntyre and Chance McColl happen to sound particularly majestic in this setting. The current lineup of The Pinx is fleshed out by Charles Wiles on Bass and Cayce Buttrey on Drums.
“I wanted the audience to enjoy a rock and roll band doing what a rock and roll band does,” McIntyre says of his intentions behind the process of recording "Sisters & Brothers." Harmony vocals, guitar solos and extra “studio magic” came later courtesy of two magicians (producers Brian Carter and Joey Jones), marking a departure for McIntyre, who is used to wearing all of the hats.
“I’ve tried to be the singer, lead guitarist, frontman, songwriter, producer, engineer and mixer,” he says of his past recordings, “but 'Sisters & Brothers' is a tale of letting two talented engineers do their work while we did ours as a band.” That said, it was still McIntyre’s idea to bring Carter and Jones together.
“Brian likes hooks, melody, bombast and fire,” McIntyre explains. “His productions always capture something in the atmosphere, something golden. Joey usually records a sound that is indisputably metal, but the first thing you notice about those albums is how beautiful they sound. I was gambling that if I brought Brian and Joey together, we’d make a one-of-a-kind recording that I couldn’t do by myself.”
The gamble paid off this time around as "Sisters & Brothers" sounds like the legit combination of the styles of the men that McIntyre placed at the helm. The songs here are undeniably melodic and hummable, but it’s as if you’re tapping along while careening towards a brick wall. "Sisters & Brothers" embodies elegance within chaos.
In addition to McIntyre’s artistic inspirations behind handing over production chores, he also did it for the sake of his mental health, confessing that he’d “be setting my band up for failure” if he had handled the job himself. The “extremely stressful year” that preceded the recording of "Sisters & Brothers" is reflected in the dark turn of the tunes.
“Freedom was a party record, but 'Sisters & Brothers' is for darker times,” McIntyre explains. “That’s not a bad thing, though. Darkness is important.”
That said, the new album opens with a final party moment to draw listeners in before taking them on a decidedly more turbulent trek than The Pinx has offered before.
“It was going to be the most party-like song on the record, so I led off with it,” McIntyre says of “Mercy!,” which is also the album’s first single.
“I was somewhere out of town about to play a show, talking to someone, when a lady slapped my ass,” he remembers of the incident that inspired the song. “I’ve worked in enough restaurants where that kind of thing was rampant, so I just kind of turned my head while I kept talking and watched as this lady turned ghost white when she realized she’d slapped a stranger on the ass, not her husband. She apologized later.”
"Sisters & Brothers", the third album by Atlanta-based ROCK band, The Pinx, arrives on April 12th, preceded by the singles “Mercy!,” “Magic Touch,” and the title track.
Los Angeles-based artist Alex Lilly is a renaissance female.
In addition to the writing, arranging, producing, and playing of her own music, Lilly has established a notable career out on the road as a part of the touring bands of such esteemed musicians Beck, Lorde, Ry Cooder, and the bird and the bee. When Lilly’s in L.A, she has stayed busy throughout the years with her own projects such as Obi Best, Touché, Zero DeZire, and The Living Sisters.
Now, following-up “Paranoid Times,” her debut under her own name, Lilly is bringing all of her talents, ideas, and her singular voice to the table in the form of 2% Milk, her debut full-length album, out Jan. 19th, 2019 via newly-formed Release Me Records.
Lilly’s songs – she describes her sound as “sexy psychological thriller” – are synthy, syrupy, and suspicious i.e. there’s something going on here that’s not only pop, but actually pops. The intrigue that abounds on 2% Milk moves the listener beyond toe-tapping and finger-snapping, straight to brain-mapping.
This ability of Lilly’s to take a song out of the realm of merely entertaining to intriguing is all over the album’s first single “Distracting Me,” a tune dedicated to the idea of enjoying the annoying.
“Most of the time, I don’t like distractions, they get in my way,” she sings. “What made you the exception? Showing up and all I can think of to say: I love it when you are distracting me from what I think I need to do.”
“What better testament to loving someone than when you enjoy their interruptions?” Lilly explains of the tune. “I resisted a particular friend’s efforts to distract me for a long time but when I finally gave in, I realized it was fun.”
Lilly’s lower tolerance for inanimate irritations informed the album’s songwriting process.
“I feel like I can write more easily when I don’t have phone service,” she says of her time on an island outside of Vancouver where most of 2% Milk was written.
“I’d get up early and write, sometimes at my computer, sometimes walking around and I’d record melodies into my phone,” she remembers.
When the time came to turn the island demos into tracks, Lilly convened with Jacob Bercovici of The Voidz, who shared her sensibilities.
“Like me, Jake has no fear of the ridiculous,” she explains. “He ended up co-producing six songs.” Additional production credits go to Andy Bauer (of Twin Shadow), and Lilly herself. Another standout track is “Infantile,” a collaboration with Lilly’s friend, Daedelus.
“I asked him if he had any instrumental demos lying around I could write a melody and words to, and he had this beautiful piece that sounds like an intricate mechanism. I was so excited to add something to it, like a fancy chain to an already remarkable pocket watch.”
The album’s title track “2% Milk,” was adapted by Lilly from a poem by Jacqueline Suskind, a Los Angeles-based poet known for improvising work on the spot off of a given subject.
“I love this poem, it’s pretty angsty in nature, but also weirdly soothing, so I put it to music, and tinkered with it to make it rhyme,” Lilly explains.
2% Milk is the first release for the newly-formed Release Me Records, founded by musician Inara George, both friend and bandmate to Lilly via their previous work together as part of The Living Sisters, Zero DeZire, and when Lilly plays live in the bird and the bee.
“I met a very young Alex around 2006 when the bird and the bee was putting together a live band,” George explains. “We needed singers to help with our harmonies, and Alex was suggested to me. I feel so fortunate that we connected, and I’ve always been impressed with her musicality, her ability, and her motivation. I started Release Me to shine a light on Alex, and all the other insanely gifted musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
2% Milk, the essential debut album from Alex Lilly, is scheduled for release on Jan. 11th, 2019 in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.
“This is an Urban Junkyard record.”
It’s a descriptor that J Hacha De Zola – previously described by UTNE as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books,” and by PASTE as simply, “a wild man” – has been casually using over the course of three album releases. With the upcoming full–length Icaro Nouveau (out March 8th), the Rahway, New Jersey–based musician defines the genre in detail.
Produced by iconic engineer John Agnello, a career–long cohort of another “J” – J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, and most recently the man behind albums by Waxahatchee, the new Hacha De Zola songs are described by the artist as full of “villains, spells, desires, romance, danger, redemption, and revelations.”
He adds, “and a eulogy,” referring to “Ode To Ralph Carney,” about the late, legendary saxophone sideman of Tom Waits (and many others), who served not only as a player, but more importantly, as a spiritual guide for Hacha De Zola over the course of the latter’s young career.
“My heart aches,” Hacha De Zola says about the man he calls “Johnny Marinara” on the tune, directly lifting Waits’ own nickname for Carney, as called out following a particularly gnarly solo during a late–80s appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman”. The “Icaro” of the new album’s title speaks to that aching; the word refers to “language taught through other worldly sources intended to heal those who hear it.”
Indeed, Carney was Hacha De Zola’s compatriot in developing the Urban Junkyard sound that now has a life of its own on Icaro Nouveau.
“He was an integral part of this sound. He was my secret weapon,” Hacha De Zola says. “His horns were ever–present, as was his input. Not having him around for Icaro Nouveau was unsettling for me.”
Fortunately, Carney’s spirit was still in the room, and helped Hacha De Zola get in touch with his creativity in a new way, with greater depth. More specifically, the “Nouveau” portion that completes the new album’s title.
“I’ve been developing my own new language, through the elements that are most familiar to me,” Hacha De Zola explains. “My neighborhood – ‘mi barrio’ – where I’m from, and the diversity of cultures and vibes there.”
“Environment is everything,” he continues, “There’s power in the intent behind words and in their delivery. You might not even understand a certain language, but can get a sense of the intent when it’s spoken.”
You can feel it in the Urban Junkyard.
Hacha De Zola’s day job is as a biochemist, and as such, he wrote what amounts to a dissertation on the origins behind the meaning of Urban Junkyard. In abbreviated form, he states the following:
“Urban Junkyard is my hand grenade to explode accepted forms of existing music. It is a deconstructionist approach to music composition, and not only of music, but also of poetry and lyricism, drawn from the past. I blow them up, and the resulting fragments are allowed to reform to create my own musical universe. It’s an acquired taste, with strong spices, and an underlying chaos.”
He continues, “This music works in the service of the mind, as opposed to being intended to only please the ear. I want to dismantle any excessive loyalty to any particular musical idea and look for the more fundamental or primal aspects that might lie below the surface. I never wanted to be committed to one thing. I’m more interested in musical ideas than musical genres.”
Continue reading at: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/jhachadezola-in
“This is an Urban Junkyard record.”
It’s a descriptor that J Hacha De Zola – previously described by UTNE as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books,” and by PASTE as simply, “a wild man” – has been casually using over the course of three album releases. With the upcoming full–length Icaro Nouveau (out March 8th), the Rahway, New Jersey–based musician defines the genre in detail.
Produced by iconic engineer John Agnello, a career–long cohort of another “J” – J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, and most recently the man behind albums by Waxahatchee, the new Hacha De Zola songs are described by the artist as full of “villains, spells, desires, romance, danger, redemption, and revelations.”
He adds, “and a eulogy,” referring to “Ode To Ralph Carney,” about the late, legendary saxophone sideman of Tom Waits (and many others), who served not only as a player, but more importantly, as a spiritual guide for Hacha De Zola over the course of the latter’s young career.
“My heart aches,” Hacha De Zola says about the man he calls “Johnny Marinara” on the tune, directly lifting Waits’ own nickname for Carney, as called out following a particularly gnarly solo during a late–80s appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman”. The “Icaro” of the new album’s title speaks to that aching; the word refers to “language taught through other worldly sources intended to heal those who hear it.”
Indeed, Carney was Hacha De Zola’s compatriot in developing the Urban Junkyard sound that now has a life of its own on Icaro Nouveau.
“He was an integral part of this sound. He was my secret weapon,” Hacha De Zola says. “His horns were ever–present, as was his input. Not having him around for Icaro Nouveau was unsettling for me.”
Fortunately, Carney’s spirit was still in the room, and helped Hacha De Zola get in touch with his creativity in a new way, with greater depth. More specifically, the “Nouveau” portion that completes the new album’s title.
“I’ve been developing my own new language, through the elements that are most familiar to me,” Hacha De Zola explains. “My neighborhood – ‘mi barrio’ – where I’m from, and the diversity of cultures and vibes there.”
“Environment is everything,” he continues, “There’s power in the intent behind words and in their delivery. You might not even understand a certain language, but can get a sense of the intent when it’s spoken.”
You can feel it in the Urban Junkyard.
Hacha De Zola’s day job is as a biochemist, and as such, he wrote what amounts to a dissertation on the origins behind the meaning of Urban Junkyard. In abbreviated form, he states the following:
“Urban Junkyard is my hand grenade to explode accepted forms of existing music. It is a deconstructionist approach to music composition, and not only of music, but also of poetry and lyricism, drawn from the past. I blow them up, and the resulting fragments are allowed to reform to create my own musical universe. It’s an acquired taste, with strong spices, and an underlying chaos.”
He continues, “This music works in the service of the mind, as opposed to being intended to only please the ear. I want to dismantle any excessive loyalty to any particular musical idea and look for the more fundamental or primal aspects that might lie below the surface. I never wanted to be committed to one thing. I’m more interested in musical ideas than musical genres.”
Continue reading at: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/jhachadezola-in
“This is an Urban Junkyard record.”
It’s a descriptor that J Hacha De Zola – previously described by UTNE as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books,” and by PASTE as simply, “a wild man” – has been casually using over the course of three album releases. With the upcoming full–length Icaro Nouveau (out March 8th), the Rahway, New Jersey–based musician defines the genre in detail.
Produced by iconic engineer John Agnello, a career–long cohort of another “J” – J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, and most recently the man behind albums by Waxahatchee, the new Hacha De Zola songs are described by the artist as full of “villains, spells, desires, romance, danger, redemption, and revelations.”
He adds, “and a eulogy,” referring to “Ode To Ralph Carney,” about the late, legendary saxophone sideman of Tom Waits (and many others), who served not only as a player, but more importantly, as a spiritual guide for Hacha De Zola over the course of the latter’s young career.
“My heart aches,” Hacha De Zola says about the man he calls “Johnny Marinara” on the tune, directly lifting Waits’ own nickname for Carney, as called out following a particularly gnarly solo during a late–80s appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman”. The “Icaro” of the new album’s title speaks to that aching; the word refers to “language taught through other worldly sources intended to heal those who hear it.”
Indeed, Carney was Hacha De Zola’s compatriot in developing the Urban Junkyard sound that now has a life of its own on Icaro Nouveau.
“He was an integral part of this sound. He was my secret weapon,” Hacha De Zola says. “His horns were ever–present, as was his input. Not having him around for Icaro Nouveau was unsettling for me.”
Fortunately, Carney’s spirit was still in the room, and helped Hacha De Zola get in touch with his creativity in a new way, with greater depth. More specifically, the “Nouveau” portion that completes the new album’s title.
“I’ve been developing my own new language, through the elements that are most familiar to me,” Hacha De Zola explains. “My neighborhood – ‘mi barrio’ – where I’m from, and the diversity of cultures and vibes there.”
“Environment is everything,” he continues, “There’s power in the intent behind words and in their delivery. You might not even understand a certain language, but can get a sense of the intent when it’s spoken.”
You can feel it in the Urban Junkyard.
Hacha De Zola’s day job is as a biochemist, and as such, he wrote what amounts to a dissertation on the origins behind the meaning of Urban Junkyard. In abbreviated form, he states the following:
“Urban Junkyard is my hand grenade to explode accepted forms of existing music. It is a deconstructionist approach to music composition, and not only of music, but also of poetry and lyricism, drawn from the past. I blow them up, and the resulting fragments are allowed to reform to create my own musical universe. It’s an acquired taste, with strong spices, and an underlying chaos.”
He continues, “This music works in the service of the mind, as opposed to being intended to only please the ear. I want to dismantle any excessive loyalty to any particular musical idea and look for the more fundamental or primal aspects that might lie below the surface. I never wanted to be committed to one thing. I’m more interested in musical ideas than musical genres.”
Continue reading at: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/jhachadezola-in
Loose Wing is a new Seattle-based band fronted by songwriter Claire Tucker. The four-piece group will issue its self-titled debut album on March 22nd, consisting of nine songs that fearlessly explore themes of anxiety, isolation, intimacy, and teen angst that has yet to be outgrown. Along with Tucker (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Loose Wing features Tucker’s husband Jack Peters (Bass), Rusty Willoughby (Drums, Percussion), and Bill Patton (Guitar, Pedal Steel.)
Despite the weighty subject matter, Tucker’s tunes maintain an easy confidence throughout the album, with melodies that often remind of a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., which despite that band’s origins in the furthest continental corner (Athens, GA) from the home of grunge, has always maintained a spiritual tie to Seattle. Other contemporary influences on Loose Wing include Kate Bush and Guided by Voices.
Throughout the album, Loose Wing’s elegant incorporation of string accompaniment pops up at just the right moments to deepen the drama of Tucker’s lyrics, while also providing counterpoint to the band’s Peter Buck-ish guitar sound. Speaking of – R.E.M. and Nirvana used similar surprising string techniques that helped elevate both bands as examples of rock groups that ultimately prioritized the service of their songs over everything else.
“Beverly,” the first single from Loose Wing, shows this off best, adding touches that also remind of Teenage Fanclub when the string section swells. The song leads into the 60’s girl-group sing-along “Moving Blankets,” which sonically takes us an hour south to Olympia, WA, arguably one of America’s indie rock ground zeroes, being the launch pad of seminal record labels Kill Rock Stars and K. The fresh sound of this song, also featuring that gorgeous string section, is attributable to Loose Wing’s well-honed skills, as the tune was only practiced about a half-dozen times before the version featured here was recorded.
Guitars, or more accurately, an obsessive relationship with guitars, feature prominently on Loose Wing.
“It’s a mix of guitar styles,” Tucker says of the album. “All my playing before Loose Wing was very fussy, intricate fingerpicking. I had never really done much with effects pedals, but I forced myself to learn new techniques, and focus on playing guitar and branching out stylistically.” Tucker has since amassed two pedal boards full of effects. “I also started listening to a lot of music that I had forgotten about: Slowdive, The Church, and Echo and The Bunnymen.”
Tucker is just as meticulous with her lyrics, and if they seem dark, that fact can’t solely attributed to the lingering teen angst mentioned previously. Tucker and her bandmates are all in their 40’s and 50’s, which means that Loose Wing only sounds like the freedom of youth. In actuality, Tucker’s songs and the band’s playing comes off effortlessly because so much difficult living has already been put into perspective and dealt with.
“I was feeling a lot of anxiety about what I think I should have accomplished by this age as an artist,” Tucker explains. “Feeling like a late bloomer,” she admits. Speaking directly to the album’s themes, Tucker elaborates about “Beverly,” saying “This song depicts a fictional 1950’s-era marriage, told as a dialogue between a controlling husband and a stifled, self-medicating wife. She continues, “But it's also a reflection of my internal dialogue, between the side of me that needs to make art to stay sane and the side that tries to push that aside to be a responsible adult.”
Loose Wing’s self-titled debut album is out March 22nd, preceded by the singles “Beverly,”“Moving Blankets,” and “Heather Army.”
Loose Wing is a new Seattle-based band fronted by songwriter Claire Tucker. The four-piece group will issue its self-titled debut album on March 22nd, consisting of nine songs that fearlessly explore themes of anxiety, isolation, intimacy, and teen angst that has yet to be outgrown. Along with Tucker (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Loose Wing features Tucker’s husband Jack Peters (Bass), Rusty Willoughby (Drums, Percussion), and Bill Patton (Guitar, Pedal Steel.)
Despite the weighty subject matter, Tucker’s tunes maintain an easy confidence throughout the album, with melodies that often remind of a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., which despite that band’s origins in the furthest continental corner (Athens, GA) from the home of grunge, has always maintained a spiritual tie to Seattle. Other contemporary influences on Loose Wing include Kate Bush and Guided by Voices.
Throughout the album, Loose Wing’s elegant incorporation of string accompaniment pops up at just the right moments to deepen the drama of Tucker’s lyrics, while also providing counterpoint to the band’s Peter Buck-ish guitar sound. Speaking of – R.E.M. and Nirvana used similar surprising string techniques that helped elevate both bands as examples of rock groups that ultimately prioritized the service of their songs over everything else.
“Beverly,” the first single from Loose Wing, shows this off best, adding touches that also remind of Teenage Fanclub when the string section swells. The song leads into the 60’s girl-group sing-along “Moving Blankets,” which sonically takes us an hour south to Olympia, WA, arguably one of America’s indie rock ground zeroes, being the launch pad of seminal record labels Kill Rock Stars and K. The fresh sound of this song, also featuring that gorgeous string section, is attributable to Loose Wing’s well-honed skills, as the tune was only practiced about a half-dozen times before the version featured here was recorded.
Guitars, or more accurately, an obsessive relationship with guitars, feature prominently on Loose Wing.
“It’s a mix of guitar styles,” Tucker says of the album. “All my playing before Loose Wing was very fussy, intricate fingerpicking. I had never really done much with effects pedals, but I forced myself to learn new techniques, and focus on playing guitar and branching out stylistically.” Tucker has since amassed two pedal boards full of effects. “I also started listening to a lot of music that I had forgotten about: Slowdive, The Church, and Echo and The Bunnymen.”
Tucker is just as meticulous with her lyrics, and if they seem dark, that fact can’t solely attributed to the lingering teen angst mentioned previously. Tucker and her bandmates are all in their 40’s and 50’s, which means that Loose Wing only sounds like the freedom of youth. In actuality, Tucker’s songs and the band’s playing comes off effortlessly because so much difficult living has already been put into perspective and dealt with.
“I was feeling a lot of anxiety about what I think I should have accomplished by this age as an artist,” Tucker explains. “Feeling like a late bloomer,” she admits. Speaking directly to the album’s themes, Tucker elaborates about “Beverly,” saying “This song depicts a fictional 1950’s-era marriage, told as a dialogue between a controlling husband and a stifled, self-medicating wife. She continues, “But it's also a reflection of my internal dialogue, between the side of me that needs to make art to stay sane and the side that tries to push that aside to be a responsible adult.”
Loose Wing’s self-titled debut album is out March 22nd, preceded by the singles “Beverly,”“Moving Blankets,” and “Heather Army.”
Loose Wing is a new Seattle-based band fronted by songwriter Claire Tucker. The four-piece group will issue its self-titled debut album on March 22nd, consisting of nine songs that fearlessly explore themes of anxiety, isolation, intimacy, and teen angst that has yet to be outgrown. Along with Tucker (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Loose Wing features Tucker’s husband Jack Peters (Bass), Rusty Willoughby (Drums, Percussion), and Bill Patton (Guitar, Pedal Steel.)
Despite the weighty subject matter, Tucker’s tunes maintain an easy confidence throughout the album, with melodies that often remind of a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., which despite that band’s origins in the furthest continental corner (Athens, GA) from the home of grunge, has always maintained a spiritual tie to Seattle. Other contemporary influences on Loose Wing include Kate Bush and Guided by Voices.
Throughout the album, Loose Wing’s elegant incorporation of string accompaniment pops up at just the right moments to deepen the drama of Tucker’s lyrics, while also providing counterpoint to the band’s Peter Buck-ish guitar sound. Speaking of – R.E.M. and Nirvana used similar surprising string techniques that helped elevate both bands as examples of rock groups that ultimately prioritized the service of their songs over everything else.
“Beverly,” the first single from Loose Wing, shows this off best, adding touches that also remind of Teenage Fanclub when the string section swells. The song leads into the 60’s girl-group sing-along “Moving Blankets,” which sonically takes us an hour south to Olympia, WA, arguably one of America’s indie rock ground zeroes, being the launch pad of seminal record labels Kill Rock Stars and K. The fresh sound of this song, also featuring that gorgeous string section, is attributable to Loose Wing’s well-honed skills, as the tune was only practiced about a half-dozen times before the version featured here was recorded.
Guitars, or more accurately, an obsessive relationship with guitars, feature prominently on Loose Wing.
“It’s a mix of guitar styles,” Tucker says of the album. “All my playing before Loose Wing was very fussy, intricate fingerpicking. I had never really done much with effects pedals, but I forced myself to learn new techniques, and focus on playing guitar and branching out stylistically.” Tucker has since amassed two pedal boards full of effects. “I also started listening to a lot of music that I had forgotten about: Slowdive, The Church, and Echo and The Bunnymen.”
Tucker is just as meticulous with her lyrics, and if they seem dark, that fact can’t solely attributed to the lingering teen angst mentioned previously. Tucker and her bandmates are all in their 40’s and 50’s, which means that Loose Wing only sounds like the freedom of youth. In actuality, Tucker’s songs and the band’s playing comes off effortlessly because so much difficult living has already been put into perspective and dealt with.
“I was feeling a lot of anxiety about what I think I should have accomplished by this age as an artist,” Tucker explains. “Feeling like a late bloomer,” she admits. Speaking directly to the album’s themes, Tucker elaborates about “Beverly,” saying “This song depicts a fictional 1950’s-era marriage, told as a dialogue between a controlling husband and a stifled, self-medicating wife. She continues, “But it's also a reflection of my internal dialogue, between the side of me that needs to make art to stay sane and the side that tries to push that aside to be a responsible adult.”
Loose Wing’s self-titled debut album is out March 22nd, preceded by the singles “Beverly,”“Moving Blankets,” and “Heather Army.”
Loose Wing is a new Seattle-based band fronted by songwriter Claire Tucker. The four-piece group will issue its self-titled debut album on March 22nd, consisting of nine songs that fearlessly explore themes of anxiety, isolation, intimacy, and teen angst that has yet to be outgrown. Along with Tucker (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Loose Wing features Tucker’s husband Jack Peters (Bass), Rusty Willoughby (Drums, Percussion), and Bill Patton (Guitar, Pedal Steel.)
Despite the weighty subject matter, Tucker’s tunes maintain an easy confidence throughout the album, with melodies that often remind of a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., which despite that band’s origins in the furthest continental corner (Athens, GA) from the home of grunge, has always maintained a spiritual tie to Seattle. Other contemporary influences on Loose Wing include Kate Bush and Guided by Voices.
Throughout the album, Loose Wing’s elegant incorporation of string accompaniment pops up at just the right moments to deepen the drama of Tucker’s lyrics, while also providing counterpoint to the band’s Peter Buck-ish guitar sound. Speaking of – R.E.M. and Nirvana used similar surprising string techniques that helped elevate both bands as examples of rock groups that ultimately prioritized the service of their songs over everything else.
“Beverly,” the first single from Loose Wing, shows this off best, adding touches that also remind of Teenage Fanclub when the string section swells. The song leads into the 60’s girl-group sing-along “Moving Blankets,” which sonically takes us an hour south to Olympia, WA, arguably one of America’s indie rock ground zeroes, being the launch pad of seminal record labels Kill Rock Stars and K. The fresh sound of this song, also featuring that gorgeous string section, is attributable to Loose Wing’s well-honed skills, as the tune was only practiced about a half-dozen times before the version featured here was recorded.
Guitars, or more accurately, an obsessive relationship with guitars, feature prominently on Loose Wing.
“It’s a mix of guitar styles,” Tucker says of the album. “All my playing before Loose Wing was very fussy, intricate fingerpicking. I had never really done much with effects pedals, but I forced myself to learn new techniques, and focus on playing guitar and branching out stylistically.” Tucker has since amassed two pedal boards full of effects. “I also started listening to a lot of music that I had forgotten about: Slowdive, The Church, and Echo and The Bunnymen.”
Tucker is just as meticulous with her lyrics, and if they seem dark, that fact can’t solely attributed to the lingering teen angst mentioned previously. Tucker and her bandmates are all in their 40’s and 50’s, which means that Loose Wing only sounds like the freedom of youth. In actuality, Tucker’s songs and the band’s playing comes off effortlessly because so much difficult living has already been put into perspective and dealt with.
“I was feeling a lot of anxiety about what I think I should have accomplished by this age as an artist,” Tucker explains. “Feeling like a late bloomer,” she admits. Speaking directly to the album’s themes, Tucker elaborates about “Beverly,” saying “This song depicts a fictional 1950’s-era marriage, told as a dialogue between a controlling husband and a stifled, self-medicating wife. She continues, “But it's also a reflection of my internal dialogue, between the side of me that needs to make art to stay sane and the side that tries to push that aside to be a responsible adult.”
Loose Wing’s self-titled debut album is out March 22nd, preceded by the singles “Beverly,”“Moving Blankets,” and “Heather Army.”
Phil and the Osophers… Philosophers.
Such a fun pun (as recognized by Teen Vogue), one can only help but root for Philip Radiotes to have the same amount of success with his songs, and hey, he pulls it off!
Currently finishing up a new album From The Rise of Fall (another smart turn of phrase), Radiotes and his band (there is no band) will release a series of singles and music videos (also sharp as tacks) throughout early 2019.
First single “Bee Liner” is out now with a green screen extravaganza on the way.
The sound is very much that of a Brooklyn-transplanted San Franciscan, combining sunshine-y surf-rock with NYC swagger, blending folk rock with Dub influenced African style guitars, heavily rhythmic drumming and psychedelic world music elements.
As one might expect from a punny philosopher, Radiotes writes songs that will appeal to nerds, thinkers, readers, fans of the Dead, Dylan, Heads, Kinks, Cohen, and They Might Be Giants (and, likely, also to John and John of They Might Be Giants themselves.) Seriously, though, philosophical ideas are the lyrical focus here, encompassing revelatory, visionary, and transformative themes.
“The songs explore complex issues from wiretapping to suicide bombings, technological isolation and overstimulation, immigration and working class issues like commuting, and banking,” Radiotes explains. “Relationship issues are weaved in throughout to speak to broader issues in a personal way.”
Radiotes realizes that he may come across as merely humorous, but he wants to make sure that his deeper intentions connect.
“I’ve felt how strongly a song can affect a person and I try to dig as deeply as I can to create songs that have that sort of impact,” he says, and he has been doing that for a long time, creating a catalog of songs that have landed Radiotes sync licensing deals with CNN (“This Is Life with Lisa Ling”), Fox Sports, IFC, BET, VH1, TLC (“Say Yes To The Dress”), and Viceland.
Los Angeles-based artist Alex Lilly is a renaissance female.
In addition to the writing, arranging, producing, and playing of her own music, Lilly has established a notable career out on the road as a part of the touring bands of such esteemed musicians Beck, Lorde, Ry Cooder, and the bird and the bee. When Lilly’s in L.A, she has stayed busy throughout the years with her own projects such as Obi Best, Touché, Zero DeZire, and The Living Sisters.
Now, following-up “Paranoid Times,” her debut under her own name, Lilly is bringing all of her talents, ideas, and her singular voice to the table in the form of 2% Milk, her debut full-length album, out Jan. 19th, 2019 via newly-formed Release Me Records.
Lilly’s songs – she describes her sound as “sexy psychological thriller” – are synthy, syrupy, and suspicious i.e. there’s something going on here that’s not only pop, but actually pops. The intrigue that abounds on 2% Milk moves the listener beyond toe-tapping and finger-snapping, straight to brain-mapping.
This ability of Lilly’s to take a song out of the realm of merely entertaining to intriguing is all over the album’s first single “Distracting Me,” a tune dedicated to the idea of enjoying the annoying.
“Most of the time, I don’t like distractions, they get in my way,” she sings. “What made you the exception? Showing up and all I can think of to say: I love it when you are distracting me from what I think I need to do.”
“What better testament to loving someone than when you enjoy their interruptions?” Lilly explains of the tune. “I resisted a particular friend’s efforts to distract me for a long time but when I finally gave in, I realized it was fun.”
Lilly’s lower tolerance for inanimate irritations informed the album’s songwriting process.
“I feel like I can write more easily when I don’t have phone service,” she says of her time on an island outside of Vancouver where most of 2% Milk was written.
“I’d get up early and write, sometimes at my computer, sometimes walking around and I’d record melodies into my phone,” she remembers.
When the time came to turn the island demos into tracks, Lilly convened with Jacob Bercovici of The Voidz, who shared her sensibilities.
“Like me, Jake has no fear of the ridiculous,” she explains. “He ended up co-producing six songs.” Additional production credits go to Andy Bauer (of Twin Shadow), and Lilly herself. Another standout track is “Infantile,” a collaboration with Lilly’s friend, Daedelus.
“I asked him if he had any instrumental demos lying around I could write a melody and words to, and he had this beautiful piece that sounds like an intricate mechanism. I was so excited to add something to it, like a fancy chain to an already remarkable pocket watch.”
The album’s title track “2% Milk,” was adapted by Lilly from a poem by Jacqueline Suskind, a Los Angeles-based poet known for improvising work on the spot off of a given subject.
“I love this poem, it’s pretty angsty in nature, but also weirdly soothing, so I put it to music, and tinkered with it to make it rhyme,” Lilly explains.
2% Milk is the first release for the newly-formed Release Me Records, founded by musician Inara George, both friend and bandmate to Lilly via their previous work together as part of The Living Sisters, Zero DeZire, and when Lilly plays live in the bird and the bee.
“I met a very young Alex around 2006 when the bird and the bee was putting together a live band,” George explains. “We needed singers to help with our harmonies, and Alex was suggested to me. I feel so fortunate that we connected, and I’ve always been impressed with her musicality, her ability, and her motivation. I started Release Me to shine a light on Alex, and all the other insanely gifted musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
2% Milk, the essential debut album from Alex Lilly, is scheduled for release on Jan. 11th, 2019 in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.
Denton, Texas is the home of Chris Welch and The Cicada Killers, introduced as the “fabulous Cicada Killers” on “Cicada Sweat,” the James Brown-inspired opening track of “Shook,“ the north Texas band’s upcoming sophomore album, which follows-up its 2017 debut Faded & Frayed.
The pronouncement is the only vocal on the song, an improvisational moment that the band loved and kept, but it’s all that’s needed: The Cicada Killers’ unique brand of soul, shimmy, and shake speaks for itself.
Launching next into “Want You Back,” it’s clear that Welch’s influences aren’t rooted only in Redding, he also brings plenty of Alex Chilton, and even The Replacements’ “Alex Chilton” to the party, fronting an indie-rock rave-up sound with the lived-in voice of a guy who went to one-too-many parties.
Dallas-based blog Ghost of Blind Lemon offers this take: “Welch straddles the line between country and soul in a similar vein to how Mr. Orbison did it.”
Along with Welch (vocals, guitars), The Cicada Killers includes Patrick Newkirk (Lead Guitar), Clint Sawyer (Drums), Kelly Evans (Vocals, Saxophone), Holly Manning (Vocals, Strings, Keys), and Dave Huff (Bass). Additional influences on the band include the Stax and Hitsville label rosters, along with Kris Kristofferson, Lou Reed, and Afghan Whigs.
Welch’s decade-long stint as front man of Dallas-based alt-country band Pinebox Serenade, which released four albums during its run, is the cred justifying the fusion of the many disparate influences on “Shook“'s sound.
Welch doesn’t stand on his own paid dues alone, however. Unlike the band’s debut album, The Cicada Killers approached the songwriting on “Shook“ as a fully collaborative effort, recording in a marathon five-day session in early 2018 at Cool Devices Studio with Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan of legendary pop-punk band The Marked Men.
Five days to make an album could have been a luxury, as the band is used to grinding it out. An early album track, “Shoenapper” details one of those bleary-eyed road stories, in fact.
As Evans explains, “Maybe we’d imbibed just a bit too much, but the day that we came up with this song was a little rough. We had to get back to Denton that morning, and our bass player (Huff) headed out early, only to discover when he was stopped for gas that he wasn’t wearing his own shoes. He’d stolen our drummer’s (Sawyer) shoes! We gave him a hard time for that one and this song was born.”
The comedic music video for “Shoenapper” is already circulating, and the first official single from “Shook“ – one of the band’s favorite tracks, “Borrowed Repertoire,” will be also be accompanied by a fun and campy clip. It’s something to be expected from The (“fabulous”) Cicada Killers.
“Shook“ by Chris Welch and The Cicada Killers arrives on Feb. 22, 2019 preceded by the single and music video “Borrowed Repertoire”.
Denton, Texas is the home of Chris Welch and The Cicada Killers, introduced as the “fabulous Cicada Killers” on “Cicada Sweat,” the James Brown-inspired opening track of “Shook,“ the north Texas band’s upcoming sophomore album, which follows-up its 2017 debut Faded & Frayed.
The pronouncement is the only vocal on the song, an improvisational moment that the band loved and kept, but it’s all that’s needed: The Cicada Killers’ unique brand of soul, shimmy, and shake speaks for itself.
Launching next into “Want You Back,” it’s clear that Welch’s influences aren’t rooted only in Redding, he also brings plenty of Alex Chilton, and even The Replacements’ “Alex Chilton” to the party, fronting an indie-rock rave-up sound with the lived-in voice of a guy who went to one-too-many parties.
Dallas-based blog Ghost of Blind Lemon offers this take: “Welch straddles the line between country and soul in a similar vein to how Mr. Orbison did it.”
Along with Welch (vocals, guitars), The Cicada Killers includes Patrick Newkirk (Lead Guitar), Clint Sawyer (Drums), Kelly Evans (Vocals, Saxophone), Holly Manning (Vocals, Strings, Keys), and Dave Huff (Bass). Additional influences on the band include the Stax and Hitsville label rosters, along with Kris Kristofferson, Lou Reed, and Afghan Whigs.
Welch’s decade-long stint as front man of Dallas-based alt-country band Pinebox Serenade, which released four albums during its run, is the cred justifying the fusion of the many disparate influences on “Shook“'s sound.
Welch doesn’t stand on his own paid dues alone, however. Unlike the band’s debut album, The Cicada Killers approached the songwriting on “Shook“ as a fully collaborative effort, recording in a marathon five-day session in early 2018 at Cool Devices Studio with Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan of legendary pop-punk band The Marked Men.
Five days to make an album could have been a luxury, as the band is used to grinding it out. An early album track, “Shoenapper” details one of those bleary-eyed road stories, in fact.
As Evans explains, “Maybe we’d imbibed just a bit too much, but the day that we came up with this song was a little rough. We had to get back to Denton that morning, and our bass player (Huff) headed out early, only to discover when he was stopped for gas that he wasn’t wearing his own shoes. He’d stolen our drummer’s (Sawyer) shoes! We gave him a hard time for that one and this song was born.”
The comedic music video for “Shoenapper” is already circulating, and the first official single from “Shook“ – one of the band’s favorite tracks, “Borrowed Repertoire,” will be also be accompanied by a fun and campy clip. It’s something to be expected from The (“fabulous”) Cicada Killers.
“Shook“ by Chris Welch and The Cicada Killers arrives on Feb. 22, 2019 preceded by the single and music video “Borrowed Repertoire”.
D.B. Rouse is America’s least-earnest traveling troubadour.
Offering up all the sincerity, none of the pretense, Rouse is armed with a guitar (nicknamed “Meal-Ticket”) and a kazoo. In fact, he is sponsored by Kazoobie Kazoos, natch. A poet with an absurd sense of humor, the Milwaukee-based (but always touring), former cruise ship lounge singer, goat farmer, and cabana man, will release a new album Choices Were Made on February 1st.
Recently, one choice made resulted in Rouse becoming yet another musician robbed of his gear while on tour. Rouse’s experience contains an unusual fact, however: The gear was stolen while Rouse was in the vehicle it was stolen from. With his van doors unlocked due to Rouse and his wife sleeping off a night of drinking in the back, thieves quietly worked in the front, absconding with Rouse’s laptop and most of his instruments.
If you’re asking, “Oh, no! What about Meal-Ticket?!” don’t worry, Meal-Ticket was spared, the tour rolled on, and while this event makes for a story, it also adds an important counterpoint to the art made by a guy like D.B. Rouse.
In other words, it’s not all fun and kazoos.
“It could have been so much worse,” Rouse admits. “What if we had woken up? What if they were armed? I was ready to quit,” he confesses. “Ready to quit touring, quit music, quit everything.”
Instead, after the insurance company refused to cover the cost of replacement, Rouse reached out to his fans. Owing to the relationships Rouse has built through that unique quality of pretense-free sincerity and humor, he was able to replace the gear.
Even so, he did quit one thing: Drinking.
And with that, Rouse continued the pursuit of his dream to be “the best damn hobo musician in the world.”
Not unexpectedly, the negativity of the robbery and the positive aftermath – the “choices made” – inform Choices Were Made. The album’s first single “Get My Shit Together” is a prime example. The title speaks for itself.
Even so, Rouse speaks for himself, too, offering this confirmation:
“This album is about a person struggling to quit drinking and get their shit together. It’s about having the courage to leave behind old habits, and facing the world with your best self forward.”
Other songs on the record, including “Your Jailbird is Coming Home,” new fan favorite, “The Only Designated Driver in Milwaukee is Having a Pity Party,” and the inspiration for the album’s first music video, “About the Bite Missing From Your Sandwich” all speak to Rouse’s undaunted sense of humor in the face of adversity.
“It is near impossible to tell when a bite has been stolen from a soup,” he says of the latter song. “This is why soups are the easiest foods to steal bites from.”
A ridiculous thought to end on, and also true! Believe the man with the kazoo.
Choices Were Made by D.B. Rouse is out on February 1st, 2019, preceded by the single and music video “Get My Shit Together,” available November 30th.
“For the past year, my life has been in a complete flux,” says Jenny Andreotti, one half of the married Bakersfield, California-based dreampop duo Fawns of Love. “People have moved away, relationships have changed, and this has challenged my belief that people’s love for you is permanent.”
Along with husband, Joseph Andreotti, Jenny has made her realization a theme of Permanent, the second Fawns of Love full-length, and first since signing to Test Pattern Records. Permanent is scheduled for release on Jan. 18th, 2019.
Permanent follow-up the band’s recently issued EP documenting its session for L.A.-based radio show Part Time Punks. The EP also includes a cover of “Rocket Science” by one of Fawns of Love’s biggest influences, The Chills.
“Being such a huge fan of The Chills comes from this belief that they have one of the most eclectic and exciting back catalogs, and are also making contemporary music that is not only amazing but socially and politically significant as well,” Jenny says. Both full-time educators – Joseph teaches middle school, Jenny is a full-time instructor at CSU-Bakersfield – the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”
In addition to The Chills and Kate Bush, additional influences on Fawns of Love include familiar names such as Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Pulp, Slowdive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Sparks.
Fawns of Love takes all of these legendary sounds, which some might think of as cold or aloof, and makes them pop with overtones of The Smiths, New Order, and the warmth that comes from the Andreotti’s many years of making music together.
In the short time that Fawns of Love have been releasing music, a steady stream of praise has met the heartfelt work which Jenny and Joseph record at home using vintage equipment.
Paste proclaimed the band “a dreampop gem,” FLOOD called the debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow “perfectly woozy,” evoking “the soft gauze of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive,” MAGNET said it “drifts along dreamily,” and The Big Takeover noted the “obsessive joy in Fawns of Love’s take on shoegaze.”
Permanent, the second full-length by Fawns of Love, is scheduled for release on Jan. 18th, 2019 by Test Pattern Records, preceded by the single “Someday,” scheduled for release on Oct. 5th, 2018.
“I asked her how to write a song,” Boston-based musician Jane Frank recalls.
Frank interviewed Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley when the former was a reporter for her college newspaper. Frank was thinking about becoming a songwriter herself – she had been writing her whole life – journals, stories, and now journalism – but the process of songwriting baffled her.
Fortunately, Frank figured it out.
Jane Frank’s upcoming debut album The Big Squeeze (out Dec. 14th) is comprised of gutsy, autobiographical songs with influences that range from the 1950s (Buddy Holly), the 70s (Blondie), into the 90s with Weezer, and all the way up to the indie rock surge with the aforementioned Rilo Kiley.
Add in Frank’s musical theater background, and The Big Squeeze may seem like a scattered amalgam of styles and influences on the page, but when heard, outlines a unique, memorable voice and fun style that is all Frank’s.
“There’s a pop-punk song, an R&B-inspired song, a waltz with a beat, some synth. It’s all there,” she explains.
The album’s title track “The Big Squeeze” is about “finding your own dignity, strength, resilience, and peace. You hold on to that wisdom, that sanity, and use it to keep going forward.”
Another track, “Goldeneye,” makes it clear that Frank believes that it’s just as important to be silly in life as it is to be serious.
“It’s a tribute and trip down memory lane to the innocence of youth, and not without acknowledging one of the greatest video games ever on N-64,” she says. “I got my ass kicked, but that game was the shit!”
Later, on the album’s first single “Practical Jackets,” Frank sings, “I hate all your practical jackets, Dress like you’re 40 when you’re only 37.” It’s essentially a quirky, spastic, but still solidly rhythmic, toe-tapping indie rock version of a dis track.
“‘Practical Jackets’ is about when you’re heartbroken, but you’re still in love, and you’re so mad, but since you’re in love, you want to hate the person, but you can’t, so you just act shallow and petty instead.”
Ironically, actually admitting you’re pissed, and acting shallow and petty, is a sign that the pissed person isn’t so shallow and petty at all. It’s a centered quality that is at the heart of The Big Squeeze, and in Frank’s life.
“I’m training to be a licensed counselor, so that I can help people live healthier, happier lives,” she explains of her recent decision to switch careers from government administration to social work. “I want to help people to learn to love their lives, and to create lives that they love. We’re alive. We should celebrate that.”
It’s an optimistic attitude that Frank maintains in the face of recent tragedy. Frank dedicates The Big Squeeze to her sister, Christina, who passed in 2018, and whose battle with addiction is something Frank would like to share as part of her aspiration to help others.
“The country is in crisis, and grieving this sort of loss is so hard because of the stigma affecting opioid addicts and their families,” she explains.
Recalling that first year of creation following her fateful interview with Jenny Lewis, Frank remembers, “I bought a guitar, taught myself some chords, and wrote a lot of songs.” Frank later spent seven years developing those songs, show, and sound in San Francisco – she grew up in Illinois, Florida, and Texas, in addition to a short stint in Seattle, which inspired the album’s opening cut, “Washington” – before her recent jump to Beantown.
“Through all the moving around, music has been such a huge part of my journey and healing,” she concludes. “Even when I’m not making music, I’m listening and am constantly inspired or consoled.”
And that’s how you write a song.
The Big Squeeze, the debut album by Jane Frank, arrives on Dec. 14th, preceded by the single and music video, “Practical Jackets”.
“I asked her how to write a song,” Boston-based musician Jane Frank recalls.
Frank interviewed Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley when the former was a reporter for her college newspaper. Frank was thinking about becoming a songwriter herself – she had been writing her whole life – journals, stories, and now journalism – but the process of songwriting baffled her.
Fortunately, Frank figured it out.
Jane Frank’s upcoming debut album The Big Squeeze (out Dec. 14th) is comprised of gutsy, autobiographical songs with influences that range from the 1950s (Buddy Holly), the 70s (Blondie), into the 90s with Weezer, and all the way up to the indie rock surge with the aforementioned Rilo Kiley.
Add in Frank’s musical theater background, and The Big Squeeze may seem like a scattered amalgam of styles and influences on the page, but when heard, outlines a unique, memorable voice and fun style that is all Frank’s.
“There’s a pop-punk song, an R&B-inspired song, a waltz with a beat, some synth. It’s all there,” she explains.
The album’s title track “The Big Squeeze” is about “finding your own dignity, strength, resilience, and peace. You hold on to that wisdom, that sanity, and use it to keep going forward.”
Another track, “Goldeneye,” makes it clear that Frank believes that it’s just as important to be silly in life as it is to be serious.
“It’s a tribute and trip down memory lane to the innocence of youth, and not without acknowledging one of the greatest video games ever on N-64,” she says. “I got my ass kicked, but that game was the shit!”
Later, on the album’s first single “Practical Jackets,” Frank sings, “I hate all your practical jackets, Dress like you’re 40 when you’re only 37.” It’s essentially a quirky, spastic, but still solidly rhythmic, toe-tapping indie rock version of a dis track.
“‘Practical Jackets’ is about when you’re heartbroken, but you’re still in love, and you’re so mad, but since you’re in love, you want to hate the person, but you can’t, so you just act shallow and petty instead.”
Ironically, actually admitting you’re pissed, and acting shallow and petty, is a sign that the pissed person isn’t so shallow and petty at all. It’s a centered quality that is at the heart of The Big Squeeze, and in Frank’s life.
“I’m training to be a licensed counselor, so that I can help people live healthier, happier lives,” she explains of her recent decision to switch careers from government administration to social work. “I want to help people to learn to love their lives, and to create lives that they love. We’re alive. We should celebrate that.”
It’s an optimistic attitude that Frank maintains in the face of recent tragedy. Frank dedicates The Big Squeeze to her sister, Christina, who passed in 2018, and whose battle with addiction is something Frank would like to share as part of her aspiration to help others.
“The country is in crisis, and grieving this sort of loss is so hard because of the stigma affecting opioid addicts and their families,” she explains.
Recalling that first year of creation following her fateful interview with Jenny Lewis, Frank remembers, “I bought a guitar, taught myself some chords, and wrote a lot of songs.” Frank later spent seven years developing those songs, show, and sound in San Francisco – she grew up in Illinois, Florida, and Texas, in addition to a short stint in Seattle, which inspired the album’s opening cut, “Washington” – before her recent jump to Beantown.
“Through all the moving around, music has been such a huge part of my journey and healing,” she concludes. “Even when I’m not making music, I’m listening and am constantly inspired or consoled.”
And that’s how you write a song.
The Big Squeeze, the debut album by Jane Frank, arrives on Dec. 14th, preceded by the single “Practical Jackets”.
J Hacha De Zola isn’t himself these days.
As the Rahway, New Jersey artist preps his fourth album of “urban junkyard” tunes – prompting Paste to proclaim him “a wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart,” he is taking an unexpected detour. “Syn Illusión” an original, all-Spanish language EP that Hacha De Zola will release on Nov. 16th via the artist’s Caballo Negro label, could very well open this man that UTNE described as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books” to an audience as unexpected as this release is itself.
“A dear friend challenged me to step outside of this ‘J Hacha’ guy,” Hacha De Zola says, “She actually can’t stand him! He’s chaotic, he’s mean, he’s a caricature of some debauched carnival barking fire breather. Maybe ‘J Hacha’ had a more sensitive side; maybe that guy would write a record in Spanish, my first language. I originally went into this idea of a record in Spanish telling myself, ‘I’m just going to do a stripped down Hacha record, but it didn’t turn out that way at all!’“
“‘Syn Illusión’ means ‘without delusion’ in Spanish,” Hacha De Zola continues, “but it also refers to the heavy synth sounds on this EP. The “stripped down” J Hacha De Zola sound that he says he was going for is has actually turned out to be his most produced effort to date. “My producer had all these really cool vintage synths, keyboards, Mellotrons, farfisas and retro synth emulators in the studio, so I thought, “well hell, let’s go heavy with these! I love retro 80’s synth sounds.”
Where J Hacha De Zola albums (including his upcoming 2019 full-length) tend to pull from various musical bags – Blurt Magazine described “a compelling all-over-the-map collision of jazz, blues, show tunes, garage rock, and Latino flavors. At points, hypnotic, cinematic, lush, and dissonant,” the four songs on “Syn Illusión” are none of that.
“Despite the lyrics and vocals being in Spanish, the music is essentially just one thing,” Hacha De Zola says, “it’s not Latin by any stretch; it’s some kind of dreamy emo synth pop.” One may be reminded of the opening strains of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” or Irene Cara’s film theme “Flashdance… What A Feeling,” a brilliant stroke that someone needed to make happen sooner or later.
“I somehow got in touch with my inner ‘broken-hearted 17-year-old girl from 90’s,” Hacha De Zola jokes. “I think of this as some kind of ‘undead Romeo vampire-like dude crooning about love, power, and magic.” The EP’s title track and single bares those vampire teeth as soon as the output a smoke machine in the mind begins to fade.
“This track set the precedent for the rest of the EP,” Hacha De Zola says. “There was a bit of anxiety there, but rather than to give in to my nerves, I doubled down on this poppy, synthy, syrupy sound and just went for it. I was reading a lot of Pablo Neruda’s poetry at the time. It’s so rich in dark romanticism, and it really inspired the lyrical content of these songs, especially the track ‘Syn Illusión.’”
“I played the EP for a few of my closest confidants, who are generally very critical of what I usually do,” Hacha De Zola reveals. “My music is generally not their cup of tea, but everyone seems to love this EP! This experience has left me scratching my head.”
As it turns out, maybe Hacha De Zola IS himself these days?
“Syn Illusión,” the upcoming four-song all-Spanish language EP by J Hacha De Zola is scheduled for release on Nov. 16th via the artist’s Caballo Negro label. Hacha De Zola’s fourth full-length album is scheduled for release in early 2019.
Los Angeles-based artist Alex Lilly is a renaissance female.
In addition to the writing, arranging, producing, and playing of her own music, Lilly has established a notable career out on the road as a part of the touring bands of such esteemed musicians Beck, Lorde, Ry Cooder, and the bird and the bee. When Lilly’s in L.A, she has stayed busy throughout the years with her own projects such as Obi Best, Touché, Zero DeZire, and The Living Sisters.
Now, following-up “Paranoid Times,” her debut under her own name, Lilly is bringing all of her talents, ideas, and her singular voice to the table in the form of 2% Milk, her debut full-length album, out Jan. 19th, 2019 via newly-formed Release Me Records.
Lilly’s songs – she describes her sound as “sexy psychological thriller” – are synthy, syrupy, and suspicious i.e. there’s something going on here that’s not only pop, but actually pops. The intrigue that abounds on 2% Milk moves the listener beyond toe-tapping and finger-snapping, straight to brain-mapping.
This ability of Lilly’s to take a song out of the realm of merely entertaining to intriguing is all over the album’s first single “Distracting Me,” a tune dedicated to the idea of enjoying the annoying.
“Most of the time, I don’t like distractions, they get in my way,” she sings. “What made you the exception? Showing up and all I can think of to say: I love it when you are distracting me from what I think I need to do.”
“What better testament to loving someone than when you enjoy their interruptions?” Lilly explains of the tune. “I resisted a particular friend’s efforts to distract me for a long time but when I finally gave in, I realized it was fun.”
Lilly’s lower tolerance for inanimate irritations informed the album’s songwriting process.
“I feel like I can write more easily when I don’t have phone service,” she says of her time on an island outside of Vancouver where most of 2% Milk was written.
“I’d get up early and write, sometimes at my computer, sometimes walking around and I’d record melodies into my phone,” she remembers.
When the time came to turn the island demos into tracks, Lilly convened with Jacob Bercovici of The Voidz, who shared her sensibilities.
“Like me, Jake has no fear of the ridiculous,” she explains. “He ended up co-producing six songs.” Additional production credits go to Andy Bauer (of Twin Shadow), and Lilly herself. Another standout track is “Infantile,” a collaboration with Lilly’s friend, Daedelus.
“I asked him if he had any instrumental demos lying around I could write a melody and words to, and he had this beautiful piece that sounds like an intricate mechanism. I was so excited to add something to it, like a fancy chain to an already remarkable pocket watch.”
The album’s title track “2% Milk,” was adapted by Lilly from a poem by Jacqueline Suskind, a Los Angeles-based poet known for improvising work on the spot off of a given subject.
“I love this poem, it’s pretty angsty in nature, but also weirdly soothing, so I put it to music, and tinkered with it to make it rhyme,” Lilly explains.
2% Milk is the first release for the newly-formed Release Me Records, founded by musician Inara George, both friend and bandmate to Lilly via their previous work together as part of The Living Sisters, Zero DeZire, and when Lilly plays live in the bird and the bee.
“I met a very young Alex around 2006 when the bird and the bee was putting together a live band,” George explains. “We needed singers to help with our harmonies, and Alex was suggested to me. I feel so fortunate that we connected, and I’ve always been impressed with her musicality, her ability, and her motivation. I started Release Me to shine a light on Alex, and all the other insanely gifted musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
2% Milk, the essential debut album from Alex Lilly, is scheduled for release on Jan. 11th, 2019 in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.
“For the past year, my life has been in a complete flux,” says Jenny Andreotti, one half of the married Bakersfield, California-based dreampop duo Fawns of Love. “People have moved away, relationships have changed, and this has challenged my belief that people’s love for you is permanent.”
Along with husband, Joseph Andreotti, Jenny has made her realization a theme of Permanent, the second Fawns of Love full-length, and first since signing to Test Pattern Records. Permanent is scheduled for release on Jan. 18th, 2019.
Permanent follow-up the band’s recently issued EP documenting its session for L.A.-based radio show Part Time Punks. The EP also includes a cover of “Rocket Science” by one of Fawns of Love’s biggest influences, The Chills.
“Being such a huge fan of The Chills comes from this belief that they have one of the most eclectic and exciting back catalogs, and are also making contemporary music that is not only amazing but socially and politically significant as well,” Jenny says. Both full-time educators – Joseph teaches middle school, Jenny is a full-time instructor at CSU-Bakersfield – the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”
In addition to The Chills and Kate Bush, additional influences on Fawns of Love include familiar names such as Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Pulp, Slowdive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Sparks.
Fawns of Love takes all of these legendary sounds, which some might think of as cold or aloof, and makes them pop with overtones of The Smiths, New Order, and the warmth that comes from the Andreotti’s many years of making music together.
In the short time that Fawns of Love have been releasing music, a steady stream of praise has met the heartfelt work which Jenny and Joseph record at home using vintage equipment.
Paste proclaimed the band “a dreampop gem,” FLOOD called the debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow “perfectly woozy,” evoking “the soft gauze of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive,” MAGNET said it “drifts along dreamily,” and The Big Takeover noted the “obsessive joy in Fawns of Love’s take on shoegaze.”
Permanent, the second full-length by Fawns of Love, is scheduled for release on Jan. 18th, 2019 by Test Pattern Records, preceded by the single “Someday,” scheduled for release on Oct. 5th, 2018.
21-year-old songwriter and guitarist, Austin North began performing as a UC San Diego student before eventually returning to his hometown of El Paso to form Sleepspent with friend and co-writer, Aaron Quintanilla.
The band, now a trio including Grant Gonzalez on bass and Josh Mendoza on drums, will release its Chris Common (Minus The Bear, Chelsea Wolfe, Le Butcherettes)-produced debut EP “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” via Slow Start Records on May 4th, 2018.
North’s knack for creating music that is bathed in atmosphere (think Slowdive mixed with a more reverb-y Radiohead, led by a guitarist with an effects pedal fetish) that doesn’t lean away from authentic lyricism and captivating vocal performances (think Jeff Buckley) is proven on “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think”.
“We’re also definitely inspired by Shoegaze and Dreampop,” North says, elaborating on Sleepspent’s sound. “That can be heard in the alternate tunings used throughout our music as well as the melodic chord progressions and melodies.”
And though he’s young, North also takes influence from future hall-of-famers like The Cure and The Smiths – two more acts with definitive “sounds” that have never sacrificed art for artifice.
North’s formative years studying jazz guitar wraps it all up in a solid technical foundation, too, but ultimately, Sleepspent songs exist to make you feel.
“They’re more about whatever emotion and feeling they bring about in people,” North says. “I write them to make people feel and interpret my own musings rather than to have them be relatable.”
“A lot of the songs on the EP center around a feeling of confusion and a sense of isolation, and ‘Something’ is a prime example of that,” North continues, referring to the EP’s upcoming first single.
“Something” defines Sleepspent in precise terms: The melody is utterly mournful, but its palpable sadness is totally addictive at the same time.
“The main line ‘I am very much alive / No thanks to anyone’ is almost spiteful, even,” North explains. “It can seem like a positive thing to become self-sufficient but can really be harmful to lose touch with others.”
The song evolved from a North demo into a Sleepspent signature song that features a kind of indie version of the “wall of sound,” which was created by North alone and then re-created in the studio.
“‘Something’ came to be all in one night by myself,” North affirms. “I recorded the demo with some odd recording techniques, like blindly playing random notes in the same key over multiple tracks in order to get a very noisy and chaotic sound that we recreated later.”
Interestingly, the demo recording’s closely mic’d acoustic guitar tracks, augmented by an ebow, have survived through to the final track.
“We also used an air organ, which was a dream to play in the studio while recreating a synthesizer I had used in the demo,” North says.
For all of the obsessing over gear and studio experimentation, Sleepspent is also quickly gaining a reputation in El Paso as a formidable live act.
Sleepspent has already been nominated as a ‘Best Band in the City’ by The City Magazine in El Paso, who called the trio “completely captivating, live and through your speakers.” As Sleepspent’s local following has grown, the group has become a go-to local act to support nationally touring artists, and has also begun to hit the road itself.
Sleepspent will announce more live performances as the release date of “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” nears. For now, introduce yourself to Sleepspent, and to crib North himself: There’s no need to speak or think. Just listen.
The debut EP by Sleepspent arrives on May 4th, 2018 via Slow Start Records.
The Houston based five-piece political rock band The Wheel Workers isn’t so political on its upcoming new album post-truth (out Nov. 2nd, 2018.) Now, the band’s lean and quirky Dead Kennedys, The Clash, and Pixies-influenced style shoves real life in front of our eyes.
Following up an astounding eight nominations at the Houston Press Music Awards in 2015 for its previous album Citizens, which was also called “a true masterpiece” that year by Free Press Houston, post-truth’s opening cut “White Lies” was first released in November of 2016 just before the Presidential election.
“Successful political art foregrounds the artistry while making a statement that isn’t just applicable for a limited time,” said The Onion’s A.V. Club in its coverage of the song.
“I was personally caught up in the horror many liberals felt at the time,” says The Wheel Workers leader Steven Higginbotham. “But after all the personal difficulties the band has faced since that time, I’m not sure I would write that song the same way today.”
“Two of our members had houses flooded during Hurricane Harvey,” Higginbotham explains, “and they have spent the better part of a year coming back from that. I went through an intensely hurtful break-up that put me in a dark place. But the band supported each other through it all.”
“Some of the people that were most supportive and kind during our difficulties were people I would probably disagree with politically,” Higginbotham continues. “But the decency and love they showed in helping us rebuild our lives is so much more important than whether we agree on this or that issue.”
Interestingly, if the message of “White Lies” reflects where the band started, post-truth’s final track “Sing,” might best reflect where the band is today. “Wade thru the night until the daylight dawns,” Higginbotham sings in the song’s chorus, rising to a climax of, “We... want so much for the spell that now holds us to break / Love is what I hope we sing next.”
In “Doesn’t Really Matter,” after running though a litany of distractions of modern life, the band boils down what’s real and what matters, singing, “What hurts you the most / When you’re all alone? / What do you live for / When you leave your door? / That’s all there is / That’s all you get.”
Now that the fortified members of The Wheel Workers are ready to release post-truth, and with past as prologue, the album’s title suddenly comes into relief, a clever twist on the idea of alternative facts, but actually referring to who we are as individuals after the tea is spilled all over our personal worlds.
With chugging guitars that are still airy, intense choruses (first single “Desire” is as attention-grabbing as U2’s own song of the same name), and a tough-love lyricism (“Sometimes it’s hard to remember my desire”) that sticks long enough for you to realize it’s stuck (and appreciate it!)
Out of the darkness of the two years since the release of “White Lies,” a song wholly aimed at the Presidential election battle, and the raw exposure it shined on our stark differences, came personal catharsis, and that’s a fight that can be considered won.
“I’m definitely still socially conscious,” Higginbotham elaborates, “But now I think problems are best dealt with the way we do in our personal lives, with the people we genuinely care about, supporting and loving one another with understanding and forgiveness.”
post-truth, the latest album by Houston-based band, The Wheel Workers arrives on Nov. 2nd, 2018, preceded by the single “Desire”. The band headlines a record release show at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on Nov. 16th.
The Houston based five-piece political rock band The Wheel Workers isn’t so political on its upcoming new album post-truth (out Nov. 2nd, 2018.) Now, the band’s lean and quirky Dead Kennedys, The Clash, and Pixies-influenced style shoves real life in front of our eyes.
Following up an astounding eight nominations at the Houston Press Music Awards in 2015 for its previous album Citizens, which was also called “a true masterpiece” that year by Free Press Houston, post-truth’s opening cut “White Lies” was first released in November of 2016 just before the Presidential election.
“Successful political art foregrounds the artistry while making a statement that isn’t just applicable for a limited time,” said The Onion’s A.V. Club in its coverage of the song.
“I was personally caught up in the horror many liberals felt at the time,” says The Wheel Workers leader Steven Higginbotham. “But after all the personal difficulties the band has faced since that time, I’m not sure I would write that song the same way today.”
“Two of our members had houses flooded during Hurricane Harvey,” Higginbotham explains, “and they have spent the better part of a year coming back from that. I went through an intensely hurtful break-up that put me in a dark place. But the band supported each other through it all.”
“Some of the people that were most supportive and kind during our difficulties were people I would probably disagree with politically,” Higginbotham continues. “But the decency and love they showed in helping us rebuild our lives is so much more important than whether we agree on this or that issue.”
Interestingly, if the message of “White Lies” reflects where the band started, post-truth’s final track “Sing,” might best reflect where the band is today. “Wade thru the night until the daylight dawns,” Higginbotham sings in the song’s chorus, rising to a climax of, “We... want so much for the spell that now holds us to break / Love is what I hope we sing next.”
In “Doesn’t Really Matter,” after running though a litany of distractions of modern life, the band boils down what’s real and what matters, singing, “What hurts you the most / When you’re all alone? / What do you live for / When you leave your door? / That’s all there is / That’s all you get.”
Now that the fortified members of The Wheel Workers are ready to release post-truth, and with past as prologue, the album’s title suddenly comes into relief, a clever twist on the idea of alternative facts, but actually referring to who we are as individuals after the tea is spilled all over our personal worlds.
With chugging guitars that are still airy, intense choruses (first single “Desire” is as attention-grabbing as U2’s own song of the same name), and a tough-love lyricism (“Sometimes it’s hard to remember my desire”) that sticks long enough for you to realize it’s stuck (and appreciate it!)
Out of the darkness of the two years since the release of “White Lies,” a song wholly aimed at the Presidential election battle, and the raw exposure it shined on our stark differences, came personal catharsis, and that’s a fight that can be considered won.
“I’m definitely still socially conscious,” Higginbotham elaborates, “But now I think problems are best dealt with the way we do in our personal lives, with the people we genuinely care about, supporting and loving one another with understanding and forgiveness.”
post-truth, the latest album by Houston-based band, The Wheel Workers arrives on Nov. 2nd, 2018, preceded by the single “Desire”. The band headlines a record release show at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on Nov. 16th.
The Houston based five-piece political rock band The Wheel Workers isn’t so political on its upcoming new album post-truth (out Nov. 2nd, 2018.) Now, the band’s lean and quirky Dead Kennedys, The Clash, and Pixies-influenced style shoves real life in front of our eyes.
Following up an astounding eight nominations at the Houston Press Music Awards in 2015 for its previous album Citizens, which was also called “a true masterpiece” that year by Free Press Houston, post-truth’s opening cut “White Lies” was first released in November of 2016 just before the Presidential election.
“Successful political art foregrounds the artistry while making a statement that isn’t just applicable for a limited time,” said The Onion’s A.V. Club in its coverage of the song.
“I was personally caught up in the horror many liberals felt at the time,” says The Wheel Workers leader Steven Higginbotham. “But after all the personal difficulties the band has faced since that time, I’m not sure I would write that song the same way today.”
“Two of our members had houses flooded during Hurricane Harvey,” Higginbotham explains, “and they have spent the better part of a year coming back from that. I went through an intensely hurtful break-up that put me in a dark place. But the band supported each other through it all.”
“Some of the people that were most supportive and kind during our difficulties were people I would probably disagree with politically,” Higginbotham continues. “But the decency and love they showed in helping us rebuild our lives is so much more important than whether we agree on this or that issue.”
Interestingly, if the message of “White Lies” reflects where the band started, post-truth’s final track “Sing,” might best reflect where the band is today. “Wade thru the night until the daylight dawns,” Higginbotham sings in the song’s chorus, rising to a climax of, “We... want so much for the spell that now holds us to break / Love is what I hope we sing next.”
In “Doesn’t Really Matter,” after running though a litany of distractions of modern life, the band boils down what’s real and what matters, singing, “What hurts you the most / When you’re all alone? / What do you live for / When you leave your door? / That’s all there is / That’s all you get.”
Now that the fortified members of The Wheel Workers are ready to release post-truth, and with past as prologue, the album’s title suddenly comes into relief, a clever twist on the idea of alternative facts, but actually referring to who we are as individuals after the tea is spilled all over our personal worlds.
With chugging guitars that are still airy, intense choruses (first single “Desire” is as attention-grabbing as U2’s own song of the same name), and a tough-love lyricism (“Sometimes it’s hard to remember my desire”) that sticks long enough for you to realize it’s stuck (and appreciate it!)
Out of the darkness of the two years since the release of “White Lies,” a song wholly aimed at the Presidential election battle, and the raw exposure it shined on our stark differences, came personal catharsis, and that’s a fight that can be considered won.
“I’m definitely still socially conscious,” Higginbotham elaborates, “But now I think problems are best dealt with the way we do in our personal lives, with the people we genuinely care about, supporting and loving one another with understanding and forgiveness.”
post-truth, the latest album by Houston-based band, The Wheel Workers arrives on Nov. 2nd, 2018, preceded by the single “Desire”. The band headlines a record release show at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on Nov. 16th.
Los Angeles-based artist Alex Lilly is a renaissance female.
In addition to the writing, arranging, producing, and playing of her own music, Lilly has established a notable career out on the road as a part of the touring bands of such esteemed musicians Beck, Lorde, Ry Cooder, and the bird and the bee. When Lilly’s in L.A, she has stayed busy throughout the years with her own projects such as Obi Best, Touché, Zero DeZire, and The Living Sisters.
Now, following-up “Paranoid Times,” her debut under her own name, Lilly is bringing all of her talents, ideas, and her singular voice to the table in the form of 2% Milk, her debut full-length album, out Jan. 19th, 2019 via newly-formed Release Me Records.
Lilly’s songs – she describes her sound as “sexy psychological thriller” – are synthy, syrupy, and suspicious i.e. there’s something going on here that’s not only pop, but actually pops. The intrigue that abounds on 2% Milk moves the listener beyond toe-tapping and finger-snapping, straight to brain-mapping.
This ability of Lilly’s to take a song out of the realm of merely entertaining to intriguing is all over the album’s first single “Distracting Me,” a tune dedicated to the idea of enjoying the annoying.
“Most of the time, I don’t like distractions, they get in my way,” she sings. “What made you the exception? Showing up and all I can think of to say: I love it when you are distracting me from what I think I need to do.”
“What better testament to loving someone than when you enjoy their interruptions?” Lilly explains of the tune. “I resisted a particular friend’s efforts to distract me for a long time but when I finally gave in, I realized it was fun.”
Lilly’s lower tolerance for inanimate irritations informed the album’s songwriting process.
“I feel like I can write more easily when I don’t have phone service,” she says of her time on an island outside of Vancouver where most of 2% Milk was written.
“I’d get up early and write, sometimes at my computer, sometimes walking around and I’d record melodies into my phone,” she remembers.
When the time came to turn the island demos into tracks, Lilly convened with Jacob Bercovici of The Voidz, who shared her sensibilities.
“Like me, Jake has no fear of the ridiculous,” she explains. “He ended up co-producing six songs.” Additional production credits go to Andy Bauer (of Twin Shadow), and Lilly herself. Another standout track is “Infantile,” a collaboration with Lilly’s friend, Daedelus.
“I asked him if he had any instrumental demos lying around I could write a melody and words to, and he had this beautiful piece that sounds like an intricate mechanism. I was so excited to add something to it, like a fancy chain to an already remarkable pocket watch.”
The album’s title track “2% Milk,” was adapted by Lilly from a poem by Jacqueline Suskind, a Los Angeles-based poet known for improvising work on the spot off of a given subject.
“I love this poem, it’s pretty angsty in nature, but also weirdly soothing, so I put it to music, and tinkered with it to make it rhyme,” Lilly explains.
2% Milk is the first release for the newly-formed Release Me Records, founded by musician Inara George, both friend and bandmate to Lilly via their previous work together as part of The Living Sisters, Zero DeZire, and when Lilly plays live in the bird and the bee.
“I met a very young Alex around 2006 when the bird and the bee was putting together a live band,” George explains. “We needed singers to help with our harmonies, and Alex was suggested to me. I feel so fortunate that we connected, and I’ve always been impressed with her musicality, her ability, and her motivation. I started Release Me to shine a light on Alex, and all the other insanely gifted musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
2% Milk, the essential debut album from Alex Lilly, is scheduled for release on Jan. 11th, 2019 in digital, CD, and vinyl formats.
Married Bakersfield, California-based duo Fawns of Love (Jenny and Joseph Andreotti) will issue their recently aired session for the Los Angeles-based “Part Time Punks” radio show as a limited edition 12-inch vinyl and digital release on August 24th, 2018. Also included will be a cover of the song “Rocket Science” by one of Andreotti’s favorite bands, The Chills.
“Being such a huge fan of The Chills comes from this belief that they have one of the most eclectic and exciting back catalogs, and are also making contemporary music that is not only amazing but socially and politically significant as well,” Jenny says.
Fawns of Love chose to cover “Rocket Science” for a couple of specific reasons. As Jenny explains, “We would have been thrilled to cover any of The Chills’ songs from any part of their catalog, but we decided on ‘Rocket Science’ because the lyrical message of the danger of political complacency is powerful, and we were excited by the possibility of taking one of The Chills more aggressive songs and filtering it through our sound.”
Describing the “Part Time Punks” session that is documented in this release, Joseph says, “We performed a selection of songs that were released on our debut LP Who Cares About Tomorrow, ‘Falling’ off of our ‘Falling/Standing’ 7-inch, as well as ‘Please’ off of DKFM’s Alternative Facts: A Shoegaze Resistance Compilation. The six songs included are also alternate versions of the songs that appeared on the original releases. We edited them to be more minimal, we re-programmed drum beats, and we included a few new instruments and melodies.
Both full-time teachers, the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”
In the short time that Fawns of Love have been releasing music, a steady stream of praise has met the heartfelt work which Jenny and Joseph record at home using vintage equipment.
The new Fawns of Love release “Part Time Punks Sessions (plus “Rocket Science”) EP, arrives on limited edition vinyl and digital on August 24th, 2018.
You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now.
Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.
Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.
“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.
Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”
That is to say: These songs sound great.
Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represents a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.
Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.
“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”
Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.
"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018 on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.
You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now.
Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.
Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.
“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.
Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”
That is to say: These songs sound great.
Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represent a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.
Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.
“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”
Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.
"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018, on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.
You think we’d know Jared Putnam by now.
Over the course of three “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter) albums, five “completely clever” (Performer Magazine) EPs, numerous singles, and a batch of cover songs in a mere half-decade, Putnam’s mostly one-man project The March Divide has delivered a seemingly unending stream of songs that have established the San Antonio-based artist as one of the best rock songwriters working today.
Putnam’s upcoming fourth The March Divide album is "Anticipation Pops" (Aug. 24th, Slow Start Records) and is his best work to date, mostly because the ten songs here reveal a greater emotional depth, along with performances, and lyrics, that go beyond anything that Putnam has offered up before. Perhaps his near-manic recording and touring schedule was prologue that has led to the relatable sensitivity that is this album.
“This record feels like a new direction,” Putnam says.
Recording at home on the fly, and skipping his usual demo and pre-production process, has allowed Putnam to maintain a spontaneous feeling that informs these songs, and obviously kept him from overthinking lyrics or anything else that stood in the way of a group of tunes that could be called “raw” if Putnam wasn’t so good at producing himself and if the word “raw” didn’t scream “under produced.”
That is to say: These songs sound great.
Putnam claims that the work on "Anticipation Pops" represent a thematic “consistent inconsistency,” different from his more planned past albums. And while he dials that back when he agrees that the album is cohesive, he’s either being modest, or is far enough outside of his comfort zone now not to notice that "Anticipation Pops" is actually his most thematic record of all.
Writing ten personal songs from a unique perspective, but relatable to everyone, is an artistic goal most songwriters never achieve. True to Putnam’s attitude of throwing caution to the wind with this album, the first single is the record’s aptly titled opening cut, “I Don’t Care,” a two-minute gem that leaves ‘em wanting more.
“I think there’s something really special about a two-minute pop song,” Putnam says. “It’s like a shot of adrenaline. A song like that is a flash – it comes and goes – and is unexpected. ‘I Don’t Care’ really sets the tone. It’s a slow build of liberation and confidence, expressed in just two minutes.”
Doubling down on the attitude of “I Don’t Care,” Putnam affirms once again that he made "Anticipation Pops" by deciding, “this is what I’m doing, take it or leave it.” Apparently he didn’t know that the result would be the work his fans can care for most of all.
"Anticipation Pops", the fourth full-length album by The March Divide is out August 24th, 2018, on the artist’s recently co-founded Slow Start Records label, preceded by the single, “I Don’t Care”.
The collective known as Big Fresh, one of Lexington, Kentucky’s most venerable pop music institutions, is back this summer!
Following up last year’s “Fall Preview” EP with the five-track EP “Sweeps” on August 10th, the new collection of tunes is essentially the other side of the coin that we saw the face of last year. “Sweeps” arrives on the band’s Desperate Spirits label (ATTEMPT, Italian Beaches), and will be available digitally, as well as in a limited vinyl edition.
Similar to the ebullient sonic tropes of “Fall Preview,” “Sweeps” draws from musical touchstones near and far, synthesizing the breezy harmonies of The Free Design, the lush arrangements of David Axelrod, and the gleeful deconstructionism of XTC.
Like its predecessor, “Sweeps” also features notable guest contributions from the band’s friends including Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Per Sunding of Eggstone, Karen and Ryan Hover of Sound of Ceres and Candy Claws, along with vocalist Reva English of label mates Italian Beaches, and local Lexington heroes Tim Welch and Chris Dennison.
Thematically, John Ferguson (Desperate Spirits co-founder and a member of Big Fresh and The Apples In Stereo) explains, “If ‘Fall Preview’ represented the daytime activities of an office drone facing dehumanization from a dystopian capitalist society, then ‘Sweeps’ would be that person’s solitary nighttime reflection, struggling with personal definition amidst a world that eats people.”
Tasty!
Ferguson continues, “‘Sweeps’ finds the members of Big Fresh losing our grip on our place in a chaotic dystopia. We have run out of patience with God, and are hoping to find our prayers answered at the altar of pop music... the recording, production, consumption, transmission, creation of eternal frequencies that echo through the vacuum of space. It is our only hope.”
Without a doubt, listeners will find “Sweeps” to be a more convenient distillation for modern living than any religious text.
Its cover art, once again by the amazing Chad Stockfleth, is itself worthy of a biblical tome, too. Bookending the TV Guide-theme introduced with “Fall Preview,” it features nearly the same concept and composition, “Only this time the digest sits amid trailer trash, and underclass accoutrement,” says Ferguson.
The release of “Sweeps” will be preceded by the single and music video “Hottie Tottie,” which Ferguson describes as “an unsubtle ode to my preoccupation with sex, and the feelings of guilt placed on such thoughts by a superstitious and primitive culture. Sonically, it draws from Electric Light Orchestra, Michael Jackson, The Apples in Stereo, Dungeon Family, and (the aforementioned) XTC. It’s like The Beatles making fucked-up electro-funk.”
The “Sweeps” EP by Big Fresh arrives August 10th, 2018 on Desperate Spirits.
The collective known as Big Fresh, one of Lexington, Kentucky’s most venerable pop music institutions, is back this summer!
Following up last year’s “Fall Preview” EP with the five-track EP “Sweeps” on August 10th, the new collection of tunes is essentially the other side of the coin that we saw the face of last year. “Sweeps” arrives on the band’s Desperate Spirits label (ATTEMPT, Italian Beaches), and will be available digitally, as well as in a limited vinyl edition.
Similar to the ebullient sonic tropes of “Fall Preview,” “Sweeps” draws from musical touchstones near and far, synthesizing the breezy harmonies of The Free Design, the lush arrangements of David Axelrod, and the gleeful deconstructionism of XTC.
Like its predecessor, “Sweeps” also features notable guest contributions from the band’s friends including Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Per Sunding of Eggstone, Karen and Ryan Hover of Sound of Ceres and Candy Claws, along with vocalist Reva English of label mates Italian Beaches, and local Lexington heroes Tim Welch and Chris Dennison.
Thematically, John Ferguson (Desperate Spirits co-founder and a member of Big Fresh and The Apples In Stereo) explains, “If ‘Fall Preview’ represented the daytime activities of an office drone facing dehumanization from a dystopian capitalist society, then ‘Sweeps’ would be that person’s solitary nighttime reflection, struggling with personal definition amidst a world that eats people.”
Tasty!
Ferguson continues, “‘Sweeps’ finds the members of Big Fresh losing our grip on our place in a chaotic dystopia. We have run out of patience with God, and are hoping to find our prayers answered at the altar of pop music... the recording, production, consumption, transmission, creation of eternal frequencies that echo through the vacuum of space. It is our only hope.”
Without a doubt, listeners will find “Sweeps” to be a more convenient distillation for modern living than any religious text.
Its cover art, once again by the amazing Chad Stockfleth, is itself worthy of a biblical tome, too. Bookending the TV Guide-theme introduced with “Fall Preview,” it features nearly the same concept and composition, “Only this time the digest sits amid trailer trash, and underclass accoutrement,” says Ferguson.
The release of “Sweeps” will be preceded by the single and music video “Hottie Tottie,” which Ferguson describes as “an unsubtle ode to my preoccupation with sex, and the feelings of guilt placed on such thoughts by a superstitious and primitive culture. Sonically, it draws from Electric Light Orchestra, Michael Jackson, The Apples in Stereo, Dungeon Family, and (the aforementioned) XTC. It’s like The Beatles making fucked-up electro-funk.”
The “Sweeps” EP by Big Fresh arrives August 10th, 2018 on Desperate Spirits.
"Empire Waste" is the first full-length from the enigmatic avant-garde chanteuse Jeanne Vomit-Terror, co-founder (alongside Ed Sunspot) of the Resonant Hole collective that spawned acts such as Idiot Glee, Street Gnar, The Teenagers Responsible, and Silverware, as well as the cult film “What Is a Hole?”
Though sparse, Vomit-Terror’s discography is eclectic, encompassing electro-pop (“Mirror School,” which boasts a suitably trashy Robert Beatty music video), Italo disco (“The Seat of Same,” touted by Rub N Tug and Mike Simonetti, remixed by the latter), and industrial noise (The Quixotrix Tapes).
The eight songs that comprise "Empire Waste" showcase Vomit-Terror’s fearless weirdness and pop ingenuity. “Jokes Come True” wheels a sleek dystopian Drexciya groove into a joyous, synthetic Gloria Estefan refrain. “Lost in Luxury” juxtaposes a soaring anthemic chorus that wouldn't be out of place on a Ke$ha B-side with turbulent analog riffage straight out of Hardcore Devo: Volume One.
She rips black metal guitar solos over minimal house, climaxes a pop epic with the first straight-faced industrial rap since Pretty Hate Machine, and gives Thinking Fellers Union Local 282’s “Tell Me” the “Jellybean” Benitez treatment, all the while cooing, moaning, and growling her Dadaist screeds, exhorting (or else, demanding) the listener to “close the door on reality forever!”
Static Diary is the self-titled debut solo album by Scott Danbom, best-known as a former member of popular Texas-based band Centro-matic. A veteran performer and accompanist, Danbom has also worked with Centro-matic leader Will Johnson (who appears on Static Diary), as well as Sarah Jaffe, Drive-By Truckers, and many more throughout his long career.
Denton, Texas-based label Goliad Media Group will release Static Diary on July 27th, 2018, preceded by the lead single “Phrase From Business”. As Danbom explains, Goliad’s Chris Welch played an intregal role in motivating Danbom to bring the album into existence.
“Talking to Chris about my work, and the idea of Goliad as an outlet that could capture some of what had been collecting throughout the years, really inspired the latest collection of ideas and songs,” he says.
The record is a long time coming for Danbom, who has been composing since he was a child.
“I’ve been writing and arranging pretty much since the first time I sat down at the piano,” he says. “I entered a couple of composition contests in early grade school, and the first synth I owned inspired countless compositions in high school and college.”
Even so, while Danbom has had the good fortune to play with many prolific writers and original voices throughout his professional life, he confesses that this scenario “can stall your confidence when you are trying to find your own voice. It was always in the back of my mind to find a situation where I could focus this creative energy.”
Static Diary was worth the wait, as the album’s lead single shows.
“Phrase From Business” is “a hopeful song about searching and simple ideas” that “comes with a generous helping of sarcasm,” Danbom explains. The epic-sounding track, elevated with glockenspiel-type bells, reminds of the legendary work of Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse.
The track also shows off what is merely one shade of Danbom’s capabilities, as Static Diary is a vehicle for the artist’s more unconventional musical leanings, as well. The album is most memorable for merging these unique shades and sounds into a cohesive whole.
Essentially, with Static Diary, Danbom succeeds at bringing his haunting keyboard and vocal arrangements, and his experimental ambient and instrumental concepts, together under one roof. He describes these divergent artistic personalities as “a word and a symbol that mean the same thing but just have a blurry, different feel. Nothing too complex and nothing too simple.”
Static Diary, the debut solo album by Scott Danbom, was recorded by Britton Beisenherz (Will Johnson, Milton Mapes) at Ramble Creek Recording Studio in Austin, Texas. The album arrives July 27th, 2018 via Goliad Media Group preceded by the single “Phrase From Business”.
"The first single from 'Witches!', 'Georgette, Georgette,' was the last song written for the record. As with almost every LP we've done, the last song I write becomes the so-called hit. Hit as in it sounds like one, at least. Haha. I wrote the blasted thing in ten minutes -- honestly -- at a backyard party at Rob Campanella's (our engineer and producer for 'Highs & Lows' and 'The Gospel According To John') house. I met a petite lovely called -- ta da! -- Georgette and when she found out I was a songwriter, she challenged me to write a song with her name in it: so I put her name in twice just to twit her a bit. (She was very, very drunk, I recall.) I went into Rob's studio control room and came out and played it for her maybe fifteen minutes later. That sobered her up a bit, I shouldn't wonder. Hers is such a perfect name for a song title anyway, isn't it? I mean, Jolene has around a hundred songs about her, whoever she was or is. Now it's Georgette's turn. Here's to imagining she'll hear it on the radio and have a sort of deja vu. I mean, I never saw her again. Hi, Georgie. How've you been?"
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Having written and released fifteen albums of sparkling, literate, jangly-distorted indie rock since his band’s inception in 1987 (as well as four works of comedic literary fiction and one book on the early films of Wes Anderson), John Andrew Fredrick found himself confronting an issue frightfully prolific types like him often face quite late in their careers: how to do something new, something different. A further dilemma: he knew he wanted to make a quiet acoustic and electric guitar record, psychedelic, of course, but with minimal drums, if any; yet he fancied writing and recording a dance record.
A dance record without drums? Impossible! Or, at least—interesting!
“I imagined Syd Barrett joining New Order, who really are my favorite band — with just the kick drum, the 808 state or whatever it’s called, for the pulse. I hoped to make something as a sort of reaction against the shoegazey wall-of-sound that was The Gospel According to John, which had just come out and had inexplicably done so much better than many of our other, earlier LPs had. Typical me: ‘Oh, that worked quite well, commercially and critically — now let’s get back to our roots in obscurity!’”
Witches!, the new the black watch album, was written around a song called “The Beginning of the End” — a sonic acoustic saga of a newly-shacked-up-with girlfriend who claims she sees a ghost in the singer’s apartment, one who looks “exactly like” her. “True story,” Fredrick says. As he was already, much to his surprise and delight, putting the finishing touches on a novel about a witch (a modern one who’s a big fan of Irish-English indie legends My Bloody Valentine), he thought he’d write a record around the same theme, but with a twist. “Dark at times—bits and bobs—as our music’s been, I don’t really have a quote-unquote dark side. I’ve only read one ghost story in my life—Henry James’s “Turn of the Screw”—and I don’t like horror pictures or any occult things or even historical stuff like the witch trials in New England. And yet all this witchy witch stuff just came out of me, you know? Perhaps it’s on account of I’ve lived with a witch or two,” Fredrick laughs, “but I don’t think of witches as exclusively a female thing. I mean, I could be one. There’s something of the magician or sorcerer in every artist, surely. Indeed we conjure themes and images as they are said to do, you know.”
Read more here: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/theblackwatch
"'Legerdemain' is a French term for 'sleight of hand' and I think it's a perfect metaphor for the jiggery-pokery—sometimes, mind you—of relationships. The song really distills or reflects the aesthetic of the album as a whole, I think, on account of it's essentially a spooky acoustic dance-song-without-drums.
I had a mad notion that I wanted to make a record that imagined, as it were, what it would be like if Syd Barrett had joined New Order -- and this is what I came up with first. So just as 'Georgette, Georgette' was the last song written, so is this one the first one I penned for 'Witches!'"
Scott Campbell (producer) did the greatest job, I think, making it at once very pulsating and eerie, and Rob Campanella's piano echoes are, for me at least, chilling. I love reading French—just don't ask me to speak it unless you want to have a laugh at my expense, which is okay, I suppose. Go ahead. Every time I go to France the French seem to queue up to poke fun at my atrocious accent anyway."
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Having written and released fifteen albums of sparkling, literate, jangly-distorted indie rock since his band’s inception in 1987 (as well as four works of comedic literary fiction and one book on the early films of Wes Anderson), John Andrew Fredrick found himself confronting an issue frightfully prolific types like him often face quite late in their careers: how to do something new, something different. A further dilemma: he knew he wanted to make a quiet acoustic and electric guitar record, psychedelic, of course, but with minimal drums, if any; yet he fancied writing and recording a dance record.
A dance record without drums? Impossible! Or, at least—interesting!
“I imagined Syd Barrett joining New Order, who really are my favorite band — with just the kick drum, the 808 state or whatever it’s called, for the pulse. I hoped to make something as a sort of reaction against the shoegazey wall-of-sound that was The Gospel According to John, which had just come out and had inexplicably done so much better than many of our other, earlier LPs had. Typical me: ‘Oh, that worked quite well, commercially and critically — now let’s get back to our roots in obscurity!’”
Witches!, the new the black watch album, was written around a song called “The Beginning of the End” — a sonic acoustic saga of a newly-shacked-up-with girlfriend who claims she sees a ghost in the singer’s apartment, one who looks “exactly like” her. “True story,” Fredrick says. As he was already, much to his surprise and delight, putting the finishing touches on a novel about a witch (a modern one who’s a big fan of Irish-English indie legends My Bloody Valentine), he thought he’d write a record around the same theme, but with a twist. “Dark at times—bits and bobs—as our music’s been, I don’t really have a quote-unquote dark side. I’ve only read one ghost story in my life—Henry James’s “Turn of the Screw”—and I don’t like horror pictures or any occult things or even historical stuff like the witch trials in New England. And yet all this witchy witch stuff just came out of me, you know? Perhaps it’s on account of I’ve lived with a witch or two,” Fredrick laughs, “but I don’t think of witches as exclusively a female thing. I mean, I could be one. There’s something of the magician or sorcerer in every artist, surely. Indeed we conjure themes and images as they are said to do, you know.”
"I've always been fascinated with UFO's. 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' is my favorite film. This song also reminds me of the kind of songwriting that I fell in love with as a kid. It has never left me and probably never will. The line that comes out of the chorus into the verse is my favorite part of the whole record." - Scott Danbom of Static Diary on "UFO'S"
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Bio:
Static Diary is the self-titled debut solo album by Scott Danbom, best-known as a former member of popular Texas-based band Centro-matic. A veteran performer and accompanist, Danbom has also worked with Centro-matic leader Will Johnson (who appears on Static Diary), as well as Sarah Jaffe, Drive-By Truckers, and many more throughout his long career.
Denton, Texas-based label Goliad Media Group will release Static Diary on July 27th, 2018, preceded by the lead single “Phrase From Business”. As Danbom explains, Goliad’s Chris Welch played an intregal role in motivating Danbom to bring the album into existence.
“Talking to Chris about my work, and the idea of Goliad as an outlet that could capture some of what had been collecting throughout the years, really inspired the latest collection of ideas and songs,” he says.
The record is a long time coming for Danbom, who has been composing since he was a child.
“I’ve been writing and arranging pretty much since the first time I sat down at the piano,” he says. “I entered a couple of composition contests in early grade school, and the first synth I owned inspired countless compositions in high school and college.”
Even so, while Danbom has had the good fortune to play with many prolific writers and original voices throughout his professional life, he confesses that this scenario “can stall your confidence when you are trying to find your own voice. It was always in the back of my mind to find a situation where I could focus this creative energy.”
Static Diary was worth the wait, as the album’s lead single shows.
“Phrase From Business” is “a hopeful song about searching and simple ideas” that “comes with a generous helping of sarcasm,” Danbom explains. The epic-sounding track, elevated with glockenspiel-type bells, reminds of the legendary work of Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse.
The track also shows off what is merely one shade of Danbom’s capabilities, as Static Diary is a vehicle for the artist’s more unconventional musical leanings, as well. The album is most memorable for merging these unique shades and sounds into a cohesive whole.
Essentially, with Static Diary, Danbom succeeds at bringing his haunting keyboard and vocal arrangements, and his experimental ambient and instrumental concepts, together under one roof. He describes these divergent artistic personalities as “a word and a symbol that mean the same thing but just have a blurry, different feel. Nothing too complex and nothing too simple.”
Static Diary, the debut solo album by Scott Danbom, was recorded by Britton Beisenherz (Will Johnson, Milton Mapes) at Ramble Creek Recording Studio in Austin, Texas. The album arrives July 27th, 2018 via Goliad Media Group preceded by the single “Phrase From Business”.
21-year-old songwriter and guitarist, Austin North began performing as a UC San Diego student before eventually returning to his hometown of El Paso to form Sleepspent.
The band, now a trio including Cecilia Otero on bass and Josh Mendoza on drums, will release its Chris Common (Minus The Bear, Chelsea Wolfe, Le Butcherettes)-produced debut EP “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” via Slow Start Records on May 4th, 2018.
North’s knack for creating music that is bathed in atmosphere (think Slowdive mixed with a more reverb-y Radiohead, led by a guitarist with an effects pedal fetish) that doesn’t lean away from authentic lyricism and captivating vocal performances (think Jeff Buckley) is proven on “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think”.
“We’re also definitely inspired by Shoegaze and Dreampop,” North says, elaborating on Sleepspent’s sound. “That can be heard in the alternate tunings used throughout our music as well as the melodic chord progressions and melodies.”
And though he’s young, North also takes influence from future hall-of-famers like The Cure and The Smiths – two more acts with definitive “sounds” that have never sacrificed art for artifice.
North’s formative years studying jazz guitar wraps it all up in a solid technical foundation, too, but ultimately, Sleepspent songs exist to make you feel.
“They’re more about whatever emotion and feeling they bring about in people,” North says. “I write them to make people feel and interpret my own musings rather than to have them be relatable.”
“A lot of the songs on the EP center around a feeling of confusion and a sense of isolation, and ‘Something’ is a prime example of that,” North continues, referring to the EP’s upcoming first single.
“Something” defines Sleepspent in precise terms: The melody is utterly mournful, but its palpable sadness is totally addictive at the same time.
“The main line ‘I am very much alive / No thanks to anyone’ is almost spiteful, even,” North explains. “It can seem like a positive thing to become self-sufficient but can really be harmful to lose touch with others.”
The song evolved from a North demo into a Sleepspent signature song that features a kind of indie version of the “wall of sound,” which was created by North alone and then re-created in the studio.
“‘Something’ came to be all in one night by myself,” North affirms. “I recorded the demo with some odd recording techniques, like blindly playing random notes in the same key over multiple tracks in order to get a very noisy and chaotic sound that we recreated later.”
Interestingly, the demo recording’s closely mic’d acoustic guitar tracks, augmented by an ebow, have survived through to the final track.
“We also used an air organ, which was a dream to play in the studio while recreating a synthesizer I had used in the demo,” North says.
For all of the obsessing over gear and studio experimentation, Sleepspent is also quickly gaining a reputation in El Paso as a formidable live act.
Sleepspent has already been nominated as a ‘Best Band in the City’ by The City Magazine in El Paso, who called the trio “completely captivating, live and through your speakers.” As Sleepspent’s local following has grown, the group has become a go-to local act to support nationally touring artists, and has also begun to hit the road itself.
Sleepspent will announce more live performances as the release date of “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” nears. For now, introduce yourself to Sleepspent, and to crib North himself: There’s no need to speak or think. Just listen.
The debut EP by Sleepspent arrives on May 4th, 2018 via Slow Start Records.
21-year-old songwriter and guitarist, Austin North began performing as a UC San Diego student before eventually returning to his hometown of El Paso to form Sleepspent.
The band, now a trio including Cecilia Otero on bass and Josh Mendoza on drums, will release its Chris Common (Minus The Bear, Chelsea Wolfe, Le Butcherettes)-produced debut EP “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” via Slow Start Records on May 4th, 2018.
North’s knack for creating music that is bathed in atmosphere (think Slowdive mixed with a more reverb-y Radiohead, led by a guitarist with an effects pedal fetish) that doesn’t lean away from authentic lyricism and captivating vocal performances (think Jeff Buckley) is proven on “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think”.
“We’re also definitely inspired by Shoegaze and Dreampop,” North says, elaborating on Sleepspent’s sound. “That can be heard in the alternate tunings used throughout our music as well as the melodic chord progressions and melodies.”
And though he’s young, North also takes influence from future hall-of-famers like The Cure and The Smiths – two more acts with definitive “sounds” that have never sacrificed art for artifice.
North’s formative years studying jazz guitar wraps it all up in a solid technical foundation, too, but ultimately, Sleepspent songs exist to make you feel.
“They’re more about whatever emotion and feeling they bring about in people,” North says. “I write them to make people feel and interpret my own musings rather than to have them be relatable.”
The latest single from the upcoming EP is "Come Smile With Me."
North says, "'Come Smile With Me' started out being written while I was in still in San Diego, and is mostly about miscommunication and how people don’t think before they speak, or don’t care about the impact their words have."
For all of the obsessing over gear and studio experimentation, Sleepspent is also quickly gaining a reputation in El Paso as a formidable live act.
Sleepspent has already been nominated as a ‘Best Band in the City’ by The City Magazine in El Paso, who called the trio “completely captivating, live and through your speakers.” As Sleepspent’s local following has grown, the group has become a go-to local act to support nationally touring artists, and has also begun to hit the road itself.
Sleepspent will announce more live performances as the release date of “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” nears. For now, introduce yourself to Sleepspent, and to crib North himself: There’s no need to speak or think. Just listen.
The debut EP by Sleepspent arrives on May 4th, 2018 via Slow Start Records.
“Oh You Little Witch!” playfully kills off a former paramour with the tart phrase “now I never wonder what/ it’s like to be you.” The tune is the second single from "The Paper Boats," the new EP by the black watch.
"This song's all in good fun. No harm, no foul," band leader John Andrew Fredrick says. "I'm convinced that one of the overarching themes of my life has to do with Jean Renoir's epigraph for what I consider to be one of the greatest films of all time - 'The Rules of the Game.' Renoir says: 'The tragic thing about life is everyone has their reasons.' I often metaphorically enter into other people's consciousnesses, trying to imagine what it's like to be them. But at some point one stops doing that when a former lover, say, becomes a ghost of sorts. Then, as the song declares, 'I never wonder what it's like to be you.' There's no specific ghost, mind you. But they're everywhere, aren't they? You look at someone and go 'Someone somewhere used to be so interested in that person - and now they never hardly ever pay them any nevermind!'"
Having indeed lost his beloved father this year, Fredrick, the singer/songwriter of fifteen LPs (including 2017's well-received "The Gospel According To John") and five EPs now (who has also published four novels and, last year, a book that analyzes the early films of Wes Anderson), mitigated a bit of the pain of his loss by churning out another dream-fuzz-jangle-pop collection of super catchy, literary guitar-heavy songs. Ones that doubtlessly reflect the expertise that comes from 30-some-odd years of putting out records.
The new EP was engineered by ace guitarist Andy Creighton (who fronts his own fine pop band, The World Record, and whose startling, angular leads were featured on last year’s the black watch LP.) The songs were done quickly at Creighton’s shed in the obscure El Sereno district of Los Angeles, then sent for mixing to Scott Campbell’s (Shelby Lynne, Stevie Nicks, Acetone) state-of-the-art studio in Woodland Hills. Campbell having produced and mixed at least half of the black watch’s records, what’s eventuated is a bit along the lines of “something old, something new.”
Fredrick reports: “Scott likes to be left alone while he works, while Andy I think relishes the feeling of discovery and close collaboration you get from making things up as we go along, the two of us together. He’s very methodical and exact if not exacting—and I’m very not! Andy can do almost anything with a musical instrument—and ironically that’s a sort of limitation, having all those complicating options. I can do very little, me—save play my usual rhythm guitar parts and very little bits and riffs on piano. And that’s sort of liberating, though obviously I’m being overly modest and in all actuality I’m a bit of a wizard with an acoustic or an Epiphone Casino. Hello, reps at Epiphone and the people who make those cool white pianos like the one John Lennon had for Imagine. Hello?”
“The Paper Boats” anticipates a much different-sounding LP that the black watch hopes to release later this year. “The EP is the last thing we’re doing on our own label, by God. We’ve been on different indies and on our own, back and forth, to and fro, for some time now. So there’s a small chance that it will be the great unreleased LP by the black watch. But of course,” Fredrick winks, “I hope that’s not going to be the case because the album is... well, you’ll see—maybe! God-willing.”
“The Paper Boats EP” by the black watch is set for release on the eskimo record label on April 27th, 2018.
“Every time that we breathe/ brings us nearer/ to when we’ll leave/ & when I’m good/ good and gone/ please remember/ this brief song,” sings John Andrew Fredrick on the closing track of the black watch’s new EP for 2018, “The Paper Boats”. With characteristic cheekiness, irony, and a serious penchant for ambiguity, Fredrick admits that these lines are as much about being gone from the record industry as they are about the theme of death.
The title track treats of two beautiful paper boats that sink in a backyard swimming pool, symbolizing the demise of a love relationship, something that won’t come again but for all that makes it “all the sweeter then.” The kookily-titled “Jingle-Jangle Loop De Loop” self-reflexively mentions “all the hours poured/ into a flask so flawed.” “Oh You Little Witch!” playfully kills off a former paramour with the tart phrase “now I never wonder what/ it’s like to be you.”
Having indeed lost his beloved father this year, Fredrick, the singer/songwriter of fifteen LPs (including 2017's well-received The Gospel According To John) and five EPs now (who has also published four novels and, last year, a book that analyzes the early films of Wes Anderson), mitigated a bit of the pain of his loss by churning out another dream-fuzz-jangle-pop collection of super catchy, literary guitar-heavy songs. Ones that doubtlessly reflect the expertise that comes from 30-some-odd years of putting out records.
The new EP was engineered by ace guitarist Andy Creighton (who fronts his own fine pop band, The World Record, and whose startling, angular leads were featured on last year’s the black watch LP.) The songs were done quickly at Creighton’s shed in the obscure El Sereno district of Los Angeles, then sent for mixing to Scott Campbell’s (Shelby Lynne, Stevie Nicks, Acetone) state-of-the-art studio in Woodland Hills. Campbell having produced and mixed at least half of the black watch’s records, what’s eventuated is a bit along the lines of “something old, something new.”
Fredrick reports: “Scott likes to be left alone while he works, while Andy I think relishes the feeling of discovery and close collaboration you get from making things up as we go along, the two of us together. He’s very methodical and exact if not exacting—and I’m very not! Andy can do almost anything with a musical instrument—and ironically that’s a sort of limitation, having all those complicating options. I can do very little, me—save play my usual rhythm guitar parts and very little bits and riffs on piano. And that’s sort of liberating, though obviously I’m being overly modest and in all actuality I’m a bit of a wizard with an acoustic or an Epiphone Casino. Hello, reps at Epiphone and the people who make those cool white pianos like the one John Lennon had for Imagine. Hello?”
“The Paper Boats” anticipates a much different-sounding LP that the black watch hopes to release later this year. “The EP is the last thing we’re doing on our own label, by God. We’ve been on different indies and on our own, back and forth, to and fro, for some time now. So there’s a small chance that it will be the great unreleased LP by the black watch. But of course,” Fredrick winks, “I hope that’s not going to be the case because the album is... well, you’ll see—maybe! God-willing.”
“The Paper Boats EP” by the black watch is set for release on the eskimo record label on April 27th, 2018.
“This is an homage to the disappearing underground.”
Now relocated to Los Angeles from Oakland, Tara Timberman is bringing new Metal Mother material above ground for the first time in five years.
Explaining “Pagan Jazz,” the new five-song Metal Mother EP out June 1st, Timberman directly references a track from Ionika, her 2013 album. The song “Doomdome” contains the lyric “RIP underground,” a statement that Timberman explains is “about the housing crisis and its effect on DIY safe spaces which are so culturally critical for marginalized artists to gather, experiment and co-create.
“‘Pagan Jazz’ is inspired by and written for the warehouse party world and all the absurd and whimsical fairies it attracted,” she continues. “I’ve lost many friends in the last couple years, including many close friends in the Ghost Ship fire. It’s taken everything I have to keep the magic, wonder, and weirdness alive in life.”
From that place of inspiration, Timberman initially wrote the songs on “Pagan Jazz” in a tiny golden clay dome on a Buddhist wolf sanctuary deep in the foggy coastal northern California redwoods.
“Words cannot describe this experience,” she says. Timberman’s host was the mediation singer, Rigzen, a devout Buddhist enchantress, and mother of six full-bred wolves who were born and raised on the property. “The dome was down a rough dirt trail. I carried my studio monitors and synthesizers down in a wheelbarrow. My diet mostly consisted of mushrooms.”
With these new songs, Timberman shows that the weirdness is very much alive. The magic and wonder, too. The new music on “Pagan Jazz” reflects an even deeper focus on the duality and cross-section of Timberman’s core beliefs in equality, truth, beauty, humor, and spirituality, along with the more earthly pursuits of yoga, paganism, meditation, and psychedelics.
“‘Pagan Jazz’ is a melancholic dance record,” Timberman says. It’s also some kind of acid drenched surrealist synth creation that beckons, but the kind of beckoning that only comes from the pearly gates: you’ve been invited because you’re dead. It’s dark, electronic, and machine heavy, but at the same time familiar, vulnerable, and motherly.
The media interest around Timberman’s first two albums – Ionika was preceded by the debut Bonfire Diaries in 2011 – made the Metal Mother point of view and sound clear to all. Idols and influences were on full display: Bjork, Siouxsie Sioux, Marina Abramovic, Alejandro Jodowrosky, and David Lynch just to name a few, and even with the word “metal” in the act’s name, no one was confused: these metals were precious, not heavy.
Vice, Vogue, BUST, and BlackBook all talked about Timberman, the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Performer Magazines put her on their covers, and Timberman earned the notice of Glitch Mob, which featured her on its chart-topping song “Becoming Harmonious,” later appearing in the trailer for the Tom Cruise film “The Edge of Tomorrow.”
As someone who grew up in the woods with the name Timberman, it seems unsurprising and natural for Metal Mother to return to the soil at this point. Over the last half-decade, Timberman focused on several pursuits that had origins and connections to music, but notably, she spent time growing. Literally. The beginning of the creation of “Pagan Jazz,” and the return to Timberman’s focus on her music in general, came at the end of an eight-year cannabis cultivation journey.
“Producing cannabis medicine was exciting, but it wasn’t fulfilling,” she says. “As much as I love plants with all my being, there wasn’t anything cute about being under fluorescent lights at 2AM covered in fertilizer.”
“Pagan Jazz,” the new EP by Los Angeles-based Metal Mother arrives June 1st, preceded by the single “Pris.”
Peelander-Z – the Japanese Action Comic Punk Band – will follow-up its 2014 full-length hair metal tribute album "Metalander-Z" with what can only be referred to as a “back to basics” album from the group. "Go PZ Go" will be released via Chicken Ranch Records on April 6th. The album will be preceded by several singles and videos, including an animated clip for “Go PZ Go / Yeah Yeah Yeah,” (scheduled for release on Feb. 2nd) directed by comedy writer, director, and animator, Jimbo Matison.
"Go PZ Go" is not only the follow-up to Peelander-Z’s 2014 album; it comes on the heels of a much heralded documentary about the band “Mad Tiger.” The film, directed by Jonathan Yi and Michael Haertlein, was acquired by Film Movement after a successful festival circuit run following its premiere at New York’s IFC Center during DOC NYC. “Mad Tiger” ultimately went on to a nationwide theatrical release and can now be seen via Netflix.
Being called “one of the most visually imaginative punk groups” at the time by the New York Times inevitably led to Peelander-Z winning... an appearance on the all-new version of “The Gong Show” (which possibly stars Mike Myers aka Austin Powers aka Wayne Campbell.) If this doesn’t make sense, refer to the next sentence in the New York Times piece: “In one scene, a band member dressed as a giant squid is rolled into bowling pins.”
Rolling Stone weighed in too, saying, “Since 1998, these NYC-based ex-pats have been utilizing a mondo bizarro formula to the delight of their rabid fans, delivering an insanely entertaining live show that’s like a low-budget cross between GWAR and the Power Rangers.” Peelander-Z, easily identifiable by its band members color-coded names – Peelander-Yellow, Peelander-Pink, Peelander-Purple, and so on, has always been counted on to deliver the “insanity” that Rolling Stone describes.
Now, with "Go PZ Go", the band also delivers its most listenable album, one that doesn’t merely act as a fun souvenir and reminder of the memorable experiences that Peelander-Z brings in its live performances. In fact, "Go PZ Go" is an addictive record all on its own that will appeal to any true punk rocker – young (the fans that Peelander-Z regularly calls up on stage to take over their instruments) and old (those who may only have the stamina to put headphones on in the comfort of their living rooms.)
As usual, the release of "Go PZ Go" on April 6th will be followed by another massive tour where Peelander-Z guarantees intense audience participation and will take the opportunity to “eat your smile,” as band-leader Peelander-Yellow terms what could ultimately be construed as the group’s mission statement. Further details and full itinerary forthcoming.
"Go PZ Go", the ninth full-length album by Peelander-Z, is scheduled for release on April 6th, 2018 via Chicken Ranch Records.
The Fretless is the Canadian fiddle foursome playing an essential part in the emerging movement mainstreaming traditional Irish folk music.
Starting with its debut album in 2012, the band has steadily pushed further into the public eye, winning Instrumental Album of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and Instrumental Group of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Its 2014 tune “Waving To Ryan” has topped a million Spotify plays, and in 2016, The Fretless took home a Juno™ award for Instrumental Album of The Year for its most recent full-length Bird’s Nest.
Through its deconstruction and transformation of the usual rhythmic, harmonic and structured arrangements of fiddle styles around the world, The Fretless is pushing traditional music to a new place, and has now issued itself an atypical challenge in the mission to find and convert fans unfamiliar with “progressive” traditional music.
With its latest recordings, instead of attempting to make a more “accessible” follow-up to Bird’s Nest, The Fretless is taking advantage of the recent recognition by releasing an instrumental album of tunes representing the player’s traditional roots. Recorded live in a barn in upstate New York before a handful-sized audience assembled only a few feet away from the players, Live From The Artfarm (April 6th) is the raw result of this performance.
Live From The Artfarm is a joyous recording that shows off why traditional folk music is finding an audience among the non-traditional, and also why The Fretless is leading the charge. Among the album’s “sets” – the term used in traditional Irish music for groups of three or more tunes arranged and played together – are three new originals by The Fretless. The album’s total of ten tunes were also beautifully filmed before multiple cameras, and singles from Live From The Artfarm will be circulated that way in order for the uninitiated to fully experience the boundless electricity of the evening.
“We’ve made a record of our favorite pub tunes, but transformed them in our world of arrangement and intricacy,” says fiddle and viola player, Trent Freeman. “We are hoping to bring the current pub crowd audience to us and we are hoping to bring a new crowd to the pub, too. We want everyone involved and there’s no better way than to have you in the room with us.”
It’s a give and take that makes the audience the fifth member of the band towards the end of the new album. As the enthusiastic response from the crowd grows, the band responds in kind.'
“Making this record was a test in getting out of the mindset of recording and into the mindset of performing,” says The Fretless cellist, Eric Wright continues. “To capture the energy of a concert, we had to play it like a concert. With Live From The Artfarm, we’re so excited to share the best part of The Fretless, which is seeing us live!”
The Fretless already has shows throughout North America booked into the fall, with more being added all the time. For those who can’t make it out, Live From The Artfarm serves as a document of what The Fretless can do in front of any crowd, big or small.
Live From The Artfarm, the fourth album by The Fretless, arrives on April 6th, 2018.
Married Bakersfield, California-based duo Fawns of Love (Jenny and Joseph Andreotti) will release “Zine Days” b/w “Something Stupid,” a new two-song 7-inch on March 2, 2018. The song adheres beautifully to the Andreotti’s most personal and nostalgic inspirations, from its title, to its inspired artwork, music video, and even a Spotify playlist the band created to act as a blueprint of the influences that went into the song’s creation.
The new single arrives a year after the band’s debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow, and is the follow-up to its mid-2017 single release “Falling/Standing,” which Paste called a “dreampop gem,” and was honored as one of the best songs of the year by Los Angeles-based radio show Part Time Punks and venerable indie rock bible The Big Takeover.
“Gone are the zine days, Gone are the me and you days,” Jenny sings.
“‘Zine Days’ is a tribute to my teenage self, and a eulogy,” she explains. “I lost my eldest brother to cancer when I was fourteen. I was an absolute innocent insecure mess in junior high, and he tried to boost my self-esteem by saying that I had better watch out for boys. He knew damn well that the only way any boy would look my way was to cheat off my test, but to this day it is one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me. My brother was sensitive to my growing pains even though his own life was tragically spiraling out of control. With ‘Zine Days’ I have done my best to capture that sense of innocence and loss.”
This depth of emotion comes to life in physical form with the single’s cover art and music video which are both viewable in 3-D.
“We wanted to pay homage to both Jean Seberg as Joan of Arc and to the 1928 version ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc,’” Joseph says. “At the same time, we wanted to pay homage to every awful B-movie ever made.”
The music video for the song references one Fawns of Love’s favorite New Zealand record labels, Flying Nun.
“We think Flying Nun had the coolest roster on the face of the planet during the 1980s and 1990s, and they still do,” Joseph explains. “A lot of our favorite Flying Nun bands, like The Chills, The Bats, and The Clean, used stop motion in their music videos. We think those bands are ridiculously cool, and we want to be like them. We aimed to capture the theme of the song by surrounding Jenny with objects she would have used during her adolescence, and by making it in 3-D we thought it would be a nice way to overdose on nostalgia.”
These acts and many more appear on a Spotify playlist that Jenny whipped up to further illustrate those bands – familiar to many, but never enough – that have played a role in shaping Fawns of Love. Sparks and Television Personalities, alongside well-known names such as The Cure and New Order, make for a great primer to the souls of Fawns of Love, and provide a sign of things to come from this emerging band’s songbook.
Both full-time teachers, the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”
In the short year that Fawns of Love since the release of the band’s debut album, a steady stream of praise has met the heartfelt work which Jenny and Joseph record at home using vintage equipment. “Zine Days” is Fawns of Love’s authentic call back to the era that inspired them, and a declaration that those times are, as Jenny says, “here to stay.”
“Zine Days” b/w “Something Stupid” is the latest 7-inch by Fawns of Love, arriving on vinyl and digital on March 2, 2018. The single follows-up the band’s 2016 full-length “Who Cares About Tomorrow” and its mid-2017 single “Falling/Standing.”
Married Bakersfield, California-based duo Fawns of Love (Jenny and Joseph Andreotti) will release “Zine Days” b/w “Something Stupid,” a new two-song 7-inch on March 2, 2018. The song adheres beautifully to the Andreotti’s most personal and nostalgic inspirations, from its title, to its inspired artwork, music video, and even a Spotify playlist the band created to act as a blueprint of the influences that went into the song’s creation.
The new single arrives a year after the band’s debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow, and is the follow-up to its mid-2017 single release “Falling/Standing,” which Paste called a “dreampop gem,” and was honored as one of the best songs of the year by Los Angeles-based radio show Part Time Punks and venerable indie rock bible The Big Takeover.
“Gone are the zine days, Gone are the me and you days,” Jenny sings.
“‘Zine Days’ is a tribute to my teenage self, and a eulogy,” she explains. “I lost my eldest brother to cancer when I was fourteen. I was an absolute innocent insecure mess in junior high, and he tried to boost my self-esteem by saying that I had better watch out for boys. He knew damn well that the only way any boy would look my way was to cheat off my test, but to this day it is one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me. My brother was sensitive to my growing pains even though his own life was tragically spiraling out of control. With ‘Zine Days’ I have done my best to capture that sense of innocence and loss.”
This depth of emotion comes to life in physical form with the single’s cover art and music video which are both viewable in 3-D.
“We wanted to pay homage to both Jean Seberg as Joan of Arc and to the 1928 version ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc,’” Joseph says. “At the same time, we wanted to pay homage to every awful B-movie ever made.”
The music video for the song references one Fawns of Love’s favorite New Zealand record labels, Flying Nun.
“We think Flying Nun had the coolest roster on the face of the planet during the 1980s and 1990s, and they still do,” Joseph explains. “A lot of our favorite Flying Nun bands, like The Chills, The Bats, and The Clean, used stop motion in their music videos. We think those bands are ridiculously cool, and we want to be like them. We aimed to capture the theme of the song by surrounding Jenny with objects she would have used during her adolescence, and by making it in 3-D we thought it would be a nice way to overdose on nostalgia.”
These acts and many more appear on a Spotify playlist that Jenny whipped up to further illustrate those bands – familiar to many, but never enough – that have played a role in shaping Fawns of Love. Sparks and Television Personalities, alongside well-known names such as The Cure and New Order, make for a great primer to the souls of Fawns of Love, and provide a sign of things to come from this emerging band’s songbook.
Both full-time teachers, the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”
In the short year that Fawns of Love since the release of the band’s debut album, a steady stream of praise has met the heartfelt work which Jenny and Joseph record at home using vintage equipment. “Zine Days” is Fawns of Love’s authentic call back to the era that inspired them, and a declaration that those times are, as Jenny says, “here to stay.”
“Zine Days” b/w “Something Stupid” is the latest 7-inch by Fawns of Love, arriving on vinyl and digital on March 2, 2018. The single follows-up the band’s 2016 full-length “Who Cares About Tomorrow” and its mid-2017 single “Falling/Standing.”
Dream System 8 is a newly-formed, synth-based pop duo out of Los Angeles that combines the talents of veteran musicians Erica Elektra and David Klotz.
The vintage instruments used on the band’s debut album "We Sleep Again" (Feb. 23rd, Minty Fresh) are veterans, too, and include a large assortment of Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas, along with the (attention, geeks!) Crumar Performer, LinnDrum LM-2, and Omnichord System 100.
Recording with synths from the early 1980’s, Dream System 8’s debut emerges from these origins of artifice with natural-sounding pop songs inspired by Vangelis, The Human League, Tangerine Dream, and Duran Duran.
Not only is the musical partnership of the humans in Dream System 8 new, so is the relationship to the band’s large brood of keys. Klotz, whose day job has earned him numerous Emmy awards as the Music Editor of television shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Game of Thrones,” and “American Horror Story” among others, started acquiring the gear in 2015.
“I was inspired when I started working on ‘Stranger Things’ in 2015 and first heard the score,” Klotz recalls. “I loved the sounds that the show’s composers created with synths. It was unlike anything I’d heard before in the world of film scoring.”
Klotz, who has been making records under various band names for years, starting in the mid-90’s as Fonda and most recently in 2016 as People and Stars, began plotting to make a record of pop songs based around the sound of these keyboards.
His first stop was eBay.
"The first three synths that I got my hands on were the Roland Jupiter 8, a Korg Mono/Poly and a Roland SH-2. Those were the three main synths I used to record our first single 'Losing All of You,'" says Klotz.
Elektra’s lyrics and vocals take the tune out of the atmosphere and grounds it in feeling – heart-tugging and delivered with emotion – exposing the roots beneath these musical landscapes.
“Dream System 8 is the perfect name for us,” Elektra concludes. “For me, it’s literally a musical dream come true.”
"I started writing 'It's All Happening' on the Suzuki Omnichord," explains Erica Elektra of Dream System 8 of the latest single from the L.A.-based duo's upcoming debut album "We Sleep Again." The record is completely based around classic synths collected by Elektra's bandmate, David Klotz.
Elektra continues, "Lyrically, the song is sort of an existential look at my life. I've always been fascinated by the concept of time, and how it is a line, moving forward in one direction, and I was realizing that the time is NOW. Life is happening NOW. There is no time like the present."
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Dream System 8 is a newly-formed, synth-based pop duo out of Los Angeles that combines the talents of veteran musicians Erica Elektra and David Klotz.
The vintage instruments used on the band’s debut album "We Sleep Again" (Feb. 23rd, Minty Fresh) are veterans, too, and include a large assortment of Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas, along with the (attention, geeks!) Crumar Performer, LinnDrum LM-2, and Omnichord System 100.
Recording with synths from the early 1980’s, Dream System 8’s debut emerges from these origins of artifice with natural-sounding pop songs inspired by Vangelis, The Human League, Tangerine Dream, and Duran Duran.
Not only is the musical partnership of the humans in Dream System 8 new, so is the relationship to the band’s large brood of keys. Klotz, whose day job has earned him numerous Emmy awards as the Music Editor of television shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Game of Thrones,” and “American Horror Story” among others, started acquiring the gear in 2015.
“I was inspired when I started working on ‘Stranger Things’ in 2015 and first heard the score,” Klotz recalls. “I loved the sounds that the show’s composers created with synths. It was unlike anything I’d heard before in the world of film scoring.”
Klotz, who has been making records under various band names for years, starting in the mid-90’s as Fonda and most recently in 2016 as People and Stars, began plotting to make a record of pop songs based around the sound of these keyboards.
His first stop was eBay.
"The first three synths that I got my hands on were the Roland Jupiter 8, a Korg Mono/Poly and a Roland SH-2. Those were the three main synths I used to record our first single 'Losing All of You,'" says Klotz.
Elektra’s lyrics and vocals take the tune out of the atmosphere and grounds it in feeling – heart-tugging and delivered with emotion – exposing the roots beneath these musical landscapes.
“Dream System 8 is the perfect name for us,” Elektra concludes. “For me, it’s literally a musical dream come true.”
"I can keep myself up at night feeling like i've maxed out my creativity only to come out the other side. Not getting sleep can be helpful for writers block." - Michael Julian Escobar of Moon Darling on "Don't Rise"
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Moon Darling is one of those bands that captures you with a single image before you’ve even pressed play. “Pressed” play vs. “clicked” play, for a reason. In the digital age, the Seattle-based foursome’s smoky sound emerges from an era when guitars mattered. When riffs ruled. When guys named Slash wrote “licks.”
Taking it back even further, Moon Darling’s Michael Julian Escobar – don’t let his lack of a one syllable stage name deter you – started on guitar by learning Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”
Escobar’s fierce fretwork on the upcoming Moon Darling EP "By The Light of The Moon” (Jan. 26th, 2018) is matched by some Madison Square Garden-level vocals. Style and substance converge under a head of hair that gives Escobar a Brian May look with a Plant-Jagger swagger. See where this is going? Escobar is a living reference to some classic guitar greats, and some of the most legit of music history’s preening front men, too.
With all respect to the sensitive egos of rock n’ roll band leaders everywhere, Moon Darling’s compelling presentation isn’t all Escobar. In fact, the not-so-hidden ace here is likely drummer, Michelle Nuño.
No one wants to belabor the concept that a rock band of dudes with a female drummer is merely “interesting,” because what’s actually interesting here is Nuño’s drumming itself. Her playing is truly accompaniment, in the grandest sense of the word. The songs on "By The Light of The Moon" would simply not be the same without Nuño’s contributions, and knowing that she formed Moon Darling with Escobar lends weight to how important she is to his tunes.
Nuño’s playing punctuates these songs, or more so they “punktuate” (a “punctuate” pun that actually contains the word pun!) them, adding the attitude, no doubt derived from her days of wearing heavy eyeliner in heavier bands, that add urgency to Moon Darling’s more psychedelic leanings.
Bass guitarist, Jack Jay (a proper name for a bass player, right?!) lays it down as you would expect someone with the perfect bass player moniker of “Jack Jay” would. Sneaky, winding, but always in the pocket. It’s Jay who is first heard on the new record, with a line that sounds like it’s soundtracking a detective novel.
Moon Darling is rounded out by keyboardist, Matthew Buckner, who the rest of the band labels as “mysterious,” providing little additional info, which frankly, is just perfect.
One of Seattle’s most respected and embedded music journalists, Dave Segal, described Moon Darling for venerable local weekly The Stranger by saying that the band plays “a fluid, controlled strain of psych rock” that “tweaks your nostalgia ganglia for Stone Roses’ more subdued moments.”
All very true, and if any band’s music inspires the invoking of the phrase “nostalgia ganglia” (literally the only piece of music writing on the internet that uses it), then your band is doing something very right.
And seriously, any artist that claims three bands as far flung as Led Zeppelin, Hall & Oates, and Tame Impala as influences, while also being compared by a career music scribe to Stone Roses, simply can’t be about image alone. Except Moon Darling has that nailed, as well.
"By The Light of The Moon," the latest from Seattle-based band, Moon Darling arrives on Jan. 26th, 2018
Moon Darling is one of those bands that captures you with a single image before you’ve even pressed play. “Pressed” play vs. “clicked” play, for a reason. In the digital age, the Seattle-based foursome’s smoky sound emerges from an era when guitars mattered. When riffs ruled. When guys named Slash wrote “licks.”
Taking it back even further, Moon Darling’s Michael Julian Escobar – don’t let his lack of a one syllable stage name deter you – started on guitar by learning Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”
Escobar’s fierce fretwork on the upcoming Moon Darling EP "By The Light of The Moon” (Jan. 26th, 2018) is matched by some Madison Square Garden-level vocals. Style and substance converge under a head of hair that gives Escobar a Brian May look with a Plant-Jagger swagger. See where this is going? Escobar is a living reference to some classic guitar greats, and some of the most legit of music history’s preening front men, too.
With all respect to the sensitive egos of rock n’ roll band leaders everywhere, Moon Darling’s compelling presentation isn’t all Escobar. In fact, the not-so-hidden ace here is likely drummer, Michelle Nuño.
No one wants to belabor the concept that a rock band of dudes with a female drummer is merely “interesting,” because what’s actually interesting here is Nuño’s drumming itself. Her playing is truly accompaniment, in the grandest sense of the word. The songs on "By The Light of The Moon" would simply not be the same without Nuño’s contributions, and knowing that she formed Moon Darling with Escobar lends weight to how important she is to his tunes.
Nuño’s playing punctuates these songs, or more so they “punktuate” (a “punctuate” pun that actually contains the word pun!) them, adding the attitude, no doubt derived from her days of wearing heavy eyeliner in heavier bands, that add urgency to Moon Darling’s more psychedelic leanings.
Bass guitarist, Jack Jay (a proper name for a bass player, right?!) lays it down as you would expect someone with the perfect bass player moniker of “Jack Jay” would. Sneaky, winding, but always in the pocket. It’s Jay who is first heard on the new record, with a line that sounds like it’s soundtracking a detective novel.
Moon Darling is rounded out by keyboardist, Matthew Buckner, who the rest of the band labels as “mysterious,” providing little additional info, which frankly, is just perfect.
One of Seattle’s most respected and embedded music journalists, Dave Segal, described Moon Darling for venerable local weekly The Stranger by saying that the band plays “a fluid, controlled strain of psych rock” that “tweaks your nostalgia ganglia for Stone Roses’ more subdued moments.”
All very true, and if any band’s music inspires the invoking of the phrase “nostalgia ganglia” (literally the only piece of music writing on the internet that uses it), then your band is doing something very right.
And seriously, any artist that claims three bands as far flung as Led Zeppelin, Hall & Oates, and Tame Impala as influences, while also being compared by a career music scribe to Stone Roses, simply can’t be about image alone. Except Moon Darling has that nailed, as well.
"By The Light of The Moon," the latest from Seattle-based band, Moon Darling arrives on Jan. 26th, 2018 preceded by the EP’s title track, streaming now.
Moon Darling is one of those bands that captures you with a single image before you’ve even pressed play. “Pressed” play vs. “clicked” play, for a reason. In the digital age, the Seattle-based foursome’s smoky sound emerges from an era when guitars mattered. When riffs ruled. When guys named Slash wrote “licks.”
Taking it back even further, Moon Darling’s Michael Julian Escobar – don’t let his lack of a one syllable stage name deter you – started on guitar by learning Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”
Escobar’s fierce fretwork on the upcoming Moon Darling EP "By The Light of The Moon” (Jan. 26th, 2018) is matched by some Madison Square Garden-level vocals. Style and substance converge under a head of hair that gives Escobar a Brian May look with a Plant-Jagger swagger. See where this is going? Escobar is a living reference to some classic guitar greats, and some of the most legit of music history’s preening front men, too.
With all respect to the sensitive egos of rock n’ roll band leaders everywhere, Moon Darling’s compelling presentation isn’t all Escobar. In fact, the not-so-hidden ace here is likely drummer, Michelle Nuño.
No one wants to belabor the concept that a rock band of dudes with a female drummer is merely “interesting,” because what’s actually interesting here is Nuño’s drumming itself. Her playing is truly accompaniment, in the grandest sense of the word. The songs on "By The Light of The Moon" would simply not be the same without Nuño’s contributions, and knowing that she formed Moon Darling with Escobar lends weight to how important she is to his tunes.
Nuño’s playing punctuates these songs, or more so they “punktuate” (a “punctuate” pun that actually contains the word pun!) them, adding the attitude, no doubt derived from her days of wearing heavy eyeliner in heavier bands, that add urgency to Moon Darling’s more psychedelic leanings.
Bass guitarist, Jack Jay (a proper name for a bass player, right?!) lays it down as you would expect someone with the perfect bass player moniker of “Jack Jay” would. Sneaky, winding, but always in the pocket. It’s Jay who is first heard on the new record, with a line that sounds like it’s soundtracking a detective novel.
Moon Darling is rounded out by keyboardist, Matthew Buckner, who the rest of the band labels as “mysterious,” providing little additional info, which frankly, is just perfect.
One of Seattle’s most respected and embedded music journalists, Dave Segal, described Moon Darling for venerable local weekly The Stranger by saying that the band plays “a fluid, controlled strain of psych rock” that “tweaks your nostalgia ganglia for Stone Roses’ more subdued moments.”
All very true, and if any band’s music inspires the invoking of the phrase “nostalgia ganglia” (literally the only piece of music writing on the internet that uses it), then your band is doing something very right.
And seriously, any artist that claims three bands as far flung as Led Zeppelin, Hall & Oates, and Tame Impala as influences, while also being compared by a career music scribe to Stone Roses, simply can’t be about image alone. Except Moon Darling has that nailed, as well.
"By The Light of The Moon," the latest from Seattle-based band, Moon Darling arrives on Jan. 26th, 2018 preceded by the EP’s title track, streaming now.
Today, on what would have been the 62nd birthday of his friend and legendary musician, Ralph Carney, Rahway, New Jersey-based artist J Hacha de Zola has posted a David Lynch-ian cover version of a song made famous by Bobby Vinton, “My Special Angel.” It is a prophetic tune, as the song features Carney’s tenor saxophones and trumpet, and was recorded shortly before the musician’s untimely passing.
Carney is best-known for his collaborations and work with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, They Might Be Giants, The B-52s, any many more, as well as for being the uncle of The Black Keys drummer, Patrick Carney.
Hacha de Zola reflects, “I never thought this would be among the last things we would work on together. It is truly bittersweet for me, given the title and Ralph’s untimely passing. His work will go on forever. Moving forward with my next record, I am truly at a loss as how to proceed without him. In a lot of ways, Ralph kind of led the way for a lot of band geeks in showing us that the horns can be more fun, free and wild. I am truly grateful to have worked with him and to have called him a friend.”
Hacha de Zola describes meeting Carney, saying, “I’d always been a big fan of Ralph’s playing, especially with Tom Waits. I had Big Time on cassette and I wore that thing out. I was recording in Portland, Oregon and I had heard that Ralph has recently moved there. I shot him a link to a track which opened with a bass sax that I thought might grab his ear, and sure enough, he responded with a single line, ‘Is that a bass sax?!’”
Hacha de Zola continues, “We hit it off and he most generously agreed to collaborate with me. We had such a blast, even though I was very nervous about having this accomplished musician play on my humble tunes! Ralph would go on to playing on every single song and providing me a lot of assurance and guidance along the way. Occasionally, he would randomly send me tunes he thought I should listen to, along with a note that said, ‘Listen to this, man! You need to know this!’ Literally the last thing Ralph said to me was ‘Keep working on your bad self. Remember that it takes a long time to get there my friend. Love you, brother.’”
Moon Darling is one of those bands that captures you with a single image before you’ve even pressed play. “Pressed” play vs. “clicked” play, for a reason. In the digital age, the Seattle-based foursome’s smoky sound emerges from an era when guitars mattered. When riffs ruled. When guys named Slash wrote “licks.”
Taking it back even further, Moon Darling’s Michael Julian Escobar – don’t let his lack of a one syllable stage name deter you – started on guitar by learning Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”
Escobar’s fierce fretwork on the upcoming Moon Darling EP "By The Light of The Moon” (Jan. 26th, 2018) is matched by some Madison Square Garden-level vocals. Style and substance converge under a head of hair that gives Escobar a Brian May look with a Plant-Jagger swagger. See where this is going? Escobar is a living reference to some classic guitar greats, and some of the most legit of music history’s preening front men, too.
With all respect to the sensitive egos of rock n’ roll band leaders everywhere, Moon Darling’s compelling presentation isn’t all Escobar. In fact, the not-so-hidden ace here is likely drummer, Michelle Nuño.
No one wants to belabor the concept that a rock band of dudes with a female drummer is merely “interesting,” because what’s actually interesting here is Nuño’s drumming itself. Her playing is truly accompaniment, in the grandest sense of the word. The songs on "By The Light of The Moon" would simply not be the same without Nuño’s contributions, and knowing that she formed Moon Darling with Escobar lends weight to how important she is to his tunes.
Nuño’s playing punctuates these songs, or more so they “punktuate” (a “punctuate” pun that actually contains the word pun!) them, adding the attitude, no doubt derived from her days of wearing heavy eyeliner in heavier bands, that add urgency to Moon Darling’s more psychedelic leanings.
Bass guitarist, Jack Jay (a proper name for a bass player, right?!) lays it down as you would expect someone with the perfect bass player moniker of “Jack Jay” would. Sneaky, winding, but always in the pocket. It’s Jay who is first heard on the new record, with a line that sounds like it’s soundtracking a detective novel.
Moon Darling is rounded out by keyboardist, Matthew Buckner, who the rest of the band labels as “mysterious,” providing little additional info, which frankly, is just perfect.
One of Seattle’s most respected and embedded music journalists, Dave Segal, described Moon Darling for venerable local weekly The Stranger by saying that the band plays “a fluid, controlled strain of psych rock” that “tweaks your nostalgia ganglia for Stone Roses’ more subdued moments.”
All very true, and if any band’s music inspires the invoking of the phrase “nostalgia ganglia” (literally the only piece of music writing on the internet that uses it), then your band is doing something very right.
And seriously, any artist that claims three bands as far flung as Led Zeppelin, Hall & Oates, and Tame Impala as influences, while also being compared by a career music scribe to Stone Roses, simply can’t be about image alone. Except Moon Darling has that nailed, as well.
"By The Light of The Moon," the latest from Seattle-based band, Moon Darling arrives on Jan. 26th, 2018 preceded by the EP’s title track, streaming now.
"I wrote the chorus for this first, months before I came back to it to finish it off. Just me messing with synths and wanting something that towered," says James Henderson of MOTORCADE of the band's new single "Deliver." "The first line came to me and pretty much set the tone for the rest of it. Andrew (Huffstetler, Vocalist) and I knocked out the words just spitballing stuff back and forth."
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Hitting on every pressure point of late 80s-early 90s button-the-top-button songcraft ala Depeche Mode, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and so on, the 11 songs in 40 minutes on the debut album from Dallas-based band MOTORCADE (Idol Records, Jan. 19, 2018) will melt away the years for anyone who grew up in the era, and make anyone who wanted to, jealous.
When “first album” is in quotes, something’s up. When a “first album” sounds so accomplished, there’s got to be more to the story.
True.
The members of MOTORCADE -- Andrew Huffstetler (Voice), James Henderson (Guitar, Keyboards, Voice), John Dufilho (Bass, Voice), and Jeff Ryan (Drums) -- have previously recorded and/or been in touring bands with St. Vincent, The Apples in Stereo, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston, and many more folks you adore.
The fruit of these dues paid is a fine and fluid debut album that sounds quite effortless to the listener, obviously, since the initial popularity of the band’s first single “Recover” has turned the song into a local hit in Dallas, where it has stayed in regular rotation at nationally respected community radio station KXT for almost a year.
And why not?
“Recover” is one of those songs that you almost can’t wait to end so that you can listen to it again. “I listened to ‘Recover’ by MOTORCADE on repeat for 87 minutes today” could very well become a colloquialism by this time next year.
“When we first started actively playing together, we had a couple of my ideas and just played them to see if we could do it,” says Henderson of the tune, which ultimately led MOTORCADE to become an actual thing. “It worked out alright, but then I realized we’d need more songs,” he continues. “So that was the impetus to start writing.”
The rest of the album is no afterthought, to be sure. Everything here is just as strong as “Recover,” and is sent over the moon by serious production chops and musicianship, owing again to the substantial pedigree that these guys came to the studio with. It’s an aspect of record-making that is seemingly ignored by younger bands making music influenced by this era.
To wit, listen to the brutal fuzz bass by Dufilho, punctuated by a tom fill sent from Hell by Ryan that opens the album’s ironically titled penultimate track, “Not Too Dark.”
“For me, production and songwriting go hand-in-hand,” Henderson says. The sounds are every bit as important as the notes and chords being played.”
The self-titled debut album by Dallas-based foursome MOTORCADE arrives via Idol Records on Jan. 19th, 2018, preceded by the single “Recover,” streaming now.
“A Loupe” is a 32-minute, continuously mixed ten-track song cycle arriving under the name Margaret Chavez, a pseudonym that acts a memorial tribute to the mother of the album’s creator, Austin-based songwriter Marcus William Striplin.
Striplin’s name is familiar to anyone who has followed the indie rock scene that emerged out of Texas in the early 2000’s, specifically Dallas, where Striplin co-founded the band named after the suburb Pleasant Grove in 1999.
In its relatively brief half-decade-or-so initial run, Pleasant Grove earned praise for the “simmering psychedelia” (KUTX, 98.9) of its “songs of broken hearts and broken voices” (Dallas Observer) that, according to MOJO, mixed the “down and out ache of Texas country as well as the sonic outbursts of Neil Young.” In a four-star review, UNCUT dubbed Pleasant Grove a “mark of excellence in modern Americana.”
Whether or not Pleasant Grove broke-up or went on hiatus is irrelevant now, because in 2016, working with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Cat Power), the band completed and released the album that it had abandoned ten years earlier.
Right on cue, the newly completed “old” album The Heart Contortionists reminded listeners of what they loved about Pleasant Grove – a folk band’s command of melody with a psych band’s command of reverb – and quickly drew the same kind of love that the band had walked away from a decade prior.
Consequence of Sound called Pleasant Grove’s return “triumphant,” the glossy Dallas-based monthly D Magazine proclaimed The Heart Contortionists “beautiful,” describing songs with “an intensity that sneaks up on you and a heat that never goes away,” and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram summed things up with a nod to Striplin specifically, saying Pleasant Grove’s “melancholy folk-rock, blessed with shadows, brass and Striplin’s plaintive voice — are breathtaking.”
Two years later, Striplin has made a record that surpasses his best work.
“A Loupe” is everything a fan of Striplin’s songwriting and arrangement ideas (here realized by visionary producer, Erik Wofford [Explosions In The Sky, The Black Angels]) would expect and more. With the very personal context of a solo album to work in, the work is indeed, very personal, and “A Loupe” is better for this controlled creative environment.
Even something as the small 15-second guitar phrase mid-way through album highlight “Strange Buoy’s” is enough to convey the power of the album, which Striplin simply describes as “one big song.” Stringing together ten tunes as one is no doubt a “concept album” conceit, and “A Loupe” is one.
To quote Striplin again, “this is actually a ‘concept’ record,” so there. And it wouldn’t be the same any other way.
While each of the ten tracks on “A Loupe” can stand on its own, as a whole, especially with the voices of senior citizens – discovered by Striplin on a discarded cassette tape – acting as song transitions sprinkled throughout, “A Loupe” commands even greater appreciation in full.
20-plus years of Striplin’s recording life coalesce in these songs and stories about every kind of explosion and schism the heart can fathom, including the poignant “Gone, Gone, Gone” in which Striplin speaks to his mother directly, singing, “You raise a child / You make it smile / Just for a little, little while” before bidding her — and what sounds like other pains in his life — a final goodbye.
“A Loupe” by Margaret Chavez (Marcus William Striplin) arrives on Jan. 19th, 2018 via Goliad Media Group.
"'Call For Cull' is a dystopian dance song that I wrote days after the election," says Marcus Striplin of the first single from his upcoming solo debut under the name Margaret Chavez, a tribute to the artist's mother. "I took a long walk and it kinda washed over me, this idea that modern civility could just roll over and die and that a new way of life could begin if we didn’t swivel our heads on straight and practice empathy and kindness."
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“A Loupe” is a 32-minute, continuously mixed ten-track song cycle arriving under the name Margaret Chavez, a pseudonym that acts a memorial tribute to the mother of the album’s creator, Austin-based songwriter Marcus William Striplin.
Striplin’s name is familiar to anyone who has followed the indie rock scene that emerged out of Texas in the early 2000’s, specifically Dallas, where Striplin co-founded the band named after the suburb Pleasant Grove in 1999.
In its relatively brief half-decade-or-so initial run, Pleasant Grove earned praise for the “simmering psychedelia” (KUTX, 98.9) of its “songs of broken hearts and broken voices” (Dallas Observer) that, according to MOJO, mixed the “down and out ache of Texas country as well as the sonic outbursts of Neil Young.” In a four-star review, UNCUT dubbed Pleasant Grove a “mark of excellence in modern Americana.”
Whether or not Pleasant Grove broke-up or went on hiatus is irrelevant now, because in 2016, working with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Cat Power), the band completed and released the album that it had abandoned ten years earlier.
Right on cue, the newly completed “old” album The Heart Contortionists reminded listeners of what they loved about Pleasant Grove – a folk band’s command of melody with a psych band’s command of reverb – and quickly drew the same kind of love that the band had walked away from a decade prior.
Consequence of Sound called Pleasant Grove’s return “triumphant,” the glossy Dallas-based monthly D Magazine proclaimed The Heart Contortionists “beautiful,” describing songs with “an intensity that sneaks up on you and a heat that never goes away,” and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram summed things up with a nod to Striplin specifically, saying Pleasant Grove’s “melancholy folk-rock, blessed with shadows, brass and Striplin’s plaintive voice — are breathtaking.”
Two years later, Striplin has made a record that surpasses his best work.
“A Loupe” is everything a fan of Striplin’s songwriting and arrangement ideas (here realized by visionary producer, Erik Wofford [Explosions In The Sky, The Black Angels]) would expect and more. With the very personal context of a solo album to work in, the work is indeed, very personal, and “A Loupe” is better for this controlled creative environment.
Even something as the small 15-second guitar phrase mid-way through album highlight “Strange Buoy’s” is enough to convey the power of the album, which Striplin simply describes as “one big song.” Stringing together ten tunes as one is no doubt a “concept album” conceit, and “A Loupe” is one.
To quote Striplin again, “this is actually a ‘concept’ record,” so there. And it wouldn’t be the same any other way.
While each of the ten tracks on “A Loupe” can stand on its own, as a whole, especially with the voices of senior citizens – discovered by Striplin on a discarded cassette tape – acting as song transitions sprinkled throughout, “A Loupe” commands even greater appreciation in full.
20-plus years of Striplin’s recording life coalesce in these songs and stories about every kind of explosion and schism the heart can fathom, including the poignant “Gone, Gone, Gone” in which Striplin speaks to his mother directly, singing, “You raise a child / You make it smile / Just for a little, little while” before bidding her — and what sounds like other pains in his life — a final goodbye.
“A Loupe” by Margaret Chavez (Marcus William Striplin) arrives on Jan. 19th, 2018 via Goliad Media Group.
"I wrote this tune in the turmoil leading into the election season. Lies, deception, sugar-coating truths, hiding behind labels and names and rhetoric. The fact that politicians can still be so brazen to lie directly to their citizens' faces, it creates a cyclical pattern where the value of words and the truth itself is distorted and degraded. I was sick of it, and felt that so much effort, so much trying to uncover whatever the truth was supposed to mean, was sapping my strength and will to create which is where I feel the marrow of life is. So this was an attempt to get back to that place, to tell all the negative chatter and destructive energy to go to hell, to face my own fears and desires that were burning inside of me." - Jeremy Bass
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The most striking thing about the upcoming new album by Brooklyn-based artist Jeremy Bass is his adept and powerful lyrics.
The Greatest Fire (Jan 19th, 2018, Jungle Strut Music) contains numerous turns of phrase that are completely world-class, impressive for any emerging songwriter, but the rub here is that Bass actually makes his bones as a classical guitarist.
Bass has logged countless hours mastering the instrument that he was originally trained on in Italy and Spain, and his ascension as a composer ultimately led to The Secret City, the arts organization for which Bass serves as musical director, receiving an Obie Award – off-Broadway theater’s highest honor.
“I wanted this album to be an expression of everything I was capable of, to feature the best songwriting I’ve done to date and to let rock n’ roll shine through the more diverse influences of my previous records,” Bass says.
To that end, while Bass’ voice can be described as a mixture of Paul Simon, Jeff Buckley, and Thom Yorke, you’re now as likely to find walls of distorted guitars and stacked keyboards in his arsenal as you are to find a blend of banjo, ukulele, acoustic guitars and mandolin.
And while his sound bears little resemblance to one of his heroes, Bass relates wholeheartedly to this Tom Waits quote: “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”
The songs on The Greatest Fire take this idea as gospel, both in ideology and practice.
“I thrive on the interplay between what people think they’re hearing, and the actual content beneath,” Bass explains. “I think that’s where the best songwriting happens.” Bass mentions Hank Williams and Merle Haggard’s outlaw output as examples of this juxtaposition.
A more contemporary songwriter who was a master at this, as well, was Elliott Smith. Fittingly, Bass recorded much of The Greatest Fire with Nick Luca (who has toured and recorded with Calexico and Iron and Wine) at New Monkey Studios in Los Angeles, Smith’s last musical home prior to his untimely passing.
Bass also recorded at Wave Lab Studios in Tucson, AZ where he was joined on these recordings by Jon Rauhouse who tours and records with Neko Case, Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, Jacob Valenzuela of Calexico, and Joel Graves of Everest, among others.
“What I really wanted to do was write the best songs I was capable of writing, to deliver the best performance possible, and to make the best album I was capable of making.”
The Greatest Fire, the new album by Jeremy Bass is scheduled for release on January 19th, 2018 via Jungle Strut Music.
"Black Ambulance" is taken from “A Loupe,” the 32-minute, continuously mixed ten-track song cycle arriving under the name Margaret Chavez, a pseudonym that acts a memorial tribute to the mother of the album’s creator, Austin-based songwriter Marcus William Striplin.
"I imagined Margaret as this badass superhero EMT that drives around the city helping and saving people despite their ways," Striplin says of the song. "It also gave me an excuse to ride the waves and have a proper guitar solo too!"
Striplin’s name is familiar to anyone who has followed the indie rock scene that emerged out of Texas in the early 2000’s, specifically Dallas, where he co-founded the band named after the suburb Pleasant Grove in 1999.
In its relatively brief half-decade-or-so initial run, Pleasant Grove earned praise for the “simmering psychedelia” (KUTX, 98.9) of its “songs of broken hearts and broken voices” (Dallas Observer) that, according to MOJO, mixed the “down and out ache of Texas country as well as the sonic outbursts of Neil Young.” In a four-star review, UNCUT dubbed Pleasant Grove a “mark of excellence in modern Americana.”
Consequence of Sound called Pleasant Grove’s return “triumphant,” the glossy Dallas-based monthly D Magazine proclaimed The Heart Contortionists “beautiful,” describing songs with “an intensity that sneaks up on you and a heat that never goes away,” and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram summed things up with a nod to Striplin specifically, saying Pleasant Grove’s “melancholy folk-rock, blessed with shadows, brass and Striplin’s plaintive voice — are breathtaking.”
Two years later, Striplin has made a record that surpasses his best work.
“A Loupe” is everything a fan of Striplin’s songwriting and arrangement ideas (here realized by visionary producer, Erik Wofford [Explosions In The Sky, The Black Angels]) would expect and more. With the very personal context of a solo album to work in, the work is indeed, very personal, and “A Loupe” is better for this controlled creative environment.
20-plus years of Striplin’s recording life coalesce in these songs and stories about every kind of explosion and schism the heart can fathom.
"I think this is my fave song on the record," says James Henderdson of Dallas-based band MOTORCADE about "When The Hit Comes." The song is taken from the foursome's self-titled debut album, out Jan. 19th via Idol Records. "I had a spinal injury and was supposed to go in to get a shot that would take the pain away. I was in crazy pain. The lyrics are about the relief I was still waiting on. Incidentally, the 'hit' never came. A chiropractor practically tore my head off and fixed it."
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Hitting on every pressure point of late 80s-early 90s button-the-top-button songcraft ala Depeche Mode, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and so on, the 11 songs in 40 minutes on the debut album from Dallas-based band MOTORCADE (Idol Records, Jan. 19, 2018) will melt away the years for anyone who grew up in the era, and make anyone who wanted to, jealous.
When “first album” is in quotes, something’s up. When a “first album” sounds so accomplished, there’s got to be more to the story.
True.
The members of MOTORCADE -- Andrew Huffstetler (Voice), James Henderson (Guitar, Keyboards, Voice), John Dufilho (Bass, Voice), and Jeff Ryan (Drums) -- have previously recorded and/or been in touring bands with St. Vincent, The Apples in Stereo, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston, and many more folks you adore.
The fruit of these dues paid is a fine and fluid debut album that sounds quite effortless to the listener, obviously, since the initial popularity of the band’s first single “Recover” has turned the song into a local hit in Dallas, where it has stayed in regular rotation at nationally respected community radio station KXT for almost a year.
And why not?
“Recover” is one of those songs that you almost can’t wait to end so that you can listen to it again. “I listened to ‘Recover’ by MOTORCADE on repeat for 87 minutes today” could very well become a colloquialism by this time next year.
“When we first started actively playing together, we had a couple of my ideas and just played them to see if we could do it,” says Henderson of the tune, which ultimately led MOTORCADE to become an actual thing. “It worked out alright, but then I realized we’d need more songs,” he continues. “So that was the impetus to start writing.”
The rest of the album is no afterthought, to be sure. Everything here is just as strong as “Recover,” and is sent over the moon by serious production chops and musicianship, owing again to the substantial pedigree that these guys came to the studio with. It’s an aspect of record-making that is seemingly ignored by younger bands making music influenced by this era.
To wit, listen to the brutal fuzz bass by Dufilho, punctuated by a tom fill sent from Hell by Ryan that opens the album’s ironically titled penultimate track, “Not Too Dark.”
“For me, production and songwriting go hand-in-hand,” Henderson says. The sounds are every bit as important as the notes and chords being played.”
The self-titled debut album by Dallas-based foursome MOTORCADE arrives via Idol Records on Jan. 19th, 2018, preceded by the single “Recover,” streaming now.
"I like that there’s some nice psychedelia in this one," says James Henderson of MOTORCADE of the band's new single "Desertion."
"That was the original aim of the whole record: Mix post-punk and 60s psychedelia. I think this one succeeds to an acceptable degree."
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Hitting on every pressure point of late 80s-early 90s button-the-top-button songcraft ala Depeche Mode, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and so on, the 11 songs in 40 minutes on the debut album from Dallas-based band MOTORCADE (Idol Records, Jan. 19, 2018) will melt away the years for anyone who grew up in the era, and make anyone who wanted to, jealous.
When “first album” is in quotes, something’s up. When a “first album” sounds so accomplished, there’s got to be more to the story.
True.
The members of MOTORCADE -- Andrew Huffstetler (Voice), James Henderson (Guitar, Keyboards, Voice), John Dufilho (Bass, Voice), and Jeff Ryan (Drums) -- have previously recorded and/or been in touring bands with St. Vincent, The Apples in Stereo, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston, and many more folks you adore.
The fruit of these dues paid is a fine and fluid debut album that sounds quite effortless to the listener, obviously, since the initial popularity of the band’s first single “Recover” has turned the song into a local hit in Dallas, where it has stayed in regular rotation at nationally respected community radio station KXT for almost a year.
And why not?
“Recover” is one of those songs that you almost can’t wait to end so that you can listen to it again. “I listened to ‘Recover’ by MOTORCADE on repeat for 87 minutes today” could very well become a colloquialism by this time next year.
“When we first started actively playing together, we had a couple of my ideas and just played them to see if we could do it,” says Henderson of the tune, which ultimately led MOTORCADE to become an actual thing. “It worked out alright, but then I realized we’d need more songs,” he continues. “So that was the impetus to start writing.”
The rest of the album is no afterthought, to be sure. Everything here is just as strong as “Recover,” and is sent over the moon by serious production chops and musicianship, owing again to the substantial pedigree that these guys came to the studio with. It’s an aspect of record-making that is seemingly ignored by younger bands making music influenced by this era.
To wit, listen to the brutal fuzz bass by Dufilho, punctuated by a tom fill sent from Hell by Ryan that opens the album’s ironically titled penultimate track, “Not Too Dark.”
“For me, production and songwriting go hand-in-hand,” Henderson says. The sounds are every bit as important as the notes and chords being played.”
The self-titled debut album by Dallas-based foursome MOTORCADE arrives via Idol Records on Jan. 19th, 2018, preceded by the single “Recover,” streaming now.
“A Loupe” is a 32-minute, continuously mixed ten-track song cycle arriving under the name Margaret Chavez, a pseudonym that acts a memorial tribute to the mother of the album’s creator, Austin-based songwriter Marcus William Striplin.
Striplin’s name is familiar to anyone who has followed the indie rock scene that emerged out of Texas in the early 2000’s, specifically Dallas, where Striplin co-founded the band named after the suburb Pleasant Grove in 1999.
In its relatively brief half-decade-or-so initial run, Pleasant Grove earned praise for the “simmering psychedelia” (KUTX, 98.9) of its “songs of broken hearts and broken voices” (Dallas Observer) that, according to MOJO, mixed the “down and out ache of Texas country as well as the sonic outbursts of Neil Young.” In a four-star review, UNCUT dubbed Pleasant Grove a “mark of excellence in modern Americana.”
Whether or not Pleasant Grove broke-up or went on hiatus is irrelevant now, because in 2016, working with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Cat Power), the band completed and released the album that it had abandoned ten years earlier.
Right on cue, the newly completed “old” album The Heart Contortionists reminded listeners of what they loved about Pleasant Grove – a folk band’s command of melody with a psych band’s command of reverb – and quickly drew the same kind of love that the band had walked away from a decade prior.
Consequence of Sound called Pleasant Grove’s return “triumphant,” the glossy Dallas-based monthly D Magazine proclaimed The Heart Contortionists “beautiful,” describing songs with “an intensity that sneaks up on you and a heat that never goes away,” and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram summed things up with a nod to Striplin specifically, saying Pleasant Grove’s “melancholy folk-rock, blessed with shadows, brass and Striplin’s plaintive voice — are breathtaking.”
Two years later, Striplin has made a record that surpasses his best work.
“A Loupe” is everything a fan of Striplin’s songwriting and arrangement ideas (here realized by visionary producer, Erik Wofford [Explosions In The Sky, The Black Angels]) would expect and more. With the very personal context of a solo album to work in, the work is indeed, very personal, and “A Loupe” is better for this controlled creative environment.
Even something as the small 15-second guitar phrase mid-way through album highlight “Strange Buoy’s” is enough to convey the power of the album, which Striplin simply describes as “one big song.” Stringing together ten tunes as one is no doubt a “concept album” conceit, and “A Loupe” is one.
To quote Striplin again, “this is actually a ‘concept’ record,” so there. And it wouldn’t be the same any other way.
While each of the ten tracks on “A Loupe” can stand on its own, as a whole, especially with the voices of senior citizens – discovered by Striplin on a discarded cassette tape – acting as song transitions sprinkled throughout, “A Loupe” commands even greater appreciation in full.
20-plus years of Striplin’s recording life coalesce in these songs and stories about every kind of explosion and schism the heart can fathom, including the poignant “Gone, Gone, Gone” in which Striplin speaks to his mother directly, singing, “You raise a child / You make it smile / Just for a little, little while” before bidding her — and what sounds like other pains in his life — a final goodbye.
“A Loupe” by Margaret Chavez (Marcus William Striplin) arrives on Jan. 19th, 2018 via Goliad Media Group.
"About a year ago, three or four different friends of mine were going through breakups. At the time, it felt like everyone in the world was in a damaged or toxic relationship they were trying to free themselves from. One friend found out, via text messages and email on his girlfriend's phone, that she'd been cheating on him for months with another guy. He was crushed, angry, confused--it was the first time in his life anything like this had happened to him. I wrote this song out of the experience of trying to put myself in his shoes, the anger I would have felt, the need to find some point of clarity about why it had happened. So it's a breakup song, a song about cheating, but the chorus--and the message, really--is about finding strength within yourself. You're the tree, you've got your own roots, your own strength--you don't need to be the forest. People these days put so much emphasis on keeping their options open, on not committing, that they miss the beauty of that one being for the fact of trying to embrace everything else. And you don't really need those people anyway. So it's a play on that catchphrase, from the other way around: not being able to see the tree for the forest." - Jeremy Bass
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The most striking thing about the upcoming new album by Brooklyn-based artist Jeremy Bass is his adept and powerful lyrics.
The Greatest Fire (Jan 19th, 2018, Jungle Strut Music) contains numerous turns of phrase that are completely world-class, impressive for any emerging songwriter, but the rub here is that Bass actually makes his bones as a classical guitarist.
Bass has logged countless hours mastering the instrument that he was originally trained on in Italy and Spain, and his ascension as a composer ultimately led to The Secret City, the arts organization for which Bass serves as musical director, receiving an Obie Award – off-Broadway theater’s highest honor.
“I wanted this album to be an expression of everything I was capable of, to feature the best songwriting I’ve done to date and to let rock n’ roll shine through the more diverse influences of my previous records,” Bass says.
To that end, while Bass’ voice can be described as a mixture of Paul Simon, Jeff Buckley, and Thom Yorke, you’re now as likely to find walls of distorted guitars and stacked keyboards in his arsenal as you are to find a blend of banjo, ukulele, acoustic guitars and mandolin.
And while his sound bears little resemblance to one of his heroes, Bass relates wholeheartedly to this Tom Waits quote: “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”
The songs on The Greatest Fire take this idea as gospel, both in ideology and practice.
“I thrive on the interplay between what people think they’re hearing, and the actual content beneath,” Bass explains. “I think that’s where the best songwriting happens.” Bass mentions Hank Williams and Merle Haggard’s outlaw output as examples of this juxtaposition.
A more contemporary songwriter who was a master at this, as well, was Elliott Smith. Fittingly, Bass recorded much of The Greatest Fire with Nick Luca (who has toured and recorded with Calexico and Iron and Wine) at New Monkey Studios in Los Angeles, Smith’s last musical home prior to his untimely passing.
Bass also recorded at Wave Lab Studios in Tucson, AZ where he was joined on these recordings by Jon Rauhouse who tours and records with Neko Case, Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, Jacob Valenzuela of Calexico, and Joel Graves of Everest, among others.
“What I really wanted to do was write the best songs I was capable of writing, to deliver the best performance possible, and to make the best album I was capable of making.”
The Greatest Fire, the new album by Jeremy Bass is scheduled for release on January 19th, 2018 via Jungle Strut Music.
Dream System 8 is a newly-formed, synth-based pop duo out of Los Angeles that combines the talents of veteran musicians Erica Elektra and David Klotz.
The vintage instruments used on the band’s debut album "Music from The Dream System" (Feb. 9th, Minty Fresh) are veterans, too, and include a large assortment of Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas, along with the (attention, geeks!) Crumar Performer, LinnDrum LM-2, and Omnichord System 100.
Recording with synths from the early 1980’s, Dream System 8’s debut emerges from these origins of artifice with natural-sounding pop songs inspired by Vangelis, The Human League, Tangerine Dream, and Duran Duran.
Not only is the musical partnership of the humans in Dream System 8 new, so is the relationship to the band’s large brood of keys. Klotz, whose day job has earned him numerous Emmy awards as the Music Editor of television shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Game of Thrones,” and “American Horror Story” among others, started acquiring the gear in 2015.
“I was inspired when I started working on ‘Stranger Things’ in 2015 and first heard the score,” Klotz recalls. “I loved the sounds that the show’s composers created with synths. It was unlike anything I’d heard before in the world of film scoring.”
Klotz, who has been making records under various band names for years, starting in the mid-90’s as Fonda and most recently in 2016 as People and Stars, began plotting to make a record of pop songs based around the sound of these keyboards.
His first stop was eBay.
"The first three synths that I got my hands on were the Roland Jupiter 8, a Korg Mono/Poly and a Roland SH-2. Those were the three main synths I used to record our first single 'Losing All of You,'" says Klotz.
Elektra’s lyrics and vocals take the tune out of the atmosphere and grounds it in feeling – heart-tugging and delivered with emotion – exposing the roots beneath these musical landscapes.
“Dream System 8 is the perfect name for us,” Elektra concludes. “For me, it’s literally a musical dream come true.”
"Music from The Dream System," the debut album by Los Angeles-based duo Dream System 8 arrives on Feb. 9th, 2018 preceded by the single “Losing All of You,” out Oct. 17th, 2017.
For most bands, a day job gets in the way.
“These songs were all recorded in our loft,” says Shining Mirrors front man, Drew Robinson. “Drums and all. Fortunately, I’m the building manager. That’s my day job.”
The first thing we hear on the new self-titled EP from the Brooklyn-based band, which in addition to Robinson on Vocals and Guitar, features Reni Lane on Bass, and on these recordings, Drums by William Kuehn and Parker Kindred, is Lane telling her bandmates to “try it again.” It’ll remain a mystery as to whether the previous take of opening cut “Cardiac” just wasn’t up to snuff, but boy did they get it right on the one that made it.
The EP (out Nov. 3rd) contains this song, along with four more tunes that Shining Mirrors thoughtfully describes as “dark garage” music, but that NME writer Matt Wilkinson simply conveyed via tweet as “awesome stuff.” These new recordings offer a more fully realized sound for the group that put out its debut batch of songs in early 2017 during the group’s initial formation. The current Shining Mirrors lineup now includes Lakis Pavlou (who also mixed these tracks) permanently taking the reins on Drums.
“My biggest musical influences are Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix,” Robinson says, exposing some deep roots. As such, Shining Mirrors is not Robinson’s first rodeo. The efficient beauty of “awesome stuff,” devoid of anything superfluous, is hard to come by in today’s songwriters. “I want to say as much as I can in as few words as possible,” Robinson explains. “When there’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be there, that’s when the song is done.”
Regarding his roots, he remembers, “I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore during my teens. I recorded a string of albums in my bedroom under various pseudonyms, and I played in a band called Four Fifty One. We had some mild success. We toured. We released an EP. Then I followed my girlfriend to New York and played in a band called BRAHMS. We toured. We imploded.”
While living out this familiar rock n’ roll story, Robinson had the name Shining Mirrors in the back of his mind the whole time. In 2012 he took it into the land of the living.
“As a human, your eyes never see your own face,” he explains of the moniker’s significance – the “Mirrors” specifically. “What you see is a reflection of yourself. All art, film, painting, literature, etc. is a mirror.”
And “Shining?”
“It implies a moment of clarity, something that’s crystal clear, like the kind of epiphany that burns your eyes. It’s like the moment when you finally realize something you’ve been thinking about for 20 years.”
For those indie-rock, power-pop, dark-garage, awesome-stuff fans in the house, please rejoice in the fact that it’s only taken a fraction of that time for Robinson to realize his vision for Shining Mirrors, though perfection is always a pursuit.
“Songwriting is like a garden. Writing songs is like growing tomatoes,” he says. “I can plant the seed, water it, and pull away the dead leaves, but it’s the soil and the sun that make it. I just pluck the fruit. From the first kernel of an idea to the moment a song is born can take years, and I’ve literally been trying to make this EP for five years,” he continues. “This is the first time where all the elements feel right.”
“Feels right” is a good way to describe that opening number “Cardiac,” which is also the new EP’s first single.
“It’s a song about seeing a girl in a subway car, falling in love, and watching her go her separate way up the stairs, and never seeing her again,” Robinson explains of the tune, which might seem like an ordinary concept, but its simplicity is actually deceptive. “The conflict comes with the brain reminding you of ‘the girl at home,’ but the heart pounding for the person in front of you.”
The latest EP from Brooklyn-based threesome Shining Mirrors arrives on Nov. 3rd, 2017, preceded by the single “Cardiac,” streaming now.
For most bands, a day job gets in the way.
“These songs were all recorded in our loft,” says Shining Mirrors front man, Drew Robinson. “Drums and all. Fortunately, I’m the building manager. That’s my day job.”
The first thing we hear on the new self-titled EP from the Brooklyn-based band, which in addition to Robinson on Vocals and Guitar, features Reni Lane on Bass, and on these recordings, Drums by William Kuehn and Parker Kindred, is Lane telling her bandmates to “try it again.” It’ll remain a mystery as to whether the previous take of opening cut “Cardiac” just wasn’t up to snuff, but boy did they get it right on the one that made it.
The EP (out Nov. 3rd) contains this song, along with four more tunes that Shining Mirrors thoughtfully describes as “dark garage” music, but that NME writer Matt Wilkinson simply conveyed via tweet as “awesome stuff.” These new recordings offer a more fully realized sound for the group that put out its debut batch of songs in early 2017 during the group’s initial formation. The current Shining Mirrors lineup now includes Lakis Pavlou (who also mixed these tracks) permanently taking the reins on Drums.
“My biggest musical influences are Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix,” Robinson says, exposing some deep roots. As such, Shining Mirrors is not Robinson’s first rodeo. The efficient beauty of “awesome stuff,” devoid of anything superfluous, is hard to come by in today’s songwriters. “I want to say as much as I can in as few words as possible,” Robinson explains. “When there’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be there, that’s when the song is done.”
Regarding his roots, he remembers, “I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore during my teens. I recorded a string of albums in my bedroom under various pseudonyms, and I played in a band called Four Fifty One. We had some mild success. We toured. We released an EP. Then I followed my girlfriend to New York and played in a band called BRAHMS. We toured. We imploded.”
While living out this familiar rock n’ roll story, Robinson had the name Shining Mirrors in the back of his mind the whole time. In 2012 he took it into the land of the living.
“As a human, your eyes never see your own face,” he explains of the moniker’s significance – the “Mirrors” specifically. “What you see is a reflection of yourself. All art, film, painting, literature, etc. is a mirror.”
And “Shining?”
“It implies a moment of clarity, something that’s crystal clear, like the kind of epiphany that burns your eyes. It’s like the moment when you finally realize something you’ve been thinking about for 20 years.”
For those indie-rock, power-pop, dark-garage, awesome-stuff fans in the house, please rejoice in the fact that it’s only taken a fraction of that time for Robinson to realize his vision for Shining Mirrors, though perfection is always a pursuit.
“Songwriting is like a garden. Writing songs is like growing tomatoes,” he says. “I can plant the seed, water it, and pull away the dead leaves, but it’s the soil and the sun that make it. I just pluck the fruit. From the first kernel of an idea to the moment a song is born can take years, and I’ve literally been trying to make this EP for five years,” he continues. “This is the first time where all the elements feel right.”
“Feels right” is a good way to describe the band's latest single "I Got Thru."
"I was pushing like a needle and thread," sings Robinson.
"It's a song about pushing through and making it out alive. That’s what life is, a series of difficult experiences. Part of life, at least. And the most basic story line, is the tale of how I got through."
The latest EP from Brooklyn-based threesome Shining Mirrors arrives on Nov. 3rd, 2017, preceded by the single “Cardiac,” streaming now.
“We can’t go to Heaven if we try.” – from the Italian Beaches song “L.A.L.”
“We mean it like Yoda,” explains Italian Beaches vocalist Reva Russell English of the above lyric. “Do or do not. There is no try.”
The debut album by the Lexington, Kentucky-based trio is a straight-up soul platter that arrives under an experimental electronic umbrella. It’s a recording that could inspire Erykah Badu to cover Stereolab.
Scheduled for release on Nov. 3rd via the Lexington collective Desperate Spirits, Italian Beaches was produced by the label’s co-founder John Ferguson (of The Apples in Stereo), and represents yet another sonic touchstone in the emerging young imprint’s posture, one that could be superficially confusing, but on longer look reveals deep music across a variety of genres.
In the case of Italian Beaches, depth equals soul.
In addition to Ms. Russell English, the group is comprised of percussionist David Farris, and jazz-educated musician Farhad Rezaei. Electronic flourishes embellish throughout, there’s the occasional sampled loop, and a dope beat or three. It’s glued by the undeniable vocal presence of Russell English, holding it down, and lifting you up.
She sings from her guts.
“We have a tendency to think no further than our own lives,” Russell English says. “These songs are an attempt to clarify how connected we are to each other, to the past and to the far-off future.”
She elaborates on this idea of being connected to something greater, and more soulful, when discussing the album’s single “Tornado,” saying, “Sometimes nothing goes as you hoped, but that doesn’t mean something beautiful isn’t also about to happen. Hardship isn’t a state of mind — but training our perspective to see around, beyond and through the darkness helps us survive and transform it.”
Absorb that, but don’t let Russell English’s calm state of self-awareness keep you from thinking that Italian Beaches can’t get jiggy with it, as the kids of 1998 say. We’ve been talking about soul after all.
“Vinyl 9” is one such head-bobber, jumping off the starting line with a “9/8 rhythmic motif,” according to Farris, that permeates the song’s seven minutes.
Hell, George Clinton himself might anoint this sound “Farliament Punkadelic,” but closer to this planet, Farris further describes “Vinyl 9” as being “split into three distinctly different tri-polar sections that explore how chaos can become scaffolding on which to build something meaningful.”
Towards the end of the album’s 36-minute running time, Russell English sings, “Operators are standing by to meet your needs,” as if to beckon listeners into the elevated mindset that she, Farris, and Rezaei share, and are sharing, on this record.
Sure.
“Life is overrated, but I’ll take it,” says Farris, frankly, plainly. “The natural world is greater than you, so enjoy it whilst you walk among the living.”
“Do or do not. There is no try.” That’s some evolved soul.
Italian Beaches arrives on Nov. 3rd via Desperate Spirits.
For most bands, a day job gets in the way.
“These songs were all recorded in our loft,” says Shining Mirrors front man, Drew Robinson. “Drums and all. Fortunately, I’m the building manager. That’s my day job.”
The first thing we hear on the new self-titled EP from the Brooklyn-based band, which in addition to Robinson on Vocals and Guitar, features Reni Lane on Bass, and on these recordings, Drums by William Kuehn and Parker Kindred, is Lane telling her bandmates to “try it again.” It’ll remain a mystery as to whether the previous take of opening cut “Cardiac” just wasn’t up to snuff, but boy did they get it right on the one that made it.
The EP (out Nov. 3rd) contains this song, along with four more tunes that Shining Mirrors thoughtfully describes as “dark garage” music, but that NME writer Matt Wilkinson simply conveyed via tweet as “awesome stuff.” These new recordings offer a more fully realized sound for the group that put out its debut batch of songs in early 2017 during the group’s initial formation. The current Shining Mirrors lineup now includes Lakis Pavlou (who also mixed these tracks) permanently taking the reins on Drums.
“My biggest musical influences are Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix,” Robinson says, exposing some deep roots. As such, Shining Mirrors is not Robinson’s first rodeo. The efficient beauty of “awesome stuff,” devoid of anything superfluous, is hard to come by in today’s songwriters. “I want to say as much as I can in as few words as possible,” Robinson explains. “When there’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be there, that’s when the song is done.”
Regarding his roots, he remembers, “I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore during my teens. I recorded a string of albums in my bedroom under various pseudonyms, and I played in a band called Four Fifty One. We had some mild success. We toured. We released an EP. Then I followed my girlfriend to New York and played in a band called BRAHMS. We toured. We imploded.”
While living out this familiar rock n’ roll story, Robinson had the name Shining Mirrors in the back of his mind the whole time. In 2012 he took it into the land of the living.
“As a human, your eyes never see your own face,” he explains of the moniker’s significance – the “Mirrors” specifically. “What you see is a reflection of yourself. All art, film, painting, literature, etc. is a mirror.”
And “Shining?”
“It implies a moment of clarity, something that’s crystal clear, like the kind of epiphany that burns your eyes. It’s like the moment when you finally realize something you’ve been thinking about for 20 years.”
For those indie-rock, power-pop, dark-garage, awesome-stuff fans in the house, please rejoice in the fact that it’s only taken a fraction of that time for Robinson to realize his vision for Shining Mirrors, though perfection is always a pursuit.
“Songwriting is like a garden. Writing songs is like growing tomatoes,” he says. “I can plant the seed, water it, and pull away the dead leaves, but it’s the soil and the sun that make it. I just pluck the fruit. From the first kernel of an idea to the moment a song is born can take years, and I’ve literally been trying to make this EP for five years,” he continues. “This is the first time where all the elements feel right.”
“Feels right” is a good way to describe that opening number “Cardiac,” which is also the new EP’s first single.
“It’s a song about seeing a girl in a subway car, falling in love, and watching her go her separate way up the stairs, and never seeing her again,” Robinson explains of the tune, which might seem like an ordinary concept, but its simplicity is actually deceptive. “The conflict comes with the brain reminding you of ‘the girl at home,’ but the heart pounding for the person in front of you.”
The latest EP from Brooklyn-based threesome Shining Mirrors arrives on Nov. 3rd, 2017, preceded by the single “Cardiac,” streaming now.
"'Favorite TV Show' is a love song that plays off of the relationships we have with the TV shows we watch," says Drew Robinson of Brooklyn-based trio, Shining Mirrors. "Making plans, wondering what’s going to happen next, laughing together, 'When I enter the room I turn you on,'" he continues, evoking a lyric from the song. "In another time, poets wrote about agrarian life and the steam engine. Today we live in a world of streaming services and smart phones. I want a song that illuminates the beauty of daily life, the kind of mundane beauty that just as easily goes unnoticed."
+++
For most bands, a day job gets in the way.
“These songs were all recorded in our loft,” says Shining Mirrors front man, Drew Robinson. “Drums and all. Fortunately, I’m the building manager. That’s my day job.”
The first thing we hear on the new self-titled EP from the Brooklyn-based band, which in addition to Robinson on Vocals and Guitar, features Reni Lane on Bass, and on these recordings, Drums by William Kuehn and Parker Kindred, is Lane telling her bandmates to “try it again.” It’ll remain a mystery as to whether the previous take of opening cut “Cardiac” just wasn’t up to snuff, but boy did they get it right on the one that made it.
The EP (out Nov. 3rd) contains this song, along with four more tunes that Shining Mirrors thoughtfully describes as “dark garage” music, but that NME writer Matt Wilkinson simply conveyed via tweet as “awesome stuff.” These new recordings offer a more fully realized sound for the group that put out its debut batch of songs in early 2017 during the group’s initial formation. The current Shining Mirrors lineup now includes Lakis Pavlou (who also mixed these tracks) permanently taking the reins on Drums.
“My biggest musical influences are Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix,” Robinson says, exposing some deep roots. As such, Shining Mirrors is not Robinson’s first rodeo. The efficient beauty of “awesome stuff,” devoid of anything superfluous, is hard to come by in today’s songwriters. “I want to say as much as I can in as few words as possible,” Robinson explains. “When there’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be there, that’s when the song is done.”
Regarding his roots, he remembers, “I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore during my teens. I recorded a string of albums in my bedroom under various pseudonyms, and I played in a band called Four Fifty One. We had some mild success. We toured. We released an EP. Then I followed my girlfriend to New York and played in a band called BRAHMS. We toured. We imploded.”
While living out this familiar rock n’ roll story, Robinson had the name Shining Mirrors in the back of his mind the whole time. In 2012 he took it into the land of the living.
“As a human, your eyes never see your own face,” he explains of the moniker’s significance – the “Mirrors” specifically. “What you see is a reflection of yourself. All art, film, painting, literature, etc. is a mirror.”
And “Shining?”
“It implies a moment of clarity, something that’s crystal clear, like the kind of epiphany that burns your eyes. It’s like the moment when you finally realize something you’ve been thinking about for 20 years.”
For those indie-rock, power-pop, dark-garage, awesome-stuff fans in the house, please rejoice in the fact that it’s only taken a fraction of that time for Robinson to realize his vision for Shining Mirrors, though perfection is always a pursuit.
“Songwriting is like a garden. Writing songs is like growing tomatoes,” he says. “I can plant the seed, water it, and pull away the dead leaves, but it’s the soil and the sun that make it. I just pluck the fruit. From the first kernel of an idea to the moment a song is born can take years, and I’ve literally been trying to make this EP for five years,” he continues. “This is the first time where all the elements feel right.”
The latest EP from Brooklyn-based threesome Shining Mirrors arrives on Nov. 3rd, 2017.
“Against The Light” (Desperate Spirits, Oct. 27th) is the new four-song EP from ATTEMPT, the Lexington, Kentucky-based recording project of Trevor Tremaine, best-known and most-adored as the drummer of the enduring noise band Hair Police.
Beyond that introduction, there ain’t no use trying to describe ATTEMPT any better than what Elephant 6 co-founder / The Apples in Stereo front man, Robert Schneider has to say.
Dig this:
“ATTEMPT is like listening into the future of underground music: 10cc plus Steely Dan playing jazz fusion on a peyote trip.”
If you’re not pressing play by now, God help you.
Tremaine also speaks for himself, explaining the EP’s nearly-ten minute long title track, saying, “The conceit of ‘Against The Light’ is jaywalking as a metonym for taking a selfish and irresponsible and irrational risk, less for personal gain than to sort of course-correct reality, an act which this song seems to celebrate.”
Remember, “jazz fusion on a peyote trip.”
You’ll need an emergency room after hearing the guitar solo that begins at six minutes in.
The song is Tremaine’s first truly collaborative ATTEMPT piece on tape.
“It was built around my vocal harmonies,” Tremaine explains. “(Drummer) Dave Farris supplied the layers of Martin Denny (the “father of exotica”) clatter, and Robert Beatty (Tremaine’s co-Hair Police man) detonated the Lydian sinewave fireworks in the coda. On the final version, I patched a take of the full-band live jam from whence this melody sprung.”
And then Tremaine goes in on Schneider in the ATTEMPT descriptor face-off.
Maybe he takes it?
Dig this, part two:
“Brian Wilson via Psychic TV, Meet The Residents, The Congos, and Harry Partch. It’s a séance of esoteric, aesthetic ghosts.”
It’s kind of funny, but at the end of the day, it’s DIY godfather R. Stevie Moore who actually beats everyone at the buzzer with a take on ATTEMPT that speaks to the “Against The Light” EP’s earlier cuts, particularly opener “Cancellations and Delays,” which would be at home on any dance floor on Earth (or other planets!)
“Heavy rotation on my player, a new fave. Delighted with all the ideas, melodies and adventurous chords.”
And really, isn’t that all you need to know?
“Against The Light,” the latest EP from ATTEMPT arrives on Oct. 27th via Desperate Spirits.
What band’s name describes its sound?
Metallica?
Little Shrine does, too.
Indeed, Little Shrine, the songwriting project of San Francisco’s Jade Shipman, (Metallica’s hometown, too!) sounds like a little shrine. Universal feelings rendered in revered and protected miniatures.
The eight songs on the band’s upcoming mini-LP “Wilderness” (Oct. 20th) feature the warm, yet spacious vocals of Shipman, also on bass, accompanied by the thoughtful playing of guitarist Tony Schoenberg, who Shipman has been performing with in one pop-rock band or another for ten years, and violinist Ryan Avery, whose efficient playing here is in stark contrast to the other music he makes that puts the instrument into an electronic context.
Considering the musical backgrounds that Shipman and her bandmates brought to “Wilderness,” this collection of songwriterly tunes could have had even more in common with Metallica.
“I didn’t set out to write folk songs,” Shipman says. “I was going through some difficult life stuff and my experiences kept turning into folk songs.”
“Not Today,” the latest single from “Wilderness” is one.
The song is the centerpiece of “Wilderness," and it's one which Shipman wrote about a familiar topic – the relentless pursuit of the unattainable – but in a clever twist, she couples the idea with the concept of potentially giving ourselves a break while it’s happening.
This notion is another example of how the lowercase little shrine informs the proper noun Little Shrine. That a world that will just keep turning doesn’t need to dictate how we perceive it or deal with it. That our reactions are always under our own control and having faith in our ability to connect with others is what matters.
“Wilderness” by Little Shrine is scheduled for release on October 20th, 2017, preceded by the single “Stone,” streaming now.
What band’s name describes its sound?
Metallica?
Little Shrine does, too.
Indeed, Little Shrine, the songwriting project of San Francisco’s Jade Shipman, (Metallica’s hometown, too!) sounds like a little shrine. Universal feelings rendered in revered and protected miniatures.
The eight songs on the band’s upcoming mini-LP “Wilderness” (Oct. 20th) feature the warm, yet spacious vocals of Shipman, also on bass, accompanied by the thoughtful playing of guitarist Tony Schoenberg, who Shipman has been performing with in one pop-rock band or another for ten years, and violinist Ryan Avery, whose efficient playing here is in stark contrast to the other music he makes that puts the instrument into an electronic context.
Considering the musical backgrounds that Shipman and her bandmates brought to “Wilderness,” this collection of songwriterly tunes could have had even more in common with Metallica.
“I didn’t set out to write folk songs,” Shipman says. “I was going through some difficult life stuff and my experiences kept turning into folk songs.”
“Stone,” the first single from “Wilderness” is one.
“It’s kind of confusing, but ‘Stone’ is about how pain is also a part of what gives life meaning and beauty,” she explains.
This notion is another example of how the lowercase little shrine informs the proper noun Little Shrine. That a world that will just keep turning doesn’t need to dictate how we perceive it or deal with it. That our reactions are always under our own control and having faith in our ability to connect with others is what matters.
“Wilderness” by Little Shrine is scheduled for release on October 20th, 2017, preceded by the single “Stone,” streaming now.
Dream System 8 is a newly-formed, synth-based pop duo out of Los Angeles that combines the talents of veteran musicians Erica Elektra and David Klotz.
The vintage instruments used on the band’s upcoming debut album (Feb. 9th, Minty Fresh) are veterans, too, and include a large assortment of Rolands, Korgs, and Yamahas, along with the (attention, geeks!) Crumar Performer, LinnDrum LM-2, and Omnichord System 100.
Recording with synths from the early 1980’s, Dream System 8’s debut emerges from these origins of artifice with natural-sounding pop songs inspired by Vangelis, The Human League, Tangerine Dream, and Duran Duran.
Not only is the musical partnership of the humans in Dream System 8 new, so is the relationship to the band’s large brood of keys. Klotz, whose day job has earned him numerous Emmy awards as the Music Editor of television shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Game of Thrones,” and “American Horror Story” among others, started acquiring the gear in 2015.
“I was inspired when I started working on ‘Stranger Things’ in 2015 and first heard the score,” Klotz recalls. “I loved the sounds that the show’s composers created with synths. It was unlike anything I’d heard before in the world of film scoring.”
Klotz, who has been making records under various band names for years, starting in the mid-90’s as Fonda and most recently in 2016 as People and Stars, began plotting to make a record of pop songs based around the sound of these keyboards.
His first stop was eBay.
"The first three synths that I got my hands on were the Roland Jupiter 8, a Korg Mono/Poly and a Roland SH-2. Those were the three main synths I used to record our first single 'Losing All of You,'" says Klotz.
Elektra’s lyrics and vocals take the tune out of the atmosphere and grounds it in feeling – heart-tugging and delivered with emotion – exposing the roots beneath these musical landscapes.
“Dream System 8 is the perfect name for us,” Elektra concludes. “For me, it’s literally a musical dream come true.”
The debut album by Los Angeles-based duo Dream System 8 arrives on Feb. 9th, 2018 preceded by the single “Losing All of You,” out Oct. 17th, 2017.
The Morning Yells is a new Los Angeles-based band that evolved from the brother-sister duo Phil and Lu (Phil and Laura Stancil), which released its debut album Mood Rock (“True emotion and reminiscence,” said The Line of Best Fit) in late 2016. The siblings, who have been playing music together their entire lives, are now joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Trevor Smith and Curran McDowell to form The Morning Yells. The foursome will release a five-song EP “Proper Wilted” on October 6th.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” says Phil, whose warm and reedy tone defines the vocals on the EP. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Beach Boys, America and The Moody Blues by digging through his record collection.”
“Proper Wilted” was recorded by Mark Rains, best-known for his work with artists as diverse as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Waylon Jennings, which goes a long way towards explaining the sound of The Morning Yells.
In the span of a mere five songs, the band adeptly covers a variety of genres, from the opener “Must Be You,” an easy-breezy number that sounds like Fleetwood Mac’s 70’s heyday if it were laid down in Motown-era Detroit, to the authentic 60’s country of “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing,” which includes a run on the lap steel by McDowell, who, being the band’s drummer, showcases the foursome’s abilities as multi-instrumentalists. Each member of The Morning Yells easily jumps from piano, to guitar, to bass, and all four contribute to the songwriting. “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing” also provides a chance for the group’s beautiful three-part harmonies to shine.
Although a short set, “Proper Wilted” is full of highlights, notably on its lead single “She Got Time,” a track that, despite the Stancil’s assertion that it had been tossed around for years, sounds completely inspired.
“It didn't find a place until The Morning Yells became a group, but it definitely is the strongest example of our style at this point,” Phil says.
“Proper Wilted” offers up five of roughly fifteen songs the band has written over the past year. The Morning Yells is currently working on a second EP, and will continue to perform in and around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2017.
“Proper Wilted,” the debut EP by The Morning Yells arrives on Oct. 6th, 2017 preceded by the single “She Got Time,” streaming now.
“I write creepy songs or songs for creeps, but this one is a bit more light-hearted,” muses Rahway, New Jersey's J Hacha de Zola about "No Situation," the first single from his upcoming third album "Antipatico," arriving October 6th, 2017. "Truly, the song is a more accessible turn, though its subject matter is in a familiar lane. It’s about the joy of forbidden fruit. Of finding yourself in the arms of someone you know is completely wrong for you but being thoroughly intoxicated by their charms.”
The tune is but one example of the magical voodoo to be found on the album, which follows-up "Picaro Obscuro," the second of Hacha de Zola's two “urban junkyard” albums of 2016. At the time of that record's release, Hacha de Zola insinuated that he might not continue on to make a third, and if he did, his plan was to “lighten up” the sound that he has variously, previously (ominously?) described as “boozegaze.” Turns out maybe he was overthinking things, which isn’t so surprising for a scientist turned auteur.
Indeed, there was a time when J Hacha de Zola was very close to becoming Dr. J Hacha de Zola.
“I am a scientist because of my father,” he says.
And now he is a musician because of him, as well. A year deep into a PhD program after receiving his Master’s in Biochemistry from Seton Hall University, Hacha de Zola’s father passed. Hacha de Zola had to quit school to support his mother and the rest of his family, but the situation presented another life change that pushed him into pursuing what was most important to him personally: making music. While selflessness and self-preservation may have motivated the first move, it’s the other side of the coin, the rogue life of an artist, that Hacha de Zola’s mother was seeing when she referred to her son as “antipatico.”
Translation: “wicked.”
"Antipatico," the third album from J Hacha de Zola in just over two years, has allowed listeners have had the opportunity to hear an artist consistently gaining ground on his own vision and voice throughout that time. Some artists change immeasurably over the course of three records, whereas Hacha de Zola is actually becoming who he set out to be.
“It has been an interesting exercise making the last two records (Jan., 2016’s "Escape from Fat Kat City" and Aug., 2016’s "Picaro Obscuro"),” Hacha de Zola says. “I wasn’t sure what I’d end up with or how I’d feel about what I’d done. It took time for me to become a ‘believer’ in what I’ve been doing, but with this record it’s become something that I feel is truly a reflection of my voice.”
As with his previous albums, Hacha de Zola (and his gaggle of cohorts and underground legends) is practicing his “reductive synthesis” method of, as he elegantly says, “shooting the arrow first and then painting the bullseye around it.”
Hacha de Zola explains, “I never go to the studio with songs written. I allow the musicians to be themselves and throw all they’ve got at it. Then I’ll go and peel back the various layers to fashion a song from it all. It’s a pretty risky way of making an album because when it’s all done, you may have something that isn’t agreeable to you. Other times, you arrive at something truly magical and the songs take on a life of their own. There’s a certain kind of voodoo there that could not be planned.”
"Antipatico," the third album by J Hacha de Zola, arrives on October 6th, 2017, preceded by the lead single “No Situation.”
The Morning Yells is a new Los Angeles-based band that evolved from the brother-sister duo Phil and Lu (Phil and Laura Stancil), which released its debut album Mood Rock (“True emotion and reminiscence,” said The Line of Best Fit) in late 2016. The siblings, who have been playing music together their entire lives, are now joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Trevor Smith and Curran McDowell to form The Morning Yells. The foursome will release a five-song EP “Proper Wilted” on October 6th.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” says Phil, whose warm and reedy tone defines the vocals on the EP. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Beach Boys, America and The Moody Blues by digging through his record collection.”
“Proper Wilted” was recorded by Mark Rains, best-known for his work with artists as diverse as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Waylon Jennings, which goes a long way towards explaining the sound of The Morning Yells.
In the span of a mere five songs, the band adeptly covers a variety of genres, from the opener “Must Be You,” an easy-breezy number that sounds like Fleetwood Mac’s 70’s heyday if it were laid down in Motown-era Detroit, to the authentic 60’s country of “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing,” which includes a run on the lap steel by McDowell, who, being the band’s drummer, showcases the foursome’s abilities as multi-instrumentalists. Each member of The Morning Yells easily jumps from piano, to guitar, to bass, and all four contribute to the songwriting. “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing” also provides a chance for the group’s beautiful three-part harmonies to shine.
Although a short set, “Proper Wilted” is full of highlights, notably on its lead single “She Got Time,” a track that, despite the Stancil’s assertion that it had been tossed around for years, sounds completely inspired.
“It didn't find a place until The Morning Yells became a group, but it definitely is the strongest example of our style at this point,” Phil says.
“Proper Wilted” offers up five of roughly fifteen songs the band has written over the past year. The Morning Yells is currently working on a second EP, and will continue to perform in and around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2017.
“Proper Wilted,” the debut EP by The Morning Yells arrives on Oct. 6th, 2017 preceded by the single “She Got Time,” streaming now.
The Morning Yells is a new Los Angeles-based band that evolved from the brother-sister duo Phil and Lu (Phil and Laura Stancil), which released its debut album Mood Rock (“True emotion and reminiscence,” said The Line of Best Fit) in late 2016. The siblings, who have been playing music together their entire lives, are now joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Trevor Smith and Curran McDowell to form The Morning Yells. The foursome will release a five-song EP “Proper Wilted” on October 6th.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” says Phil, whose warm and reedy tone defines the vocals on the EP. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Beach Boys, America and The Moody Blues by digging through his record collection.”
“Proper Wilted” was recorded by Mark Rains, best-known for his work with artists as diverse as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Waylon Jennings, which goes a long way towards explaining the sound of The Morning Yells.
In the span of a mere five songs, the band adeptly covers a variety of genres, from the opener “Must Be You,” an easy-breezy number that sounds like Fleetwood Mac’s 70’s heyday if it were laid down in Motown-era Detroit, to the authentic 60’s country of “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing,” which includes a run on the lap steel by McDowell, who, being the band’s drummer, showcases the foursome’s abilities as multi-instrumentalists. Each member of The Morning Yells easily jumps from piano, to guitar, to bass, and all four contribute to the songwriting. “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing” also provides a chance for the group’s beautiful three-part harmonies to shine.
Although a short set, “Proper Wilted” is full of highlights, notably on its lead single “She Got Time,” a track that, despite the Stancil’s assertion that it had been tossed around for years, sounds completely inspired.
“It didn't find a place until The Morning Yells became a group, but it definitely is the strongest example of our style at this point,” Phil says.
“Proper Wilted” offers up five of roughly fifteen songs the band has written over the past year. The Morning Yells is currently working on a second EP, and will continue to perform in and around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2017.
“Proper Wilted,” the debut EP by The Morning Yells arrives on Oct. 6th, 2017 preceded by the single “She Got Time,” streaming now.
The Morning Yells is a new Los Angeles-based band that evolved from the brother-sister duo Phil and Lu (Phil and Laura Stancil), which released its debut album Mood Rock (“True emotion and reminiscence,” said The Line of Best Fit) in late 2016. The siblings, who have been playing music together their entire lives, are now joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Trevor Smith and Curran McDowell to form The Morning Yells. The foursome will release a five-song EP “Proper Wilted” on October 6th.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” says Phil, whose warm and reedy tone defines the vocals on the EP. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Beach Boys, America and The Moody Blues by digging through his record collection.”
“Proper Wilted” was recorded by Mark Rains, best-known for his work with artists as diverse as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Waylon Jennings, which goes a long way towards explaining the sound of The Morning Yells.
In the span of a mere five songs, the band adeptly covers a variety of genres, from the opener “Must Be You,” an easy-breezy number that sounds like Fleetwood Mac’s 70’s heyday if it were laid down in Motown-era Detroit, to the authentic 60’s country of “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing,” which includes a run on the lap steel by McDowell, who, being the band’s drummer, showcases the foursome’s abilities as multi-instrumentalists. Each member of The Morning Yells easily jumps from piano, to guitar, to bass, and all four contribute to the songwriting. “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing” also provides a chance for the group’s beautiful three-part harmonies to shine.
Although a short set, “Proper Wilted” is full of highlights, notably on its lead single “She Got Time,” a track that, despite the Stancil’s assertion that it had been tossed around for years, sounds completely inspired.
“It didn't find a place until The Morning Yells became a group, but it definitely is the strongest example of our style at this point,” Phil says.
“Proper Wilted” offers up five of roughly fifteen songs the band has written over the past year. The Morning Yells is currently working on a second EP, and will continue to perform in and around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2017.
“Proper Wilted,” the debut EP by The Morning Yells arrives on Oct. 6th, 2017 preceded by the single “She Got Time,” streaming now.
"I have always been fascinated with old-timey traveling revivals where the preacher would get up and just stoke the congregation with fear." J Hacha de Zola is talking about the inspirations behind "Lightning Rod Salesman," the last of the pre-release tracks from his upcoming new album "Antipatico" (Oct. 6th, Caballo Negro). The album will be Hacha de Zola's third album release in just two years. "The role of religion, its political power and its ability to reach out and touch a vast amount of common folks in this country is truly terrifying," he says.
"Lightning Rod Salesman" is but one example of the magical voodoo to be found on "Antipatico," (translation: "wicked") which follows-up "Picaro Obscuro," the second of Hacha de Zola's two “urban junkyard” albums of 2016. At the time of that record's release, Hacha de Zola insinuated that he might not continue on to make a third, and if he did, his plan was to “lighten up” the sound that he has variously, previously (ominously?) described as “boozegaze.” Turns out maybe he was overthinking things, which isn’t so surprising for a scientist turned auteur. Indeed, Hacha de Zola was a year deep into a PhD program after receiving his Master’s in Biochemistry when he decided to fully turn his attention towards his art.
On this record, Hacha de Zola (and his gaggle of cohorts and underground legends including Dana Colley of Morphine, Tom Waits collaborator Ralph Carney, Frank London of Klezmatics, and "Psycho Mambo" collective, Gato Loco among others) is again practicing his “reductive synthesis” method of, as he elegantly says, “shooting the arrow first and then painting the bullseye around it.”
Hacha de Zola explains, “I never go to the studio with songs written. I allow the musicians to be themselves and throw all they’ve got at it. Then I’ll go and peel back the various layers to fashion a song from it all. It’s a pretty risky way of making an album because when it’s all done, you may have something that isn’t agreeable to you. Other times, you arrive at something truly magical and the songs take on a life of their own. There’s a certain kind of voodoo there that could not be planned.”
"Antipatico," the third album by J Hacha de Zola, arrives on October 6th, 2017.
"This one felt like a good way to close out the record," says Rahway's J Hacha de Zola of "A Fanciful Invention," the new single from his upcoming third album "Antipatico," arriving October 6th, 2017. "It opens up with a Kaval beatbox, which is a Bulgarian folk instrument. The song is a lamentation - the entire record has a theme of dark romanticism going and this one is very much part of that, being about the paradoxical nature of love. Does it exist at all? Does anyone love anyone? 'Love is a fanciful invention,' an unrealistic enterprise rife with the extreme emotion that can swing wildly from one polar end of the spectrum to another. So many evils have been committed in the name of love, it makes me wonder if it exists at all."
The tune is but one example of the magical voodoo to be found on "Antipatico," (translation: "wicked") which follows-up "Picaro Obscuro," the second of Hacha de Zola's two “urban junkyard” albums of 2016. At the time of that record's release, Hacha de Zola insinuated that he might not continue on to make a third, and if he did, his plan was to “lighten up” the sound that he has variously, previously (ominously?) described as “boozegaze.” Turns out maybe he was overthinking things, which isn’t so surprising for a scientist turned auteur. Indeed, Hacha de Zola was a year deep into a PhD program after receiving his Master’s in Biochemistry when he decided to fully turn his attention towards his art.
On this record, Hacha de Zola (and his gaggle of cohorts and underground legends including Dana Colley of Morphine, Tom Waits collaborator Ralph Carney, Frank London of Klezmatics, and "Psycho Mambo" collective, Gato Loco among others) is again practicing his “reductive synthesis” method of, as he elegantly says, “shooting the arrow first and then painting the bullseye around it.”
Hacha de Zola explains, “I never go to the studio with songs written. I allow the musicians to be themselves and throw all they’ve got at it. Then I’ll go and peel back the various layers to fashion a song from it all. It’s a pretty risky way of making an album because when it’s all done, you may have something that isn’t agreeable to you. Other times, you arrive at something truly magical and the songs take on a life of their own. There’s a certain kind of voodoo there that could not be planned.”
"Antipatico," the third album by J Hacha de Zola, arrives on October 6th, 2017.
"The title 'March of the Hollowmen' is a reference to T.S. Elliot's 'The Hollow Men,'" explains J Hacha de Zola of the track taken from his upcoming third album "Antipatico" (Oct. 6th, Callabro Negro). "Truly a timeless poem, it touches upon the absurd in the form of circular repetitive phrasing. The poem is very song-like itself." Hacha continues, "It's a dirge, a funeral march almost. Belting out a good dirge, it just makes me feel better!"
The tune is but one example of the magical voodoo to be found on "Antipatico," (translation: "wicked") which follows-up "Picaro Obscuro," the second of Hacha de Zola's two “urban junkyard” albums of 2016. At the time of that record's release, Hacha de Zola insinuated that he might not continue on to make a third, and if he did, his plan was to “lighten up” the sound that he has variously, previously (ominously?) described as “boozegaze.” Turns out maybe he was overthinking things, which isn’t so surprising for a scientist turned auteur. Indeed, Hacha de Zola was a year deep into a PhD program after receiving his Master’s in Biochemistry when he decided to fully turn his attention towards his art.
On this record, Hacha de Zola (and his gaggle of cohorts and underground legends including Dana Colley of Morphine, Tom Waits collaborator Ralph Carney, Frank London of Klezmatics, and "Psycho Mambo" collective, Gato Loco among others) is again practicing his “reductive synthesis” method of, as he elegantly says, “shooting the arrow first and then painting the bullseye around it.”
Hacha de Zola explains, “I never go to the studio with songs written. I allow the musicians to be themselves and throw all they’ve got at it. Then I’ll go and peel back the various layers to fashion a song from it all. It’s a pretty risky way of making an album because when it’s all done, you may have something that isn’t agreeable to you. Other times, you arrive at something truly magical and the songs take on a life of their own. There’s a certain kind of voodoo there that could not be planned.”
"Antipatico," the third album by J Hacha de Zola, arrives on October 6th, 2017.
The Morning Yells is a new Los Angeles-based band that evolved from the brother-sister duo Phil and Lu (Phil and Laura Stancil), which released its debut album Mood Rock (“True emotion and reminiscence,” said The Line of Best Fit) in late 2016. The siblings, who have been playing music together their entire lives, are now joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Trevor Smith and Curran McDowell to form The Morning Yells. The foursome will release a five-song EP “Proper Wilted” on October 6th.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” says Phil, whose warm and reedy tone defines the vocals on the EP. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Beach Boys, America and The Moody Blues by digging through his record collection.”
“Proper Wilted” was recorded by Mark Rains, best-known for his work with artists as diverse as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Waylon Jennings, which goes a long way towards explaining the sound of The Morning Yells.
In the span of a mere five songs, the band adeptly covers a variety of genres, from the opener “Must Be You,” an easy-breezy number that sounds like Fleetwood Mac’s 70’s heyday if it were laid down in Motown-era Detroit, to the authentic 60’s country of “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing,” which includes a run on the lap steel by McDowell, who, being the band’s drummer, showcases the foursome’s abilities as multi-instrumentalists. Each member of The Morning Yells easily jumps from piano, to guitar, to bass, and all four contribute to the songwriting. “She Knows Exactly What She’s Doing” also provides a chance for the group’s beautiful three-part harmonies to shine.
Although a short set, “Proper Wilted” is full of highlights, notably on its lead single “She Got Time,” a track that, despite the Stancil’s assertion that it had been tossed around for years, sounds completely inspired.
“It didn't find a place until The Morning Yells became a group, but it definitely is the strongest example of our style at this point,” Phil says.
“Proper Wilted” offers up five of roughly fifteen songs the band has written over the past year. The Morning Yells is currently working on a second EP, and will continue to perform in and around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2017.
“Proper Wilted,” the debut EP by The Morning Yells arrives on Oct. 6th, 2017 preceded by the single “She Got Time,” streaming now.
"I had probably a hundred different little riffs archived on my computer," says Patrick Aubry of Los Angeles-based band Tree Machines about "Like A Drum," a track from the group's "Up For Air" debut album, out Sept. 22.
"Bleeps and bloops and arps and drums and rhythms, all placed in orders depending on my mood or state of intoxication when I'm making them. This song really smacked me in the face the first time I heard the chorus line 'Our hearts, beating like a drum.' I almost cried. All of my jaded pessimism seemed to wash away with those simple lyrics."
For his part, Aubrey's bandmate, Doug Wooldridge (vocals, lyrics) says, "We were looking to build a movement with this track, so Mike (Giffin, the band's producer and multi-instrumentalist) put together an epic drum break. Then we dropped it into a vocal and string arrangement leading to a fairly chaotic but powerful finale. The song has a lot of puzzle pieces."
"Working on 'Like A Drum' is the epitome of why I like writing with other people," Aubrey concludes.
Recently relocated from Lawrence, Kansas, Tree Machines built a safe room in Los Angeles. Not for security of the conventional kind, but for a place to unleash, and make the kind of music that is at once vulnerable and strong, without fear of consequence. Anthems for times that don’t make sense, but carve a path forward. Call it a studio, if you have to. But you don’t have to.
Here, Wooldridge, Aubry, and Giffin have been creating "Up For Air," the debut Tree Machines full-length album, out Sept. 22nd via the band's Man In The Machine label.
The upcoming album follows-up 2015’s debut Tree Machines EP, which contained the single "Fucking Off Today," a difficult-to-ignore opening salvo that expressed Midwestern malaise (which these former Kansans know all too well) in a new way. Three more Tree Machines singles appeared during the summer of that year.
"We come from that Midwestern comfort," says Aubry. "I knew what the weekend held, and who I could expect to see stumbling home drunk from the bar. Rent was cheap, and the beer was cheaper. It was all so comfortable."
"I wanted to create something that was a little more retro and hip hop-inspired," says Mike Giffin, the behind-the-scenes producer and multi-instrumentalist in Tree Machines. "Almost instantly, Doug (Wooldridge, the band's lyricist and vocalist) came up with the catchy melody and rhythmic patterns that are still there in the song to this day. Who knew it was going to be the album's title track of the album?"
Wooldridge concurs, "I've always had an affinity for this song ever since Mike brought the beat in for us to listen to. While making this album, we've recorded about 20 or so tracks and Mike kept trying to add this one it to the pile of songs 'not quite ready for release,' but each time I'd come into the studio and see 'Up For Air' missing from the list, I'd put it back it defiance! "Now that everything is said and done, it's one of my favorite songs on the album."
About his lyrics on the cut, Wooldridge explains, "Some of this album deals with loneliness and the feeling of being in a wholly unfamiliar place trying to figure out what we're doing out here on the West Coast and if we can even keep our heads above water long enough to keep going, even if it's only for one more day."
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Relocated from Lawrence, Kansas, Tree Machines built a safe room in Los Angeles. Not for security of the conventional kind, but for a place to unleash, and make the kind of music that is at once vulnerable and strong, without fear of consequence. Anthems for times that don’t make sense, but carve a path forward.
Here, Douglas Wooldridge (vocalist, lyricist), bandmate Patrick Aubry, and producer Mike Giffin (all three contribute to the various instrumentation and music) spent two years creating "Up For Air," the debut Tree Machines full-length album, scheduled for release on the band’s Man In The Machine label on Sept. 22nd, 2017.
"Up For Air" follows-up 2015’s debut Tree Machines EP, which contained the band's first single “Fucking Off Today,” a difficult-to-ignore opening salvo that expressed Midwestern malaise (which these former Kansans know all too well) in a new way. Three more Tree Machines singles appeared during the summer of that year.
"To me, this track is a sister song to our very first single 'Fucking Off Today,'" says Doug Wooldridge of Tree Machines referring to the track that launched the band in 2015 with a blunt declaration of what it's like to be caught in a uniquely Midwestern malaise. "'Fade On' is another visceral look into the party culture -- too much booze and too many drugs."
Wooldridge continues, "What draws these people to congregate in rundown warehouses and fields across the world with minds blown and bodies stuck in seemingly perpetual motion? It's the music, the vibes, the feeling of being surrounded by strangers that are just like you; faded and confused."
Wooldridge had "Fade On" half-written when he left on a trip to Ireland, and had the unfinished version with him as he hopped the flight back home.
"I'd just settled into my seat with a drink in hand and a pencil tucked behind my ear when I look up to see Thom Yorke walking past me," he remembers. "I worked up enough courage to go shake his hand and tell him he's an idol of mine, and then I went back to my seat, downed my drink, ordered a second, and finished 'Fade On' by the time we were over the Atlantic."
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Relocated from Lawrence, Kansas, Tree Machines built a safe room in Los Angeles. Not for security of the conventional kind, but for a place to unleash, and make the kind of music that is at once vulnerable and strong, without fear of consequence. Anthems for times that don’t make sense, but carve a path forward. Call it a studio, if you have to. But you don’t have to.
Here, Douglas Wooldridge (vocalist, lyricist), bandmate Patrick Aubry, and producer Mike Giffin (all three contribute to the various instrumentation and music) have been creating "Up For Air," the debut Tree Machines full-length album.
The upcoming album follows-up 2015’s debut Tree Machines EP, which contained the single “Fucking Off Today,” a difficult-to-ignore opening salvo that expressed Midwestern malaise (which these former Kansans know all too well) in a new way. Three more Tree Machines singles appeared during the summer of that year.
“We come from that Midwestern comfort,” says Aubry. “I knew what the weekend held, and who I could expect to see stumbling home drunk from the bar. Rent was cheap, and the beer was cheaper. And it was all so comfortable.”
Bye, Lawrence!
“It was disheartening at first,” Aubry confesses of the band’s move west. “Los Angeles had this golden aura around it from when I visited before we moved. This was the place dreams happened. This was the place where opportunity is just around the corner, waiting to jump out and surprise you.”
But Aubry and his bandmate sensed a special kind of loneliness in L.A. that only comes with being ignored.
“Los Angeles doesn’t care how much time or energy or effort or blood or sweat or anger you’ve spent to make your shitty music. It doesn’t care that you put together a band. It only cares about the result, and we are all stronger because of that,” he says.
Now, Los Angeles is beginning to smile at Tree Machines.The band is playing out, proving that their studio prowess isn’t just for the four walls.
“We have a chance to play live, and not be ostracized from the local scene because we’re not hip enough,” says Aubry. “I think people are going to be surprised that guys from Kansas can write music with a strong social conscience and unique ideas.”
"Up For Air," the debut album by Los Angeles-based band Tree Machines, arrives in 2017.
“Many of the songs on this record are speaking about friends of mine that have passed, but taught me a lot while they were here,” Stephen Doster explains of" New Black Suit (Atticus Records, Aug 25th), his second album after an 18-year release hiatus that ended in 2014 with the comeback album Arizona, which went on to be described as a “masterpiece” with “one charmed melody after another” by the Austin Chronicle.
“A record can magically open doors for you sometimes,” Doster says. “Arizona followed me to England, Scotland, Africa, and to many stages in the U.S. that I had never played before.”
When it eventually brought Doster back to Austin, he was emphatic about bringing the same group of musicians together again for the follow-up.
“I will always be grateful we were able to get it done,” Doster says, alluding to the practical impact that the album’s subject matter of friends who have passed can have. New Black Suit poignantly includes some of the last recorded work of legendary Austin session bassist and friend to many, George Reiff, who lost his battle with cancer on May 21st, 2017. Doster has dedicated the album to Reiff.
“George was having major surgery prior to these sessions, but when I heard he was recuperating better than expected, I wrote and said I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask him to be on the follow-up record,” Doster remembers. “I can only hope his family and friends will find pleasure and solace in hearing him playing with so much drive and eloquence. For me, this is the most exciting and meaningful musical experience I’ve ever been a part of.”
In addition to Reiff (Joe Walsh, Dixie Chicks) on bass, New Black Suit again features Dony Wynn (Dr. John, Robert Palmer) on drums and percussion, and Kevin Lovejoy (Spoon, John Mayer) on piano, organ, and keyboards accompanying the vocals and guitar work throughout from Doster. The revelatory playing and production feels like the friendship that permeates the listening experience. Despite the recurring lyrical theme of loss that is woven throughout the album, New Black Suit isn’t a downer. Its songs serve more as loving tributes and celebrations of their subjects.
New Black Suit, the latest album from Stephen Doster arrives via Atticus Records on August 25th, 2017 preceded by the single “Shooting For The Stars.”
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Over the course of his long and varied career, Austin-based songwriter and Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen Doster has worked with Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joe Cocker, and Nanci Griffith among many others. More recently, he has enjoyed watching the rise to fame of Grammy Award-winner Maren Morris, whose debut album, Walk On, was produced by Doster. Walk On contains Morris’ version of the Doster song “Barrelhouse Blues,” in addition to the title track, which she co-wrote with Doster.
The opening lines of "Shooting For The Stars" came from a conversation I had with my friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt on December 16th, 1994 about my pal (the legendary late comedian) Bill Hicks," says veteran Austin-based songwriter and Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen Doster. "It would have been Bill’s 33rd birthday that day," he remembers.
“Many of the songs on this record are speaking about friends of mine that have passed, but taught me a lot while they were here,” Doster explains of "New Black Suit" (Atticus Records, Aug 25th), his second album after an 18-year release hiatus that ended in 2014 with the comeback album "Arizona," which went on to be described as a “masterpiece” with “one charmed melody after another” by the Austin Chronicle.
“A record can magically open doors for you sometimes,” Doster says. “'Arizona' followed me to England, Scotland, Africa, and to many stages in the U.S. that I had never played before.”
When it eventually brought Doster back to Austin, he was emphatic about bringing the same group of musicians together again for the follow-up.
“I will always be grateful we were able to get it done,” Doster says, alluding to the practical impact that the album’s subject matter of friends who have passed can have. "New Black Suit" poignantly includes some of the last recorded work of legendary Austin session bassist and friend to many, George Reiff, who lost his battle with cancer on May 21st, 2017. Doster has dedicated the album to Reiff.
“George was having major surgery prior to these sessions, but when I heard he was recuperating better than expected, I wrote and said I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask him to be on the follow-up record,” Doster remembers. “I can only hope his family and friends will find pleasure and solace in hearing him playing with so much drive and eloquence. For me, this is the most exciting and meaningful musical experience I’ve ever been a part of.”
In addition to Reiff (Joe Walsh, Dixie Chicks) on bass, "New Black Suit" again features Dony Wynn (Dr. John, Robert Palmer) on drums and percussion, and Kevin Lovejoy (Spoon, John Mayer) on piano, organ, and keyboards accompanying the vocals and guitar work throughout from Doster. The revelatory playing and production feels like the friendship that permeates the listening experience. Despite the recurring lyrical theme of loss that is woven throughout the album, "New Black Suit" isn’t a downer. Its songs serve more as loving tributes and celebrations of their subjects.
"New Black Suit," the latest album from Stephen Doster arrives via Atticus Records on August 25th, 2017 preceded by the single “Shooting For The Stars.”
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Over the course of his long and varied career, Austin-based songwriter and Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen Doster has worked with Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joe Cocker, and Nanci Griffith among many others. More recently, he has enjoyed watching the rise to fame of Grammy Award-winner Maren Morris, whose debut album, "Walk On," was produced by Doster. "Walk On" contains Morris’ version of the Doster song “Barrelhouse Blues,” in addition to the title track, which she co-wrote with Doster.
"It was great having a friend like Bill because he kept you honest," says Stephen Doster about his late pal, the legendary comedian, Bill Hicks. "He was very passionate about people having integrity in their work and just couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't always give everything they had. I remember he said to me, 'we are fighting an art war!'"
Doster was mainly drawing on that noble side of his friend when he wrote "William Melvin Hicks" to commemorate his life. The song appears on Doster's upcoming album "New Black Suit," which commemorates not only the life of Hicks, but other close friends of Doster's who have passed, as well.
"It's my way of paying respectful tribute to Bill for his integrity and artistic vision, which, not surprisingly, still inspires people today.”
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Over the course of his long and varied career, Austin-based songwriter and Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen Doster has worked with Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joe Cocker, and Nanci Griffith among many others. More recently, he has enjoyed watching the rise to fame of Grammy Award-winner Maren Morris, whose debut album, Walk On, was produced by Doster. Walk On contains Morris’ version of the Doster song “Barrelhouse Blues,” in addition to the title track, which she co-wrote with Doster.
"'Something Good' is the last song I wrote for the record and it's one of the most optimistic songs I've ever written," says Austin-based songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, Stephen Doster. "Strangely, it was written at a time when I was feeling great despair at the divisiveness that I was seeing all around me. Many of my friends were very shaken by the political climate in our country. Fear and anger seemed to be winning the day, so I decided I wanted to write a song that was the opposite of that."
Doster continues, "I stepped outside my front door, which is like walking in a park, and was gobsmacked by the beauty around me. There were scores of butterflies flying through the air and the wind blowing through the trees sounded like music to me. I realized I had much to be thankful for and wanted to write a song about hope. 'Something Good' is my way of telling every man and woman that steps into the world that your positivity can make the world a better place."
“Many of the songs on this record are speaking about friends of mine that have passed, but taught me a lot while they were here,” Doster explains of "New Black Suit" (Atticus Records, Aug 25th), his second album after an 18-year release hiatus that ended in 2014 with the comeback album "Arizona," which went on to be described as a “masterpiece” with “one charmed melody after another” by the Austin Chronicle.
“A record can magically open doors for you sometimes,” Doster says. “'Arizona' followed me to England, Scotland, Africa, and to many stages in the U.S. that I had never played before.”
When it eventually brought Doster back to Austin, he was emphatic about bringing the same group of musicians together again for the follow-up.
“I will always be grateful we were able to get it done,” Doster says, alluding to the practical impact that the album’s subject matter of friends who have passed can have. "New Black Suit" poignantly includes some of the last recorded work of legendary Austin session bassist and friend to many, George Reiff, who lost his battle with cancer on May 21st, 2017. Doster has dedicated the album to Reiff.
“George was having major surgery prior to these sessions, but when I heard he was recuperating better than expected, I wrote and said I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask him to be on the follow-up record,” Doster remembers. “I can only hope his family and friends will find pleasure and solace in hearing him playing with so much drive and eloquence. For me, this is the most exciting and meaningful musical experience I’ve ever been a part of.”
In addition to Reiff (Joe Walsh, Dixie Chicks) on bass, "New Black Suit" again features Dony Wynn (Dr. John, Robert Palmer) on drums and percussion, and Kevin Lovejoy (Spoon, John Mayer) on piano, organ, and keyboards accompanying the vocals and guitar work throughout from Doster. The revelatory playing and production feels like the friendship that permeates the listening experience. Despite the recurring lyrical theme of loss that is woven throughout the album, "New Black Suit" isn’t a downer. Its songs serve more as loving tributes and celebrations of their subjects.
"New Black Suit," the latest album from Stephen Doster arrives via Atticus Records on August 25th, 2017 preceded by the single “Shooting For The Stars.”
+++
Over the course of his long and varied career, Austin-based songwriter and Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen Doster has worked with Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joe Cocker, and Nanci Griffith among many others. More recently, he has enjoyed watching the rise to fame of Grammy Award-winner Maren Morris, whose debut album, "Walk On," was produced by Doster. "Walk On" contains Morris’ version of the Doster song “Barrelhouse Blues,” in addition to the title track, which she co-wrote with Doster.
“Charleston is an amazing city in the middle of a remarkable renaissance,” guitarist and songwriter, Mark Bryan says of his adopted hometown. “I’m lucky to be part of its growth. There are dozens of acts coming out of Charleston that are worthy of national recognition. You can really feel it.”
If you ask anyone in the Charleston music community about Bryan, they'll say, “Oh, everyone around Charleston knows Mark!” In actuality, everyone around the world probably knows a little bit about Bryan, whether they know they know or not.
As the guitarist for the two-time Grammy winning, nearly 20-million album selling band Hootie and The Blowfish, Bryan’s guitar playing was ubiquitous in 1995, contributing to the biggest album sales of any release that year, and leading to what is now ranked as one of the biggest selling albums in music history.
Of course, success at that level brings with it all sorts of pre-conceptions, so when first hearing the tunes on Bryan’s upcoming third album Songs of The Fortnight, (August 11th, Chucktown Music Group), listeners will be surprised at the down-to-Earth songwriting that plays as just-earnest enough to be relatable and believable, while also sounding like Southern hospitality.
It was after Hootie went on indefinite hiatus almost a decade ago that Bryan first went full-force into other areas of the music business beyond being a musician.
“I learned a lot about making albums over the years from the Dons: Don Dixon, Don Gehman, and Don Was,” he explains of the three production legends who worked with Hootie. “Through that, the idea of producing talented artists with great songs, and helping them make timeless recordings, was very appealing to me, and something I quickly became very passionate about.”
As Bryan began to amass production credits on dozens of recordings, he also started using his own studio and personal resources to record and release songs on the fly – first his own, and then those of other artists.
This process eventually led to the launch of the “Song of the Fortnight” blog, where Bryan posted a new song of his own, or an artist he was playing with or producing, every two weeks, for three years. Eventually, there was enough material for an album, which are the 11 songs compiled here on Songs of the Fortnight.
The album features ten Bryan originals, and an opening cut that is another nod to Bryan’s ease at throwing the spotlight; a barn-burning cover of Scruffy The Cat’s college radio favorite “Mybabyshe’sallright” (featuring frequent REM collaborator Peter Holsapple on harmonica.)
The upcoming album functions as somewhat of a capper – the “Song of the Fortnight” blog could have continued indefinitely if Bryan hadn’t received an offer to work for the College of Charleston, but the opportunity was right in line with his interest and continuing passion for elevating the local music community.
Furthering his community efforts, Bryan also teamed up with the esteemed local venue, the Charleston Music Hall to launch a television show “Live at the Charleston Music Hall,” which recently won a regional Emmy for Arts and Entertainment in the Southeast, and he is also heavily involved in Carolina Studios, a non-profit recording studio that allows children in low-income areas to have a songwriting and recording experience free-of-charge.
As Bryan continues to lend his part in helping to build Charleston, South Carolina into a rightful music mecca, he is also continuing to do what he’s done since he was a teenager by writing songs and making music.
“I have been fortunate to get to pursue my passion throughout my career,” he says. “My father taught me from a very young age to make a living doing something you love. I’ve always taken that approach to songwriting and performing by giving everything I have.”
Mark Bryan’s third album Songs of the Fortnight preceded by the single “Forgetting About Me” arrives August 11th via the artist’s own Chucktown Music Group.
“Charleston is an amazing city in the middle of a remarkable renaissance,” guitarist and songwriter, Mark Bryan says of his adopted hometown. “I’m lucky to be part of its growth. There are dozens of acts coming out of Charleston that are worthy of national recognition. You can really feel it.”
If you ask anyone in the Charleston music community about Bryan, they'll say, “Oh, everyone around Charleston knows Mark!” In actuality, everyone around the world probably knows a little bit about Bryan, whether they know they know or not.
As the guitarist for the two-time Grammy winning, nearly 20-million album selling band Hootie and The Blowfish, Bryan’s guitar playing was ubiquitous in 1995, contributing to the biggest album sales of any release that year, and leading to what is now ranked as one of the biggest selling albums in music history.
Of course, success at that level brings with it all sorts of pre-conceptions, so when first hearing the tunes on Bryan’s upcoming third album Songs of The Fortnight, (August 11th, Chucktown Music Group), listeners will be surprised at the down-to-Earth songwriting that plays as just-earnest enough to be relatable and believable, while also sounding like Southern hospitality.
It was after Hootie went on indefinite hiatus almost a decade ago that Bryan first went full-force into other areas of the music business beyond being a musician.
“I learned a lot about making albums over the years from the Dons: Don Dixon, Don Gehman, and Don Was,” he explains of the three production legends who worked with Hootie. “Through that, the idea of producing talented artists with great songs, and helping them make timeless recordings, was very appealing to me, and something I quickly became very passionate about.”
As Bryan began to amass production credits on dozens of recordings, he also started using his own studio and personal resources to record and release songs on the fly – first his own, and then those of other artists.
This process eventually led to the launch of the “Song of the Fortnight” blog, where Bryan posted a new song of his own, or an artist he was playing with or producing, every two weeks, for three years. Eventually, there was enough material for an album, which are the 11 songs compiled here on Songs of the Fortnight.
The album features ten Bryan originals, and an opening cut that is another nod to Bryan’s ease at throwing the spotlight; a barn-burning cover of Scruffy The Cat’s college radio favorite “Mybabyshe’sallright” (featuring frequent REM collaborator Peter Holsapple on harmonica.)
The upcoming album functions as somewhat of a capper – the “Song of the Fortnight” blog could have continued indefinitely if Bryan hadn’t received an offer to work for the College of Charleston, but the opportunity was right in line with his interest and continuing passion for elevating the local music community.
Furthering his community efforts, Bryan also teamed up with the esteemed local venue, the Charleston Music Hall to launch a television show “Live at the Charleston Music Hall,” which recently won a regional Emmy for Arts and Entertainment in the Southeast, and he is also heavily involved in Carolina Studios, a non-profit recording studio that allows children in low-income areas to have a songwriting and recording experience free-of-charge.
As Bryan continues to lend his part in helping to build Charleston, South Carolina into a rightful music mecca, he is also continuing to do what he’s done since he was a teenager by writing songs and making music.
“I have been fortunate to get to pursue my passion throughout my career,” he says. “My father taught me from a very young age to make a living doing something you love. I’ve always taken that approach to songwriting and performing by giving everything I have.”
Mark Bryan’s third album Songs of the Fortnight preceded by the single “Forgetting About Me” arrives August 11th via the artist’s own Chucktown Music Group.
“Charleston is an amazing city in the middle of a remarkable renaissance,” guitarist and songwriter, Mark Bryan says of his adopted hometown. “I’m lucky to be part of its growth. There are dozens of acts coming out of Charleston that are worthy of national recognition. You can really feel it.”
If you ask anyone in the Charleston music community about Bryan, they'll say, “Oh, everyone around Charleston knows Mark!” In actuality, everyone around the world probably knows a little bit about Bryan, whether they know they know or not.
As the guitarist for the two-time Grammy winning, nearly 20-million album selling band Hootie and The Blowfish, Bryan’s guitar playing was ubiquitous in 1995, contributing to the biggest album sales of any release that year, and leading to what is now ranked as one of the biggest selling albums in music history.
Of course, success at that level brings with it all sorts of pre-conceptions, so when first hearing the tunes on Bryan’s upcoming third album Songs of The Fortnight, (August 11th, Chucktown Music Group), listeners will be surprised at the down-to-Earth songwriting that plays as just-earnest enough to be relatable and believable, while also sounding like Southern hospitality.
It was after Hootie went on indefinite hiatus almost a decade ago that Bryan first went full-force into other areas of the music business beyond being a musician.
“I learned a lot about making albums over the years from the Dons: Don Dixon, Don Gehman, and Don Was,” he explains of the three production legends who worked with Hootie. “Through that, the idea of producing talented artists with great songs, and helping them make timeless recordings, was very appealing to me, and something I quickly became very passionate about.”
As Bryan began to amass production credits on dozens of recordings, he also started using his own studio and personal resources to record and release songs on the fly – first his own, and then those of other artists.
This process eventually led to the launch of the “Song of the Fortnight” blog, where Bryan posted a new song of his own, or an artist he was playing with or producing, every two weeks, for three years. Eventually, there was enough material for an album, which are the 11 songs compiled here on Songs of the Fortnight.
The album features ten Bryan originals, and an opening cut that is another nod to Bryan’s ease at throwing the spotlight; a barn-burning cover of Scruffy The Cat’s college radio favorite “Mybabyshe’sallright” (featuring frequent REM collaborator Peter Holsapple on harmonica.)
The upcoming album functions as somewhat of a capper – the “Song of the Fortnight” blog could have continued indefinitely if Bryan hadn’t received an offer to work for the College of Charleston, but the opportunity was right in line with his interest and continuing passion for elevating the local music community.
Furthering his community efforts, Bryan also teamed up with the esteemed local venue, the Charleston Music Hall to launch a television show “Live at the Charleston Music Hall,” which recently won a regional Emmy for Arts and Entertainment in the Southeast, and he is also heavily involved in Carolina Studios, a non-profit recording studio that allows children in low-income areas to have a songwriting and recording experience free-of-charge. As Bryan continues to lend his part in helping to build Charleston, South Carolina into a rightful music mecca, he is also continuing to do what he’s done since he was a teenager by writing songs and making music.
“I have been fortunate to get to pursue my passion throughout my career,” he says. “My father taught me from a very young age to make a living doing something you love. I’ve always taken that approach to songwriting and performing by giving everything I have.”
Mark Bryan’s third album Songs of the Fortnight preceded by the single “Forgetting About Me” arrives August 11th via the artist’s own Chucktown Music Group.
Thankfully, the upcoming EP from The March Divide is not posthumously titled “I Died In Arizona,” but it came close. “I was in Arizona for a week with my family, and I got sicker than I’ve ever been in my life on that trip,” explains Jared Putnam, The March Divide’s non-stop workhorse and sole permanent member. Putnam just so happened to be listening to the final mixes of his new songs at the time, as well.
“For the rest of my life, I’m always going to associate these songs with how sick I was that week. I actually remember listening to the final mixes and saying out loud, ‘please, don’t let me die in Arizona.’”
Today, Putnam is safely back home in San Antonio, Texas and will release his inspired new EP, “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona” on August 4th, 2017.
“This was a different sort of release for me,” he says. “I’ve been experimenting a lot with my approach to percussion, hoping to find a new balance between rock and pop. I explained what I had been hoping to do to Mike [Major, Putnam’s producer], and he really seemed to get it.”
Major, best known for his work with At The Drive-In and Coheed and Cambria, has been working with Putnam’s for some time. Major is also a percussionist, which makes his contributions to “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona” an even more essential piece of the puzzle, which he will get into as he makes his debut appearance in a bio about The March Divide right now:
“I mastered a few records for Jared over the years and thought he always made good sounding, straight-ahead pop rock records with strong songwriting, heartfelt performances, and modern-sounding production. In other words, there was nothing really wrong with it, and there wasn’t much reason to change anything,” Major says.
When it came to the percussion-focused sound of “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona,” however, Putnam asked Major for more.
“He asked if I would like to be more involved, and of course I accepted. Jared didn’t want the songs to follow any set pattern of production. For example, in an earlier session that I had mixed for him, he used an empty Rubbermaid tub as the kick drum, and hand claps in place of the snare drum, so using this as an outline for how the rhythm could be created, we jumped right in.”
Over the last few years, the press has discovered Putnam’s “completely clever” (Performer) songs “all about lyrics and melodies” (Babysue) that are “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter), filled with “bittersweet beauty” (Impose), “catchy hooks” (Innocent Words), and voiced by a man “gifted with a serious set of pipes” (The Aquarian). Atwood Magazine recently said, “Eloquently simple and concise, Putnam’s lyrics are immediately relatable. His experience and memory transfer directly from the song to the listener.”
“I really wanted to deliver something more pop than rock,” Putnam says of "Tired Voice," the first single from the new EP. “Lyrically, this song is about the one step forward, two steps back feeling that comes with every music career, over time. While the highs make it all worth it, the lows are tough, and feel all too frequent.” Regardless, as anyone who has been doing what Putnam has been doing for this long, he has manages to keep his perspective intact. “It’s important to remember that everything and everyone you leave behind, can and will go on without you,” Putnam concludes.
Jared Putnam is alive and well and living in San Antonio. “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona,” the latest EP by The March Divide is scheduled for release on August 4th, 2017, preceded by the single and music video for “Tired Voice,” streaming now.
Thankfully, the upcoming EP from The March Divide is not posthumously titled “I Died In Arizona,” but it came close. “I was in Arizona for a week with my family, and I got sicker than I’ve ever been in my life on that trip,” explains Jared Putnam, The March Divide’s non-stop workhorse and sole permanent member. Putnam just so happened to be listening to the final mixes of his new songs at the time, as well.
“For the rest of my life, I’m always going to associate these songs with how sick I was that week. I actually remember listening to the final mixes and saying out loud, ‘please, don’t let me die in Arizona.’”
Today, Putnam is safely back home in San Antonio, Texas and will release his inspired new EP, “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona” on August 4th, 2017.
“This was a different sort of release for me,” he says. “I’ve been experimenting a lot with my approach to percussion, hoping to find a new balance between rock and pop. I explained what I had been hoping to do to Mike [Major, Putnam’s producer], and he really seemed to get it.”
Major, best known for his work with At The Drive-In and Coheed and Cambria, has been working with Putnam for some time. Major is also a percussionist, which makes his contributions to “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona” an even more essential piece of the puzzle, which he will get into as he makes his debut appearance in a bio about The March Divide right now:
“I mastered a few records for Jared over the years and thought he always made good sounding, straight-ahead pop rock records with strong songwriting, heartfelt performances, and modern-sounding production. In other words, there was nothing really wrong with it, and there wasn’t much reason to change anything,” Major says. "When it came to the percussion-focused sound of “Don’t Let Me Die In Arizona,” however, Putnam asked Major for more. “He asked if I would like to be more involved, and of course I accepted.
Jared didn’t want the songs to follow any set pattern of production. For example, in an earlier session that I had mixed for him, he used an empty Rubbermaid tub as the kick drum, and hand claps in place of the snare drum, so using this as an outline for how the rhythm could be created, we jumped right in.”
Over the last few years, the press has discovered Putnam’s “completely clever” (Performer) songs “all about lyrics and melodies” (Babysue) that are “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter), filled with “bittersweet beauty” (Impose), “catchy hooks” (Innocent Words), and voiced by a man “gifted with a serious set of pipes” (The Aquarian). Atwood Magazine recently said, “Eloquently simple and concise, Putnam’s lyrics are immediately relatable. His experience and memory transfer directly from the song to the listener.”
"I've had this song for a number of years, and after talking with Mike about the direction of the EP, I knew it fit the mold," Putnam says of the new "Cherry Bomb" single. "Though the songs came first, we wanted it to feel like they were built around the percussion. This whole approach is something I've been working on, so for the initial pre-production of the EP, I made some very quick demos of the songs, that Mike programmed percussion to. 'Cherry Bomb' was the first song he sent me, and I remember thinking, 'Holy shit, he did it!'"
Married Bakersfield, California-based dreampop duo Fawns of Love returns hot on the heels of early 2017’s debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow with a new double-A side 7-inch “Falling / Standing,” to be released in that most physical of forms on July 7th, 2017.
FLOOD called Joseph and Jenny Andreotti’s debut “perfectly woozy,” evoking “the soft gauze of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive.” MAGNET said it “drifts along dreamily,” and The Big Takeover noted the “obsessive joy in Fawns of Love’s take on shoegaze.”
As the debut Fawns of Love album was released, and students headed to the beach for spring break, their teachers headed to the recording studio. At least that’s what the Andreottis did.
“We recorded ‘Falling’ and ‘Standing’ in our apartment during our spring break from teaching,” Joseph explains. “We used a vintage reel-to-reel, Korg MS-20 synthesizer, Korg SQ-1, and Electro-Harmonix analog guitar pedals alongside Logic. A Warren Ellis signature Eastwood Tenor Guitar was used as was a Fender Jaguar bass guitar.”
“I have daydreamed since I was a small girl and even my daydreams have become so realistic that even the people in my fantasies insult me," Jenny explains about "Falling". "So I go back and forth. When I get frustrated with real people I go into my fantasies and when my fantasies become too real I go back to reality. When you are attending funerals in your alternate reality perhaps it is time to imagine a new scenario."
Look out for the “Falling / Standing” 7-inch by Fawns of Love on July 7th. The duo’s debut album "Who Cares About Tomorrow" is out now.
Married Bakersfield, California-based dreampop duo Fawns of Love returns hot on the heels of early 2017’s debut album Who Cares About Tomorrow with a new double-A side 7-inch “Falling / Standing,” to be released in that most physical of forms on July 7th, 2017.
FLOOD called Joseph and Jenny Andreotti’s debut “perfectly woozy,” evoking “the soft gauze of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive.” MAGNET said it “drifts along dreamily,” and The Big Takeover noted the “obsessive joy in Fawns of Love’s take on shoegaze.”
As the debut Fawns of Love album was released, and students headed to the beach for spring break, their teachers headed to the recording studio. At least that’s what the Andreottis did.
“We recorded ‘Falling’ and ‘Standing’ in our apartment during our spring break from teaching,” Joseph explains. “We used a vintage reel-to-reel, Korg MS-20 synthesizer, Korg SQ-1, and Electro-Harmonix analog guitar pedals alongside Logic. A Warren Ellis signature Eastwood Tenor Guitar was used as was a Fender Jaguar bass guitar.”
"'Falling' is about a retired bachelor who meets a younger woman," Jenny says. "He quickly decides to go on a long distance vacation with her and is so exited that he literally tells everyone he knows. The relationship immediately blows up in his face and inevitably there is a long awkward plane ride home."
Look out for the “Falling / Standing” 7-inch by Fawns of Love on July 7th. The duo’s debut album "Who Cares About Tomorrow" is out now.
Big Fresh, one of Lexington, Kentucky’s most venerable pop music institutions, is proud to announce the upcoming release of “Fall Preview,” one of two EPs that the ten-member band has scheduled for 2017 on its own Desperate Spirits label. “Fall Preview” represents the first Big Fresh release in six years, following up the band’s third full-length, 2011’s Moneychasers, and will be available on collectible limited vinyl, and digitally, June 2nd.
Drawing from musical touchstones near and far, “Fall Preview” synthesizes the breezy harmonies of The Free Design, the lush arrangements of David Axelrod, and the gleeful deconstructionism of XTC.
“Target audiences include all citizens of China, manic depressives, scholars of jazz chord voicings, and recovering Catholics,” says band leader John Ferguson. “It’s sanguine music for turbulent times.”
In addition to his work as part of Big Fresh, Ferguson also performs with, and produces, a number of other Lexington-based oddballs, and he is probably best-known as a member of the much-beloved Elephant 6 flagship band, The Apples In Stereo, which he joined in 2006. In fact, Apples front man Robert Schneider appears on “Fall Preview” as the lead vocalist of the EP’s first single “Paralyzed,” and represents just one of the guest voices on this collection of songs where the band’s lead singer doesn’t do much lead singing.
“We got tired of hearing ourselves singing lead on every track,” explains Ferguson, “So we invited a few of our talented friends to join us.”
Indeed, the opening cut “Tongku,” features vocals in Mandarin by Bianbian, lead singer of the Beijing pop band, Candy Monster. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Beans” features the stylings of Hair Police founder, Trevor Tremaine, “Yes Yes Yes” is voiced by former Big Fresh singer, Kate Pope, and closing track “Like Swayze” (yes, that Swayze) features Lexington-based Hip-Hop and Soul singer, Michelle Hollis.
"'Like Swazye' is a track that started out as an instrumental slow jam and morphed into an outlet for my obsession with Patrick Swayze's films." Ferguson says. "From 'Point Break' to 'The Outsiders,' from 'Dirty Dancing' to 'Road House,' Patrick Swayze is, for me, the ultimate action star. He's not like Arnold, Sly, or Bruce Willis in his ability to kick ass until the room is cleared. Instead, Patrick uses his mind, his emotional draw, his connection to people and to the earth to overcome adversity. Patrick is the thinking man's action star. He's not afraid to own the dance floor with the hottest women in the room, or to rip a motherfucker's throat out. Our song, 'Like Swayze' is an homage to the vulnerability and strength presented in the collected works of Patrick Swayze."
This June, Big Fresh will hit the road (all ten band members!) for dates in the Northeast and Midwest, and the second EP in this series, “Sweeps,” will follow closely behind in the fall. “Sweeps” will also feature guest vocalists, this time including Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Per Sunding of Eggstone, and Karen Hover of Sound of Ceres. For now, Ferguson and the rest of Big Fresh urges you to consider this: In a world with few things left to truly enjoy, “Fall Preview” might be your last chance at true happiness.
Hyperbole? You’ll have to listen to find out for sure.
The “Fall Preview” EP by Big Fresh arrives on collectible limited vinyl, and digitally, on June 2nd.
Big Fresh, one of Lexington, Kentucky’s most venerable pop music institutions, is proud to announce the upcoming release of “Fall Preview,” one of two EPs that the ten-member band has scheduled for 2017 on its own Desperate Spirits label. “Fall Preview” represents the first Big Fresh release in six years, following up the band’s third full-length, 2011’s Moneychasers, and will be available on collectible limited vinyl, and digitally, June 2nd.
Drawing from musical touchstones near and far, “Fall Preview” synthesizes the breezy harmonies of The Free Design, the lush arrangements of David Axelrod, and the gleeful deconstructionism of XTC.
“Target audiences include all citizens of China, manic depressives, scholars of jazz chord voicings, and recovering Catholics,” says band leader John Ferguson. “It’s sanguine music for turbulent times.”
In addition to his work as part of Big Fresh, Ferguson also performs with, and produces, a number of other Lexington-based oddballs, and he is probably best-known as a member of the much-beloved Elephant 6 flagship band, The Apples In Stereo, which he joined in 2006. In fact, Apples front man Robert Schneider appears on “Fall Preview” as the lead vocalist of the EP’s first single “Paralyzed,” and represents just one of the guest voices on this collection of songs where the band’s lead singer doesn’t do much lead singing.
“We got tired of hearing ourselves singing lead on every track,” explains Ferguson, “So we invited a few of our talented friends to join us.”
Indeed, the opening cut “Tongku,” features vocals in Mandarin by Bianbian, lead singer of the Beijing pop band, Candy Monster. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Beans” features the stylings of Hair Police founder, Trevor Tremaine, “Yes Yes Yes” is voiced by former Big Fresh singer, Kate Pope, and closing track “Like Swayze” (yes, that Swayze) features Lexington-based Hip-Hop and Soul singer, Michelle Hollis. As mentioned, the familiar voice of Schneider lifts up the EP’s first single and music video, “Paralyzed.”
About that tune, Ferguson says, “It’s a cynical look at my journey growing up within the culture of fundamentalist Christianity, fast food, and excessive television consumption in rural Kentucky. Although I was able to shed my primitive and superstitious programming by the time I was a teen, I notice that I’ve come to a place where I’m still highly judgmental of myself for ‘checking out’ in front of screens.”
Ferguson says that the song’s lyric “I hope I see the day, when I can believe in anything at all” perfectly sums up the feeling of the tune. That said, no one should be swayed (Swayze!) into thinking that “Paralyzed” is – especially with Schneider’s vocal leading the way – anything less than a stellar example of ooey gooey pure pop goodness. As succinctly stated by Ferguson, “the sweetly fatalistic optimism of Big Fresh resonates.”
This summer, Big Fresh will hit the road (all ten band members!) for dates in the Northeast and Midwest, and the second EP in this series, “Sweeps,” will follow closely behind in the fall. “Sweeps” will also feature guest vocalists, this time including Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Per Sunding of Eggstone, and Karen Hover of Sound of Ceres. For now, Ferguson and the rest of Big Fresh urges you to consider this: In a world with few things left to truly enjoy, “Fall Preview” might be your last chance at true happiness.
Hyperbole? You’ll have to listen to find out for sure.
The “Fall Preview” EP by Big Fresh arrives on collectible limited vinyl, and digitally, on June 2nd, preceded by single and music video for “Paralyzed” (feat. Robert Schneider.)
“It’s an accidental love child,” says Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate Tucker of Little Reader, her new and unexpected pop music collaboration with fellow songwriter and guitarist, Ross Flournoy, late of Merge Records bands The Broken West and Apex Manor. The duo’s debut album The Big Score (out May 19th, 2017) was produced by Mark Watrous of The Shins.
In addition to working on their own projects, Tucker and Flournoy have both found success writing for others in recent years. If you’ve watched Jake Tapper’s CNN show, then you’ve heard Flournoy’s theme music, and Tucker has found herself on stage at the Sundance Film Festival for her work in film scoring and soundtracks. Between the two of them, dozens of television shows have used Tucker and Flournoy’s songs.
So, when these two met for the first time, in the hills over Los Angeles, where Memphis-born Flournoy now lives, it was merely to try writing together at the request of their publisher, or as Tucker jokes, “It was basically as blind a date as a co-write can be.” But, as we now know, the pair ultimately decided to take it all the way, and soon, Flournoy was in Nashville recording with Kate and her mates.
It’s a good thing. The songs on The Big Score feel personal. Worn-in just underneath the freshness of their sound.
Tucker grew up in a family of truck drivers, and this lifelong experience with the American road is always in her work. Even in Little Reader’s most Depeche Mode-moments, the rust belt is there, following Tucker from her beginnings in Akron, to busking in Paris, to Seattle with her dream-pop band Sons of Sweden, then making the requisite stop in Brooklyn bringing about a more emotive, folk-leaning span of songwriting.
And now onto Nashville and Little Reader.
From the album’s opener and first single “Speed of Light,” listeners will feel like they are taken into a John Hughes film, namely “Pretty In Pink,” specifically right into Trax, the record store where Molly Ringwald’s “Andie” worked, and where Annie Potts asked for “applause, applause, applause!”
Tucker actually references a different film. “Star Wars.”
“It was around Christmas and we were all in ‘Star Wars’ mode,” she says. “I was feeling pretty great about a guy I was into, and between that and the onscreen reunion of Princess Leia and Han Solo, we came up with a song about the multi-dimensionality of love, and how it can maybe even outlast ‘time’ as we know it.”
It’s lighthearted fun for those who have fought-for perspective on what’s lighthearted and/or fun. Namely, it can take some heartbreak – a “heavy heart” – to know what feeling lighthearted even is.
The debut album by Little Reader arrives May 19th, 2017, preceded by the single and music video “Speed of Light.”
“It’s an accidental love child,” says Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate Tucker of Little Reader, her new and unexpected pop music collaboration with fellow songwriter and guitarist, Ross Flournoy, late of Merge Records bands The Broken West and Apex Manor. The duo’s debut album "The Big Score" (out May 19th, 2017) was produced by Mark Watrous of The Shins.
One album track, "Burn Eternal," is a perfect example of the duo's take on lighthearted fun for those who have fought-for perspective on what’s lighthearted and/or fun. Namely, it can take some heartbreak – a “heavy heart” – to know what feeling lighthearted even is. It's is a breezy, almost flouncy pop tune that, just when you think it’s a lark, sneaks up with the chorus “If you walk away, you’ll have a hole inside your heart, just like one in mine you made.”
Oh.
Ouch.
Didn’t know it was like that!
“Heartache is its own dark medicine and owning it can be surprisingly empowering,” Tucker confirms. “And The Pretenders is a great band.”
Okay, done deal!
In addition to working on their own projects, Tucker and Flournoy have both found success writing for others in recent years. If you’ve watched Jake Tapper’s CNN show, then you’ve heard Flournoy’s theme music, and Tucker has found herself on stage at the Sundance Film Festival for her work in film scoring and soundtracks. Between the two of them, dozens of television shows have used Tucker and Flournoy’s songs.
So, when these two met for the first time, in the hills over Los Angeles, where Memphis-born Flournoy now lives, it was merely to try writing together at the request of their publisher, or as Tucker jokes, “It was basically as blind a date as a co-write can be.” But, as we now know, the pair ultimately decided to take it all the way, and soon, Flournoy was in Nashville recording with Kate and her mates.
It’s a good thing. The songs on band's upcoming debut album "The Big Score" feel personal. Worn-in just underneath the freshness of their sound. "The Big Score" by Little Reader arrives May 19th, 2017.
The untraditionally traditional Cymru, Wales-based group Calan is the only Gwerin (translation: Folk) band to be held in a detainment cell at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport alongside a death metal band from Estonia. Calan is also the only band of any genre to follow-up that experience by performing alongside Sting at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 50th birthday celebration of famed opera singer, Sir Bryn Terfel Jones.
These facts, even without listening to a note (or a foot stomp) from Calan, makes them rock stars, albeit rock stars on a mission to prove that traditional music, based on folklore and taught and performed through the generations, actually does rock. With 2017 performances in Australia and China following several months touring the US and UK supporting the new album "Solomon" (Sain Records, May 12th), Calan is on its way to accomplishing that.
Despite the ancient roots of Calan’s music, this brash, young group is comprised of a new generation of ambassadors, striving to take their sound to new audiences, raising some eyebrows with their deliberate presentation, while also raising the international profile of traditional Welsh music. Get used to this: Accordion, Fiddle, Pipes, Harp, and the percussive sound of Clogs are the new Guitar, Bass, and Drums.
To date, Calan has gone from busking in the streets of Cardiff to introducing Welsh traditional music to curious music fans in the UK, Belgium, Italy, France, and on several tours of North America, playing festival shows on huge stages to tens-of-thousands, as well as at local folk club shows, unrestricted by sound systems, while standing on tables and jumping off chairs.
"Solomon"'s latest single is "Kân"," a patriotic song about the future of the Welsh language and culture which samples the voice of famed poet, Nigel Jenkins, the late father of Calan member Angharad Jenkins. The chorus of this song is based on the style of traditional psalm chanting popular in west Wales at one time.
"Solomon," the latest album by Calan, arrives via Sain Records on May 12th, 2017.
The untraditionally traditional Cymru, Wales-based group Calan is the only Gwerin (translation: Folk) band to be held in a detainment cell at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport alongside a death metal band from Estonia. Calan is also the only band of any genre to follow-up that experience by performing alongside Sting at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 50th birthday celebration of famed opera singer, Sir Bryn Terfel Jones.
These facts, even without listening to a note (or a foot stomp) from Calan, makes them rock stars, albeit rock stars on a mission to prove that traditional music, based on folklore and taught and performed through the generations, actually does rock. With 2017 performances in Australia and China following several months touring the US and UK supporting the new album Solomon (Sain Records, May 12th), Calan is on its way to accomplishing that.
Despite the ancient roots of Calan’s music, this brash, young group is comprised of a new generation of ambassadors, striving to take their sound to new audiences, raising some eyebrows with their deliberate presentation, while also raising the international profile of traditional Welsh music. Get used to this: Accordion, Fiddle, Pipes, Harp, and the percussive sound of Clogs are the new Guitar, Bass, and Drums.
To date, Calan has gone from busking in the streets of Cardiff to introducing Welsh traditional music to curious music fans in the UK, Belgium, Italy, France, and on several tours of North America, playing festival shows on huge stages to tens-of-thousands, as well as at local folk club shows, unrestricted by sound systems, while standing on tables and jumping off chairs.
Soloman’s first single is “Apparition,” a Calan original based on entries in the bizarre diaries of Rev. Edmund Jones, a minister and soothsayer living in Wales during the 18th century. The writings affirm Jones’s belief in fairies, and discuss the legend that claimed that when the coal and iron industries came to Wales, the fairies disappeared, as fairies don’t react well to metals.
The video for the song was filmed in a scrap yard, representing how the fairies disliked iron and steel. The dancers in the clip represent how humans would see the fairies.
"They did not fly around like Tinkerbell or have pretty wings," says Calan vocalist, Bethan Rhiannon. "They looked just like everyone else and were the same size as humans. It's very hard to tell humans and fairies apart - you'll only know for sure when it's too late!"
Solomon, the latest album by Calan, arrives via Sain Records on May 12th, 2017.
How does one definitively describe John Andrew Fredrick, this guy that has been making music, writing books, professionally professing about both (that’s what professors do?), and generally being a ceaseless creative entity forever?
Despite all of Fredrick’s quixotic threats to quit releasing music and concentrate on his other careers and hobbies (Dr. Fredrick holds a Ph.D, plays tennis or ping-pong five days a week, and paints), the guitar-driven songs just keep coming, like they have since Fredrick spent a year in bed at the age of 11, recovering from a badly broken leg, with nothing but a Silvertone acoustic guitar, and later that year, his life-long love, “The White Album,” to keep him company.
But, let’s go ahead and pop the bubble on this cloyingly corny (though stunningly true) tale and spill some tea:
“I keep writing because I am so bored with people -- and so in love with a handful of them,” Fredrick confesses. Perhaps this state is a symptom of 25 years of Los Angeles-living? “My kid who lives in New York really believes that Los Angeles is toxic, and conducive to advanced misanthropy,” Frederick jokes.
Nevertheless, songs and riffs and lyrics keep wandering into Fredrick’s head as he’s traversing the city’s infamous traffic to California Lutheran University, forty-five miles north of Los Angeles, where he lectures in the English department. The latest collection of wandering riffs and lyrics by the black watch, the latest in a line so long it’s like the painful reveal of an over-the-hill age (except this number represents an actual accomplishment), is Christened (emphasis on Christ) with a title wholly (holy) befitting Fredrick’s sense of humor and sense of artistic entitlement.
Put the puns away, it’s "The Gospel According To John."
The new album, arriving April 21st, 2017, is the band’s 15th in 30 years of music-making (leaving out EPs, singles, wax cylinders), a pretty impressive feat, especially for a band that has “put the frosting,” as Fredrick puts it sweet, on its career more than once.
"The Gospel According To John" follows-up 2015’s Highs & Lows, and was recorded over the course of eleven months with Rob Campanella of The Brian Jonestown Massacre producing.
On the heels of the release of "The Gospel According To John" on April 21st, Fredrick will follow-up four well-received novels with the release of a non-fiction title about Wes Anderson, who Fredrick previously taught a course on at The University of Southern California. Fucking Innocent: The Early Films of Wes Anderson will be released on June 13th, 2017.
“This book makes film criticism fun,” Fredrick says. “It’s very ‘Lester Bangs goes to the movies.’”
Now that Bob Dylan’s songs have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, perhaps Fredrick will be honored with a Grammy for his book.
"The Gospel According To John," the 15th full-length album by the black watch arrives on April 21st, 2017.
"'Satellite' is a song that just never had the right feel, mostly having to do with the drums," John Andrew Fredrick of the black watch explains about the closing track from the band's upcoming album (its 15th!) "The Gospel According To John," out April 21st.
"When we tried it for the one thousand and twelfth time, I thought it would be nice if some former band members came in and played on it. So in came Tim Boland on guitar and Roger Butchers on bass. That's me screaming, of course, in my screamy mode."
How does one definitively describe John Andrew Fredrick, this guy that has been making music, writing books, professionally professing about both (that’s what professors do?), and generally being a ceaseless creative entity forever?
Despite all of Fredrick’s quixotic threats to quit releasing music and concentrate on his other careers and hobbies (Dr. Fredrick holds a Ph.D, plays tennis or ping-pong five days a week, and paints), the guitar-driven songs just keep coming.
“I keep writing because I am so bored with people -- and so in love with a handful of them,” Fredrick confesses. Perhaps this state is a symptom of 25 years of Los Angeles-living? “My kid who lives in New York really believes that Los Angeles is toxic, and conducive to advanced misanthropy.”
Nevertheless, songs and riffs and lyrics keep wandering into Fredrick’s head as he’s traversing the city’s infamous traffic to California Lutheran University, forty-five miles north of Los Angeles, where he lectures in the English department. "The Gospel According To John" follows-up 2015’s "Highs & Lows," and was recorded over the course of eleven months with Rob Campanella of The Brian Jonestown Massacre producing.
On the heels of the new album, Fredrick will follow-up four well-received novels with the release of a non-fiction title about Wes Anderson, who Fredrick previously taught a course on at The University of Southern California. "Fucking Innocent: The Early Films of Wes Anderson" will be released on June 13th, 2017.
“This book makes film criticism fun,” Fredrick says. “It’s very ‘Lester Bangs goes to the movies.’”
How does one definitively describe John Andrew Fredrick, this guy that has been making music, writing books, professionally professing about both (that’s what professors do?), and generally being a ceaseless creative entity forever?
Despite all of Fredrick’s quixotic threats to quit releasing music and concentrate on his other careers and hobbies (Dr. Fredrick holds a Ph.D, plays tennis or ping-pong five days a week, and paints), the guitar-driven songs just keep coming, like they have since Fredrick spent a year in bed at the age of 11, recovering from a badly broken leg, with nothing but a Silvertone acoustic guitar, and later that year, his life-long love, “The White Album,” to keep him company.
But, let’s go ahead and pop the bubble on this cloyingly corny (though stunningly true) tale and spill some tea:
“I keep writing because I am so bored with people -- and so in love with a handful of them,” Fredrick confesses. Perhaps this state is a symptom of 25 years of Los Angeles-living? “My kid who lives in New York really believes that Los Angeles is toxic, and conducive to advanced misanthropy,” Frederick jokes.
Nevertheless, songs and riffs and lyrics keep wandering into Fredrick’s head as he’s traversing the city’s infamous traffic to California Lutheran University, forty-five miles north of Los Angeles, where he lectures in the English department. The latest collection of wandering riffs and lyrics by the black watch, the latest in a line so long it’s like the painful reveal of an over-the-hill age (except this number represents an actual accomplishment), is Christened (emphasis on Christ) with a title wholly (holy) befitting Fredrick’s sense of humor and sense of artistic entitlement.
Put the puns away, it’s "The Gospel According To John."
The new album, arriving April 21st, 2017, is the band’s 15th in 30 years of music-making (leaving out EPs, singles, wax cylinders), a pretty impressive feat, especially for a band that has “put the frosting,” as Fredrick puts it sweet, on its career more than once.
"The Gospel According To John" follows-up 2015’s Highs & Lows, and was recorded over the course of eleven months with Rob Campanella of The Brian Jonestown Massacre producing.
On the heels of the release of "The Gospel According To John" on April 21st, Fredrick will follow-up four well-received novels with the release of a non-fiction title about Wes Anderson, who Fredrick previously taught a course on at The University of Southern California. Fucking Innocent: The Early Films of Wes Anderson will be released on June 13th, 2017.
“This book makes film criticism fun,” Fredrick says. “It’s very ‘Lester Bangs goes to the movies.’”
Now that Bob Dylan’s songs have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, perhaps Fredrick will be honored with a Grammy for his book.
"The Gospel According To John," the 15th full-length album by the black watch arrives on April 21st, 2017.
"'The All-Right Side of Just OK' is a punkish thing that sparkles along the lines of two bands we are not ashamed to love: My Bloody Valentine and XTC," says John Andrew Fredrick of the black watch. "I think the lyrics are repeated three times rather than varied in order to emphasize how most of us face the same emotional and psychological problems, until we, as the song says, 'suture' them with our metaphorical 'needle and a thread.'"
How does one definitively describe John Andrew Fredrick, this guy that has been making music, writing books, professionally professing about both (that’s what professors do?), and generally being a ceaseless creative entity forever?
Despite all of Fredrick’s quixotic threats to quit releasing music and concentrate on his other careers and hobbies (Dr. Fredrick holds a Ph.D, plays tennis or ping-pong five days a week, and paints), the guitar-driven songs just keep coming, like they have since Fredrick spent a year in bed at the age of 11, recovering from a badly broken leg, with nothing but a Silvertone acoustic guitar, and later that year, his life-long love, “The White Album,” to keep him company.
But, let’s go ahead and pop the bubble on this cloyingly corny (though stunningly true) tale and spill some tea:
“I keep writing because I am so bored with people -- and so in love with a handful of them,” Fredrick confesses. Perhaps this state is a symptom of 25 years of Los Angeles-living? “My kid who lives in New York really believes that Los Angeles is toxic, and conducive to advanced misanthropy,” Fredrick jokes.
Nevertheless, songs and riffs and lyrics keep wandering into Fredrick’s head as he’s traversing the city’s infamous traffic to California Lutheran University, forty-five miles north of Los Angeles, where he lectures in the English department. The latest collection of wandering riffs and lyrics by the black watch, the latest in a line so long it’s like the painful reveal of an over-the-hill age (except this number represents an actual accomplishment), is Christened (emphasis on Christ) with a title wholly (holy) befitting Fredrick’s sense of humor and sense of artistic entitlement.
Put the puns away, it’s The Gospel According To John.
The new album, arriving April 21st, 2017, is the band’s 15th in 30 years of music-making (leaving out EPs, singles, wax cylinders), a pretty impressive feat, especially for a band that has “put the frosting,” as Fredrick puts it sweet, on its career more than once.
The Gospel According To John follows-up 2015’s Highs & Lows, and was recorded over the course of eleven months with Rob Campanella of The Brian Jonestown Massacre producing.
On the heels of the release of The Gospel According To John on April 21st, Fredrick will follow-up four well-received novels with the release of a non-fiction title about Wes Anderson, who Fredrick previously taught a course on at The University of Southern California. Fucking Innocent: The Early Films of Wes Anderson will be released on July 11th, 2017.
“This book makes film criticism fun,” Fredrick says. “It’s very ‘Lester Bangs goes to the movies.’”
Now that Bob Dylan’s songs have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, perhaps Fredrick will be honored with a Grammy for his book.
The Gospel According To John, the 15th full-length album by the black watch arrives on April 21st, 2017.
"'Weights and Stones' represents us releasing of all of the old ideals of our previous band," says Patrick Aubry of Tree Machines. "Our old band was comfortable in a mix of Math and Post-Rock, but Doug and I had always talked about an electronic component to our songs. We were listening to Radiohead's "The King of Limbs," Alt-J's debut, and Glass Animals at the time, and we were ready to embrace it. I think of 'Weights and Stones' as our official 'hello.'"
+++
Relocated from Lawrence, Kansas, Tree Machines built a safe room in Los Angeles. Not for security of the conventional kind, but for a place to unleash, and make the kind of music that is at once vulnerable and strong, without fear of consequence. Anthems for times that don’t make sense, but carve a path forward. Call it a studio, if you have to. But you don’t have to.
Here, Douglas Wooldridge (vocalist, lyricist), bandmate Patrick Aubry, and producer Mike Giffin (all three contribute to the various instrumentation and music) have been creating "Up For Air," the debut Tree Machines full-length album.
The upcoming album follows-up 2015’s debut Tree Machines EP, which contained the single “Fucking Off Today,” a difficult-to-ignore opening salvo that expressed Midwestern malaise (which these former Kansans know all too well) in a new way. Three more Tree Machines singles appeared during the summer of that year.
“We come from that Midwestern comfort,” says Aubry. “I knew what the weekend held, and who I could expect to see stumbling home drunk from the bar. Rent was cheap, and the beer was cheaper. And it was all so comfortable.”
Bye, Lawrence!
“It was disheartening at first,” Aubry confesses of the band’s move west. “Los Angeles had this golden aura around it from when I visited before we moved. This was the place dreams happened. This was the place where opportunity is just around the corner, waiting to jump out and surprise you.”
But Aubry and his bandmate sensed a special kind of loneliness in L.A. that only comes with being ignored.
“Los Angeles doesn’t care how much time or energy or effort or blood or sweat or anger you’ve spent to make your shitty music. It doesn’t care that you put together a band. It only cares about the result, and we are all stronger because of that,” he says.
Now, Los Angeles is beginning to smile at Tree Machines.The band is playing out, proving that their studio prowess isn’t just for the four walls.
“We have a chance to play live, and not be ostracized from the local scene because we’re not hip enough,” says Aubry. “I think people are going to be surprised that guys from Kansas can write music with a strong social conscience and unique ideas.”
"Up For Air," the debut album by Los Angeles-based band Tree Machines, arrives in 2017.
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is a prolific songwriter (three albums and four EPs worth over the last few years), but he's also a studio hound, in general, who loves to be there recording.
As Putnam preps songs for a new album, he has been having some fun recording cover versions of songs that have inspired him, some that are beloved hits, and some that are both. Most of all, they are songs he grew up with.
"I feel like these are the songs that introduced me to music, around the age that I started to care," he says.
Working with engineer Mike Major (At The Drive-In, Coheed and Cambria), who also plays keys on the majority of the tracks and has been working with Putnam for years, was a comfortable environment in which to have a good time with these tunes.
Artists including The Cure, The Bangles, Willie Nelson, Culture Club, and 'Til Tuesday get a treatment from Putnam that isn't ironic, but truly interpretive in the best way, as he takes his style and applies it with the thoughtful touch that makes it clear why we love these songs, and why he does, too.
"People might write this off as a rehash, but that honestly didn't even occur to me until I was finished recording. For me, these songs are endearing. I was a little kid and these songs were on MTV. Everyone loves something about these songs."
Adding to the fun, graphic designer Krist Krueger has taken Putnam's image and created a "covers for the covers," with each song accompanied by Warholian art depicting Putnam wearing the iconic hairstyle of the artist he's paying tribute to.
"My dad was in the Air Force, and my parents grew up in small town Texas," Putnam says, explaining his cover of Willie Nelson's "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys." "When I was two or three, my Dad was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He had always been into rock, but I guess they were a little home sick. A lot of my early memories are of my parents listening to Texas country records in that apartment, on base. Recently, my Dad gave me all of his old records, and I started with the batch of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, & Bob Wills."
"A beautiful guitar solo, a pleading chorus, a spacey Western twang that makes you think now that Firek has ridden off into the sunset, there’s a happy ending somewhere in the horizon." - Buzzbands.la
“A respect for raw expression while leaving room for nuance and beauty. Provides an immersive and mind-altering experience.” - Culture Collide
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"'Slipping On Dimes' was was originally conceived as a long-lost Ferdy song entitled 'Perestroika,'" says The Ferdy Mayne's Shane O’Malley Firek. "The main character is an alcoholic illegal immigrant. A lot of things were happenstance in the writing, like mentioning "Highway 51", which runs very close to the Mississippi. I wrote this down sporadically and it created the other spaces in my mind for what kind of landscape the character was surrounded by, mostly imagined in the south. The character is paranoid and lost."
The story of Firek, the single constant member of The Ferdy Mayne, is one of journeys – physical, spiritual, and a combination of the two.
“I was going through massive change when I was writing this material,” Firek explains. His moves from Detroit to Nashville, then to New York City, and now on the eve of the release of his self-titled debut album, to Los Angeles, all inform these songs.
“Before my sobriety, I was completely insane, in and out of jail, losing friends and putting myself in considerable debt,” he confesses. “I quit drinking around the time I began to perform in New York, and I’ve been sober a little over three years now.”
Free of the law, and free of the hold of alcohol, Firek accomplishes on this album what any artist hopes to who has lived through pretty good and really bad, and that is to fully inform the work with experience.
“All songwriting is informed by place, and I wrote what I felt within whatever place I may have been in. I scrape emotion from the bare bones of locations. I was decimated by each new experience and had to put myself back together again,” he says.
Firek is most proud of his lyrics, and unlike some songwriters, he fights hard for them, sometimes over the course of many years.
“When I write songs, it takes a very long time. Very rarely do songs come quickly, aside from a few on this record,” he says. One that came more easily is the album’s first single and music video, “Define My Name”.
Firek’s journey continues in 2017. Details of a tour behind the release of the debut album by The Ferdy Mayne will be announced shortly.
The story of Shane O’Malley Firek, the single constant member of The Ferdy Mayne, is one of journeys – physical, spiritual, and a combination of the two.
“I was going through massive change when I was writing this material,” Firek explains. His moves from Detroit to Nashville, then to New York City, and now on the eve of the release of his self-titled debut album (March 24th, Greater Peaks Records), to Los Angeles, all inform these songs.
“Los Angeles is a shimmering object at first glance,” he remembers. “It is unreliable, similar to the unreliable dream of New York City, but I trust in the truth that you can sharpen the tools you came here with.”
It’s a lot of movement, the other side of the coin of confinement, which Firek also knows something about. It’s likely the same optimism about his first glimpse of Los Angeles that kept him going before arriving there.
“Before my sobriety, I was completely insane, in and out of jail, losing friends and putting myself in considerable debt,” he confesses. “I quit drinking around the time I began to perform in New York, and I’ve been sober a little over three years now.”
Free of the law, and free of the hold of alcohol, Firek accomplishes on this album what any artist hopes to who has lived through pretty good and really bad, and that is to fully inform the work with experience.
Firek is most proud of his lyrics, and unlike some songwriters, he fights hard for them, sometimes over the course of many years.
“When I write songs, it takes a very long time. Very rarely do songs come quickly, aside from a few on this record,” he says.
While Firek has been pulling The Ferdy Mayne cart since 2008, the upcoming album is his first full-length effort. That said, the record has the fresh vitality that a first album should, and shows influences both very obvious and more obscure, from Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen to Merle Haggard, Wilco, and Lambchop.
“My influences are generally focused on very specific records and even more so, specific songs,” Firek says, breaking down the myth, and shedding light on the idea above by specifying it’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Street Hassle, and New Skin For The Old Ceremony that he’s feeling, along with Pride In What I Am, A Ghost Is Born, and How I Quit Smoking.
Firek’s laser-focused love for the specifics of other’s work also serves to put his own pride in perspective.
“I am in love with this record, and I want people to love it, too, but if the world doesn’t want it, I definitely have plenty more.”
Firek’s journey continues in 2017. Details of a tour behind the release of the debut album by The Ferdy Mayne will be announced shortly. The self-titled debut album by The Ferdy Mayne arrives on March 24th, 2017 via Greater Peaks Records.
Shane O’Malley Firek is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
Scroll Down For Lyrics
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The story of Shane O’Malley Firek, the single constant member of The Ferdy Mayne, is one of journeys – physical, spiritual, and a combination of the two.
“I was going through massive change when I was writing this material,” Firek explains. His moves from Detroit to Nashville, then to New York City, and now on the eve of the release of his self-titled debut album, to Los Angeles, all inform these songs.
“Los Angeles is a shimmering object at first glance,” he remembers. “It is unreliable, similar to the unreliable dream of New York City, but I trust in the truth that you can sharpen the tools you came here with.”
It’s a lot of movement, the other side of the coin of confinement, which Firek also knows something about. It’s likely the same optimism about his first glimpse of Los Angeles that kept him going before arriving there.
“Before my sobriety, I was completely insane, in and out of jail, losing friends and putting myself in considerable debt,” he confesses. “I quit drinking around the time I began to perform in New York, and I’ve been sober a little over three years now.”
Free of the law, and free of the hold of alcohol, Firek accomplishes on this album what any artist hopes to who has lived through pretty good and really bad, and that is to fully inform the work with experience.
“All songwriting is informed by place, and I wrote what I felt within whatever place I may have been in. I scrape emotion from the bare bones of locations. I was decimated by each new experience and had to put myself back together again,” he says.
Firek is most proud of his lyrics, and unlike some songwriters, he fights hard for them, sometimes over the course of many years.
“When I write songs, it takes a very long time. Very rarely do songs come quickly, aside from a few on this record,” he says. One that came more easily is the album’s first single and music video, “Define My Name”.
“This is the single most focused song on the record, lyrically,” he explains. “What else can it say? Define my name. Surreal, poignant Ferdy lyrics. This is what I do best.”
Firek’s journey continues in 2017. Details of a tour behind the release of the debut album by The Ferdy Mayne will be announced shortly.
Following up three previous EP releases, look out for the self-titled debut album by The Ferdy Mayne on March 24th, 2017 via Greater Peaks Records. The first single and music video for “Define My Name” are streaming now.
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"Define My Name"
define my name, little joan of arc monk cherry tree, won't you bury me? i want it sticking out the side of my head with the flower or the fruit define my name little casino hawk monk cherry tree gonna come after the dark i want it sticking out my chest i want to see it fly again
early water, early water don't bother me no more don't you tell me, don't you tell me what you're doing anymore
divide this tryst like a bitch in the mist monk cherry tree, why don't you give me a kiss? i want it sticking out my elbow like a stupid little plant kick this lust like a conch in the dust monk cherry tree, why don't you give me trust? i want it seeing me six feet underground i'll see everything on ahead
down your doorstep you got that cool, celestial walk i need it, i need it across your eyelids you see Parisian cabs on ice i need it, i need it
The five-piece Minneapolis-based band Tabah is often called out in the local press about its vocalist, Cecelia Erholtz. The word “Earthy” gets used a lot, and while not inaccurate, it leans into a place that is smaller than what is actually required to describe her. As a matter of fact, Erholtz’s “Earthy” vocals communicate something more universal than what could be attributed to any one planet. They could be “Jupitery,” or “Saturny,” and even Heavenly on Tabah’s debut album "Symmetry Somewhere," scheduled for release on March 17th, 2017.
Erholtz’s powerful voice – she also contributes on guitar – needs a powerful band to support it. Grounded, if you will. Earthy? Tribal. It comes in the form of the adept playing of her classically-trained bandmates, Jeff Ley (guitar/vocals), Charlie Bruber (bass/vocals), Andrew Seitz (keyboards, vocals), and Murphy Janssen (drums/percussion.)
Together – and Tabah’s musicians really do sound like they are playing together – the band takes this music to a unique place where psych-heaviness and ethereal-wisp combine in a way that hasn’t necessarily been heard like this before. Consider this: "Symmetry Somewhere" is a head-bobbing, mind-bender of an album that was recorded in Nashville, and could pass for folk in its quieter moments, but is still loud enough to piss off neighbors by blowing off their doors.
Recorded live to tape, with minimal overdubs, the band worked tirelessly during the day at Welcome To 1979 Studios, and then retired to a cattle ranch just outside of Nashville where they would meet at a gazebo near a frog pond. That place soon became a temple where the five would find themselves reflecting, releasing, and crafting closely amongst relaxed moonlight, soft mornings and Southern thunderstorms.
“We became so close on that trip that it sometimes feels like we’re still there,” Bruber recalls. Perhaps "Symmetry Somewhere" is the sound of trust and distrust combined then, a document of the band’s evolution from five into one. “A balancing act of destruction and perseverance,” as Bruber terms it.
At the end of the day, however, Tabah is pragmatic when it comes to this, encouraging listener interpretations rather than trying to define them. Describing Tabah as a “blank and meaningless canvas,” Bruber continues, saying, “We are eternally grateful for the ways people have perceived us so far, and we believe that this album will finally allow listeners to get a sense of what we are really going for in our music.”
So far, it’s made a lot of sense for the Minneapolis NPR-affiliate, 89.3 The Current, which has consistently supported Tabah since the band’s first EP release in 2015, giving the single heavy rotation and naming it one of the best local tracks of the year. The resultant sell-out crowds at Tabah’s hometown venue, the famed 7th Street Entry, have only further cemented the group as a must-see live act in the city; a mystifying, haunting, soulful experience that will now go national with the release of the new album, and tour to follow.
Now that "Symmetry Somewhere" is completed, the members of Tabah continue to seek – personally and also professionally – through their visceral ability to connect in meaningful ways with their rapidly expanding audience. Now they have the tangible result of this pursuit. The new album is already in their hands and ears, and soon, in yours. As for what can’t yet be physically grasped, it’s still waiting for us to discover. It might be Earthy. It’s definitely out there.
The debut album "Symmetry Somewhere" by Tabah is scheduled for release on March 17th, 2017, preceded by the single “Curtain Call,” streaming now. See Tabah on tour this spring.
The five-piece Minneapolis-based band Tabah is often called out in the local press about its vocalist, Cecelia Erholtz. The word “Earthy” gets used a lot, and while not inaccurate, it leans into a place that is smaller than what is actually required to describe her. As a matter of fact, Erholtz’s “Earthy” vocals communicate something more universal than what could be attributed to any one planet. They could be “Jupitery,” or “Saturny,” and even Heavenly on Tabah’s debut album "Symmetry Somewhere," scheduled for release on March 17th, 2017.
Erholtz’s powerful voice – she also contributes on guitar – needs a powerful band to support it. Grounded, if you will. Earthy? Tribal. It comes in the form of the adept playing of her classically-trained bandmates, Jeff Ley (guitar/vocals), Charlie Bruber (bass/vocals), Andrew Seitz (keyboards, vocals), and Murphy Janssen (drums/percussion.)
Together – and Tabah’s musicians really do sound like they are playing together – the band takes this music to a unique place where psych-heaviness and ethereal-wisp combine in a way that hasn’t necessarily been heard like this before. Consider this: "Symmetry Somewhere" is a head-bobbing, mind-bender of an album that was recorded in Nashville, and could pass for folk in its quieter moments, but is still loud enough to piss off neighbors by blowing off their doors.
Recorded live to tape, with minimal overdubs, the band worked tirelessly during the day at Welcome To 1979 Studios, and then retired to a cattle ranch just outside of Nashville where they would meet at a gazebo near a frog pond. That place soon became a temple where the five would find themselves reflecting, releasing, and crafting closely amongst relaxed moonlight, soft mornings and Southern thunderstorms.
“We became so close on that trip that it sometimes feels like we’re still there,” Bruber recalls. Perhaps "Symmetry Somewhere" is the sound of trust and distrust combined then, a document of the band’s evolution from five into one. “A balancing act of destruction and perseverance,” as Bruber terms it.
At the end of the day, however, Tabah is pragmatic when it comes to this, encouraging listener interpretations rather than trying to define them. Describing Tabah as a “blank and meaningless canvas,” Bruber continues, saying, “We are eternally grateful for the ways people have perceived us so far, and we believe that this album will finally allow listeners to get a sense of what we are really going for in our music.”
So far, it’s made a lot of sense for the Minneapolis NPR-affiliate, 89.3 The Current, which has consistently supported Tabah since the band’s first EP release in 2015, giving the single heavy rotation and naming it one of the best local tracks of the year. The resultant sell-out crowds at Tabah’s hometown venue, the famed 7th Street Entry, have only further cemented the group as a must-see live act in the city; a mystifying, haunting, soulful experience that will now go national with the release of the new album, and tour to follow.
The latest single from the album is its opening number, "Lucid State."
"This song is focused around two mantras the band holds dear," says Janssen. It showcases the many musical facets of Tabah, and touches on themes of the time, being a witness to the reality around us, and realizing our true potential as a single unit of humanity.”
Now that "Symmetry Somewhere" is completed, the members of Tabah continue to seek – personally and also professionally – through their visceral ability to connect in meaningful ways with their rapidly expanding audience. Now they have the tangible result of this pursuit. The new album is already in their hands and ears, and soon, in yours. As for what can’t yet be physically grasped, it’s still waiting for us to discover. It might be Earthy. It’s definitely out there.
The debut album "Symmetry Somewhere" by Tabah is scheduled for release on March 17th, 2017. See Tabah on tour this spring.
Tree Machines built a safe room in Los Angeles. Not for security of the conventional kind, but for a place to unleash, and make the kind of music that is at once vulnerable and strong, without fear of consequence. Anthems for times that don’t make sense, but carve a path forward. Call it a studio, if you have to. But you don’t have to.
Here, Douglas Wooldridge (vocalist, lyricist), bandmate Patrick Aubry, and producer Mike Giffin (all three contribute to the various instrumentation and music) have been creating "Up For Air," the debut Tree Machines full-length album.
The upcoming album follows-up 2015’s debut Tree Machines EP, which contained the single “Fucking Off Today,” an impossible-to-ignore opening salvo that expressed Midwestern malaise (which these former Lawrence, Kansans know all too well) in a new way. That title, yo! Three more Tree Machines singles appeared during the summer of that year.
“Los Angeles is a lonely city.”
Wooldridge knows. Longtime L.A. residents are saturated by this loneliness, except Wooldridge isn’t one of them. Leaving behind a much larger, safer room in Lawrence in 2015 taught him this with a quickness. Moving into a house in the tiny L.A. neighborhood called Canoga Park, the guys turned one of the garages into a tracking room, and filled it up with gear.
“We went down the rabbit hole building a studio out here,” says Giffin. “Researching the right gear for us and the space. We thought it would be quick, but it quickly became eight months.”
Regardless, the band was determined to create a room where they could make music that moved, was moving, and was so much bigger than the space in which it was created. Once recording finally commenced, Wooldridge spent hours upon hours in the vocal booth, sweating bullets under Valley temps that clocked in at 103, with another 10 on top of it because, like they say, vocal booths always add 10 degrees.
“It was fucking worth it.”
Wooldridge’s sweat is on these songs. You’ll feel it, too. The album’s first single, “Waiting On The Sun” is the example that secludes you in this intimate room, but also shows you the window at the same time. And it’s important to take a look. While there are millions of people filling homes and apartments in Los Angeles, with miles and miles of strip malls and all types of folks that would rather you hadn’t waltzed into their lives — there’s something more outside that small window, even if it takes time to find.
“Waiting On The Sun” is only the beginning of a slew of confessional songs that don’t mistake emotion for weakness. Full of muscle, intent, and urgency, there’s also the grace from acknowledging uncertainty, fear, and confusion.
“I think people are going to be surprised that guys from Kansas can write music with a strong social conscience and unique ideas,” Aubry concludes. “Plus, it sounds pretty fucking good, too.”
"Up For Air," the debut album by Los Angeles-based band Tree Machines, arrives in 2017, preceded by the singles “Waiting On The Sun,” “Weights and Stones,” and “Don’t Give Up.”
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is a prolific songwriter (three albums and four EPs worth over the last few years), but he's also a studio hound, in general, who loves to be there recording.
As Putnam preps songs for a new album, he has been having some fun recording cover versions of songs that have inspired him, some that are beloved hits, and some that are both. Most of all, they are songs he grew up with.
"I feel like these are the songs that introduced me to music, around the age that I started to care," he says.
Working with engineer Mike Major (At The Drive-In, Coheed and Cambria), who also plays keys on the majority of the tracks and has been working with Putnam for years, was a comfortable environment in which to have a good time with these tunes.
Artists including The Cure, The Bangles, Willie Nelson, Culture Club, and 'Til Tuesday get a treatment from Putnam that isn't ironic, but truly interpretive in the best way, as he takes his style and applies it with the thoughtful touch that makes it clear why we love these songs, and why he does, too.
"People might write this off as a rehash, but that honestly didn't even occur to me until I was finished recording. For me, these songs are endearing. I was a little kid and these songs were on MTV. Everyone loves something about these songs."
Adding to the fun, graphic designer Krist Krueger has taken Putnam's image and created a "covers for the covers," with each song accompanied by Warholian art depicting Putnam wearing the iconic hairstyle of the artist he's paying tribute to.
"For some people, Culture Club defines cheesy pop from the 80's, and at the time, Boy George was even considered a bit shocking," Putnam says, explaining his cover of "Karma Chameleon." "Maybe that's a part of what got the band as much attention as it received, but I was six-years-old when this song was big, so I didn't have any concept of what was cheesy or shocking. If I grew up at some other time, maybe I wouldn't like Culture Club, because I might not be able to see through all of that. But I do! I think their songs are great and fun to play."
“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” explains Joseph Andreotti, who along with his wife Jenny, comprises the Bakersfield, California-based duo, Fawns of Love. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that record.” Fawns of Love will release its debut album "Who Cares About Tomorrow" on March 3rd, 2017, preceded by the single and video for the song “That’s What We Do”.
It’s not the first time the Andreottis have chosen a band name. Married for 13 years, and performing together for 16, the duo has variously recorded and toured throughout that time under the names Funeral Club and Peppermint Kisses, releasing records with RCRD LBL, Plastiq Musiq, and several others along the way. Then, in early 2013, Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program.
“It was the first time since knowing each other that we didn’t make music together,” Joseph says. “But when she graduated last spring, we became anxious to start making music again.”
This time, the Andreottis were inspired to do something new with their latest musical inspiration, bringing their love of not only Ms. Bush, but also Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Pulp, Slowdive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Chills to the new project.
And Sparks. In Jenny’s case, lots of Sparks.
“To prepare for this album, I listened to every era of Sparks every chance I got,” she says. “What did I learn? That there is only one Sparks, so I better find a voice that works for me. I must say I am pleased with the results.”
Indeed, Fawns of Love takes all of these legendary sounds, which some immediately think of as cold or aloof, and makes them pop with overtones of The Smiths, New Order, and the undeniable warmth that comes from the Andreotti’s many years of making music together.
Did we mention Sparks?
“Two of the eight songs are homages to Russell Mael of Sparks,” Joseph confesses.
Obviously, there is obsessive joy in the Fawns of Love take on shoegaze. That said, there is also self-reflection that contributes to taking these songs to the next level, including the song "Silly Boy," about which Jenny says, "'Silly Boy' is in response to the typical rock songs I grew up with that were basically like 'Hey, baby you know you want this, with a hair metal guy gesturing towards his crotch."
With this tune, Jenny succeeds at writing the type of love song she thinks a woman would want written about her, "Still sexual, but less obvious, and not demeaning," she says.
Pondering love, and love lost in the many forms it takes, "Who Cares About Tomorrow," the debut album from Fawns of Love (March 3rd, 2017), does the diva that inspired the band’s name, and all of the notable influences heard throughout, quite proud.
Twenty years of 20 Minute Loop will be celebrated on February 24th, 2017 with the release of "Songs Praising The Mutant Race," the San Francisco-based band’s first album in over eight years, an achievement marked not only by gray hair, ringing ears and creaky knees, but a shit-ton of songs, stories and shows.
Formed by Greg Giles (vocals, guitar) in 1997, andjoined by Kelly Atkins (vocals, keyboards, flute) shortly thereafter, this core duo follows-up the release of five albums, with their sixth, and arguably most passionate, recording yet. The seemingly permanent shelving of 20 Minute Loop due to impossible scheduling, newborn children, and brain-rotting graduate studies, has now given way to "Songs Praising The Mutant Race," which offers up stripped down and reinvented versions of ten favorites from the 20 Minute Loop catalog, one cover song, and one never-before-released tune. The record proves that bands may die, but songs don’t. The collection breathes with both the wisdom of age, and renewal.
Inspired by the reactions of longtime fans at a series of intimate house concerts that 20 Minute Loop performed upon initially reforming in 2014, "Songs Praising The Mutant Race" finds the group recording as a trio in very similar circumstances: live in the room at Ninth Street Opus studios in Berkeley. It’s one of those longtime fans who has become a co-conspirator. Avowed 20 Minute Loop loyalist, Kevin Seal – “I like Radiohead more than 20 Minute Loop, and that’s basically it,” he jokes – sat in on piano and vocals for the living room shows, and has now joined in on the reinvention of these tunes in the studio.
“This is a band with a devoted following, and their fans wouldn’t let them go away,” Seal says. “‘Back by popular demand’ is usually nothing more than a threadbare cliché, but this band’s return really feels like a persistent request from their listeners. I’m still pinching myself that they invited me along.”
In re-imagining, re-arranging, ironing out, and stitching this material back together, the band wanted the songs to shine without being burdened by too much production. Here we have the songs and singers laid bare, accompanied by overdubs from mostly acoustic instruments, including viola, trumpet, flute, accordion, wineglass organ, and more. The result is a perfect depiction of the vibe from one of the living room concerts that inspired the record, with the band’s visceral lyrics and accompanying tempos taking on a woozy, syrupy overtone that makes these songs feel fresh. Sonically, these new versions focus on the vocal interplay between Giles and Atkins, who sound more like they were born to sing together than ever before.
“Singing with Greg has been the single most important musical relationship of my life,” Atkins explains. “It truly feels like ‘coming home’ for me. The nimble instinct that you have after singing with someone for 20 years is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure.”
That special vocal combination is especially affecting on the album’s opening number and first single “Mercury Vapor,” about which Atkins explains, “The re-do of this song includes Caitlin Tabancay Austin adding a third harmony, which absolutely brings the song to life. It’s frenetic, neurotic and makes me feel like I have a nervous tic every time I sing it – but in a good way.”
The song’s dark lyrics written by Giles (“I don’t care if I die, if I wind up dead”) belie the catchy, country hop of the tune.
“I don’t know why this song has a country hop to it,” Giles says, “but let’s just say 20 Minute Loop has always enjoyed mixing jubilant music with lyrical fatalism. I guess we're syncopating tones, sweet and sour, joy and loneliness, truck axles and eiderdown.”
"Songs Praising The Mutant Race" by 20 Minute Loop is scheduled for release on February 24th, 2017.
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is a prolific songwriter (three albums and four EPs worth over the last few years), but he's also a studio hound, in general, who loves to be there recording.
As Putnam preps songs for a new album, he has been having some fun recording cover versions of songs that have inspired him, some that are beloved hits, and some that are both. Most of all, they are songs he grew up with.
"I feel like these are the songs that introduced me to music, around the age that I started to care," he says.
Working with engineer Mike Major (At The Drive-In, Coheed and Cambria), who also plays keys on the majority of the tracks and has been working with Putnam for years, was a comfortable environment in which to have a good time with these tunes.
Artists including The Cure, The Bangles, Willie Nelson, Culture Club, and 'Til Tuesday get a treatment from Putnam that isn't ironic, but truly interpretive in the best way, as he takes his style and applies it with the thoughtful touch that makes it clear why we love these songs, and why he does, too.
"People might write this off as a rehash, but that honestly didn't even occur to me until I was finished recording. For me, these songs are endearing. I was a little kid and these songs were on MTV. Everyone loves something about these songs."
Adding to the fun, graphic designer Krist Krueger has taken Putnam's image and created "covers for the covers," with each song accompanied by Warholian art depicting Putnam wearing the iconic hairstyle of the artist he's paying tribute to.
The first track to be released is "Closedown" by The Cure, featuring Mr. Robert Smith's legendary coif on the jacket.
"I have an ongoing project, to record every song off of 'Disintegration,' over a lot of years," Putnam explains. "That album fits so well in the era it's from. It defined it. The songs are timeless."
Cover art designed by Krist Krueger.
Columbia, South Carolina-based five-piece Atlas Road Crew started out in 2011 as five college kids playing for free drinks, cranking out covers, and occasionally writing an original to use as the basis for a jam session. Of course, this is where many bands start, and it’s also where many end.
Not so for Atlas Road Crew.
Since those early days, the group has gone on to become a must-see act in the Southeast on the shoulders of a live show featuring its now-evolved songwriting, performed with a proficiency that isn’t jammy, it’s the jam.
“We started taking our songwriting a lot more seriously as we started to tour and work with different producers and writers in the studio,” explains drummer Patrick Drohan. “We knew we wanted to become more than just another bar band.” Atlas Road Crew also features Taylor Nicholson (Vocals, Guitar), Dave Beddingfield (Lead Guitar), Bryce James (Piano, Vocals), and Max Becker (Bass.)
Working with Grammy award-winning producer Rick Beato was one of the significant turning points that helped the members of Atlas Road Crew focus in on what they were trying to say, and to get the best out of their songs. The result was the 2015 album "Halfway To Hopkins," a punchy collection of soulful southern rock which inspired Relix to describe the band as “a more modern, pristine Allman Brothers.”
Praise like that is pretty far removed from playing for beers, but "Halfway To Hopkins" earned it off of the album’s successful ability to bring Atlas Road Crew’s swampy accents to fresh, contemporary tunes while still managing to capture the energy of the band’s blistering live show.
That last bit is no coincidence, as much of "Halfway To Hopkins" was recorded during studio stops while Atlas Road Crew was on tour.
“We recorded it at three different studios over four months,” says Drohan. “We had just gotten a van, and we were touring constantly, playing bigger and better venues. We were adapting to that artistically, and as our crowds grew, so did our sound.”
Two years after the release of "Halfway To Hopkins," and following a month-long tour of Europe during which the band managed to squeeze in 35 shows, Atlas Road Crew is now ready to turn another musical corner.
“That tour really solidified us into a cohesive rock band,” Drohan explains. “That transformational time had us thinking of the next step, which started leading us away from the southern rock of 'Halfway To Hopkins'”.
Cut to early 2017 and Atlas Road Crew is ready to let its fans in on what they’ve been cooking. “My Own Way,” the band’s new single and music video is just a taste what is on the horizon for Atlas Road Crew this year. The tune shows off a more straightforward rock sound influenced by the band’s contemporaries, and the song’s lyrics, perhaps unintentionally, speak to this mindset as Nicholson sings, “But what can I say, Just lost in a moment, I’ll find my own way.”
Much of that way will continue to be on the road, with plenty of live dates in the queue for Atlas Road Crew in 2017, including shows on the east coast with The Revivalists.
“The evolution of our sound is really exciting for us,” Drohan continues. “We’ve caught some decent breaks, but we also know that no success is overnight, and that an eight-hour drive is always going to take 10-and-a-half.”
“My Own Way” is the latest single and music video by Atlas Road Crew. The band is currently writing and recording material for inclusion on a new album scheduled for arrival later this year.
Corner Suns – the Dallas-based duo of John Dufilho (The Apples In Stereo, The Deathray Davies) and Brandon Carr (The Earlies) – will release its self-titled debut via Idol Records on Jan. 13th, 2017.
The 14-track album combines neo-psyche and baroque pop influences that will grab the attention of fans of artists such as The Zombies, Magnetic Fields, and The Shins that share a similar ability for sharp songwriting, memorable vocals, and pop hooks.
“After I stopped touring with The Earlies in 2007, I had pretty much given up on creating music,” Carr explains. “Fast forward to the summer of 2013, and I get a call from John out of the blue asking if I’d be interested in singing on a new project of his.”
Carr had collaborated with Dufilho in the past, and being aware of the latter’s “multi-instrumental prowess and penchant for song proliferation,” Carr immediately recognized Corner Suns as his avenue back into music.
“My original idea for this record was for it to be really heavy,” says Dufilho. “I wanted to make something that sounded like Black Sabbath, but I realized that I had no idea how to write songs like that.”
“It’s true, our psychedelic Black Sabbath concept was a misadventure,” Carr jokes. “My voice was still muddled from the years off, but John helped me find it again, and the songs really began to come together.”
“When Brandon and I worked together a few years back, I already loved his band The Earlies,” Dufilho remembers. “But as soon as I recorded him, I knew I wanted to write more songs for him to sing. He’s got an amazing voice – it’s really one of a kind.”
In addition to Carr’s vocals, singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe is featured on two Corner Suns tracks, and the album’s overall sound reflects the easy, collaborative nature of its creation.
“I’d play all instruments, sing, and send a mix to Brandon in Abilene,” Dufilho explains. “Brandon would come to Dallas on weekends and we’d drink, argue about whether The Pixies are any good, and eventually get around to recording his vocals to replace mine.”
"I was going to leave this one off the record, but I changed my mind, or maybe Brandon changed it for me," says Dufilho of "The Rattle In The Room," which features vocalist, Sarah Jaffe. "I asked Sarah if she'd be up for singing a few songs, and she liked this one. I'm always completely flattered when she's up for singing something I wrote."
The debut self-titled album by Corner Suns arrives on Jan. 13th, 2017 via Idol Records.
Corner Suns – the Dallas-based duo of John Dufilho (The Apples In Stereo, The Deathray Davies) and Brandon Carr (The Earlies) – will release its self-titled debut via Idol Records on Jan. 13th, 2017.
The 14-track album combines neo-psyche and baroque pop influences that will grab the attention of fans of artists such as The Zombies, Magnetic Fields, and The Shins that share a similar ability for sharp songwriting, memorable vocals, and pop hooks.
“After I stopped touring with The Earlies in 2007, I had pretty much given up on creating music,” Carr explains. “Fast forward to the summer of 2013, and I get a call from John out of the blue asking if I’d be interested in singing on a new project of his.”
Carr had collaborated with Dufilho in the past, and being aware of the latter’s “multi-instrumental prowess and penchant for song proliferation,” Carr immediately recognized Corner Suns as his avenue back into music.
“My original idea for this record was for it to be really heavy,” says Dufilho. “I wanted to make something that sounded like Black Sabbath, but I realized that I had no idea how to write songs like that.”
“It’s true, our psychedelic Black Sabbath concept was a misadventure,” Carr jokes. “My voice was still muddled from the years off, but John helped me find it again, and the songs really began to come together.”
“When Brandon and I worked together a few years back, I already loved his band The Earlies,” Dufilho remembers. “But as soon as I recorded him, I knew I wanted to write more songs for him to sing. He’s got an amazing voice – it’s really one of a kind.”
In addition to Carr’s vocals, singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe is featured on two Corner Suns tracks, and the album’s overall sound reflects the easy, collaborative nature of its creation.
“I’d play all instruments, sing, and send a mix to Brandon in Abilene,” Dufilho explains. “Brandon would come to Dallas on weekends and we’d drink, argue about whether The Pixies are any good, and eventually get around to recording his vocals to replace mine.”
“Borrowed Time,” the first single and video from the album is also the first song that Dufilho wrote for the project.
“‘Borrowed Time’ was inspired by artists I love like Broadcast, The Clientele, and Jacco Gardner,” Dufilho says. “Brandon laughed when he first heard it, because I’d given him a song with only two lines to sing.”
“I was a little disappointed with that,” Carr admits, “But I believe history will be on our side.”
The debut self-titled album by Corner Suns arrives on Jan. 13th, 2017 via Idol Records, preceded by the single and video “Borrowed Time,” streaming now.
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision: one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching. That’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released.
Twelve non-album tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes are already streaming at ichingsongs.com, having been released one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process. This past summer, "Death of The Cool," the first of several albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, was been released.
Available via the band’s Star Apple Kingdom label – with a limited-edition white vinyl version dropped in the fall – "Death of The Cool" adds eleven more of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy to the “Songs From The I Ching” project, bringing the total number of tracks now circulating to 23.
Next up is the digital four-track EP, "Girl With A Blue Guitar," covering an additional four of the I Ching's hexagrams, and bringing the ambitious project ever-closer to the half-way mark at 27 tracks.
And on Black Friday, Star Apple Kingdom will release a limited-edition orange vinyl version of its landmark LP "Kontiki," marking the first time that the record NME ranked #2 on its “100 Great Albums You’ve Never Heard” has been available on vinyl.
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision: one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching. That’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released.
Twelve non-album tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes are already streaming at ichingsongs.com, having been released one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process. This past summer, "Death of The Cool," the first of several albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, was been released.
Available via the band’s Star Apple Kingdom label – with a limited-edition white vinyl version dropped in the fall – "Death of The Cool" adds eleven more of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy to the “Songs From The I Ching” project, bringing the total number of tracks now circulating to 23.
Next up is the digital four-track EP, "Girl With A Blue Guitar," covering an additional four of the I Ching's hexagrams, and bringing the ambitious project ever-closer to the half-way mark at 27 tracks.
And on Black Friday, Star Apple Kingdom will release a limited-edition orange vinyl version of its landmark LP "Kontiki," marking the first time that the record NME ranked #2 on its “100 Great Albums You’ve Never Heard” has been available on vinyl.
Corner Suns – the Dallas-based duo of John Dufilho (The Apples In Stereo, The Deathray Davies) and Brandon Carr (The Earlies) – will release its self-titled debut via Idol Records on Jan. 13th, 2017.
The 14-track album combines neo-psyche and baroque pop influences that will grab the attention of fans of artists such as The Zombies, Magnetic Fields, and The Shins that share a similar ability for sharp songwriting, memorable vocals, and pop hooks.
“After I stopped touring with The Earlies in 2007, I had pretty much given up on creating music,” Carr explains. “Fast forward to the summer of 2013, and I get a call from John out of the blue asking if I’d be interested in singing on a new project of his.”
Carr had collaborated with Dufilho in the past, and being aware of the latter’s “multi-instrumental prowess and penchant for song proliferation,” Carr immediately recognized Corner Suns as his avenue back into music.
“My original idea for this record was for it to be really heavy,” says Dufilho. “I wanted to make something that sounded like Black Sabbath, but I realized that I had no idea how to write songs like that.”
“It’s true, our psychedelic Black Sabbath concept was a misadventure,” Carr jokes. “My voice was still muddled from the years off, but John helped me find it again, and the songs really began to come together.”
“When Brandon and I worked together a few years back, I already loved his band The Earlies,” Dufilho remembers. “But as soon as I recorded him, I knew I wanted to write more songs for him to sing. He’s got an amazing voice – it’s really one of a kind.”
In addition to Carr’s vocals, singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe is featured on two Corner Suns tracks, and the album’s overall sound reflects the easy, collaborative nature of its creation.
“I’d play all instruments, sing, and send a mix to Brandon in Abilene,” Dufilho explains. “Brandon would come to Dallas on weekends and we’d drink, argue about whether The Pixies are any good, and eventually get around to recording his vocals to replace mine.”
"This is one of our rockers!," Carr says of "The Speed of Sound," the latest single from the album. "I was very excited when I heard John's demo. The lyrics and arrangement really convey a psychedelic nightmare." on our side.”
The debut self-titled album by Corner Suns arrives on Jan. 13th, 2017 via Idol Records.
"Generations of artists seeking to voice dissatisfaction with the status quo laid out a heritage of sociopolitical consciousness, and when they supercharge those nuances with the ferocity of rock n’ roll, it usually comes across with sheer brilliance. The Wheel Workers’ new album, 'Citizens,' is just that — brilliant." - SLUG
"Prog-rock sensibilities, pop arrangements and left-leaning sociopolitical commentary. Crisp pop music that just happens to contain critiques of capitalism, economic injustice and American consumerism." - Houston Press
Houston-based five-piece band, The Wheel Workers, makes politically conscious pop songs with hooks in the tradition of the catchiest folk and punk protest songs of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Clash, and Bad Religion.
The group has previously been nominated as Houston’s “Best Pop Act” in the yearly Houston Press Music Awards, with the band's leader and lyricist, Steven Higginbotham receiving a nomination for himself as “Best Songwriter.” The Houston Chronicle called the debut album by The Wheel Workers “one of the best albums made in Houston" in the year of its release.
For a politically-minded pop band, the current Presidential election has provided a lot of grist for the mill. As such, The Wheel Workers will release a two-song single "White Lies" / "All My Fault" on Nov. 4th as a stinging indictment of the Republican candidate.
"I am horrified by the rise of what he represents," Higginbotham says. "To me, we are seeing the rise of a white nationalist movement into the mainstream. He represents a leap into the darkness of cult of personality politics that is antithetical to a democratic society. The fact that he stands a chance in this election is the most disturbing development in American politics in a very long time."
As for the new pair of tunes arriving just in time to vote, Higginbotham explains, "'White Lies' addresses the insecurities and ignorance of the white population that makes them especially vulnerable to the hateful appeal of the greatest liar in the history of American politics, and 'All My Fault' imagines him in first-person, as a Joker figure that is disgusted by a world that would take his vulgar, self-promoting candidacy seriously."
Of course, while both of these songs express significant anger and frustration, they're also catchy as can be, all the better to get the message across. It's this combination that has previously earned The Wheel Workers praise, and these new songs conjure an approximation of what "Freedom of Choice"-era Devo and "Disintegration"'-era The Cure might sound like if either wrote overtly political tunes.
In addition to the release of the "White Lies" / "All My Fault" on Nov. 4th, The Wheel Workers are continuing to write and record the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2015 album "CITIZENS," with an eye on a release in 2017.
"Generations of artists seeking to voice dissatisfaction with the status quo laid out a heritage of sociopolitical consciousness, and when they supercharge those nuances with the ferocity of rock n’ roll, it usually comes across with sheer brilliance. The Wheel Workers’ new album, 'Citizens,' is just that — brilliant." - SLUG
"Prog-rock sensibilities, pop arrangements and left-leaning sociopolitical commentary. Crisp pop music that just happens to contain critiques of capitalism, economic injustice and American consumerism." - Houston Press
Houston-based five-piece band, The Wheel Workers, makes politically conscious pop songs with hooks in the tradition of the catchiest folk and punk protest songs of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Clash, and Bad Religion.
The group has previously been nominated as Houston’s “Best Pop Act” in the yearly Houston Press Music Awards, with the band's leader and lyricist, Steven Higginbotham receiving a nomination for himself as “Best Songwriter.” The Houston Chronicle called the debut album by The Wheel Workers “one of the best albums made in Houston" in the year of its release.
For a politically-minded pop band, the current Presidential election has provided a lot of grist for the mill. As such, The Wheel Workers will release a two-song single "White Lies" / "All My Fault" on Nov. 4th as a stinging indictment of the Republican candidate.
"I am horrified by the rise of what he represents," Higginbotham says. "To me, we are seeing the rise of a white nationalist movement into the mainstream. He represents a leap into the darkness of cult of personality politics that is antithetical to a democratic society. The fact that he stands a chance in this election is the most disturbing development in American politics in a very long time."
As for the new pair of tunes arriving just in time to vote, Higginbotham explains, "'White Lies' addresses the insecurities and ignorance of the white population that makes them especially vulnerable to the hateful appeal of the greatest liar in the history of American politics, and 'All My Fault' imagines him in first-person, as a Joker figure that is disgusted by a world that would take his vulgar, self-promoting candidacy seriously."
Of course, while both of these songs express significant anger and frustration, they're also catchy as can be, all the better to get the message across. It's this combination that has previously earned The Wheel Workers praise, and these new songs conjure an approximation of what "Freedom of Choice"-era Devo and "Disintegration"'-era The Cure might sound like if either wrote overtly political tunes.
In addition to the release of the "White Lies" / "All My Fault" on Nov. 4th, The Wheel Workers are continuing to write and record the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2015 album "CITIZENS," with an eye on a release in 2017.
“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter “Gifted with a serious set of pipes.” – The Aquarian “Big Star-informed, strummy acoustic reverie.” – BLURT
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is prolific. It’s a word used often, and often misused, but when it comes to Putnam, it applies.
As such, The March Divide, hot on the heels of the May, 2016 album release, "Saturdays," announces the upcoming five-song follow-up EP, “Bribing Jace,” arriving Nov. 4th, 2016. “Bribing Jace” marks the first release for Putnam after a total of three albums and three EPs in just three years.
“There’s an untapped type of pop music that I’ve been on a quest to make,” Putnam says, explaining the sound of “Bribing Jace,” going on to further describe it as, “not redefined, just redesigned.” Putnam continues, saying, “While I’ve never really been willing to sacrifice a song to an experiment, I went as close to all-in as I could this time. Chasing this white whale was a lot of fun!”
“Bribing Jace” contains three songs recorded during the "Saturdays" sessions that Putnam loved, but felt didn’t quite fit the feel of the album, and two brand-new tracks, including the single, “I Might.”
“'I Might' is a very different song for me," Putnam says. "When I initially came up with the riff, I had several changes that worked, but for whatever reason, just playing that one riff over and over was the thing that felt right.
Putnam will reach the west coast to support “Bribing Jace” in November, following a strong of dates supporting Garrett Klahn of Texas Is The Reason.
“Bribing Jace,” the latest EP from The March Divide, following three full-length and three EP releases over the past three years, arrives on Nov. 4th, 2016, preceded by the single, “I Might.”
“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter “Gifted with a serious set of pipes.” – The Aquarian “Big Star-informed, strummy acoustic reverie.” – BLURT
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is prolific. It’s a word used often, and often misused, but when it comes to Putnam, it applies.
As such, The March Divide, hot on the heels of the May, 2016 album release, "Saturdays," announces the upcoming five-song follow-up EP, “Bribing Jace,” arriving Nov. 4th, 2016. “Bribing Jace” marks the first release for Putnam after a total of three albums and three EPs in just three years.
“There’s an untapped type of pop music that I’ve been on a quest to make,” Putnam says, explaining the sound of “Bribing Jace,” going on to further describe it as, “not redefined, just redesigned.” Putnam continues, saying, “While I’ve never really been willing to sacrifice a song to an experiment, I went as close to all-in as I could this time. Chasing this white whale was a lot of fun!”
“Bribing Jace” contains three songs recorded during the "Saturdays" sessions that Putnam loved, but felt didn’t quite fit the feel of the album, and two brand-new tracks, including the single, “That Song I Wrote For You.”
“I don’t typically write my songs in one sitting, but I love it when I do,” Putnam says of the tune. “I wrote it all at once, in a Harlingen, TX hotel room. Lyrically, it’s just about moving on.”
While the core of “That Song I Wrote For You” is folk-based, Putnam explains that he approached the production with pop in mind.
“When I demo my songs, I record all the percussion by slapping my merch tub with a sock on my hand,” he says, giving us a peek behind the curtain. After hearing the demo, Putnam’s producer picked up on the pop cues immediately. “He told me, ‘I’ve got this Katy Perry kick drum sample that’ll really bring it home!’ I never thought I’d share anything with Katy Perry, but we’re both getting all we can out of that kick drum sound,” Putnam jokes.
“I had written a lot of songs,” Putnam goes on to say of what brought him back to releasing records in 2013, after six years of public silence between ending the non-stop touring of his band The Conversation (which shared stages with The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Against Me! and more), and the start of The March Divide.
Getting back into gear, Putnam released The March Divide’s debut album "Music for Film" in 2013, preceded by the prophetic comeback single, “Still Analog,” which was dubbed The March Divide’s “proverbial theme song” by The Vinyl District. Austin’s NPR-affiliate KUTX immediately declared, “this album kicks butt.”
Encouraged by the welcomed return, Putnam hasn’t let up on the gas since.
Two EPs, “Music For Television,” and “Four” followed, a second album, "Billions," arrived in 2014 (featuring the single “I Told You So,” which has racked up more than a half-million Apple Music streams), with another follow-up EP, “+1” arriving in 2015. Putnam’s latest album "Saturdays" was released in May, 2016, to be followed by “Bribing Jace,” scheduled for Nov. 4th.
Putnam has continued to tour all along, and will reach the west coast to support “Bribing Jace” in November, following a strong of dates supporting Garrett Klahn of Texas Is The Reason.
“Bribing Jace,” the latest EP from The March Divide, following three full-length and three EP releases over the past three years, arrives on Nov. 4th, 2016, preceded by the single, “That Song I Wrote For You.”
Phil and Lu is Phil and Laura Stancil, siblings based in Venice Beach, California who have been playing music together their entire lives.
The duo will release its debut album "Mood Rock" on Sept. 30th, 2016, preceded by the single and video “Oh, My My,” the album’s opener and first glimpse into a sound well-defined by the album’s title.
“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” Phil explains. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jose Feliciano, and Sergio Mendez by digging through his record collection.”
Phil and Laura also idolized The Beach Boys and pretty much everything “California” growing up, and "Mood Rock" listeners will hear those influences immediately, as well as the Stancil’s passion for Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, set to more modern instrumentation and production techniques. All of this combines to make "Mood Rock" a stand-out first record.
Speaking of California, there’s a distinct Sea Change-era Beck tone to Phil’s reedy, mournful vocal on “Oh, My My” that helps the track feel instantly familiar.
“'Oh, My My' was one of the first songs we finished, and it set the tone for the entire record,” he explains. “It’s our personal favorite, and illustrates the vibe we have here in Venice Beach. It’s haunting, sad, and nostalgic.”
"Mood Rock" was written and recorded in a one-month period, and because Phil and Laura play all of the instruments on the record, in addition to writing and recording together, they were able to create on-the-fly, an essential part of what makes these songs feel so easy.
“We write in a quick, free-flowing setting, and the songs constantly change until we find the right recipe,” Phil explains. Indeed, every track on "Mood Rock" reaches in a different direction, but ultimately arrives at a satisfying destination.
"Mood Rock, the debut album by Phil and Lu is scheduled for release on Sept. 30th, 2016. The brother-sister duo is currently working its second album, and will be performing live in around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2016.
Handgrenades was formed by high school friends Andrew Pawelski and Nick Chevillet in “Downriver,” the unofficial name of a collection of suburban cities south of Detroit. Bonding over a shared love of The Beatles, the pair began performing together in 2008 as The HandGrenades (“The band wasn’t a joke, but the name was,” says Pawelski.)
A variety of additional musicians came and went (including Andrew’s brother, Tom Pawelski, who was key in developing the band’s signature vocal style), until the band added drummer, Joby Kaslowski, and released a debut EP in 2011. A full-length was released in 2012, produced at Ghetto Recorders in Detroit by Jim Diamond, best-known for his work on the first two albums by The White Stripes, and a second EP followed in 2014.
Now, a more refined, five-piece version of Handgrenades has arrived, including Detroit-based guitar stalwart, Jesse Shepherd-Bates, and another Detroit-area veteran, keyboardist, Joel Sanders. This evolution of the band is not only noted in the sleeker presentation of the its name, but also in the sound of "Tunnels," the second full-length Handgrenades album, scheduled for release on Nov. 4th, 2016.
Produced by Zach Shipps (Electric Six), the songs on "Tunnels" could only have emerged from this veritable cauldron of the Detroit music scene, simmering for a decade, and now boiling over with one catchy tune after another.
For the recording of "Tunnels," with three singers and three writers now in the band, the members of Handgrenades knew they’d need a strong leader in the studio, not only to fulfill the potential of the songs, but also to retain the distinctive elements that the guys had honed over the years. For this, they turned once again to Shipps, who had produced the most recent Handgrenades EP.
“It doesn’t sound like a rehash of someone else. Zach made this record sound like us,” Sanders says.
Shepherd-Bates adds, “Zach brings a lot of insight, and he really improved the structure of our songs. We adhered to a philosophy when making this record: Every idea, we’re going to see through, every idea, it will be attempted. These songs are a group effort, and nobody ever got shot down.”
In addition to the Beatles-esque melodies, three-part vocal harmonies, guitar rock edges, and Motown flavors that Handgrenades had already established as part of its music identity, "Tunnels" shows off modern influences such as The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, and The National.
Oh, and David Lynch.
“A lot of David Lynch was watched,” Chevillet says of the inspiration for “Daily Routine,” the lead single from "Tunnels." “I’ve never really liked anything creepy or dark before Lynch,” he explains. “This was the first time I’ve been able to avoid direct lyrics like ‘I love you,’ and ‘You broke my heart.’”
The term “dark” becomes pretty relative when listening to the upbeat, silvery vocals on the upcoming new album from Hangrenades, anyway. What you’ll hear are five good guys who are, essentially, the mitten state’s most energetic group of ruffians.
"Tunnels" arrives on Nov. 4th, 2016, preceded by the lead single “Daily Routine,” streaming now.
"Cranks and curdles and clomps around his slithery croon tunes." - CMJ “The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books." - UTNE "Visionary." - BLURT
Recording this cover, I realized how truly amazing of a singer Ariana Grande is," says Rahway, New Jersey-based musician J Hacha De Zola. "She can sing her butt off," he continues, "Her articulation, phrasing, tone, and pitch are amazing, and vocally, she can turn on a dime."
Of course, Hacha De Zola brings a decidedly unique take to the tune.
"I’m not much of a singer, I'm probably more of a crooner," he says. His style has been called "baroque pop," "avant indie," "boozegaze," and "urban junkyard" - imaginative descriptions that turn out to be pretty on point.
"I really wanted to see if I could cover, or more accurately, 're-make' a pop tune and have it sound like me," Hacha De Zola says "Despite only being three chords, and feeling like a fairly standard dance-pop song, I connected with the slightly dark connotations that could be drawn from it. It's also in the "dark" key of E minor, which I wanted to see if could tease out."
Ultimately, the song is pretty unrecognizable from its original version until it hits the chorus.
"At that point, I hope the listener says, 'Holy shit, this is an Ariana Grande cover?!' I think if you are going to cover a song, then you should truly make it your own and take ownership of it for just a little while."
"Picaro Obscuro," J Hacha De Zola's latest album (and second of 2016) is out now.
"This one is a bit of rather absurdist writing about being lost in those in-between places. In limbo."
Rahway, NJ native J Hacha De Zola is talking about "In Curtains" from his upcoming new album (and second of 2016), "Picaro Obscuro." The track, which heavily features Tom Waits collaborators Ralph Carney on sax, and David Coulter on percussion and violin, "plays upon the idea of falling outside of the cyclical nature of night and day," Hacha De Zola explains.
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books" is how UTNE recently described Hacha De Zola.
On his new album, Hacha De Zola has managed to actually “escape from Fat Kat City,” (the title of his early 2016 debut album), leaving Rahway, New Jersey and the shadow of the maximum security prison that literally loomed over him while recording that record, and venturing across the country to a tiny studio built in an old boiler room in Portland, Oregon.
It’s here that he was joined by the rest of the “Fat Kat” band, as well as some legendary players in the form of Ralph Carney and David Coulter, to record Hacha De Zola’s second full-length album of 2016, "Picaro Obscuro", arriving on August 12th.
Influences on the sound of "Picaro Obscuro" according to Hacha De Zola include: Perez Prado, Captain Beefheart, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Danil Kharms, Arthur Rimbaud, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Syd Barrett.
“He’s like a codeine cough syrup dream on the train to Zurich,” is how legendary sax man Carney describes Hacha De Zola. Carney, who made his bones with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The B-52s, They Might Be Giants, and Frank Black (and who is also the uncle of The Black Keys co-founder, Patrick Carney), makes his tenor and baritone horns an omnipresent force on "Picaro Obscuro".
Multi-instrumentalist Coulter is everywhere, as well. Coulter, who has recorded, performed and toured with artists as diverse as Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet, Yoko Ono, and Beck among many other notables, shares a common compatriot with Carney in Waits. Carney performed on the Waits album "The Black Rider," a collection of the songs from the theater piece of the same name for which Coulter served as Associate Musical Director.
"Picaro Obscuro", the second album (and second of 2016) by J Hacha De Zola arrives on August 12th, 2016.
"This is not a very nice song, so naturally I felt it should open up the album," says Rahway, NJ native J Hacha De Zola of "A Curious Thing" from his upcoming new album (and second of 2016), "Picaro Obscuro." "I guess it’s a bit angry," he explains, "It seems that anger is the most accessible of emotions, and this one is an exploration of those lower frequencies."
The track, which heavily features Tom Waits collaborators Ralph Carney on sax and David Coulter on percussion, has a rhythm is derived from the music of the Garifuna people - a people with a very unique language that includes Arawak, African and Spanish elements. It's also reminiscent of the "Paranda" music of the Honduras.
"The concept of rhythm is nothing to be scoffed at," says Hacha De Zola. "It is a divination, it is magic, centuries old at this point."
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books" is how UTNE recently described Hacha De Zola.
On his new album, Hacha De Zola has managed to actually “escape from Fat Kat City,” (the title of his early 2016 debut album), leaving Rahway, New Jersey and the shadow of the maximum security prison that literally loomed over him while recording that record, and venturing across the country to a tiny studio built in an old boiler room in Portland, Oregon.
It’s here that he was joined by the rest of the “Fat Kat” band, as well as some legendary players in the form of Ralph Carney and David Coulter, to record Hacha De Zola’s second full-length album of 2016, "Picaro Obscuro", arriving on August 12th.
Influences on the sound of "Picaro Obscuro" according to Hacha De Zola include: Perez Prado, Captain Beefheart, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Danil Kharms, Arthur Rimbaud, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Syd Barrett.
“He’s like a codeine cough syrup dream on the train to Zurich,” is how legendary sax man Carney describes Hacha De Zola. Carney, who made his bones with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The B-52s, They Might Be Giants, and Frank Black (and who is also the uncle of The Black Keys co-founder, Patrick Carney), makes his tenor and baritone horns an omnipresent force on "Picaro Obscuro".
Multi-instrumentalist Coulter is everywhere, as well. Coulter, who has recorded, performed and toured with artists as diverse as Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet, Yoko Ono, and Beck among many other notables, shares a common compatriot with Carney in Waits. Carney performed on the Waits album "The Black Rider," a collection of the songs from the theater piece of the same name for which Coulter served as Associate Musical Director.
"Picaro Obscuro", the second album (and second of 2016) by J Hacha De Zola arrives on August 12th, 2016.
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books.” - UTNE
J Hacha De Zola has managed to actually “escape from Fat Kat City,” (the title of his early 2016 debut album), leaving Rahway, New Jersey and the shadow of the maximum security prison that literally loomed over him while recording that record, and venturing across the country to a tiny studio built in an old boiler room in Portland, Oregon.
It’s here that he was joined by the rest of the “Fat Kat” band, as well as some legendary players in the form of Ralph Carney and David Coulter, to record Hacha De Zola’s second full-length album of 2016, "Picaro Obscuro", arriving on August 12th.
Influences on the sound of "Picaro Obscuro" according to Hacha De Zola include: Perez Prado, Captain Beefheart, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Danil Kharms, Arthur Rimbaud, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Syd Barrett.
“He’s like a codeine cough syrup dream on the train to Zurich,” is how legendary sax man Carney describes Hacha De Zola. Carney, who made his bones with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The B-52s, They Might Be Giants, and Frank Black (and who is also the uncle of The Black Keys co-founder, Patrick Carney), makes his tenor and baritone horns an omnipresent force on "Picaro Obscuro".
Multi-instrumentalist Coulter is everywhere, as well. Coulter, who has recorded, performed and toured with artists as diverse as Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet, Yoko Ono, and Beck among many other notables, shares a common compatriot with Carney in Waits. Carney performed on the Waits album "The Black Rider," a collection of the songs from the theater piece of the same name for which Coulter served as Associate Musical Director.
The first single from "Picaro Obscuro" is “Bubble Gum,” which Hacha De Zola describes as “a song about distractions, escapism, confusion, and detaching from reality in pursuit of confections. The world might be burning while we’re caught up in our trivialities. Ultimately, it’s not a criticism; it’s just an observation, as I’m right in it, too.”
"Picaro Obscuro", the second album (and second of 2016) by J Hacha De Zola arrives on August 12th, 2016.
"This is our second album but I like to think of it as our debut comedy album," says Tracy Shapiro of Steel Cranes. While the Oakland-based female duo doesn't expect its new album Tango to be files next to Steve Martin anytime soon, Shapiro says that "humor was largely my barometer" when she and band mate Amanda Schukle started working on song arrangements after the "largely heavy and emotional" process of writing was completed.
The album track "Ebb" carries very little if any humor, in fact.
"It’s an expression of being flatlined," Shapiro says. "I wrote it at a time when I had lost my capacity to feel anything other than disconnected all the time, and 'Ebb' reflects that with its haunting, solemn, and sparse sonic landscape. But for many other songs, it felt compelling to bring to life the vulgarity of the heavier emotions, which often landed us, in comedic territory."
The video for the tune, as sad and solemn as it is, was "an incredibly fun and rich experience to make," Shapiro remembers. "We wanted there to be a strong textural component, and we were less concerned with a 'tie me up with a bow' storyline arc."
And once again returning to the land of funny, Shapiro explains that director Adrienne Calo also had to act as what Shapiro describes as the "nipple police" during the shoot.
"The milk bath we created mostly hid my skin beneath the water, but Adrienne, who had a video monitor in my living room, kept shouting 'Nipples!' every few minutes, at which point I would concave my body to sink my breasts while maintaining a forlorn wistful look on my face."
"Tango" by Steel Cranes is out now.
Described by MTV as possessing “the slo-mo heaviness of a 2,000-pound pendulum,” Oakland-based band, Steel Cranes – Tracy Shapiro (vocals, guitar) and Amanda Schukle (drums, bass, guitar, keys) – is offering up an evolution of that sound on its upcoming new album "Tango" (Aug. 5th, Mister White Tights Records.)
"Tango" is a more dynamic take on the “grit” and “raw, relentless power” that MAGNET and Bitch respectively called out in their 2013 coverage of Ouroboros, the debut Steel Cranes album. With a vision for the sound of "Tango" that was more expansive, Shapiro and Schukle were initially stalled when considering the logistics of accomplishing these time-consuming sonic refinements in a studio environment. It soon became clear that the best option was to record and mix the record themselves.
“Amanda has been recording her own music for years, and she began obsessively learning more about recording and mixing,” Shapiro remembers. “As soon as we decided to do everything ourselves, the control freaks in us were unleashed!”
This education ultimately yielded the more passionate and layered version of the Steel Cranes sound that is heard on "Tango". Once freed from the confines of creative deadlines and traditional studio environments, Shapiro and Schukle took full advantage of their new work paradigm.
“We wanted time and space to let ourselves stretch in new ways,” Shapiro says. “In ways that don’t come easy when you’re aware of how much it costs to spend three hours experimenting with the fucked-up tones on your old Casio keyboard.”
Most of all, a year versus five days meant more of everything that made the first Steel Cranes album special.
Schukle continues, “We’d been playing some of these songs live for a while and we heard more in them. More texture. More nuance. More melody. More guitar tones. Definitely bass. With each song, we were careful to record the guitars in a way that left plenty of space for additional instruments. "Tango" has a lot more of a post-punk vibe, definitely some grunge, maybe a little classic rock, and also some generally weird shit that I’m not sure how to describe. But it is also more beautiful.”
The first single and video from "Tango" is “Pretty.”
“‘Pretty’ is personal and impersonal,” Shapiro says of the tune. “It’s born from a period where I felt surrounded by betrayal in my life, and in the lives of people close to me. I was thinking a lot about the visible and invisible forces constantly at play, informing people’s choices and behavior. Part of why I love writing songs is that they offer some sort of resolution for that which can’t be resolved.”
"Tango" by Steel Cranes arrives on August 5th, 2016.
"Rollicking drums and bass collide with salacious guitar licks... It's almost hard to believe that the song was created by a duo." - SF Weekly
"We had no contact with each other for two weeks after we finished recording our first album," says Tracy Shapiro of Steel Cranes about her bandmate, Amanda Schukle.
When the pair got back together to immediately begin work on their upcoming new album Tango (Aug. 5th, Mister White Tights Records.), they found themselves exchanging the weirdest of looks when they revealed to one another that they had both written a new song with the same title.
"I told Amanda about a new song I had written called 'Today Is The Day', and she said something along the lines of, 'You’re joking, right?!' I said, 'No,' because I hate jokes. I was delighted with the serendipity of the situation and clarified, 'We’re doing mine, right?'"
"Yes, this is all true," says Schukle. "And if it didn’t sound so wrong for Tracy to sing my songs, Steel Cranes might have two different songs titled 'Today Is The Day.'"
For the "Today Is The Day" music video, the ladies riffed on a sports drink commercial theme.
"Playing militant coaches of a misbehaving track team wasn't too far of a stretch for our acting abilities," jokes Schukle. "I had a Gatorade commercial from 15 years ago that featured women's soccer stuck in my head," Shapiro elaborates. "But due to the soaring cost of shin guards, we landed on the delinquent track team motif. The day after the shoot, neither of us could move, we were so sore from all the exercise!"
+++ Described by MTV as possessing “the slo-mo heaviness of a 2,000-pound pendulum,” Steel Cranes is offering up an evolution of that sound on its upcoming new album Tango.
Tango is a more dynamic take on the “grit” and “raw, relentless power” that MAGNET and Bitch respectively called out in their 2013 coverage of Ouroboros, the debut Steel Cranes album. With a vision for the sound of Tango that was more expansive, Shapiro and Schukle were initially stalled when considering the logistics of accomplishing these time-consuming sonic refinements in a studio environment. It soon became clear that the best option was to record and mix the record themselves.
“Amanda has been recording her own music for years, and she began obsessively learning more about recording and mixing,” Shapiro remembers. “As soon as we decided to do everything ourselves, the control freaks in us were unleashed!”
This education ultimately yielded the more passionate and layered version of the Steel Cranes sound that is heard on Tango. Once freed from the confines of creative deadlines and traditional studio environments, Shapiro and Schukle took full advantage of their new work paradigm.
“We wanted time and space to let ourselves stretch in new ways,” Shapiro says. “In ways that don’t come easy when you’re aware of how much it costs to spend three hours experimenting with the fucked-up tones on your old Casio keyboard.”
Most of all, a year versus five days meant more of everything that made the first Steel Cranes album special.
Schukle continues, “We’d been playing some of these songs live for a while and we heard more in them. More texture. More nuance. More melody. More guitar tones. Definitely bass. With each song, we were careful to record the guitars in a way that left plenty of space for additional instruments. Tango has a lot more of a post-punk vibe, definitely some grunge, maybe a little classic rock, and also some generally weird shit that I’m not sure how to describe. But it is also more beautiful.”
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision, one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching, that’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released. With so much new material on deck, it seems like Harrison is making up the difference.
Half a dozen tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes have already been posted one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process, and now the first of an eventual four albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, has been announced. Arriving on July 29th, the eleven-track "Death of The Cool" contains another nine of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy, along with the two currently available tracks that initially announced the project.
15 songs deep into revealing such an ambitious undertaking to the public, Harrison reflects, “These are my reactions in song to illuminations from the I Ching about life unfolding. Some of the songs directly reference the text and others use the readings as a starting point. Until I started this project, it had never before occurred to me to seek counsel with respect to songwriting, but after I turned to the I Ching for artistic guidance on several occasions with nice results, I thought ‘Why not go for the whole cycle?’” Harrison’s commentaries about each of the songs can be found at the website for the project, ichingsongs.com.
For anyone thinking that 64 songs written around a single theme can’t possibly maintain a standard of quality, welcome to the unlikely world of Cotton Mather. Founded by Robert Harrison in Austin in the early 1990’s, Cotton Mather released its debut album Cotton Is King in 1994, but it was the follow-up album "Kontiki" that drew praise from critics and rock-stars alike.
Uncut Magazine gave "Kontiki" five stars calling the record “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality,” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called "Kontiki" “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” On our shores, Britt Daniel of Spoon was just one artist to say “'Kontiki' gave me something to shoot for.”
In the years since Cotton Mather went on hiatus, Harrison stayed busy producing other artists, in addition to forming and fronting a new band, Future Clouds and Radar which was acknowledged for its “sprawling orchestral pop” by the New Yorker and named “Debut Artist of The Year” by Harp Magazine.
"Death of The Cool," the first or four anticipated albums comprising Robert Harrison and Cotton Mather’s endeavor to write and record 64 songs for each of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams is set for release on July 29th, 2016. Additional non-album tracks can be heard now via ichingsongs.com with additional non-album tracks forthcoming.
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision, one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching, that’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released. With so much new material on deck, it seems like Harrison is making up the difference.
Half a dozen tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes have already been posted one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process, and now the first of an eventual four albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, has been announced. Arriving on July 29th, the eleven-track "Death of The Cool" contains another nine of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy, along with the two currently available tracks that initially announced the project.
15 songs deep into revealing such an ambitious undertaking to the public, Harrison reflects, “These are my reactions in song to illuminations from the I Ching about life unfolding. Some of the songs directly reference the text and others use the readings as a starting point. Until I started this project, it had never before occurred to me to seek counsel with respect to songwriting, but after I turned to the I Ching for artistic guidance on several occasions with nice results, I thought ‘Why not go for the whole cycle?’” Harrison’s commentaries about each of the songs can be found at the website for the project, ichingsongs.com.
The first single from "Death of The Cool" is “Life of The Liar.”
“I remember picking up my son after his first day of first grade,” Harrison says, explaining the meaning. “When I asked him how it was, he chirped, ‘Awesome, Daddy! I already have an arch enemy!’ This is good news, I thought? As if creating and choosing to see one’s photo-negative in the other somehow validates and empowers our imagined sense of who we are? I’m truly at a place in my life where I’d like to be done with that.”
For anyone thinking that 64 songs written around a single theme can’t possibly maintain a standard of quality, welcome to the unlikely world of Cotton Mather. Founded by Robert Harrison in Austin in the early 1990’s, Cotton Mather released its debut album Cotton Is King in 1994, but it was the follow-up album "Kontiki" that drew praise from critics and rock-stars alike.
Uncut Magazine gave "Kontiki" five stars calling the record “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality,” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called "Kontiki" “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” On our shores, Britt Daniel of Spoon was just one artist to say “'Kontiki' gave me something to shoot for.”
In the years since Cotton Mather went on hiatus, Harrison stayed busy producing other artists, in addition to forming and fronting a new band, Future Clouds and Radar which was acknowledged for its “sprawling orchestral pop” by the New Yorker and named “Debut Artist of The Year” by Harp Magazine.
"Death of The Cool," the first or four anticipated albums comprising Robert Harrison and Cotton Mather’s endeavor to write and record 64 songs for each of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams is set for release on July 29th, 2016. Four additional non-album tracks can be heard now via ichingsongs.com with additional non-album tracks forthcoming.
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision, one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching, that’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released. With so much new material on deck, it seems like Harrison is making up the difference.
Several tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes have already been posted one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process, and now the first of an eventual four albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, has been announced. Arriving on July 29th, the eleven-track "Death of The Cool" contains another nine of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy, along with the two currently available tracks that initially announced the project.
15 songs deep into revealing such an ambitious undertaking to the public, Harrison reflects, “These are my reactions in song to illuminations from the I Ching about life unfolding. Some of the songs directly reference the text and others use the readings as a starting point. Until I started this project, it had never before occurred to me to seek counsel with respect to songwriting, but after I turned to the I Ching for artistic guidance on several occasions with nice results, I thought ‘Why not go for the whole cycle?’” Harrison’s commentaries about each of the songs can be found at the website for the project, ichingsongs.com.
For anyone thinking that 64 songs written around a single theme can’t possibly maintain a standard of quality, welcome to the unlikely world of Cotton Mather. Founded by Robert Harrison in Austin in the early 1990’s, Cotton Mather released its debut album Cotton Is King in 1994, but it was the follow-up album "Kontiki" that drew praise from critics and rock-stars alike.
Uncut Magazine gave "Kontiki" five stars calling the record “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality,” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called "Kontiki" “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” On our shores, Britt Daniel of Spoon was just one artist to say “'Kontiki' gave me something to shoot for.”
In the years since Cotton Mather went on hiatus, Harrison stayed busy producing other artists, in addition to forming and fronting a new band, Future Clouds and Radar which was acknowledged for its “sprawling orchestral pop” by the New Yorker and named “Debut Artist of The Year” by Harp Magazine.
"Death of The Cool," the first or four anticipated albums comprising Robert Harrison and Cotton Mather’s endeavor to write and record 64 songs for each of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams is set for release on July 29th, 2016. Additional non-album tracks can be heard now via ichingsongs.com with additional non-album tracks forthcoming.
It didn’t take 15 years for Cotton Mather’s Austin-based main man, Robert Harrison to write the 64 songs (64 songs!) that comprise his latest musical vision, one song for each hexagram (or reading) of the I Ching, that’s actually the amount of time that has passed since the last full-length album of new Cotton Mather songs was released. With so much new material on deck, it seems like Harrison is making up the difference.
Half a dozen tracks from this treasure trove of new tunes have already been posted one-by-one in “real time and real weather” as Harrison describes this creative process, and now the first of an eventual four albums that will ultimately contain much of the entire song cycle, has been announced. Arriving on July 29th, the eleven-track "Death of The Cool" contains another nine of Harrison’s pure pop meditations on Chinese philosophy, along with the two currently available tracks that initially announced the project.
15 songs deep into revealing such an ambitious undertaking to the public, Harrison reflects, “These are my reactions in song to illuminations from the I Ching about life unfolding. Some of the songs directly reference the text and others use the readings as a starting point. Until I started this project, it had never before occurred to me to seek counsel with respect to songwriting, but after I turned to the I Ching for artistic guidance on several occasions with nice results, I thought ‘Why not go for the whole cycle?’” Harrison’s commentaries about each of the songs can be found at the website for the project, ichingsongs.com.
For anyone thinking that 64 songs written around a single theme can’t possibly maintain a standard of quality, welcome to the unlikely world of Cotton Mather. Founded by Robert Harrison in Austin in the early 1990’s, Cotton Mather released its debut album Cotton Is King in 1994, but it was the follow-up album "Kontiki" that drew praise from critics and rock-stars alike.
Uncut Magazine gave "Kontiki" five stars calling the record “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality,” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called "Kontiki" “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” On our shores, Britt Daniel of Spoon was just one artist to say “'Kontiki' gave me something to shoot for.”
In the years since Cotton Mather went on hiatus, Harrison stayed busy producing other artists, in addition to forming and fronting a new band, Future Clouds and Radar which was acknowledged for its “sprawling orchestral pop” by the New Yorker and named “Debut Artist of The Year” by Harp Magazine.
"Death of The Cool," the first or four anticipated albums comprising Robert Harrison and Cotton Mather’s endeavor to write and record 64 songs for each of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams is set for release on July 29th, 2016. Additional non-album tracks can be heard now via ichingsongs.com with additional non-album tracks forthcoming.
“We are basically a band of drummers,” says John Dufilho of Dallas-based group, Cantina.
Accurate, but when considering that Dufilho (guitar, vocals) also plays with Elephant 6 co-founders The Apples In Stereo (as well as his beloved solo project, The Deathray Davies), bassist Jason Garner (Dufilho’s friend of a quarter-century) can be found among the throng that is The Polyphonic Spree, and Philip Peeples (the only drummer in Cantina who actually drums in Cantina) is member of The Old 97’s, maybe not basic? Rounding out Cantina’s lineup is Dufilho’s Deathray Davies cohort Andy Lester, along with banjo player, Marcus Hollar (late of Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan’s punk band, Street Dogs.)
Cantina, having previously released two albums under the name I Love Math before the addition of Hollar, will now bring out its debut album "A Sea of Keys" on July 22nd via Dallas-based We Know Better Records. Dufilho notes that while 60% of the members ofCantina are drummers (“three of us make a living playing music, the other two are the smart ones”), as a hard and fast rule, no cymbals are ever used on "A Sea of Keys". So, don’t listen for that, and don’t listen for these guys to perform “that song” from “Star Wars” either.
Seriously, "A Sea of Keys" arrives with a pedigree: AllMusic previously referred to the band as a “supergroup,” and the masterful sensitivity of the songs on "A Sea of Keys" do little to detract from that notion. Dufilho’s thoughtful tunes – the Austin Chronicle previously described him as “a ravenous songwriter working without a net” – take cues from country-rock, power pop, and the charming harmonies of the Everly Brothers. The songs never overstay their welcome; each is a conversation that never suffers an awkward beat. No pun intended.
One example is the track "Hypnotic," a song about songs.
"This is about writing songs and making records," says Dufhilo. "The process is hypnotic. I'm addicted to it." "A Sea of Keys" by Cantina arrives on July 22nd, 2016 via Dallas-based We Know Better Records.
“We are basically a band of drummers,” says John Dufilho of Dallas-based group, Cantina.
Accurate, but when considering that Dufilho (guitar, vocals) also plays with Elephant 6 co-founders The Apples In Stereo (as well as his beloved solo project, The Deathray Davies), bassist Jason Garner (Dufilho’s friend of a quarter-century) can be found among the throng that is The Polyphonic Spree, and Philip Peeples (the only drummer in Cantina who actually drums in Cantina) is member of The Old 97’s, maybe not basic? Rounding out Cantina’s lineup is Dufilho’s Deathray Davies cohort Andy Lester, along with banjo player, Marcus Hollar (late of Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan’s punk band, Street Dogs.)
Cantina, having previously released two albums under the name I Love Math before the addition of Hollar, will now bring out its debut album "A Sea of Keys" on July 22nd via Dallas-based We Know Better Records. Dufilho notes that while 60% of the members of Cantina are drummers (“three of us make a living playing music, the other two are the smart ones”), as a hard and fast rule, no cymbals are ever used on "A Sea of Keys." So, don’t listen for that, and don’t listen for these guys to perform “that song” from “Star Wars” either.
Seriously, "A Sea of Keys" arrives with a pedigree: AllMusic previously referred to the band as a “supergroup,” and the masterful sensitivity of the songs on "A Sea of Keys" do little to detract from that notion. Dufilho’s thoughtful tunes – the Austin Chronicle previously described him as “a ravenous songwriter working without a net” – take cues from country-rock, power pop, and the charming harmonies of the Everly Brothers. The songs never overstay their welcome; each is a conversation that never suffers an awkward beat. No pun intended.
A perfect example is the album’s first single and video, “Bulletproof,” which captures both the ability and the obvious humor of this band.
Dufilho explains, saying, “I woke up drunk, with the worst cold I can remember. So I did what I always do when my voice is much lower than usual – I started singing Johnny Cash and Magnetic Fields songs.” Before sobriety could kick in, Dufilho hit play on a banjo riff that Hollar had sent the day before, then hit record on his vocals, and presto, “it was ‘Bulletproof.’ Start to finish, a first and final take. I got in my car and drove home and I’ve never been able to sing it in that key since.”
No need, as the song is perfectly captured in its raw state here forever, along with fourteen other similarly free-jamming gems.
“A lot of these songs are based on a short story I wrote, also titled “A Sea of Keys,” Dufilho explains, making sense of why these tunes sound so intimate. It’s an effortless listen from a band that, despite its modest claim, isn’t basic.
"A Sea of Keys" by Cantina arrives on July 22nd, 2016 via Dallas-based We Know Better Records. The album’s first single and video “Bulletproof” is streaming now.
Yves Lambert, one of the most influential and legendary players in Quebec’s traditional roots music scene, announces the upcoming US release of "Laissez courir les chiens," the latest album with his group, Yves Lambert Trio on June 24th.
Lambert, who fronts the trio on lead vocals, diatonic button accordions, harmonica, jaw harp, and percussion, was one of the founding members of traditional French Canadian folk group La Bottine Souriante in 1976. Lambert toured the world with La Bottine Souriante, honing his charismatic ability to translate anecdotal, poetic, and political texts into songs, while accumulating over a half–million records sold, three Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammy), and a BBC Music Award for “Best Traditional Album” and “Group of the Year” in the process.
Eager to explore new musical adventures after a quarter–century as a member of La Bottine Souriante, Lambert first stepped into new shoes in 1998 with the release of his solo album Les Vacances de M. Lambert which went on to win two OPUS Awards (presented bySOCAN, Canada’s equivalent to ASCAP and BMI.)
Lambert then “sent shockwaves throughout the artistic world” according to Quebec City’s French language daily paper Le Soleil, when he departed La Bottine Souriant and surrounded himself with new local talents, creating the Bébert Orchestra in 2004 and releasing Récidive, which went on to win the Félix (awarded by ADISQ – Quebec’s recording industry association) for “Best Traditional Album of the Year.” Le Monde à Lambert followed in 2007, and Bal à l’Huile arrived in 2009, with both albums picking up prizes at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
In 2010, Lambert formed the Yves Lambert Trio with longtime Bébert Orchestra members Tommy Gauthier (violin, mandolin, bouzouki, and feet) and Olivier Rondeau, and road-tested the new combo on a month-long Canadian tour in the summer of that year. Encouraged by charmed audiences and the pleasure of challenging themselves musically, the group affirmed its distinctive personality on the appropriately titled Trio album release in 2012, picking up another Félix for “Best Traditional Album of the Year.”
Now, Lambert, Rondeau and Gauthier offer up the second Yves Lambert Trio album "Laissez courir les chiens." The album track "Suite pour Justin" is comprised of a trio of instumentals composed by Gauthier for his son, Justin.
Those who haven’t had the opportunity to discover Lambert during his 40-year musical career traveling the world will undoubtedly soon fall for his charisma and talent, coupled with the virtuosity and passion of Gauthier and Rondeau, that rounds out the Yves Lambert Trio. By reviving undiscovered songs and adding their own energy, the group is sure to bring new fans to this music, and to the trio’s unparalleled live show, continuing a tradition Lambert began many years ago.
Yves Lambert, one of the most influential and legendary players in Quebec’s traditional roots music scene, announces the upcoming US release of "Laissez courir les chiens," the latest album with his group, Yves Lambert Trio on June 24th.
Lambert, who fronts the trio on lead vocals, diatonic button accordions, harmonica, jaw harp, and percussion, was one of the founding members of traditional French Canadian folk group La Bottine Souriante in 1976. Lambert toured the world with La Bottine Souriante, honing his charismatic ability to translate anecdotal, poetic, and political texts into songs, while accumulating over a half–million records sold, three Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammy), and a BBC Music Award for “Best Traditional Album” and “Group of the Year” in the process.
Eager to explore new musical adventures after a quarter–century as a member of La Bottine Souriante, Lambert first stepped into new shoes in 1998 with the release of his solo album "Les Vacances de M. Lambert" which went on to win two OPUS Awards (presented by SOCAN, Canada’s equivalent to ASCAP and BMI.)
Lambert then “sent shockwaves throughout the artistic world” according to Quebec City’s French language daily paper Le Soleil, when he departed La Bottine Souriant and surrounded himself with new local talents, creating the Bébert Orchestra in 2004 and releasing "Récidive," which went on to win the Félix (awarded by ADISQ – Quebec’s recording industry association) for “Best Traditional Album of the Year.” "Le Monde à Lambert" followed in 2007, and Bal à l’Huile arrived in 2009, with both albums picking up prizes at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
In 2010, Lambert formed the Yves Lambert Trio with longtime Bébert Orchestra members Tommy Gauthier (violin, mandolin, bouzouki, and feet) and Olivier Rondeau, and road-tested the new combo on a month-long Canadian tour in the summer of that year. Encouraged by charmed audiences and the pleasure of challenging themselves musically, the group affirmed its distinctive personality on the appropriately titled "Trio" album release in 2012, picking up another Félix for “Best Traditional Album of the Year.”
Now, Lambert, Rondeau and Gauthier offer up the second Yves Lambert Trio album "Laissez courir les chiens." The album's first single is "Karabin," the trio's interpretation of a traditional song.
“‘Karabin’ is the name of a dog, and the dog is a metaphor to express our servitude,” Lambert explains. “In an era where everything is regulated, formatted, and standardized, the dog is faithful, but is still captive, just like the exploited citizens manipulated at the service of industrial totalitarianism.”
Those who haven’t had the opportunity to discover Lambert during his 40-year musical career traveling the world will undoubtedly soon fall for his charisma and talent, coupled with the virtuosity and passion of Gauthier and Rondeau, that rounds out the Yves Lambert Trio. By reviving undiscovered songs and adding their own energy, the group is sure to bring new fans to this music, and to the trio’s unparalleled live show, continuing a tradition Lambert began many years ago.
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"Terminal Cases" by Matt Bennett is a concept album about aging, divorce, and growing up (or not), inspired by the films of Robin Williams and Lou Reed's "Berlin." Featuring the songs "Fisher King," "Jumanji," and "Hook Pt. 1."
Album out June 10th, 2016! Pre-order now at: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/MattBennett. Options include CD (w/ 12-page lyric book), LP (pressed on pink vinyl), and digital.
See Matt's Snapchat "press conference" about "Terminal Cases" here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOhabL4GCxU.
+++ "Fisher King"
Is it ok to miss her now, Jack? I can’t recall where we went off track I love a Gershwin tune How about you?
When she would talk about oncoming trains Poison aspirin, Dairy Queens Who knew what she means Who knew what she means I guess the choice wasn’t up to me
I’m not one for confession Maybe I’m here because I felt I had to or because I felt cursed I just love a fireside when a storm is due How about you?
They say the worst thing in life is being with people Who make you feel alone Life’s not always a picnic, Jack, you reap what you sow How unfair it all seemed to only meet you in dreams You were alive my whole life and I didn’t even know I didn’t know
Goodnight Manhattan. Goodnight Jack. Brush your teeth and don’t forget to pack I love New York in June How about you?
“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter “Completely clever.” – Performer “This is quality pop at its best.” – Popdose “An emo revival really is taking place.” – MAGNET “All about lyrics and melodies.” – Babysue “Gifted with a serious set of pipes.” – The Aquarian
While the word may be considered taboo in some circles of the musical elite, the fact is that Emo is back, and for some it never went away. With revered acts such as Mineral selling out a three-night stand at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom at the end of 2014, to the just-breaking news of The Anniversary’s announced reunion, it’s clear that thoughtful, passionately performed rock songs still have a loyal audience.
Jared Putnam of San Antonio-based The March Divide knows it’s true because he’s been making this music for most of his adult life, first with his hard-touring band The Conversation, and over the course of three albums and three EPs in just three years as The March Divide. While Putnam’s audience is smaller than some of his contemporaries, it shows its allegiance, recently helping The March Divide single “I Told You So” from 2014’s "Billions" album to pass 500,000 streams on Apple Music alone.
"Saturdays," the third full-length by The March Divide will be released on May 13th.
“I think I finally made the record I wanted to make,” Putnam says of the follow-up to "Billions" and its accompanying EP “+1,” which arrived in 2015. “I didn’t set out to write an album so soon after the last, but I never really stopped writing.”
Regarding the album’s latest single “Go To Sleep,” Putnam says, “This song came in pieces, so I treated each part as the destination. I tried to make it like an action movie, each part bigger than the next. In a lot of ways, I’ve been too self-conscious in my writing. I always worried that my songs are too “this,” or too “that,” but I’ve finally been able to let go.”
It’s this attitude that Putnam’s fans, and fans of the genre, feel. It’s what brings them back, it’s what makes for 500,000 track streams, and it’s what sells out venues for acts that left the scene, only to find that their fans never left them. "Saturdays" by The March Divide arrives on May 13th, distributed by Burnside. The March Divide will be touring before, during, and after the release of "Saturdays," as per usual.
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is prolific. It’s a word used often / often misused, but when it comes to Putnam, it applies.
As such, The March Divide announces the upcoming release of a new album! “Saturdays“ follows-up two album and three EP releases from Putnam in just a three-year period, and according to the artist, it’s his most satisfying work to date.
“I think I finally made the record I wanted to make,” Putnam says of the follow-up to 2014’s “Billions“ and its accompanying 2015 EP “+1.” “I didn’t set out to write an album so soon after the last, but I never really stopped writing.”
It remains to be seen how Putnam’s growing fan base (the single “I Told You So” from “Billions“ has already surpassed a half-million streams) will react to the new material, but it’s a safe bet that Putnam’s hard work and lyrical honesty will continue to resonate, as it does on the album's latest single "Who Are You."
"As a song writer, I see this song as an achievement since it represents a direction that I’ve been trying to steer myself in for the last few years. I think a lot of great songs get lost in translation - sometimes there' s too much effort put into trying to be different," Putnam explains. "But I think the emotional attachments we feel for songs are primal, so maybe the more primitive the approach, the more likely people are to connect. That’s the goal after all, right?
“Saturdays“ by The March Divide arrives on May 13th, 2016, distributed by Burnside. The March Divide will be touring before, during, and after the release of “Saturdays,“ as per usual.
San Antonio-based songwriter, Jared Putnam, leader of the sometimes more, but usually one-man pop-rock band, The March Divide, is prolific. It’s a word used often / often misused, but when it comes to Putnam, it applies.
As such, The March Divide announces the upcoming release of a new album! “Saturdays“ follows-up two album and three EP releases from Putnam in just a three-year period, and according to the artist, it’s his most satisfying work to date.
“I think I finally made the record I wanted to make,” Putnam says of the follow-up to 2014’s “Billions“ and its accompanying 2015 EP “+1.” “I didn’t set out to write an album so soon after the last, but I never really stopped writing.”
It remains to be seen how Putnam’s growing fan base (the single “I Told You So” from “Billions“ has already surpassed a half-million streams) will react to the new material, but it’s a safe bet that Putnam’s hard work and lyrical honesty will continue to resonate, especially on “Exit Signs,” the first single and video from “Saturdays,“ which Putnam jokes must be about his past, because “I can’t seem to stop writing about it.”
“It's about running away,” Putnam explains of how the song, like so many by The March Divide, reflects on leaving a past life behind. “My songs help me figure it all out, I think. I wouldn't change a thing, and closure has been very hard for me, but I think I'm there.”
“Saturdays“ by The March Divide arrives on May 13th, 2016, distributed by Burnside. The March Divide will be touring before, during, and after the release of “Saturdays,“ as per usual.
Cotton Mather’s much revered album "Kontiki" – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his ambitious new project which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade.
“I’ve always been spiritually curious,” Harrison says of the subject matter. “I studied the I Ching in college but didn’t delve deep until later.” Delving is putting it mildly as Harrison intends to record one song for each of the ancient book of Chinese wisdom and advice’s 64 hexagrams, eventually packaging selected tracks into several album releases, but also making them available digitally along the way.
Harrison discusses the latest track, "The Cotton Mather Pledge," saying, "Nothing befuddled me more in first grade than turning towards the corner of the room each morning and solemnly reciting the 'Pledge of Allegiance' to a piece of cloth. I sort of understood the 'Star Spangled Banner,' because at least you sung that and it had action. Even years later, watching my son and his Cub Scout troop raise their hands to recite the pledge kind of gave me the willies all over again. Maybe it's because he had a buzz cut at the time, and if you're a long haired guy from Alabama, the sight of somebody in a blue uniform with a crew cut is petrifying."
Harrison continues, "Then again, I'm also the guy who doesn't feel the need to turn every single sporting event that's not golf or tennis into a celebration of the armed forces. It seemed a stirring national impulse to do so in the wake of 9/11, and it was fitting - but now the two worlds have become inextricably fused. Let me say that I deeply admire and respect the men and women who defend and protect our country. But as a pacifist sports fan, I'd feel equally pleased if we were to all stand up before the opening pitch and recite 'The Palm at the End of the Mind,' by Wallace Stevens."
Harrison concludes, explaining that "The 13th hexagram of the I Ching, 'Fellowship Among Men,' or 'Seeking Harmony,' lays out guiding principles for establishing harmony and integrity within a community. Walker Percy was fond of saying, 'One must do the thing they are most fit to do,' and if there is one thing I'm better fit to do than anyone, it's to write a song about being in Cotton Mather. I don't know if it's a pledge or an anthem, since a pledge is technically spoken word. But feel free to place your hand over your heart when you listen."
The members of Bellingham-based five-piece Polecat arrived at their first rehearsal from very different musical backgrounds. a “Some of us shook hands for the first time that day,” says band leader and vocalist Aaron Guest of the initial meeting in early 2010. Incorporating genres including bluegrass, world, country, Celtic, reggae and rock into a cohesive sound might have been impossible if each member of Polecat hadn’t learned the rules before breaking them. The group is well-seasoned, having performed nearly 100 shows a year since its inception, but at that first meeting, Polecat didn’t even have a name.
The following five years saw Polecat release two full-length albums along with steady growth throughout the Northwest as each band member's musical diversity allowed them to chameleon through an incredible variety of gigs and audiences. Now Polecat will hit the road for two weeks in March as direct support with Yonder Mountain String Band to support the release of a new Polecat album "Into The Wind" on March 11th. Polecat will then embark on a headlining tour in April.
The band shows a Grateful Dead influence on the latest "Into The Wind" single “Christine,” which band member Jeremy Elliott says is about that elusive accomplishment where former romantic partners stay friends when the romance is over. Apparently, when the person is that special, it's worth it to "overcome heartbreak to preserve that unmatched connection, and continue the magic of the relationship outside of the label of a 'couple,'" he explains.
"Into The Wind" by Polecat is scheduled for release on March 11th, 2016.
The members of Bellingham-based five-piece Polecat arrived at their first rehearsal from very different musical backgrounds.
“Some of us shook hands for the first time that day,” says band leader and vocalist Aaron Guest of the initial meeting in early 2010. Incorporating genres including bluegrass, world, country, Celtic, reggae and rock into a cohesive sound might have been impossible if each member of Polecat hadn’t learned the rules before breaking them. The group is well-seasoned, having performed nearly 100 shows a year since its inception, but at that first meeting, Polecat didn’t even have a name.
The following five years saw Polecat release two full-length albums along with steady growth throughout the Northwest as each band member's musical diversity allowed them to chameleon through an incredible variety of gigs and audiences.
Now Polecat will hit the road for two weeks in March as direct support with Yonder Mountain String Band to support the release of a new Polecat album Into The Wind on March 11th. Polecat will then embark on a headlining tour in April.
The first single from Into The Wind is “In The Cold,” a great mix of what Polecat can do, incorporating polyrhythmic grooves, big rock breaks, and guitar lines that range from percussive hi-life feels to soaring rock triplets.
"The lyrics ponder how we have lost sight of what's around us, and nature in general, something far bigger than our own emotions and thoughts," says Guest. Into The Wind by Polecat is scheduled for release on March 11th, 2016.
The members of Bellingham-based five-piece Polecat arrived at their first rehearsal from very different musical backgrounds.
“Some of us shook hands for the first time that day,” says band leader and vocalist Aaron Guest of the initial meeting in early 2010. Incorporating genres including bluegrass, world, country, Celtic, reggae and rock into a cohesive sound might have been impossible if each member of Polecat hadn’t learned the rules before breaking them. The group is well-seasoned, having performed nearly 100 shows a year since its inception, but at that first meeting, Polecat didn’t even have a name.
The following five years saw Polecat release two full-length albums along with steady growth throughout the Northwest as each band member's musical diversity allowed them to chameleon through an incredible variety of gigs and audiences.
Now Polecat will hit the road for two weeks in March as direct support with Yonder Mountain String Band to support the release of a new Polecat album Into The Wind on March 11th. Polecat will then embark on a headlining tour in April.
Of the album track “Four Leaf Clover," band member Aaron Guest says, "It's about the challenges of being an artist, the search for recognition, and the thoughts of folks who had that recognition in the past, and how hard it is for them to try and reclaim it.”
The Rondo Brothers is the San Francisco-based production and performance team of Jim Greer and Brandon Arnovick, both born in the fall of 1971. Starting their career in the long forgotten year of 1997 with the unforgettable Dr. Octagon album, the Rondos soon found themselves assisting famed producer Dan The Automator and immersing themselves in the world of cutting edge hip-hop, touring with Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Head Automatica, and others.
Over the years that followed, Greer and Arnovick’s love of eclecticism found them in the studio with a wide range of artists and producers including Mario Caldato (Beastie Boys) to Prince Paul (De La Soul), Hieroglyphics, Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Cheap Trick), Galactic, Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Ivan Neville, and so many more.
The biggest success to date for the Rondos came when they helped discover and produce the first full-length album by Foster The People, which included the worldwide smash hit single “Pumped Up Kicks.” To date, The Rondo Brothers have released three full-length records of their own, with the duo’s latest "Shadow Government (Shadow Series, Volume 1)" scheduled to arrive on Valentine’s Day, 2016.
The new record perfectly shows off Greer and Arnovick’s special brand of electro-organic songwriting and music composition, augmented by guests such as Rachel Fannan of Sleepy Sun, 20 Minute Loop singer Kelly Atkins, Russian pop auteur Olga Kapusting, rising songwriter Andrew St. James, and world-famous guru and author Bagavan Das who is featured on the album’s first single “Yosemite Das,” which Greer calls “a meditation and beat-oriented mantra for the masses.”
“We have been down a difficult road,” explains Marcus Striplin of the near-decade that has passed between commencing work on the upcoming Pleasant Grove album "The Heart Contortionists" (February 5th, We Know Better Records), the group’s untimely dissolution, and the album’s ultimate completion.
Recorded by Grammy-award winners John Congleton (St. Vincent, Modest Mouse, War On Drugs) and Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Cat Power), "The Heart Contortionists" reminds listeners of what they loved about the Pleasant Grove sound – a folk band’s command of melody and a psych band’s command of reverb – while also giving clues to what led to the group’s untimely departure from the scene.
“In short, "The Heart Contortionists" is a divorce record,” says Striplin. “And through all the hazy days, I had completely forgotten that we had recorded it.” Indeed, Striplin survived drink, divorce, and a two-year case of writer’s block to get here. An eventual move to Austin by way of NYC, and a new relationship led him back to musical projects, but he says “it was nothing close to what Pleasant Grove could make me feel.”
Then, in late 2012, the band started flirting with the idea of getting back together.
“We crept up on ourselves and played a little show and the sparks flew,” Striplin remembers. “So, Bret [Egner, Pleasant Grove co-founder] and I went back and listened to those old sessions with open hearts and minds and found that we’d made a contemporary album that happened to be recorded ten years ago!”
With that realization, and Striplin’s newly rehabilitated state, Pleasant Grove – which along with Striplin on vocals, guitars & keys, Ryan on drums & keys, and Egner on vocals, guitars & keys, includes Tony Hormillosa on bass & guitar, and Chris Mayes on guitar, lap steel, keys, vocals, and trombone – decided to move forward.
The spring and summer of 2014 was spent recording overdubs and fixing some minor sonic hiccups with producer Sikes before longtime Pleasant Grove friend and engineer, John Dufhilo (Old ‘97s, Apples In Stereo) came on board to mix the record. The result is a classic-sounding album that reflects the sonic maturity of a band that released its first recording of “shimmering majestic pop and lethargic country music” in 1999, and should be rightly recognized as an architect of that sound today.
Apparently, the band is feeling it too. “A lot of these songs would be on our personal ‘Top 10 Pleasant Grove songs’ list,” Striplin says.
Nearly ten years in the making, "The Heart Contortionists" by Pleasant Grove arrives on Feb. 5th, 2016 via We Know Better Records.
Bloomington, Illinois-based songwriter Dan Hubbard has been cultivating a Midwestern rock n’ roll sound for over a decade. Until now.
Starting with his first album under the name The Hubbards in 2003, through to 2011’s The Love Show with his band, The Humadors, Hubbard never felt the urge to change things up, but when he did, he had to make some big choices.
“Everyone had their reasons for wanting to end the band, but changing my sound, which was something I never cared about before, was my reason,” Hubbard says. It was a precarious move for an artist who had already built a small, but devoted fan base.
The risk paid off.
Hubbard’s upcoming, naturally self-titled, solo album (out Feb. 5th) is all the proof that’s needed. Where the Humadors rocked, and rocked very well, Hubbard’s new songs, and his performance of them, sound less rave-up and more settled in – real, relatable, roots-driven music that sticks.
“This record came about because of two producers,” Hubbard explains. Working with outside help for the first time, Hubbard first established a long-distance correspondence with Ryan Ulyate, who has worked with Tom Petty for most of the last decade. “He suggested that I try telling more stories in my songs instead of always writing from my perspective,” Hubbard remembers. “So I did exactly that.”
Armed with a batch of some of the best songs he’d written in his life, Hubbard then headed to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer, a co-founder of Wilco and a three-time Grammy nominee.
“Ken played drums on Wilco’s Being There and Summerteeth albums – two of my favorite records of all time,” Hubbard exclaims of this dream-come-true scenario. Coomer brought in a who’s who of local talent to round out Hubbard’s studio band, including Dave Roe (long-time bassist with Johnny Cash), Adam Ollendorff (guitarist with Kacey Musgraves), and Tyson Rogers (pianist with Don Williams). Of course, Coomer himself joined in behind the drums.
“I know it’s the best thing I’ve done,” he says of the album. “So, I hope a lot of people enjoy it.”
Discussing the album track "Tired of Loving You," Hubbard says that what sounds like a breakup song is actually about being frustrated with people in general.
"I was feeling taken advantage of," he explains. "We're told to love one another, but wasn't feeling able to do that at the moment." On recording the tune, Hubbard remembers sitting down at the end of a 10-hour session and just playing the song to himself.
"My voice sounds tired and I’m thinking we’re about done, and then Ken says, 'That’s it, we’re going to do this one just like that. It turns out it was perfect for the subject matter." This song was finished off later by featuring what Hubbard describes as the "effortless voice" of Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Annalise Emerick.
"Dan Hubbard" arrives on February 5th, 2016.
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Bloomington, Illinois-based songwriter Dan Hubbard has been cultivating a Midwestern rock n’ roll sound for over a decade.
Until now.
Starting with his first album under the name The Hubbards in 2003, through to 2011’s The Love Show with his band, The Humadors, Hubbard never felt the urge to change things up, but when he did, he had to make some big choices.
“Everyone had their reasons for wanting to end the band, but changing my sound, which was something I never cared about before, was my reason,” Hubbard says. It was a precarious move for an artist who had already built a small, but devoted fan base.
The risk paid off.
Hubbard’s upcoming, naturally self-titled, solo album (out Feb. 5th) is all the proof that’s needed. Where the Humadors rocked, and rocked very well, Hubbard’s new songs, and his performance of them, sound less rave-up and more settled in – real, relatable, roots-driven music that sticks.
“This record came about because of two producers,” Hubbard explains. Working with outside help for the first time, Hubbard first established a long-distance correspondence with Ryan Ulyate, who has worked with Tom Petty for most of the last decade. “He suggested that I try telling more stories in my songs instead of always writing from my perspective,” Hubbard remembers. “So I did exactly that.”
Armed with a batch of some of the best songs he’d written in his life, Hubbard then headed to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer, a co-founder of Wilco and a three-time Grammy nominee.
“Ken played drums on Wilco’s Being There and Summerteeth albums – two of my favorite records of all time,” Hubbard exclaims of this dream-come-true scenario. Coomer brought in a who’s who of local talent to round out Hubbard’s studio band, including Dave Roe (long-time bassist with Johnny Cash), Adam Ollendorff (guitarist with Kacey Musgraves), and Tyson Rogers (pianist with Don Williams). Of course, Coomer himself joined in behind the drums.
“I know it’s the best thing I’ve done,” he says of the album. “So, I hope a lot of people enjoy it.”
The first single from the album is its opening track “February,” which ushers in the record with the ominous lines “Out here on my own, Swear I don’t know what I will do, If you don’t answer your phone, There’ll be blood before the night is through.”
“February is my least favorite month of the year,” Hubbard notes of the foreboding lyrics in what is otherwise a pretty catchy tune. “I wrote it when I was really struggling. My wife was pregnant with our third child, and I was thinking, ‘How the hell are we gonna do this?’“
"Dan Hubbard" arrives on February 5th, 2016.
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"February"
out here on my own, swear I don’t know what I will do if you don’t answer your phone, there’ll be blood before the night is through not sure how I ended up here, so far from who I thought I would be can we go back to the start, change everything
I’ve lost my way, can’t be saved want too much you can’t give me
lonely is the night, ain't no place for your tender heart here boy you better do what’s right, or I swear you’re gonna disappear that was a lifetime ago when you came and took away my pain just wanted to let you know, it came back again
I’ve lost my way, can’t be saved want too much you can’t give me no sweet sound, won’t be found hurts too much, I have seen enough
Daniel it’s ok to be sad sometimes one too many voices running round your mind no one ever told me it would be this hard went and gave myself another broken heart tell me what to do I’m on my knees right back in the place where you left me I don’t have anywhere else to turn don’t you think it’s about time I learned
I’ve lost my way, can’t be saved want too much you can’t give me no sweet sound, won’t be found hurts too much, I have seen enough
“Now I only stay in hotels or with close family or friends,” says Bloomington, Illinois-based songwriter, Dan Hubbard. He's recounting the story that inspired “Johnny,” the latest single from his upcoming self-titled solo album, arriving February 5th, 2016. “We thought someone we were staying with on tour was pretty pissed, and while no one actually got shot, we ended up leaving at 4AM to sleep in the van.” Hubbard has been cultivating a Midwestern rock n’ roll sound for over a decade. Until now. Following up 2011’s "The Love Show" with his band, The Humadors, Hubbard felt the urge to change things up, and when he did, he had to make some big choices.
“Everyone had their reasons for wanting to end the band, but changing my sound, which was something I never cared about before, was my reason,” Hubbard says. It was a precarious move for an artist who had already built a small, but devoted fan base, but the risk has paid off. Hubbard’s upcoming album is all the proof that’s needed. Where the Humadors rocked, and rocked very well, Hubbard’s new songs, and his performance of them, sound less rave-up and more settled in – real, relatable, roots-driven music that sticks.
“This record came about because of two producers,” Hubbard explains. Working with outside help for the first time, Hubbard first established a long-distance correspondence with Ryan Ulyate, who has worked with Tom Petty for most of the last decade. “He suggested that I try telling more stories in my songs instead of always writing from my perspective,” Hubbard remembers. “So I did exactly that.” Armed with a batch of some of the best songs he’d written in his life, Hubbard then headed to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer, a co-founder of Wilco and a three-time Grammy nominee.
“Ken played drums on Wilco’s Being There and Summerteeth albums – two of my favorite records of all time,” Hubbard exclaims of this dream-come-true scenario. Coomer brought in a who’s who of local talent to round out Hubbard’s studio band, including Dave Roe (long-time bassist with Johnny Cash), Adam Ollendorff (guitarist with Kacey Musgraves), and Tyson Rogers (pianist with Don Williams). Of course, Coomer himself joined in behind the drums.
“I just looked up to the sky and said ‘thank you’,” Hubbard says. “I was a little nervous about becoming a ‘solo artist’ – it was a little like starting over – but all of these great experiences helped me feel that I’d made the right decision.” Hubbard left Nashville feeling that he’d given all he had to give.
“I know it’s the best thing I’ve done,” he says of the album. “So, I hope a lot of people enjoy it.” There is certainly much to enjoy on "Dan Hubbard." Ulyate’s suggestion that Hubbard adopt more of a storytelling style works throughout the album, involving the listener in the lives of the people that Hubbard sings about, people that are already a part of his world, that now become part of ours. Now that Hubbard has his first studio-recorded solo album ready to roll, he will be backing it up by taking the show on the road. A tour surrounding the release of "Dan Hubbard" will be announced shortly. "Dan Hubbard" arrives on February 5th, 2016.
Cotton Mather’s much revered album "Kontiki" – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his ambitious new project which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade.
“I’ve always been spiritually curious,” Harrison says of the subject matter. “I studied the I Ching in college but didn’t delve deep until later.” Delving is putting it mildly as Harrison intends to record one song for each of the ancient book of Chinese wisdom and advice’s 64 hexagrams, eventually packaging the tracks into several vinyl releases, but making them available digitally along the way.
The first track, “The Book of Too Late Changes,” was premiered by Texas Monthly in November, 2015 as part of a larger feature about the project, and is now followed up with "Child Bride".
Harrison says the book that the latest song is based on is "seldom a favorite reading to receive and typically a reminder that my life is an ongoing exhibit of lessons unlearned." Referring to a real-life event, Harrison continues, "I can tell you that if you're ever going to jump over a fence on Halloween night in an effort to rescue a drunk driver, you'd better remove your nun costume first, unless you want to spend the next two months on crutches."
On what led Harrison back to Cotton Mather after all this time, he explains that “I wrote a song titled ‘Call Me The Witch’ for Nicole Atkins which came to me after consulting the I Ching. I asked myself, ‘Should I do a project based around the I Ching?," and I’d get a gentle ‘No,’ but this spring I was in Europe and realized it was burning in me to do the whole cycle, because I’d already written a dozen or so songs in this method. I realized attempting all 64 at once wouldn’t be true, so the songs are my responses to the readings as I receive them, happening in real time and real weather.”
This thinking explains Harrison’s choice to release the tracks one by one, sharing the material in an organic, non-contrived way. Harrison says that 18 of the 64 songs have already been written, and the process of recording them is ongoing.
Charlie Belle is an Austin-based sister-brother pop duo comprised of 17-year-old songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, Jendayi Bonds, and 15-year-old drummer and vocalist, Gyasi Bonds.
The Bonds siblings, who began playing together as a band in 2011 (promptly landing in USA Today with a cover of “Strange Powers” by Magnetic Fields), made a splash earlier this year with the breezy debut EP “Get To Know,” which recalled the English “alternapop” sound of the 90’s in a succinct and memorable handful of songs that reflected Jendayi’s mature-beyond-her-years songwriting.
Displaying a style that Jendayi began to hone starting with her first songwriting attempts at only 10-years-old (brother Gyasi started on drums at four!), the “Get To Know” EP had major press outlets claiming that Charlie Belle was “armed with the most infectious kind of power-pop” (Wired), dubbing the group “some of the raddest kids around” (Nylon), and reminding that Charlie Belle would be one of the “musicians you’ll tell your friends about in 2015” (NPR). The band also earned attention in the UK, where its influences were clearly felt as a “New Band of The Week” in The Guardian.
Charlie Belle (named after the Bonds’ great-grandmother) have now followed-up “Get To Know” with “I Don’t Want To Be Alone” (Fanatic Records, Out Now), another EP of songs that brings an R&B influence to the mix (as well as an impressive rap break by Jendayi on the track “You Don’t Know Me.”) Overall, the new collection shows off a major step forward in the young lyricist’s songwriting and abilities with a hook. It’s simply one of those records that demands to be played on repeat.
“It’s pretty R&B inspired, which excites me,” Jendayi explains. “I’ve really been feeling the groove and trying to figure out a way to put that into Charlie Belle without taking away from who we are.”
Dallas–based drummer and multi–instrumentalist Jeff Ryan – his credits include work with St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Daniel Johnston, Sarah Jaffe, The New Year and many more – presents “Two Pieces” (available Dec. 11th), his latest release under the Myopic banner.
The new recordings, each named for the settings in which they were made, were recorded in one take by engineer Jerome Brock, with minimal instrumentation and no overdubs, and mixed by Grammy award–winning producer, Stuart Sikes.
“The idea was to capture a moment and not spend any time in post-production,” Ryan says of the concept. “Whatever happened in the moment, happened.”
The first track, “Playground,” was recorded in the school playground of Ryan’s children.
“There is a set of vibes that are built right into the playground,” Ryan explains. “I had Scott Danbom from Centro–Matic, and a few other players along to accompany me. You can hear planes flying overhead, a bit of the wind, and the instruments resonating naturally outside.”
A music video for “Playground,” capturing the same take of the song that appears on “Two Pieces,” was shot and edited by John Dufhilo and will be released soon.
“Two Pieces” by Myopic will be released on Dec. 11th via UPClose Recording Co.
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More about Jeff Ryan / Myopic:
Jeff Ryan, a self–taught musician, started playing drums at an early age, continued in bands throughout high school and college, and started to get critical recognition when his group Pleasant Grove began touring in the US and Europe.
It was around this time that Ryan’s friends, the Grammy–winning engineers, John Congleton and Stuart Sikes, hired Ryan to play and record with St. Vincent, The War On Drugs, and many others.
It was also at this time that Ryan started tinkering with looping the sound of found objects, and developing these samples into songs. The result was 2009’s "Plays In Pieces" which was followed by 2013’s "We Were Here".
Cotton Mather’s much revered album 1997 album Kontiki – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his new ambitious project which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade.
“I’ve always been spiritually curious,” Harrison says of the subject matter. “I studied the I Ching in college but didn’t delve deep until later.” Delving is putting it mildly as Harrison intends to record one song for each of the ancient book of Chinese wisdom and advice’s 64 hexagrams, eventually packaging the tracks into several vinyl releases, but making them available digitally along the way.
The first track, “The Book of Too Late Changes,” was premiered by Texas Monthly in November as part of a larger feature about the project, and two more songs will become available before the close of 2015. Harrison explains that he consults the I Ching “at the beginning of most days,” but it wasn’t until recently that he decided to let it motivate his songwriting and birth this massive project.
“I wrote a song titled ‘Call Me The Witch’ for Nicole Atkins,” Harrison tells Texas Monthly. “I got the idea for the song after consulting the I Ching. I began to ask myself, ‘Should I do a project based around the I Ching?’ I’d get a gentle ‘No,’ but this spring I was in Europe and realized it was burning in me to do it. I thought it would be gimmicky to do all 64 at once – it would only work if it comes from sincerity.”
This thinking explains Harrison’s choice to release the tracks one by one, sharing the organic nature of this material in an organic, non-contrived way. Harrison says that 18 of the 64 songs have already been written, and the process of recording them is ongoing. The first tune to surface, “The Book of Too Late Changes,” is actually about surfacing itself. Or re-surfacing in this case.
“The question was, where do I begin?,” Harrison tells Texas Monthly. “One problem is you have to convince people you’re worth hearing again. I knew it had to be something explosive. I consulted the I Ching and got hexagram 24, ‘The Return,’ which is about turning back onto the path. So I thought, I’ll make it about the return of Cotton Mather.”
John Andrew Fredrick, a prolific songwriter and author - he has published three comic-literary novels and is about to release a book on the early films of Wes Anderson - announced that his long-time, critically revered band, the black watch would tick no more following the release of the band's "Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy" album in early 2015.
As it turns out, this retirement has lasted less than a year.
Set for release on December 4th, "Highs & Lows" is the band's 13th release in 27 years and is one of its best. An early review from the venerable magazine The Big Takeover calls the album "high art," and notes that Fredrick "plies the refined, crafted spaces of post-Velvets pop like Go-Betweens/Orange Juice/Smiths/c86."
Produced by Rob Campanella of Brian Jonestown Massacre, the latest single from "Highs & Lows" is "Love's Fever Dreams," which Fredrick says is about "the ways - possibly delusional - in which people believe in the quote-unquote 'power of romantic love' and how amor vincit omnia (love conquers all.)"
He goes on to describe the song as "quintessential the black watch - a menacing drone that marches darkly, then builds and builds until it explodes with a super-catchy heavenly choir-like chorus, rocking us home with impassioned vocals, belted out - an all-hail hallelujah!"
"Highs & Lows," the latest album from the black watch, arrives on December 4th, 2015 via Pop Culture Press Records.
John Andrew Fredrick, a prolific songwriter and author - he has published three comic-literary novels and is about to release a book on the early films of Wes Anderson - announced that his long-time, critically revered band, the black watch would tick no more following the release of the band's "Sugarplum Fairy, Sugarplum Fairy" album in early 2015.
As it turns out, this retirement has lasted less than a year.
Set for release on December 4th, "Highs & Lows" is the band's 13th release in 27 years and is one of its best. An early review from the venerable magazine The Big Takeover calls the album "high art," and notes that Fredrick "plies the refined, crafted spaces of post-Velvets pop like Go-Betweens/Orange Juice/Smiths/c86."
Produced by Rob Campanella of Brian Jonestown Massacre, the latest single from "Highs & Lows" is Fredrick's favorite from the album, "Quondam Redhead," which he describes as being about "A beautiful ginger who stabbed me to death in an imaginary kitchen." He continues, explaining, "She laughs because she's used her 'favorite knife' and now it's unusable. A song for everyone who has a favorite knife? Or everyone who's still in more than a little in love with someone who quote-unquote killed them?"
"Highs & Lows, the latest album from the black watch, arrives on December 4th, 2015 via Pop Culture Press Records.
“It all sounds like part of a well-thought-out tradition. Only the tradition has never existed until now.” – NPR / Fresh Air
Loop 2.4.3’s “hard-driving” and “intricate, energetic” live set featuring “haunting, twisting tones,” has been covered by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Daily News, and more.
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Loop 2.4.3 creates original music steeped in percussion and electronics, with sounds both experimental and familiar at its core. Rooted in the classical chamber music tradition, the music still has an undeniable psychedelic edge with improvisatory jazz and rock foundations.
Loop 2.4.3’s founder, percussionist, and composer, Thomas Kozumplik (also a member of Clogs along with The National’s Bryce Dessner and Padma Newsome), leads a flexible ensemble that rotates players and varies in size, but the powerful sense of exploration and freedom is constant.
Kozumplik’s latest iteration of Loop 2.4.3 has expanded the integration of electronic sounds, samples, and “ghost musicians” that Kozumplik creates via waves of delay. Kozumplik literally brought this music into new terrain by touring this latest “group” throughout the US, creating hour-long structured improvisations, and later harnessing these performances to create "Time-Machine_music," the fourth Loop 2.4.3 album, released last year.
Composed solely by Kozumplik, the album explores literal and figurative manipulations of time, probing the experience from a personal and social perspective. With the album now available, Kozumplik is bringing "Time-Machine_music" out on the road again this fall for a handful of dates on the East and West coasts.
“'Time-Machine_music' explores the spaces, or the connections between points in time,” Kozumplik explains. “It acknowledges that brilliance and sagacity may come from a place that is entangled with conflict, controversy, emotional instability, and the surreal, hyperreal, hallucinatory receptors of the mind.”
The album’s lead track is “Out to War,” which Kozumplik says is “as much about being treated with disrespect as it is about world conflict, and the seemingly unending need for humans to resolve conflict through violence.”
A sampling of the instruments heard on "Time-Machine_music" include an electro-acoustic percussion set of Chinese tom-toms, Indian bells, crotales, log drums, tambourim, marimba, vibraphone, Thai gongs, piano, Wurlitzer, steel drum, and kalimba. Kozumplik also brings voices, strings, and found sounds into the mix, embracing a notion of journeyed story-telling, and ultimately creating an alternate universe and immersive experience best brought to life in Loop 2.4.3’s acclaimed live show.
In addition to his work with Loop 2.4.3, and Clogs, Kozumplik has appeared as a soloist and collaborator at venues throughout the world with Kronos Quartet, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, Sufjan Stevens, The National, and many more.
About "No Man's Land":
“‘No Man’s Land’ is a sinister tune about the drought stricken Texas Plains,” says vocalist and guitarist Jesse Berkowitz of Austin-based trio, I Am The Albatross. “It’s an imagining of a world gone wrong, where right and wrong and good and evil have little meaning. It’s our contribution to the canon of dust bowl ballads.”
The band’s debut album "Lonesome Son" (arriving August 7th via Rail Rider Records), is a natural, but substantial progression from the its early-2014 EP, which Ovrld called “Haunting and alien, full of menace and fire.” Much of the record is inspired by travels through Texas, which Berkowitz calls “a massive place where it’s easy to quickly find yourself far from amenities and comforts.”
He goes on about "Lonesome Son," saying matter-of-factly, “It’s a rock record for sure,” referring to the new group of tunes that mightily show off the influence of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Kyuss, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Clutch. Berkowitz’s heavy, blistering guitar work is complemented by the no-nonsense contributions of Giuseppe Ponti on bass and vocals, and Marc Henry on drums.
“It’s a record about things ending,” Berkowitz concludes. “It’s about searching, aging, and all the irreparable change that comes with the passage of time. It’s very much inspired by life in Austin.”
"Lonesome Son," the debut album by I Am The Albatross, arrives via Rail Rider Records on August 7th, 2015.
Austin-based musician Craig Marshall believes that as a songwriter, he’s only as good as his next song. Fortunately, the prolific Marshall always seems to have a next song on tap, with a songbook that goes back thirty-plus years. The latest entry into Marshall’s discography is his sixth album "After All," arriving via Big Ticket Records on August 7th.
The record is Marshall’s second outing with producer (and longtime Marshall admirer), Robert Harrison, leader of the critically acclaimed band, Cotton Mather.
“Craig Marshall has always kept his artistic sights trained on the loftiest of goals,” comments Harrison. “That is to craft songs that are immediate, timeless, and classic.” Indeed, the songs on After All show off Marshall’s gift for penning and performing the kinds of tunes that helped country-inflected folk to eventually become the Americana genre. His longstanding status as a well-kept secret speaks to his influence, while his skills transcend genre at the same time.
"After All"’s second single is the most bluegrass track on the record, with contributing players including Patterson Barrett on mandolin and dobro, Eddie Dickerson on fiddle, and Betty Soo on harmony vocals.
Marshall’s love of The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees can also be heard on "After All," and over the years, critics have cited artists as diverse as Badfinger, Marshall Crenshaw and XTC when describing Marshall. The songs on After All do show these influences, but ultimately a Marshall fan will hear a Marshall song, and the uninitiated will be treated to a warm, familiar sound that plays unique and fresh.
"After All" by Craig Marshall arrives on August 7th, 2015 via the artist’s own Big Ticket Records label.