Odd Marshall has officially released his sophomore album Seconds, an eight-song roots rock extravaganza, with the emphasis on rock. Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs, drummer Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall) and bassist Jon Ossman (Chris Botti).
When planning Seconds, the follow-up to his 2024 debut Sand & Glue, Odd Marshall was turned down by a prominent Canadian producer, prompting him to ask, “Who else did I like when I was 14?”
The answer that immediately sprang to mind was the band Blind Melon so, with nothing to lose, he found a contact, sent a cold email with demos attached, and in no time he was chatting with Thorn who agreed to take the reins and bring in his six-string partner Stevens, marking the first time they have worked together outside of Blind Melon. What was initially intended to be an EP quickly blossomed into a full eight-song album once Odd Marshall dug into his song bag and pulled out a few more that could showcase the immense talent in the room.
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| Photo - Bob Minkin |
To let a cat out of the bag supposedly means letting something slip, like a secret. But for Bill Kirchen, it means escape, as in freedom — from confinement, convention … even gravity. Freedom to hit the road and play rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the energy driving the title track of Kirchen’s new album, Cat Out of the Bag, which showcases the six-string master — dubbed Titan of the Telecaster by Guitar Player magazine — at his gusto-grabbing best. “That's a good-to-be-alive song,” says Kirchen of the album’s opening track. “It’s a celebration of getting through the worst of the pandemic unscathed, getting back on the road and affirming our belief that the kids are alright.”
The Austin-based guitarist, singer and songwriter confirms his lust for life — and offers up his lyrically referenced “rock ’n’ roll soul” — in several songs exhibiting the rockabilly-meets-honky-tonk style that earned him his “titan” status (as well as a Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy nomination for the chicken-pickin’ song, “Poultry in Motion”).
The music flowing from Kirchen’s roots-loving heart to his ever-nimble fingers also blends boogie-woogie, jazz, jump blues, Western swing, country, folk and other idioms; yes, he was playing Americana before it had a name. In fact, he helped pioneer the genre, way back when he co-founded what he calls his “hippie country band”: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Back in the ‘70s, Kirchen’s twangalicious, fret-sizzling guitar riffs drove that band’s version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Co-founder is to release the album Cat Out of the Bag on May 22, 2026 via Last Music, Co.
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This weekend acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenn Grant releases new album Queen of the Strait, and shares the heartfelt new video for her latest single, "Gonna Be Free," co-starring her beloved dog, Bird. "Gonna Be Free" was filmed on the frozen lake near her home in Lake Echo, NS, the video captures the stillness and quiet resilience that shape the song's spirit.
"Shapes and symbols have always held important significance to me," Grant shares. "I use them in my art when I'm painting, as well as in my daily life, to actively cultivate hope, magic and strength. My first postpartum story was all about me finding my feet again. It was a great challenge, but it also brought me growth and a new perspective on what really matters to me. This pattern of symbols revealed in the snow represents the values I hold dear. Deep thanks to tattoo artist Jason Francis at Super Rad Not Bad Tattoos in Bedford, NS, for gifting me this piece. Shout-out to Bird, my beautiful co-star and forever sweet baby girl. You are the queen of my life."
After a 20-year career, this marks the first time Grant has fully realized her dream production. The tour promises a cinematic, immersive experience featuring a live band, curated film sequences, and interpretive movement, bringing the emotional landscape of the album vividly to life. Jenn Grant's new album Queen of the Strait stands as her most personal work to date — a deeply cinematic exploration of love, loss, and transformation.
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Indie-pop darlings The Corner Laughers return with their first new album in over five years, Concerns of Wasp and Willow, on Big Stir Records out on March 27, 2026 The band's sixth full-length release and the keenly-awaited follow up to 2020's critically-hailed Temescal Telegraph, the new record balances sunshine and shadow in the band's distinctive style and resonates with wit, whimsy and bewitching melodies. Already previewed by the hit indie singles “Rainbow Cardigan” and last year's “Dark Matter,” the band released their third single, “Dusking,” this weekend.
The musicians on "Dusking" include Karla Kane (vocals), Khoi Huynh (bass, keyboard), KC Bowman (guitar, backing vocals, and Charlie Crabtree (drums).Karla Kane offers some insight into the song's inspiration: A little slice of life – of an evening scene, walking through San Francisco, awaiting public transportation, and taking a Caltrain journey down the Peninsula, watching and pondering the world going by in the fading light outside the windows. More literal and linear (maybe because it follows a path and then a train track!) than usual for me. It was a song started in situ, a stream-of-consciousness – I really just started singing the opening lines as they unfolded in real time (also the case with the second “dusking” song, “Larkspur Landing”). We’re big public transportation advocates, and it’s not always easy to get around that way. The Bay Area is also an incredibly expensive place to live, which makes things difficult for artists. There’s always a sort of wistful romance in train journeys and songs about trains.
Khoi Huynh's input on "Dusking": Karla handed me a vocal-only demo of “Dusking” and asked me to add some instrumentation. To emphasize the train theme, I thought it should have a hypnotic rhythm track. I took inspiration from the music of my younger years, specifically the 1986 “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. Some elements from my over-the-top 80s synth demo can be heard on the final recording. Still, Charlie’s precision drumming and KC’s sunset-over-the-Pacific-Ocean surf guitar really took it into another realm.
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