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| Photo - Stacie Huckeba |
Greta Gaines is excited to announce the August 29th release of her new album. Bird Before Light. To get the party started, she has released the first single, “Coming to Fruition.” About the track Greta stated, "I wrote this song in direct emotional response to my older son leaving for college. It's a bittersweet song about the joys of having all of your hardwork in child raising come to fruition mixed with the grief that comes with letting go. "I'll miss your sunshine, but you can't stay all mine" is a line of resignation in the song timged with pride and hope. I know that it's time for my children to fly from the nest, I just want them to feel how much they are loved here at home before they do."
Gaines has never been content to pursue any single or solitary endeavor. An acclaimed singer, songwriter, activist, extreme sports competitor, mother, and mentor, she has always been driven by determination, craft, and creativity. With eight critically acclaimed albums to her credit, she’s taken on the role of a trailblazer courtesy of her various and varied activities and initiatives. In doing so, she has consistently challenged herself, drawing inspiration from her own emotions and personal perspective while also allowing her fans and followers to reflect on their ideas, instincts, and imagination.
The new album, Bird Before Light, is no exception. “It’s about getting out of my comfort zone as a songwriter, one who typically writes alone and in solitude,” she explains. “It explores certain themes that I find myself wrestling with in midlife — empty nesting, newfound anxiety, resistance to change, grief, and betrayal — while also pursuing faith, finding the simple joy that comes with sharing time with old friends, and immersing myself in the beauty of nature and the natural world.”
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Pharmacists return with their fourth single, In the Middle - a poignant, introspective track that gently explores themes of trauma and hope.
Songwriter Will Porteous penned the piece following the loss of his father, Mark, who passed away after a six-week battle with meningitis when Will was just 22. Before that, Will endured the emotional toll of boarding school, an experience that left lasting scars. The opening lines of the song confront this pain head-on.
At its heart, In the Middle is about holding on to whatever joy and hope remain, and finding a space both literal and emotional - for refuge and reflection.
Pharmacists have forged a powerful combination with a blend of soaring choruses and emotionally raw lyrics that resonate with the real-life journeys so many face. This is indie rock at its most honest and moving.
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Big Stir Records proudly joins forces with Nelson Bragg to bring you the definitive career summary of the acclaimed LA singer-songwriter's catalog. The new album Mélodie de Nelson: A Pop Anthology will be out June 20 on Vinyl, CD and Streaming worldwide. The record is far more than a “Best Of” collection: featuring the all-new indie hit single “We're Gonna Laugh About It” along with rarities and freshly remixed tracks, it's Nelson's handpicked assortment of the best power pop tunes from his solo catalog, each one a radio-ready stunner.
Nelson Bragg is a beloved fixture of the LA pop scene, known to international audiences (and Beach Boys fans) for his years as part of the Brian Wilson Band during the late-career renaissance that yielded the definitive edition of the legendary SMiLE album. He's also served as an essential collaborator on drums, percussion and vocals for an array of local and global pop luminaries like Stew & TNP, Anny Celsi, Chris Stamey, The Mockers, and legendary Wrecking Crew members Hal Blaine, Don Randi and Jerry Cole. Along the way, he's created and released a trilogy of acclaimed solo albums: Day Into Night (2006), We Get What We Want (2012), and Gratitude Blues (2021).
Those albums serve as the starting point for the new collection, but there's much more to it than a simple roundup of popular favorites. The title Mélodie de Nelson may be a cheeky nod to Serge Gainsbourg, but the music it contains evokes the best offerings of Bragg's personal pop pantheon: The Beach Boys and The Byrds, of course, but also college rock titans like The dB's, R.E.M. and Bob Mould. “Melody” is certainly the operative word, and the songwriting on display makes a strong argument that Bragg is now, and has long been, one of its most gifted practitioners.
“For this collection, I wanted to focus on pop songs,” says Nelson. “I felt that I could release the best power pop album ever if I focused on that genre only out of my catalog. So while this is technically a 'Best of Nelson' or a 'Greatest Hits' or whatever silly title one could use, what it really is, is the best of my pop and folk rock. I think that makes for a better album and listening experience. These songs hang together pretty well, and proud I am of them!”
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