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| Photo - Sander Randall |
Kate Prascher has released 'Thousand A Million' the second single from her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Sunday Afternoon,’ out August 28 on First City Artists (Alexa Rose, Carly King). Tender and lilting, the new single “is a meditation on physical space, setting roots and greeting the past,” says Prascher. “I wrote it with my ancestors in mind and with a feeling of wide, open plains.”
No Depression once praised Prascher as "a mesmerizing singer whose traditional-sounding tunes upend any feeling of comfort with lyrics that cut deep." Her forthcoming collection carries that eerie elegance forth. Co-produced by Diana Walsh (Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Wild Rivers), it calls brings esteemed comparisons to mind—the classic country soprano of Allison Krauss; the dark, dusty Americana of Gillian Welch; the bright melodicism of Madison Cunningham—as Prascher examines the forward motion of life. Today’s offering follows “Jubilee,” praised by The Bluegrass Situation as “folky in a timeless fashion with a delicious and slow sonic build, as well as a weekend residency at Soho Farmhouse, the latest location from Soho House.
Prascher was raised in Memphis, a childhood steeped in spiritual storytelling. “Where I’m from, it’s expected for the people in your life who’ve passed to show up again, one way or another,” she says. In adulthood, she carried that experience to New York City and embraced the lively vibrance of the city’s Bluegrass scene, taking mandolin lessons from Michael Daves and joining open sessions at staple venues like The Jalopy, Mona's, Sunny's. Prascher wrote about half the songs on ‘Sunday Afternoon’ while she was living in Brooklyn—the rest, after she left.
“I’m interested in how environment informs identity,” she shares. “Leaving New York was a reckoning for me. I moved there out of ambition. If I left, could I still consider myself ambitious?” Now based upstate, she’s grateful for the opportunity to answer that question. “My life is less about chasing one thing, and more about grounded rituals, the practices of work and creation. I can hear myself more clearly. I know what I want to say.”
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| Photo - Anna Norward |
Dude Cervantes & The Panchos blend psychedelia and heart on their new single “Billion Dollar Art.” Dude Cervantes has always approached music as a shared experience. Whether leading Chest Fever, producing records through his Nashville-based Blind Owl Records, or hitting the road with The Panchos, collaboration has remained at the center of his work. That spirit drives “Billion Dollar Art,” the latest single from his forthcoming self-titled album with The Panchos, due October 2nd via Blind Owl Records.
First performed during The Panchos’ inaugural Southern California tour in 2023, “Billion Dollar Art” captures the spirit of a band discovering its identity together. Blending vivid images of faraway places, priceless art, and shared experiences, the song reflects on adventure, love, and the fragile beauty of relationships. Beneath its dreamlike imagery lies a simple truth: no matter how far life takes you, the greatest journey is finding your way back to the person who feels like home.
Driven by soaring twin guitars, expansive psychedelia, and classic rock swagger, “Billion Dollar Art” captures the adventurous spirit that defines Dude Cervantes and The Panchos.
Recalling the band’s earliest days together, Cervantes says, “‘Billion Dollar Art’ was one of two originals we debuted on our first Southern California tour in 2023. The middle solo belongs to Dylan Donovan, who absolutely shreds it. We both come from the school of Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix when it comes to classic rock solos, but the ending jam is pure Panchos at its embryonic genesis—fountaining psychedelic fluorescents from our guitars in a room with no walls while the paint peels off the universe.”
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Barbarossa Beat is a new project by Dave Barbarossa, who was the drummer in Adam & The Ants (original line up), Bow Wow Wow and Republica, and has played with Fatboy Slim, Chicane, Roland Gift, Chime Oblivion (Oh Sees offshoot). Each track is created with a different collaborator and built around Dave’s unique drumming, dropping once a month into 2027, a modern day singles club (with an album in the future). The first release is Phattie’s Lunchbox featuring Mekon, was released via Invisible Hands Music.
Dave said, “I’m proud of the work I’ve done through the years but I never felt it expressed the diversity of my playing like it did in the early Ants and Bow Wow Wow. In these collaborations, there are some real surprises along the way, and I am excited for people to see how this develops.” Barbarossa Beat allows Dave to be at the hub at the centre of a spinning wheel of musical indulgence, marrying his unmistakable drumming style and passion with a true pick ‘n’ mix of the very best musicians that he has chosen to pull into the project.
Dave said of debut track Phattie’s Lunchbox, “I started playing live with Mekon (John Gosling), who I've known since the eighties. He’s a top DJ, and was Alexander McQueens music man for many years. Phattie’s Lunchbox was quite unique sounding with my live drums, so we recorded it. The No Breaks mix illustrates the purity of the beat and the journey of the arrangement.” Born Dave Barbe, the nom de guerre Barbarossa was bestowed upon him by punk impresario Malcolm McLaren. Dave was raised in the East End of London in the seventies as a mixed-race kid with a father who loved big band and Cuban music, creating a unique set of influences.
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Sacramento’s premiere middle-aged teen pop group - Motorcycle - speed into their debut full-length this summer. Motorcycle’s sound is a blend of 90s alternative guitar rock and classic pop punk mixed with 2010s maximalist radio pop anthems that bring a party vibe that feels intoxicating and energetic and makes the listener question how much is ironic humour and how much is unabashed fun. Guitarist/ sometimes lead singer, Chris explains, “We have no idea how to actually do it that big, so we end up sounding like Weezer b-sides.”
Motorcycle is teaming up with Dandy Boy Records for their debut album, Relive It, this summer. Their hit single, which shares the same name as the album, is about growing up, drifting apart, and longing for the past. The chorus, “Can I relive it? / Just for a minute / Back to the beginning / Can I relive it?” hits at the heart of feeling unsure when the safety of familiarity ends and the comfort of routine is lost.
The whole album is a collection of music that makes you nostalgic for your misspent youth listening to Lookout! Records and drinking Boone’s Farm on hot summer nights with your friends, while the overall theme of coming to terms with adult life and putting the call of the wild in the rear view adds to the dichotomy of the good time sounds.
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“Sundown” by Overtracked captures the feeling of a warm summer evening as the sun slowly disappears below the horizon. Built around smooth Rhodes keys, laid-back female vocals, and stripped-back minimal house grooves, the track delivers an intimate and atmospheric listening experience.
Warm melodies and subtle percussion create a relaxed flow, while the soulful vocal elements add depth and emotion without overwhelming the groove. Balancing elegance and simplicity, Sundown blends organic textures with modern minimal house aesthetics, making it equally suited for sunset sessions, beach side lounges, and deep after-hours sets.
As the first official single from the upcoming self-titled album Overtracked, scheduled for release in 2027, Sundown offers an early glimpse into a new chapter for the project. The forthcoming album promises a refined blend of emotional house music, organic instrumentation, and immersive summer-inspired atmospheres. A sophisticated and feel-good record designed for long summer days, golden-hour moments, and endless nights under open skies.
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