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

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

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 

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

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/ 

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

https://twitter.com/letterstocleo

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.

KEEP UP WITH SUPER CITY
  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
    

GOLD-CERTIFIED SINGER-SONGWRITER JAMIE MCDELL RELEASES HER BEACH HOUSE EP

“...but the true stunner is McDell’s unforced voice” - Rolling Stone 

“The New Zealander enchants with airy vocals and confessional lyrics” - Billboard

"Endlessly enchanting, it’s a voice that comes around once in a generation. If Jamie McDell defines her first decade of artistry, then McDell is bound to make waves.” -  Holler Country

“....raw confessionals, breezy anthems and plaintive storytelling rooted in the tradition of old school country and folk balladeers.” - Wide Open Country 

  “Over incandescent instrumentation, McDell examines the price we’re willing to pay for power and possession. Her lyricism lays out devastating depictions of deceit and the rippling fallout from a false sense of security.”   - American Songwriter

“a poignant moment of self-awareness…” - The  Boot

“The song has McDell examining her flaws with sweet melodic vocal twirls and jangly guitars.” - Parade Magazine 

“Showcasing more richness and density than the typical banjo and fiddle exercise, the album contains waves of haunting tremolo guitar, fuzzy squalls, heavy distortion and a keen sense for crafting rewarding, sometimes even dramatic, vocal melodies.” - All Music

LISTEN TO  BEACH HOUSE: HERE

Gold Certified New Zealand music award winner Jamie McDell has released her stunning new EP Beach House out today worldwide. Jamie has been a working  musician for close to 15 years and this collection of songs came from the weight of navigating a career as a creative, especially under the limitations of the pandemic, that  left her feeling exhausted and burnt out on the fickleness of the music industry. In January 2023, when travel restrictions had eased, McDell returned home to New Zealand, taking the opportunity to connect with family and travel across the ditch (the Tasman Sea) to record some new tracks. 

 The sanctuary of being at her husband’s family-built beach house gave her the space to express and exercise her self-doubt through songwriting. She was also able to reconnect in person with her producer and manager Nash Chambers at his sister, Kasey Chambers’  studio to record  the songs that would become the Beach House EP.  The title track, “Beach House,”  is a catharsis of feeling born out of the frustration Jamie had towards the fickle nature of the music business. At the time of  writing the song she had serious thoughts about leaving music and was three months into a job search.  The second song “Madeline” started to come together while Jamie was still living in Canada. It is about the road less traveled and the growth and fulfillment that transpire from uncertainty. It was inspired by a group of women in her friend circle, all of whom had left bad relationships out of a determination to be anything but confined or defined. The third song that rounds out the EP is a cover of Tracy Chapman’s  “Talkin Bout a Revolution.” Jamie was drawn to the message and ethos of the song, which  resonate just as strong, if not stronger now than when it was originally released in 1988.

McDell, who is now 30 started her career at 16, was signed by EMI, and went on to achieve Gold Certified Album sales and receive multiple New Zealand Music Award nominations. She abandoned her major label roots to pursue music that was closer to her heart and began writing and recording in Nashville.  In March 2017 Jamie made a trip to Nashville, looking for a change of scenery and to connect with the environment that birthed much of the music throughout her youth. It’s here she wrote the songs that would make up the fabric for her third record “Extraordinary Girl”. She met with ex-pat Australian producer Nash Chambers for coffee one day and decided they shared the same musical values. Not long after that meeting McDell arranged to fund her first independent record Extraordinary Girl, which was recorded over the space of two days at House of Blues studio in Nashville. She then returned home for the albums’ release, promotion, and supporting tours throughout New Zealand and Australia.

After opening a U.S.  tour for Robert Ellis (Texas Piano Man) in early 2020, she would then visit Nashville once again, teamed up with Chambers in his eastside studio, and gather the amazing musical talents of Dan Dugmore, Jedd Hughes, Dennis Crouch, Shawn Fichter, Jerry Roe, Jimmy Wallace, Tony Lucido and Ross Holmes, along with guests such as the McCrary Sisters, Robert Ellis, Erin Rae, and Tom Busby (Busby Marou). Her self-titled album, Jamie McDell, released in 2022, contains some of McDell’s most brutally honest writing and performances, while the production takes the listener on a modern journey through 70s folk and country blended with a healthy dose of roots and rock. This record became Jamie’s fourth full-length release that was praised by media from around the globe. 

Jamie is returning to the U.S. playing songs from this EP at her first shows on U.S. soil since early 2020.  

TOUR DATES

June 21 - The Station Inn, Nashville, TN

June 22 - Old Town School of Folk Music w/ Adeem the Artist, Chicago, IL 

June 23 - Moccasin Creek Festival, Effingham, IL 

June 30 - House Concert, Houston, TX  

CONNECT WITH JAMIE MCDELL

 Website | Instagram |Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Spotify

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS RELEASE “DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA” SINGLE + ANNOUNCE THE BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS ALBUM DUE OUT ON SEPTEMBER 15TH

“DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA” : LISTEN // WATCH

The Texas-bred Colorado-based artists Bonnie & Taylor Sims have released the twangy earworm “Devil and the Deep Blue,” the first single off their forthcoming self-titled album Bonnie & Taylor Sims due out on September 15.  Bonnie and Taylor have almost done it all. They are RIAA Certified Gold recording artists, have seen breakaway global success with their song “I See Red” that has over 250 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.  

“Devil and the Deep Blue Sea'' is the first step in this new direction. This song, as with the majority of the songs on the album, were born out of the juxtaposition of a changing world. They explore the dichotomy of beauty and pain, hope and destruction, and with this single,  the tangible elements of black and white, sea and stone, and at its core is a song of transition and duality. “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” is a harbinger of the new sound we’ve been developing over the past two years,” Bonnie Sims told Folk n’ Rock.  “This song is a portrait of our edgy-punk-rock-reality that has been bubbling right beneath the surface. We’re illustrating a collection of opposing forces and contrasting ideas that lean into the duality of our humanity, as musicians and as people.”

This summer sees the band on the road in their adopted state of Colorado playing festivals and a number of concert series. Find information on the tour dates HERE. 

KEEP UP WITH BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS

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

BONNIE & TAYLOR SIMS  

(album out September 15)

1. Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

2. Liza 

3. Side By Side 

4. Cigarette Song 

5. I Am Woman 

6. Texas Again

7. All My Love

8. Me And Caroline

9. Levelland

10. Lay Yourself To Sleep

Mary Spender, Shelly Peiken, Judy Collins, Noelle Scaggs and more to be Honored at the 11th Annual She Rocks Awards

The 2023 Awards co-hosted by Lisa Foxx (iHeartRadio & MyFM) and Aijia Grammer (Singer/Songwriter & producer); Opening act: The Beaches

VIP Tickets Packages On Sale Now, HERE

Top Photo L to R:  Mary Spender, Noelle Scaggs, Judy Collins, Shelly Peiken, Stacey Ryan, Lisa S. Johnson, Michelle Bell, Katherine Wing, Helen Culleton, Hosts: Lisa Foxx, Aijia Grammer, Opening Act: The Beaches

(photos courtesy of She Rocks)

Anaheim, CA, March 13, 2023– The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) is proud to announce honorees singer-songwriter and YouTube sensation Mary Spender, Michelle Bell (Roc Nation), Katherine Wing (Roland), Stacey Ryan (School of Rock), Lisa S. Johnson (108 Rock Star Guitars), Helen Culleton (Audiotonix), for its 11th annual She Rocks Awards celebrating and honoring female artists, industry executives and media personalities throughout the music landscape.

These women  join the recently announced distinguished honorees for the 2023 She Rocks Awards: Iconic singer Judy Collins, Noelle Scaggs of Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage, and hit songwriter Shelly Peiken.  “During International Women’s Month, I like to give thanks to organizations like THE SHE ROCKS AWARDS who highlight women excelling in the music industry today and every day,” says Judy Collins. “I have been a working musician for over six decades and I know first hand how important supporting women in music is. It's vital to our creativity and our economic growth. It's a great honor to be part of the group of talented women being honored on April 13.”

The 11th Annual She Rocks Awards ceremony will take place at 6:30 pm PT on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at The Ranch in Anaheim, California, and will be streamed live. The event will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual components, including a live red carpet and an online silent auction. Sign up here for a link to watch.

This high-energy evening will include live music performances, awards and speeches, celebrity appearances, and much more. A VIP gift box  is also available — the ultimate She Rocks experience for those viewing the livestream from home—including gifts from PRS Guitars, Monster Energy, Sennheiser, Cuccio, Earthquaker Devices and many others, valued at over $250. All packages and tickets are available for order now here.

The 2023 She Rocks Awards recipients include:

• Judy Collins - Platinum-selling singer/songwriter icon whose landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, has been entered into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame

• Noelle Scaggs - Co-frontperson for multi-platinum band, Fitz and the Tantrums and founder of Diversify the Stage

• Shelly Peiken - GRAMMY-nominated, chart-topping hit songwriter

• Mary Spender - guitarist, singer, songwriter and Youtube star

• Michelle Bell - VP of Creative for Roc Nation

• Lisa S. Johnson - photographer and author of 108 Rock Star Guitars and Immortal Axes

• Katherine Wing - VP of Marketing for Roland, drummer

• Stacey Ryan - Chief Operating Officer for School of Rock

• Helen Culleton - Chief Operating Officer for Audiotonix 

Hosted by PRS Guitars, this year’s opening performer will be Canada’s own Juno award-winning alternative act, The Beaches. Their latest single, "Grow Up Tomorrow," spent 7+ weeks at Number 1 on Alternative Radio, and Elton John described their last album as “The best rock album of last year.”

This year’s event is co-hosted by former She Rocks Awards honoree Lisa Foxx, radio host for myFM and iHeartRadio, and Aijia Grammer, LA-based, pop songwriter, vocal producer and musician.

The She Rocks Awards pays tribute to women who have displayed leadership, excellence and  whose work has had an impact on making the music and audio industry more inclusive.  It has become the event to attend the NAMM Show. Previous award recipients include: Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar, Gloria Gaynor, The B-52s, Suzi Quatro, Colbie Caillat, Sheila E, Chaka Khan, Ronnie Spector, Orianthi, Lisa Loeb, The Bangles, the Go-Go’s, Cherie Currie of the Runaways, Meredith Brooks, Cindy Blackman Santana, Margaret Cho, Amy Lee, Linda Perry, Dionne Warwick  and many more, plus a collection of leaders and innovators  from all walks of the music and audio industries.

The 2023 She Rocks Awards is sponsored by Positive Grid, Sweetwater, PRS Guitars, Reverb.com, Monster Energy, Shure, Roland, Martin Guitar, Berklee College of Music, D’Addario, D’Angelico, DiGiCo, dw Drums, DiGiCo, Earthquaker Devices, Fishman, Hit Like a Girl, 108 Rock Star Guitars, Korg, MAC Cosmetics, Manley Labs, NAMM, Sennheiser, Taylor, WRiiG, AXS TV, Music Connection and Guitar Girl Magazine. For information regarding She Rocks Awards sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@thewimn.com.

Learn more about the She Rocks Awards, purchase tickets, and find out how to watch the livestream the evening of the awards at sherocksawards.com.

The 2023 She Rocks Awards virtual press conference with the honorees and presenters in attendance will take place on Wednesday March 22nd at 11am PT. Media can register to attend the press conference HERE. 

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. The Women’s International Music Network produces the She Rocks podcast, the LIVE: Front & Center web series, WiMN She Rocks Spotlight Showcase Series and the She Rocks Awards, and is founded by music industry veteran Laura B. Whitmore. For more information, visit www.thewimn.com.

BOB MARSTON & THE CREDIBLE SOURCES PREMIERE NEW SINGLE “LYIN’ EYES” VIA GLIDE MAGAZINE

BOB MARSTON & THE CREDIBLE SOURCES PREMIERE NEW SINGLE

“LYIN’ EYES” VIA GLIDE MAGAZINE  

DEBUT LP SO LONG DUE OUT JUNE 3RD

LISTEN: “LYIN’ EYES” 

 Birmingham, Alabama-based outfit Bob Marston & the Credible Sources have released “Lyin’ Eyes,” the latest from their forthcoming debut full-length LP So Long, due out June 3rd. The track premiered at Glide Magazine, who called “Lyin’ Eyes” “swampy folk” and a “righteous and seriously in-the-pocket stunner that showcases Marston’s stunning arrangement that sounds part soulful Muscle Shoals and part edgy Merge Records.”

“When I was working a migrant farm job in Illinois. The job was corn de-tasseling which warrants a longer explanation but let’s just say it was a bunch of young to middle-aged people walking through cornfields for about 12 hours a day, partying as hard as they could until about midnight, and then doing it all over again,” Marston told Glide Magazine. “The crew was comprised of about 40 people of which 35 were male and five were female. Of those females, three were in committed relationships and one was not interested in men, which left one young lady free to flirt with at least two dozen young men. I was one of those young men and thought, based on some brief, flirtatious encounters, that I had a pretty good chance of being selected as her ‘corn boyfriend.’ When, to my great disappointment, she selected another, I was hurt, not deeply or in any lasting sort of way, but enough that the daily reminder stung a bit,” he added. 

“Lyin’ Eyes” follows reggae-tinged head-bobber “Real Magic, Good People,” about forgiveness and understanding being what truly unifies communities, and the album’s title track, which encourages understanding in order to heal societal rifts.

LISTEN: “REAL MAGIC, GOOD PEOPLE”  

LISTEN: “SO LONG” 

Marston has been on a journey of self-discovery, and with the help of therapy, meditation, and cannabis, his empathic creativity comes shining through the lyrics of every song on So Long. The Credible Sources are equal parts roots rock backing band and high-flying, improv-ready aces. Truly a whole greater than the sum of its wildly capable parts, the band is known for its intricately-woven guitar parts, tight and compelling bass and drum grooves, and pure, emotive vocals, a sound that garners comparisons to The Grateful Dead, moe., Wilco, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more.

So Long also features keyboard master Matt Slocum (Allman Brothers, Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic, and more), monster bass player Adrian Marmolejo (Early James and the Latest). Trombonist Chad Fisher (St. Paul and the Broken Bones), Allen Branstetter (St. Paul and the Broken Bones) on trumpet, award-winning fiddler Adam Purvis, and more.

The album’s tracks explore love and devotion through the lens of attempts to salvage a challenging relationship, to pondering life’s big questions, and offering commentary on social injustice and societal issues. Brought together by luck, fate, and destiny, this band of seasoned professionals and unproven hotshots upends stereotypes and breaks paradigms as it brings a message of love, honesty, empathy, and infinite possibility to the world, one song at a time.

TOUR DATES 

5/28 - Coastal Crust - Charleston, SC*

6/3 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

6/4 - Workplay - Birmingham, AL [ALBUM RELEASE SHOW]

6/24 - Diplomat Deli - Vestavia Hills, AL**

7/1 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

8/5 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

8/13 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL**

9/24 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL**

10/7 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

10/9 - Mountain Brook Presbyterian - Mountain Brook, AL

10/15 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL**

11/4 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

11/5 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL**

12/2 - Little Italy’s - Birmingham, AL**

12/10 - The Market @ Pepper Place - Birmingham, AL**

*Bob Marston solo show 

**Bob Marston w/ Natalie Valentine

WILD HEART CLUB PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “GLITTER ON THE DRUM” VIA GLAMGLARE

Photo: Anna Haas

DEBUT LP ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU 
OUT ON NOVEMBER 12TH 

LISTEN: “GLITTER ON THE DRUM”   

Today, with the release of lead single “Glitter On The Drum,” Nashville-based band Wild Heart Club has announced their debut LP Arcade Back In Manitou, due out November 12th. The song, which feels like mourning the loss of a lover while soaring across a roller-rink under twinkling lights, was inspired by a YouTube comment on a Robyn video. The music sparkles, but its glittery edges are sharp. 

“She creates irresistibly fascinating indie-pop, by blending elements from different kinds of genres, freely employing digital and analog tools as needed,” noted glamglare of Kristen Castro, the creative force behind the band. “While many artists these days tend to take from different musical styles and using a plethora of different instruments, Castro stands out. Her songwriting comes from a personal place but its message is universally understood. She manages to offer intimacy with her soothing, reassuring vocals yet also keeps us on the edge. Most notably thanks to her stellar guitar work which takes on new heights in the magnificent ‘Glitter on the Drum.’” 

“‘Glitter on the Drum’ started as a guitar melody in the middle of night when I couldn’t sleep,” says Castro. “I was channeling Maja Ivarsson from The Sounds and Warpaint when I was writing the song and the word glitter came out of nowhere. I grew up listening to a lot of disco unwillingly whenever my dad worked out in the garage so I have a lot of subconscious 80s influences. I found a disco drum beat in Logic and that became the backbone of the song. I was listening to a lot of Robyn at the time and a person commented on her video saying she’s the only one who makes them cry on the dance floor,” she adds. “That was the pulse of the song, self-talk and crying on the dance floor.” 

~  

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.” Written, recorded, and produced primarily by Castro herself, Wild Heart Club’s debut album Arcade Back in Manitou is set for release this fall. 

Castro started writing the songs that would become Arcade Back in Manitou in January 2020, while living with her brother in L.A. and recovering from heartache after a particularly difficult breakup. She was also navigating the breakup of her band and listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Gypsy on repeat. 

Named for a happy memory (visiting a Colorado penny arcade with an ex), Arcade Back in Manitou is an ethereal and lush collection of melancholy songs with a brilliant gloss of retro sheen. The resulting music feels unexpectedly bright, like walking through a clean, sunlit, white-tiled mall in the glowy light of a sitcom flashback. Throughout the album, there’s a genuine and hopeful engagement with the positive, a buoyant, almost-ironic sense of cheer teeming from the instrumentation, 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.”          

ARCADE BACK IN MANITOU TRACK LISTING  
Her, If Losing You Had A Sound 
Arcade Back In Manitou 
Unhappy 
Glitter On The Drum 
Ever You Go 
Down From The Heavens 
Chemistry  
Tupelo Honey 
Rainbow 
Overflow (Ruled by Saturn) 

INTRODUCING: SPENCER LAJOYE

Photo: Whitney Wilson and Hannah LaJoye Photography

  NEW SINGLE “HOUSE FIRES” OUT TODAY  

REMEMBER THE OXYGEN EP 
SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 5TH 

LISTEN: “HOUSE FIRES”   

Boston-based singer/songwriter Spencer LaJoye has announced their forthcoming EP Remember The Oxygen with the release of powerful lead single “House Fires.” "Reclaiming myself as a nonbinary person was about so much more than gender.,” LaJoye explains of the song. “To summon up the resolve to say 'these boxes aren’t for me,' I also had to say, 'these relationships aren’t for me, these systems aren’t for me, this people-pleasing disposition is not for me.' Ultimately, on the other side of all of that going up in flames, I found clarity and peace...and I’m still settling into who I am." "House Fires" is the story of deciding what parts of ourselves and our lives we hold onto when everything else burns. 

~ 

Spencer LaJoye’s music feels like taking a long walk on cracked pavement. Their dynamic acoustic tones and layered vocals are reminiscent of melancholic sixties folk songs - but their genre-bending doesn’t end there. Resonant vocal loops spin these classic sounds into delightfully boppy pop songs that are both mesmerizing and haunting with their detailed, autobiographical lyrics.  

Out of Boston, Massachusetts, LaJoye is a folk/pop singer songwriter, violinist, and vocal loop artist who has garnered a growing fan base around the world through live performances, live streams, and an ever-increasing loyal Patreon community. Charming, humorous, and acutely self-aware, their live performances leave audiences crying, laughing, and wanting more.  

One of eight in a family of musicians in rural Southwest Michigan, LaJoye picked up a violin at the age of five, and pursued classical music until college, when they swapped their bow for a pen. They wrote their first EP as a closeted queer kid in a historically conservative Christian college while pursuing a degree in theology. Their songwriting and theologizing became tools of self-empowerment amid a culture of shame. Now an outspoken nonbinary bisexual, LaJoye’s goal is to foster a life-affirming community through music, and to “bring people to church” at their shows.  

Their first EP We’ve Been That Way Before won the WYCE Jammie Award for Listener’s Choice in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and most recently, LaJoye was chosen as a winner of the 2021 Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition.  

This fall, LaJoye will release their new four-track EP, Remember The Oxygen, written before, during, and following their coming out as trans/gender non-binary. The songs document them becoming themselves, a journey that involved just as much looking to the past as it did moving towards the future. “As it turns out, I knew who I was from the very beginning,” says LaJoye. “I knew how to breathe all along. To re-becoming myself. I just had to let some things burn, let some things hurt, and finally, remember my own oxygen.” 

THE SLANG PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “DIVIDE” VIA V13

Photo: Morris Photography

DEBUT FULL-LENGTH LP DIVIDE   SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 24TH 

LISTEN: “DIVIDE”   

Today, Washington, DC-based rock duo The Slang has unveiled “Divide,” the title track from their forthcoming debut LP set for release on September 24th. “Divide” is about the moment a relationship is over, and you’re bracing for the inevitable impact from the crash about to occur. “Armed to the teeth with style, grace, and aplomb, The Slang is reemerging with their brand new single…,” said V13 in the song’s premiere, calling it “a juicy slice of melodic power pop, reminiscent of one of those radio songs that somehow finds its way onto every format…A very strong first full-length offering, The Slang is confidently moving forward in the right direction, with both precision and self-assurance.” 

“I sometimes see a divide growing as people reveal their true personalities,” says frontman John Bobo of “Divide.” “It could be personal or viewed in the context of society. Careful to not choose a side… the hope is that people will explore the divide and find a way to come together.” “Divide” follows the release of “Disguise,” a hook-laden dreamscape that brims with shimmering guitars that explores our tendency to hide our true selves from others, and "Nothing Lasts Forever," about addictions, and unhealthy vices and attachments.  

LISTEN: “DISGUISE”   

LISTEN // WATCH: “NOTHING LASTS FOREVER” 

Divide features 10 sparkling alt-rock gems written by co-founders John Bobo and Felix Nieto, and produced by Nieto. “It’s our first full-length album, so we used that to our advantage to take risks that we may not have on our prior EP’s,” explains Bobo. “As the expression goes, ‘Stories Don’t End,’ so what happens after the movie ends and the credits have rolled? Divide is an album about trying to overcome the inevitable, but continues asking that question of ‘what happens next?’”  

Offering a distinct blend of power-pop, alternative, and contemporary rock, The Slang is comfortable testing genre lines and taking their time to capture the minutiae of modern life. With a laid-back intensity that infuses their music, lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist John Bobo serves as the main songwriter while bassist/multi-instrumentalist Felix Nieto focuses on production. Both artists share a kind of low-key perfectionism: hands-on, hyper-attuned to textural detail, and aware of what elevates a song from good to great. “We want to do it right,” says Bobo. “And we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make the best possible track each time.”   

With smooth vocals and striking guitar melodies, The Slang is often compared to bands like Snow Patrol and The Killers, but with a modern twist and more experimental production value. “We care about the experience, whether on headphones or at a live show,” says Nieto, whose production adds a sleekness and edge. Bobo’s introspective lyrics explore singular moments that define human relationships. This beautiful blend of respective talent is evident on Divide, which features the band’s characteristic melodic precision, bright, electric guitar-driven anthems, and top-quality production, but with a more pop-leaning sound.  

Be sure to follow The Slang via the links below for the latest news, updates, and tour information, and check out their hilarious Facebook group The Slang Gang. 

SEAN ROWE PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “SQUID TATTOO”

Photo: Joe Navas

NEW LP  THE DARKNESS DRESSED IN COLORED LIGHTS 

OUT ON OCTOBER 8TH VIA FLUFF & GRAVY RECORDS 

Sean Rowe alludes to the duality of the human spirit in all of us...and brings insight when it comes to a broken heart — a theme that resonates for this gifted songwriter - KCRW   

Rowe’s voice radiates experience and with a robust passion that recalls British artists like Elbow and David Gray. We can grab onto the state our protagonist inhabits, as he is longing and calling out strong though vulnerable and seeped in desire. - Glide Magazine  

Traditional folk-rock…into vibrant alt-rock - Holler  

There’s something about Rowe’s baritone that cuts right to the core, the feeling of heartbreak and reckoning palpable at every turn. - Mother Church Pew 

LISTEN: “SQUID TATTOO”  

Today, internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Sean Rowe has unveiled his new single “Squid Tattoo,” the latest from his brilliant forthcoming LP The Darkness Dressed In Colored Lights, due out on October 8th via Fluff & Gravy Records. “'Squid Tattoo’ is about the fleeting feeling of romantically projecting a future life with someone who you haven’t actually met yet and one that will most likely never happen,” Rowe explains of the track. “I think it’s a common thought experiment that a lot of us go through at times and certainly intensifies with the element of alcohol. I think it says more about our mind’s ability to color our own stories rather than the reality of real love. And in that sense, I think there’s actually an underlying sadness in the song despite being on the surface, tongue in cheek," he adds, referencing the song lyrics, "Now I love you/But I can’t believe you’re from Ohio." "I’m really not trying to offend Ohio’s sensibility here. But, a good line is a good line.” 

“Squid Tattoo” follows “Little Death,” a song which Rowe says is about “that strange elation that comes at the end of a long journey with another soul,” and lead single “To Make It Real,” in which Rowe is “alluding to the duality that I feel is in all of us. All the hidden parts and all the guts that spill out when we’re faced with tragedy, adversity, or a broken heart.” 

LISTEN: “LITTLE DEATH”  

LISTEN: “TO MAKE IT REAL”  

The Darkness Dressed In Colored Lights was forged in the fires of self-discovery and acceptance and is the result of work Rowe’s been doing to build a fitter, happier version of himself. He credits therapy and a guided ayahuasca retreat with helping him to reach this understanding. Over the course of an intense weekend, he had experiences that stripped away his anger and defenses and brought him to a place of intense beauty and peace--he realized we create the heaven and the hell that swirls in our heads, and we have to choose in which of those dimensions we want to reside. This album is ripe with both. 

Through its 11 gut-punching tracks, Rowe tackles everything from losing oneself in the despair of heartache to rising from the ashes—the paradox between what once was and what now is, and sometimes being lost in the in-between. His powerful baritone spans the gamut of emotions - and on this record, he makes it clear that at some point it’s hard not to feel them all at once. Every song cuts right to the quick.   

Rowe has also spent years in the woods exploring, foraging, and obsessively learning all that he could about the natural world around him. Through his web series, Can I Eat This?, he’s found a means of indulging two of his great passions: music and nature. In each of the episodes of Can I Eat This?, Sean goes on a foraging mission for all manner of wild foods and uses the harvest to prepare some tasty creation. To check out Can I Eat This?  visit Sean's YouTube Channel 

The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights will be released on CD and double-vinyl, as well as available on all streaming services on October 8th.  Click HERE to pre-order. 

TOUR DATES:  

9/22 - 9/25: Nashville, TN | AMERICANAFEST (Official Showcase) 
9/30: Portsmouth, NH | The Press Room 
10/1: Portland, ME | Sun Tiki Studios 
10/2: Cambridge, MA | Club Passim 
10.20: Vienna, VA | Jammin Java 
10/24: Norfolk, VA | North Shore Point House Concerts 
11/3 & 11/4: Brooklyn, NY | Union Pool 
11/5: Kennett Square, PA | Kennett Flash 
11/6: Rochester, NY | Abilene 
11/19: Northampton, MA | The Parlor Room 
11/20: Egremont, MA | Egremont Barn 

ANGUS GILL UNVEILS NEW DUET WITH JIM LAUDERDALE “WHITTLING AWAY” VIA BLUEGRASS TODAY

NEW LP THE SCRAPBOOK OUT ON SEPTEMBER 24TH

LISTEN // WATCH: “WHITTLING AWAY”   

Today, ARIA and three-time Golden Guitar nominee Angus Gill released “Whittling Away,” a duet written and performed with the legendary Jim Lauderdale, that highlights the resilience and strength people are displaying in the midst of these trying times. The track appears on Gill’s forthcoming LP The Scrapbook, due out September 24th via Rivershack Records/MGM.  

“Despite growing up far from bluegrass music’s native home, he says that the sound has called to him since he was a child,” said Bluegrass Today of Gill, who hails from New South Wales, Australia. Gill told Bluegrass Today that “Whittling Away” was initially inspired by the heroic struggles his mom went through getting her mother into a nursing home, and it actually served as the catalyst for entire full album, 

“I have always wanted to record a bluegrass album with players that are incredibly passionate about the genre, and know it like the bow of their fiddle or the metal picks on the tops of their fingers…people that have bluegrass in their blood,” Gill told Bluegrass Today.  

“I had half a dozen bluegrass songs that I had written from several years ago that I restructured or altered for this project. I wrote a few new ones and then we had all of the songs for a new record. I called up Tim (Crouch) and asked him if he would play and co-produce the album with me, and we brought Randy (Kohrs), Clay (Hess), and Tony (Wray) onto the project and recorded it all remotely at the start of 2021,” he added. “It’s pretty cool because it sounds like we were all playing in the same room, despite being over 15,000 kms away.”  

“Angus is one of the most creative and talented people I’ve ever worked with,” said Lauderdale of the collaboration. “It was an honor to get to write with and sing with him. I hope we can do much more down the road!” “Whittling Away” follows the release of album single “Always On The Run.” 

LISTEN: “ALWAYS ON THE RUN” 

Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Scrapbook features Gill backed by a stellar lineup of Grammy winning musicians, and affords him the chance to show a different side to his well-honed songwriting and musicianship. Along with his duet with Lauderdale, Gill also recorded a duet with bluegrass icon Jerry Salley which appears on The Scrapbook.  

Previously, Gill has supported country music superstar Kris Kristofferson and collaborated with music legends including Steve Earle, Adam Harvey, James Blundell, Gina Jeffreys, Diesel, and many more. Gill is one of the youngest Australians ever to have performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he shared the stage with Charles Esten, who is also featured on the album. Pre-save and pre-order The Scrapbook HERE.              

TRACK LISTING  

Always on the Run (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)  

Samson (Angus Gill/Bill DiLuigi/Kirsti Manna)  

Whittling Away featuring Jim Lauderdale (Angus Gill/Jim Lauderdale)  

Caught Between a Rock and a Heartache (Angus Gill/Rivers Rutherford)  

Feet of Clay (Angus Gill/Charles Esten)  

Let’s Have a Drink (To Not Drinking Again) featuring Jerry Salley (Angus Gill/Jerry Salley/Bill 

Whyte/Aaron Wilburn)  

The Scrapbook (Angus Gill/Bill Whyte)  

Put ‘Er There (Angus Gill/Gary Burr)  

Still Missing (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)  

Heartquake (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)  

Forget Me Not (Angus Gill/Bill DiLuigi/Kirsti Manna)