Posts

Showing posts from May 22, 2016

Rock'n'Roll Saturday: VanDeRocker - Josh Rawiri - NARCS

Image
VanDeRocker - Fly. Background bio - VanDeRocker is a Los Angeles based indie-rock project led by lead singer and guitarist, Adrienne VanDeRocker. Raised in Austin, Texas by a family of classical musicians, Adrienne got her start in music playing piano. She was always more captivated by the music of Bowie, Prince and Kate Bush and quickly began writing her own songs on guitar. By the age of 12, she was sneaking in to local bars to perform with her older sister's band and had eventually decided to pursue a music career of her own. After exploring the performance scene in Seattle and New York City, Adrienne relocated to Los Angeles where she developed the five-piece alternative rock band, VanDeRocker. Recording with talents like Chris Chaney on bass (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morissette), Tim Pierce on guitar (Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield), and Jamie Muhoberac on keys (Backstreet Boys, The All-American Rejects, The Rolling Stones), VDR’s latest album, Jupiter's Kiss, has been well

Quality Not Quantity: The Goldhearts - Me & Mark

Image
The Goldhearts - Rise And Fall. Background promo - If it not for Kenny Rogers advice to bass players to write and sing their own songs, this catchy album of grunge, hooks, harmonies, and twang may never have seen the light of day. With a batch of original songs in hand, Bass Player/Songwriter Margy Joughin (Dream Poppies) gambled on the wisdom of Kenny Rogers, sage to all bass players. Intending to record a few songs, producer Govinda Doyle (Big Jet Plane) gently coaxed Margy across the line from backing to lead vocalist to accidentally record an album. The Goldhearts came to life with with ex-Brisbane mates Tracey Kick, (Dream Poppies) Claire Harris (Razel, Dream Poppies, Godnose, The Shortfall) and Daren Williams (Haba Dudes, Secret Assasins). The Goldhearts’ debut album, “The Rise and Fall of the Goldhearts” draws inspiration from the female led indie bands of the 90’s, and the melodic traditions of Australian music. The album is tweaked with twang and leaves a tasty grunge han

Thursday Two: The Iron Horses - Kwesi Foraes

Image
The Iron Horses - Any Other Way. Background promo - The Iron Horses formed in early 2015 after numerous late night boozy jamming sessions. With a great enthusiasm for cheap bourbon and nothing but time to kill on a Friday night, a group of songs began to emerge. Duncan (vox/rhythm guitar), Ciaran (lead guitar/vox), Raul (Bass) Pete (Drums). There was no shortage of ideas and the songs came through thick and fast. After months of gigging each and every one of Sydney’s bars, the boys had accumulated enough money to completely fund their debut EP. The energy that hits you is immediately captivating and none of this is by chance. With two albums of balls out Rock & Roll already written within a year, the hardest part was deciding which songs made the cut for the Stop To Start EP. Each song tells a story, every harmony and riff reverberates inside you. The energy that hits you is immediately captivating and none of this is by chance. With almost two albums worth of material already w

Genre Mix: Josh Flagg - Wailing Loons

Image
Josh Flagg - The Floor It Shakes. Background bio - After two EP’s, 2011’s full-length Devastate Me and relentless touring, New York City’s own Josh Flagg releases Tracing Shapes on June 3, 2016. It’s a record focused on small moments with enormous consequences. Marriage, friends, birth, rebirth, alienation, intimacy, art, compulsion, loneliness and history are themes mined and explored throughout Tracing Shapes ten tracks and they take the listener on a ride not easily forgotten. Flagg focuses on the humanity of the characters and versions of himself in these songs. He’s looking for the right words, even when he knows they’ll hurt…especially when they hurt. It’s a darker, harder, more complex set of songs featuring a three pronged guitar attack, soaring vocals and asymmetrical songwriting. Produced by Kieran Kelly (Sufjan Stevens, Better Than Ezra), Tracing Shapes’ sound pulled together as Flagg added a third guitarist to his live show. The three driving guitar lines allowed him to

Globetrotting: Elk & Mammoth - Silent Wave - Cairobi

Image
Elk & Mammoth - Shiver. Background promo - Four-piece indie rock outfit Elk + Mammoth are stoked to announce the release of their debut EP, Culprit, with the single “Shiver” (recorded and produced by James Clark) out now. Described as like a funky Lynchian dream, Culprit combines sinister staccato vocals and guitar riffs that could have been lifted straight out of the original Twin Peaks soundtrack. The result is both playful and unsettling, but be warned, the groove is infectious and side-effects may include drinking coffee black as midnight on a moonless night. Since forming in 2014, they have established a herd of followers, performing their signature blend of unpredictable humour, unusual subject matter, and mid-set-on-stage outfit changes at venues all over Melbourne. They have played with artists such as The Pierce Brothers, Slim Jefferies, and Pockets, and gained traction with the release of their single “Fabric”, in 2015.‘Culprit’ EP will be released 3rd of June 20

Singers & Songs: Fleurie - Rachael Sage - Tom Misch

Image
Fleurie - Breathe. Background Bio - Nashville musician Fleurie has released her latest single, "Breathe," a surging track that builds from sparse piano and breathy vocals to pounding drums and crashing strings. In the past year, Fleurie has released four singles and her EP Arrows, which received widespread recognition. Growing up in Canton, MI, Lauren studied classical piano from an early age, and later developed her love of music while attending school in Australia. Once she moved to Nashville, her professional career as a songwriter began to take shape. With the help of producer Matt Stanfield, and the mixing work of Dave Schiffman (Haim, Charli XCX, Brandon Flowers), Fleurie's recent Arrows EP came to life. Most recently, Fleurie traveled to Stockholm, Sweden to perform at the Royal Swedish Opera with members of the Stockholm Symphony. The experience blended her classical background, with Fleurie's modern electronic/pop sound. We featured Fleurie last August,

Dreamy Sunday: Pale Dian - A.R.Kane - Puro Instinct

Image
Pale Dian - Evan Evan. Background promo - Formed in 2015, Austin-based dream pop trio Pale Dian ride the ashes of their previous project, Blackstone Rngrs, into smudgier, esoteric terrains. The debut LP Narrow Birth is set for a June 3rd release via Manifesto Records, the current home of Dead Kennedys, legendary psyche-pop band the Turtles, and modern signees Puro Instinct, Cellars, Band Aparte, and Drinking Flowers.  The record explores power and weakness, birth and decay, love and abandonment, beauty and abrasiveness. Narrow Birth refers to both the fragility of life and the complete and utter randomness that we, as humans, even exist on this planet in the first place. It exposes the naked realities confronting us all: "here is me, and there is you,  so now what? LP, CD, Digital, CS Release Date: June 3rd, 2016 06/03 - Austin, TX - Swan Dive *LP Release Party* 06/07 - Albuquerque, NM - The Bungalow (house show) 06/08 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace 06/09 - Tucson, AZ - Th