Dub Proof - The Spook School - Lucille Furs

Dub Proof - Not Enough.

Background - Dub Proof is a groove oriented band based in Asbury Park, NJ., comprised of Nick "Turtle" Paolise (bass), Rory "Roke" Fream (guitar & lead vocals), Pat Clarke (drums), Dave "Dr. Dave" Hollander (sax & k/b), and Joe Harvard (guitar, lap steel, k/b, Kaoss /samples, b/u voc). Formed in 2007, the band has become known for it's hardworking professionalism, intriguingly original live sound and freewheeling shows.

Dub Proof's music incorporates the social conscience of Bob Marley, the irresistible danceability of George Clinton funk, and the deep grooves, sweeping delays and fresh originality of 70's dub reggae, topping this basic recipe with a frosting of classic lead guitar gunslinging and a tasteful sprinkling of jazz and psychedelic electronica. Nick and Joe put the skills that earned multiple Asbury Music Awards [including Top Bass & Top Multi-Instrumentalist] to good use, while Dave, Roke and drummer Pat Clarke deliver performances that should guarantee their own AMA's soon.

The band continues to write songs that pare songs down to their essence, building arrangements that eschew long individual solos in favour of team interplay and rhythmic. The group is now in pre-production for their first self-recorded LP, while their constantly evolving sound continues to impress audiences at shows up and down the East Coast. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

I am always partial to some fine dub, you can blame the late great Horace Swaby (aka Augustus Pablo) for that!  'Not Enough' is a lighter dub affair with plenty of traditional reggae vibes alongside. Add in the upbeat rhythm and musical arrangement and melodic vocals & we have a very catchy groove going on here.


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The Spook School - Less Than Perfect.

Background - The Spook School shares the second single and video from its eagerly anticipated third album Could It Be Different?, due Jan. 26, 2018 on Slumberland Records and Alcopop! in the UK. If a debut LP is an artist’s introduction to the world and their sophomore release is their now-or-never moment, their third is their most cathartic: they’ve made it out, they’re here. Glasgow, Scotland’s indiepop optimists The Spook School, despite personal and political obstacle, made it out, and their latest full-length Could It Be Different? is here. It’s been a journey of self- discovery and feel-good realism; modern, dance-friendly indiepop fueling the fun. They made a name for themselves for their exultant and empowering pop, and now, they’ve shown real growth in nuance.

The Spook School are Nye Todd (guitar/vocals), Anna Cory (bass/vocals), Adam Todd (guitar/vocals) and Niall McCamley (drums). Could It Be Different? Is, well, different—it’s a collaborative album of personal storytelling that works through life’s hardships with positivity—even at their most beaten down, The Spook School manage to find hope free of naivety. That’s clear the second the album opens with “Still Alive,” and its ascending chorus (and soon-to- be crowd favorite) of “F You, I’m Still Alive,” written by Nye after surviving an emotionally abusive relationship. The song avoids villainizing the past, instead, it celebrates the present and welcomes the unknown future.

Could It Be Different? is a human release—a record full of the insecurities and anxiety that arrive after self-awareness, in learning something new and potentially frightening about yourself. But at it’s heart is joy—there’s no desolation on the LP, because The Spook School manage to find light in moments of darkness. All things glum must pass—even if hope comes only in the form of acceptance.

“We try to take sad songs and not shy away from them, but come out thinking ‘things will change.’ Otherwise everything would be dreadful and I feel bad enough as it is,” Niall laughs. “We need a bit of light in our lives.” Adam agrees, “We started this for fun. We want our shows to be fun. We want the people who come to our shows to feel welcomed, and to have fun. There’s a bit of party in our songs, no matter what the subject matter is.” Why cry when you can dance? FACEBOOK.

'Less Than Perfect' is a feisty indie rocker, with gorgeous vocals and harmonies backed by some crisp and determined music. With more to follow early next year this is a tasty appetiser.


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Lucille Furs - Pink Noise / The Fawn of Teal Deer.

Background - Chicago’s Lucille Furs play psychedelic rock and baroque pop in a tradition that dates back to the 60s and is championed by contemporary bands like Temples, The Horrors and Tame Impala.

The band came together in 2015 and comprise of Patrick Tsotsos, Nick Dehmlow, Brendan Peleo- Lazar, Trevor Newton Pritchett, Constantine Hastalis. 

The original band name was Shah Jahan, however they rebranded themselves with a name that Trevor Newton Pritchett threw out in a brainstorming session. Patrick Tsotsos stated in an interview earlier this year that the change to Lucille Furs stemmed from some listeners taking offense to the initial name (something they had no intention of doing).

The band’s self-titled debut album is available on limited edition vinyl (with windy city label TMB Limited offering it up on cassette). WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

From Lucille Furs self titled and totally inoffensive (see above) album I have chosen a couple of songs  'Pink Noise' and 'The Fawn of Teal Deer'. They are both pretty different, something that is a hallmark of this fabulous album, and collectively provide a clearer indication of what to expect. Baroque pop & psychedelic rock are equally presented within this collection of songs, with a modern twist and some timeless feeling.


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Hockey Dad - The Fireflys - Gasoline Lollipops

Hockey Dad - Homely Feeling.

Background - Australian surf-rock duo Hockey Dad unveil the suitably raucous visuals to latest single Homely Feeling, the first taste of their sophomore album Blend Inn set for release on 9th February via Manchester Indie label LAB Records.

An ode to the search for that sense of homely comfort whilst being miles away from your roots, this for Hockey Dad being the small, laid-back coastal town of Windang, Australia, Homely Feeling is a fuzzy blast of youthful energy. Now the tune is accompanied by a video that’ll make you pine for the glory days of MTV; a drained pool, inebriated-skating-grandpa antics and a whole heap of mates capture the charm and energy of youth with which Hockey Dad won hearts originally. 

Billy Fleming (drums) and Zach Stephenson (guitar, vox) have come a long way since sneaking underage into their local dive venue to catch their favourite bands. Once able to get their own regular slots they quickly built an ever-growing following, before releasing a debut EP Dreamin’ in 2014, then 2016’s acclaimed debut album Boronia. The 18 months since Boronia’s release has seen the duo tour extensively through Australia, before heading out to North America to take in SXSW, jump on a Canadian tour with Dune Rats, play shows in the UK and Europe before finally taking in some of their home country’s biggest venues with the iconic Wavves.

This stretch of playing live, and the reaction to their debut record has allowed Hockey Dad to ally the youthful electricity they possess in abundance with renewed sense of perspective, and an expanded mind-set. “We’re still kids,” reflects Fleming “But we’re just a little bit more... tinged”

Landing in Seattle, the recording of Blend Inn began with renowned audio engineer and producer John Goodmanson (Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Cloud Nothings) at Robert Lang Studios. The studios, supposedly haunted, echo with their iconic past - housing many of rock’s legends over its time, The Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Death Cab For Cutie, Alice In Chains, for example, but most notably Nirvana, who recorded their last single inside - the mic used by Kurt Cobain still hanging in tribute. Here, Hockey Dad found a home away from home - immortalising their time in the album artwork, which depicts the house in a film photo captured by Fleming.

The single Homely Feeling is out now on all streaming platforms, and LP Blend Inn will be out on 9th February via LAB Records. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

It's around eighteen months since we were first introduced to Hockey Dad and back then I stated "the duo's brand of indie pop is just so bright and smile inducing." Fast forward to 'Homely Feeling' their latest single and the sound has matured into some vibrant energised surf rock. It's looking good for the next album.

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The Fireflys - Grace.

Background - The Fireflys are an Alt Americana band from Runcorn, north west England, who release their first single 'Grace' in November 2017. The track comes from their fifth studio album, which is slated for release early next year.

The songwriting of vocalist/guitarist Lee Wylding underpins The Fireflys' creative output, augmented by bassist Sam Bramhall, pianist Chris Tann, drummer Andie Packer, acoustic guitarist Joe Paul Forber and guitarist Phil Conway. Marking the beginning of a new generation of UK Americana/alternative guitar based bands, The Fireflys are indebted sonically to the likes of Neil Young and Tom Petty, as well as the links of R.E.M. and City & Colour.

The band are regularly played at Old Trafford stadium on match days and have been featured on MUTV, BBC Manchester and That's Manchester TV, affording them the cult status across the Northwest of England.

Fireworks Magazine has labelled them "The UK's answer to Counting Crows", whilst Mike Peters of The Alarm descrived them as "a good mix of REM and The Gin Blossoms" during a recent live television interview. FACEBOOK.

'Grace' is clearly influenced by all that is good with Americana music and the host of genres and identities that seem to come under that umbrella term. Fast, refined and raw enough to ensure the passion and heart shines through, The Fireflys have something quite special going on here.


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Gasoline Lollipops - Mustangs.

Background - Colorado-based band Gasoline Lollipops shares new track "Mustangs". "Robert Louis Cole, who traveled the South on a one-car tour with Gasoline Lollipops frontman Clay Rose a few years ago, wrote 'Mustangs' as a sparse acoustic blues," the band explains of the track, "we're honored to give it a rollicking full-band treatment on Soul Mine." Gasoline Lollipops will be playing an album-release show at Fox Theatre in Boulder on 12/16, along with a number of other shows listed below:

11.15 - 12.3 - Belgium and the Netherlands
12.16 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
1.19-21 - Ambergris Caye, Belize
12.31 - Hodi's Half Note - Fort Collins, CO
1.5 - Alamo Drafthouse - Denver, CO
1.26 - Vail Ale House - Vail, CO
1.27 - The Historic Lariat

Gasoline Lollipops is a Colorado band that combines the sincerity of dirt-floor folk with the energy and rebelliousness of punk. It's an all-new incarnation of alt-country that’s both high-energy and heartfelt, like the American highway's soundtrack. This year marked the release of the GasPops' debut full-length album, Resurrection, and the band’s first-ever vinyl release, Soul Mine, will be celebrated at the Fox Theatre in Boulder on Saturday, December 16.

Colorado Daily readers voted Gasoline Lollipops "Best Local Musician/Group" for 2017, and in 2016, Denver Westword named Gasoline Lollipops Colorado's Best Country Artist. 2014 and 2015 brought multiple awards and accolades to the Gasoline Lollipops, including being selected to play six showcases in Austin during SXSW 2014; getting voted "Best Local Musician/Group" in the Colorado Daily's 2014 and 2015 polls; being selected as one of only six bands across Colorado for the highly coveted SpokesBUZZ Emerging Artists Incubator program; and winning the Oskar Blues Battle of the Bands in 2015. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Our second feature for Gasoline Lollipops in a couple of months and following on from 'Soul Mine' this time we have 'Mustangs'. Gritty, edgy and most certainly dirt-floor, this is a fabulous rootsy song that is both mean & addictive!


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I Hate You Just Kidding - Christopher Pellnat - Janileigh Cohen - Line & Circle - Vern Matz

I Hate You Just Kidding - Smokestacks.

Background - Jeremy and Jessi Brock are the husband & wife songwriting duo known as I Hate You Just Kidding. They started making music together shortly after meeting and formally formed the project in 2009.

Their music has been featured in film/television and commercials, and they have gone on several national tours, leaving two EPs and one full-length album in their wake.

Upon releasing their debut "Days Grow Longer" in 2011, I Hate You Just Kidding began writing a follow up. However, the touring life sometimes takes a few detours. After a 5 year hiatus, the sophomore album “Constellations” will be released on Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2018. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Live: Nov 15th 2017 - The Satellite, Los Angeles, CA.

'Smokestacks' is a tuneful catchy indie song. It's starts out as uncomplicated pop that occasionally builds into a more of a rock track, either way it addictive & gorgeous.

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Christopher Pellnat - Honey Venom Wings.

Background - Christopher Pellnat is a singer-songwriter from Hudson, NY, USA. Chris also collaborates with other musicians - for example, Mercy Weiss. He also play electric guitar in the Poughkeepsie, NY-based band, The Warp/The Weft.

His brand new album is called “Honey Venom Wings”, and is available now through Bandcamp. Talking about the new collection of material Christopher states "this album is not your typical singer-songwriter fare - it veers off into many directions that I hope you will find interesting".

You can find and hear some of Christopher Pellnat's collaborations with Mercy Weiss on her Bandcamp page (here). The Warp/The Weft's website is (here). More from Chris Pellnat on FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

We have featured Christopher Pellnat with Mercy Weiss and also The Warp/The Weft in fact this is our fourth feature for Chris including those combinations. I have chose to feature the title track from 'Honey Venom Wings' simply because it sits somewhere in the middle of the differing directions the album takes. Some tracks are more personal or intimate sounding and overall it is definitely up there with his other collaborations.

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Janileigh Cohen - Same Old Road.

Background - Bolton folk singer-songwriter Janileigh Cohen has released her new single Same Old Road this week through Funnel Music, which follows recent single Sister.

Same Old Road is captivatingly unique, yet almost sounds like a song you’ve heard before, with a warming vocal that pulls you in tightly like an old friend that you don’t want to leave. Backed simply by piano and violin, Janiliegh’s raw and intimate voice does all of the talking in this delicate and emotive track. Janileigh says;

"During the time I composed this song, I was not putting my music online or playing live so it was a song for myself to let out how I was feeling. I had a musical dream and this song helped cement the fact I wanted a career in music. I’d never really composed a song on piano until Same Old Road and it felt like it really came from the heart.”

Same Old Road follows recent single release Sister, previously self-released EP As a Child and cover of Blues Run The Game, which featured on the US TV drama This Is Us and has over 150,00 plays on Spotify.

Vocally and lyrically miles ahead of her young years, Janileigh writes on both piano and guitar, with a sound influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her lyrics tell a personal story; exposing the joy, disillusionment, confusion and romance of life. Janileigh has honed her craft busking in her Northern hometown and around Europe, along with performing at open-mic nights, and is a must-see live. FACEBOOK.

We featured the song 'Sister' a few weeks back and the new single 'Same Old Road' is another absolutely beautiful release, last time I stated " I try to avoid writing this to often however Janileigh Cohen is definitely one to watch out for in the months to come." I am even more convinced that is the case now!

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Line & Circle - Vicious Folly.

Background - Ohio-born, Los Angeles-based Line & Circle will follow up their acclaimed singles and debut LP with their new EP Vicious Folly, due December 1st via Grand Gallop. This week they share the title track. At a moment when societal divisions seem increasingly tense and tribalistic, Vicious Folly explores a belief the Romans held centuries ago: homo homini lupus — man is a wolf to man. Whether the conflicts here are romantic ("Man Uncouth"), ideological ("Vicious Folly"), or familial ("Who Runs Wild"), the songs contemplate the disquieting idea that man himself is his own greatest threat.

Vicious Folly brings the resulting emotional complexity to life by expanding on the band's characteristically moody but vibrant color palette. Interweaving bass clarinet pulses and distorted tape loops move underneath minimalist patterns of chiming guitar and bass melody counterpoint. Singer/guitarist Brian J. Cohen's dramatic tenor pulls across the songs' brisk rhythmic foundations, which are more unhinged here than in previous releases.

The bulk of the record was tracked live to tape in one day at Los Angeles' Vox Studios with Michael Harris (Angel Olsen's My Woman), with additional sessions in various warehouses, bedrooms, and backhouse studios around the band's Echo Park neighborhood. The project was mixed with frequent collaborator Jonathan Low (The National, The War On Drugs) at Aaron Dessner of The National's Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York.

Vicious Folly's cover features Peter Flötner's 16th century hand-painted playing cards from post-Reformation Germany. Flötner used his cards to depict and denounce the perceived greed, gluttony, and folly of his time. That the imagery strikes a chord today — as it surely did then — is either deeply comforting, or incredibly disconcerting, depending on your information filter. FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

Less than a month since we shared 'Man Uncouth' along comes 'Vicious Folly' from Line & Circle. The vocals slowly emerge from within the mix, as the band play some dynamic guitar lead rhythmic music that carries the power.

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Vern Matz - Trampolines.

Background - Indie rock trio Vern Matz share the lead track off their forthcoming self titled debut LP, due out January 2018. Vern Matz is comprised of guitarist and singer Danny Belgrad, pianist Michael Lituchy, and drummer Noah Silvestry. 

Not only are they bandmates, they are also all students together at Yale University. Speaking on "Trampolines," the band states, "At its core, Trampolines is a nostalgic piece that yearns for something that never really existed. It's like driving through a suburban town and feeling a longing for a time and place that you never experienced. You know you can't have it, you never did -- it's just this feeling of reaching out."

The EP was born out of several road trips between New Haven and Philadelphia. In a lot of ways, the EP is about Vern Matz coming of age - as individuals and as a band. Faced with finding a place in the world, the EP is about fleeing from those decisions and trying to ground themselves. Vern Matz says of the record, "Much of the EP is an expression of a feeling of displacement and an attempt to restore a sense of wholeness.

There's a lot of confusion and nervousness in the fact that you don't know what needs to be restored. We looked backwards a lot to resolve that uneasiness and got very swept up in nostalgia." The Vern Matz EP was recorded at Miner Street Recordings, produced and mixed by Matt Poirier, and mastered by Greg Calbi and Ryan Schwabe. FACEBOOK.

The distinct and engaging vocals are notable from the beginning on 'Trampolines'. The musical arrangement is refined and quite beautiful. This one is set to get quite a few personal plays, if the album is half this good, it will still be a must have.

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Broads - Big Bill

Broads - Climbs (ft. Milly Hirst).

Background - British electronic duo Broads have announced that they'll be releasing their new album 'Field Theory' in the new year.  But for now, they present the first single from that 11-track album, called  'Climbs', which features mesmerizing vocals from Milly Hirst, who also co-wrote this track with band members James Ferguson and Mark Jennings.

Mainstays of the Norwich music scene, Broads deliver a variety of music - always delicious - ranging from synth-pop bliss to a hybrid fusion of genres straddling the divide between ambient drone, post-rock and shoegaze. Broads takes a fascinating approach with this album, tastefully showcasing completely different sides of their musical spectrum.

‘Climbs’ recalls Melody’s Echo Chamber and Broadcast, while 'The Lecht' brings to mind both Mogwai and Boards of Canada. 'Mixed Ability Sequencing' most strongly aligns with My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, leaving you hanging with less than minute of pure guitar reverie, while 'Habitats' brings the duo delightfully close to New Order territory.

After several releases as a solo artist, James Ferguson says Broads’ dynamics started to change with the release of the ‘Hellas’ LP (Jan 2016), undergoing a kind of sonic breakthrough with Mark now joining James for live shows and co-writing one of its tracks ‘Soft Homo’ – the first time Broads had really arrived at their now-signature sound, marrying droning, lo-fi synths and slow build through repetition with straightforward electronics. FACEBOOK.

'Climbs' is a good indicator of  'Field Theory' the album due in the new year. Although the featured song has the additional benefit of Milly Hirst's gorgeous vocals, the duo are creative and adventurous across all eleven tracks, allowing their imagination and creative minds to develop some very engaging music.

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Big Bill - Pharmacy.

Background - Austin's favorite punks, Big Bill, have been busy gearing up to release their debut LP, "Stand By Your Bill." We get the first gift and glimpse from that new LP with the release of their video for "Pharmacy,"

“Pharmacy” was originally an acoustic country demo that members, Alex and Eric, put together. It eventually became simpler and accompanied by more aggressive, shouting vocals. The track is the narration of a person afraid to admit any vulnerability, thinking that doing so will do him in. Instead the ridiculous solution offered is to avoid admitting you're sick, and avoid taking medicine. It's a steady progression from the pharmacy, to the infirmary, to the mortuary, and finally to the cemetery. Maybe a bit morbid, maybe a bit strange, but guaranteed to be stuck in your head. 

Big Bill is a punk band made up of brothers Eric and Cody Braden, Alan Lauer, and Alex Riegelman. The band formed in 2011, when Eric moved back to Texas from New York, and Cody finished college in Houston, though the seed for the band was planted years earlier, when the Braden brothers were in high school. Eric and Cody wrote countless songs together despite being untrained in music, and made entire “albums” of bizarre homespun folk, found sounds, and bad jokes. Even in Big Bill’s current, slightly more professional compositions, the element of the outsider artist that set them and their sound apart lives on.

Big Bill's debut LP, Stand By Your Bill will be available worldwide on November 17. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Vocals with plenty of punk attitude are accompanied by a guitar lead no nonsense rock groove on 'Pharmacy'. At just over two minutes a second play is almost mandatory, whilst the video suggests Big Bill have a good sense of humour and fun.


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