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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NUN”:  LISTEN // WATCH

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

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

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

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

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

KEEP UP WITH TOMI

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

TOUR DATES

11/1  Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA, US

11/2  Constellation Room  Santa Ana, CA **

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

11/4  The Venice West Venice, CA **

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

11/7  Felton Music Hall Felton, CA **

11/8  Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento, CA **

11/9  Volcanic Theatre Pub Bend, OR **

11/11  Star Theater Portland, OR **

11/12  The Vera Project Seattle, WA **

** w/ Crane Wives

SINGER-SONGWRITER ARIELLE SILVER’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

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
    

ISAAC WATTERS CONTEMPLATES LONELINESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND THE SEA ON NEW SINGLE “MY HEART IS AN OCEAN” VIA hi-res records

FORTHCOMING EXTENDED PLAY 002 TO BE RELEASED AUGUST 30TH

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The result is a collection of songs (with more to come) that reflect different shadows of Watters’ LA life, but also process fears and anxieties about the natural world, climate change, and apocalypse that’s very much “in the air” for the artist.” Glide Magazine
Watters has the ability to connect on a higher level, and his work signifies his sincere way with words, his adeptness at creating moments of innocence, and the way his music reverberates. All of this while at the same time not being raucous.” - The Review Geek

“My Heart is an Ocean”: LISTEN

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today LA based multi-disciplinary artist and songwriter Isaac Watters has released his latest single “My Heart is an Ocean,” the third offering from his forthcoming release Extended Play 002, out August 30th via hi-res records

There’s a stunning spaciousness to Watters’ sound across the single- full but never crowded, and ample space for the humanity in his voice and songwriting to shine through. Watters finds loneliness in the vastness of the ocean, always connecting the natural world to his internal compass, overtop of gentle acoustic strumming and dynamic synth sonics. “It’s a lonely place and there’s a lot of trash floating / I wish I was floating back into your arms,” he sings, equally pensive and forlorn.  Watters describes “My Heart is an Ocean” as a love song, “but not just romantically, it’s about a longing to understand and be understood.”

A howling post-chorus caps off a captivating echoing chorus from Watters, a rallying call for connectivity and understanding in a sea of isolation. “They say the Earth’s oceans are mostly getting warmer / that the ice is melting and I know it’s true,” sings Watters, tapping into the changing climate in this extended metaphor. “Maybe someday soon, maybe sooner than later / the whole world will be ocean, and you’ll be lonesome too.”

Watters’ knack for evoking deeply personal emotions by using nature and his surroundings as an extended metaphor is what separates him from other songwriters in this day and age. There’s a constant conversation happening between the self and the surrounding environment, and the way the two shape each other has always been at the forefront of his storytelling.

“My Heart is an Ocean,” follows previous singles including the stunning “All I Need” and haunting “Coconut in the Street,” both to be included in Extended Play 002. His second release through Los Angeles based label hi-res records, the EP captures Watters’ singular voice and widescreen vision to songwriting, which is further supported by the warmth of the labels analog-recording approach.

Watters will be performing in Los Angeles at Gold-Diggers on July 28th with Clara-Nova, with more performances slated throughout the summer.

Photo by Robbie Jeffers

KEEP UP WITH ISAAC WATTERS

PRESS MATERIALS | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

ISAAC WATTERS TRAVERSES THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES IN ETHEREAL SINGLE “COCONUT IN THE STREET” VIA hi-res records

FORTHCOMING EXTENDED PLAY 002 TO BE RELEASED AUGUST 30TH

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

“Isaac Watters, too, poignantly connects with his past on the typically immersive “Child in the Rain,” - Buzzbands LA

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

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

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

“The result is a collection of songs (with more to come) that reflect different shadows of Watters’ LA life, but also process fears and anxieties about the natural world, climate change, and apocalypse that’s very much “in the air” for the artist.” Glide Magazine
”Watters has the ability to connect on a higher level, and his work signifies his sincere way with words, his adeptness at creating moments of innocence, and the way his music reverberates. All of this while at the same time not being raucous.” - The Review Geek

“Coconut In The Street”: LISTEN

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today LA based artist and storyteller Isaac Watters has released the ethereal “Coconut In The Street,” his latest single and second offering from his forthcoming release Extended Play 002, out August 30th via hi-res records. A stunning and haunting single that presents a number of harrowing vignettes while traversing the streets of Los Angeles, “Coconut In The Street” examines the ever-growing chasm between wealth and poverty in the city, and the potential tragic ends that await all sides of this divide. 

Watters’ signature setting-based storytelling narrative thrives on the scenes he paints from roaming nighttime crosswalks, traveling LA’s most recognizable arteries, and passing its disenfranchised inhabitants. A steady, contemplative acoustic strum accompanied by shimmering, delayed-out synth sonics set the pace for this uncanny nighttime walk as Watters reflects on his place throughout it all. “We’re all going to the corner bar / see you in the morning if I don’t make it that far / either way it’s been a real good time / tired of trying to bring it back.” As the song progresses, a chilling call-and-response from Watters solidifies the songs’ identity in the sidewalk, filling the space within the cracks.

Anyone who has spent time in the city will recognize the scenes that Watters sees at night, as well as the contrasts between the haves and have-nots in a shadowed cityscape. A group of friends on their way to the next bar while passing a homeless man sleeping on the street, a man trying to sell mangoes from a plastic bag on the intersection in 110 degree heat, an addict who wanders to the edge of the freeway, a construction worker who removes his harness and helmet and leaps from the newest luxury highrise. 

“These are all scenes I was thinking about while writing “Coconut In The Street,” says Watters. “But really it's just a song about being out in Los Angeles at night. Roaming the streets with your friends, or trying to find someone to be your friend. All these images are things that happen in LA. I think it's something about the compression of wealth and poverty, facelessness and celebrity. It drives people to the extremes.”  

It’s true that the city attracts hopeful dreamers hellbent on dreams of grandeur, but Watters’ ability to hold a mirror to Los Angeles’ less examined subjects that live in the shadows is what separates him from other LA based artists and songwriters, and carves a place in a storied tradition of deeply moving, meaningful songwriting.

“Double back flip of the new glass tower downtown / Is that you they found? Is that your enemy? / Is that the friend you always meant to be,” sings Watters, a reminder of the stakes facing the city’s vulnerable.

“Coconut In The Street” joins previous single “All I Need” as the first two offerings from Extended Play 002, his second release via Los Angeles based label hi-res records. Watters found a partnership in the label, and in producer/engineer Matt Linesch, whose analog-first approach to recording and production perfectly encapsulates and supports the warmth of Watters’ artistic vision and songwriting approach. 

Watters will be performing in Los Angeles at Gold-Diggers on July 28th, with more performances slated throughout the summer.

Photo by Robbie Jeffers

KEEP UP WITH ISAAC WATTERS

PRESS MATERIALS | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

THUNDERSTORM ARTIS PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “SURPRISE” VIA PEOPLE MAGAZINE

Photo credit: Casi Yost

LISTEN: “SURPRISE” 

Portland-based, Oahu-bred, singer-songwriter Thunderstorm Artis has released a new single, “Surprise.” “Thunderstorm Artis hasn’t always been a fan of love,” said PEOPLE in the song’s premiere. “Growing up, the Hawaii native watched as the people around him entered relationships for the wrong reasons, often resulting in a whole bunch of heartbreak. And through the years, Artis had begun to consider the idea of love as just a big waste of time.” “I didn't feel the need to open myself up emotionally to someone because I was so afraid of being hurt," Artis told PEOPLE. "And I just didn't want to date anyone, you know? Unless I thought I was going to get married, I didn't see the need for it."

But then, he met his soulmate, and four months later, they were married." My wife Faith first came into my life right when I had just done my blind audition for The Voice," he said. "We met randomly at a concert. At the time, I didn't think that true love really existed. And to my surprise, she came into my life and tore down a lot of these walls." “Surprise,” which Artis wrote in Nashville with Gabe Simon and Elsa Curran, was inspired by their “crazy, insane” love story.

Artis, the second runner-up on season 18 of The Voice, is known for making music that strengthens the heart and awakens the soul. “Surprise” follows the release of “Stronger,” a powerful track featured prominently in a recent episode of "Grey's Anatomy." In the last year, he’s toured with Jack Johnson, Train, and Jewel, and was recently added to the BottleRock 2023 lineup. 

LISTEN: “STRONGER” 

Born into an exceptionally musical family—his father Ron was a Motown session player, while his mother Victoria toured as a backup singer for the likes of Lena Horne—Artis grew up in Oahu and started playing drums at age nine, later taking up piano, guitar, and harmonica. Although he’d dabbled in songwriting throughout his childhood, he found a whole new sense of artistic purpose after using music to cope with the sudden death of his father. Raised on everything from jazz to country to classic soul singers like Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, he immersed himself in sharpening his songcraft and soon began touring extensively with his older brother, acclaimed singer/songwriter Ron Artis II.

In bringing his latest output to life, Artis worked in Los Angeles with producers John Alagia (NEEDTOBREATHE, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) and Jesse Siebenberg (Lissie, Blue Sky Riders) and in Nashville with producer Dan Agee (Jessie James Decker, The Cains). Spotlighting the stunning range of his voice more fully than ever before, each song matches his nuanced reflection with a newly expanded sound. “There’s been a lot of change for me over the last few years,” he says, “and this music is an embodiment of who I am now.”

For Artis, the work of writing such revelatory songs has become its own form of sustenance. “From a very young age, music has been like an anchor for me; I really don’t know where it’d be without it,” he says. “At this point, I don’t go anywhere without my guitar—because if I do, I feel like there’s a part of me that’s missing.” But for all the fulfillment he finds in songwriting, Artis always keeps an eye toward the potential impact on his audience. “I believe that artists have a responsibility to explain what they’re feeling and put it into their art so that others can understand themselves better,” he says. “So even though I hope my songs give people a better sense of who I am as a person, I also hope the music makes them feel stronger and helps them to grow. I hope it shows them how to love one another, and how to love themselves.” 

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ALICE HOWE UNVEILS NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “WHAT ABOUT YOU”

CIRCUMSTANCE LP SET FOR RELEASE APRIL 21

Photo credit: Jim Shea

LISTEN // WATCH “WHAT ABOUT YOU”

Los Angeles-based, Boston-bred, singer-songwriter Alice Howe has released “What About You,” the lead single and video from her forthcoming LP, Circumstance, set for release on April 21st.“ The biggest rock and roll song on the new album is What About You, with Howe’s country-soaked vocals providing a nice contrast to the driving instrumental,” said Twangville in their premiere. “It’s a nod to everyone’s deep desire to find not just a lover, but a best friend and soulmate, or as Howe says, ‘a soul connection.’ Lest you think it’s some angst-ridden anthem, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Howe keeps it playful with references from sharing a Sunday afternoon soundtrack to a lifestyle escape.”

“As you can see from the music video, ‘What About You’ has really brought out my playful side. To me, it feels like a '70s Linda Ronstadt track with a Chuck Berry guitar solo, but the lyrics have a profound message,” says Howe. “It's a song about finding a love that goes way beyond the superficial. Ultimately, it's about believing that that person is out there, looking for you and that you deserve nothing less than to find them.”

Recorded in two sessions at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where Etta James and Wilson Pickett once shook the walls, Circumstance channels their spirits with 11 stirring tracks that pull no punches diving into the vagaries of the heart and her own personal journey. As an old soul inside a 30-something millennial, Howe puts her stamp on Americana’s venerable strands with 10 standout originals evoking both the classic singer-songwriters and the seminal music that once filled airwaves, roadhouses, and juke joints.

“There is so much history there, and I did feel like there was a certain amount of pressure to deliver and be a singer,” Howe recalls of FAME Studios. “I’m in this room with Aretha Franklin and Etta James looking down on me, and it’s like that Mona Lisa thing where the eyes follow you around the room and you’re like: ‘Hi, ladies!’ Those are singers with a capital S.”

Circumstance, produced and arranged by Howe’s creative partner, Freebo, a veteran bass player and former Bonnie Raitt band member, displays her vocal prowess and introspective writing in abundance, mining both her heart and her musical tastes for a deep, personal journey across an Americana soundscape dotted with blues, folk, country, soul, and rock.

Opener “You’ve Been Away So Long,” leads with a resolution to make peace with the turmoil of the past. From there, the journey kicks into high gear with “Somebody’s New Lover Now,” its chiming guitar and Hammond B3 organ creating a perfect fusion of modern country and soul. “Love Has No Rules” features catchy opening guitar hooks, while “With You By My Side,” a serious groove with tight horns and smooth background singers that could have come from FAME’s R&B archives, soars even higher.

But there’s also quieter energy that burns just as brightly. “Let Go” calls forth pensive guitar and lilting piano to tell a tale of healing, while the atmospheric “Something Calls to Me” evokes a mist-filled bayou night and “Travelin’ Soul” serves a shot of country blues straight up. The final track, “It’s How You Hold Me,” written by Dayna Kurtz, beautifully showcases the power and range of Howe’s rich, emotive vocals.

The album is a personal, soulful nod to her influences and the music she loves, all of it sung old-school without auto-tuning. In spirit, it draws from admired singers – Alison Krauss or the 1970s Laurel Canyon circle— but its soul is pure Alice Howe.

Circumstance is available for pre-order at music.alicehowe.com/circumstance. Be sure to follow Alice Howe at the links below for all the latest news and updates.

Circumstance Track List

You’ve Been Away So Long

Somebody’s New Lover Now

Let Go

Love Has No Rules

Things I’m Not Saying

What About You

Something Calls To Me

With You By My Side

Line By Line

Traveling Soul

It’s How You Hold Me

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FRANCES LUKE ACCORD RELEASES NEW SINGLE “SAINT MARY”

SAFE IN SOUND LP DUE OUT FEBRUARY 9TH VIA TWO-DALE RECORDS/TONE TREE MUSIC

Photo: Luke Jackson

LISTEN: “SAINT MARY”

Indie folk duo Frances Luke Accord (“FLA”) has unveiled “Saint Mary,” the latest from the latest harmony-laden track from Safe In Sound, their gorgeous LP out on February 9th via Two-Dale Records/Tone Tree Music.

The song was inspired by a cycling accident that nearly cost co-founder Nicholas Gunty his life, an experience that made him reflect on the fragility of being human:

It took time
To recoup what was taken Self in remaking Rethink this life
In my head oh
In our only life cycle
In the blink of an eye I was left

The whole world was ending But also rebirth
And also pretending Knowing what life is worth

“Saint Mary” follows album tracks “Window” and “In My Life,” a hopeful ballad and vocal tour de force reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel and Peter, Paul, & Mary which features FLA’s mentors and brethren, Darlingside. The band has recently released three other tracks from the album, “This Morning (ft. Liz Chidester),” and “Friend You’ve Been.”

LISTEN: “WINDOW”

LISTEN // WATCH: “IN MY LIFE (ft. Darlingside)”

LISTEN: “FRIEND YOU’VE BEEN”

LISTEN: “THIS MORNING”

When FLA’s Nicholas Gunty and Brian Powers put their songs and voices together, there is a delicate magic that commands the room to attention–NPR’s Mountain Stage has called them “the definition of lean-in music.” Their soft, contemplative vintage of indie-folk gestures toward a timelessness that honors the Simon & Garfunkel comparisons but pushes beyond into the world of Bon Iver, Jose Gonzalez, and progressive folk music.

Both raised in South Bend, Indiana, Gunty and Powers met and began performing together during their time at the University of Notre Dame. Their first release, Kandote, was a bold intercultural collaboration with the Barefoot Truth Children’s Choir in Uganda, a not-for- profit effort that continues to support the choir to this day.

Relocating to Chicago in 2013, the duo honed their songwriting craft while releasing two more self-produced EPs, laying the groundwork for their breakthrough debut full-length, Fluke, in 2016. This immersive, philosophically rich album set them off on their first national tour, which included support dates with Darlingside, Anaïs Mitchell, and The Ballroom Thieves.

A remote band since 2017, the duo’s DIY ethos has remained strong since Fluke. Still self- managing and producing, the duo has released two more EP’s, Silver & Gold (2019) and Sunnyside (2021)–the latter under their new label, Two-Dale Records–as well as a number of singles. Be sure to follow them at the links below for the latest news and updates.

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ISAAC WATTERS RELEASES “CHILD IN THE RAIN” SINGLE FROM UPCOMING EXTENDED PLAY 001 OUT ON hi-res records JANUARY 17TH

“...unapologetically cerebral.” - Magnet Magazine

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

“Known for cinematic, electro-baked…Watters draws lyrically vivid landscapes to accompany his soundscapes. Often he sketches forlorn places fraught with peril — territory that seems to occupy more acreage these days.” - Buzzbands LA

“The song is reminiscent of the post-rock psychedelic phase of the 80s, with a touch of folk and an impassioned message which almost becomes spoken word poetry.” - Folk n Rock on “Listen to the Wind”

LISTEN TO “CHILD IN THE RAIN”: HERE

Los Angeles artist Isaac Watters has released his latest single “Child In The Rain” today. The song is the third offering from his forthcoming EP, Extended Play 001, out January 17th via Los Angeles-based label hi-res records, and follows previous singles “Listen To The Wind” and “Sadness.”

“When I was a kid in the desert in Arizona, whenever it rained it would rain really hard, the wash would fill up and we'd run down in it and wade out in the water. It was such a rare occurrence to have a river running through our backyard that we really enjoyed it,” says Watters. Now living in LA, he still thinks a lot about water and the desert, and the way that we’ve drastically altered the landscapes, especially in the last 100 years.

“Try driving around your city and think about where the streams used to be, how wide the river would get when it would flood, before we encased it in concrete. We've made this desert into something entirely different, less wild, more controlled,” says Watters. “It feels like we've robbed the landscape of its child-likeness, and dressed it up in a suit to go work in a tall building.”

The start of the song references a thesis project Watters did while studying architecture at the University of Southern California. The thesis proposed an International Museum of Border Conflict at San Diego’s Friendship Park along the US/Mexico border. Friendship Park serves as a meeting point for visitors from both countries to meet, complete with a border fence that separates the park and runs through to the ocean; this irony is not lost on Watters.

“In the last 15 years since my project the US border patrol has replaced what was just a chain link fence that families could meet at and talk through, with two thirty-foot tall walls that are constantly patrolled, as if it is a war zone,” says Watters. “If you get a chance to visit, you can walk down the beach from San Diego, or up from Tijuana, and you'll see a wall rising up in front of you on the continuous coastline. It's the most unnatural thing. Whoever built that wall must have lost their childlike mind.”

LISTEN TO “LISTEN TO THE WIND: HERE

LISTEN TO “SADNESS”: HERE

“This EP is about living in Los Angeles. The dirt and grime and fire and smoke and the perfect light in all of it. After living here now for 20 years, I finally felt like I could make a record about it. It still has the deserts of Arizona and the cities and jungles of Mexico around the edges, but at its heart, it's about Los Angeles,” says Watters. “It's about sitting alone on a desert mesa, seeing a cloud of dust rise up in the distance, and hoping that someone is coming for you. The mesa is your life, and the puff of dust you can barely see is the news you’ve been waiting for. Maybe it's a tiny rain cloud full of your dreams.”

Watters found an incredible creative partner in hi-res records to help bring his vision to life. The label’s focus is on high-quality productions. For Watters’ album, the choice was made to record, mix and master all in analog. It’s an audiophile’s dream, and something that connected with Watters’ creativity.

“Building these songs with the limitation of having only 24 tracks on the tape machine was a challenge, but also a driving element in the creativity of the production,” says producer Matt Linesch. “Working solely on analog tape forces you to commit to your songwriting decisions, requires a high caliber of musicianship to execute the recordings, as well as requiring the skillset to see a production from beginning to end.”

EXTENDED PLAY 001 - OUT JANUARY 17TH

Photo by Peter Brownlee

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“ADDICTED TO MY PHONE” - NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FROM BENBEN OUT NOW

SOLO DEBUT EP ALGORITHMIA EP OUT NOVEMBER 18

VIA GIFTSHOP RECORDS

LISTEN // WATCH: “ADDICTED TO MY PHONE”

Brooklyn-based animator, producer, and self-described “gnome rocker” Ben Wigler, who makes music under his experimental art-rock project moniker BenBen, has unveiled his latest track, “Addicted To My Phone,” along with its deliciously disturbing stop motion video.

“Addicted To My Phone” is the third single from BenBen's solo debut, a seven-song EP Algorithmia. The EP is a disgruntled rainbow rock extravaganza about weeping into the cyber-void of digital culture. “Addicted To My Phone” is about internet addiction and our unnatural attachments to our devices. While the song is lyrically simple, the theme cuts deeply. The song’s mind-blowing video is meant to make us uncomfortable, as the imagery swirls and repeats, its disturbing truth that we are losing ourselves is on full display.

 “Addicted To My Phone” follows “Every Day Is The Same” or (“E.D.I.T.S.”) and its mind-melting video, animated by artist and musician Dima Drjuchin. He is best known for painting the revered album art for Father John Misty's Fear Fun and for his collaborations with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne. The song itself rocks super hard but has an unforgettable zombie-like hook and anesthetized vibe that mimics the dopamine-havoc of internet addiction.

 “E.D.I.T.S.” follows the EP’s first single, title track “Algorithmia,” along with its award-winning AI-generated video. The song's angular riffs and soaring vocals sound like Soundgarden and Queen had a musical baby and then fed it, squealing, directly into the gaping maw of the internet. The video was directed by experimental artist Nate Dorr using AI generative art-making techniques, as the song speaks to how we are increasingly allowing algorithms to make our choices.

LISTEN // WATCH: “EVERY DAY IS THE SAME (ft. DIMA DRJUCHIN)”

LISTEN // WATCH: “ALGORITHMIA”

The “Algorithmia” video premiered in Denver at the Supernova Digital Animation Festival (September 2022), winning “Most Original Music Video” at the Grand Rapids Film Festival (September 2022), was a part of the Boundless Film Festival (October 2022) in London and the HB Film Festival (October 2022) in Glasgow, where it was nominated for Best Music Video.

Wigler helped pioneer 21st-century indie rock with under-the-radar bands Arizona and New Beard, performing live and in the studio with artists like Band of Horses, Samantha Crain, and Indigo Girls. Wigler’s last LP was mixed by legendary Dungen frontman Gustav Ejstes. Best known for an unforgettable high tenor voice and infectious melodies, BenBen crafts riff-driven music with a golden heartbeat–living creatures and invitations to adventure in other worlds.

Be sure to follow BenBen at the links below for all the latest news and updates.

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SPENCER LAJOYE RELEASES NEW SINGLE “BREATHING”

REMEMBER THE OXYGEN EP SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 5TH

Photo by Whitney Wilson & Hannah LaJoye Photography

LISTEN: “BREATHING” 

Boston-based singer/songwriter Spencer LaJoye has released “Breathing,” the new single from their forthcoming EP Remember The Oxygen, set for release on November 5th. "'Breathing' is the story of me learning to breathe my own air again, so to speak," LaJoye explains. "When I remembered to breathe my own oxygen rather than meeting and anticipating everyone else’s needs first, I learned a lot of things (for one: I am not a girl. Oops!). It’s the story of me grabbing my own oxygen mask. I first wrote this song as part of a home-recorded concept album for a Netflix show, The Haunting of Bly Manor. I took on the project during quarantine, simply as a matter of fun, and the whole thing felt like a breath of fresh air," they continue. "This song told me a truth about myself before I even knew it was true. Once I realized that this song I wrote for this just-for-fun concept album was actually about my truest self, I knew it had to be on this first EP under my new truest name." 

“Breathing” follows 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.

LISTEN: “HOUSE FIRES”  

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.”

NASHVILLE DUO HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN RELEASE “CINEMATIC” (-GLIDE MAGAZINE) SINGLE “GHOST TOWNS” ON 8/20 “CHILLING YET ANGELIC” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

NASHVILLE DUO HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN RELEASE “CINEMATIC” (-GLIDE MAGAZINE)

SINGLE “GHOST TOWNS” ON 8/20 

“CHILLING YET ANGELIC” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

Photo Credit: Caroline Voisine

“GHOST TOWNS” ||  SPOTIFY

 Nashville duo Haunted Like Human - Cody Clark (multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter) and Dale Chapman (lead singer, lyricist) – release their new single “Ghost Towns” today. 

The second single from the forthcoming Tall Tales & Fables, considers what happens to a place that needs to be left behind.

“… the cinematic “Ghost Towns,” combines a Damien Rice-like heartfelt basket of musical nuances atop an atmospheric gleam.” – Glide Magazine

“[‘Ghost Towns’] resembles the wisdom a grey sparrow might sing you after it lands on a fence from a long flight north. It offers the song as wisdom as the creature catches its breath before moving on again. ‘How do I set you free when the lost don’t want to be found?’ it might whistle. ‘There’s nothing left here for you now.’” – American Songwriter

 Tall Tales & Fables available October 15, delves deeper into inspired songwriting, sparse arrangements, and, naturally, the frisson-inducing harmonies that marked their previous two releases. Despite the album’s title, these songs are honest, above all else. Real, tender, messy honesty.

“We put a ton of emphasis on storytelling in each of our songs. We tell our own stories, we tell other people’s stories, we tell stories that we’ve seen from touring,” says Cody Clark.

The first single “Stay,” released last month, is a “stirring acoustic number puts mental health at the forefront, as they ride ravaged waters with grace and ease, alongside a peaceful melody of guitar and strings complementing their haunting, yet serene harmonies.” -AudioFemme

ABOUT HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN:

Hoping to find collaborators who were serious about music, Clark drove from Oregon to Nashville in 2017. Within a couple days, he met Chapman at a coffee shop. She deduced that he was a lost tourist and struck up a conversation, leading to a cowriting session. Next thing they knew, Clark had relocated to Nashville and they were making their first album, Ghost Stories.  On the heels of that, they offered up their Folklore EP, featuring standout single “Feels Like Fire.” While that EP sought to channel the minimalist, intimate spirit of their live shows, Tall Tales & Fables is the next step in their maturation. Polished but not shiny, the album benefits from Mitch Dane’s production. Together with skilled string players, the album developed its own life while staying true to Clark and Chapman’s partnership, one built on literal and metaphorical voices.

Tall Tales & Fables will be self-released on October 15, 2021.

“STAY” OUT NOW || SPOTIFY || LISTEN

“GHOST TOWNS” ||  SPOTIFY || LISTEN

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KAREN JONAS PREMIERES REIMAGINED DON HENLEY CLASSIC “THE BOYS OF SUMMER” VIA THE BOOT

KAREN JONAS PREMIERES REIMAGINED DON HENLEY CLASSIC “THE BOYS OF SUMMER” 

 VIA THE BOOT 

  NEW EP SUMMER SONGS   

AND  

ACCOMPANYING BOOK OF ORIGINAL POETRY GUMBALLS 

SET FOR RELEASE ON AUGUST 20TH 

Any listener of Karen Jonas’ music will recognize the trademarks of her fearless talent in this beautiful, gutting collection of poetry. Karen Jonas is already acknowledged as a master songwriter and storyteller, but in these unflinching, often wryly funny poems, the narratives of love, heartbreak, and the daily grind of being alive are unmisted by noise, audience, and stage. — Erika Carter, author of Lucky You,  NPR Best Book of 2017 and official Book of the Month Club selection 

This is what you get when a kickass woman writes poetry--you get dirty, wet, delicious, dark, relatable worlds full of wonder, light, rage, and revelation. - Susie Moloney, award-winning screenwriter and author of A Dry Spell 

LISTEN // WATCH: “THE BOYS OF SUMMER” 

Today, award-winning artist Karen Jonas has released her take on Don Henley’s classic song “The Boys Of Summer.” The single appears on Summer Songs, a new four-track EP set for release on August 20th, along with Gumballs, a book of original poetry. “On her forthcoming EP, singer-songwriter Karen Jonas leans into the song's ability to take listeners back in time with her own version,” said The Boot in the premiere. “There's a bit more pedal steel in Jonas' cover than in the original, and particularly in the chorus, the artist uses her voice to tweak the familiar melody here and there to add something new to it.”  

“The Boys Of Summer” follows the release of “Summer’s Hard For Love,” which Glide Magazine said was, “A rainy day whirl of jazzy melodies and crafty songwriting,” adding, “Jonas sings with a warm vibrato that makes like a mix between Lana Del Rey and Cowboy Junkies, evolving into an unforeseen summer go-to song.” 

LISTEN: “SUMMER’S HARD FOR LOVE”  

"Somewhere along the way, I got tough because I had to," Jonas told The Boot. "Balancing my complexity as a human with my roles as a touring singer-songwriter and a mother of four has been amazing, but challenging and consuming. Things are easier when you’re tough: You can weather more storms and move farther faster. But, to find that place and still be vulnerable, raw and genuine — that’s the artist’s dream. So, I took it on,” she added. “I assessed the state of who I am and where I’ve been, and why, with as much clarity as I could. Over the course of a raw week in January, I wrote frantically. I didn’t worry about what my kids or my mother or you would think, I just wrote.” 

Jonas amassed over 60 poems, vignettes of hard scenes from her life, and realized she had written a book, covering everything from divorce to religion to dating to spiders; this vastly personal autobiographical collection of poems allowed her to find a more vulnerable place to embrace these gems from her old songwriting notebooks.  

“I began to hear flashes of these songs as I was writing my poetry collection, songs I started writing years ago. I reconnected with them and spent a lot of time reprocessing and editing,” she adds. “I was able to update them to my current songwriting sensibilities while maintaining the sweet vulnerability of the inspiration for these summer-themed tunes.” The result is Summer Songs, three heartfelt originals and a show-stopping cover of “The Boys of Summer.” 

Through swooping pedal steel and bluesy guitar, lush harmonies and beautifully-crafted lyricism, Jonas paints a vibrant sonic portrait with stories to which we can all relate—tales of love and loss, and of hope and reclamation. Jonas’ writing harkens back to her songcrafting heroes Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, with a sonic nod to modern greats like Gillian Welch and Jason Isbell. Her investment in artistic excellence continues to pay off with her upcoming release Summer Songs. 

TOUR DATES: 

Aug 20 - WTJU In-Studio - Charlottesville, VA 

Aug 21 - Strangeways Brewing - Fredericksburg, VA 

Aug 28 - Brambly Park - Richmond, VA 

Aug 29 - Pie Shop - Washington, DC 

MELISSA CARPER RELEASES NEW SINGLE “I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU” & VIDEO PREMIERES VIA WESTERN AF

MELISSA CARPER RELEASES NEW SINGLE 

“I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU”

VIDEO PREMIERES VIA WESTERN AF

 NEW LP DADDY’S COUNTRY GOLD OUT ON MARCH 19

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

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

Captivating and authentic vintage country - Glide Magazine

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

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

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

Photo: Aisha Golliher

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

Singer/songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper has released her latest single “I Almost Forgot About You,” a track from her forthcoming album Daddy’s Country Gold, set for release on March 19th. 

“The idea for 'I Almost Forgot About You' came from a weekend in which I had a very good time and had managed to forget about a love interest that I had been obsessing about,” Carper explains of the song. "When I got back home that phrase came to me, 'I Almost Forgot About You' and I realized I had a song there.  I just kind of tied in the various lost loves of my life to come up with the rest.  It came to me that way and in fact this entire song had a nice easy flow with the way it all came.  I like it when that happens, feels like you are getting help from the universe.”  “I Almost Forgot About You” follows lead single “Makin’ Memories.”

 WATCH // LISTEN: “MAKIN’ MEMORIES”

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

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

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

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

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

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NATALIE SCHLABS PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “HOME IS YOU” & ANNOUNCES NEW LP "DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE" SET FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 16TH

PHOTO: FAIRLIGHT HUBBARD

Singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs has announced her forthcoming album Don’t Look Too Close,  due out October 16th, with the release of lead single “Home Is You.” The song was co-written with Bekah Ham and features backing vocals from Katie Herzig. “Romantic, timeless love songs are great, but what about other kinds of love? Best friends, childhood neighbors, brothers and sisters, a mentor and mentee, family. This is just the kind of angle singer-songwriter Natalie Schlabs poses in many of her songs, including her latest, “Home Is You,” said American Songwriter in its premiere of the track, inspired by that person who is your “person.” “Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it, that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship.” “Home Is You”

LISTEN: “HOME IS YOU”

The nine tracks that comprise Don’t Look Too Close, the second full-length effort from the Texas-bred Nashville-based artist, live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships. The songs were written when Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which caused a lot of reflection on her own upbringing and how she wanted to raise him. The album’s title came from the idea that "he’s going to see all the worst of me, be hurt by the worst of me, as much as I don’t want him to, and, as much as I want to be the best for him. I was thinking about how to raise a child, how to pass down values. There’s a dismantling of what I thought I knew,” she explains. “What do I value in my life and where did those things come from? What do I want to share with my children and what do I want to spare them from?” 

The tracks on Don’t Look Too Close traverse the spectrum of feelings that tend to coincide with love, from bittersweet consideration of “the wilderness caused by depression or illness” in “See What I See,” to the haunting gentleness of “Ophelia,” written for a friend who lost her daughter. The title track addresses the everyday aches and pains people tend to hide from loved ones, and reflects on love’s blindness, how “sometimes the ones you love will never know how much you love them.” The album as a whole represents a place, a time, and a pocket of feelings that are as distinctly human as they are beautiful. “Growing up surrounded by family in the flatlands, there’s not a whole lot going on outside of the people. The climate is extreme, and isolation binds you to the people around you. Everyone’s in each other’s business, and you learn that love can go in many directions. Sometimes it’s about solidarity and sacrifice, sometimes it’s obsessive or painful,” Schlabs says. “This record is about navigating those feelings within our closest relationships.”

Don’t Look Too Close steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and Joshua Rogers on bass, the album swells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies.

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MATT LOVELL PREMIERES WES ANDERSON-INSPIRED NEW VIDEO “ALLIGATOR LILLY”

PHOTO: JASON LEE DENTON

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Matt Lovell has unleashed “Alligator Lilly,” a sultry juxtaposition of beauty and danger, an allegory of lost innocence, and the newest single and video from his debut album, Nobody Cries Today, out on June 5th. 

WATCH: “ALLIGATOR LILLY”

“Need some escapism? With his magnificent new video, Matt Lovell has you covered,” said PopDust in its premiere. “Inspired by Wes Anderson films and the ominous allure of Florida beaches, it's full of eye-candy visuals and striking, hypnotic imagery,” notes PopDust. “Sonically, the arrangement is soulful and simple but laden with teasing moments of dreamy synths that briefly open up the track to a more psychedelic plane. Thematically, the song explores the dichotomy between innocence and danger that defines so much of youth. The product was a joyful and exuberant single, a celebration of seduction and freedom, both spiritual and physical. In the days of social distancing, it feels like a time capsule of a former era, when we could just touch each other without risk—a time that will certainly come again, but that seems far away.” "Someone once told me that they couldn't tell if this song was really innocent or really risqué. And that's exactly what 'Alligator' has been from the moment we sat down to write it," Lovell said.

LISTEN: “ALLIGATOR LILLY”

Written with friends Mandy Cook and Tim Jackson, the song was inspired by a lake near the Gulf of Mexico in Florida's panhandle. "One day we were driving along the coast and passed a lake covered in lily pads—so many of them that you could hardly see the water," Lovell told PopDust. "When we noticed the lake was called Alligator Lake, we laughed about what a strange juxtaposition of danger and beauty this was. I started singing the opening lines 'Alligator Lilly, twinkle in your eye, tide is rolling in pulled by the moon up in the sky.' Mandy gasped and we were like two kids in that moment." They drove back to Jackson's house and told him they wanted to write a "silly song about lost virginity."

“Alligator Lilly” follows the video for the album’s soulful lead single “90 Proof,” which premiered via American Songwriter, written during attempts to let go of a relationship that had ended. “Just one listen to Lovell’s voice as he delivers assertive but smooth blue eyed-soul during the song’s conflicted refrain (‘I got 90 proof / that I ain’t over you’) and that’s all the authentic connection the song needs,” said American Songwriter. “Lovell knows how to tap into a part of himself that can bring the emotions of ’90 Proof’ to the surface and doing so is all the more honorable, knowing the story he’s trying to tell, isn’t a made up screenplay; it’s one man being willing to revisit challenging parts of his life and do so with performative solemnity and grace.”

WATCH: “90 PROOF”

LISTEN: “90 PROOF”

All but one of the album’s songs were recorded in 2016 - just months before  Lovell nearly lost his life. On January 20, 2017, he was shot in the chest by a sixteen-year-old who attempted to steal his car. Miraculously, he lived. “This moment created a new center of gravity and re-ordered my understanding of everything I’ve experienced in this lifetime,” he explains. “Many people who experience acute trauma go through somewhat of a euphoric period immediately after the incident occurs, and this was definitely my experience. The level of peace I felt was something I had never touched before. I wrote profusely, I gardened, I brought new life and vigor to my musical ventures, and I made peace with complicated friendships. More than anything, I found a level of great self-acceptance and this created space for me to begin to learn how to live this life.”  

This era ended with the abrupt onset of PTSD, causing the most difficult time Lovell had ever faced. He began to question everything and struggled to find a way to articulate the horrors he was experiencing.  Now, on the other side of recovery, Lovell is excited to sing these songs again for anyone who will listen. “In these years of writing and recording, I have gathered quite a wild palette of paints,” he says. “In a way, Nobody Cries Today has actually been my teacher.  As I have written these songs, each of them has been like a tiny rowboat to get me from one day to the next. They have witnessed me in the years that I was in the throes of trying to find acceptance for myself and for the world I’m living in.  As a gay man of Southern origin, this proved to be a tall order. These songs have also helped me to explore things like zest for life, discontent, hunger, truth, and hope,” he continues. “Nobody Cries Today contains every bit of earnestness, desire, and love that I have to give. 

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SLOW DAKOTA EXAMINES THE FUTURE USING FOLKLORE AND LEGAL PROWESS ON "COMING TO THE NUISANCE" SINGLE

LISTEN TO “COMING TO THE NUISANCE” : HERE 

“ In contrast with the space-y, almost post-rock sound of the song, Sauerteig’s vocals have a certain early 00s indie feel to them, think Ben Gibbard as a reference point.” - MXDWN 

Slow Dakota the project from Chicago (by way of  New York and Indiana)  based songwriter and label owner Paul Sauerteig has released, “Coming to the Nuisance,”  the second single off his upcoming album Tornado Mass for Voice & Synthesizer due out May 1 on Massif Records.

Slow Dakota mastermind Paul Sauerteig, who is a practicing lawyer,  was in law school while writing this album was naturally super inspired by his surroundings....the law. “Coming to the Nuisance” is an old legal maxim that means,  if you know someone is loud and obnoxious and messy, you can’t move in next door and then sue them for being a loud and obnoxious and messy neighbor. You’ve “come” to the nuisance, and that’s your fault because you knew better.   “A song I wrote years ago, and a release date planned months ago – it’s a strange coincidence to release ‘Coming to the Nuisance’ right now, in our current and collective state of crisis,” Sauerteig told MXDWN . “After all, the song is about trying to prepare for a looming, mass disaster. Battening down the hatches. I had global warming in mind, but COVID-19 has stolen the show, I suppose. The song’s narrator is preparing for a disaster that he knows is coming, but no one around him takes it seriously – not even friends and neighbors. I had Noah in mind, from the old story of Noah’s Arc. He was shrugged off by his community, and no one wanted to wrap their heads around the “flood” he was warning them about. I think a lot of people feel like Noah today, for a lot of different reasons, in the bated breath before a lot of different floods.”

The name Slow Dakota comes from Sauerteig's great grandfather who spent final years in and out of hospitals and the occasional psychiatric institute. As his mental health started to deteriorate he began writing letters to The President of the United States, and would always sign them “Yours, Slow Dakota.," although having no relation to North or South Dakota.  During one family visit to the hospital when Sauerteig was only 5 or 6,  his great grandfather slipped him one of these letters and asked him to deliver it. The letter was addressed to President Lincoln. So,  years later, when Sauerteig began releasing music, Slow Dakota felt like an appropriate pen name. Long letters to no one. 

Sauerteig’s music is known for blending baroque pop, folk, classical, and electronic influences like Vangelis and Sufjan Stevens. Sauerteig often employs "spoken word" interludes, and his lyrics fixate on myth, rural folklore, and fairy tale. In 2016, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Sauerteig began releasing music as Slow Dakota from his Columbia University dorm room in 2012. As an undergraduate, Sauerteig pursued Creative Writing and Psychology, and quietly released his first few albums: Our Indian Boy (2012), Bürstner and the Baby (2013), and The Junior EP (2015). While at Columbia, Sauerteig also founded a small record label, Massif Records, to release his own music, and the music of close friends – including the lovely Margaux. Sauerteig spent two years recording in various cities and tapped longtime producer, Sahil Ansari, and legendary mastering engineer, Greg Calbi for Tornado for Voice and Synthesizer. The album, which will be the fourth Slow Dakota full-length album, will be released on Sauerteig’s own label  Massif Records this spring. 

PR MATERIALS: http://smarturl.it/SlowDakotaPR

WEBSITE: http://www.slowdakota.com/

MASSIF RECORDS: http://www.slowdakota.com/massifrecords

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MATT LOVELL RELEASES SINGLE "90 PROOF" & ANNOUNCES DEBUT LP OUT 6/5

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Matt Lovell has announced the upcoming release of his debut album, Nobody Cries Today, out on June 5th. The video for the album’s soulful lead single “90 Proof,” which premiered via American Songwriter, was written during attempts to let go of a relationship that had ended. “I was also broke,” Lovell told American Songwriter. “I was what me and my friends laughingly call a ‘singer-songwaiter’ - employed by an upscale-ish burger restaurant in Nashville’s touristy Gulch neighborhood.” The song came to Lovell while he was working, and he ventured into the bathroom to record it on his phone. “I was in the middle of singing ‘I’ve been trying to lose your number, but my fingers won’t forget’ when one of my customers walked into the restaurant bathroom on me,” he recalled. “They probably still talk about their silly Nashville waiter singing in the bathroom.”

WATCH: “90 PROOF”

“Just one listen to Lovell’s voice as he delivers assertive but smooth blue eyed-soul during the song’s conflicted refrain (‘I got 90 proof / that I ain’t over you’) and that’s all the authentic connection the song needs,” said American Songwriter. “Lovell knows how to tap into a part of himself that can bring the emotions of ’90 Proof’ to the surface and doing so is all the more honorable, knowing the story he’s trying to tell, isn’t a made up screenplay; it’s one man being willing to revisit challenging parts of his life and do so with performative solemnity and grace.”

LISTEN: “90 PROOF”

All but one of the album’s songs were recorded in 2016 - just months before  Lovell nearly lost his life. On January 20, 2017, he was shot in the chest by a sixteen-year-old who attempted to steal his car. Miraculously, he lived. “This moment created a new center of gravity and re-ordered my understanding of everything I’ve experienced in this lifetime,” he explains. “Many people who experience an acute trauma go through somewhat of a euphoric period immediately after the incident occurs, and this was definitely my experience. The level of peace I felt was something I had never touched before. I wrote profusely, I gardened, I brought new life and vigor to my musical ventures, and I made peace with complicated friendships. More than anything, I found a level of great self-acceptance, and this created space for me to begin to learn how to live this life.”  

This era ended with the abrupt onset PTSD, causing the most difficult time Lovell had ever faced. He began to question everything, and struggled to find a way to articulate the horrors he was experiencing.  Now, on the other side of recovery, Lovell is excited to sing these songs again for anyone who will listen. “In these years of writing and recording, I have gathered quite a wild palette of paints,” he says. “In a way, Nobody Cries Today has actually been my teacher.  As I have written these songs, each of them has been like a tiny rowboat to get me from one day to the next. They have witnessed me in the years that I was in the throes of trying to find acceptance for myself and for the world I’m living in.  As a gay man of southern origin, this proved to be a tall order. These songs have also helped me to explore things like zest for life, discontent, hunger, truth, and hope,” he continues. “Nobody Cries Today contains every bit of earnestness, desire, and love that I have to give.”

KEZAR RELEASES “FEELINGS”

Indie pop band Kezar has released their groove-laden third single “Feelings” out everywhere today. “Feelings" was the first song penned for the project. It will always be a milestone for frontman Jack Mosbacher’s life who said "in a few days, we found a new sound, a new attitude and a new chapter in our lives. It’s a song about a woman who is totally in control, from a man’s perspective - she is confident and fearless. As my mother’s son and sister’s brother, I hope that the song is entertaining and fun but also an anthem for empowerment and the unmatchable strength of women."

Previously, they released their incredible debut “(Tell Me) It’s Not Love” followed by “Let’s Talk About You.” Working with producer K-Kov on both tracks (Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake), they managed to create two highly danceable earworms packed with joy and romance. The video for their debut (that has now amassed over 110,000 views), was inspired by the beautiful aesthetic of the classic tale Pride & Prejudice. The track was also added to Spotify’s official Love Pop and Young & Free playlists.

“(Tell Me) It’s Not Love,” [is] an unmistakably radio-ready pop bop. Blending soulful vocals with a dazzling array of modern indie-pop elements, it’s an electric debut destined for major attention. We’re seeing KEZAR in bright lights on famous marquees. We’re hearing his neon anthems on Top 40. We’re thinking he just carved himself a well-deserved spot in the wild world of pop stardom.”  –The Music Mermaid

Seasoned musician Jack Mosbacher is the mastermind behind Kezar. He comes from a strong soul background and the more you listen to each cleverly crafted beat, the more you recognize it as the backbone of his newfound signature pop style. Mosbacher also has a deep admiration and respect for the artists that came before him. Using state-of-the-art synthesizer technology, he and the producers added throwback elements from hip-hop’s glory days, like the big 808 drum machines on Run-DMC and NWA records and stacked backing vocals and bass synths reminiscent of the 2000’s Hyphy Movement – homages to Mac Dre, Mistah F.A.B., Keak da Sneak, and Traxamillion.

“The song is the perfect combination of soul and modern pop” –Affinity Magazine (on “Let’s Talk About You”)

When choosing a name for this project, Mosbacher wanted to stay true to his hometown of San Francisco by naming it after Kezar Stadium in the Haight-Ashbury district. Choosing the original home of the 49ers and a now music venue that played host to music legends such as Led Zeppelin, Santana and The Grateful Dead, seemed like the perfect segway into a new era of his career while staying true to his roots. While soul will always stay the backbone of Kezar’s music, he also draws inspiration from contemporary pop artists like Shawn Mendes, Bruno Mars and Sam Smith.

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