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

OUT TODAY: ALISA AMADOR’S DEBUT MINI-ALBUM NARRATIVES

OUT TODAY:

ALISA AMADOR’S DEBUT MINI-ALBUM NARRATIVES

“Alisa Amador is a pitch-perfect rendition of my wildest dreams” - NPR

“These are Alisa Amador’s fight songs” - The Boston Globe

“Alisa Amador sings with the ease of someone who has been performing for the entirety of her life” - American Songwriter 

"...her latest effort is a document of the breadth of human experience, examining the narratives that encompass us amidst powerful indie folk arrangements” - Under The Radar

"Alisa Amador’s Narratives does what an EP is meant to do. It gives a taste of Amador’s sweet vocals and melodies, leaving the listener wanting more.” - PopMatters

"Not only can you sense her own musical drive and talent, you can almost feel how she puts her soul into her multi-genre art…Alisa Amador is a prime example of the amazing music Boston churns out” - WERS

“…knocks together the worlds of Lake Street Dive and Fiona Apple into a tell-it like it is a morning anthem. With skatty jazz bravado and an engaging vocal presentation, Amador is a chill addition to the ’70s influenced singer-songwriter sect”- Glide Magazine

"Her songcraft is deeply personal, examining her intersecting identities, but there’s something universally relevant about the way she approaches these themes, her warm and wise voice skipping from genre to genre like stones across a glassy lake.” - Audiofemme

“…a breath of fresh air” - Sound Of Boston

“Amador’s crystalline vocal delivery set against soul-soothing grooves and playful lyrics will make your heart skip a beat.” - East Of 8th

LISTEN: NARRATIVES 

Today, Boston-based artist Alisa Amador has released Narratives, her critically-acclaimed debut mini-album. This six-song snapshot in time is a deep look at a person stumbling through life in two languages — English and Spanish — and in many states of mind about it all. 

Album opener “Timing,” a familiar tale of romantic uncertainty, accompanied by an irresistible horn section, was featured on Spotify’s "Fresh Finds,” "Fresh Finds: Indie,” and "Stay in Bed" playlists, as well as Apple Music’s "Now That's What I Call Today's Top Hits.” “Slow Down,” a Queen-tinged self-care anthem, was written a healing exercise meant to give a name to the chaos of navigating strained work relationships and an endless to-do list, while Beatles-esque standout “Burnt And Broken,” highlighted at The Bluegrass Situation, calls out rape culture and toxic masculinity. 

Intentionally sparse in its arrangement, “Burnt and Broken” examines myriad systems of oppression. “Violence stems from fear, and fear grows from a lack of understanding,” Amador says. “An absence of a conversation around these violences causes such pain.” 

“Alone,” a three-and-a-half-minute dissertation on the importance of committing to self-love with abandon, is followed by “Nada Que Ver,” a love song entirely in Spanish, which she says is “the language closest to my heart, and the language of some of my most vulnerable writing. This song is me bargaining with love. Stating clearly what I want and naming my qualms.”  Album closer “Together,” is a song about systemic violence which Under The Radar called “a heartwarming tribute to friendship and camaraderie. Amador begins stark and solitary, accompanied only by the steady chime of her guitar as she acknowledges the pain that all too often defines life’s experiences.

WATCH: “TIMING” 

WATCH: “SLOW DOWN”

WATCH: “NADA QUE VER”

“The word ‘narratives’ encompasses not only the existing cultural messages that hurt people individually and collectively,” Amador says, “but also the revolutionary power of writing ourselves new narratives; rejecting a culture of fear; and catalyzing a culture of honesty, bravery, and self-love in the process.” 

When listening to Amador’s music, her time spent immersed in Latin folk and jazz is undoubtedly present in her own songs, written in both English and Spanish. But there is also pop, funk, soul, and something uniquely her own. Her specialty is sparking connection across both listeners and musical styles. Working with producer Daniel Radin (The Novel Ideas, Future Teens), Narratives concentrates on the journey of Amador’s live set, taking listeners through songs that may elicit a laugh, bring introspection, offer a cathartic cry, or encourage a sing-along. 

The genre-bending effort is as empowering as it is heart-wrenching. These songs explore themes of romance and heartbreak, of chaos and healing, exposing systems of oppression and shining a light on the intricacies of the human condition. They might break your heart open, but by the end, it will be mended, uplifted, and stronger—a ‘Life and Love Survival Kit' in the form of a bilingual EP. Click HERE to order Narratives.

TOUR DATES

9/19 - P.M. Sundays  - Richmond, VT

9/22 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA

9/23 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA

10/7 - Fruitlands Museum - Harvard, MA

10/15 - Somerville Theatre - Somerville, MA*

10/22 - The Foundry - West Stockbridge, MA

11/1 - City Winery New York - New York, NY

11/8 - City Winery New York - New York, NY

11/19 - Rockwood Music Hall - New York, NY

* w/ Billy Wylder

ALISA AMADOR’S NEW SINGLE “TIMING” PREMIERES VIA AMERICAN SONGWRITER DEBUT MINI-ALBUM NARRATIVES OUT ON SEPTEMBER 17TH

ALISA AMADOR’S NEW SINGLE “TIMING” PREMIERES  

VIA AMERICAN SONGWRITER   

DEBUT MINI-ALBUM NARRATIVES OUT ON SEPTEMBER 17TH 

Photo credit: Jacquelyn Marie

LISTEN: “TIMING”   

Today, Boston-based artist Alisa Amador unveils “Timing,” the groove-laden lead single from her forthcoming mini-album Narratives, set for release on September 17th. Lively, optimistic, and wry, the song addresses the frustrating yet exciting realization that you’ve found love, but the timing is off. “Alisa Amador sings with the ease of someone who has been performing for the entirety of her life—and she nearly has,” said American Songwriter in the track’s premiere. “The singer/songwriter first took the stage at the age of five as a backup singer for her parents’ bilingual Latin folk band Sol y Canto. She later picked up the classical guitar, and then the electric guitar, to begin cultivating a sound that was uniquely hers.”  

Amador, who describes “Timing” as “50% cynical, 50% hopeful, and 100% fun to groove to,” wrote the song after meeting a special someone. Spirited drums and horns frame her big voice in a chorus that playfully asserts “I’m getting tired of being right/why am I right again?” Of the song she says, ”I knew that the connection was right, but I could sense that the timing wasn’t. It had happened with almost every relationship I had been in, and I was getting tired of that predicament,” she continues. “This song became a way of letting out my frustrations, processing the relationship, and ultimately a song for tuning back in: with my intuition and with my love for myself.”  

~ 

Alisa Amador is a connector. Her upcoming mini-album, Narratives, is a six-song snapshot in time. It’s a deep look at a person stumbling through life in two languages—English and Spanish—and in many states of mind about it all. Her crystal-clear vocals are so effortless throughout Narratives that it’s almost easy to forget how technically talented she is, until she moves from almost-spoken-word territory to a powerful chorus without hesitation or illustrates a repetitive refrain that’s so affecting it feels like you might want to live inside it for a little while.  

“The word ‘narratives’ encompasses not only the existing cultural messages that hurt people individually and collectively,” she says, “but also the revolutionary power of writing ourselves new narratives; rejecting a culture of fear; and catalyzing a culture of honesty, bravery and self-love in the process.”  

When listening to Amador’s music, her time spent immersed in Latin folk and jazz is undoubtedly present in her own songs, written in both English and Spanish. But there is also pop, funk, soul, and something uniquely her own. Her specialty is sparking connection, across both listeners and musical styles. Working with producer Daniel Radin (The Novel Ideas, Future Teens), Narratives concentrates on the journey of Amador’s live set, taking listeners through songs that may elicit a laugh, bring introspection, offer a cathartic cry or encourage a sing-along.  

The genre-bending effort is as empowering as it is heart-wrenching. These songs  explore themes of romance and heartbreak, of chaos and healing, exposing systems of oppression and shining a light on the intricacies of the human condition. They might break your heart open, but by the end, it will be mended, uplifted and stronger—a ‘Life and Love Survival Kit' in the form of a bilingual EP.  

“These songs are a reflection of the world I am moving through, with all of its joy, its sorrow, its confusion and its rage,: she reveals. “Each song is a processing of personal experience, framed within my larger cultural backdrop of New Englander, Latinx, cis-gendered woman, young adult, twin, daughter, and so on. I’m just trying to create a space for myself and all my conflicting identities to fit in, and it seems like I’m helping listeners feel the same way in the process.”  Click HERE to pre-order Narratives.  

NARRATIVES TRACK LIST  

TIMING 

SLOW DOWN 

BURNT AND BROKEN 

ALONE 

NADA QUE VER 

TOGETHER 

CONNECT WITH ALISA AMADOR:   

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || BANDCAMP || YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY   

MELISSA CARPER PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “BACK WHEN (ft. SIERRA FERRELL)” VIA WIDE OPEN COUNTRY NEW LP DADDY’S COUNTRY GOLD OUT ON MARCH 19

  MELISSA CARPER PREMIERES NEW SINGLE  

“BACK WHEN (ft. SIERRA FERRELL)” VIA WIDE OPEN COUNTRY   

NEW LP DADDY’S COUNTRY GOLD OUT ON MARCH 19 

Yearning, stone cold country - Wide Open Country 

Singer-bassist Melissa Carper sounds like a voice from a bygone era...Evoking the cool, smoky croon of a lounge singer, Carper gives some winking commentary about having a good time. - Rolling Stone Country 

Daddy’s County Gold stays light on its feet, and Carper sings with ease...Carper is a first-rate songwriter, as her new music demonstrates.”- Nashville Scene 

A new batch of songs from Melissa Carper is something to smile and rub your hands together about like waiting for permission to cut into an apple pie. - Saving Country Music  

Captivating and authentic vintage country - Glide Magazine  

As a dish cooked up with the spice of many talented hands, there rightfully should be a line out the door to sample this new album by Melissa Carper…it’ll meet all your expectations for a classic country music with a dose of carefree humor.  -  Americana Highways  

Melissa Carper is a talented singer-songwriter and upright bass player who is worth our intention - Americana-UK  

There’s something so absolutely refreshing about straightforward, old-fashioned playing. An homage at points, but very much of Carper’s sound…the right amount of rascally sweetness of a country night out. - Country Queer  

Photo: Aisha Golliher

LISTEN: “BACK WHEN”   

Singer/songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper has unveiled her newest single “Back When (ft. Sierra Ferrell),” a track from her forthcoming album Daddy’s Country Gold, set for release on March 19th. "A lot of my songs are based on my real life experiences and with 'Back When' every single word of that was lived and true," Carper told Wide Open Country in the song’s premiere. "I started writing it a bit after a breakup while longing for the relationship I once had with someone--that is, the beginning of the relationship when we were in love and everything was wonderful.  It was written with a hopeful desire that things could be as they once were, and though that never happened, I feel like this song does have that hopeful air that maybe 'back when' could happen again, for any relationship that has lost that spark.” “Back When” follows singles “I Almost Forgot About You” and “Makin’ Memories.”  

WATCH // LISTEN: “I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU”  

 WATCH // LISTEN: “MAKIN’ MEMORIES” 

Carper’s refreshingly unique style calls to mind greats like Kitty Wells, Billie Holiday, and Loretta Lynn, beautifully conveyed in the grooves of the album’s 12 sparkling gems. Carper enlisted fellow bassist Dennis Crouch (The Time Jumpers) and producer/engineer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price) to co-produce the album and bring her dream to life. Recorded live to tape at Tokic’s analog studio wonderland The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, the album features Crouch (bass), Chris Scruggs (guitar, steel guitar), Jeff Taylor (piano, organ, accordion), Matty Meyer (drums, percussion), Billy Contreras (fiddle), with guest appearances from Brennen Leigh, Sierra Ferrell, and legendary pedal steel maestro Lloyd Green. 

As a child, Carper, who acquired the nickname “Daddy” years ago from her bandmates for always knowing how to “take care of ‘bidness’,” would lay her head underneath the family record player as she listened to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and other greats from her parents’ collection. After a childhood spent in her family’s country band, Carper attended the University of Nebraska on a music scholarship, spending much of her time in the library devouring every Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole album she could find. Around this time, Carper’s father gifted her a full collection of Jimmie Rodgers’ recordings, which was a pivotal moment in finding her unique style of songcraft.  

The wayfaring Carper soon found herself in the historic town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where she saw street performers for the first time. Busking seemed a very free and appealing endeavor, so Carper diligently learned all the old country songs she loved as a child. She soon relocated to music hubs like New Orleans, New York City, Austin, and eventually Nashville, oftentimes busking to make ends meet until gigs would come along. On the way, she founded award-winning bands like power trio The Carper Family, playing festivals and gigs across the globe, and on shows like “A Prairie Home Companion.” Carper also holds a spot in award-winning Arkansas foursome Sad Daddy, and founded roots duo Buffalo Gals with Sad Daddy bandmate and girlfriend Rebecca Patek.   

Her forthcoming solo record Daddy’s Country Gold is just that - 12 glittering Carper originals of the country, western swing, and jazz variety. From the first notes of album opener “Makin’ Memories,” to the whimsical “Would You Like To Get Some Goats,” and the heart-wrenching tenderness of album closer “The Stars Are Aligned,” this lifetime of work, experience, and wanderlust culminates in a beautiful portrait of heartfelt music, written by a road-lovin’ gal who has lived these songs and spent her life playing music for folks that still love the real thing. 

Be sure to catch Melissa Carper perform live on Facebook every Monday night at 6:00 pm CST, which is streamed HERE. 

CONNECT WITH MELISSA CARPER:   

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || BANDCAMP || YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY   

MISS TESS RELEASES NEW LP "THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY"

From a historical perspective, one could say that rebellious music that doesn’t necessarily fit a certain genre or time period leaves a lasting effect on people. Think of David Bowie..or Johnny Cash…Both went against what the mainstream audiences wanted and lived on to be legends. For Miss Tess, she wants to become a legend in her own right but wants to use some of Bowie’s and Cash’s rebellious tools to do so - American Songwriter 

Captivating - Billboard

Rooted in a retro groove that’s equal parts blues, mid-century rock & roll and Booker T-worthy R&B - Rolling Stone 

Old-time warmth, 21st-century sass. It’s a potent recipe for that few artists successfully pull off — and Miss Tess is one of them - No Depression 

A voice that recalls artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Patsy Cline and Lindi Ortega - The Boot 

Soulful - Wide Open Country 

Miss Tess swings, swaggers, seduces, and soothes on The Moon Is An Ashtray - Glide Magazine 

This album is tremendous display of Miss Tess’s range as an artist. She bounces from soul to country to jazzy vocals with no difficulty. In fact, she makes it seem effortless - Americana Highways 

An eclectic mix of country, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll - Americana-UK

Miss Tess has a musical vocabulary that continues to confound.  Country, blues, rock, folk, jazz – you name it – you’ll find shades of it infused into her music…The Moon Is an Ashtray is both warm and raucous, not to mention a damn fine listen. - Twangville

LISTEN: THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY 

Nashville chanteuse Miss Tess has released her lauded new album The Moon Is An Ashtray today via Tone Tree Music. “The moon is an ashtray. I fell in love with this metaphor,” Miss Tess told American Songwriter in its premiere. “The album cover draws inspiration from an old picture I came across from what must have been a 1930s movie, where the women sitting on the moon looked well, kind of pissed off. I loved that attitude captured as a juxtaposition against the classic romanticized ‘woman on moon’ image, and wanted to recreate that sentiment for the title track. Things are not always what they seem, especially when you’re used to filtering them through an illusion of childlike romanticism. Objects such as the moon, and ideas of love often fall into this category, but are too often followed by disappointment. when you realize that this type of idealistic, cruel optimism is just an illusion. From far away the moon is a mystical glowing entity, yet in reality is cratered and dusty, sort of like … an ashtray.” 

The sentiment was deftly captured in the video for the title track, directed by Tom Krueger (Bruce Springsteen, U2, David Bowie). “With a distinct old timey flair, the singer transports the listener to another time period with the throwback number,” Billboard remarked of the whimsical video, which involves an evil villain luring in souls for his wonderland vignettes.

WATCH: “THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY” 

To help capture and shape her own unique sound, Miss Tess enlisted not only her trusty 1930s Weymann archtop, but also heavy input from co-producers Andrija Tokic (Margo Price, Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) and Thomas Bryan Eaton, her full-time bandmate and musical partner. Combining Eaton's' arranging ideas and skilled instrumental work with Tokic's studio full of vintage mics, tube amps, keyboards, and tape machines, the resulting record has a rich, buttery warmth well-suited to Miss Tess' voice and authentic, retro-contemporary songwriting style. 

When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry unless you're talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more on The Moon Is An Ashtray. Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she has employed all of her influences and talents on a tour-de-force, while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas - like the definition of a love song - to task. From soulful swagger to jazz, blues, a little old school country, and even a touch of psychedelia, Miss Tess shows both the pluck and poise to fold a multitude of styles into her own. 

The Moon Is An Ashtray is available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, and at her website. Miss Tess will be performing today on Nashville roots radio station WMOT’s Finally Friday show which broadcasts live from 3rd & Lindsley. Tune in HERE to listen at 1pm CST. She’ll also be celebrating the album’s release on her upcoming tour, see dates below.

TOUR DATES: 

2/19 Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot

2/20 St. Louis, MO @ Focal Point 

2/21 Chicago, IL @ Honky Tonk BBQ

2/22 Indianapolis, IN @ Duke's

3/04 Charlotte, NC @ The Thirsty Beaver

3/05 Fayetteville, NC @ Cameo Art House

3/06 Aberdeen, NC @ Rooster’s Wife

3/07 Saluda, NC @ Purple Onion

3/11 Knoxville, TN @ TN Shines

3/12 Bristol, TN @ Farm & Fun Time

3/13 Charlottesville, VA @ The Front Porch

3/14 Washington, DC @ The Soundry

3/15 Philladelphia, PA @ Philadelphia Folk School 

3/17 New York, NY @ Voices on the Hudson at City Vineyard 

3/18 Northampton, MA @ Parlor Room

3/19 Cambridge, MA @ The Lizard Lounge

3/20 Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square

3/21 Peacedale, RI @ Roots Hoot House Concert

3/22 Cazenovia, NY @ Nelson Odeon

3/25 Rochester, NY @ Abilene

3/26 Buffalo, NY @ Sportsmen's Tavern

3/27 Peninsula, OH @ GAR Hall

3/28 Columbus, OH @ Natalie's