Tonota 80 - Ben Glover - Ennor

Tonota 80 - Could Do Better.

Background - With a moniker taken from a vaporising device featured in the 1970's sci-fi novel 'A Whirlpool Of Stars, UK punk-rock trio 'Tonota 80' transmit news that their new album 'Killer Sands And Beating Hearts' will be released via UK/US label Engineer Records on 23rd March 2018.

Originally becoming acquainted through a chance meeting in their local record store; the Maidstone/Kent based musicians David Bloomfield (Vox/Guitar), Richard Pronger (Bass/Vox) and John Edwards (Drums) met again several years later and hatched 'Tonota 80' upon the UK music scene. 

Despite the band being firmly routed in old school British punk reverie, the 3 piece bring in subtle influences from an myriad of genres. Citing the likes of Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, Swervedriver and Radio Birdman as some of their most influential peers - Tonota 80 are encased with a penchant for brash guitar riffs, colossal melodic hooks and 60's inspired vocal harmonies.

Their self-released debut 'Jonesing For Chips' brought much welcomed support from revered BBC 6 Music taste-maker Steve Lamacq and captured them many fans of underground British rock music. After time spent out to write and produce new material, the punk fuelled anthems of Tonota 80 caught the attention of Engineer Records who shall deliver the digital/CD release of the bands latest creations. FACEBOOK, TWITTER.

'Could Do Better' is a blistering two and a half minutes of classic punk. The track is packed full of hooks largely due to a few subtle chord changes, and when you add in the attitude fuelled vocals, the song really gains traction. 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ben Glover - Ride The River (feat. Kim Richey).

Background - Born and raised in Glenarm, Northern Ireland, Nashville based Ben Glover has been hailed by journalists around the world as one of Northern Ireland’s finest exports. A compelling songwriter, who was awarded International Song of the Year at the 2016 UK Americana Awards with Gretchen Peters for their co-written song “Blackbirds,” a song which appears on Glover’s album Atlantic and serves as the title track to Peters’ 2015 solo album, his impending studio album, Shorebound, sees him evolve even further as an artist and collaborator.

The newfound sounds and shapes that comprise Shorebound mark a moment in Glover's musical history — a moment that nods to the past decade of his artistry even while pivoting into the next era. “I’m a believer in cycles, and 2018 will mark ten years since I released my first album,” Glover says, “so it feels very much that this album is a major turning point in a cycle. Shorebound is an acknowledgment of where I am and a celebration of the people who I’ve gotten here with.”

A truly personal collection, Glover is a storyteller who can offer intrigue and insight, while his listeners lose themselves in his rich vocal. Heading up the album is the Kim Richey collaboration, Ride The River.

“Ride The River” is the story of two lovers conspiring to get free together, dreaming and planning their great escape from the commitments of the world. When writing the song Kim Richey and I wanted to use the sense and symbols of time to show just how far these characters would go in their pursuit of being together. No matter what elements and obstacles stood before them they were moving through it all with complete devotion to one another." WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Tour Dates:
Thurs 10th May – London, King’s Place (supporting Mary Gauthier)
Fri 11th May – Carlisle, Carlisle Folk and Blues Club  
Sat 12th May – Aberdeen, The Blue Lamp
Tues 15th May – Birmingham, Kitchen Garden Cafe 
Wed 16th May – Tadcaster, Everything Good Goes  
Thurs 17th May – London, King’s Place (supporting Mary Gauthier)
Fri 18th May – Worthing, Coastal Connections          
Sat 19th May – Cambridge, The Junction
Sat 26th May – Culdaff, McGrory’s [Ireland]
Thurs 31st May – Larne, N. Ireland, Larne Town Hall 
Fri 1st June – Belfast, The Black Box.

Ben Glover's rich and distinctive vocals and the gorgeous harmonies from Kim Richey make 'Ride The River' a majestic song. The musical arrangement is refined and beautifully constructed making this one very special and enticing track.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ennor - Farewell To Atlantis.

Background - ‘Farewell To Atlantis’ encapsulates the reckless energy of Ennor’s West Cornwall roots to make for three minutes of folk-rock perfection. Sun-drenched melodies, sprightly rhythms, and open road lyricism peg it as the sort of performance that could only hail from the UK’s surfer heartland. It’s both a homecoming story and a bittersweet meditation on change and the passing of time. Frontman Tom Elliott wraps his lyrics in a heartfelt melodic sensibility that recalls the arena-baiting energy of The Gaslight Anthem as the group meander effortlessly through infectious verses, sing-along choruses and a raucously rising middle eight.

The careful balance of driving rock instrumentation and folk lyricism is one ENNOR strike with aplomb. The group headed back to Elliott’s hometown of Penzance to shoot the video for the track with director John Freddy Jones, set in an old outhouse overlooking the Atlantic which the singer spent much of his youth writing in.

With their musical and emotional roots embedded in the far corners of Cornwall, Ennor write songs that have a palpable sense of openness and raw emotion. It’s the culmination both of their journeys across the UK and a nostalgic longing for the Cornish sea. By turns both folk and rock, the four-piece’s infectious sound has garnered attention from London to Penzance, as well as the acclaim of BBC Introducing. The poeticism and sincerity of frontman Tom Elliott is propped by the blistering work of the rhythm section. Adam Williams’s driving drums and the dexterous string work of guitarist Jack Rennie and bassist James Creed has earned their sound a new moniker: ‘Californwall’ - a fitting epithet to describe the perennial summer in their songwriting.

Drawing influence from the likes of Frank Turner, The Gaslight Anthem and Ben Howard, Ennor spent the summer of 2017 touring their sunshine sounds across the UK to the like of Ronnie Scotts, The Eden Project and Boardmasters, before heading into the studio to record new works ready for 2018 and the turn of the seasons. FACEBOOK, TWITTER.

Lively, natural and pleasing 'Farewell To Atlantis' is a marvellous mixture of upbeat rock tinged with some delicious folk sensibilities. West Cornwall is a fabulous place for a holiday (despite the unpredictable Atlantic weather), I'm guessing from this at least some the locals know that it sure beats city life.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Claudettes - The Magic Numbers - The Goldberg Sisters - Sugar Candy Mountain

The Claudettes - Don't Stay with Me / Pull Closer To Me.

Background - An old upright piano, a snarling electric bass, Phil Spector-ized booming drums and seductive Cool School vocals get into a punk-blues brawl at the studio of Grammy-winning Black Keys producer Mark Neill. On their head-spinning new album, The Claudettes summon vaudeville blues, ’60s soul and Cramps-like psychobilly. Behold Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!, the band’s third full-length for Yellow Dog Records and first to feature their touring lineup of piano, drums, “Bass VI” guitar and three singers.

Pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana airs grievances about the numbing and divisive effects of an Internet-dominated world all across these songs. “Nobody knows how to talk to each other these days,” begins the song “Give It All Up for Good,” while “Bill Played Saxophone” follows American political nemeses through periods of smoldering bitterness and revenge fantasies. “Death and Traffic” begs for stories of saved lives and heroism amidst the onslaught of bad news, then “Utterly Absurd” bemoans the age of the hair-trigger Google search: “Thought dies as transmission rise…‘fast and now’ killed ‘I know how.’” And need anything more be said about the prescience of “Naked on the Internet”?

Neill invited the Claudettes to his Georgia studio after being introduced to the band by Dave Cobb (Grammy-winning producer of Sturgill Simpson and Lake Street Dive). The Claudettes recorded at Soil of the South for ten days, taking advantage of Neill's vast knowledge and collection of vintage equipment.

“Mark insisted that, no matter how loudly we crank amps live, we record at conversational level so he could turn his vintage preamps up and use his best old mics,” says band leader Johnny Iguana, who has recorded with Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and a host of other blues giants along with his own punk-organ band oh my god. The result: a big, warm sound straight off the ’60s 45s that Mark spins between takes for inspiration.

The piano-guitar-drums core of each song was recorded in a single take, as were most vocals. Neill, who shuns the practice of building tracks in Pro Tools, had the band run through songs again and again until “The” take arrived. Marxophones, mellotrons, rare fuzz pedals and an array of percussion instruments were broken out to finalize Neill's vision for each track.

Here the Claudettes introduce the singer who’s been touring with the band for two years: Berit Ulseth. “Berit went to the New School in NY for jazz vocals, but she’s got a tone you can’t learn,” says Iguana. “Sometimes she reminds me of Carole King and her soulful ‘I Feel the Earth Move’ vocals…but she’s also got this Patsy Cline warmth and lushness to her voice.”

Ulseth urges a lackluster partner to set her free in “Don’t Stay With Me,” propelled by an insistent orchestral bass drum, then reveals the exquisite nuances of her voice on the transfixing ballad “Pull Closer to Me.” Bassist/guitarist Zach Verdoorn yodels the album’s carnival-ready title cut and takes urgent solos on “Total Misfit” and the aforementioned “Naked on the Internet,” a song that sounds like the ’60s but looks to a future where our only lasting legacies are unwanted searchable ones.

What’s traditional on Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium! are the blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll touchstones and the antique instruments and equipment used to document them. What’s new and indescribable are the punk-laced energy and sum total of these songs, musicians and producer Neill, who describes this album thusly: “Haunted cabaret...David Lynch movie music crossed with Allen Toussaint’s driving piano sound! And sort of like when you’re driving late at night in the South and two radio stations are coming in together and it’s perfect!...Like Otis Spann and Mark Sandman from Morphine sitting in with Keely Smith. I'm kind of riffing here but seriously nobody sounds like them...I love this new record, it’s crazy good." WEBSITE, BANDCAMP.

We have two of the twelve songs that make up The Claudettes forthcoming album 'Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!'. 'Don't Stay with Me' and 'Pull Closer To Me' give the listener some idea of what's in store on the album, the emphasis being on "some idea." The band have a delightfully unique musical sound, the vocals add melody and plenty of feeling to the songs, whilst the bands creative zest ensures each track has some unique attributes, alongside varying levels of energy and attitude. Collectively this works, the musical hooks are everywhere. Not being certain of what each piece might bring, adds to the excitement, this really is an album worth some time digging in to.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Magic Numbers - Sweet Divide.

Background - I never wanted to be a part of anything, the cool kids at school, the pretend outlaws. I was always an outsider, we’ve always been an outsider band. We don’t fit in, never have and never will. Especially now. As you get older you realise your strength in not giving a f. You realise what you’ve been trying to do your whole life. Create something that’s yours, your own world, your own views, make something special, start your own gang but always be You within it. Don’t conform. Don’t fall in line. Be free. Be inspired. Inspire. Live & Love. To all the Outsiders – Romeo, The Magic Numbers.

Mercury Prize nominated and multi-platinum selling London quartet The Magic Numbers have just shared the studio-shot video for the recent 6 Music-supported single, 'Sweet Divide'. This is the first piece of new music from the band following a three-year hiatus and taken from their forthcoming album 'Outsiders', available through Role Play Records on May 11, 2018. Outsiders captures The Magic Numbers fired by a renewed sense of purpose, immediately apparent on first single ‘Sweet Divide’, with the band’s melodic facility bolstered by a newfound, grittier sensibility. Watch here. In support of the Outsiders, the band will commence a headline tour of the UK through May - dates below.

Comprising of two sets of siblings, Romeo and Michele Stodart and Angela and Sean Gannon, The Magic Numbers have sold over a million albums worldwide across their career and scored a slew of hit singles. The band quickly shot to media attention after selling out London’s Kentish Town Forum solely on the strength of their loyal fanbase prior to the release of their 2005 self-titled debut - an album that would later go on to pick up a Mercury Music Prize nomination and break into the UK Top 10 Charts.

Hit singles – including ‘Forever Lost’, ‘Love Me Like You’, ‘Love’s A Game’ and ‘Take A Chance’ – and three hit albums followed. Alongside the band’s success, the Stodart’s have lent a hand to projects including releases from Jane Birkin, Spiritualized, Chemical Brothers, Kathryn Williams and Ed Harcourt, plus Damon Albarn’s Africa Express, with Michele Stodart releasing two solo albums to date, duetting with Conor O’Brien of Villagers along the way. FACEBOOK.

It's been a while since I last listened to The Magic Numbers and the latest song will have me digging out their debut album which was a real favourite of mine at the time. 'Sweet Divide' is a driving rocker from the opening moments, the guitars are powerful, the vocals and harmonies add even more rock swagger, this is one very addictive "play me again" track, and some!


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Goldberg Sisters - When Or Where Or Why.

Background - On May 4th psych-pop artist The Goldberg Sisters will release their new album HOME: A Nice Place To Visit. Known as the musical alter-ego of actor, musician, filmmaker and photographer Adam Goldberg, (and his mythical sister-twin "Celeste") The Goldberg Sisters have shared a new song "Where Or When Or Why."

Movie audiences got to know Goldberg from his performances in films such as Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, The Hebrew Hammer, A Beautiful Mind, and 2 Days in Paris as well as from equally memorable appearances in TV shows like Friends, Entourage and Fargo. Music fans, however, haven’t always found him so easy to pin down. This year they‘ll have his brilliant new album, HOME: A Nice Place To Visit.

Goldberg recorded the 2009 dream-pop album Eros and Omissions over a six-year period with a variety of musicians, including Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips. But the pace quickened on the first two albums issued under the Goldberg Sisters moniker, 2011’s self-titled offering and Stranger’s Morning from 2013, on which Goldberg played all the instruments and which was recorded by engineer and longtime collaborator, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Andrew Lynch (Nav/Attack) in Goldberg’s garage.

Goldberg and Lynch teamed up once again in the garage for the new Goldberg Sisters’ album, HOME: A Nice Place To Visit. Goldberg again did all the instrumentation save for violins and trumpet. Goldberg’s elasticity as a multi-instrumentalist and producer is nothing short of astonishing considering he lacks anything in the way of formal training and didn’t even think of seriously making music until his early 20s. “I started playing drums as a kid,” he recalls. “I played along with songs on the radio but mainly Bowie records.” WEBSITE, TWITTER.

Psych pop is the description and psych pop it is! 'When Or Where Or Why' has an energetic, upbeat musical backdrop, the piano is delightful and the vocals ensure the song stands out, adding melodic hooks and extra vibrancy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugar Candy Mountain - Split In Two.

Background - Sugar Candy Mountain shares the first track and video for "Split in Two" off their upcoming album. "Split in Two" was produced by Jason Quever of Papercuts and the video was directed by TG Eaton. Do Right is due May 4 on PIAPTK Records.

Part travelogue, part response to the current, turbulent climate, Do Right gives voice to the deeply nested anxiety of modern times attempting to offer a balm.  Nature it seems, is where the band often goes to calibrate it’s moral compass so frequently upended by the daily news-cycle.  Sugar Candy Mountain invites you to join them on this journey singing “There’s a quiet place I go when I need to find my way/ There’s a quiet place inside/ Come on in just knock and a door will open”.

Musically, the band remains rooted in 60’s and 70’s rock, with their signature honey sweet vocals. Do Right leans more heavily on synthesizer than the band’s previous records lending the album a more modern feel.  The album pairs the ephemeral orchestral arrangements of The Beach Boys with the pop sensibility of George Harrison on “All Things Must Pass”.  

Oscillating between the hazy psychedelic pop of Mild High Club, the driving energy of Dungen and the danceable familiarity of The Supremes, Do Right is a perfect cocktail of old and new, imploring the listener to take a ride into the sunset with Sugar Candy Mountain. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Atmospheric and yet sprightly 'Split In Two' has dreamy melodic vocals and a soundtrack that adds some swirling vibes, for want of a better expression. It's catchy and imaginative, which is a pretty good combination to start off from.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rich Girls - Roxy Rawson - Diā - Be Like Pablo

Rich Girls - Wayne.

Background - Garage/art rock trio Rich Girls share their new track, "Wayne," the second single off their forthcoming debut full-length release, Black City. The album was recorded by Travis Harrison at Serious Business, Brooklyn and Sean Beresford at Blighty Sound, San Francisco. It was mastered by John Greenham at Infrasonic. Black City is due out April 6th via Tricycle Records.

Rich Girls return with a heady new pop sound and nine songs that pull their minimal garage into ambitious new territory. Songwriter Luisa Black unveils a new sonic toolkit, adding vintage synths, dark marimbas and ambitious melodies to the trademark Rich Girls verbed-out sound. The songs are awash in contrasts, veering between aggresssion and tenderness with lyrics about insurrection (“In the Street”), a power ballad about post-addiction love (“Wayne”) and the band’s biggest departure yet, a slurry synth-driven track set to a motorik beat (“Hit”).

Black channels the zeitgeist of heartbreak in “Blood Brother,” a garage rock obit for America. Since their early releases, Rich Girls have pushed against genre, taking a raw garage sound and pulling it into art pop territory. Here Luisa Black’s complex sensibilities are on full display, with an album that swings hard between pop melody and punk rage. Black City is the first full-length from the NYC trio. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Just a month after featuring the song 'Hit', Rich Girls return with their second single 'Wayne' from the forthcoming 'Black City' debut album. This time we have a slow and expansive sounding alt rocker, the music is solid and richly layered, the vocals add some melodic hooks as they passionately call out for your attention, bring on the album.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxy Rawson - Rounded Sound.

Background - Bay Area artist and classically trained musician Roxy Rawson has debuted her new single "Rounded Sound". The track comes off of Roxy's forthcoming album Quenching the Kill, dropping on March 23rd via independent release.

Born into a Mormon community in Hitchin, Roxanna Rawson was introduced to music through Church hymns, but first found her feet in Paris where she studied violin and piano at University of Paris VIII. Surrounding herself with local jazz performers, she joined several orchestras and spent much of her time studying classical and baroque styles of music. Rawson found her own voice however, developing a unique vocal style through singing ‘jumping jazz intervals’ on the streets of the French capital. She also joined an African Choir, adding yet another multi-cultural layer to her sound.

Rawson left Paris for London in 2004, and  joined an anti-folk collective by the name of AsYet, working alongside alternative original talents such as William Nein, David Goo, Miss Jo Williams, Fiona Bevan and Left with Pictures. She soon attracted the attention of producer and label owner Al Mobbs (Damon Albarn). A development deal with Sony led to her debut EP Changing Things, released on Ambiguous Records (2009) and the coinciding single "Fingers". Quenching the Kill is Roxy's debut full-length album. FACEBOOK.

In January we shared 'Black Eyed Soup' from Roxy Rawson and today we have 'Rounded Sound' taken from the soon to be released 'Quenching the Kill' album. The vocals are vibrant and delicious, the music is gentle and twist & turns in harmony with the singing, this is different, in a good & perhaps even unique sort of way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diā - Valentine.

Background - Diā is the stunning project of composer and performer, Danielle Birrittella. Her debut EP, Tiny Ocean, released with Manimal Records, features songs produced by Joey Waronker (Beck, REM, Atoms for Peace), Tim Carr (The Americans, HAIM) and Frankie Siragusa (theLAB).

Raised on a Hindu ashram, she sang ceremonial ragas as a child, which led to training and performing as an opera singer throughout the U.S. and Europe. Along these travels, she began experimenting with music and writing song fragments on a ukulele, which was gifted to her by her brother. Diā reminisces how she "would literally sit on the floor of my bathroom and come up with melodies". Encouraging reactions from those close to her, reinforced her musical path.

Diā 's practice as a classically trained opera singer induced an incredibly critical ear. Her influences of classical music, such as Baroque and French Romantics are beautifully infused with modern experimental cinematic folk within her music. With the critical success of her debut EP Tiny Ocean, Diā  is set to release the highly anticipated follow up single ‘Valentine’. Featuring poignant lyricism, with 60’s vintage soundscapes the single creates a moody and ethereal tale of yearning for a lost love. ‘Valentine’ highlights Diā's signature style of lush baroque-pop and cinematic folk.

Diā has found success, being featured in such prestigious outlets as Huffington Post, Wonderland Magazine, The Line of Best Fit and The 405 among others. Diā's previous single ‘Covered in Light’ was used as the official song for the trailer of popular indie film, Newness. FACEBOOK.

Back in October 2016 we featured Diā and the track 'Covered In Light' taken from her 'Tiny Ocean' EP. Fast forward to now and it's a welcome return with the new song 'Valentine' a piece where the music is cleverly arranged providing an imaginative backdrop for some gorgeously melodic and charmingly timeless vocals, it's been worth the wait.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be Like Pablo - My Kind Of Girl.

Background - Imagine if The Beach Boys sounded like a Scottish indie band from the 90s. This is Be Like Pablo. The band make hook-laden pop tunes with four-part harmonies, fuzzy guitars and 80s synths. New single My Kind of Girl is a love letter to 70s new wave heroes The Cars and classic pop from the 50s and 60s. Lyrically, it’s a story about falling for someone who others see as unearthly - somebody who’s laughed at for being introverted and different but who is, in actual fact, intelligent, creative and brilliant.

Lyricist Ewen Watson explains further: “It was a straightforward song to write and as a result has a simplistic charm.” Ross Watson, also of the band, describes My Kind of Girl as “our attempt at writing a super concise, to the point, pop song. The style and arrangement is very much influenced by songs from the 50s and 60s, particularly Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.”

Having released their debut album ‘The New Adventures’ in 2014, Be Like Pablo returned last summer with the single ‘There She Is’ and have had support from the likes of NME, Clash, The 405, Drowned In Sound, and many more throughout. They have previously performed at T in the Park and in session on BBC Radio 1 and Radio Scotland and have also had notable airplay from Dermot O’Leary and Steve Lamacq. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

It's just over a year ago that Be Like Pablo appeared on Beehive Candy and it is a delight to have another chance to feature them this time with 'My Kind Of Girl'. It's powerful, pleasing and just so catchy, if "Scottish Retro Surf Rock" isn't yet an established genre, then surely this qualifies as the starting point.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team Picture - Long Branch - Leon III - Frankiie

Team Picture - (I Want Your) Life Hack.

Background - Leeds-based six-piece, Team Picture have just shared their new single ‘(I Want Your) Life Hack’ released through Big Dumb Music Ltd. In line with sharing the new single the band have announced details of their Matt Peel-produced (previously Autobahn, Pulled Apart By Horses, Eagulls) 7-track mini-album ‘Recital’ (via Big Dumb Music), due for release on June 1, 2018. The band will support the release with a full UK tour throughout May and June, taking in festival dates at The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City, before headlining The Shacklewell Arms, London on May 31, 2018 and The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on June 1, 2018 - their largest headline show to date - full dates and ticket links below.

Split into two contrasting halves of three songs with a segue track running through the middle, ‘Recital’ is in part attuned to the band’s sagacious take on pop whilst also touching on their temperament for caustic guitar. Released earlier this year, ’(I Have a) Little Secret’ set the tempo for the first half of proceedings whereas new single, ‘(I Want Your) Life Hack’, finds the band delving into their fondness for post-punk sounds. Speaking about the new single, guitarist Josh says: “This is a Talking Heads song from an alternate dimension, performed by a bizarro-world version of the band, who have half the talent, twice the fuzz pedals, and are fronted by David Byrne's fictional idiot brother Malcolm.”

Since forming in 2016, Team Picture have earned praise at Radio 1, BBC Introducing and secured multiple spins at 6Music with support from Huw Stephens, Tom Robinson and Steve Lamacq, as well as ticking off support slots with the likes of Parquet Courts, Psychic Ills, The Orielles and Ulrika Spacek. In addition, the band have performed at the likes of Bluedot Festival (along with Warpaint and the Pixies), the Wire-curated Drill Festival and Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival, as well as selling out their own curated ‘Du The Katman’ night at Leeds’ Hyde Park Book Club. A full UK headline tour including festival dates will take place throughout May and June, including stops at Liverpool Sound City, Brighton’s Great Escape and a headline show at London’s The Shacklewell Arms. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

UK Tour Dates:
5 May | Sound City, Liverpool
6 May | Hit The North, Newcastle
6 May | Sounds From the Other City, Salford
17-19 May | The Great Escape, Brighton
31 May | The Shacklewell Arms, London
1 June | The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
2 June | Long Division, Wakefield
4 June | Hug & Pint, Glasgow
5 June | Polar Bear, Hull (Club Show)
6 June | Jimmy’s, Manchester.

A booming drum beat followed by a determined rhythm opens '(I Want Your) Life Hack' a creative song where power and eccentricity come together, in something that might be described as post punk or not as the case might be, whatever this piece is, it's wonderful!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long Branch - Lilacs.

Background - Toronto/Honey Harbour band Long Branch releases their debut full-length album, Found the Setting Sun, May 25, 2018 on boutique label DWR, home to Michelle McAdorey's Polaris Prize long-listed album, Into Her Future.

Long Branch recorded Found the Setting Sun at Noble Street Studios throughout 2016-17 in a series of sessions helmed by Executive Producer Gavin Brown. Co-produced by Long Branch and Shaddy Roman, the album gathers ten songs from the group's repertoire, and expands on the sound the band first introduced to audiences with their self-released 7" single, "Lucky Me/Just in Case" in 2015.

Dead leaves, bare trees, redemption, and resurrection are embodied in the fuzz-fueled guitars, violin, and vocal harmonies of Long Branch's sound. Formed in 2014, the band is stacked five-high with members from beloved Canadian combos, Adaptor 45, Chicken Milk, The Good Family, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and Venus Cures All.

Long Branch's sound emerges from a solid guitar bedrock, with haunting violin voicings and the layered harmonies of the band's four formidable frontwomen supported by nuanced, driving rhythms. Introspective, moody, and evocative, Long Branch songs are narratives of overcoming hardship. Yet the songs are hopeful: A whisper of sadness appears one moment only to be blown away by grit and determination. FACEBOOK.

'Lilacs' is a charming rocker, where the guitars seemingly dual gently with each other as the vocals add passion and additional melody, all delivered with style, grace and just a little rock swagger.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leon III - Between the Saddle & the Ground.

Background - The principle members of Leon III (Leon The Third), Andy Stepanian and Mason Brent, span the space between Houston, TX and Richmond, VA, but their debut album reaches into a different kind of space, with psychedelic flourishes supported by alt-country and Americana tones their self-titled album, slated for release on Cornelius Chapel Records May 11th, looks to contemporaries like Khruangbin as much as it does to the Grateful Dead. With a rich cast of players including drummer Brian Kotzur (Bobby Bare, Silver Jews), pianist Tony Crow (B.J. Thomas, Andrew Bird), singer Jordan Caress (Laura Cantrell, Justin Townes Earle), guitarist Chris Scruggs (grandson of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs), and pedal steel wizard Pete Finney (Justin Townes Earle, Kelly Willis), who joined with storied producer Mark Nevers (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Lambchop, Silver Jews, Yo La Tengo) to help add texture and definition to these already sharply rendered songs. Leon III was the last album to be finished, top to bottom, in Nevers' Beech House Studios in Nashville before it was torn down.

Stepanian says that the first single "Between the Saddle and the Ground" "ties directly to a quote from some British history scholar from the 1500’s named William Camden;  “Betwixt the stirrup and the ground, Mercy I ask'd; mercy I found”.  I came across this line while reading annotated lyrics to the Grateful Dead song “China Doll”.  It was cited as influencing the line “yesterday I begged you before I hit the ground” from that song.   I was instantly intrigued with the concept implied in both lines - that it’s never too late for redemption and salvation and that it might even be found in the split second between the saddle and the ground presumably after being shot off of your horse.   I built the song around that idea.   Not the horses, but the redemption and salvation part.  I even dropped a line from China Doll “tell me what you done it for?” into the chorus as an homage or small thank you to lyricist Robert Hunter who wrote a large portion of the Dead’s lyrics. There is a lot of Grateful Dead behind the curtain of the entire record."

Leon III's album takes you for a ride, checking out “From These Heights,” a tune that falls in and out of focus like trying to read your phone after a few too many cocktails, woozy with the sound of pedal steel and the thrum of a mandolin. Right next door, “Paper Eye” meanders into psychedelic territory with the pulse of a synthesizer rubbing suggestively up against the sweep of a string section and some dub-like production touches. In addition, Leon III gives their own lysergic spin on “Jesus,” one of the signature tracks on The Velvet Underground’s 1969 self-titled third album, and find fresh insight in the song’s spiritual pleadings.

Taken as a whole, Leon III’s debut is a multi-dimensional ride through ten thematically interconnected and musically rich tunes. The songs are filled with dark corners and shadows but still have their share of sing along, anthemic moments. If Stepanian and Brent wanted to break from their alt-country past, they have clearly done so without wholly abandoning the idiom. In the process, they have paved the way for a diverse and varied future for Leon III. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

There is something of a southern rock meets alt rock feeling coursing through 'Between the Saddle & the Ground' a song engulfed in richness and passion, and some of that timeless rock & roll organic beauty.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frankiie - Glory Me.

Background - Sometimes it takes time apart to regain an appreciation for what you have. At least, that’s what Frankiie experienced during the winter of 2016/17.

After three years, one EP, several tours, and a debunked reality TV show pilot, we began to question the direction in which we, as a group, were heading. Frankiie comments "Naturally, we began drifting towards individual interests. One of us started a fashion line while another released a solo EP. One became a school teacher, and the other moved to a small island community to work and surf. Despite these changes, it didn’t take long before our paths crossed once more – this time, with a renewed zest for our musical and adventure-seeking bonds".

Frankiie spent the past year writing new material and working alongside Jason Corbett (Actors) at Vancouver’s Jacknife Sound to finish up their debut full-length “Glory Me” and the forthcoming record’s first single/video. contemplates death, one’s self and the mysterious beauty of life.

Is our experience of death a true reflection of how we lived? Like many tracks on the album, it explores the questions of meaning and purpose – feelings that heavily shadowed our lives before we took time for self-discovery. FACEBOOK.

'Glory Me' is a glorious song (excuse the pun) with hints of sixties all girl group splendour and a modern lush musical arrangement. It sounds like taking time out has been a good move, especially if you can return with music of this calibre.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thyla - Mugen - Freedom Baby - Ghost Pressure - Canshaker Pi

Thyla - I Was Biting.

Background - Brighton’s emerging indie juggernauts Thyla launch their sprawling new single I Was Biting, capitalising on an exhilarating start to 2018 that’s seen them tipped for major success at both press and radio.

Spotlighted alongside Pale Waves, Nilüfer Yanya and Sorry in NME’s 100 Essential Acts for 2018, the post-punk outfit have since finished their first ever UK tour supporting Inheaven, drawing rave reviews and attracting plenty of fanfare across the country.

Named by Huw Stephens (Radio 1) as one of his Alternative Tips for 2018, the four-piece undeniably live up to these expectations in this intense new offering. Lead by frontwoman Millie Duthie’s soaring vocals, the band’s limitless potential is exemplified once more in a collection of sky-scraping hooks and gripping guitars bursting with fury.

Discussing the single, the quartet stated: “I Was Biting is about dystopian aspects of modern society and a discontent for it. We talk about a unanimous feeling of anxiety and a desire to live in a fictional state of our own dreams; to escape from the mundane routine and expectations of society”.

With dates alongside Fickle Friends, High Tyde and Swimming Tapes scheduled over the coming months, Thyla will also play their debut London headline show at Sebright Arms on 14th March. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Live Dates:
14 Mar – Sebright Arms, London
16 Mar – Suburbia, Southampton
19 Mar – Concorde 2, Brighton (supporting Fickle Friends)
31 Mar – Lock Tavern Festival, London
13 Apr – Green Door Store, Brighton (supporting Swimming Tapes)
19 Apr – Purple Turtle, Reading

Following on from our first feature for Thyla back in December we now have the new track 'I Was Biting'. It's another stylish dream pop/rock song with a mixture of melodic vibes and some rock potency, all bound together with some fine production.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mugen - Going Down.

Background - 2017 saw the birth of Leeds based indie/rock clique Mugen. The band have been biding their time, perfecting their craft and carefully constructing a beautifully thought out musical and visual pairing, staring ‘Mugen’ the hedgehog.

'Mugen' himself has an indulgent drinking and smoking habit, and is a hedgehog who traverses the terrain of the human world as a personification of lead singer, and songwriter Harry Kinchington. Mugen personifies Harry’s vision to create something that is a conceptual character falling alongside his passion to release music, that is just that little bit different whilst also raising the question #whoismugen ?

Off the back of their first release ‘That Ain’t The Way It Is’, Mugen received extensive support from Record of The Day, BBC Introducing, Xune Mag, and further afield have been playlisted on New York’s WYNR, Italy’s Primantenna FM and Radio Galileo, alongside France and Switzerland's LRDR as well as New Zealand's Radio Active 88.6FM, and Radio 1. FACEBOOK.

UK Tour dates:
Tuesday 20th March - Hull - Polar Bear (The Sesh)
Friday 23rd March - Leeds - Hi Fi Club (Scruff Of The Neck)   
Sunday 8th April - Sheffield - Cafe Totum
Friday 13th April - Manchester - Soup Kitchen (Supporting KOYO)
Wednesday 25th April - Sheffield - West Street Live
Sunday 13th May - Leeds - Lending Rooms - supporting Canshaker Pi.

A smooth flowing indie rocker 'Going Down' has some engaging vocals and understated harmonies that stand out above a refined musical arrangement, and it's all rather catchy.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freedom Baby - My Force.

Background from Freedom Baby - We've been overwhelmed with the support for our new project. This track we wrote without any re-writes. We had not intended theme or subject matter when we began writing and it all came together as it wanted to. 

In a way the song is reflective of life, in that it poses many unanswered questions, asking the listener to decide its’ meaning.

The video furthers this feeling of duality as the mirror reflects back on the viewer and the listener. For us this song is about the end of the world, but maybe it’s about the beginning of it too. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

One of four tracks on Freedom Baby's forthcoming EP 'My Force' showcases the duos beguiling music as it gently builds into an addictive song where the hooks dig deep. We featured them in August 2017 and were impressed then, this is even better, Freedom Baby have something very special going on here.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ghost Pressure - Sunless Dawn.

Background - Ghost Pressure mixes elements of alternative-rock and pop, drawing influence from acts like Wolf Alice, Warpaint, and Metric. Forming in 2014 as a four-piece, the last couple of years have been the band's biggest yet. 

2016 brought the addition of vocalist Lauren Diehlmann -- whose impressive vocal range and affinity for polyphonic songwriting has helped the band evolve sonically -- and 2017 saw the release of a live EP and a new single, an expanding tour schedule, and a support slot opening for Gin Blossoms.

The band now shares new single "Sunless Dawn," a darker song that captures the ephemeral quality of memory and explores the concept of perception vs. reality. Ghost Pressure will play NYC's Pianos on March 31st. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'Sunless Dawn' opens quietly enough, then erupts into a more powerful rocker, where the vocals are gorgeous and deliver a melodic element above the tightly delivered rock soundtrack. Very impressive!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canshaker Pi - Put A Record Out.

Background - Canshaker Pi have just announced that they’ve a new record on the way and premiered a taster from it with Put A Record Out.

After impressing many at their Eurosonic performance at the start of 2018 and supporting names such as Car Seat Headrest and Parquet Courts, to local friends Pip Blom, and indie legends The Cribs, the band have absorbed all the skill that surrounds them and poured it into the new record.

The Amsterdam quartet burst into the world of indie-rock at such a young age and yet have been no strangers to the more mature sounds of Pavement - in fact, Stephen Malkmus helped to produce the band’s debut LP and in 2017 they toured 15 countries and played 27 shows with Scott Kannberg’s Spiral Stairs. FACEBOOK.

Canshaker Pi are another band making their second appearance on Beehive Candy today. The new track 'Put A Record Out' is a feisty indie rocker with some fabulous "in your face" power and some seemingly decadent vocals that add even more attitude, it's one of those songs that just begs to be played at full volume...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coralcrown - The Hold Steady - Manwomanchild

Coralcrown - Between The Lights.

Background - Between the Lights showcases the subtlety and sensitivity in Coralcrown’s body of work. It’s a song about a shy guy fighting his own insecurities to ask a girl to dance. Unbeknownst to him, she’s fighting her own securities too. It’s a clever and poignant meditation on the prison of our internal complexes, made into something aesthetically sublime through Coralcrown’s tactful guitar work and his mastery of vocal layering and harmony.

Upon settling in London, Coralcrown auteur Luis Gotor took a hiatus from music, crestfallen that his old band had finished. Eventually, the capital’s vibrant and diverse musical nightlife captivated him, and he decided to return to music as a solo artist on his own terms and with complete creative control. Coralcrown is the result of that. It’s a vital and visionary project, establishing Luis as an ambitious musician with a gifted ear for the kind of restlessly infectious melodies that made popular music from the seventies and eighties so uplifting.

His technical approach is cutting edge, and the sound he’s achieved is nothing short of the slick professional indie pop production you’re likely to hear on say, a Foals or Bombay Bicycle Club record - audacious and primed for the festival circuit. Luis’s first EP Birth is the culmination of his effortlessly lush rebound back into writing music, and with a live band backing him, the stage is literally and figuratively set to disseminate his canny pop hooks to anyone with a relish for melody. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The guitars are vibrant and melodic, the vocals appeal for attention as 'Between The Lights' an indie pop/rock song engages with the listener. This is one contagious piece of music.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hold Steady - Eureka.

Background - The Hold Steady has released a new single. “Eureka” b/w “Esther” is arriving at all DSPs and streaming services via Frenchkiss Records on March 12th.

“Eureka” b/w “Esther” is currently available to hear exclusively at The Hold Steady’s Bandcamp page. Anyone wishing to download the single can do so via Bandcamp, with all donations going to The K + L Guardian Foundation, a fund set up to benefit the children of Unified Scene founder Mike Van Jura, who died in November 2012.

Recorded this past November in Brooklyn, NY, with producer Josh Kaufman, “Eureka” b/w “Esther” follows recent new recordings “Entitlement Crew” b/w “A Snake In The Shower.” These songs are the band’s first new material in four years, and the first studio recordings to feature longtime keyboard player Franz Nicolay since 2008’s beloved fourth album, Say Positive. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The vocals are totally compelling on 'Eureka' a fabulous alt rocker with some southern rock vibes thrown in for good measure. The band are on fire, this is what rock & roll is all about!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Manwomanchild - Memory Leak.

Background - Memory Leak was originally about the dangers of nostalgia. It was going to be about how friendships fade over time, about meeting up with an old friend only discover you have nothing in common anymore. As I reworked the lyrics and thought more about my own friendships, I also thought a bit about Facebook, which I hardly use anymore. People rarely unfriend each other even as the actual relationships fade, so that the network continues to document connections that no longer really exist. For me, it’s basically a time capsule of 2010.

All of this makes its way into the song in dribs and drabs. The song imagines the listener receiving a friend request from someone from their past (described variously as “a proxy”, “a concept”, and “a project”), one which they accept, knowing that they will never actually interact with the person (“put me on your list to keep me at bay”).

There’s another thing: by not using the site much anymore, I’m unintentionally starving it of data. Facebook works for advertisers by drawing clever conjectures about the kind of person I am based on the data they have about me. In the song, I imagine a world where, in the absence of fresh data, the algorithm invents new data. (“In a yearbook photo with a kid I’ve never seen”)

Memory leak is a software development term: Every computer program makes use of temporary hardware memory. As it’s running, it requests the use of blocks of memory, stores information in them, and then, when it’s no longer needs the data, it “frees” the memory. In a sense, a program “chooses to forget things.” This “forgetting” allows other programs to make use of that same hardware memory later on (there’s only so much of it to go around). If a program doesn’t “free up the memory” it ends up holding onto memory it no longer needs. This is what is called a “memory leak”. (Yes, it seems counter intuitive to think of holding onto too much of something as a leak). In a sense, human memory is even more prone to “leaks.” Of course, we forget things all the time, but we don’t get to choose which things we forget. WEBSITE.

The arrangement on 'Memory Leak' is first rate, every note, instrument and the vocals have a fine level of clarity. The song is melodic, polished and flows along firing hooks in all directions. There are shades of Al Stewart in the vocal phrasing, consider that a complement, this is a welcome return for Manwomanchild who last graced our pages in the summer of 2016.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

La Lusid - D.A. Stern - Post Louis

La Lusid - Empty Bones.

Background - La Lusid is back with a new single called "Empty Bones". Warm, melancholic and dynamic, it’s impossible not to get drawn into their dreamy soundscape.

With a sound that is reminiscent of what we love most about 60’s and 70’s analogue music, La Lusid presents themselves with high quality songwriting and sublime vocal arrangements. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

I am afraid we are a bit thin on the ground when it comes to background information regarding La Lusid, the above few words are all we have received and a dig around on their website etc didn't yield much more. Anyhow it's the music that really matters and 'Empty Bones' certainly deserves some attention. An easy going indie song, the vocals come across as personal and are melodic and engaging. The music is delivered to a very high standard, seemingly unassuming and yet you know a considerable amount of  attention has taken place! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D.A. Stern - Bluedgenes.

Background - D.A. Stern signs to Slumberland and shares the new "Bluedgenes" video. D.A. Stern, the solo project of David Aaron Stern, is the musical amalgamation of crossword puzzle obsession, backgammon playing, and working as a recording engineer at Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s (aka MCA) studio. Stern’s laid back, tongue-in-cheek lyrics effortlessly complement his dreamy pop rock arrangements of dense guitars and swirling organs. The music of D.A. Stern, who is more inspired by filmmakers Albert Brooks and Mel Brooks than any songwriter, could be compared to contemporaries Deerhunter, Real Estate, and Yo La Tengo but with the timelessness of Paul Westerberg.

A few years ago, someone lost in the wild of suburban New Jersey would have noticed Stern's Subaru with a NILSSON vanity plate parked in the driveway of a quaint kosher house, stumbled inside, and witnessed David and his mom, Annette, drinking red wine, cracking filthy jokes, and watching the New York Yankees in the afternoon. By nightfall, however, D.A. would toil away in the basement, recording what would become his debut album, Aloha Hola.

A move to LA found Stern steps away from Dodgers Stadium, spending nights at The Comedy Store, and releasing Aloha Hola in early 2017. Aloha Hola is an assured set of classic pop songs that flirt with folk-pop, power-pop and indiepop while remaining comfortable outside of easy genre categorization. Stern's songwriting talent is in ample evidence on earworm singles like "Am I Ever On Your Mind?" and "Bluedgenes," packed with smart lyrics, chiming guitars and indelible hooks. FACEBOOK.

We first featured D.A. Stern back in January although I notice the video for that song has gone missing (perhaps something to do with the recent new label signing?). Anyhow along comes the music video for 'Bluedgenes', where the music is uptempo and vibrant, the vocals surf along in the mix with a dreamy feel and to round things off the video adds some gentle humour.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post Louis - Little Jack.

Background - Angular art-rock quintet Post Louis have returned with their magnificent new single Little Jack. The infectious experimental-indie track studies the personality of a mysterious figure, mixing loneliness, pornographic fantasies and portents of disaster (“She says you’re gonna be a wolf someday / You won’t believe it till it’s happening”). Discussing the song, lead singer Stephanie Davin commented:

“Little Jack is a character study of someone who lives mainly in their own head. It’s about the pains of loneliness and low confidence, and what happens when these mix with naïve sexual desire. I wanted to hint at the potential for harm or even domination. “Little Jack isn’t a monster, but the song is in part about how monsters - or wolves - are made. We need to rethink how we make, force and mould some children into being ‘men’.”

Post Louis emerged in 2013, releasing two EPs and a standalone single to immense critical acclaim. The band then withdrew to write and record. Songwriters Stephanie Davin and Robbie Stern (Cajun Dance Party, guitar with Fryars) retreated to a remote cottage in Wales during the winter, armed only with a looper and a Dictaphone.

They took the material that surfaced from their time away to the rest of the band (Mattis Moviken, Andy Stern, Adam Turner-Heffer) and formed brand new songs through meticulous playing, testing, deconstructing and experimenting at the Norwegian Church (Sjømannskirken) in South London where the band rehearsed. The result was a collection of songs that are complex and interweaving, and like nothing the quintet had ever created before. Self-produced, the tracks are carefully composed to expose the playing styles and personalities of each band member. WEBSITE.

'Little Jack' exudes both quality and imagination from the very beginning. It's a song that has depth, atmosphere and edge. Powerful and beautifully structured it's not a misuse of the term "experimental" for the track, it's also very assessable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curious Grace & Black Rabbit - Gang Of Four - Cicada Rhythm - Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders - Kip Nelson

Curious Grace & Black Rabbit - Fat Cats.

Background - Chicago-based hard-edged art rock group Curious Grace & Black Rabbit has released the anti-consumerist single “Fat Cats.” Curious Grace & Black Rabbit is an indie art rock band featuring the work of husband-wife songwriting duo Tom and Mary Erangey. The group unites the talents of six performers who draw on everything from 70s/80s Brit rock, jazz, and classical, to Irish traditional music and metal.

Tom plays bass and sings. His curious nature comes from growing up as a “ginger” in London, and Galway, Ireland. Mary plays cello, sings, writes lyrics and dreams of glamor. Self-taught guitarist Mike Conley grew up with Rush, the Scorpions, Ozzy and Van Halen. Then he discovered Swedish virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen and neoclassical metal. He’s been experimenting ever since.

Bojan Kolevski is a Macedonian master of keyboards magic. Hippy chick, yogi, teacher-by-day, and USO performer Heidi O’Toole brings serious vocal pipes (and plays a mean cowbell). And Scott Way, native of the Keys with a background in Broadway, jazz and classical – plays drums. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'Fat Cats' opens with some chunky riffs and when the vocals kick in, a bluesy alt rock feel quickly emerges. It doesn't stop there as the bands creative music takes us even further, curious indeed!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gang Of Four - Lucky.

Background - New single 'Lucky' is the first to emerge from forthcoming EP 'Complicit' (due out April 13). It's the first new music from Gang of Four since 2015’s acclaimed 'What Happens Next' album. In the interim the band have been championed by artists as diverse as Frank Ocean (who sampled them on 'Blonde'), James Murphy, Pharrell (who cites GoF as a prime influence on the new N.E.R.D. album), and St Vincent (rating Andy Gill as one of her favourite guitarists.

Guitarist & founding member Andy Gill wrote 'Lucky' with frontman John 'Gaoler' Sterry, with production by Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode). Speaking about the track, Gill says; "I’d been watching a serious debate on one of those financial news channels - six white men in suits arguing about the stock markets - and it set me thinking about how limited luck can be. A lot of trading is anyway now done by algorithms to try to eliminate the element of chance, but luck isn’t capable of fundamentally changing the system. Even if you believe market crashes are the result of bad luck rather than layer upon layer of human and machine error, the system shudders, restarts and goes on as before.”

Gang of Four came into being in 1977 and its first phase, incorporating several changes of lineup, lasted until 1984. Their debut album Entertainment! – voted in Pitchfork’s top ten albums of the 70s & a ‘Record That Changed The World’ by MOJO, equally beloved by the likes of R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana & Rage Against The Machine - felt like a blast of ice-cold water, both in form and content. Gill and King made two more albums in the 90s and another in 2011, Content. When King left the project, a reinvigorated Gill seized the opportunity to reimagine Gang of Four from the ground up. As guitarist, composer, producer and lyric writer, he was and remains the band’s driving force. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The one and only Gang Of Four are back with 'Lucky' a vibrant, energised rocker that is as fresh as anything the band have previously produced. Clearly there is plenty of creativity and ideas around, as the band enter their fifth decade of musical exploration.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cicada Rhythm - Do I Deserve It Yet?

Background - Three years since their self-titled debut, Athens, GA-based indie folk band Cicada Rhythm has announced a new album, Everywhere I Go, due out April 27, 2018 via New West Records. With a tracklist that blends orchestral folk-pop and ramshackle roots-rock in equal numbers, Everywhere I Go is a “patchwork album” tracked in recording studios, living rooms, and gospel churches throughout Tennessee and Georgia. Bandmates Andrea DeMarcus and Dave Kirslis have upsized their sound considerably for the record, with new members expanding their once duo to a full touring band and a louder set of influences propelling them forward sonically.

Assisting in that forward propulsion was production by Kenneth Pattengale, spellbinding guitarist and harmony vocalist of the Milk Carton Kids, and Oliver Wood, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for The Wood Brothers. “Armed with equally robust amounts of individuality and talent, Cicada Rhythm spin yarns of sound we haven’t heard before,” says Pattengale. “And aren’t we the better to glimpse their personal reverie?” Like interstate poets, DeMarcus and Kirslis sing about the country unfolding outside their car window at highway speed, spinning stories not only about the places they visit, but personal and social struggles as well.

Cicada Rhythm will be bringing their new songs and full-band arrangement to clubs and festivals throughout the Southern United States, beginning with an appearance of Savannah Stopover on March 9. They will support Lilly Hiatt in Dallas, TX on March 13 before heading to Austin, TX for multiple performances at SXSW. Cicada Rhythm’s April/May headlining tour will include a stop at North Carolina’s Merlefest and a hometown show in Athens, GA, as well as bring them to Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville, Atlanta, and more. Please see below for full tour details with more to be announced soon. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Cicada Rhythm On Tour (More Dates TBA):
March 9 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover
March 13 – Dallas, TX @ Shipping & Receiving*
March 14-17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 30 – Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre+
April 20 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
April 21 – Chattanooga, TN @ Barking Legs Theater
April 27-28 – Wilkesboro, NC @ Merlefest
May 3 – Knoxville, TN @ Barley’s
May 4 – Asheville, NC @ Isis
May 10 – Athens, GA @ Foundry
May 11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
May 12 – Huntersville, NC @ Brewers and Music Festival
May 18 – Huntsville, AL @ Flying Monkey Arts
May 19 – Waverly, AL @ Standard Deluxe
May 20 – Macon, GA @ The Rookery
June 17 – Hunter, NY @ Mountain Jam
July 13 – Mt. Solon, VA @ Redwing Roots Music Festival
July 14 – Bethlehem, PA @ Levitt SteelStacks
*appearing with Lilly Hiatt
+appearing with Sinners and Saints.

'Do I Deserve It Yet?' is a mixture of folk, roots, blues and rock all wrapped up into one sparkling and hook laden song. The vocals are splendid, the music dynamic and natural, this is one big tease for the forthcoming album.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders - White Flag.

Background - Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders return with a first taste from their forthcoming album ‘Blue Poles’, the first new music since the May 2017 single “Susan”.  “White Flag” is an unlikely love song about surrendering to a prison that binds two people together. In the music video we find him in Indonesia, struggling with a special kind of captivity. “It’s written from two perspectives”, says Ladder. “I didn’t want to duet so I sang both parts. It allows for more mystery.” The video and the forthcoming album maintain the recurring bone dry sense of humour that has been a thread through all of his work.

“I’ve got no fingers left to cross, each time I leave you cut one off.”

Blue Poles will be the fifth album from one of the most singular characters in Australian music. Sentimental and mournful, sardonic and surreal. Jack Ladder brings that towering and tender baritone to bear on tales of beauty, love, hope and redemption. A master of musical narrative, he conjures lyrics that celebrate the absurdity and sincerity of the human condition in songs that groove in subtle ways.

Burke Reid produced Hurtsville (2011), Kim Moyes shaped Playmates (2014), but this time Jack Ladder takes total control of his creative process.  “Blue Poles is the most melodic thing I’ve ever done”, he reflects. “I really pushed myself into some uncomfortable places.”

Blue Poles was recorded at Oceanic Studios in Sydney, engineered by Tim Whitten (The Necks, The Church, The Go-Betweens) and mixed in Los Angeles by Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom). Once again he’s joined by The Dreamlanders, Australia’s very own misfit supergroup made up of Donny Benet on bass, Laurence Pike on drums and this time two guitarists - Kirin J Callinan and Ben Hauptmann. WEBSITE.

The musical arrangement is understated as 'White Flag' opens allowing Jack Ladder's definitive vocals to enchant the listener in moments. If that isn't enough the musical landscape broadens, the melodic vibes entice even more, this is one fabulous song.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kip Nelson - Mexico.

Background - Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kip Nelson makes his debut with his carefree single, "Mexico."  Hailing from the beach town of Santa Barbara, Kip embellishes his slacker-rock style with twinges of psychedelia and lo-fi pop that will transport you to a desert festival dream-state.

Kip comes from a background of playing shows and touring around the reggae scene with Santa Barbara-based band The Olés. The Olés have toured across the U.S. and played festivals with artists like Damian Marley, Don Carlos, and Rebelution. The Olés played regularly in Isla Vista California, the UC Santa Barbara college town, and have been active in the California reggae circuit over the last few years.

Debut album, Waves After Work could be considered a ‘side project’ or a solo recording experiment for Kip. His debut solo album puts the limits of basic home recording to the test. Tracks came together one piece at a time over months of tracking all drums, guitars, synths, and vocals through a Tascam studio cassette player picked up at the local Goodwill. As a local beach sheik once said, “Hearing ‘Waves After Work’ on the loudspeakers sounds like the sonic equivalent of an Indian Summer Santa Barbara Santa Ana breeze gently slapping you in the face”.

Lyrically, Kip toys with themes of escapism throughout the record. Waves After Work is about taking a step away from the monotony of day to day routine. The album name eludes to how, in society, work comes before play. For Kip the after work reward is anything and all things waves, recording sound waves or riding ocean waves. The music is thematically based on dreaming, escaping, surrealism, and freedom of the open spaces. Waves After Work will be available worldwide April 27th, 2018. FACEBOOK.

A swirling bass line opens 'Mexico' and builds in style from there. The contrasting vocal styles are superb and the music imaginative and massively catchy. Debut's of this standard set the bar high, I have a feeling that's not going to be an issue for Kip Nelson.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------