OUT TODAY: IZZY HELTAI RELEASES DEBUT LP FATHER

   IZZY HELTAI RELEASES DEBUT LP FATHER

It’s a slow burn, a nuanced build. Yet, the harmonies create a cascading whisper of beauty - American Songwriter   

Through 10 tracks of honest, contemplative perspective and welcoming songwriting, Father elevates Heltai’s voice to a level of maturity that suits the stories he tells, with every detail complemented by the hearty strum of warm Americana. - WBUR   

Izzy Heltai has a talent for demonstrating nostalgia and incentivizing reflection - The Wild Honey Pie 

Heltai's powerful voice, which at times recalls Jeff Buckley, goes a long way in giving his songs the necessary passion to convey their messages to listeners - Bay Area Reporter   

Heltai’s timbre is Villagers meets Neil Young. He knows that a steady percussion and light guitar are enough to placate, and allow the listener to reminisce...There is an irrefutable cleverness and touching way in which he weaves years of relational trauma and pain into only one stanza. - Atwood Magazine   

Izzy Heltai has the contemporary indie folk vibe nailed down perfectly.  With a song that has both widespread appeal on the pop edge and layers of musicality...one not to be missed - Americana Highways   

The track leans towards lighthearted Americana; 'Songbird' trades the dull moments of tour life for an optimistic view of open highways and spirits as high as Heltai’s vocals at the tail end of the chorus. It’s a tried-and-true take about living on the road that’s nearly too rosy to be real. Nearly. - Vanyaland   

A precocious songwriter developing informed, heartfelt Americana - For Folk’s Sake   

Delivering messages of empathy and accountability to the masses — at a time when they are, perhaps, more important than ever - Underground Music Collective 

Izzy Heltai…is fast becoming one of our most played artists. Determined, striking and lyrically intelligent, this is top stuff - The Yorkshire Times   

There’s an undeniable emotional connection between artist and song…Heltai sings with an emotional maturity that we all need and can all learn from. Empathy, absolution, and acceptance are sought and expected in return - Mother Church Pew   

His writing style straddles the line between the pillars of Americana and the underbelly of gothic folk music. He has the emotional brutality of David Bazan or Simon Joyner and lacks none of their lyrical power - Country Queer  

Photo: Joanna Chattman

LISTEN: FATHER   

Today, Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Izzy Heltai releases his debut full-length LP Father. “The songs on this album were all written between the ages of 19 and 23, a coming-of-age paralleled in the arcs and narratives encompassed by a lot of the tracks on this record. These songs, simply put, reflect my transition from childhood into adulthood,” Heltai explains of the nine-song effort. “Finding myself as an adult has largely been about how the people who have always been there for me can fit into my life in a new way.”   

With brutal honesty towards himself and forgiveness for those around him, Izzy Heltai’s music walks the elusive line between confessional and relatable. On Father, Heltai dives deep into his fascination with human relationships, and specifically the way that those relationships change and reorganize themselves over time. Throughout the record, Heltai braves the exploration of not only interpersonal and societal relationships but also his own relationship to himself; as a trans person, Heltai offers unique insight into the process of becoming and accepting who you’re meant to be. 

“As a transgender person I have always lived in a world where self-affirmation was necessary for my well being,” Heltai told Atwood Magazine in their premiere of the album’s title track and its accompanying video, which features footage of Heltai as a child, carefree and unencumbered by the hardships of the world.   

WATCH : “FATHER”   

 “As a young trans person, I was forced to know myself more than some people ever will. A world that always told me I shouldn’t and couldn’t exist demanded that I have confidence enough in my own identity that I could go out and prove that I knew exactly who I was. Due to my experiences, I was armed with the tools to radically reflect and affirm my identity from a young age. This instilled in me an obsession with knowing myself to the fullest, in any given moment. I am made up of moments. I live in the constant wake of what was,” he continued. “This song is about the people I see myself in. Seeing the roots of where, and who, I come from. The process of sifting through these home videos was a concrete and visual form of processing the amalgamation of all the moments I am made up of.” 

The production is raw and full, with subtle harmonies and guitar lines weaving their way unexpectedly through the mix almost as if they were grown in the song. There is no sign of musical overthought, allowing Heltai’s emotional vocals to shine organically.    

Whether he’s commenting on betrayal and discovering that things aren’t always as they seem (“The Stranger You’ve Become”), lamenting the effects of anxiety and depression on those you love (“Marching Song”), offering insight on the non-glamorous side of a troubadour’s life (“Songbird”), or realizing the world isn’t black and white, but rather a full spectrum of color (“Father”), Heltai approaches life’s questions with maturity and introspection. With his overwhelming empathy for humanity and willingness to search for personal responsibility, Heltai’s Father will not leave your heart or your ears unchanged. 

Father is available for purchase at iTunes, Bandcamp, and Google Play. Be sure to watch Izzy Heltai’s full-band performance on Bandsintown’s The Outskirts series on October 26th at 4pm ET. 

FATHER TRACK LIST:   

TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF 

THE STRANGER YOU’VE BECOME 

MARCHING SONG 

HUMAN 

SONGBIRD 

WHAT YOUR APPETITE 

ANYONE TO ANYBODY 

CATACOMB 

FATHER 

CONNECT WITH IZZY HELTAI: 

Website || Facebook || Instagram ||  Spotify || YouTube 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Announces Hardly Strictly Music Relief Bay Area Funding + Donation Outcome from Let the Music Play On Live Broadcast Fundraising

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Announces 

Hardly Strictly Music Relief Bay Area Funding + 

Donation Outcome from Let the Music Play On 

Live Broadcast Fundraising 

October 7, San Francisco, CA  - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is thrilled to share the outcome of the first fundraising efforts ever associated with the festival.  Let the Music Play On, the broadcast which aired Saturday online and on Circle TV featuring new performances and interviews from over 35 artists, resulted in more than $3 million in relief for the music community in the Bay Area and across the U.S. With the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis ongoing, this funding will meet some of the most immediate and critical needs. 

The three-hour telecast, viewed by over 600,000 fans, raised more than $500,000 for Artist Relief, a coalition of national arts grant-makers who have disbursed over $13 million to artists across the U.S. The money raised during Let the Music Play On, along with the initial $1 million donation Hardly Strictly Bluegrass made to Artist Relief, helps to extend their grant program to musicians through the end of the year. Additionally, sales of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass merchandise have generated $25,000 for the Sweet Relief Rex Roadie Fund to help music crew-members facing economic hardship. 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is also proud to announce the results of its Hardly Strictly Music Relief Fund, which aims to provide a financial lifeline to Bay Area musicians and venues during a time when other resources are scarce. Launched in August, this effort has provided more than $1.6 million to the local community. 

The Fund dedicated $1 million to fifteen venues, all of which have demonstrated a deep commitment to roots music and serve as beloved gathering places in the Bay Area.  Grant recipients are: Ashkenaz, The Back Room, Bottom of the Hill, The Chapel, El Rio, Eli’s Mile High Club, Felton Music Hall, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, The Ivy Room, The Lost Church, Mystic Theatre, The Monkey House, La Peña, Red Poppy Art House, and The Starry Plough. The grants range from $15,000 to $150,000 and will support continued operations during the pandemic, including rent, staff salaries, upgrades related to reopening, and musical performances as each county permits.  

“It is critical to support independent music venues at this time because they remain the heart of our local music ecosystem,” says Frances Hellman, one of the directors of the Hellman Foundation, which works to build equity and opportunity, advance knowledge, and foster health, science, the arts, innovation, and creativity while engaging in strategic public-private partnerships such as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. “Small and mid-size venues like these serve as a critical pipeline for up-and-coming musicians, for staff to learn the business, and also as keepers of our cultural heritage. Every one of these venues holds a special place in their community, and we are glad to be able to pay back their dedication by supporting them now.” 

In addition, Bay Area musicians received over $600,000 through Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ partnership with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and the Center for Cultural Innovation. Three-hundred and thirty financially vulnerable musicians each received $2,000 for their most urgent needs. Outreach prioritized populations that have suffered historically from economic disadvantages, and therefore have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 -  62% of funding recipients are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other communities of color, 25% are immigrants, and 16% are disabled.   

“Participating in this philanthropic partnership has been an opportunity for the Alliance for California Traditional Arts to extend a critical resource to a vital segment of the roots-based artist communities we exist to serve,” says Amy Kitchener, Founding Executive Director, Alliance for California Traditional Arts. “It has also confirmed how vulnerable musicians are at this time.  We recognize how supporting individual roots musicians is essential to buoy cultural communities towards a post-pandemic future.” 

While Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has taken action to fund local establishments, independent music venues across the U.S. face an increasingly dire situation, and continue to struggle through the pandemic with significant overhead and no revenue from concerts. They were the first businesses to close, and will be the last to open, making them one of the sectors hit the hardest by COVID-19, and at the same time federal government relief is not anticipated any time soon. Venues are critical to our local economies as employers, tourist destinations, and revenue generators for neighboring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and retail. NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association, has been championing national solutions by advocating for music venues to be included in any new COVID-19 relief bills passed by Congress.  

“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and its charitable efforts have shown exactly how much communities value the economic and creative contributions of performing arts,” comments Rev. Moose, Executive Director and Co-Founder of NIVA.  “When bands don't have a stage to perform on, it removes the vast majority of their income. Currently artists and the businesses that host them are in dire situations. NIVA members are locally-owned independent venues and promoters that give artists their first chance to perform, and they help them develop their careers. Without support for the artists that perform at independent venues and with promoters, we risk losing a vital and treasured component of Bay Area neighborhoods, something that can't be replicated. NIVA, an organization that preserves and nurtures the ecosystem of independent venues and promoters, realizes that without the artists our entire world would be worse off.” 

 For more information on music relief and how you can donate visit https://www.artistrelief.org/hsb  

KEEP UP WITH HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS:

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ABOUT ACTA 

The Alliance for California Traditional Arts is a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports ways for cultural traditions to thrive now and into the future by providing advocacy, resources, and connections for traditional artists and their communities. As a statewide and national leader dedicated to supporting cultural practitioners, our programs, services, and funding opportunities are weaving a more integrated, just, and empathetic social fabric across California, and around the country. ACTA works in partnership with communities, learning from their own articulation of assets, needs, and aspirations in order to craft responsive programs and services. Founded in 1997, ACTA proudly serves as the California Arts Council’s official partner in serving the state’s traditional arts field. 

ABOUT CCI 

The Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) was founded in 2001 as a California 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. Its mission is to promote knowledge sharing, networking, and financial independence for individuals in the arts by providing business training, grants, and incubating innovative projects that create new program knowledge, tools and practices for artists in the field, and conditions that contribute to realizing financial self-determination. In addition, by acting as a cross-sector incubator with an informed point of view, CCI advances efforts to improve conditions for artists and all those who share artists’ conditions of low wages, high debt, and too-few assets. 

ABOUT ARTIST RELIEF 

A national, multidisciplinary partnership between Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists, Artist Relief is an emergency relief fund  that provides  $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19.  Since launching in April, the fund has disbursed over $13 million to artists across the nation with $2.3 million to musicians directly.  

ABOUT HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS  

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a one-of-a-kind free music festival that takes place in the iconic Golden Gate Park and attracts over half a million fans annually. Founded by Warren and Chris Hellman in 2001, the festival is the single largest activity of the Hellman Foundation, whose focus is supporting organizations and initiatives primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area emphasizing social inclusion, education, youth development, and health and basic needs programs. Unlike any other major festival, it is offered free to the public with zero corporate sponsors or advertising. The three-day, multi-stage event features an array of eclectic bands each year from roots and Americana, to funk, rock, soul, and more. This year through Let the Music Play On, the spirit of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass was brought to living rooms and backyards across the globe featuring new performances from the expansive range of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass artists that included first-time performers to legends of American Roots music, along with archival footage from the festival’s past two decades and memories from fans, performers, and staff, and priceless gems from the festival’s rich history.  

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Let the Music Play On… To Air This Week + Livestream Fundraising for Musicians through Artist Relief

  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’

 Let the Music Play On… To Air This Week 

+ Livestream Fundraising for Musicians

through Artist Relief

Cr: Michael Wilson

WATCH THE TRAILER: HERE

October 1 - San Francisco, CA  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass celebrates their 20th Anniversary this year with  Let The Music Play On …. airing Saturday, October 3rd at 

2 pm PT / 5 pm ET on Circle TV, HardlyStrictlyBluegrass.com, Facebook, YouTube,  Nugs.TV and LuckReunion.com. The broadcast will feature new performances from HSB veterans including Boz Scaggs, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Earle and the Halfgrass Dukes feat. Tim O’Brien & Dennis Crouch, Jim Lauderdale, first-time performers Ashley Monroe, Shakey Graves, Sierra Ferrell, Black Banjo Reclamation Project, returning artists Fantastic Negrito,  Aaron Lee Tasjan, The War and Treaty, Yola, Rhiannon Giddens, and many more. See the full lineup at https://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has become an annual pilgrimage for music fans from all over the world. This year Hardly Strictly Bluegrass enlisted fans and staff to share memories from past years and is encouraging them to share their at-home set-ups for creating Let the Music Play On viewing space. The submissions have ranged from houses to dorm rooms, to backyards and living rooms.   “One of the great powers of this music [bluegrass] is the ability to bring people together,” says long time HSB performer Alison Brown.”Not just people who are alike, but people who are different and who are from all different generations. It’s a really wonderful common denominator. I think, maybe, Warren understood that... but it’s no doubt that it’s just one of the best gifts that anyone ever gave anybody, is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. “ 

As part of the Let the Music Play On initiative, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announced a charitable partnership with Artist Relief, a fund created by a coalition of national arts grantmakers, to support musicians affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In this partnership, the festival has donated $1 million in immediate relief for musicians across the country. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Artist Relief are working to raise awareness and funds for musicians affected by the COVID-19 crisis leading up to and during this year’s festival. The livestream will include interactive fundraising features to engage the audience, share real-time donation information, and highlight the amount raised by the HSB community. Tax-deductible donations can be made at artistrelief.org/hsb; 100 percent of donations made through this link will be applied directly to aid for musicians.   

For more information on the broadcast visit www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. To stay up-to-date, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and follow HSB on social media.

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IZZY HELTAI RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “FATHER” VIA ATWOOD MAGAZINE

IZZY HELTAI RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO 

“FATHER” VIA ATWOOD MAGAZINE 

 DEBUT LP FATHER 

SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 9TH 

Through 10 tracks of honest, contemplative perspective and welcoming songwriting, Father elevates Heltai’s voice to a level of maturity that suits the stories he tells, with every detail complemented by the hearty strum of warm Americana. - WBUR 

Izzy Heltai has a talent for demonstrating nostalgia and incentivizing reflection - The Wild Honey Pie 

Izzy Heltai has the contemporary indie folk vibe nailed down perfectly.  With a song that has both widespread appeal on the pop edge and layers of musicality...one not to be missed - Americana Highways  

The track leans towards lighthearted Americana; 'Songbird' trades the dull moments of tour life for an optimistic view of open highways and spirits as high as Heltai’s vocals at the tail end of the chorus. It’s a tried-and-true take about living on the road that’s nearly too rosy to be real. Nearly. - Vanyaland 

A precocious songwriter developing informed, heartfelt Americana - For Folk’s Sake 

Delivering messages of empathy and accountability to the masses — at a time when they are, perhaps, more important than ever - Underground Music Collective 

Izzy Heltai…is fast becoming one of our most played artists. Determined, striking and lyrically intelligent, this is top stuff - The Yorkshire Times 

There’s an undeniable emotional connection between artist and song…Heltai sings with an emotional maturity that we all need and can all learn from. Empathy, absolution, and acceptance are sought and expected in return - Mother Church Pew 

His writing style straddles the line between the pillars of Americana and the underbelly of gothic folk music. He has the emotional brutality of David Bazan or Simon Joyner and lacks none of their lyrical power - Country Queer 

Photo: Joanna Chattman

WATCH  // LISTEN: “FATHER” 

Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Izzy Heltai has unveiled “Father,” the title track and its accompanying video from his forthcoming debut full-length album, due out October 9th. The video features footage of Heltai as a child - innocent, carefree, and unburdened by the hardships of the world. "Coming of age, as it stands, is one of the most sought after and widely discussed phenomena of life,” said Atwood Magazine in their premiere. “As we get older…we all become subject to the notion that we must humanize our parents. Our parents are the people that have not only given us life, but also nurtured it – and it’s hard, objectively, not to revere that. From day one we look up to our parents and all they have taught us. However, a shifting tide presents itself in the form of singer/songwriter Izzy Heltai’s newest single, ‘Father’…Heltai ushers in the idea that at the end of the day, our parents are people – important people – but people who are nonetheless far from perfect.”  

“As a transgender person I have always lived in a world where self-affirmation was necessary for my well being,” Heltai explains. “As a young trans person, I was forced to know myself more than some people ever will. A world that always told me I shouldn’t and couldn’t exist demanded that I have confidence enough in my own identity that I could go out and prove that I knew exactly who I was. Due to my experiences, I was armed with the tools to radically reflect and affirm my identity from a young age. This instilled in me an obsession with knowing myself to the fullest, in any given moment. I am made up of moments. I live in the constant wake of what was,” he continues. “This song is about the people I see myself in. Seeing the roots of where, and who, I come from. The process of sifting through these home videos was a concrete and visual form of processing the amalgamation of all the moments I am made up of." 

“Father” follows the release of album track “Songbird,” inspired by life as a troubadour and car-sleeping in Walmart parking lots, and lead single “The Stranger You’ve Become,” a compelling track about betrayal.  

LISTEN: “SONGBIRD” 

LISTEN: “THE STRANGER YOU’VE BECOME” 

With brutal honesty towards himself and forgiveness for those around him, Izzy Heltai’s music walks the elusive line between confessional and relatable. On his debut album Father, Heltai dives deep into his fascination with human relationships, and specifically the way that those relationships change and reorganize themselves over time.    

Heltai sees his own coming of age reflected in the album, which includes songs written over the past four years. “Finding myself as an adult has largely been about how the people who have always been there for me can fit into my life in a new way,” he explains. 

Throughout the record, Heltai braves the exploration of not only interpersonal and societal relationships but also his own relationship to himself, and reckons with the ways that periods of depression have caused him to abandon those he loves.  The production is raw and full, with subtle harmonies and guitar lines weaving their way unexpectedly through the mix almost as if they were grown in the song. There is no sign of musical overthought, allowing Heltai’s emotional vocals to shine organically.    

At a time when any conversation with a stranger can quickly become a sociopolitical battle, Heltai’s introspective and thought out songs are a breath of fresh air. With an overwhelming empathy for humanity, and willingness to search for personal responsibility, Heltai’s Father will not leave your heart or your ears unchanged.  

CONNECT WITH IZZY HELTAI: 

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AUSTIN’S TIARRA GIRLS RELEASE UPDATED COVER OF THE GO-GO’S “CAN’T STOP THE WORLD”

AUSTIN’S TIARRA GIRLS

RELEASE UPDATED COVER OF THE GO-GO’S

“CAN’T STOP THE WORLD”

ON 9/25

NEW LYRICS BY KATHY VALENTINE

 SINGLE PREMIERES ON BUST MAGAZINE

L-R: Sophia Baltierra,Tori Baltierra and Tiffany Baltierra

LISTEN - "CAN'T STOP THE WORLD"

 AUSTIN, TX. – 3x Austin Music Award-winning sister trio Tiarra Girls - singer and guitarist Tori Baltierra, bass player Tiffany Baltierra and drummer Sophia Baltierra –will release their cover of  “Can’t Stop The World” on Lucky Hound Music on 9/25 with updated lyrics by the Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine to reflect a timely version of the song. 

“With everything that is happening in the world, from the pandemic to racial violence to wildfires, the Tiarra Girls still manage to bring the heat, including their recent with Kathy Valentine…The Go-Go’s classic ‘Can’t Stop The World.’” - Bust Magazine

“I am so proud and happy that ‘Can’t Stop The World’ has been recorded and released by the Tiarra Girls,” says Kathy Valentine. “They are the perfect band to carry the strong message of empowerment and resilience that the song represents.” 

Much like the Go-Go’s did in the 80s, Tiarra Girls are pushing boundaries within the music industry and beyond as three politically-minded, bi-cultural fourth generation Mexican-Americans women interested in pursuing music without limits blending rock, Latin, pop, soul, reggae, blues, and world music.

“We absorbed a lot of what we heard in our dad’s enormous record collection, and our own listening. All those subconscious influences come out when we write songs or arrange a cover.”   

Before they were in high school, Tiarra Girls began composing their own songs and adding them to their sets, writing arrangements that drew on reggae, ska, rock, cumbia and other Latin sounds. In 2016, they received the award for Best Performing Band Under 18 at the Austin Music Awards, and won again in 2017 and 2018. “We play everything – anything we like,” Tori said. ”People want to narrow us down to indie rock with a Latin influence, but we play blues, pop, Tejano, anything that sounds good. There are no rules when you create music. You have to follow your feelings and let the song tell you how it wants to come out.”

Tiarra Girls released their first recording, a protest song called “Leave It To the People,” after the 2016 election and promoted it with a series of public service announcements for Rock the Vote, Jolt and Voto Latino, encouraging young people to vote. In 2017, they made a three song, self-titled EP that showed off their diversity. “I Made a Garden” was a rocker, “Lonely Room” had a jazzy/funk feel and “Answers” rode a mellow reggae/ska backbeat. 

 “Can’t Stop The World” is their first release for Lucky Hound Music, out on 9/25.

“CAN’T STOP THE WORLD” OUT 9/25

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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Announces the Full Artist Lineup for Let the Music Play On…

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Announces the Full Artist Lineup for 

 Let the Music Play On…

+ Announce Charitable Partnership with Artist Relief

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is thrilled to announce the full line up for this year’s Let The Music Play On Broadcast airing Saturday, October 3rd at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET on Circle TV, HardlyStrictlyBluegrass.com, HSB Facebook, YouTube and  Nugs.TV. The broadcast is a celebration of roots music, honoring the 20th anniversary of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and featuring new performances from legendary artists such as Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Bonnie Raitt and Steve Earle and the Halfgrass Dukes feat. Tim O’Brien and Dennis Crouch, to first time performers Birds of Chicago, Sierra Ferrell and Tré Burt and  returning performers Carrie Rodriguez, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. “I’ve been so lucky to be able to host a day on the Rooster Stage for the last six years or so and invite friends and acts that I just love and think people would adore,” says Buddy Miller. “This year, we’re doing the “Cavalcade of Stars” from my studio with a lot of those same people – Emmylou Harris, The War & Treaty, Ashley Monroe, Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert, The McCrary Sisters, and Jim Lauderdale.”  The performances will be accompanied by select archival moments and interviews highlighting the festival’s rich history.

As part of the Let the Music Play On initiative, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is proud t0 announce a charitable partnership with Artist Relief, a fund created by a coalition of national arts grant-makers, to support musicians affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In this partnership, the festival has donated $1 million in immediate relief for musicians across the country and will work with Artist Relief to raise awareness and funds for musicians affected by the COVID-19 crisis leading up to and during this year’s festival.

A national, multidisciplinary partnership between Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists, Artist Relief is a emergency relief fund  that provides  $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19.  Since launching in April, the fund has disbursed over $13 million to artists across the nation with $2.3 million to musicians directly. With Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ support, Artist Relief will be able to continue to make grants to musicians through December.

“As artists we are constantly being motivated by our passions, but during hard times it can be difficult to create and innovate,” says  GRAMMY Award Winner, Two-Time EMMY Nominee, 2020 United States Artists Fellow and Let the Music Play On participant Dom Flemons the American Songster. “Art has always served as a reflection of the world, so now more than ever it’s important for artists to keep on creating.  Through the partnership with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and the Artist Relief Fund, folks have an opportunity to receive some financial relief that can ultimately help us plant roots and build bridges.”

Tax-deductible donations can be made at artistrelief.org/hsb; 100 percent of donations made through this link will be applied directly to aid for musicians.   

This national relief  effort comes on the heels of the Hardly Strictly Music Relief Fund: Bay Area, a $1.5M charitable initiative to support the local Bay Area music community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominations and applications are now closed with funding announcements coming in early October. 

More information on the broadcast visit www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. To stay up-to-date, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and follow HSB on social media.

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KILLER WHALE’S NEW LP TASTES LIKE YESTERDAY OUT VIA DEVIL IN THE WOODS

KILLER WHALE’S NEW LP TASTES LIKE YESTERDAY 

 OUT VIA DEVIL IN THE WOODS 

Killer Whale blends southern R&B with sunny California rock and other musical influences. The album's kaleidoscope of styles is anchored by songwriter Thomas Johnson's laid back sensibilities. For those who just want to lose themselves in a series of relaxing tunes, look no further - Newsweek 

Major early MTV vibes…...the surf infused with the swamp - WWOZ  

Killer Whale’s new full-length album...has the bounce and rhythm of Southern R&B and the sunny haze of West Coast surf folk - Gambit Weekly 

At once deeply in tune with contemporary sensibilities, dream pop keyboards and harmonies, it also taps into classic '70s soul sounds, culminating in a piece of pop that moves the heart as often as it moves the feet - PopMatters  

An original brand of dreamy, surfer, psychedelic rock, with the power of funk and soul. The beauty of Killer Whale lies in the group’s ability to make you feel laid back while also showing you a really good time. It’s about mellowing out and taking a load off right when real life starts to feel a little too overwhelming - V13 

It’s not easy to find a comparison for this band that is clearly comfortable doing its own thing. They combine the psychedelia of Buffalo Killers with the groovy, jazzy feel of Medeski, Martin, and Wood…and tie it all together with percussion that would fit in just as well on a Martin Denny record. It makes for an interesting listening experience no matter what you choose to call the band’s sound. Do yourself a favor. Grab whatever gets you 'in the zone,' put this album on, and enjoy the ride - Glide Magazine 

A kaleidoscopic and refreshing addition to the musical landscape, groovy to the last drop - Spill Magazine 

Psycho-rock vibes with a mixture of country, folk and even jazz elements - Pretty In Noise 

Johnson cooks up mid-tempo jams that reflect his travels—songs that sound like they belong as equally in an urban California bedroom as they might at an outdoor music festival. His guitar defines these compositions: bent blue notes, major key melodies, shades of funk, soul, and R&B—a jam band with pop sensibilities - Antigravity Magazine 

A beautiful slice of hazy R&B/pop, with these ethereal vocals floating over gluey synths and this sprawling bassline - Backseat Mafia 

With a chill vibe from start to finish and a hazy coolness, the song is a delightful blend of influences that add up to a rock’n soul classic - East of 8th 

If you fancy 1960s spring-reverbed-fender guitars, grooving congas, and warm gritty vocals with a bit of California soul – then Killer Whale will be your new favorite band - Trend & Chaos 

One part old-school Muscle Shoals soul, one part breezy surf rock that’s centered around Johnson’s soulful crooning - The Joy Of Violent Movement 

Art: Lizzie Bilbrey 

LISTEN: TASTES LIKE YESTERDAY 

Today, New Orleans-based band Killer Whale releases their latest album Tastes Like Yesterday via Devil In The Woods, co-produced by frontman Thomas Johnson, Scott Sibley, and Grayson Converse of Spooky Mansion. The album, which premiered this week at Spill Magazine, combines the surf-infused sounds of the dreamy California coast and the soulful R&B of Johnson’s Louisiana roots. A mixture of genres, Killer Whale doesn’t subscribe to any one camp. Instead, it exudes them all.  

With their colorful rhythms and rock n’ roll daydreams, they create a space that invites you in, tells you to make yourself at home, and hugs you as you walk in the door. Killer Whale, much like its creator, wanders between New Orleans, Austin, and San Francisco, bearing the melodic scars all that travel brings him.  

WATCH: “DROP OUT” 

WATCH: “PLENTY OF TIME" 

WATCH: “COMFORTABLE” 

This kaleidoscope of sound oozes from every dreamy groove of the album’s psychedelic, surf-infused, funk n' soul-tinged gems. With that kind of concoction, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to think that the songs would be a melee, an atonal mishmash that harkens back to the days of being different for different’s sake. Under the leadership of another musician, such might be the case, but Killer Whale melds everything together in the name of freaky good fun. [Text Wrapping Break] 

Tastes Like Yesterday finds Johnson’s muse immersing him in a very seductive, mellow soul. “I’m from Louisiana, and New Orleans culture and music have always been an influence on me, whether consciously or not,” Johnson says. When asked how he describes his music, Johnson laughs and suggests it’s “Pontoon Soul.” Lead single “Comfortable” offers an example of this new genre; it’s swampy and murky, yet Johnson’s heavenly voice transcends, resulting in a song best described as drop-dead gorgeous.  

Tastes Like Yesterday is available digitally and on vinyl HERE at Killer Whale’s Bandcamp page. 

Killer Whale will perform live outdoors at Beauvoir Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 23rd. Click HERE for tickets and show information. Tune in HERE to get a taste of Killer Whale’s fantastic live performance from Downman Sounds in New Orleans for Jam In The Van’s Jam In YOUR Van series benefiting the Equal Justice Initiative. 

  TASTES LIKE YESTERDAY TRACK LIST      

SUNRISE 

CANOPY 

COMFORTABLE 

DROP OUT 

STAY LOOKIN’ 

SLIP AWAY 

DUSK 

PLENTY OF TIME 

HIGH ON YOUR LOVE 

EVERYTHING IS COOL 

DIGITAL CLOUDINESS 

NOT THE TIME 

DON’T RUN AWAY 

CONNECT WITH KILLER WHALE: 

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Bandcamp || Spotify || YouTube 

NATALIE SCHLABS SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE”

NATALIE SCHLABS SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO  

“DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE”    

NEW LP DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE  SET FOR RELEASE   

ON OCTOBER 16TH  

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. - American Songwriter    

Stirring songs...defined by the seamless convergence of her crystalline vocals, introspective  

lyricism and soaring melodies  - Albumism  

Natalie Schlabs not only writes what she knows but conveys the meaning of an emotionally charged experience with such tender-hearted expression that it's so easy to fall in love with her songs - PopMatters  

Delicate harmonies and swaying effects feel like a fresh breeze blowing through a field of flowers - Ones To Watch 

 Lyrical sincerity with gorgeous melodies...Natalie Schlabs delivers gilded, Americana-infused sweetness in a song that feels immediately timeless" - Atwood Magazine 

If your life feels like an endless struggle right now...Natalie Schlabs has a message of hope for you. - Audiofemme 

Brings to mind the timeless and melodic pop of the ’70s (plus some crisp Rilo Kiley-esque guitar hooks) with sweet lyrics about someone coming into your life” - Spectral Nights 

Mellow, yet upbeat, and it fills the heart and mind with thoughts and feelings about those that you hold dear. - The Indy Review 

Photo: Joshua Britt

WATCH: “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE” 

LISTEN: “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE” 

Natalie Schlabs has unveiled her latest single “Don’t Look Too Close,” the title track from her forthcoming album due out October 16th. The album was written while Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which sparked a lot of introspection and reflection, and caused her to process her fears about becoming a mother.  

“Don’t Look Too Close,” which simmers with indie pop sensibilities, is about the inevitability of making mistakes, a cycle that seems nearly impossible to avoid. The song’s accompanying video, filmed and directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard, visualizes the cycle as Schlabs’ hair and makeup are done and then stripped away repeatedly. It's about being able to take an honest look at who we really are - the good and the bad. Change can come simply from that awareness. 

The title track release follows “That Early Love, which PopMatters called “a song made for these desperate times,” “Go Outside,” which Ones To Watch said is “the perfect indie soundtrack to a summer afternoon,” encouragement anthem “See What I See,” and lead single “Home Is You,” the accompanying video of which features fellow artists and friends like Robby Hecht, the members of Oliver the Crow, Betsy Phillips, and gospel/soul powerhouse Liz Vice.  

WATCH // LISTEN: “THAT EARLY LOVE”   

LISTEN: “GO OUTSIDE”   

LISTEN: “SEE WHAT I SEE”  

LISTEN // WATCH: “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.   

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. 

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS:  

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp  

GARRETT OWEN RELEASES NEW LP QUIET LIVES

GARRETT OWEN RELEASES NEW LP QUIET LIVES

Backed by protean instrumentals, the Texas-based troubadour juxtaposes gritty past experiences with present-day observations...authentic stories and everyday paradoxes within a broad spectrum of musical stylings. - Newsweek  

Garrett Owen is a consummate artist, with lyricism beyond his years and an inimitable playing style that has him earning new fans all over the place - NPR   

After a life of travel and introspection, Owen may have finally found his place after all - Dallas Observer 

A sound akin to the more melancholy side of Jesse Malin, Owen brims with a mixture of mourning and understanding...Lyrically the award-winning songwriter cuts a swath a mile wide as he tells the all too familiar tale of love lost on a six-stringed road - American Songwriter 

Owen grew up around the world, notably Africa and South America. Those emerging economy environments give him a perspective not many of us have. They also contribute an appreciation for many musical styles and you can hear that spirit of adventure weaving its way throughout Quiet Lives - Twangville 

One of his most expansive creations yet - V13  

A sweet, uninhibited heartland record whose songs are a vessel of feeling, relief, and rejuvenation - Atwood Magazine 

Garrett’s unusual upbringing sparked a curiosity; one that has carried into his adult life, and is presented through the lens of musical experimentation...consider us intrigued - Underground Music Collective 

Usually the word raw is used to describe songs that are stripped down, vocals almost breaking from emotional strain…Garrett Owen reminds us that a musically pure track can carry a ton of feeling - Mother Church Pew 

While the lyrics let you into his soul, his almost upbeat delivery shows the determination that saw him through a troubled time. - Chimeo 

Folk, Americana, with a tinge of glam - comeherefloyd  

Like listening to Brian Wilson, or Jeff Buckley, hearing Garrett Owen’s very personal music for the first time feels almost like an intrusion. This Texas-born singer-songwriter is into world-building. Here’s album oriented indie rock worth your time - Alt77  

Another refined slice of Americana - Beehive Candy 

LISTEN: QUIET LIVES 

Today, Ft. Worth, Texas-based singer/songwriter Garrett Owen releases his new album Quiet Lives, garnering support from The Boot, American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, The Dallas Observer, KXT, and more. Though he revisits familiar subject matter such as the push-pull of relationships, love, and loss, Quiet Lives is about growth, informed by the perspective gained from his unique life experience.  

Instead of Little League and sleepovers, Owen’s earliest memories involve frequent trips across the Serengeti and backyard wildlife most of us only experience at our local zoos. The son of church-building missionaries, he grew up in Tanzania and Kenya, riding on the luggage rack of the family’s Nissan Patrol, with vast clear skies above him and gazelles running beside. After leaving Africa, the family completed a stint in Ecuador before Owen’s parents moved the family back to Texas. Life as he knew it became a difficult endeavor; rimmed with the sharp edges of reality in an unfamiliar place, his attempts to settle into a culture he didn’t understand resulted in distress and a suicide attempt - a far cry from the idyllic landscape of his upbringing.  

The golden-voiced Owen, who has shared stages with artists like Parker Millsap, Charlie Sexton, and Marty Stuart, created a diverse nine-track collection in Quiet Lives - one that delves into more experimental musical territory, as Owen toyed with complex chord changes, melodic dissonance, and intriguing storylines. “My relationship with technology and connection to nature are a new combination in my songwriting,” he says, as evidenced in the album’s lead single, “These Modern Times.” Its blend of folk-tinged finger-picking, synth-infused verses, and anthemic pop choruses illustrate the juxtaposition of old and new as he contemplates the ups and downs of our constant and instant access to digital information. “Hour In The Forest,” which begins as a dreamy folk-pop tune that explodes into searing, Queen-esque guitar rock in its second half, was inspired by two women - one, a potential love interest, the other the bearer of an unforgettable tattoo, while “No One To Save You” ventures into familiar territory as he revisits a past relationship that couldn’t withstand the pressures of life on the road. “I Must Be Evil,” a quirky tune wearing the uniform of a murder ballad, tells the story of vigilante justice. Owen even pays homage to the late great Waylon Jennings as he puts his unique and jazz-folk spin on Jennings’ 1977 tune “The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want To Get Over You).” 

Quiet Lives is available digitally at iTunes and Amazon Music. The album is available at Bandcamp digitally and on vinyl. Be sure to catch Garrett Owen performing live from The Boot’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Saturday, September 19th at 7pm CT. 

QUIET LIVES TRACK LIST 

No One To Save You 

Weakest Hour 

The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)  

Bleedin’ Through My Shoes 

Hour In The Forest 

Souvenir 

Family Of The Year 

I Must Be Evil 

These Modern Times 

CONNECT WITH GARRETT OWEN

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube  

BRITISH PRODUCER ANDY ROSS STEPS FROM BEHIND THE CONSOLE FOR “THE FEAR ENGINE” ALBUM AND AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY

 BRITISH PRODUCER ANDY ROSS

STEPS FROM BEHIND THE CONSOLE

FOR “THE FEAR ENGINE” ALBUM

AND AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY

SYNDEY, AUSTRALIA. – After working with the likes of Paul McCartney, Howard Jones, Dave Gilmour and Robert Palmer, British born, Australian-based producer Andy Ross has stepped from behind the console to create The Fear Engine project that combines an album and a multi award-winning documentary film both crafted by Andy Ross which attempts to ask how we might make the world a better place for all.

“…a hugely ambitious project…the album includes a collection of ten songs deeply rooted in British rock of the 1970/80s with nods towards the subtle mix of sonic washes and accessible rock sensibility which characterise the work of Pink Floyd, 10cc, Yes, Godley & Creme and Howard Jones – the latter of whom features in the movie and who has worked extensively with Ross. The documentary interleaves interviews with a wide range of thoughtful people with the story of a man who leaves his work and goes searching for meaning in his life.” – Sunday Arts Magazine (Australia)

The music on the album, The Fear Engine (out now), encompasses elements of alt rock, cinematic and pop music as each of the ten tracks is framed around a different question introduced by dialog aiming to illuminate The Fear Engine, an unconscious driving force within us. Recorded at his home studio in Sydney, Andy Ross plays all the instruments plus vocals on The Fear Engine album with the exception of saxophone, he left that task to John Helliwell (Supertramp). After all, his father was Ronnie Ross, a renowned British musician who not only played sax with many jazz legends (and played sax on Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” and The Beatles "Savoy Truffle") but who also taught the sax to a young David Bowie. 

In the film, a cross section of people from artists (musician Howard Jones, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, photographer Laura Solomon), scholars (professor Hugh Montgomery, philosopher Alastair Rylatt), innovators (founder ‘Choir With No Name’ Marie Benton, green builder Steve Epstein) to everyday people and children attempt to answer ten probing questions on the nature of human behavior, while an ordinary man in a suit and carrying a brief case with a silver ball representing his subconscious fears hovering around him (also on the album cover), walks from a city into the wilderness - a metaphor for the human desire for significance.

Currently screening at film festivals across the globe, “The Fear Engine” documentary has won recent accolades including Winner of the Festigious International Film Festival Los Angeles 2020, Award of Excellence at The IndieFEST Film Awards 2020 for “Documentary Feature” as well as “Contemporary Issues & Raising Awareness,” Finalist at Oniros Film Awards, Semi-Finalist Los Angeles Film Awards 2020, and Official Selection at Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2020. 

The documentary is in consideration for the London Independent Film Awards, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, Portland Film Festival, International Independent Film Awards - Spring Session, Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival, Paris Lift-Off Film Festival, UK Film Festival – London, International Film Festival of Wales, Sundance Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival.

The Fear Engine is Ross’s second documentary film. His first “Well Beyond Water” about climate change won best short at Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival in 2010.

STREAM THE FEAR ENGINE ALBUM (OUT NOW)

REQUEST THE FEAR ENGINE FILM SCREENER

KEEP UP WITH ANDY ROSS

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY ARTIST ANGUS GILL DUETS WITH STEVE EARLE ON SINGLE “THE NEW OLD ME” PREMIERING TODAY ON GLIDE MAGAZINE

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY ARTIST ANGUS GILL

DUETS WITH STEVE EARLE ON SINGLE

“THE NEW OLD ME”

PREMIERING TODAY ON GLIDE MAGAZINE 

Teams With Members of Paul Kelly’s Band for

New Album 3 Minute Movie Due 10/16 

LISTEN TO "THE NEW OLD ME" (FEAT. STEVE EARLE) 

PORT MACQUARIE, AUSTRALIA. – Australian "Golden Guitar" nominated artist Angus Gill struck up an unlikely friendship several years ago with Steve Earle. For his new single “The New Old Me” (out 9/18), Angus tapped into his friendship with Earle who has always offered him sage advice to follow your own path, and not get caught up in people’s expectations.

“…a swaggering blast of a bygone whirl of bluesy Country that possesses a road-house rhythm snap. Call it Autraliacana, or whatever you may will but Gill aged voice reminds listeners of young oldsters like Colter Wall and Cody Jinks. It doesn’t hurt to have a Mr. Steve Earle singing harmonies either!”- Glide Magazine

 “‘The New Old Me’ is a classic master vs apprentice duet,” explains Angus. “I was staying with my mate Allan Caswell up in the Blue Mountains and I brought out this hook I had in my scrapbook and we started writing to this outlaw Country feel. In my opinion, Allan and Steve share many similarities, from the fact that they are both revered songwriters, to the length of their beards. I’ve looked up to them both and have learn’t a lot from them.”

One his latest project Angus Gill & Seasons of Change, the Southern Stars award winner teams up with the members of Paul Kelly’s band for an edgy genre busting record 3 Minute Movies, featuring Peter ‘Lucky’ Luscombe on drums, Bill McDonald on bass, Cameron Bruce on piano, Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 organ, Dan Kelly and Ashley Naylor on electric guitars. Mutual friend, alt-country legend Steve Earle, introduced Gill to the band back in 2017 and is featured on outlaw Country duet “The New Old Me”.

The 11-track album begins and ends in the Farfisa powered title track “3 Minute Movie,” which serves as a skeleton for the record. “I’m a very visual songwriter, I’m always searching for those seemingly small details, which in fact paint a much bigger picture. I realised that a majority of the material we tracked for this album were character and narrative driven songs, with a beginning, middle and an end…essentially 3 Minute Movies,” says Gill.

Gill recalls “I can still remember my Mother’s face/When I took that shaver to my saving grace” in the bildungsroman “Coming of Age,” written with songwriter Bob DiPiero.

The ‘Bonnie & Clyde anomaly’ “Daylight Robbery” is a collaboration with Australian rock legend Mark Lizotte (Diesel), who provides acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals, mandolin and other stringed flourishes on the track. The bagpipes make a prominent return to rock music in “Skin Story” and a horn section makes an appearance in the ‘side-street labyrinth’ “Acquainted With The Night,” which grapples with mortality. The anthemic “Hey Underdog,” co-written with Hall of Fame Songwriter Jeffrey Steele, Grammy winning Vicky McGehee and Providence David, features the Beatles inspired ‘guitar into a Leslie speaker’ sound.

From humble beginnings as a 10-year old entertaining crowds at a popular heritage theme park in his hometown of Wauchope, to opening for the legendary Kris Kristofferson and becoming one of the youngest Australians to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee, this small town NSW born ‘old soul’ is quickly gaining a strong reputation for his formidable song craft, distinctive vocals and rock solid work ethic.

KEEP UP WITH ANGUS GILL

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify |

TWRP RELEASE “NEED EACH OTHER” - THE SECOND SINGLE FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM “OVER THE TOP” OUT SEPTEMBER 25th

TWRP RELEASE “NEED EACH OTHER” - THE SECOND SINGLE

FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM “OVER THE TOP”

OUT SEPTEMBER 25th

LISTEN TO “NEED EACH OTHER” FEAT. PLANET BOOTY: HERE

Canada’s TWRP have released their groovy new single “Need Each Other” featuring the Oakland-based electro-funk trio, Planet Booty. The song is a laid back dreamy piano-focused funk track that emphasizes the importance of togetherness during trying times. Splicing together influences from R&B greats like D’Angelo and George Benson, TWRP weaves odd time signatures with intensely swung grooves while declaring that when the pressures and challenges of life become overwhelming, it’s necessary to depend on the love and support of one another to make it through.

“Need Each Other” is the follow-up to “Only the Best”; a similarly optimistic song that Pop Wrapped described as reminding listeners “that such love and patience is what helps make the world a positive and happy place and that society as a whole would greatly benefit from us all listening to our mothers, and following in their footsteps – at least in terms of their showing others kindness – a little more.” The East said the song is “Full of disco rhythms and massive synthesizer solos that… slides some surprising sentimentality in between the riffs.”

Both tracks are the appetizer for the main course: Over the Top - TWRP’s new full album due out on September 25th. Rich vintage synthesizers, shred guitar, and driving disco rhythms all find their place in the music - and despite an air of levity in its delivery, real themes of change, perseverance, and gratitude permeate the album. With an attitude of playfulness and honesty in the music, Over The Top seems to say that now more than ever it’s important to find the humor and enjoyment through life’s challenges. 

Consisting of members Doctor Sung (keys & vocals), Lord Phobos (guitar), Commander Meouch (bass), and Havve Hogan (drums), TWRP’s on-stage personas are matched evenly by their outrageous appearance, as they don colourful costumes straight out of a comic book from the 1980s. The dynamic between these four characters (and best friends), combined with the optimism of their music, has taken TWRP from humble beginnings on Canada’s east coast, to expanding their internet-gained fan base from ongoing work with an eclectic mix of collaborators such as famous astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield, YouTube-famed music producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Huang, and Billboard-topping comedy music stars Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb. TWRP has toured the US and Canada extensively for years, performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2018, and broadened their reach internationally in 2019 with tours in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

KEEP UP WITH TWRP 

Website ||  Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube

TWO BIRD STONE RELEASES DEBUT LP HANDS & KNEES VIA WONDERMORE RECORDS/SOUNDLY MUSIC

TWO BIRD STONE RELEASES DEBUT LP 

HANDS & KNEES  

VIA WONDERMORE RECORDS/SOUNDLY MUSIC 

LISTEN:  HANDS & KNEES 

As torchbearers of classic Americana, Two Bird Stone filled their debut album with rootsy instrumentals and timeless melodies - Newsweek 

Hands & Knees captures the nature of change...the result of two decades of  friendship and collaboration - Wide Open Country 

Endearing... both casually off-the-cuff and elegantly sophisticated…something not to be underestimated - American Songwriter 

Will surely get your feet tapping - Folk Radio UK 

 A heady mix of roots rock, bluegrass and traditional Irish melodies - Pretty In Noise 

 Folk richness - Americana-UK 

The magic isn’t only in the music, but in its members…there is a kinship in their creativeness that translates into the songwriting, a fact that is apparent when listening to their latest album - TrunkSpace 

 "Traditional instrumentation, contemplative lyrics, and an honest, folksy sound; all of the elements of classic Americana - Mother Church Pew  

There is no denying that their upcoming studio album will be something special - Chimeo 

A talented bunch who will no doubt find fans…around the world - York Calling 

Excellently blended vocal harmonies, steady banjo picking, and flowing strings...Two Bird Stone‘s debut album is a good beginning for something special - The Indy Review 

 North Carolina/Nashville-based Two Bird Stone is different in that it often sounds like a Celtic band that strayed a bit far from home. Perhaps that’s the meaning of the band’s moniker–as in killing two birds (bluegrass and Celtic) with a single projectile...Two Bird Stone isn't the first band to use this formula, but they do it very well - Off-Center Views 

Today, Two Bird Stone released their debut album, Hands & Knees, via Wondermore Records/Soundly Music. Each song on the endearing album showcases the band’s reverence for the traditional as they forge their own style of timeless Americana -  each song heart-wrenching and heartwarming at once. The band was founded by string master Liam Thomas Bailey and features some of Nashville’s and New York’s finest musicians. Hands & Knees was co-produced by Bailey and friend and frequent collaborator Dan Rowe, who also contributed keys and vocals to the album. “This record was all about development,” Bailey told Wide Open Country for the album’s premiere. “I provided the song material and the band piled on as they came into the project. We’ve all played for many other artists professionally. Collaborations are second nature for us, but the secret sauce is the fact that we’ve known and loved each other for over 20 years. I hope folks find our music reassuring. We sing songs about love, hope, the nature of change, and the beauty of the experience change will provide.” 

Their music, fueled by Bailey’s contemporary Americana songwriting and the group’s deep appreciation for the traditional fiddle music of Ireland, Scandinavia, and North America, pays tribute to the many swirling cultures that make up the American identity. Two Bird Stone also carefully incorporates traditional melodies and musical tendencies of cultures abroad to reflect the dimensions of this land’s powerful diversity. In lieu of the preservation of traditional material in any strict sense, however, Two Bird Stone likes to function as a lens through which an audience gets a fresh look at the culture of traditional tune sharing and the instruments upon which we would generally hear them played. 

 WATCH: “THE 99 ft. Sarah Siskind & Kenny Vaughan”  

WATCH: “WHEN SOMEBODY CAN SEE YOUR SOUL”  

WATCH: “IF YOU WANNA COME BACK” 

WATCH: “HANDS & KNEES ft. Sarah Siskind” 

WATCH: “SHOEBOX MONEY”  

Before spinning off to form Two Bird Stone, Bailey was a highly sought-after Nashville studio and road musician; he also worked in commercial post-production with bandmate, Chad Kelly (accordion), a two-time Emmy Award nominee who has composed original music for numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed films and documentaries. Bailey and bandmate Judd Fuller (bass, mandolin, background vocals) traveled the world together for 11 years as members of Nashville country star Rodney Atkins’ touring band. Fuller has also toured and performed with Peter Wolf from The J. Geils Band, Bo Diddley, Carly Simon, and more. New York-based percussionist, composer, and educator Rohin Khemani rounded out the lineup. Known as an extremely versatile and eclectic musician, his sound can be heard on a wide variety of projects weaving through the worlds of jazz, world music, rock, folk, and electronica. Khemani was a founding member of Red Baraat and co-leads the band Surface To Air with guitarist Jonathan Goldberger and bassist Jonti Siman. He has performed for audiences at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Monterey Jazz Festival, and more. 

HANDS & KNEES TRACK LIST 

HANDS AND KNEES 

SHOEBOX MONEY 

ME AND MY FRIENDS 

WAKE ME UP 

WHEN SOMEBODY CAN SEE YOUR SOUL 

IF YOU WANNA COME BACK 

THE 99 

I ALREADY KNOW WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND 

NEEDLE AND THREAD 

DRIVE IT ’TIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF 

CONNECT WITH TWO BIRD STONE: 

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube 

HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS ANNOUNCES PATTY GRIFFIN, CHUCK PROPHET, SHAKEY GRAVES, BIRDS OF CHICAGO AND LOS COAST FOR LET THE MUSIC PLAY ON

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Announces the Next Round of Artists in 

Let the Music Play On…

A Broadcast Bringing the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Experience 

Into Homes Everywhere Saturday, October 3rd

Cr. Mark Ulriksen

September 9, 2020 - San Francisco, CA -  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announces the third round of musicians in this year’s Let The Music Play On, with HSB veterans Chuck Prophet, Patty Griffin, and first-time performers Birds of Chicago, Los Coast, and Shakey Graves.  Let the Music Play On is a celebration of roots music, honoring the 20th Anniversary of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, airing the first weekend of October featuring new performance footage, archival sets, and fans’ festival memories from previous years.

In the 20 years since Hardly Strictly Bluegrass first brought fans together in Golden Gate Park, the festival continues to grow in size, with over 80 bands across six stages that attract over 750K music fans and continues to evolve with a diverse line up that encompasses the wide range of roots music genres. “As time marches on, what roots music is should change, ya know?” says Shakey Graves. “I think it’s just storytelling... a product of that time. I think that there’s something that is really pure to always go back to. I think that Hardly Strictly is doing it right in the sense that there will be a human experience within the music.” 

As HSB has evolved over the years one thing has always remained the same is that the festival is completely free to attend.  Founded by  Warren and Chris Hellman as a gift to the city of San Francisco, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has always been free to the public, and void of any advertisers or corporate sponsorships.  The focus is solely on the music and the sense of the community that the music creates.  “The free part brings this incredible diversity to the crowds, so people will see you that would never think of seeing you,” says longtime HSB artist Patty Griffin. “Everybody is out mulling around, and they’ll hear something on a stage and they’ll just cruise down that way and suddenly they are meeting an Artist they never would have heard of.  Because it’s free there’s this huge swath of humanity there, every continent on earth is represented, and largely Americans so that shows you how diverse America is and it’s really beautiful that way.”

The community of music fans is what gives the festival life, and this year to incorporate the human experience of HSB, the producers have asked fans and attendees to contribute their favorite memories from years past in the form of photos, videos, stories, sketches, etc.  by emailing them to memories@hardlystrictlybluegrass.org., all of which will be considered for inclusion in October’s broadcast. Entries have come in from all over the world including incredible sketches from award-winning artist and illustrator, and regular HSB attendee Mark Urliksen.  His submissions included illustrations, created in realtime of HSB sets over the years. His drawings captured so much of the spirit of the event that he was commissioned to create the official artwork for the line-up announcements for this year’s Hardly Strictly Broadcast.  Urliksen is best known for his work with the New Yorker where he has been a regular contributor since 1993, with more than 55 magazine covers to his credit. He has been the illustrator for the San Francisco Jazz Festival, has created murals for companies such as United Airlines and the Chicago Bears that grace the walls of the United Club at Soldier Field. In 2006 his New Yorker parody cover of the film Brokeback Mountain was named the year’s top magazine news cover by the Magazine Publishers of America,  and work is in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian and the Library of Congress. More of Urliksen’s work can be viewed at https://markulriksen.com  

More information on the broadcast and lineup will be announced in the coming weeks at  www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. To stay up-to-date, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and follow HSB on social media.

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HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS ANNOUNCES THE NEXT ROUND OF ARTISTS IN LET THE MUSIC PLAY ON…

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Announces the Next Round of Artists in 

Let the Music Play On…

A Broadcast Bringing the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Experience 

to Backyards and Living Rooms Everywhere

the first Weekend of October

Cr. Mark Ulriksen

September 3, 2020 - San Francisco, CA -  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announces its second round of musicians in this year’s Let The Music Play On, led by music legends and festival veterans Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Steve Earle & the Halfgrass Dukes (feat. Tim O’Brien and Dennis Crouch) and returning artist The War and Treaty and first-timer Amythyst Kiah. Let the Music Play On is a celebration of roots music, honoring the 20th Anniversary of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, airing the first weekend of October featuring new performance footage, archival sets, and fans’ festival memories from previous years.

What started as a way for Warren and Chris Hellman to share the music they loved from their favorite artists with the city of San Francisco has grown into one of the largest national music festivals. With over 80 bands across six stages, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass attracts over 750,000 attendees annually to Golden Gate Park. Over the past 20 years, the festival has become an annual pilgrimage for fans and musicians alike. “It was always the first date I would put on my calendar,” says Emmylou Harris. “Whatever else I do in a particular year, the first weekend in October I am going to be in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park in Hellman Hollow playing Hardly Strictly Bluegrass,” she continues. “I’m really grateful that we’re going to carry on in some way this gift that Warren has given to musicians, and really music lovers, everywhere.”

This year, with safety as a top priority and adhering California’s statewide mandate prohibiting large public gatherings, the festival will not be taking place in its traditional setting of Golden Gate Park, but Let the Music Play On will be bringing the spirit of the Porch, Bandwagon, Banjo, Rooster, Swan, and Towers of Gold Stages into homes around the world. “I’ve been so lucky to be able to host the Rooster Stage for the last 6 years or so and invite friends and acts that I just love and think people would adore,” says Buddy Miller, “but since there’s no festival in the park this year, we’re doing the Rooster Stage from my studio with a lot of those same people.”

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has always honored tradition, all the while looking to the future, with an annual lineup that features giants of the roots music world alongside up-and-coming artists. “San Francisco has always been a magical place, and to have a bluegrass festival in the park is heavy-duty to me, I love it,” says Buddy Miller. “It’s a really unique community, it’s different than any other festival I ever play,” he continues. “It feels so much like family. I don’t know how else to describe it but it’s sort of like going home, I look forward to that weekend every year.”

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, recognizes and is saddened by the heavy losses suffered this year with the passing of HSB artists John Prine, David Olney, Adam Schlesinger, and most recently, the tragic passing of Justin Townes Earle.

To support the music community in the wake of the  COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass launched the Hardly Strictly Music Relief Fund, a  $1.5 million charitable effort which seeks to recognize, appreciate, and care for the people who lend their creativity, heart, and hard work to the American roots music ecosystem in the Bay Area. The fund includes $450,000 for individual musicians’ relief and additional support for local music venues and their workers. For more information on the individual musicians grant opportunity visit actaonline.org/hardlystrictly. For more information on the venue grant opportunity, visit http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2020/music-relief/

More information on the broadcast and lineup will be announced in the coming weeks at  www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com. To stay up-to-date, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and follow HSB on social media. 

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GLENN THOMAS SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR REIMAGINED “BLACK MUDDY RIVER”

GLENN THOMAS SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR

REIMAGINED “BLACK MUDDY RIVER”

IN HONOR OF JERRY GARCIA

VIA  TURNSTYLED, JUNKPILED

WATCH: "BLACK MUDDY RIVER" 

Nashville-by-way-of-New England singer/songwriter Glenn Thomas has released a gorgeous new video for his version of The Grateful Dead’s “Black Muddy River,” a song he shared to commemorate “Jerry Week.” Thomas' version was featured on SiriusXM's Tales From The Golden Road, The Brokedown Podcast, and more in honor of the birth and death of The Dead's iconic frontman Jerry Garcia—August 1st and 9th respectively. "It’s a dark song, but tinged with hopefulness," says Turnstyled, Junkpiled in the video's premiere. In 1987, Robert Hunter told Rolling Stone, "'Black Muddy River' is about the perspective of age and making a decision about the necessity of living in spite of a rough time, and the ravages of anything else that’s going to come at you. When I wrote it, I was writing about how I felt about being 45 years old and what I’ve been through. And then when I was done with it, obviously it was for The Dead.” The song was performed as the first of two encores at the Dead’s final concert on July 9, 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago. 

LISTEN: "BLACK MUDDY RIVER"   

"It’s not easy to stand out in a world full of Grateful Dead covers," remarked Mother Church Pew. "It takes something sung from the heart to embrace the soul of the song, while giving it a life of its own. Thomas lets gentle, crisp acoustic guitar carry the melodies while building on the song’s inherent folk qualities with touches of dobro, mandolin, and strings. Full of reverence, it connects to the legacy of the Grateful Dead graced by the personal connection that pours from Thomas’s vocals. With ingrained devotion, Thomas’s ‘Black Muddy River’ feels like it is being sung directly to Jerry Garcia—flowing with veneration from one artist to another.”   

The video, filmed and directed by Deven Bussey, is a lush visual for the song, which Thomas feels is one of The Grateful Dead's most beautiful. “Growing up in a musical family, I was listening to The Grateful Dead when I was really young," says Thomas. “American Beauty was among the few CDs I listened to on the bus ride to and from school. As a kid, I loved the songs and the vocal harmonies. As I got older and started playing guitar, their songs shifted into a rich musical landscape that has stayed with me and informed my own music ever since. ‘Black Muddy River’ is a later song in their catalogue, and lyrically a resonant, timeless reflection on life. The Grateful Dead are such a participatory band in the multitudes of ways their fans share in the music, even after Jerry’s passing.”  

LISTEN: REASSURE ME THERE’S A WINDOW 

On May 15th, Thomas unveiled his beautiful new LP Reassure Me There’s A Window to praise from Billboard, PopMatters, Folk Radio UK, and more. “This album was a long time dream of mine,” recounts Thomas of the LP. The tracks on Reassure Me There’s A Window, which feature tight fingerpicking guitar-based tunes with introspective lyrics fleshed out with resonant string arrangements, all come from a deeply personal place, and the more Thomas played them for his audiences, the more he realized how much others could relate to them. Each song touches on personal truths and what it means to be human—what connects us and motivates us, as well as the struggles and difficult facts of life.  

In each of the album’s 11 tracks, Thomas puts life and the human condition under the microscope in order to articulately observe the big questions with small details, paying careful attention to his understanding of himself and the seasonality of life. He has the ability to lyrically turn the world on its side and explain the human condition and its accompanying array of emotions from a beautifully unique perspective. 

Thomas, who cut his teeth fronting Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun, has shared stages with bands like Langhorne Slim, The Wombats, and Blitzen Trapper. He began writing songs that didn't fit within the rock-centric framework and decided he would strike out on his own, stretching his creative muscles. The album was produced by Jordan Lehning (Rodney Crowell, Andrew Combs, Joshua Hedley); with its throwback flair, Reassure Me There's A Window is a lush, sweetly-arranged collection of articulate folk-tinged songs. 

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ZAYDE WØLF RELEASES “BRAND NEW THING SINGLE ”

ZAYDE WØLF RELEASES   “BRAND NEW THING SINGLE ”

“.... an inspiring song about discovering one’s inner giant. The track’s high energy will ignite the self-confidence necessary to achieve their potential. “Brand New Thing” is surely an anthem.” - APIATE

LISTEN TO “BRAND NEW THING”: HERE

Alt Rock chart-topper Zayde Wølf has released his latest single “Brand New Thing.” Over the past four years, Zayde Wølf has slowly built a music empire outside of the mainstream music industrial complex,  with an army of fans that includes  225K YouTube subscribers, 73 million video views, over 1.1 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, with 250 million streams across all streaming platforms.  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, the 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 55 Million subscribers and 7 Billion views, who featured “Brand New Thing” in their latest video ”Airsoft Battle 3.” Other creative partnerships include collaborations with Fortnite champion DrLupo, and extreme downhill racers Rémy Métailler and Matt Walker. 

“Perhaps the perfect description of ZAYDE is simply the dark rock child of Imagine Dragons and The Black Keys.” - Ones to Watch

Zayd Wølf is the creation of Grammy-nominated Nashville based producer and songwriter Dustin Burnett. “At this point in my career, all I wanna do is have some fun with this music and try some new stuff,” says Burnett.  “Brand New Thing” is a song about discovering that hidden giant inside you. It’s what happens the moment that you completely ignore the hate, discouragement, and negativity and step into embracing your wonderful self. It’s a song for stepping out for yourself and into your swagger. Although Wølf has had songs and albums at the top of the iTunes Alternative Rock charts he is inspired by all different types of music. “I’ve hinted at it in some songs before, but since the song is called ‘Brand New Thing’,” says Burnett “I had to try some new shit in the verses for me. I embraced the hip-hop kid inside.”

“ZAYDE WØLF is unconventional, in every sense of the word. Scrawling a poetic lyric on a massive pop-rock wall of sound--hinting at Imagine Dragons and Bastille influence.”  - Pop Dust

Burnett has more new music on the horizon for this fall and a new album planned for early next year. 

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COMING-OF-AGE MUSIC-COMEDY FILM “ELECTRIC JESUS” PREMIERES AT FILM FESTIVALS THIS FALL

COMING-OF-AGE MUSIC-COMEDY FILM “ELECTRIC JESUS”

PREMIERES AT FILM FESTIVALS THIS FALL

Fictional band 316 Released First Single And Video “Commando For Christ”

With Distribution Through Joyful Noise Recordings

Original Score by Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile) and Original Songs by Smith and Director Chris White

WATCH VIDEO FOR “COMMANDO FOR CHRIST”: HERE

GREENVILLE, SC – “Electric Jesus” is a wistful coming-of-age music-comedy that follows the ill-fated journey of a never-famous 80’s Christian hair metal band who spends the summer of 1986 playing rock music meant to ‘make Jesus famous.’ The film will screen at film festivals all over the United States this fall - most notably competing for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Nashville Film Festival, October 1-7.  

Written and directed by Chris White, the film features Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Brian Baumgartner (The Office), Shawn Parsons, Rhoda Griffis and Claire Bronson. The film is produced by Chris White and Emily Reach White with Emily Reach White, Ryan Bury and James Andrew Felts serving as Executive Producers. John J. Thompson, Christian Rock’s most noted historian, is music supervisor and historical advisor to the film. 

With original score and music by Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile, Sufjan Stevens, Jad Fair, et al), fictitious band 316 plays an otherworldly mash-up of 80’s hair metal and vacation Bible school that wears its teenage protagonists’ hearts on its sleeve while rocking their socks off.  

The first single from the film’s soundtrack, “Commando For Christ,” is a blistering Christian hair metal anthem co-written by film composer Daniel Smith and writer/director Chris White.  It was released through Joyful Noise Recordings on June 26th with the official video featuring movie band 316 which is made up of four new/emerging stars: Wyatt Lenhart (singer/guitarist), Will Oliver (lead guitarist), Gunner Willis (bassist) and Caleb Hoffmann (drummer). Close watchers will glimpse star Brian Baumgartner as 316’s lovable but shady manager Skip Wick and newcomer Shannon Hutchinson who plays a preacher’s daughter who runs off with the band.

Featuring music that spans hard rock, metal, bluegrass, cow-punk, and pop, “Electric Jesus” transports its audience back to where we all want to be: young, free, on the road and alive with purpose and possibility.

As “Electric Jesus” looks to Fall 2020 film festivals and a worldwide release to follow, record label Joyful Noise Recordings will release several songs from the film over the course of the summer and fall — on limited edition, 7” vinyl, and on all major streaming platforms. These releases and the accompanying music videos will coincide with a crowdfunding campaign for the full movie soundtrack — to be released on streaming, vinyl, and CD in November.

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FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

9/4 \ SPECIAL EVENT

Image Journal Summer Stages Screening & Talkback

9/10 \ FILM FEST

Iowa Independent Film Festival, Mason City, IA

9/10-19 \ TORONTO FILM FEST

Screenings via MPX for Distribution

9/17 \ FILM FEST

Boston Film Festival, Boston, MA

9/26 \ FILM FEST

Footcandle Film Festival, Hickory, NC

10/1-7 \ FILM FEST

Nashville Film Festival, Nashville, TN

10/9-11 \ FILM FEST

Tryon International Film Festival, Tryon, NC

KILLER WHALE RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “DROP OUT” VIA BACKSEAT MAFIA

 KILLER WHALE RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO  

“DROP OUT” VIA BACKSEAT MAFIA  

NEW LP TASTES LIKE YESTERDAY 

 OUT SEPTEMBER 18TH 

VIA DEVIL IN THE WOODS 

Credit: Still Harper 

WATCH: “DROP OUT”  

LISTEN: “DROP OUT” 

Today, New Orleans-based band Killer Whale releases “Drop Out,” the groovy third single and  its gloriously lo-fi video from their forthcoming album Tastes Like Yesterday, co-produced by Grayson Converse of Spooky Mansion, out September 18th via Devil In The Woods. “Drop Out,” which Backseat Mafia called “a beautiful slice of hazy R&B/pop, with these ethereal vocals floating over gluey synths and this sprawling bassline. It has this melody that drifts into your ears, breaks your heart and kisses it better all at once.” “'Drop Out' is about realizing you may need a breath, a pause, or just something new, and dropping out of whatever that is,” says Killer Whale frontman Thomas Johnson. “It’s about stepping away so you can get a better look at what might lie ahead. The video is fairly relative to that concept of dropping out of playing live music due to COVID, and then, while in that break, looking back at the beautiful moments we’ve had as a band and cherishing them more deeply than ever.” “Drop Out” follows previously-released album singles “Plenty Of Time” and lead single “Comfortable.”  

WATCH // LISTEN :  “PLENTY OF TIME”

WATCH // LISTEN : “COMFORTABLE” 

 Somewhere between the rustic Louisiana bayou and dreamy California shores lies Killer Whale. With their colorful rhythms and rock n’ roll daydreams, they create a space that invites you in, tells you to make yourself at home, and hugs you as you walk in the door. Killer Whale, much like its creator, wanders between New Orleans, Austin, and San Francisco, bearing the melodic scars all that travel brings him. A mixture of genres, Killer Whale doesn’t subscribe to any one camp. Instead, it exudes them all.  

This kaleidoscope of sound oozes from every dreamy groove of the album’s 10 psychedelic, surf-infused, funk n' soul-tinged gems. With that kind of concoction, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched to think that the songs would be a melee, an atonal mishmash that harkens back to the days of being different for different’s sake. Under the leadership of another musician, such might be the case, but Killer Whale melds everything together in the name of freaky good fun. 

 Tastes Like Yesterday finds Johnson’s muse immersing him in a very seductive, mellow soul. “I’m from Louisiana, and New Orleans culture and music have always been an influence on me, whether consciously or not,” Johnson says. When asked how he describes his music, Johnson laughs and suggests it’s “Pontoon Soul.” Lead single “Comfortable” offers an example of this new genre; it’s swampy and murky, yet Johnson’s heavenly voice transcends, resulting in a song best described as drop-dead gorgeous.  

Tune in HERE to get a taste of Killer Whale’s fantastic live performance from Downman Sounds in New Orleans for Jam In The Van’s Jam In YOUR Van series benefiting the Equal Justice Initiative. 

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TWRP PAY TRIBUTE TO MOMS EVERYWHERE WITH THE RELEASE OF THE “ONLY THE BEST” SINGLE

 TWRP PAY TRIBUTE TO MOMS EVERYWHERE

WITH THE RELEASE OF THE “ONLY THE BEST” SINGLE

+ ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM OVER THE TOP

OUT SEPTEMBER 25

“The track pays tribute to the women of the world who have given life to us all and expresses deep gratitude for the patience, love, and support they offer their children, no matter how young or old they may be. It also reminds those who hear it that such love and patience is what helps make the world a positive and happy place and that society as a whole would greatly benefit from us all listening to our mothers, and following in their footsteps – at least in terms of their showing others kindness – a little more.” - Pop Wrapped

LISTEN TO “ONLY THE BEST”:  HERE

 Canada’s TWRP, who personifies the sound of the future imagined in the 80s, is excited to share their latest single “Only the Best” from their forthcoming album Over the Top, out September 25th. “Only the Best” is a thank you letter addressed not only to TWRP’s moms, but to all the moms of the world - for their patience, love, and support. Featuring sparkly synthesizers, blazing guitar solos, and some very lighthearted talkbox vocals, TWRP fits their familiar optimism into a punchy little new-wave song, reminding us all that we should probably call home more often.

 Consisting of members Doctor Sung (keys & vocals), Lord Phobos (guitar), Commander Meouch (bass), and Havve Hogan (drums), TWRP’s on-stage personas are matched evenly by their outrageous appearance - as they don colourful costumes straight out of a comic book from the 1980s. The dynamic between these four characters (and best friends), combined with the optimism of their music, has taken TWRP from humble beginnings on Canada’s east coast, to gaining a devoted and sizable international cult following over the past 13 years.

In recent years TWRP has experienced a golden era, growing rapidly from ongoing work with collaborators such as Colonel Chris Hadfield and Andrew Huang, as well as from major commercial successes as the band behind Billboard-topping comedy music stars Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb. With the power of an internet-gained fandom at their backs, TWRP has toured the US and Canada extensively for years, performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2018, and in 2019 broadened their reach internationally with tours in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

TWRP’s new album, Over The Top, is just that - another entry in their discography that delivers an exaggerated rendering of their wide-ranging influences, while not taking itself too seriously. Rich vintage synthesizers, shred guitar, and driving disco rhythms all find their place in the music - and despite an air of levity in its delivery, real themes of change, perseverance, and gratitude permeate the album. With an attitude of playfulness and honesty in the music, Over The Top seems to say that now more than ever it’s important to find the humor and enjoyment through life’s challenges.

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