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Showing posts from September 6, 2015

On Our Horizon: Shakedown At The Majestic - Across Silent Hearts

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Shakedown At The Majestic - In Control (from the forthcoming EP). Background - Shakedown At The Majestic was formed in New York City by guitarist Chris Vermillion and drummer Taylor Nimtz. They have become well known in the power pop underground and for bringing fun, energetic, superbly played performances to the music scene. Jonathan Vermillion (Chris’s brother) also plays guitar in the band, and after they moved out to Seattle, they added Rob Moura on bass.  Their debut, self-titled EP was produced by legendary recording innovator and Stranger genius Steve Fisk (Nirvana,The Posies, Screaming Trees) for release Friday, November 6, 2015. Shakedown At The Majestic’s name evokes the bamalama and bomp of British Invasion bands, as well as fuelled-up garage groups from a few years out and beyond. The signature style of singles like “Run For Your Life” and “In Control” feature tightly woven harmonies and interweaving vocal melodies, drawing from rock and pop's early years but deli

Musical Influences: Saint Cole - Electric Parlor - Moana

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Saint Cole - Within This Skin. About Saint Cole - Nic (vocals/producer/DJ) and Curt (guitar/keys) are from a small town called Dewsbury in West Yorkshire just two miles from Morley, home of the legendary nineties techno night The Orbit. Heavily influenced by this scene and the now legendary stories surrounding the club, Nic started producing and mixing hard dance/techno.  Saint Cole represents Nic's passion for dance music fused with his love of indie/rock. He cites influences as diverse as The Beatles, The Stone Roses, The La's, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and Leftfield. Saint Cole was born when he started working with his life long friend Curt. The duo were soon joined by third band member Martin Kolcak who is based in Slovakia and contributes artwork, visuals and animation. Neither Nic nor Curt have met Martin yet, though this is set to change when Saint Cole embark on a tour in summer 2016, complete with live visuals . Their debut E.P to be released Friday the

'Young Hearts Run Free' - Kirsten Izer - Jennifer Budd

Kirsten Izer - Wave. Background, promo and plaudits from others - 19 year old indie alternative-pop singer, Kirsten Izer, announces the release of her debut EP, What If This Is It?, which is set to drop on September 25, 2015. Every track on the EP is written, performed and produced by the singer/songwriter, whose “style is wild and free while adding a distinctive note of extravaganza to a familiar pop formula” (Nothing But Hope and Passion). After graduating high school, the NJ-based singer/songwriter decided to hold off on college so she could continue writing songs and begin a career in music. However, giving into to the pressure of society, she held off on making her own music and began working for other musicians full-time at the young age of 18 years old. After a stressful year of pretending to be an adult, Izer decided to finally quit her job, start being a teenager, and more importantly, start making music for herself. The EP features Izer’s single, “Wave,” with “fuzzed-out

Chris and Carla - Paradiso, Holland 2007 (Internet Archive).

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From the Internet Archive this is  Chris and Carla  recorded live back on March 12th 2007, at The Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I am sure that most reading this will know that Chris and Carla is a side project by the pair who are part of the band The Walkabouts. Carla Torgerson and Chris Eckman met and began playing music together in 1983 while attending Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. In 1984 they moved to Seattle, and the band (The Walkabouts) was born when they joined forces with Chris' two younger brothers, drummer Grant and bassist Curt. The Eckman brothers had been playing in various punk rock and pop groups during their college years, and Carla came from a folk and street singing background. The band took their name from Nicolas Roeg's cult film, Walkabout. As can be seen form the following piece from Wikipedia Chris and Carla have been extremely active musicians down the years -  Eckman and Torgerson have also released albums as side projects

Australian Double Play: Zac Slater - Michael Fuhrman

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Zac Slater - Moon Mission. Background - Hailing from Launceston Tasmania, recently located to Melbourne in 2014 to pursue his music career. Having already had the successful supporting tours under his belt with Sticky Fingers, Thundamentals, Kingswood, Jackie Onassis, Phil Jamieson, Bootleg Rascal, Boo Seeka, just to name a small portion. Zac looks set and as if he is waltzing around with his boot raised high, ready to imprint his foot in the Australian Music industry. Zac released a Self-titled debut Solo EP via Rockfellaz in 2010 which saw him securing his name down as a Australian APRA 2011 song writing finalist. Five years later, hundreds of live shows and also building a band, Zac has crafted his style into something hugely unique, not only his sound but stage presence as well, promising one of the most energetic and passionate sets this day and age has seen. Definitely put this on your list of gigs to see!  The track ‘Moon Mission’ was recorded and produced by Zac himself,

Sundays Alternative Take - From Soul To Synths

Phantoms - All In feat. Little Know. Background - Los Angeles dark pop duo Phantoms have announced their signing to Casablanca / Republic Records and have revealed their debut EP on the label, Broken Halo, out September 25th. The EP features 4 original songs including "Broken Halo" and "Voyeur" with vocals from Nicholas Braun, and new singles "All In" featuring Little Know and "Colors." The project also includes an unreleased remix of the title track from electronic synthwave producer Com Truise. Broken Halo is Phantoms' first body of work since their debut EP on Skrillex's Nest free release imprint two years ago, and the two have even more content on the way. Vinnie Pergola & Kyle Kaplan, AKA Phantoms, have honed their sound to scale from their underground foundations to the heights of electronic pop production, setting the tone for their forthcoming full-length album in 2016. Phantoms will be performing live in New York at Baby&