Back in 2021, Wednesday’s “Audiotree Live” performance of their record, “Twin Plagues”, gave us goosebumps. We were so hyped to see Asheville’s premier country-gaze band release a lightning bolt of a fifth album, “Rat Saw God” earlier this month. Wednesday’s new record reveals life’s curdled beauty, taking listeners on a journey through a landscape that subtly grows as familiar as the one where you grew up. Lead singer and songwriter, Karly Hartzman, traffics in the casual poetry of people who share enough in common to skip the pleasantries. The record bursts with pile-driving rock crescendos, twinkling ambience, and grinding alt-country that sputters like a stalled motor. Revisit their “Audiotree Live Session” and go give their new album “Rat Saw God” a listen.
Wednesday is a noisy indie rock band whose chameleonic sound bounces between pounding shoegaze and melodic rock. The quintet incorporates lap steel and twinkly guitar work to round out their forward thinking songwriting.
Check out the super rad performance by Wednesday live at Audiotree.
Setlist 1. 00:00 Twin Plagues 2. 04:30 Billboard 3. 07:45 How Can You Live If You Can’t Love How Can You If You Do 4. 11:56 Cody’s Only 5. 15:18 One More Last One 6. 19:08 Toothache 7. 22:00 Handsome Man 8. 26:19 The Burned Down Dairy Queen 9. 29:49 Fate Is…
Beabadoobee has shared a new version of “Glue Song,” featuring Clairo. Beabadoobee first shared “Glue Song” last Valentine’s Day with a video shot in in the Philippines. She’s currently opening for Taylor Swift on the Texas-Florida-Georgia leg of the Eras Tour, and she’s set to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer. Her last LP, “Beatopia”, was released July last year.
In March, Clairo jumped on a new version of Phoenix’s Alpha Zulu song “After Midnight.” Earlier this month, Clairo shared a charity single titled “For Now” to benefit For the Gworls and Everytown for Gun Safety. She also joined the synthpop group Synthia on their single “So Low” and posted a cover of the Vashti Bunyan ballad “Winter Is Blue.”
“Glue Song” with Clairo out now !! so happy to finally have our voices together on a song, hope u all lov hearing it as much as we did making it
Acclaimed Los Angeles-based rockers Dawes have released their long-awaitedeighth studio album, “Misadventures of Doomscroller”, available everywhere now via Rounder Records. Rock stars don’t often name-drop such authors as Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace and William Gaddis when they talk about their rock-and-roll influences, but Dawes lead singer and guitarist Taylor Goldsmith specifically credits those three scribes for helping shape his music-writing perspective while the band put together its latest album, “Misadventures of Doomscroller”
Dawes celebrated “Misadventures of Doomscroller” with a historic and record-breaking performance of “Someone Else’s Café/Doomscroller Tries to Relax” on CBS Saturday Morning—at 10 minutes and five seconds, the longest live performance of a single song in US TV history.
Produced by longtime collaborator Jonathan Wilson (Billy Strings, Father John Misty, Angel Olsen), “Misadventures of Doomscroller” represents an adventurous new turn for Dawes, evincing a more ambitious, exploratory approach towards recording than ever before.
The album includes recently released singles like “Ghost In The Machine,” “Everything Is Permanent,” “Comes In Waves,” and the epic opening track, “Someone Else’s Café / Doomscroller Tries to Relax.”
Official performance videos—directed by Caitlin Gerard at Hollywood, CA’s historic EastWest Studio—are streaming now via YouTube. The live performance of the entire album filmed at EastWest which was available exclusively for the first weekend when the album was initially announced is back online and streaming now.
With “Misadventures of Doomscroller”, Goldsmith allowed himself to be a little “uncomfortable” and let loose on guitar more so than he usually does. Bandmates Griffin Goldsmith (drums), Wylie Gelber (bass) and Lee Pardini (keyboards) followed suit. The result is an easy-listening, funky, smooth-rock record that includes moments of extended jamming and showcases the quartet’s musicianship more so than previous Dawes albums.
Dawes will further celebrate “Misadventures of Doomscroller” with a non-stop live schedule including headlining shows, festival performances, a summer run with The Head and The Heart, and a very special co-headlining tour with GRAMMY Award-nominated Canadian artist Bahamas.
“An Evening with Dawes and Bahamas” will see both acts performing together for two unique live sets, with Dawes backing Bahamas and Bahamas then joining Dawes for an unprecedented collaborative performance. The tour begins September 7 at Knoxville, TN’s Bijou Theatre and then travels the US through the month. “It’s a thrill for us because it keeps us familiar with the whole body of work, and I think that’s actually a pretty rare gift that musicians have,” Goldsmith says. “It’s not like novelists and filmmakers get to go play with the stuff that they made through the years, but musicians do get to do that.”
Other highlights include a very special solo performance by Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime “Tom Petty Dreamset” at Indianapolis, IN’s All In Music & Arts Festival, led by Dawes and featuring a surprise line-up of special guests.
On “Garden Party”, Rose City Band’s country psychedelic rock evokes the wide-open spaces of the American west and free spirits who call it home. Lead by acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson, Rose City Band are some of the best players in contemporary rock: pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, bassist Dewey Mahood (aka Plankton Wat), drummer Dustin Dybvig, and features Sanae Yamada of Moon Duo on Synthesizer.
“Garden Party” is both a celebration of summer and all it brings: friends gathering at backyard BBQs, cold beers on a hot porch, 12-foot sunflowers, and an exaltation of the value and respite of a moment of calm; the pleasures of time in the garden to appreciate the beauty of a contorted carrot, or a morning on a stoop watching a hummingbird.
Freedom, contentment, and joy were the sources for the songs; they certainly bring the listener right there. From the soaring guitar solos to the driving rhythms, the elegant pedal steel lines to the organ grooves, “Garden Party” has a live band’s energy captured in exquisite detail. “Garden Party” is an invitation, a welcoming hand extended, and a joyous ride. Like all great music, the album taps into the listeners’ emotional center and takes them to their happy place – their sunny spot. Recorded at Center for Sound, Light, and Color Therapy in Portland and mixed by John McEntire, the band’s sounds surround and embrace you.
“Garden Party’s” last two tracks feature special guest Sanae Yamada (Moon Duo) who added some synth magic to the final two tracks. Ripley says it best “I always like when an album starts in one place and ends in another” What a beautiful journey it is!
Easily among the most star-studded original albums ever recorded, “Defiance Part 1” sees Ian Hunter joined by the late, great Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Billy F Gibbons (ZZ Top), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Todd Rundgren, Slash (Guns N’ Roses), JeffTweedy (Wilco), Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards), Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Dane Clark (John Mellencamp), Billy Bob Thornton & J.D. Andrew (The Boxmasters) and Dean DeLeo, Robert De Leo & Eric Kretz (Stone Temple Pilots). DEFIANCE PART 1 is heralded by today’s premiere of the nostalgic first single, “Bed Of Roses,” featuring guitarist Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) and drums by Ringo Starr, available today at all DSPs and streaming services. An official music video for “Bed Of Roses” premieres today on YouTube.
“It was a fluke,” Ian Hunter says. “This was not planned. Really, I’m serious. I really couldn’t believe some of them. I mean, it’s amazing what’s happened. It’s been such a buzz.”
Now in its seventh decade, Ian Hunter’s illustrious career has long been marked by collaboration, from the golden age of Mott theHoople to his fabled partnership with Mick Ronson and 21st century renaissance with his crack backing combo, the Rant Band. Now, with “Defiance Part 1”, the legendary singer-songwriter, author, and rock ‘n’ roll star takes creative solidarity to an unprecedented new level with spectacular accompaniment from a truly awe-inspiring roster of special guests, famous fans, and lifelong friends.
The album first came together in early 2020 with the dawn of the pandemic era. An inveterate hard worker, Hunter took the lockdown as a creative opportunity, writing a series of new songs which he tracked in his Connecticut basement alongside his longtime collaborator, guitarist/producer/multi-instrumentalist Andy York. Working with little more than a computer, guitar, V5 piano, and “a very small keyboard,” Hunter and York created a collection of bare bones demos but with quarantine rules still in effect, were unable to flesh them out further by hitting the studio with the Rant Band. Manager Mike Kobayashi and renowned rock ‘n’ roll photographer Ross Halfin suggested reaching out to some of Hunter’s fellow legends who might perhaps use some of their own lockdown to contribute a track or two. To Hunter’s delight, the project quickly escalated, with a galaxy of stars clamoring to be involved. With time on their hands due the pandemic, his fellow musicians took the demos and stems that Hunter and York put together in his basement and added unforeseen power and creativity through their own trademark talents.
“Everybody’s sitting around,” says Hunter. “It’s Covid. Nobody’s going anywhere. We started sending them out. Slash started doing something. Robert Trujillo from Metallica. Ringo Starr, Mike Campbell. Joe Elliott is on a few tracks. Johnny Depp said ‘Jeff Beck’s with me and we’d like to do a couple of songs.’ I know Todd Rundgren, I toured with Todd way back, he’s done an amazing job. Billy Gibbons. Billy Bob Thornton and JD Andrew from The Boxmasters. It’s never ending. I mean, every day we’d get a phone call, this guy wants to do it, that guy wants to do it. It was like, I can’t believe this.”
Despite its genesis during the pandemic, “Defiance Part 1” is remarkably upbeat, ablaze with the life-affirming energy and unbridled passion that has marked Hunter’s music since the start. Indeed, “Pavlov’s Dog” is Hunter at his ferocious best, a snarling rocker featuring the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots – brothers Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass) and Eric Kretz (drums). Songs like “I Hate Hate” and the album’s rebellious title track – the latter showcasing the one and only Slash on guitar with Metallica’s Robert Trujillo carrying the groove using the late Jaco Pastorius’ signature fretless bass, the same instrument played by the legendary jazz musician on Hunter’s groundbreaking second solo album, 1975’s “All American Alien Boy” – offer indisputable evidence that Hunter’s voice remains as uncompromising and provocative as ever before.
Having spent the better part of two years on the project, Hunter isn’t done yet. As its title promises, “Defiance Part 1” will be followed by the arrival of “Defiance Part 2”. The second chapter will feature an equally stunning range of special guests while projecting an entirely different thematic approach and song writing aesthetic.
With the wind at his back, Ian Hunter has somehow managed to pull off something impossible. “Defiance Part 1” is a full-speed-ahead rock ‘n’ roll record rarely heard in this day and age, recorded with a crew of irrefutable rock ‘n’ roll all-stars and released on the definitive rock ‘n’ roll label.
“There are a lot of reasons for calling this album “Defiance “ says Ian Hunter. “It’s like, people my age shouldn’t be making records, blah, blah, blah. But we’ve still got a bit left.”
FIRST SINGLE, “BED OF ROSES,” FEATURING MIKE CAMPBELL AND RINGO STARR
Rock ‘n’ roll legend Ian Hunter has announced the release of his landmark new album, “Defiance Part 1“, arriving via the Sun Records label on Friday, April 21st, 2023.
The duo’s first album for over two decades. “How reunion albums should be done. ‘Fuse’, their first album since 1999, is imbued with the sounds of today for a shimmering, immensely satisfying return” 4/5 – NME “Fuse picks up right where Temperamental stopped, as if they’re hitting play on a cassette they’ve kept on pause for 24 years. But they keep it fresh, using the latest digital effects to warp, filter, mutate Thorn’s voice into a deeper, more dolorous instrument”
‘Run A Red Light’ from Everything But The Girl’s forthcoming album, ‘Fuse’.
Leeds based Post-Punk Treeboy & Arc Explaining the track, Ben said “The lyrics for “False Objects” were written when I was really into watching late night TV shows about the supernatural. For some reason my girlfriend and I became weirdly obsessed with Jack Osbourne. We saw a programme called ‘Portals to Hell’ and the name sounded so ridiculous we watched it and it was him presenting it, that opened a can of worms. He also does a show with Sharon and Ozzy called ‘The Osbournes Want to Believe’ where he plays them spooky video clips of ghosts and UFOs and Bigfoot in an attempt to convince them it’s real and plausible. A lot of it is bollocks obviously but some of it is pretty compelling and left me thinking “OK well if that isn’t a ghost, then what on earth is it?”. At some point you can tell that Ozzy is really starting to buy into it all, and I realised that I was also starting to believe”
This is an alternative/ re-imagined version of “The Saboteur” which we made for EarthPercent x Earth Day 2023.
We are honoured to be involved in the Earth Percent campaign alongside many artists we admire and make our small contribution to this collective process.
The song is about toxic nostalgia, reluctance to change and self-sabotage. Throughout the record there’s the idea that what takes place internally and on a personal scale is mirrored in society and the world on a grander scale. That is hinted at in this song too. Where society clings to an imagined past we can’t move forward. The album explores whether we can change our fate to arrive in alternative future to the one we’ve been hurtling towards. For those reasons we felt this was a fitting contribution to the Earth Percent campaign.
The original version of the song will appear on our upcoming album “Versions Of Us” – out 2nd June 2023.
Lanterns on The Lake – “The Saboteur (Multiverse Version)” is an exclusive track available for a limited time only as part of the EarthPercent x Earth Day 2023 campaign.
View all tracks by artists kindly supporting Earth Day 2023: earthpercent.bandcamp.com
For every track sold, a minimum of £1.56 goes to EarthPercent’s grant making programme, after deducting only third-party platform fees and applicable taxes from the purchase price. No EarthPercent operating costs are deducted. Funds raised support organisations doing vital work to tackle the climate emergency. For more info go to earthpercent.org
Demon Records is proud to present the 20th anniversary edition of “Slideling”, the third solo album by frontman of Echo & the Bunnymen. First released in 2003, the album was produced by acclaimed producer Cenzo Townshend and features guest performances by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland on stand-out tracks ‘Sliding’ and ‘Arthur’.
McCulloch has created a grand pop rock album that wastes no time revving its engine, add to that the participation of Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland. Mac sings in his trademark style, sounding as fresh as he did two decades ago. There’s a certain soulful feeling to the song as well, whether it’s the bass line or the backing harmonies kept in the distance. McCulloch kept it simple, knowing when to cut the fat from a song, resulting in few if any lengthy fading moments. This third album is a glorious return to what made Mac so damn cool in the first place. It’s his best solo record. Okay, he’s only had three, but this is classic McCulloch in a contemporary model.
To mark the 20th anniversary, the album is released on vinyl for the very first time, exclusively for Record Store Day 2023. Pressed on 140g white vinyl, newly mastered by Phil Kinrade at AIR Mastering.
The Fat Angel Sings 