OUT TODAY: PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES’ NEW LP SINNER-SONGWRITER VIA DIXIEFROG RECORDS

"The 14-track release...is packed with winners" - The Daily Herald  

"Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself." - PopMatters 

"Rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate" - Pancakes and Whiskey 

"Stirring" - Ghettoblaster Magazine  

"Every verse he utters virtually oozes with emotion. We’re here for it." - East of 8th  

"...it’s easy to hear the blues in his palette, but there is far more to Scales’ sound than that...Its Scales’ voice, hauntingly soulful, that carries the gravity here" - The Indy Review 

LISTEN: SINNER-SONGWRITER  

Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales has released his long-awaited LP Sinner-Songwriter via DixieFrog Records. “This album was a perfection of what my previous effort was on the Sinner-Songwriter EP,” he says. Scales was inspired by his uncle BB King to forge his own musical path; it wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of his uncle’s influence into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.”   

The album, recorded in LA, Nashville, Chicago, and a remote cabin in Wisconsin during the pandemic, is about love, loss, and legacy, and features Scales’ unique blend of guitar-driven indie rock combined with the story-laden blues in his DNA, a style he calls “Dive Bar Soul.” His most recent single, the sultry “Your Love’s Working Me To the Bone,” began as a beat in a bedroom that was finished with Tres Sasser (Will Hoge) and Joe Costa (Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer). 

WATCH: “YOUR LOVE’S WORKING ME TO THE BONE 

“When They Put Me in My Grave (ft. Archie Lee Hooker),” which PopMatters said features “electrifying licks that can’t help but call back to [B.B.] King’s iconic style…Its opening moments tease something bigger, starting with an acoustic rhythm, subtle tinges of electric lead, and Scales’ passionate vocals. Shy of 40 seconds in, the track explodes into full-throttle blues. Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself.” As he explores that legacy, he sings, "I come from sons and daughters of lambs who escaped the slaughter / My bloodline should have stopped with Bones and Chains in that blue water / What will they say when they put me in my grave? / Gammy told me “Son, you better keep our flame.” 

Of single “Another Man’s Sin,” Pancakes & Whiskey said, “‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement.” Album standout "O, Hallelujah” a roots-tinged foot-stomper that has surpassed 260K+ streams on Spotify alone. The 14-track journey closes with "Tell Me How I Sound Again," a commentary on microaggressions. "I’ve been told that I 'talk white' my entire life and when you break down what that actually means, it’s horrifying," he explains. "Intelligence and eloquence being equated with whiteness? So, I wrote the song. A person on my team suggested I rename it 'tell me how I look again' 'so people get it,' and I realized how important the song really was.” 

Sinner-Songwriter is available now on all streaming platforms, iTunes, and Amazon Music. CDs and vinyl are available for purchase/pre-order HERE, and a CD/vinyl bundle is available for pre-order HERE. Be sure to follow Phillip-Michael Scales at the links below for the latest updates.  

TOUR DATES  

11/5 - THE BASEMENT - NASHVILLE, TN (Record Release Show)  
11/7 - 11/11 - THE ROCK BOAT XX1 - TITUSVILLE, FL 
11/18 - ANODYNE - MILWAUKEE, WI (Record Release Show) 
11/19 - THELMA SADOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS - FOND DU LAC, WI 
12/10 - BEACHLAND BALLROOM - CLEVELAND, OH 

WILD HEART CLUB RELEASES NEW SINGLE “ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU”

WILD HEART CLUB’S NEW SINGLE “ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU” OUT TODAY

DEBUT LP ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU OUT ON NOVEMBER 12TH

Photo Credit: Anna Haas

LISTEN: “ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU” 

 Today, Nashville-based dream-pop outfit Wild Heart Club has released the title track from their debut LP Arcade Back In Manitou, due out November 12th. 

“Arcade Back In Manitou,” a beautiful song about revisiting a place full of happy memories after the end of a relationship, is the fourth single from the album. “I wrote the chorus when I was about to board a flight,” recalls frontwoman and creative force Kristen Castro. “My ex loved everything Colorado because she’s from there - one of my favorite moments was running from the rain in downtown Manitou Springs and finding cover at this penny arcade. I didn’t really think of that memory a lot so I was surprised when the idea came about,” she says. 

“The way Dolores O’Riordan sang was a huge inspiration to me, I wanted to write a song the way ‘Dreams' by The Cranberries made me feel. I also just love how she’s not saying any words in the chorus of that song, just singing a sort of obscure melody that makes the song - that’s where the ‘Oohs’ in ‘Arcade’ came from,” she adds of the track, which features an electrified solo from Castro that gives listeners a little taste of her prodigious guitar skills. 

“Arcade Back In Manitou” follows “Down From the Heavens,” which Castro says is about “all the build-up I’ve had about being gay since I was a teenager. Love is hard enough and then when you add being queer, it’s even harder. One time I played with my ex who used to sing at a church and it was such a bizarre experience watching all the people in the pews sing along to a girl who was in love with me but was also keeping me a secret,” explains Castro. “I had this vision of a god wrapped in color walking up to my ex and basically saying fuck it, go and love her, she’s more than a secret.”

Wild Heart Club also released album track “Unhappy,” inspired by Castro’s childhood, where she fondly recalls hearing her brother’s hypnotic hip-hop music through the wall, and lead single “Glitter On the Drum,” a track that feels like mourning the loss of a lover while soaring across a roller-rink under twinkling lights and that was inspired by a YouTube comment on a Robyn video. The music sparkles, but its glittery edges are sharp.

LISTEN: “DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS”

LISTEN: “UNHAPPY” 

LISTEN: “GLITTER ON THE DRUM”

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kristen Castro is a genre-crossing artist known for blending a surprising range of electronic, digital, and analog elements into her dreamy, atmospheric indie-pop. She built a name for herself as an independent solo artist with a penchant for electric guitar, a dark sensibility, and a bracing tenderness reminiscent of acts like the Cocteau Twins. 

Transforming abstract emotion into compelling music, her early releases feature everything from mandolin to bass, piano to synth, banjo to drum programming, in songs that feel both effortless and complex at the same time. Castro’s latest project, Wild Heart Club, builds off the hybrid style of her solo work, evolving her eclectic foundations into an even more distinct and cohesive sound. The synth-heavy, guitar-driven soundscapes are laced with Castro’s breezy, candied vocals: think Sigur Rós meets Heart. It’s a strange and compelling combination that feels right for the current moment. 

“I’ve always been drawn to people who aren’t in the cool club—the weirdos embracing their weirdness. This is music for them, as always.” Arcade Back in Manitou was written, recorded, and produced primarily by Castro herself. 

She started writing the songs that would become Arcade Back in Manitou while recovering from heartache after a particularly difficult breakup. The album is an ethereal and lush collection of melancholy songs with a brilliant gloss of retro sheen. There’s a genuine and hopeful engagement with the positive, a buoyant, almost-ironic sense of cheer teeming from the instrumentation, throughout and a spirit of experimentation and discovery, despite the themes of loss the lyrics explore. 

Hints of 80s plastic-pop and elements of 90s alternative cool are nestled in the mix, as well as nods to vintage and modern Swedish pop acts like Robyn, Léon, and ABBA. “I want to be the artist who can make you cry on the dance floor. I like songs that pair darker thoughts with happy vibes. Emotions are complex. It feels right to have that kind of complicated juxtaposition play out in music,” she says. “It feels honest.”

OUT TODAY: PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES’ NEW LP SINNER-SONGWRITER VIA DIXIEFROG RECORDS

"The 14-track release...is packed with winners" - The Daily Herald  

 "Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself." - PopMatters 

 "Rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate" - Pancakes and Whiskey 

 "Stirring" - Ghettoblaster Magazine 

 "Every verse he utters virtually oozes with emotion. We’re here for it." - East of 8th 

 "...it’s easy to hear the blues in his palette, but there is far more to Scales’ sound than that...Its Scales’ voice, hauntingly soulful, that carries the gravity here" - The Indy Review 

LISTEN: SINNER-SONGWRITER

Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales has released his long-awaited LP Sinner-Songwriter via DixieFrog Records. “This album was a perfection of what my previous effort was on the Sinner-Songwriter EP,” he says. Scales was inspired by his uncle BB King to forge his own musical path; it wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of his uncle’s influence into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.”   

The album, recorded in LA, Nashville, Chicago, and a remote cabin in Wisconsin during the pandemic, is about love, loss, and legacy, and features Scales’ unique blend of guitar-driven indie rock combined with the story-laden blues in his DNA, a style he calls “Dive Bar Soul.” His most recent single, the sultry “Your Love’s Working Me To the Bone,” began as a beat in a bedroom that was finished with Tres Sasser (Will Hoge) and Joe Costa (Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer). 

WATCH: “YOUR LOVE’S WORKING ME TO THE BONE 

“When They Put Me in My Grave (ft. Archie Lee Hooker),” which PopMatters said features “electrifying licks that can’t help but call back to [B.B.] King’s iconic style…Its opening moments tease something bigger, starting with an acoustic rhythm, subtle tinges of electric lead, and Scales’ passionate vocals. Shy of 40 seconds in, the track explodes into full-throttle blues. Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself.” As he explores that legacy, he sings, "I come from sons and daughters of lambs who escaped the slaughter / My bloodline should have stopped with Bones and Chains in that blue water / What will they say when they put me in my grave? / Gammy told me “Son, you better keep our flame.” 

Of single “Another Man’s Sin,” Pancakes & Whiskey said, “‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement.” Album standout "O, Hallelujah” a roots-tinged foot-stomper that has surpassed 260K+ streams on Spotify alone. The 14-track journey closes with "Tell Me How I Sound Again," a commentary on microaggressions. "I’ve been told that I 'talk white' my entire life and when you break down what that actually means, it’s horrifying," he explains. "Intelligence and eloquence being equated with whiteness? So, I wrote the song. A person on my team suggested I rename it 'tell me how I look again' 'so people get it,' and I realized how important the song really was.” 

Sinner-Songwriter is available now on all streaming platforms, iTunes, and Amazon Music. CDs and vinyl are available for purchase/pre-order HERE, and a CD/vinyl bundle is available for pre-order HERE. Be sure to follow Phillip-Michael Scales at the links below for the latest updates.  

TOUR DATES 
10/29 - 20 FRONT STREET - LAKE ORION, MI (Record Release Show)  
11/5 - THE BASEMENT - NASHVILLE, TN (Record Release Show)  
11/7 - 11/11 - THE ROCK BOAT XX1 - MIAMI, FL 
11/18 - ANODYNE - MILWAUKEE, WI (Record Release Show) 
11/19 - THELMA SADOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS - FOND DU LAC, WI 
12/10 - BEACHLAND BALLROOM - CLEVELAND, OH 

PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “WHEN THEY PUT ME IN MY GRAVE (ft. ARCHIE LEE HOOKER)” VIA POPMATTERS

PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES PREMIERES NEW SINGLE

“WHEN THEY PUT ME IN MY GRAVE (ft. ARCHIE LEE HOOKER)” VIA POPMATTERS

SINNER-SONGWRITER LP OUT ON OCTOBER 29TH VIA DIXIE FROG RECORDS

LISTEN: “WHEN THEY PUT ME IN MY GRAVE (ft. ARCHIE LEE HOOKER)”

Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales unveils “When They Put Me   In My Grave (ft. Archie Lee Hooker),” the powerful new single from his forthcoming LP Sinner-Songwriter, set for release on October 29th via Dixie Frog Records. 

“Scales’ latest tune, ‘When They Put Me in My Grave,’ features electrifying licks that can’t help but call back to [B.B.] King’s iconic style,” noted PopMatters in their premiere. "Its opening moments tease something bigger, starting with an acoustic rhythm, subtle tinges of electric lead, and Scales’ passionate vocals. Shy of 40 seconds in, the track explodes into full-throttle blues. Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself.”

“I think a lot about legacy, being black and how that all ties in for me,” Scales told PopMatters. “My mother was the first black female to have her own practice in the state of Michigan, and my grandmother went to college in the 1940s despite not being able to stay or eat on campus. So, the question of how I want to live my life so that my future kids will be better off later is something I think of a lot. The label heard the song and suggested that their artist Archie Lee Hooker jump on the track,” he continued. "I thought it was cool to hear the voice of someone who’d lived much more life than me on the track.

"I come from sons and daughters of lambs who escaped the slaughter / My bloodline should have stopped with Bones and Chains in that blue water / What will they say when they put me in my grave? / Gammy told me “Son, you better keep our flame," he sings in “When They Put Me in My Grave.” The song follows the release of “Another Man’s Sin,” of which Pancakes & Whiskey said, “‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement; rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate,” and bluesy anthem “O, Hallelujah.”

LISTEN: “ANOTHER MAN'S SIN”

LISTEN: “O, HALLELUJAH”

Growing up, Phillip-Michael Scales had an uncle who played guitar for a living. He knew it was a big deal but didn’t understand the significance that his uncle’s name was B.B. King. Even though Scales played guitar, he shied away from soloing and most things blues-related. Instead, he fell in love with songwriting when an English teacher told him “A great writer can make their reader identify with anyone.” The trouble was he couldn’t find his story in the blues. 

Born with a fierce independent streak and a passion for performing, Scales fronted his own indie bands, wrote and recorded his own music, and worked to make a name for himself on his own terms. All the while, his uncle just smiled a knowing smile and encouraged him to “stay with it.” As he began to discover “the blues” in his private and personal life, their relationship grew closer. 

It wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of it into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.”  

Throughout its 14 soulful tracks, Sinner-Songwriter, Scales explores, growth, mistakes, being black in America, searching for love, and finding your place in the world. He calls his sound “Dive Bar Soul,” blending indie rock storytelling with the passion of the blues. His single “O, Hallelujah” has broken 200K plays, he has been featured in Rolling Stone France and is in regular rotation on Nashville’s Radio Station Lightning 100. Scales’ music has taken him all the way to the Middle East, as well as festivals across Europe and North America. He has opened for Fantastic Negrito, Anderson East, Guster, David Cook, Bethany Joy Lenz, Matt Hires, Billy Raffoul, Crystal Bowersox, Tyler Hilton, Jon McLaughlin, and Cory Brannan.

TOUR DATES

9/17 - WYNDHAM GARDEN KENOSHA HARBORSIDE - KENOSHA, WI 

9/18 - LISTENING  ROOM - PORT CLINTON, OH 

9/19 - MUSIC BOX SUPPER CLUB - CLEVELAND, OH 

9/20 - CLUB CAFE - PITTSBURGH, PA 

9/22 - SELLERSVILLE THEATER - SELLERSVILLE, PA

9/23-9/25 - AMERICANAFEST - NASHVILLE, TN [Official Showcase Artist]

9/26 - INFINITY MUSIC HALL & BISTRO - NORFOLK, CT 

9/28 - CITY WINERY - NEW YORK, NY

9/29 - DARYL’S HOUSE - PAWLING, NY 

9/30 - CITY WINERY - WASHINGTON, DC  

10/1 - THE TIN PAN - RICHMOND, VA 

10/2 - ISIS MUSIC HALL - ASHEVILLE, NC 

10/3 - LIGHTNING 100: NASHVILLE SUNDAY NIGHT @ 3RD & LINDSLEY - NASHVILLE, TN

10/8 - McMENAMINS WHITE EAGLE SALOON - PORTLAND, OR

10/27 - GOLDEN DAGGER - CHICAGO, IL (Record Release) 

10/29 - 20 FRONT STREET - LAKE ORION, MI (Record Release) 

11/5 - THE BASEMENT - NASHVILLE, TN (Record Release)