Sundays Alternative: Vaudeville Smash - French Horn Rebellion - Ducky

Vaudeville Smash - Richter Scale.

Background - Australia’s Vaudeville Smash return with their new single Richter Scale, a synth-laden funk anthem with hooks for days.

Having just returned from a hugely successful tour of Japan, where they signed with P-Vine records, this is the band’s first release since their world wide smash Zinedine Zidane in 2014. Vaudeville Smash has explored many genres but with Richter Scale and B-side Dangerous they revisit their first true love. Funk. 

The single is out now and had worldwide radio premieres in Australia (on Triple R), in Japan (on Tokyo Inter FM) and in the US by on line heavyweight EDM Sauce.

 "With Richter Scale, we channelled some of the great 80s boogie bands like Cameo and Midnight Star. We've set out to make a really great Funk album. It's our first love!" - Marc, Vaudeville Smash.

Synth drive funk, can't disagree with any of their words above. Actually the synth element lightens the sound up, giving it a fresher modern feel, without losing the intention to celebrate their funk forerunners. It's fun and it's catchy.

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

French Horn Rebellion - Play Your Part Feat. Spencer Ludwig.

Background - The Brooklyn-based brother duo French Horn Rebellion have teamed up with singer-songwriter and trumpeter Spencer Ludwig (Capital Cities, RAC) for a blissfully optimistic bop called “Play Your Part,” which is the second single to come off FHR’s forthcoming Foolin’ Around EP (out November 6). 

French Horn Rebellion are Robert and David Perlick-Molinari, two brothers born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. In 2007, younger brother Robert was playing French horn in the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and decided to make hot beats instead. After telling the conductor that Mahler isn’t fun anymore he asked his bassoon-toting brother, David to join with him. And so it was, a French Horn Rebellion began.

Since then, the boys have travelled 5 continents with French horn slung over their back, doing shows with MGMT, Yelle, Cut Copy, and others along the way. Also, they've pioneered a new genre called 'Next Jack Swing,' like New Jack, but with heavy beats and funkier bass lines.

Live Dates :
10/30 — Buffalo, NY at Town Ballroom w/Robert DeLong 
10/31 — Clifton Park, NY at Upstate Concert Hall w/Robert DeLong 
11/1 — South Burlington, VT at Showcase Lounge w/Robert DeLong.

The track just blasts into action, with French horns blazing the trail. Spencer Ludwig has just the right voice, and the song has a mixture of charm, style (lots of style) and uplifting good time vibes.

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

DUCKY - Lost Angeles.

Background - Since her early teenage years, Ducky has been fully immersed in club culture. She worked the door and started off her DJ career in San Francisco with the help of a fake ID before dropping out of high school at 17 and heading to NYU where she continued working on music. Following a move to LA this year and a release through Parisian imprint B.yrslf Division Ducky continues to shape her sound with a new EP on Nest. The three-track Lost Angeles is a scenic stroll through winding four-four environments, opening with the hazy title track, followed by the hypnotic "Rain Dance", and ending at "Winter Song" just as the Fall storm clouds land in LA.

This is a really good sounding and quite diverse EP. The featured track has a dreamy distant sound, that soothes. 'Rain Dance' is far more dance orientated and 'Winter Song' has a more stripped down, rhythm heavy feel and beat. All of which showcases Ducky in a very positive musical light.

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

Liverpool & London Calling: Jimmy & The Revolvers - Cat Bear Tree

Jimmy & The Revolvers - The Morning Paper.

And we quote - Jimmy & the Revolvers are one of the UK's most exciting emerging bands. When they're not gigging up and down the country making new friends and fans wherever they go, they're running a monthly club night in their home city of Liverpool as well as finding the time to champion up and coming talent on the scene.

Formed in early 2013, Jimmy & The Revolvers are Jay Rehm on Vocals & Acoustic Guitar, Jordan Wright on Vocals & Bass, Jimmy Moon on Electric Guitar and Ash Michael on Drums. Their debut AA side ‘Aimee’s Song/Frosty’ released in June 2013 became a favourite talking point for the city’s music bloggers and DJs who were drawn to the band's infectious melodies and harmonies.

More glowing reviews followed the release of their four track EP ‘Sunday Morning’ on New Year’s Eve 2013, which gained airplay across the UK and was chosen as one of BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson’s Fresh Faves on his Fresh on the Net website in February 2014. Support slots with Ian Skelly (former The Coral), a brilliant performance at Liverpool Sound City 2014 and international airplay for their last single 'Whistle For My Love' added to the buzz around the band and led to them signing with Ugly Man Records, the label responsible for launching Elbow and I Am Kloot.

New Single 'The Morning Paper' boasts the infectious melodies, stunning harmonies and huge production we've come to expect from Jimmy & The Revolvers. The single was produced by Carlo Variola of Ocean Waves Productions and is included in Variola's 'Ocean Waves' album, a compilation of Liverpool bands.

This is holistically good. Excellent song, musicianship, production, and full of heart and soul. Popular music, is in safe hands with bands like this. Find out more on their Facebook page (here).

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

Cat Bear Tree - Adult.

Background - An exhilarating portrait of Cat Bear Tree’s melodic alt-pop meets angular indie oeuvre, ‘Settled In Our Hearts’ is out on iTunes (HERE) on Friday 23 October. The EP opens with ‘Adult’, the group’s most danceable tune to date, displaying faint traces of Bloc Party and Warpaint on a song about the complexities of love and maturity. 

Enthused by the trail-blazing women forming brilliant bands such as The Donnas, L7 and Elastica, the three members of Cat Bear Tree spent their teenage years sneaking into London gigs and sourcing inspiration from the capital’s more independently inclined music scenes. It was this punk-rock spirit that first bonded Zoe Konez (guitar and vocals), Claudia Mansaray (bass and vocals) and Sarah Smith (drums and vocals), three fearless players who’d been cutting their teeth on the DIY circuit. Having joined forces it was clear that Cat Bear Tree were a forceful prospect, their infectious indie hooks and open-book lyrics soon earning plaudits on both the blogosphere and stage, where key shows included supports to Mike Skinner and The Tuts. Debut EP ‘Let’s Share Hearts’ was an early statement of intent, earning the group comparisons to the likes of Electrelane and Sleater-Kinney, but it is new release ‘Settled In Our Hearts’ that captures the true qualities of Cat Bear Tree and will stand as their launchpad to broad acclaim, for, as the band admit: “We’ve pushed ourselves further out. This EP sounds like us, now, and we can’t wait for people to connect with it.”

The EP is a treasure trove of really good songs. Bright breezy musical hooks with vocals and harmonies that suggest their hearts are most definitely in the music.

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

Friday Variety: Cigars Of The Pharaoh - Bespin - Silent Feature Era

Cigars Of The Pharaoh - Mystery Highway.

Background - Sometimes a band just comes out of nowhere. You might hear it in the background at a bar, or it might hit you on the radio while you’re stuck in traffic. Chances are, if you’ve heard Sydney’s Cigars Of The Pharaoh, you’ll know about it. With a power-packed sound that tips its hat to the blues rock genre, Cigars Of The Pharaoh have risen up to bring the groove back to the Australian music scene with a punch that feels good.

The band formed in the early part of 2015 as a four-piece - a mixed bag of guys with a multitude of musical influences and pasts that gelled from the get-go. From indie pop to hard rock, soul to RnB, this special union of musical minds has created something that’s fresh, based on everything they’ve learned and heard from a combined experience of many decades inside the scene. Cigars completed the recording of their debut EP within months of forming, such was the pace at which their unique blend of talents moved.

Hooking up with producer Sean Carey (Thirsty Merc) at Church Street Studios in their hometown of Sydney, they laid down a four-track EP across a single weekend. Mystery Highway was the result, and it’s already made waves, with national airplay on Triple M and a line-up of gigs that is growing quickly. Cigars will launch title track “Mystery Highway” as their first single with The A&R Department at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory on 6 November, and a second single release, along with the EP, will follow shortly thereafter. In between, their helping The Lazys set off on their Canadian Tour on 31 October as part of a Halloween line-up at The Lewisham Hotel that also includes Chase The Sun. Cigars have more shows lined up in Sydney and at The Carrington in Katoomba, and will make a trip down to Victoria in mid-November for two shows in Melbourne. 

Upcoming Shows 
Saturday, October 31 - Lewisham Hotel, Sydney Friday, November 6 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Thursday, November 26 - The Valve Bar, Sydney. “Mystery Highway” by Cigars Of The Pharaoh will be released 13th of November 2015.

Cranking up the power, 'Mystery Highway' is a belting blues rocker. It's a timeless piece and brings images of a sweat soaked venue, with the audience as one, lost in the moment.

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

Bespin - Take Control.

Background - The track (Take Control) is the bands second single, it was recorded in a hidden Grey Lynn attic in the home of main guy Jonathan Lee (Cut Off Your Hands). The band also features members of DHDFD's (Joel Beeby) and Tiny Ruins (Alex Freer). 

Bespin are nominated for the Critics Choice Award in New Zealand, and have also played St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Camp A Low Hum and The Others Way Festival.

Bespin are also releasing their debut EP "Osiris" next Friday on 30th October, via Flying Out. Featuring five tracks, the EP is a woozy fuzz Gigantor, careering out of control down an 8-bit space age freeway.

To celebrate the release of the "Osiris" EP Bespin are also on tour through New Zealand in November/December

Thur - 12th November - Kings Arms - Auckland
Fri - 11th December - Meow - Wellington
Thu - 17th December - Darkroom - Christchurch
Fri - 18th December - Chicks Hotel - Dunedin.

'Take Control' switches on, warms up, and then launches into a massively atmospheric song. Vocals are just right in the overall mix, with the harmonies occasionally heaving themselves, above the powerful soundtrack.

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

Silent Feature Era - House Of Thieves.

Background - Poetic words denote a sense of anti-establishment-ism that makes for a boisterous good time of sticking it to the man in Silent Feature Era's new single 'House of Thieves'.

Transporting the listener straight to the heart of this aesthetic, 'House of Thieves' features lyricism harking back to an almost Shakespearean/medieval era, allowing imagery to play out in the mind. Combining cinematic landscapes, crooked guitars, synths, organs & kooky electronica with a reckless, raucous attitude this group of Brisbane lads are returning from hiatus with gusto. 

Featuring members of Brisbane music scenesters Speedstar, The Honey Month and Machine Age, this band of brothers released their debut album This Old Leather Heart in 2012, receiving a warm reception, a handful of QMA nominations and national airplay. With ‘House of Thieves’  the first taste from a forthcoming second album, expect some wild and not so silent times ahead.

I just love the 'traditional' harmonies that open this song, setting us up for a real storming track, mixing folk, come punk, and no nonsense rock, (and perhaps reminiscent a little of The Pogues). I just want to hear more!

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

Thursday Three: Jumpcuts - Matt Stillert - The Sticklers

Jumpcuts - Headlights.

Background - Baltimore electronic new wave rock band Jumpcuts will release a limited edition 7” vinyl single and embark on a tour of the East Coast this October and November in support of their sophomore album Fiber Optic Bondage, due for release this spring. Following several national and regional tours, singer and multi-instrumentalist Andy Shankman tracked the songs “Headlights” and “Curses and Verses” at Baltimore’s Mobtown Studios with producer Mat Leffler-Schulman (Future Islands, Dustin Wong). Fiber Optic Bondage blends atmospheric synths, danceable beats, and Shankman’s introspective lyrics.

Jumpcuts' resume includes tour dates spanning the eastern half of the U.S., opening slots for Phantogram and School of Seven Bells, collaborations with producers of Beach House and Celebration, and a featured performance slot on WFUM's Live From Cleveland. This fall’s string of shows will feature Steve Bryant, the NYC-based producer and drummer most recently known for his work as the drummer for the band Young & Sick. Shankman, known for his angular guitar work, will incorporate simultaneous singing and guitar looping for much of the new material. More information on Jumpcuts is available on the band’s official website.

Fall Tour Dates for Jumpcuts

Sat, Oct 24 @ Denton, TX, J & J's Pizza
Sun, Oct 25 @ Houston, TX, Super Happy Fun Land
Wed, Oct 28 @ Panama City, FL, A&M Theater
Wed, Nov 11 @ Carrboro, NC, The Station
Sun, Nov 15 @ Sanford, FL, Rabbitfoot Records
Wed, Nov 18 @ Charleston, SC, Tin Roof
Fri, Nov 20 @ Charlotte, NC, The Milestone Club
Sat, Nov 21 @ Baltimore, MD, Reverb.

This song has that addictive something. Music and vocals interweave, it's so well layered and atmospheric, that a second listen was almost compulsive.

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

Matt Stillert - Shoe Boycotter.

Background - Based on the Sunshine Coast but always on the move, Matt Stillert is quickly becoming one of the hardest gigging blues n’ roots artists on the East Coast of Australia. With 2012’s debut EP ‘Don’t Fear The Beard’ turning several years of performance into product, all focus is now on upcoming full length ’Shoe Boycotter’ which lands November 21. Driven by the just released title track single, ‘Shoe Boycotter’ is self-produced with Matt playing nearly every instrument featured on the album, having painstakingly slaved over eleven tracks to achieve impassioned lyrical and musical fulfilment. While Matt’s sound and spirited live show has been described as "an alternative blues onslaught”, it must be noted that the rambling troubadour has a soft side with a penchant for sweeping poetic melodies, ultimately colouring his treasure chest of material.

Recent support slots for CW Stoneking, Hat Fitz & Cara and Marshall Okell compliment the ever growing list of festivals Matt has appeared at which now include Byron Bay Bluesfest, Woodford Folk Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Gympie Music Muster, Mitchell Creek Rock N’ Blues Festival, Mary River Festival, Palm Creek Folk Festival, Perigean Originals and the Australian North Coast Rock N’ Blues Event. It’s safe to say you’ll see the word festival and Matt Stillert on a poster this summer! With a record collection that boasts early blues greats such as Son House and Skip James to the universally admired Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, Matt Stillert has chosen an inevitable path where living and breathing music is a vital way of life.

Yes the comparisons are there, for me Seasick Steve sprang to mind, its inevitable when you pen a rootsy blues song, and deliver it with so much natural flair. Whatever names are mentioned, this track has its own legs and is just so cool.

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

The Sticklers - Breakfast In Hell.

Background - About ‘Breakfast In Hell’ Part song, part romantic revery, ‘Breakfast In Hell’ is undoubtedly The Sticklers at their most fully realised. Channelling the bookish melancholia of The Smiths with the upbeat pop euphoria of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, The Sticklers’ nostalgic latest single is the stuff breakout tracks are made of. Lyricist Gabi Garbutt paints a vivid, breathing, and magical portrait of two lovers in a damned republic, while Lee Milward’s violin communicates the feelings that can’t be vocalised. A pop song in the classic sense: concise and hook-laden with a perfectly executed middle eight key change, it’s little wonder why they were selected to support The Libertines at the Manchester Ritz before the shows sudden cancellation. ’Breakfast In Hell’ is a compact gemstone of brilliance that’s sure to see them reaching a whole new sea of possibilities in their career. 

About The Sticklers “We create music that is passionate, honest and lyrical, fusing hard headed rock’n’roll, soaring soul and nimble-fingered folk fiddle.” At a time when poetic guitar pop is in short supply, waylaid by the increasingly tech-dependent and often soulless production values of new shoegaze and psychedelia, The Sticklers cut a defiantly beatific figure in their hometown of London. Forming in and around their local Camden pub The Wheelbarrow, they released their first EP ‘Hold It Up To The Light’ in 2013. After embarking on a series of live dates in London and beyond during the autumn, they eventually holed up in studio at the end of the year to record the pivotal single ‘Mr Needlove’. Its release was accompanied by a video that saw them playing on a moving barge, buoyed by impassioned melodies and poetic lyrics that eventually wormed their way into the ears of XFM’s John Kennedy, giving them vital radio play.

There is no one fulcrum on which The Sticklers’ sound rests. Vocalist Gabi Garbutt provides much of the romantic sentiment in her lyrics. Both a guitar player and a published poet, her lyrical approach stems from her interest in the pop poetry of literary musos like Patti Smith and Leonard Cohen. Violinist Lee Milward and lead guitarist Chris Brambley melodically reinforce her wistful commentary with their honeyed and nostalgic accompaniments, while Tom Newis and Lorenzo Levrini form the pivotal rhythmic backline. It’s a combination that produces instinctive chemistry.  There is little doubt that new single ‘Breakfast In Hell’ is only the start of a journey that promises to inject more colour, poetry, and imagination into the barren landscape of British indie music. The Sticklers may be colossal sentimentalists, but they’re finely-tuned pop writers too.

What a talented band The Sticklers are. Add to that a new single, where the B-side ('Down By The Waterside') is screaming for as much attention as the A-side and you know you have come across a band that promises superb music.


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