LETTERS TO CLEO RELEASE THEIR BAD MAN SPLIT 7-INCH LEADING INTO FALL TOUR DATES CELEBRATING THE 3OTH ANNIVERSARY OF AURORA GORY ALICE

LISTEN TO BAD MAN : HERE 

Letters to Cleo have released a split 7-inch featuring the new songs “Bad Man” on the A-Side and “It’s Sunny Outside” on the B-Side out today across all digital platforms and available on tri-color splatter vinyl that will be sold exclusively at their shows this fall. Following the November tour dates the vinyl version of the 7-inch will be available at letterstocleo.net 

This 7-inch is the first new music offering from the band since the 2019 release of their holiday EP Ok Christmas. The music started to come together during writing sessions that Kay Hanley (vocals) and Michael Eisenstein (guitar) were having at Eisenstein’s studio in Los Angeles prior to the pandemic. “We would get together and make these super quick demos that we always loved and in fact performed at last year’s Cleo shows,” says Michael. “Bad Man”, which premiered on SiriusXM’s 90’s at 9 show last week during an interview Kay and Michael did with Lisa Loeb, is about a woman in an abusive relationship who takes matters into her own hands to end the abuse by murdering her partner. “It’s Sunny Outside'' is an upbeat, fun, yet slyly dark song about how the unwavering good weather of Southern California can actually be oppressive. Both songs were produced by Billy Lefler at The Deathstar studio in Los Angeles. 

The split 7-inch comes in advance of the band’s annual fall homecoming tour. This year Letters to Cleo celebrates the 30th anniversary of the release of their seminal album Aurora Gory Alice, playing the album in its entirety on each of the fall dates including the annual set of shows at the Paradise in Boston. The album, along with Go!, Wholesale Meats and Fish, and their most recent EP releases Back to Nebraska and OK Christmas are all available on various vinyl formats at LettersToCleo.net.

Letters to Cleo formed in 1990 in Boston, led by guitarist Greg McKenna and singer Kay Hanley. This upcoming tour will feature original members Kay Hanley (vocals), Michael Eisenstein (guitar), Greg McKenna (guitar), and Stacy Jones (drums) along with longtime collaborator Joe Klompus on bass.  Aurora Gory Alice, the band’s debut album, was originally released on CherryDisc Records in 1993. The albums received loads of press attention and local radio play around New England which led to the band signing to Giant Records, and the re-release Aurora Gory Alice in 1994. The album’s song “Here and Now'' became an instant hit after appearing on the soundtrack for the wildly popular 90s TV show Melrose Place. The song reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart, was in the top 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. To this day “Here & Now” continues to be a fan favorite and one of their most popular songs. 

The band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film. The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from production, writing, performance, musical directing etc. The band was thrust back into the pop culture spotlight via a cameo Parks and Recreation, playing themselves, the obsession of the show's state auditor Ben Wyatt played by Adam Scott. The band achieved the pinnacle of pop culture validation as a subject in a Sunday version New York Times crossword puzzle.   Letters to Cleo reunited in 2016 for the release of Back to Nebraska EP, their first release in 17 years, and have been doing their annual fall homecoming tour ever since. 

TOUR DATES 

November 15 Brooklyn Made New York, NY

November 17 & 18 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA

http://www.letterstocleo.net

https://www.facebook.com/letterstocleomusic/ 

https://www.instagram.com/letters_to_cleo/

https://twitter.com/letterstocleo

THE FBR RELEASE “BEFORE I DROWN” SINGLE + ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM GHOST

“BEFORE I DROWN” : WATCH // LISTEN

Franklin Tennessee's the FBR have released their haunting single “Before I Drown”  from their forthcoming debut album Ghost due out on January 19 available for vinyl pre-order HERE.

The FBR is fronted by  Malarie McConaha and Tim Hunter.  The two met at an open mic night at Puckett’s (now Fox and Locke) the local watering hole in Leiper’s Fork outside of Nashville.  The two bonded over their love of Leonard Cohen and  what started as an acoustic project became a blues, roots southern rock inspired band named to honor the Cohen song “Famous Blue Raincoat,” from his album The Songs of Love and Hate  

McConaha is the band’s lead singer and electric guitar player. Tim Hunter, songwriter, acoustic guitar and harmonica player, writes much of the band’s original music. Storytelling is what he is most known for, having spent years studying classic literature and writing thousands of poems and songs to hone his craft. 

“Before I Drown” is an Acoustic driven Southern Gothic tinged tale about a friend who chose in her adult life to dull the pain of her horrific childhood with alcohol, leading to a life consuming addiction. She wields new demons to abolish the older demons, perpetuating the cycle of darkness, breeding more and more nightmares.  As the opener on Ghost the song paints the picture of how our past experiences shape who we are today and how dark memories tend to linger and haunt us like ghosts, setting the tone of the album. Mixed by veteran Grammy winning producer, Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Dixie Chicks, Tedeschi Trucks Band). Scott weaves piano, and electric guitar flourishes around McConha’s passionate vocal delivery and Gospel style harmonies between her and Hunter.

The FBR will be previewing these new songs live at an acoustic residency at  the Fox & Locke next month and with the full band show at the Basement in Nashville on November 17th 

TOUR DATES

Nov. 12 Fox & Locke (Acoustic Residency) Franklin, TN

Nove. 17 The Basement  (FULL BAND) Nashville, TN

Nov 26 Fox & Locke (Acoustic Residency) Franklin, TN

GHOST (out January 19)

1. Before I Drown

2. Rain On

3. Empty Room

4. Bottle Of Blues

5. Deadman’s Highway

6. Set The Anchors Free

7. Skies Of Donegal Blue

8. Independence Day

9. Still On The Run

KEEP UP WITH THE FBR

Website || Facebook || Instagram || TikTok || YouTube 

ANTHEMIC ALT-ROCK SUPERGROUP TEAM UP FOR THE RELEASE OF “MANIAC”

LISTEN TO “MANIAC”: HERE

Grammy-nominated Nashville-based alt-rock artist, Zayde Wølf (“Gladiator”, “Heroes”), platinum-selling LA-based artist & producer and one half of alt-rock band The Score, EDVN (“Legend”, “Unstoppable”), and platinum-selling Nashville-based artist & songwriter Sam Tinnesz (“Play With Fire”, “Legends Are Made”) have come together for a collaboration of epic proportions with the release of the anthemic single “MANIAC.”

Uniting all three artists is their focus on making empowering music that helps listeners push through and overcome life’s challenges. This motivational mentality of transcending the past, has connected with their fans in a big way. Collectively the trio has over 10 billion streams, thousands of film and TV placements, multiple Grammy Nominations and certified platinum records. 

This collaboration came together by fan request. The three share a cross section of fans and had been getting messages and comments for years from fans begging them to work together. As scheduled, all three met at Sam Tinnesz’s Nashville studio and the chemistry was undeniable. “I honestly had no idea if this day would ever come,” Sam Tinnesz recalls. “Getting all three of us in the same room at one time was wild and felt a bit like something none of us would soon forget!” 

The resulting song “Maniac” packs a powerful punch that fans and listeners alike will not soon forget.    Zayde Wolf and Sam Tinnesz sing the pulsating powerful chorus “Watch me I’m a maniac / can’t stop me “I’m a maniac / riding on the rage / feeding on the flames / that won’t ever change,” and EDVN explains that “‘‘Maniac’ takes these motivational themes across all our music and goes one step further,”embracing the haters and owning it— a maniacal level of ambition. “

The early reactions from fans have been overwhelming and although this is the first collaboration from these three, fans are hoping it’s not the last.

ABOUT ZAYDE WØLF

Dustin Burnett (aka Zayde Wølf) has always focused solely on making music that helps listeners push through and overcome life’s challenges.  This motivational mentality of transcending the past, and not allowing it to define who you will be, are not just concepts Burnett has embraced, but it’s how he has lived his life. Raised in Metropolis, a small town in Illinois best known for its fictional favorite son, Clark Kent/Superman, the level of success Burnett has achieved, both personally and professionally, is beyond anything he ever imagined or that was expected of him growing up. Zayde Wølf has grown into an empire that includes 300K YouTube subscribers, 100 million video views, over 1.4 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, with 500 million streams across all streaming platforms and millions of followers, all outside of the mainstream music business (i.e no label, no publishers etc.).  This is on top of the hundreds of films, TV shows, trailers, commercials, and video games that have featured his music. The list includes Shameless, Skyscraper movie, Love-Simon movie, Jack Reacher 2, The Maze Runner 3, Pride Prejudice & Zombies, spots for UFC, MLB, NFL, Dodge, Jeep, WWE, Xbox, NBA, and more. In addition to syncs, Wølf has creatively expanded his reach by cultivating partnerships with brands such as Dude Perfect, one of the top YouTube sports channels with over 54 Million subscribers and 12 Billion views. Other creative partnerships include collaborations with Fortnite champion DrLupo, and extreme downhill racers Rémy Métailler and Matt Walker. Last year Burnett partnered with the NHL and  NBC sports for the Stanley Cup Finals where they used the Zayde Wølf track  “Home” in a spot featuring Burnett performing the song  HERE, and most recently was the featured celebrity guest on the Gamer Hour where Burnett and Host Chris Puckett talked about their love for video games and went head to head live playing  Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. WEBSITE // YOUTUBE // FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM

SAM TINNESZ

Sam Tinnesz is a RIAA Platinum-selling artist and songwriter based in Nashville and frequently working in Los Angeles. As an artist, Tinnesz’s songs have reached over 6.5 billion TikTok views including viral hits like “Legends Are Made,” which was TikTok’s #1 hit in early December, and “Play With Fire,” amassing over 1 billion streams alone. Additionally, his feature with Kygo titled “Don’t Give Up On Love” became a top 40 hit on Billboard’s dance charts. As a writer, Tinnesz has worked with artists such as Dashboard Confessional, ChriStian Gate$, Masked Wolf, Pardyalone, Filter, Sum41, Bones UK, Royal & The Serpent, Rob Thomas, Aloe Blacc, Kyle Hume, TX2 and writers Mikky Ekko (Teddy Swims, Pink, Drake), David Pramik (Machine Gun Kelly, Oliver Tree, Bebe Rexha), No Love For The Middle Child (Willow, Sueco, Travis Barker, Grandson), Brasko (Yungblud, Willow), Kanner (Blackbear, Katy Perry, PVRIS). He also has releases with BANNERS, Kygo, Our Last Night, Ruelle, Layto, Tommee Profitt, Ryan Oaks, UNSECRET and others. WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE

EDVN

EDVN is Edan Dover, best known as the producer & keyboardist mastermind behind LA-based alt-rock band The Score. An eight year journey with The Score has brought him from a tiny Upper East Side apartment in NYC to gold plaques, five billion streams, two million YouTube subscribers, hundreds of TV and film syncs and sold out shows on multiple continents. Now, drawing upon his massive, stadium-shaking sound and knack for infectious melodies as one half of The Score, Edan is adding another notch on his belt as a producer and artist in his own right. INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE // SPOTIFY

NINJA SEX PARTY’S BRIAN WECHT RELEASES “SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD” NEW SINGLE + VIDEO FEATURING TOM CARDY

FROM HIS FORTHCOMING DEBUT ALBUM AS TREY MAGNIFIQUE MATURE SITUATIONS OUT NOVEMBER 10

“Like a siren’s call, Trey Magnifique’s sax work will draw you in.”  - BIFF BAM BOP

“SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD”:  WATCH // LISTEN

Musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist Brian Wecht has released his second single,  as his smooth persona Trey Magnifique “Santa Monica Boulevard,” out today on all digital platforms. The song follows the release of “Satin Velvet,”  from the Mature Situations album out November 10 and pre-order in multiple physical formats HERE.

The video features Brian and comedian, musician and TikTok star Tom Cardy in a Miami Vice type of setting shot in Los Angeles, all  through a smooth jazz filter. The album Mature Situations was five years in the making and was initially sparked by the purchase of a Soprano Sax. Brian has been a sax player in college, and although he hadn’t touched a horn in years, was drawn to the oddball nature of the Soprano Sax, and what he could  possibly create with it. The purchase manifested into the eleven songs that make up Mature Situations. The album celebrates Brian’s love of jazz through the exploration of multiple styles, from straightforward Smooth Jazz to Latin Jazz, Blues, Easy Listening, and more, all of which were written and produced by Brian and his  longtime collaborator Commander Meouch, the bassist for the popular electro-funk band TWRP. “The idea was to take the music seriously, but make it intentionally cheesy and of questionable artistic value” says Brian. “The kind of thing that sounds great if you’re not really listening to it, but once you start paying attention, you’re asking yourself”

Brian is one of the most popular comedy musicians in the world, best known as the keyboard-playing “Ninja Brian” in his comedy bands Ninja Sex Party, who were Billboard’s top-selling comedy artist of 2018, and Starbomb, who were Billboard’s top selling comedy artist of 2019. Brian is also known for his kids’ comedy band Go Banana Go!, a mainstay on SiriusXM station Kids Place Live. and other family music stations around the world. Collectively, Starbomb and Ninja Sex Party have released 13 albums, and have over 500M views on YouTube, and over 2M social media followers. 

Brian is originally from Pompton Lakes, NJ, and In addition to his musical exploits, Brian had a long career as a scientist, including a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of California, San Diego. Brian held postdoctoral research positions at MIT, Harvard, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the University of Michigan, and was a faculty member in the Centre for Research in String Theory at Queen Mary University of London. Brian has authored over 30 papers in theoretical physics, focusing on supersymmetric quantum field theories and string theory. While pursuing his academic interests, Brian began doing improv comedy with San Diego TheatreSports and went on to become the Musical Director of the Improv Asylum in Boston, MA. After moving to New York, he met Dan Avidan through a mutual comedy friend, and the two created Ninja Sex Party in 2009. In 2015, Wecht left his faculty position at Queen Mary in order to focus on his YouTube career full-time. In addition to Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb, Wecht’s projects include the children’s comedy band Go Banana Go! (along with NSP producer Jim Roach), and the podcast Leighton Night with Brian Wecht (along with Leighton Grey). Outside of music, Wecht maintains an active career as a public speaker and science communicator and is one of the organizers of the annual Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS).

Brian will be playing an album release show at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on November 9, also featuring Bonavega and DJ Thanksgiving Brown. Tickets and information can be found HERE.

KEEP UP WITH BRIAN WECHT

Trey Magnifique  Instagram | Twitter | SoundCloud 

Ninja Sex Party : YouTube // Twitter // Instagram

MY SISTER, MY BROTHER DUO OF SEAN MCCONNELL AND GARRISON STARR RELEASE “LUSH AND BITTERSWEET” (-Glide Magazine) SOPHOMORE ALBUM MY SYSTER, MY BROTHER II

Photo by Taylor Ballantyne

MY SISTER MY BROTHER II
LISTEN

Nashville, Tenn. – My Sister, My Brother, the songwriting duo of Sean McConnell and Garrison Starr, have released My Sister, My Brother II, their sophomore album out today.

In a recent episode of FolkAlley's “Why We Write” podcast, host Kim Ruehl called the album “…an emotionally honest, sonically expansive ray of light in this world.”

“This isn’t a long collection but it’s a beauty… their voices are like cream poured into coffee.” – Americana Highways

The duo was born by chance while both were attending a songwriting retreat. They were randomly paired to write a song together, that tapped into a natural chemistry.

My Sister, My Brother debuted in 2020 with their self-titled debut EP. Shortly after release the World was brought to a halt by a two-year global pandemic. The artists reunited as soon as travel bans were lifted and began creating new music. After a week of hunkering down at McConnell’s Silent Desert Studio, they emerged with a collection of seven new songs titled My Sister, My Brother II. 

 “II proves the band’s initial offering was far more than beginner’s luck but was true songwriter chemistry...” - Glide Magazine 

  My Brother My Sister II is available now 

BUZZ

“‘Another Life’ starts out acoustic but soon plunges into a full-bloodied rock song with Garrison Starr and Sean McConnell trading lines and wandering into the same LA streets that Bob Seeger dragged the Silver Bullet Band into.” – Americana UK 

“[‘Another Life’] from U.S. super-duo My Sister My Brother redefines the phrase ‘A breath of fresh air.’” - At The Barrier 

“MSMB serve up a track that underscores their affection for one another—a mutual pledge of allegiance that embodies their spiritual affinity. The hymn-like cadence takes us to a welcoming, queer church while the song remains firmly planted in an Americana template.” – Country Queer

“There’s something special when independent artists collaborate. I’m not talking about two songwriters sitting in a room to write a song together but rather when they weave their talents together to create a cohesive and collaborative piece of work.  The results can be magical… Case in point, the stunning “Cry Me A River” from the forthcoming My Sister, My Brother II. The ballad, ushered along by piano and majestic strings, is uplifting and beautiful. The two singers harmonize exquisitely as they counsel someone during a time of need.” - Twangville

   KEEP UP WITH MY SISTER, MY BROTHER

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube

TOMI RELEASES “NUN” SINGLE + VIDEO FROM HER LATE BLOOMER ALBUM OUT OCTOBER 13

"Through that evolution, her songs remain the honest and empowering work of a resolute confessionalist." - Buzzbands LA

"Laden with rhythm guitar and melancholy vocals amplified with reverb over soft drumming, and representing for the queer community, TOMI’s vocals are reminiscent of Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde. “If You Tried” gives coffeehouse rock vibes with lyrics railing against a genderless, deadbeat lover whose lack of effort is the cause of a relationship’s demise. “ - Riff Magazine

"While the subject matter is painfully relatable to any type of relationship, TOMI and her partner Haile Lidow have brought the concept to comical “life” through the allegory of a mannequin romance." - The Indie Review (on the Video) 

"On her new song “If You Tried,” TOMI channels New York punk fury with the seething resentment of LA’s sunny valleys into a country-inflected kiss-off song." - Rainbow Rodeo

"With the steady strums of guitar and flowing yearning vocals, ‘If You Tried’ exudes a dreamy nostalgia that comes with reflections on time." - Loud Women

"There is genuine passion, but also vulnerability to the performance. Dynamically, the vocal varies from sections of quiet reflection over the verses, to top-of-your-lungs passion over the chorus sections." - Up to Hear

NUN”:  LISTEN // WATCH

Los Angeles artist TOMI has released the single and incredible accompanying video for her song “NUN”  out today on all digital platforms. The song is the final single from her forthcoming album Late Bloomer out on October 13th. 

Producer songwriter and musician Pam Autuori who writes and records as TOMI  grew up in the Catholic Church attending church every Sunday and going to Catholic School during the week. When she came out as a lesbian she carried a lot of shame and guilt. She was living in New York at the time and was feeling the chaos of dating and heartbreak exacerbated by partying. She started to fall in love with a woman and her emotions went wild. Writing “NUN” was her gateway to coping with those feelings. The song is a daydream about giving up love, music, and chaos to live a stoic life as a “NUN.” 

The video was shot in one shot, with TOMI playing the role of the “NUN” working to  “pray the gay away.” The video directed by Julie Pacino, is purposely playful and campy, bringing the audience into a psychedelic lesbian-run dreamscape that references both The Birth of Venus and But I’m a Cheerleader. 

TOMI’s style is characterized by ferocious guitar and rich vocals. This unfettered, urgent, and emotionally supercharged sound was forged from a ruthless determination to sing, play, and do things her own way, even in the face of life’s obstacles. For Autuori, music has been a sanctuary since coming out at twelve in suburban Connecticut. A few short years later she moved straight to New York City as soon as she found a car and a drummer. She started a band in Brooklyn and played anywhere that would let her wail on guitar,  scream into a microphone, and serve an underage band. After years of hustling and being underwhelmed, she decided to take hold of the creative reins of her career and created  TOMI,  named after her pet lizard “Tommy” (RIP). TOMI has now come full circle, back to being independent in an effort to retain creative control. 

For Autuori Late Bloomer was a labor of love. She produced and oversaw every aspect of the recording and production, down to the velocity at which every hi-hat was hit. Thematically the songs center on the ups and downs of relationships, but for Autuori the writing process is more about walking through every experience, good and bad with both eyes and heart wide open. Following the album release TOMI will be out on the road supporting The Crane Wives through the fall. 

KEEP UP WITH TOMI

WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // SPOTIFY 

TOUR DATES

11/1  Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA, US

11/2  Constellation Room  Santa Ana, CA **

11/3  Voodoo Room, House of Blues San Diego, CA **

11/4  The Venice West Venice, CA **

11/5  Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA, US **

11/7  Felton Music Hall Felton, CA **

11/8  Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento, CA **

11/9  Volcanic Theatre Pub Bend, OR **

11/11  Star Theater Portland, OR **

11/12  The Vera Project Seattle, WA **

** w/ Crane Wives

SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER CELEBRATES FIFTH ALBUM WATERSHED WITH RECORD RELEASE SHOW AT HOTEL CAFE ON OCTOBER 6TH

PERFORMING WITH ALL-STAR BAND AND JOINED BY OPENING ARTISTS ALICE HOWE & FREEBO

"Lovely songwriting" - The Boston Globe

“...superb stage presence and is so confident and strong on stage, the audience just eats it up” - Music Connection

“We’ve all been in situations where the plans we made were never brought to fruition — and Arielle asks us to think of those memories on her thoughtfully delivered song of breakups and ghost ships passing in the night.” - Americana Highways on “Ghost Ships”

“Ghost Ships‘ is an airy folk song from Arielle Silver’s new album ‘Watershed‘, it floats – naturally enough – on the waters of recollection and consolation as Arielle Silver reflects on things that happened and the dreams that never came to be me” - Americana UK on “Ghost Ships”

“An urgent and commanding vocal” - American Songwriter

Watershed Record Release Party - BUY TICKETS

LOS ANGELES, CA - On October 6th LA based folk-pop artist Arielle Silver will be releasing her forthcoming fifth album Watershed, and will be performing the album with her full band at the Hotel Cafe’s Main Stage in Hollywood, CA the same night. A ten-song offering that traverses the valleys of American roots music, Watershed showcases Silver’s stunning approach to songwriting and storytelling, and the rich imagery, empathy, and insight she imbues in her creative work. Conceived in the quiet of the pandemic quarantine, Watershed takes its title as much from that watershed moment in time as it does from the North American spaces where the story-songs take place. Renewing and reflective, water runs through many of the songs as crosscurrents that connect ideas to experiences, and people to places. 

Silver’s band is rounded out by a group of accomplished musicians and performers, including the album’s producer Shane Alexander, Darby Orr (Gary Myrick, David Newman), Carl Byron (Michelle Shocked, Rita Coolidge, Hot Club of Los Angeles), Kevin Stevens (Michael Stipe, Natasha Bedingfield, Shakira), and guest cellist Rob Hodges.  With special guests Alice Howe & Freebo, the Watershed release party will kick off on the Main Stage at 6:30pm.

“I approach my live shows the way that I approach writing on the page,” says Silver when asked about how she prepares for her performances. “When I'm performing, I think about the spaces between the songs as similar to the whitespace on the page, and think about what the purpose of that space is. I try to create an arc for the show not only energetically, but also from a narrative standpoint. How do these songs fit together? How does the story relate to the performance as a whole?” 

This consideration also carries Silver through the songwriting process to gorgeous results: fully realized songs that waste no space in delivering moving messages to listeners, while recalling past experiences and relationships, or settings that shape these narrative-based stories and emotional musings. In all, Silver crafts moving pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human condition. 

Early Watershed singles “Bramble Vine,” “Ghost Ships,” and “Rickie Lee” have earned praise and support from numerous outlets and publications including Americana Highways, Twangville, Americana UK and more, with “Ghost Ships” finding approval from one of the song’s inspirations, writer Cheryl Strayed. A literary mind who cites inspiration in writers like Strayed, Jane Austen, Jeanette Winterson, and Mary Oliver (to name a few), Silver's lyrics read like moving self-contained stories, and are further elevated by her striking instrumental and vocal performances. When writing, Silver asks herself “what is the mission for this song in the world? If I’m going to spend time creating a song, and people are going to listen, why is it worth their while? Where’s the real treasure in this song?” 

Creative writing adjunct faculty at Antioch University and the founder of Bhavana Flow Yoga studio, Silver’s writing and songwriting pulls inspiration from her childhood and surroundings, from engaging character-based narratives, and a deep sense of spirituality. Growing up with the music of Paul Simon, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and John Denver has led Silver through troubadour traditions across the valleys of the great American music genres.e. She finds equal inspiration in the sounds and storied histories of Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village.

Silver serves as the President of FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a key team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that supports songwriters and music creators through resources, programs, and grants for career development, mental health, and financial wellness.

Born on Florida’s Gulf Coast and raised along the Atlantic seaboard, Arielle now lives just a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in her adopted home of Los Angeles. Memories of places and times serve as touchstones through her songs, as does the troubadour music traditions that she heard from her guitar-strumming architect father. Throughout her music and storytelling runs an ethic of care, along with an essential wellspring of interpersonal relationships and ecological notice.

In addition to her record release show in Los Angeles, Silver will be hitting the road this fall for her East Coast tour. 

Photo by Anabel DFlux

KEEP UP WITH ARIELLE SILVER

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

SHADWICK WILDE RELEASES HIS ‘WATER WORLD’ OPUS OF AN ALBUM FOREVER HOME

OUT NOW VIA SOFABURN RECORDS
“In a perfect world, many of these songs would become standards.” - Americana Highways 

“Though the instrumentation and songwriting feel heavily drawn from a more traditional approach to Americana, the production and vocal styling feels more akin to more modern pop sensible acts like Bahamas. Wilde’s voice is smooth and personable with a natural warble and an effortless ability to take to falsetto notes to great effect.” - Glide Magazine (on “Easy Rider”) 

“​​With his piercing lyricism and unwavering commitment to his craft, Shadwick Wilde has not only cemented his status as a masterful songwriter but has also extended an intimate invitation into the quiet recesses of his heart and home.”  -  B-Side Guys

“There are lines that dance with poetry, but Wilde’s greatest talent, which he does here, is making listeners feel the weight of what he is carrying around in his head.” - Leo Weekly 

“ The final product is an emotional and almost cinematic journey.” - Louisville Public Media (on “Without You”)

“Through it all is Wilde’s deep commitment to self-reflection and to protect everything that makes life worth living, even the bad stuff.” - Rainbow Rodeo
“Easy Rider” warmth of his guitar strings, and the accompanying video shot on 16mm film, there is no pretending that these moments are solid and effortless..." -Folk Radio UK

FOREVER HOME: LISTEN 

Louisville’s Shadwick Wilde has released his opus of an album  Forever Home out today on SofaBurn Records, produced by renowned Nashville drummer Ken Coomer (Billy Bragg, Will Hoge, Margo Price, Vance Joy, Al Green, Wilco, and Uncle Tupelo). The album is available on all digital platforms as well as on limited edition colored vinyl versions of the album HERE.  

Wilde cut his teeth as a guitarist in hardcore bands in his youth, and after spending time in San Francisco, and Havana, settled in his current home in Louisville, Kentucky, and began writing his own songs and forming the first iteration of Quiet Hollers. After the band’s 2013 rootsy- midwestern album I Am the Morning, the band worked at a relentless pace, releasing a record every two years, and producing content, all while rigorously touring the U.S. and Europe winning over crowds with their transcendent live shows.  After a decade of this unforgiving cycle, Shadwick decided to get off the album release tour cycle merry-go-round and ushered in the most prolific writing period of his career. The result was the Quiet Hollers’ 2022 release Forever Chemicals and the stunning ten songs that comprise Forever Home recorded at Coomer’s Cartoon Moon studio in Nashville. 

Working with Coomer was a practice in surrender for Wilde. In the past, Wilde’s recording process was a push for perfection, and with Coomer Wilde had to let go of the reins and succumb to Coomer's process of letting the songs unravel on their own. The result is ten stunning songs that are an exercise in finding contentment in the present, in lieu of the inevitable state of doom constantly looming in the background. The album opens with the acoustic guitar-driven song “Easy Rider,” which was the first single released from the album.  When asked about the song Wilde told Folk Radio UK that he tried “to capture the truth of the ennui that can creep in when life becomes too peaceful or happy. Depression always wants to step in and throw things off balance, for me anyway.”

“Easy Rider” was followed by “Without You,” an existentialist love ballad examining the frailty of memory, the truth of impermanence, and our clinging to one another that Louisville Public Media called “... an emotional and almost cinematic journey,” then “Floating Away,” a song about the inevitable impermanence in love relationships that Rainbow Rodeo called a  soft protest against mortality’s cruel interruption of love.”  Both “Without You” and “Floating Away”  are close to the demos and reflect Coomer’s signature style of minimalism of this album, recording live with minimal takes to preserve the emotion and spontaneity of the creative process.  The album concludes with the title track “Forever Home,” which encompasses the dichotomy of family life and the life of an artist. “ I want to be at home with my partner and our beautiful child, surrounded by nature, away from the ugliness of our crumbling society,” Wilde told Under the Radar Magazine. “But I also want to be out in it, seeing it all— the beauty, the grime— rock and roll clubs, loud music, sweaty, imperfect humanity. I have been trying to find a way to do both. It’s hard to find balance. Sometimes I do want to burn it all to the ground, start fresh— and leave the wanderer’s life. But the pull is strong.”  

Wilde has joked that this album was his  ‘Waterworld,’ the colossal disaster of a movie that almost ruined Kevin Costner’s career. “ The parallels are difficult to ignore,” Wilde told Twangville. “ Both he and I nearly bankrupted ourselves to bring our apocalyptic visions into reality. I have been thinking and writing a lot about water these past few years; how Heraclitus said we can never step into the same river twice… both the human and the river being in a constant state of flux. Our bodies have roughly the same salinity as the ocean, the source of all life on Earth. I learned a lot of letting go, in the process of making this record. We all are in this river of time, everchanging. All we can do is row, row our little boat, gently down the stream– making small adjustments to our course, but ultimately heading toward the same destination: the ocean that is eternity, the infinite vastness of the cosmos. When the waves of this life come and knock us down, we have a tendency to forget that we too are the ocean, and that in fact, everything does come in waves.”

Shadwick has been on tour performing his solo material with the Quiet Hollers and will be playing an album release show presented by Louisville Public Media’s WFPK on September 30th before heading over to Europe to play Rootzz 2023 in the Netherlands.

KEEP UP WITH SHADWICK WILDE

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube |  Spotify 

TOUR DATES

Sept 23  Guestroom Records OKC @ 2pm Oklahoma City, OK **

Sept 23 - The Colony - Tulsa, OK**

Sept 24 - Replay Lounge - Lawrence, KS**

Sept 30  Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY **

Oct 28  Rootzz 2023 @ 7:30pm Breda, Netherlands

** w/ Quiet Hollers

^ w/ Lacey Guthrie

SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER’S SWINGING ROCKABILLY “RICKIE LEE” PAYS HOMAGE TO LEGEND RICKIE LEE JONES

THIRD SINGLE FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM WATERSHED PREMIERES VIA TWANGVILLE

"Lovely songwriting" - The Boston Globe

“We’ve all been in situations where the plans we made were never brought to fruition — and Arielle asks us to think of those memories on her thoughtfully delivered song of breakups and ghost ships passing in the night.” - Americana Highways on “Ghost Ships”

“Arielle Silver is a born communicator, exudes intelligence and humanity” - Music Connection

“Ghost Ships‘ is an airy folk song from Arielle Silver’s new album ‘Watershed‘, it floats – naturally enough – on the waters of recollection and consolation as Arielle Silver reflects on things that happened and the dreams that never came to be me” - Americana UK on “Ghost Ships”

“An urgent and commanding vocal” - American Songwriter
“RICKIE LEE” : LISTEN | WATCH

LOS ANGELES, CA - LA based singer-songwriter Arielle Silver has released “Rickie Lee” a bluesy, swinging rockabilly-esque ode to legendary artist and musician Rickie Lee Jones. The third single from her forthcoming fifth album Watershed (due out October 6th), “Rickie Lee” captures the fascination Silver felt when gazing upon Jones on the cover of her eponymous 1979 album. “Like much of the eponymous first album from namesake Rickie Lee Jones, it’s as much R&B and jazz as it is folk. It pays tribute to a much earlier watershed moment for Silver when she first heard that Jones LP,” says Twangville in the official premiere for the song and video. A flirty homage to discovery - of music, new ideas, and romance - the song’s vibrant electric slide guitar, warm Wurlitzer, and energetic drum kit lay the foundation for Silver’s vocals to soar. “You could say I was a new tune seeker / You could say she was a new groove preaching girl,” Silver sings. “She might say it was a track for scratching / She might say it was the needle catching.” 

“Rickie Lee” is joined by a stunning music video starring dancer/actor Nicole Riviere (who has danced on stage and in music videos for artists like Peaches, Basement Jaxx, and Elvis Costello) and directed by DP/cinematographer Sacha Riviere. For Arielle, partnering with Nicole and Sacha was a no-brainer. After experiencing burnout in their respective creative endeavors, Arielle and Nicole both turned to yoga to rejuvenate their creative spirits while beginning new teaching careers. Nicole and Sacha moved into Arielle’s next door apartment, and around this time both Arielle and Nicole found their way back to music and dance, respectively. Partnering with Nicole and Sacha (who has worked with groups including Crash Adams, Hyper Crush, and Stevie Nader), the three crafted an approach to honor Rickie Lee Jones’ artistry and legacy. 

The seeds for the song were planted when Silver and a fellow songwriting friend challenged each other to write a song a week. Using “record player” as a prompt, Silver tapped into a memory from a party back in college when she watched a girl queue up the eponymous Rickie Lee Jones album on the record player. “When I was in college, I had this realization that 90% of the voices I was listening to were male. I decided to more consciously seek out women songwriters, women musicians, women vocalists and in particular, singer-songwriters,” says Silver. Two records in particular, Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark and Rickie Lee Jones’ self-titled album, made a massive impact on Silver’s songwriting interest and approach. 

“As I started listening to more songs and stories by women, it opened up this whole world to me. You never know the influence that something's going to have on you at the time, but looking back on those two records and all those songwriters that I discovered at that time, I see how they were models for me as a young writer. As a young woman, I saw myself as worthy and capable of taking the microphone, because I now had models of other women who had gone down that path before.”

A literary mind who cites inspiration in writers like Cheryl Strayed, Jane Austen, Jeanette Winterson, and Mary Oliver (to name a few), Silver's lyrics read like moving self-contained stories, and are further elevated by her striking instrumental and vocal performances. When writing, Silver asks herself “what is the mission for this song in the world? If I’m going to spend time creating a song, and people are going to listen, why is it worth their while? Where’s the real treasure in this song?” 

This consideration carries Silver through the songwriting process to gorgeous results: fully realized songs that waste no space in delivering moving messages to listeners, while recalling past experiences and relationships, or settings that shape these narrative-based stories and emotional musings. In all, Silver crafts moving pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human condition. 

“Rickie Lee” follows singles “Ghost Ships” and “Bramble Vine” as a preview for her fifth album Watershed. With support from Americana UK, American Songwriter, and more, the album was produced and recorded with Shane Alexander, whose partnership with Silver during the making of her previous album A Thousand Tiny Torches continued throughout the recording and production of Watershed. 

Silver is a consummate storyteller whose Americana-roots-influenced songs are rich with imagery, empathy, and insight. Conceived in the quiet of the pandemic quarantine, Watershed takes its title as much from that watershed moment in time as it does from the North American spaces where the story-songs take place. Renewing and reflective, water runs through many of the songs as crosscurrents that connect ideas to experiences, and people to places. 

Creative writing adjunct faculty at Antioch University and the founder of Bhavana Flow Yoga studio, Silver’s writing and songwriting pulls inspiration from her childhood and surroundings, from engaging character-based narratives, and a deep sense of spirituality. Growing up with the music of Paul Simon, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and John Denver, all artists introduced to her by her father on acoustic guitar, has led Silver through troubadour traditions across the valleys of the great American music genres; Americana & roots music, folk, blues, county, and more round out Silver’s style. She finds equal inspiration in the sounds and storied histories of Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village.

Silver serves as the President of FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a key team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that supports songwriters and music creators through resources, programs, and grants for career development, mental health, and financial wellness.

Born on Florida’s Gulf Coast and raised along the Atlantic seaboard, Arielle now lives just a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in her adopted home of Los Angeles. Memories of places and times serve as touchstones through her songs, as does the troubadour music traditions of folk, country, and rock that she heard from her guitar-strumming architect father. Throughout her music and storytelling runs an ethic of care, along with an essential wellspring of interpersonal relationships and ecological notice.

Silver will be performing Watershed in full on October 6th in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe with a full band and special guests Alice Howe & Freebo, in addition to an East Coast tour this fall.

Photo by Anabel DFlux

KEEP UP WITH ARIELLE SILVER

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS RELEASE THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT

RIAA CERTIFIED RECORDING ARTISTS TRAVERSE AMERICANA ROOTS MUSIC, COUNTRY, FOLK AND MORE ON EXPANSIVE EPONYMOUS ALBUM

“In this latest project, the band veers back towards Americana roots, bolstered by woody acoustic guitar and toe-tapping percussion, and topped with heartfelt, raw vocals from Bonnie on tracks like “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Texas Again.” - Daily Camera

“...a testament to the duo’s musical finesse. It reaffirms their standing as a formidable presence in Colorado’s musical landscape, leaving an indelible mark.” - Last Day Leaf

Bonnie’s vocals shimmer at the forefront, adding a stunning layer of depth and emotion…” - Folk n’ Rock

“The vocals that follow exude a warm and comforting familiarity, pulling at the heartstrings with their emotive delivery. The production is rich with energy, and as the chorus vocals come alive, adorned with lovely harmonies, the song reaches new heights.” - Wax Vinyl Records

“...relatable storytelling is beautifully delivered through Bonnie's smooth, expressive vocals which are accompanied by intricate guitar riffs and steady drum patterns, creating an overall warm atmosphere perfect for a laid-back day home alone.”  - Caesar Live and Loud

LISTEN TO BONNIE AND TAYLOR SIMS : LISTEN

Colorado-based Texas natives Bonnie & Taylor Sims have released their self-titled debut Bonnie & Taylor Sims today. The album displays the husband-wife duo’s carefully crafted songwriting and storytelling, and is an exploration  of the dichotomy of beauty and pain, hope and destruction, and transition and duality. Leading into the album the duo showcased their sonic range with the release of three stunning singles. "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," is a portrait of their edgy-punk-rock-reality that has been bubbling right beneath the surface. It was followed by “Texas Again,"  a beautiful song about nostalgia initially written as a "Grapes of Wrath" type of story about the Sims family, and “The Cigarette Song” that sees Bonnie at her most vulnerable taking an entry out of her diary and putting it out there for the world. 

The album is rounded out by seven additional tracks including the Americana power anthem “I Am a Woman,” which finds Bonnie delivering a captivating vocal performance with grace and power as a response to the events over the past few years that have seen our culture step backward in regards to equal rights and body autonomy. “Side by Side” is a Texas shuffle about the deep love and connection the two have for each other. “Levelland” is a tribute to the town where Bonnie & Taylor first met and the album concludes with the haunting and beautiful lullaby “Lay Yourself to Sleep.”

“We realized that we wanted to make an album that wasn't a “country record,” wasn't a “rock record,” but a collection of all the things that we had been working towards, and all the types of songs that we were writing,” says the duo when asked about their approach to writing and recording the album. “When the pandemic came around, and through 2021, we had extra time on our hands. We were able to take a breath and start writing the songs we really wanted to write. We didn't have to necessarily cater to a particular sound of the band that we already had.” 

“With the kind of fans that we already had, we had assumed what we thought they wanted, which is always incorrect. The fans want you to be authentic, and it doesn't matter what kind of music you’re making.” The result soars to stunning effect; Bonnie & Taylor Sims reflects the duo songwriters’ authentic, relaxed (but considered) approach to crafting music, one that doesn’t sweat the results but reveals and celebrates the songwriting path and process. 

Bonnie & Taylor are serial creators, always striving to learn and innovate. When not working on their own projects the two are collaborating, playing and supporting other artists in the singer-songwriting, teaching music and songwriting to children and constantly growing and evolving on their own through songwriting workshops and camps. Both grew up in Texas, Bonnie in a musical family who fell in love with Bluegrass at an early age and Taylor in a house filled with the music of Texas songwriters like Robert Earl Keen, Guy Clark, and  Townes Van Zandt. Bonnie is pragmatic in her approach to songwriting and enjoys structure and marking off tasks, while Taylor is moved more by "the muse" who lets his creativity wander. The two met at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas in the music program and have been partners in life and music ever since.

Although this  album is their debut album as Bonnie and Taylor Sims, the two are RIAA Certified Gold recording artists. They have seen breakaway global success with their song “I See Red” which has over 270 Million streams with their project Everybody Loves an Outlaw, had a major label deal with Columbia, have toured the world, and graced the stages of major festivals. Amidst this wave of newfound success Bonnie and Taylor never lost touch with the thing that was most important to them: writing songs and making music with each other. With the shift the world took during the pandemic came the need for the duo to go down a different path and change directions artistically.  

They complement each other in the best way possible, and this idea of opposites fits perfectly into where this record sits. 

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS TOUR DATES

11/4 the Barn, Longmont

11/15 the Armory, Fort Collins

11/16 Animas City Theatre, Durango

11/17 Sherbino Theater, Ridgway

11/18 LuLu's Downstairs, Colorado Springs

11/19 eTown, Boulder, CO

KEEP UP WITH BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music 

THE VINYL RECORD MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

The Vinyl Records Manufacturing Association (VRMA) is excited to welcome in new members Vantiva (Global), Key Production Ltd. (UK), Stamper Discs (UK), Galactic Wax (USA) and Takt (Poland). These organizations join over 48 member companies and individuals including Third Man Pressing, CopyCats Media, Big Loud Records,  Stoughton Printing, Furnace Record Pressing, Welcome to 1979, and more.

 “Vantiva Supply Chain Solutions is excited to join VRMA as a company increasing vinyl manufacturing capacity for clients and music lovers around the globe,”  said Rob Wipper, President of Vantiva SCS. “ We look forward to sharing our decades of insights and experience in precision manufacturing, custom packaging & assembly, and order fulfillment & logistics with fellow association members and partners.” 

“We are very pleased with the growth of the association over these last few months which includes partners throughout the supply chain and companies of all sizes,” said VRMA President Dustin Blocker. “We believe that with the rapid growth of our industr, that it is more essential than ever to increase our interconnectivity to continue our path towards a sustainable and healthy business environment around the globe. ”

There are currently fifty-two pressing plants in the US that are conservatively producing 193,550,000 records per year.  Globally, the annual number is 359,888,000, with close to 200 plants targeted to be online by the first quarter of 2024.

The sale of Vinyl Records has seen continual growth year-over-year for the past 17 years. Last year, in 2022, was the first time in over 30 years that vinyl record sales surpassed the sale of CD’s in the U.S. Currently, vinyl sales for the first half of 2023 in the United States are up 22% from the previous year (23.6 million-first half of 2023 vs.19.4 million in 2022), as reported by Luminate in their mid-year music report. 

With the boom in the vinyl business the country's top manufacturers gathered together to create the Vinyl Records Manufacturer Association (VRMA) in December of 2019, becoming a formal legal entity in May of 2022.  The VRMA is a professional trade association of independent businesses committed to the craft of vinyl record manufacturing through collaboration, advocacy, standardization, and education. The association serves to advocate for the industry at large, with a focus on education and providing the latest and most accurate information industrywide. The association serves as a forum for member companies to engage in ongoing discussions, various issues, and opportunities related to other new technologies and the future of the industry as a whole. 

The VRMA currently has over 48 members from across the vinyl industry, which include not only half the pressing plants in the United States, but also audio companies, plating, mastering, packing, technology, record labels, and, of course, record stores. 

As membership continues to grow within and outside of the United States, the VRMA continues their work with a focus on communication with the launch of a recent education initiative on the vinyl making process for those within, and outside of, the vinyl making industry with the production of the Audio Quality Control Manual available for free to all members and the accompanying YouTube series that goes in-depth on the intricate process of audio quality control for vinyl.

KEEP UP WITH THE VRMA

WEBSITE // YOUTUBE // LINKEDIN 

LOS ANGELES FUNK COLLECTIVE ‘SCARY GOLDINGS’ SCARY GOLDINGS LIVE! FEATURING JOHN SCOFIELD ALBUM OUT TODAY

“It’s a world where jazz and funk meet the jam space, and musicianship and great ears lead to sounds that spin your head and often surround your soul”. - Goldmine

 “The enthusiastic crowd that couldn’t keep from dancing….. Goldings’ funky textures and unusual settings on the B-3 organ were a thing of wonder.”  -  Downbeat 

“... just show up and get in the groove.” - WBUR

LISTEN TO SCARY GOLDINGS LIVE! FEATURING JOHN SCOFIELD: HERE

The Los Angeles-based funk collective Scary Goldings have released Scary Goldings LIVE! feat. John Scofield. 

Scary Goldings is a collaboration between world-renowned, Grammy-nominated keyboardist and composer Larry Goldings, and the digitally native collective and YouTube sensations Scary Pockets, anchored by keyboardist Jack Conte and guitarist Ryan Lerman. The live album includes  9 fan favorite tracks featuring the legendary Grammy Award-winning guitarist John Scofield. Goldings has been a long-time associate and collaborator of Scofield’s and was responsible for bringing him on board as a guest guitarist for a handful of shows with Scary Goldings.  Both Conte and Lerman grew up listening to, and idolizing both Goldings and Scofield, so sharing the stage with these two musical giants has been a bucket list item for them both. The chemistry on stage was so magical that the group decided to capture the lighting in a bottle, recording multiple shows and releasing a live album of Scary Golding's staples. All the songs on the album were recorded last year at Jazz A La Villette in Paris, with the exception of  “Professor Vicarious,” which was recorded in Los Angeles at the Echoplex. 

The group recreated the magical collaboration at this year’s  Newport Jazz Festival where their set was praised by the Providence Journal, The Boston Globe, Downbeat, and more. The group will be bringing the alchemy from the album to the festival setting at the end of this month at the Monterey Jazz Festival. 

Guitarist Ryan Lerman met his Scary Pockets co-founder keyboardist Jack Conte when the two were still in high school in Marin County, California. It’s a relationship that has informed and influenced him, musically and professionally, ever since. Both musicians tend to be systems-level thinkers who focus on the process instead of the outcome. This process type of thinking has resulted in incredible productivity and a massive online following. Scary Pockets have released at least one new video a week on YouTube since 2017, racking up 1 Million Subscribers and over 350 Million views, and a loyal audience of funk enthusiasts worldwide. They’ve recorded hundreds of songs featuring a continuously rotating lineup of quality musicians and singers. Their collaborators include a wide array of artists including Jacob Collier, Louis Cato, Louis Cole, Tyler Duncan, Joey Dosik, Larry Goldings, Caleb Hawley, Cory Henry, Theo Katzman, Lawrence, Adam Levy, Monica Martin, Jake Sherman, Antwaun Stanley, Jack Stratton, and Cory Wong. Scary Pockets continues to tour regularly with a rotating group of musicians. They will be touring the southeast U.S. in October before heading to Europe in November where they will be playing a number of shows and festivals including the Netherlands Rockit Festival and the London Jazz Festival.  See more on Scary Pockets touring at https://www.scarypocketsfunk.com 

SCARY GOLDINGS UPCOMING TOUR DATES 

Sept 22 Scary Goldings ft. John Scofield Monterey Jazz Festival

KEEP UP WITH SCARY GOLDINGS

Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music 

NINJA SEX PARTY’S BRIAN WECHT ANNOUNCES HIS SOLO DEBUT AS TREY MAGNIFIQUE WITH THE RELEASE OF THE SINGLE “SATIN VELVET” OUT TODAY + MATURE SITUATIONS ALBUM DUE OUT NOVEMBER 10

LISTEN TO “SATIN VELVET  ”: HERE

Musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist Brian Wecht is excited to announce the release of “Satin Velvet Velvet” the first single from the Mature Situations album due November 10 0from his smooth jazz alter ego Trey Magnifique. Mature Situations is Brian’s first album as Trey Magnifique and his debut solo project. The album is available for pre-order in multiple physical formats HERE.

Brian is one of the most popular comedy musicians in the world, best known as the keyboard-playing “Ninja Brian” in his comedy bands Ninja Sex Party, who were Billboard’s top-selling comedy artist of 2018, and Starbomb, who were Billboard’s top selling comedy artist of 2019. Brian is also known for his kids’ comedy band Go Banana Go!, a mainstay on SiriusXM station Kids Place Live. and other family music stations around the world. Collectively, Starbomb and Ninja Sex Party have released 13 albums, and have over 500M views on YouTube, and over 2M social media followers. 

With Trey Magnifique, Brian is pursuing his lifelong love and appreciation of jazz and the incredible musicians and musicianship that encompass the genre. The 11 songs that make up the album explore multiple jazz styles, from straightforward Smooth Jazz to Latin Jazz, Blues, Easy Listening, and more. All the songs on the album were written and co-produced by Brian and his close friend and longtime collaborator Commander Meouch, the bassist for the popular electro-funk band TWRP.

Brian is originally from Pompton Lakes, NJ, and In addition to his musical exploits, Brian had a long career as a scientist, including a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of California, San Diego. Brian held postdoctoral research positions at MIT, Harvard, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the University of Michigan, and was a faculty member in the Centre for Research in String Theory at Queen Mary University of London. Brian has authored over 30 papers in theoretical physics, focusing on supersymmetric quantum field theories and string theory. While pursuing his academic interests, Brian began doing improv comedy with San Diego TheatreSports and went on to become the Musical Director of the Improv Asylum in Boston, MA. After moving to New York, he met Dan Avidan through a mutual comedy friend, and the two created Ninja Sex Party in 2009. In 2015, Wecht left his faculty position at Queen Mary in order to focus on his YouTube career full-time. In addition to Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb, Wecht’s projects include the children’s comedy band Go Banana Go! (along with NSP producer Jim Roach), and the podcast Leighton Night with Brian Wecht (along with Leighton Grey). Outside of music, Wecht maintains an active career as a public speaker and science communicator and is one of the organizers of the annual Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS).

KEEP UP WITH BRIAN WECHT

Trey Magnifique: Instagram | Twitter | SoundCloud 

Ninja Sex Party : YouTube // Twitter // Instagram

Mature Situations (out 11/10)

1. Satin Velvet

2. DTF (Down To Funk)

3. Staten Island Time

4. Daddy Lawbreaker

5. Chakra Rakra

6. Night Of 1000 Solos

7. Santa Monica Boulevard

8. Mister Doctor

9. 41st and 8th

10. You Got Jazz

11. I Could Get Used To This

The Women’s International Music Network and NAMM Join Forces to Expand the 2024 She Rocks Awards

Renowned event honoring women in music and audio celebrates 12th anniversary on January 25, 2024 in Anaheim, CA
Tickets On Sale Now, HERE 

The Finale at the 2023 She Rocks Awards featuring guitarist Gretchen Menn, vocalist Laura Clapp, and bassist Holly West. Photo by Kevin Graft.

September 6, 2023, Anaheim, CA - The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) is excited to announce a new official partnership with NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants) as the presenting sponsor of the 2024 She Rocks Awards. Taking place on Thursday, January 25, 2024, the renowned event will now be held in the Ballroom at the Anaheim Convention Center during the legendary NAMM show.

The She Rocks Awards has solidified itself as a premier event during The NAMM Show, bringing together industry professionals, music icons, artists, fans, and the media to celebrate the incredible contributions of women from across the music industry. The annual event honors women who are groundbreakers, innovators and have displayed exceptional leadership within the music and audio industry. 2024 marks its 12th anniversary, and now as an official partner with NAMM, both organizations will continue their work to focus on and elevate diversity and inclusion.

“We’ve always aligned the She Rocks Awards to happen during NAMM. Now we are delighted to have NAMM support us as a partner to encourage participation in this meaningful event,” shares Laura B. Whitmore, founder of the She Rocks Awards and the WiMN. “The ballroom will be fully decked out with amazing audio and visuals, and the convenience factor will make it easy for everyone to attend.”

“Our partnership with the WiMN continues to elevate and promote the tremendous achievements by so many incredible women in the music industry ,” said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. “The NAMM Show will continue to provide critical platforms such as the She Rock Awards to highlight and celebrate incredible women who shape our industry’s future. Along with Women of NAMM and the WiMN, we have great potential to grow our show on a yearly basis.”

This captivating evening includes live music, awards and speeches, celebrity appearances, a fabulous silent auction, amazing gift bags and so much more! Tickets are now on sale, and include dinner and more. This event is open to the public; however, a 2024 NAMM show badge is required to attend the She Rocks Awards. Find out more and purchase tickets at sherocksawards.com.

Past honorees of the She Rocks Awards include The Go-Go’s, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, Lzzy Hale, Gloria Gaynor, Judy Collins, Linda Perry, Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar, The B-52s, Colbie Caillat, Sheila E, Chaka Khan, Noelle Scaggs (of Fitzs & the Tantrums), Ronnie Spector, Orianthi, The Bangles, and many more, plus a collection of trailblazers and role models from all walks of the music and audio industries.

The 2024 She Rocks Awards is sponsored by NAMM (presenting), Sweetwater, PRS Guitars, Positive Grid, Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp Foundation, Reverb.com, Fishman, Shure, Berklee Online, M.A.C Cosmetics, Exploration.io, 108 Rock Star Guitars, Roland, Taylor Guitars, Earthquaker Devices, dw Drums, Cuccio, DiGiCo, Seymour Duncan, Monster Energy, Guitar Girl Magazine, Music Connection, AXS TV and more. For information regarding She Rocks Awards sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@thewimn.com

Learn more about the She Rocks Awards and get tickets at sherocksawards.com. 

About The Women’s International Music Network (WiMN)     
Founded in 2012, the Women’s International Music Network unites women who work within all facets of the music and audio industries. With theWiMN.com as its hub, the WiMN provides a community for women within the industry while enriching their careers and musical experiences through networking and sharing. Founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore, the Women’s International Music Network produces and hosts events such as, the WiMN She Rocks Showcase series, the She Rocks Awards, and a variety of workshops and panels throughout the year. For more information, visit www.TheWiMN.com.

About NAMM    
The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is a not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $17 billion music products industry. NAMM is comprised of 15,000 global member companies and individual professionals. NAMM events and members fund The NAMM Foundation's efforts to promote the pleasures and benefits of music and advance active participation in music-making across the lifespan. For more information about NAMM, please visit www.namm.org. The 2024 NAMM Show will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center January 25-28 with online registration at registration@namm.org.

ISAAC WATERS RELEASES WIDESCREEN JOURNEY ACROSS INDIE-ROCK WITH EXTENDED PLAY 002 VIA hi-res records

SOPHOMORE EP PREMIERES WITH ATWOOD MAGAZINE

“Charming and churning, warm and wondrous, Watters’ Extended Play 002 is a contemplative collection of gentle giants: Intimate reflections that sound sweet and hit hard, demanding our undivided attention as the artist spills his soul.” - Atwood Magazine on Extended Play 002 

“Watters is haunting and archival in the way he approaches songwriting, retracing memory with deep contemplation of the human experience. Sonically, Watters’ music has a lingering effect.” - Impose Magazine

“There are few more compelling narrators of the human condition right now than Watters, who turns his writerly eye toward the disparity in wealth in Los Angeles on the new single.” - Buzzbands LA on “Coconut In The Street” 

“Watters has been dipping his toes in assorted genres over the years, but he seems to rest most comfortably along the mesmerizing continuum between minimalist folk and moody theatricality.” - Magnet Magazine

“Blending unique sounds with deep and sometimes haunting lyrics, Watters conjures up a new perspective for listeners and burgeoning artists.” - Los Angeleno 

“Extended Play 001 offers a first full glimpse of his restless and idiosyncratic artistic impulses, with tracks diverting towards minimalist art pop, funky indie rock, and off-kilter balladry… the EP closes off with “Sliding,” a slinking and smoky effort carried by bass-driven grooves and Watters’ decadent vocal melodies.” - Under The Radar 

“...it’s hooked me, line and sinker. ‘Everywhere I go, I leave a little sadness,’ sung in the vein of Wolf Parade’s wobbly warbles? Take my money.” - Monster Children 

“The result is a collection of songs (with more to come) that reflect different shadows of Watters’ LA life, but also process fears and anxieties about the natural world, climate change, and apocalypse that’s very much “in the air” for the artist.” Glide Magazine

EXTENDED PLAY 002: LISTEN

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today LA based multi-disciplinary artist and songwriter Isaac Watters has released Extended Play 002, his thoughtfully-crafted sophomore release for hi-res records. “Watters’ new EP is a fun fever dream that defies easy categorization; a record that comes to life with warmth and wonder, graceful melodies and glistening vocals full of turbulence and raw turmoil,” says Atwood Magazine in the official premiere of the four-song release. A journey across indie-rock, post-punk, art rock, dream pop, indie folk and more, the release marks a stunning achievement for Watters, whose singular voice and patient songwriting are on full display. Watters’ music considers his and humanity’s place on Earth, how the natural world shapes its inhabitants and vice versa, and the fibers that connect us all. Watters channels these internal musings and observations while tapping into a celebrated sonic lineage of trailblazing songwriters who came before him, including Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Dan Bejar, and more.

Closing song “Can You Hear Me Now” joins Watters’ previous singles in underscoring the thought he imbues in his songwriting and the recording process. Describing the song as either a conversation wrestling with a higher power, or a phone call with his brother, Isaac rounds out his second EP on “Can You Hear Me Now” to a stunningly poignant effect. “Can you hear me now? I was trying so hard,” sings Isaac, as if the clouds are parting. “Can you hear me now? I was trying to understand.” There’s an admirable stillness in the messages Watters presents in his songwriting and delivery that is on full display across the song and EP.

When asked about the environmental themes and imagery he touches on across the release, Issac finds hope in the scenes of disaster and ruin that are presented in his lyrics. “I think there's always this longing for a world where things are better and things aren't dying and everything is alive, and the ocean is cold, and the sun is shining,” says Isaac. “There’s this idea I sometimes think about, that longing for a place like that.”

“I feel like music is a way to process what we aren't actually able to think about,” says Watters when asked about what he hopes listeners take away from Extended Play 002. “I hope that it's music that is comforting to people in this era that we're living in. And that it could be something that would be helpful for people.”

“Can You Hear Me Now” rounds out the EP, and follows lead singles “All I Need,” “Coconut In The Street,” and “My Heart is an Ocean.” With praise from publications including Impose Magazine, Magnet Magazine, Buzz Bands LA, Under The Radar and more, the release hints at more music to come from Watters in the future.

Working with producer Matt Linesch and hi-res records, Watters found recording in analog to be a creatively fruitful approach. Eschewing the endless directions that digital recording can present, along with the headache that constant tinkering and overdubbing can inspire, recording to tape provided Watters and company a more direct road map to carrying these songs to completion, and overall simplified the process. Working within limits can inspire a more successful, and ultimately more human approach. “We did the record with four rolls of tape, each song lives on that length of tape. We couldn't go back and add stuff in. Everybody that we had playing on [Extended Play 002] was flawless. They would do one take, and that would be the song.”

A multi-disciplinary artist,  Frank Gehry apprentice, and accomplished set designer (Westworld, For All Mankind, and many others), Watters’ is always considering the relationship between sight and sound, and how the two influence and affect his work.

Born in Mexico City, John Isaac Watters grew up in Oaxaca & later outside of Tucson, AZ. In 2002 He moved to Los Angeles to study architecture, going on to work for Frank Gehry while at the same time starting to write music and perform with friends in the USC music school. To date, he has released 4 albums as John Isaac Watters: Parachute Tramps, CASAS, Campanas, and Past Hope Now. Also in 2019 he released an EP as Rainstorm Brother - a new project with his long time collaborator Tyler Chester.

Besides touring nationally, from 2014-2020 he held multiple residencies in LA, the longest running was at the historic Hyperion Tavern in Silver Lake. At that residency, John attracted many notable guest performers including Jackson Browne, Madison Cunningham, Bedouine, Mark Eitzel (of American Music club), Dan Bern, Anna Nalick, Garrison Starr, Will Butler (of Arcade Fire) and many others.

Isaac is an artist's artist and in addition to music has a robust career as a visual artist. He started his career working with the legendary architect Frank Gehry and later designed multiple low-income housing projects in Los Angeles.  His architecture work led to set design in 2015 with his first project Chappaquiddick. He has gone on to design sets for existential shows such as OA, Westworld and For All Mankind, which helped shape the worldview projected in the EP (full IMBD credits HERE). Most recently he designed the sets for the buzzed-about film Don't Worry Darling and is a member of LAMB design collective where he worked on the design for last year's Met Gala In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.

Photo by Stone Shannon

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“LITERATE FOLK POP” SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER NAVIGATES PAST CURRENTS AND THE INNOCENCE OF FIRST HEARTBREAK ON “GHOST SHIPS”

SECOND SINGLE FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM WATERSHED PREMIERES VIA AMERICANA HIGHWAYS

“Beautiful” - Cheryl Strayed

“We’ve all been in situations where the plans we made were never brought to fruition — and Arielle asks us to think of those memories on her thoughtfully delivered song of breakups and ghost ships passing in the night.” - Americana Highways on “Ghost Ships

“A beautiful melody, a Silver signature, is combined with her wonderfully clear and ringing alto vocals that leave no doubt that the lyric is king here. It’s a melody that is easy to sing along with and becomes an instant hit between the ears.” - A Little More Vodka, A Little Less Milk on “Bramble Vine”

“Arielle Silver is a baker of pies and a penner of poetry.” - Americana UK

"Lovely songwriting" - The Boston Globe

“With a keen sense of how a song works; expressive lyrics…Silver wrestles with and makes peace with the world.” - Acoustic Music
“What Really Matters”…was born from both an introspective internal analysis of her own life as well as two tragic events near her Los Angeles residence…filled with an infectious percussive groove, hand claps, foot stomps and an urgent commanding vocal.” - American Songwriter on “What Really Matters”

“GHOST SHIPS” : LISTEN | WATCH

LOS ANGELES, CA - LA based singer-songwriter Arielle Silver has released “Ghost Ships,” an evocative folk-pop song and second single from her forthcoming album Watershed, out October 6th. “The video is hopeful, foreboding and simultaneously lovely and soothing, just like the song itself,” says Americana Highways in the premiere for the stunning stop-motion video crafted by accomplished animator Damon Wellner. Navigating through musings on youthful love and the innocence of first heartbreak, “Ghost Ships” finds inspiration from two literary sources, including Cheryl Strayed’s essay “Ghost Ships” from her book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Dear Sugar, as well as writing Silver had previously published. With the official seal of approval from Strayed herself, who described the song as “beautiful,” Silver sets a course through reflective waters on “Ghost Ships.”

“A song about journeys not taken, the idea for this emerged from a flash essay I wrote called ‘The Sleeping Porch,’ first published in Under The Gum Tree.” Silver’s stunning guitar layers, paired with lush vocals and a beautiful cello feature underscores the lessons learned through yesterday’s currents. Joined by an all-star cast of performers and instrumentalists including producer Shane Alexander, Justine Bennett (Jakob Dylan, Liz Phair), Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall, Don Was) “Ghost Ships” is a voyage into the past, while recognizing these lessons and relationships are ultimately a compass for the future. 

The video was completed in collaboration with Wellner, who translated Arielle's vision and journey with the song into what you see today. “When we first talked, I shared the studio recording and lyrics with him, along with the 13-point sketch that I had imagined,” says Silver on the collaborative process. “He showed me some paper-animation work that he had done for a previous project, and it felt like we were exactly on the same page (no pun intended) right from the start.”

Wellner and Silver also snuck in multiple easter eggs in the video that reference her written work, as well as images and details from her everyday life. It's a breathtaking effort that truly enhances the meaning and power of the song. "The story in the opening magazine shot was of ‘The Sleeping Porch.’ The next imagery of the piano was from a home where I was performing a house concert, and the rest of the furniture and pictures are from my living room. That's my cat leaping onto the piano bench."

A literary mind who cites inspiration in writers like Strayed, Jane Austen, Jeanette Winterson, and Mary Oliver (to name a few), Silver's lyrics read like moving self-contained stories, and are further elevated by her striking instrumental and vocal performances. When writing, Silver asks herself “what is the mission for this song in the world? If I’m going to spend time creating a song, and people are going to listen, why is it worth their while? Where’s the real treasure in this song?” 

This consideration carries Silver through the songwriting process to gorgeous results: fully realized songs that waste no space in delivering moving messages to listeners, while recalling past experiences and relationships, or settings that shape these narrative-based stories and emotional musings. In all, Silver crafts moving pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human condition. 

“Ghost Ships” and first single “Bramble Vine” follow Silver’s 2020 acclaimed album A Thousand Tiny Torches. With support from Americana UK, American Songwriter, and more, the album was produced and recorded with Shane Alexander, whose partnership with Silver continued throughout the recording and production of Watershed. 

Silver is a consummate storyteller whose Americana-roots-influenced songs are rich with imagery, empathy, and insight. Conceived in the quiet of the pandemic quarantine, Watershed takes its title as much from that watershed moment in time as it does from the North American spaces where the story-songs take place. Renewing and reflective, water runs through many of the songs as crosscurrents that connect ideas to experiences, and people to places. 

Creative writing adjunct faculty at Antioch University and the founder of Bhavana Flow Yoga studio, Silver’s writing and songwriting pulls inspiration from her childhood and surroundings, from engaging character-based narratives, and a deep sense of spirituality. Growing up with the music of Paul Simon, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and John Denver, all artists introduced to her by her father on acoustic guitar, has led Silver through troubadour traditions across the valleys of the great American music genres; Americana & roots music, folk, blues, county, and more round out Silver’s style. She finds equal inspiration in the sounds and storied histories of Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village.

Silver serves as the President of FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a key team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that supports songwriters and music creators through resources, programs, and grants for career development, mental health, and financial wellness.

Born on Florida’s Gulf Coast and raised along the Atlantic seaboard, Arielle now lives just a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in her adopted home of Los Angeles. Memories of places and times serve as touchstones through her songs, as does the troubadour music traditions of folk, country, and rock that she heard from her guitar-strumming architect father. Throughout her music and storytelling runs an ethic of care, along with an essential wellspring of interpersonal relationships and ecological notice.

Silver will be performing Watershed in full on October 6th in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe with a full band and special guests Alice Howe & Freebo.

Photo by Anabel DFlux

KEEP UP WITH ARIELLE SILVER

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LETTERS TO CLEO ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR DATES IN CELEBRATION OF THE 3OTH ANNIVERSARY OF AURORA GORY ALICE

Photo by Chris Sikich

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their seminal album Aurora Gory Alice, Boston's Alt. Rock pioneers Letters to Cleo will head out on the road this fall for a short run of intimate shows on the East Coast, playing the album in its entirety. The band will be doing their annual set of shows at the Paradise with both single and two-day tickets available, along with a  show at Brooklyn Made in New York. All tickets are on sale Friday. 

Letters to Cleo formed in 1990 in Boston, led by guitarist Greg Mckenna and singer Kay Hanley. This upcoming tour will feature original members Kay Hanley (vocals), Michael Eisenstein (guitar), Greg McKenna (guitar), Stacy Jones (drums) along with longtime collaborator Joe Klompus on bass.  Aurora Gory Alice, the band’s debut album, was originally released on CherryDisc Records in 1993. The albums received loads of press attention and local radio play around New England which led to the band signing to Giant Records, and the re-release Aurora Gory Alice in 1994. The album’s song “Here and Now'' became an instant hit after appearing on the soundtrack for the wildly popular 90s TV show Melrose Place. The song reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart, was in the top 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. To this day “Here & Now” continues to be a fan favorite and one of their most popular songs. 

The band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film. The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from production, writing, performance, musical directing etc. The band was thrust back into the pop culture spotlight via a cameo Parks and Recreation, playing themselves, the obsession of the show's  state auditor Ben Wyatt  played by Adam Scott. The band  achieved the pinnacle of pop culture validation as a subject in a Sunday version New York Times crossword puzzle.   Letters to Cleo reunited in 2016 for the release of Back to Nebraska EP, their first release in 17 years. The accompanying tour and incredible feedback from the elated hometown crowd at the Paradise Rock Club fans is what inspired their annual fall homecoming shows, which is now in its sixth year. 

The band is thrilled to be celebrating the album that gave them their start, especially returning to their hometown of Boston. “It’s unbelievable it’s been 30 years since the release of AGA. We expected that album to be our swan song but we ended up finding ourselves creatively and it really changed our lives. We can’t wait to celebrate its 30th birthday!” says guitarist Michael Eisenstein. Aurora Gory Alice,  along with Go!, Wholesale Meats and Fish, and their most recent EP releases Back to Nebraska and OK Christmas are available on vinyl at LettersToCleo.net.

TOUR DATES (on Sale Friday)

November 15 Brooklyn Made New York, NY

November 17 & 18 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA

http://www.letterstocleo.net

https://www.facebook.com/letterstocleomusic/ 

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ALZHEIMER’S LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES 3RD ANNUAL MAKING MEMORIES FESTIVAL

MUSIC AND FOOD EVENT FEATURES HEADLINING PERFORMANCE BY CELEBRATED LOS ANGELES BAND OZOMATLI

Ozomotli by Lisa Johnson

[August 16, 2023, Los Angeles] — Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, the oldest community-based organization serving families living with Alzheimer's, is celebrating its 40+ years of service to the Los Angeles community with the Making Memories Festival. The annual event, in its third year, will take place during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month on Sunday, November 12th at L.A. State Historic Park. The multicultural event, featuring performances from celebrated musical groups including Grammy Award-winners Ozomatli, accomplished turntablist J.Rocc, seven piece cumbia group La Misa Negra and more, will additionally feature an array of food trucks and vendors as diverse as the community it serves.

The Making Memories Festival was created in 2021 to honor and celebrate Alzheimer’s LA’s 40 years of service to the Los Angeles community. This year, with new treatments and innovations into Alzheimer’s detection and care, there’s more reason to celebrate and educate the community on how Alzheimer’s LA can support families affected by this disease. This event raises awareness in these communities and helps people access programs and resources. 100% of funds raised stay local, and provide free care and support for individuals and families. 

“In our unwavering commitment to families living with Alzheimer's or another dementia, we are proud to bring together the very communities that bear the heaviest burden of this condition while facing the toughest obstacles in accessing care,” says Alzheimer’s Los Angeles President & CEO Heather Cooper Ortner. “It's time to shatter the silence, dispel the myths, and rise above the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's. This is not merely a challenge; it's a disease that can be understood, managed, and met with support. The Making Memories Festival is our most effective vehicle to spread awareness, and ignite the light of hope for our most vulnerable communities.”

Alzheimer’s is the 4th leading cause of death in California and 1 in 3 seniors dies from the disease or another dementia. Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s is hard. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles continues to meet the challenge of providing essential programs to their vulnerable clients and their caregivers. Services are always free for families. Until there is a cure, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles will provide the care. 

In addition to informational booths and experiences focusing on brain health and other healthy lifestyle resources, the festival will feature performances from a number of celebrated music and cultural groups, including Grammy Award winning music collective Ozomatli, accomplished turntablist J.Rocc, blues-folk soul band Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse, cumbia/Afro-Latin group La Misa Negra, Amoeba music’s DJ Monalisa, and more. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early at L.A. Historic Park to take in one-of-kind cultural performances and early bird opportunities reserved through VIP ticket add-ons. 

“We have had a great relationship with Alzheimers LA,” Ozomatli saxophonist’s Ulises Bella told KCRW’s Madeline Brand on Press Play yesterday. “Unfortunately myself and our trumpet player have had hands-on experience caring for family members with dementia and Alzheimers. Taking care of an ailing family member really changes you. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles has been an incredible resource and wonderful support system for both our families and the LA community as a whole.”

Event attendees will find sponsor booths, as well as vendors from across several sectors, including healthcare, retail, service, food & beverage, and nonprofit. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at an array of food trucks on site. 

Early bird tickets through August 17th are available for $25 each, after which tickets will be $35 online and $40 at the festival. Be sure to take advantage of VIP ticket add ons, which include early access to the park for sound check, Meet & Greet with photo op with Ozomatli, and 20% discount on all Headliner merchandise.

About Alzheimer’s Los Angeles

For more than 40 years Alzheimer’s Los Angeles has served people throughout Los Angeles County. 100% of funds raised stay local, providing free care and support for individuals and families. Low-cost training and education are also offered for professionals. Alzheimer’s Los Angeles focuses on care, support, advocacy, and local research. Alzheimer’s is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that weakens the memory and other cognitive and emotional functions. For more information, call the Helpline at 844.HELP.ALZ or visit www.alzheimersLA.org 

About Ozomatli 

Ozomatli's music is as multifaceted as its members and influences. Meeting as young political activists and musicians, the original band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 to play a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga— all while following a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around Los Angeles. 

Over the course of Ozomatli’s 25-year career, the group has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, won two Grammys, consistently sold out concerts around the world, and performed on high profile TV shows like The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Austin City Limits. The band also stars in Drew Barrymore’s Never Been Kissed and has been featured on PBS Kids.

Land Acknowledgment

The event will take place at LA State Historic Park, which is located in the known territory of the Tongva people. One large Tonvga village, Yang Na, sat within a mile of today’s park. The Tongva were renamed Garieleño after Mission San Gabriel was founded in 1771. Learn more at https://lastatehistoricpark.org/history/

SUPER CITY RELEASE THEIR “GETOUTTAHERE “ SINGLE + ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF THEIR ALBUM IN THE MIDNIGHT ROOM COMING OUT OCTOBER 20TH ON SOFABURN RECORDS

“GETOUTTAHERE” : LISTEN // WATCH

Super City, a band born from the wake of multiple burgeoning Baltimore rock scenes that birthed bands ranging from  All Time Low to Turnstile have released the bombastic song “Getouttahere,” the first single from their forthcoming album  In the Midnight Room, out October 20th on SofaBurn Records. 

“Getouttahere” opens with driving guitars inspired by Queens of the Stone Age with the frenzied energy of Devo and is about the desperation that lurks at the end of a relationship, sung by an unreliable narrator speeding down the freeway in search of a solution.  “The lyrics are influenced by The Boss and his song ‘State Trooper,’ “ Super City told V13 Magazine,  “while the music builds into a frenzy, culminating in a solo that was recorded right after Eddie Van Halen died. You have to step it up when something like that happens. The video is as unpredictable and bombastic as the song. You just have to watch it because we want you to experience it with no preconceived notions.” 

Super City is Dan Ryan (lead vocals, guitar), Greg Wellham (lead vocals, guitar), Brian Brunsman (bass, vocals), Jon Birkholz (keys, guitar, vocals), and Ian Viera (drums & vocals). Dan Ryan and Greg Wellham found each other in high school and started collaborating on off-kilter and open-hearted pop songs. After establishing themselves in 2014 with a self-titled EP and full-length Again Weekend a year later, Super City broke through with 2018’s acclaimed Sanctuary, a nimble distillation of their diverse pop/rock influences: the guitars are big, the synths are shiny, and the melodies are both. Melodic and guitar-driven, Super City is known for their hooky pop sound that blends heavy rock elements and danceability, all with band choreography that results in killer live performances. This Baltimore band expertly crafts guitar and synth earworms that thrive on the creative tension between bombastic rock and roll and stylized movements. Their structures and melodies leave no room for a dull track. Super City has played with a variety of national acts including Black Pumas, Robert Randolph, Parquet Courts, J Roddy Walston, Bombino, Margaret Glaspy, and many others.

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  In the Midnight Room (Out October 20th)

1. Getouttahere

2. Hang Up

3. Departed

4. Outta Touch

5. Nice to Meet Ya

6. Fear with Passion

7. Know it All

8. Stitch on Your Side

9. Couldn't Quit

10. Light of the Moon
    

“LITERATE FOLK POP” SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER CONTEMPLATES COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIPS OVER PIE IN “BRAMBLE VINE” - HER FIRST SINGLE IN THREE YEARS

FORTHCOMING ALBUM WATERSHED TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 6th 

“Arielle Silver is a baker of pies and a penner of poetry.” - Americana UK

"Lovely songwriting" - The Boston Globe

“With a keen sense of how a song works; expressive lyrics…Silver wrestles with and makes peace with the world.” - Acoustic Music

“What Really Matters”…was born from both an introspective internal analysis of her own life as well as two tragic events near her Los Angeles residence…filled with an infectious percussive groove, hand claps, foot stomps and an urgent commanding vocal.” - American Songwriter on “What Really Matters”

“Silver builds upon the tradition of performers like Carole King and Sarah McLachlan…With crystal-clear lyrics weaving considerable narrative depth.” - Neufutur 
“...creative and inventive tunes that capture your soul and make you want to fly. The songs are “sad” in feeling, yet very uplifting and enriching in context, and leave you feeling refreshed and vibrant.” - Music Connection

“BRAMBLE VINE” : LISTEN | WATCH

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today LA singer-songwriter Arielle Silver released the folk-pop ballad “Bramble Vine,” the first offering from her forthcoming fifth album Watershed out October 6th. Silver was inspired by the blackberries that grew outside her childhood home for the song, and leads the viewer through piemaking and a performance in the Kevin Rhoades directed and produced music video. “One day I was making pie and thinking about relationships,” says Silver, “and thinking that some kinds of love are complicated but worth the work.” An earthy, scenic singer-songwriter ballad in 6/8, “Bramble Vine” is grounded in acoustic guitar and tender piano, and exemplifies Silver’s literary approach to songwriting, or in her words - “literate folk pop.” 

“Some kind of love is like that / sweetness buried in a thorny patch / bramble vine, heat, and time / form a heart from the scraps,”  sings Silver over delicate acoustic strumming and an understated Wurlitzer. “Bramble Vine” is rounded out by memorable performances from celebrated musicians including producer-singer-songwriter Shane Alexander (backing vocals, electric guitar, glockenspiel), composer Darby Orr (bass, piano, Wurlitzer), and Denny Weston Jr. (drums, percussion). 

As a longtime yoga practitioner and storyteller, Silver’s goal as a songwriter is to carry these practices and philosophies into her music, and to imbue the songs with a sense of purpose for those listening. When writing, Silver asks herself “what is the mission for this song in the world? If I’m going to spend time creating a song, and people are going to listen, why is it worth their while? Where’s the real treasure in this song?” 

This consideration carries Silver through the songwriting process to gorgeous results: fully realized songs that waste no space in delivering moving messages to listeners, while recalling past experiences and relationships, or settings that shape these narrative-based stories and emotional musings. In all, Silver crafts moving pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human condition. 

“Bramble Vine” follows Silver’s 2020 acclaimed album A Thousand Tiny Torches. With support from Americana UK, American Songwriter, and more, the album was produced and recorded with singer-songwriter Shane Alexander, whose partnership with Silver continued throughout the recording and production of Watershed. 

Silver is a consummate storyteller whose Americana-roots-influenced songs are rich with imagery, empathy, and insight. Conceived in the quiet of the pandemic quarantine, Watershed takes its title as much from that watershed moment in time as it does from the North American spaces where the story-songs take place. Renewing and reflective, water runs through many of the songs as crosscurrents that connect ideas to experiences, and people to places. 

Creative writing adjunct faculty at Antioch University and the founder of Bhavana Flow Yoga studio, Silver’s writing and songwriting pulls inspiration from her childhood and surroundings, from engaging character-based narratives, and a deep sense of spirituality. Growing up with the music of Paul Simon, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and John Denver, all artists introduced to her by her father on acoustic guitar, has led Silver through troubadour traditions across the valleys of the great American music genres; Americana & roots music, folk, blues, county, and more round out Silver’s style. She finds equal inspiration in the sounds and storied histories of Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village.

Silver serves as the President of FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West), where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that advocates on behalf of songwriters and music creators. 

Born on Florida’s Gulf Coast and raised up and down the Atlantic seaboard, Arielle now lives just a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in her adopted home of Los Angeles. Memories of places and times serve as touchstones through her songs, as does the troubadour music traditions of folk, country, and rock that she heard from her guitar-strumming architect father. Throughout her music and storytelling runs an ethic of care, along with an essential wellspring of interpersonal relationships and ecological notice.

Photo by Anabel DFlux

KEEP UP WITH ARIELLE SILVER

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