Named after the neighbourhood in Winnipeg where he grew up as a bored teen learning as many instruments as he could get his hands on, Micah Visser released his brilliantly titled debut single I Will Not Return As A Tourist last year on Transgressive Records imprint ParadYse. Mixing Death Cab-esque poetic despair across an unstoppable backdrop of searing harmonic power, his songs are wonderfully bleak and heartbreaking.
If you haven’t heard of Dream State yet, get ready to ride on a serious hype train. Hailing from South-Wales, the five-piece and recently signed to UNFD and have announced the brand new Recovery EP, due out for a release on May 18th.
Ahead of the release of the EP, the band have dropped a blistering, dark pop punk banger ‘New Waves’. The track lends from pop punk’s heavier forefathers, A Day To Remember in delivering an onslaught of crushing yet melodic riffs, carried by vocalist CJ Gilpin’s powerhouse performance.
The track ebbs on the more nihilistic side of things, featuring kingdom vanquishing drums the drive it’s huge hooks – it’s a massively modern take on the output of mid-00s emo bands like Further Seems Forever and Hawthorne Heights, highly informed by the pop sensibilities of PVRIS.
Gilpin describes the EP as a “journey from internal chaos to calm, with each track relating to a stage in her personal recovery”, adding that ‘New Waves’ is about finally letting go of prodigal habits and ties and riding new waves, making fresh starts, releasing myself of the past and welcoming the future. Life is not easy for anyone but it’s good to remember how far you’ve come and no matter how dark life can appear, it can’t compete with the light that follows”
Ryan Adams was in New Orleans on Saturday to worship The Rolling Stones with the one-off “Exile on Bourbon St.” concert, a full-album tribute to the Stones’ 1972 landmark album “Exile on Main Street”.
Ryan Adams was joined at the Saenger Theatre by a group of New Orleans musicians including Cyril Neville on percussion, John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood on keys and Terence Higgins of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on drums. Erstwhile Stones producer Don Was served as musical director and played bass. All 18 Exile On Main Street songs were on the set list, as was “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (which, of course, was actually on 1971’s Sticky Fingers). La Sera’s Todd Wisenbaker, who worked with Adams on his 1989 covers album, contributed guitar and backing vocals.
The performance featured some long jams on the songs Keith Richards probably would hate, and other moments of artistic license, like the honky-tonky swing of “Sweet Virginia” subbed out for a more ponderous alt-rock feel.
Adams did treat fans to a couple of extra tunes in the encore, including ‘Wild Horses’ and ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ from 1971’s Sticky Fingers, and ‘The Worst’, from 1994’s Voodoo Lounge.
Exile On Main St. was released back in May of 1972 after being recording the previous year while The Rolling Stones were living in France as tax exiles. Touching on a wide variety of topics and themes while utilising a number of musical styles, the album has often been considered by many music critics as one of the group’s finest works, and one of the greatest albums of all time.
Earlier in the week, Adams tweeted a photo of his telecaster and some crib notes for the 18 songs that would make up the show, writing. “The hardest Rolling Stones songs to learn are weirdly the ones with the least chord changes.”
Some of the songs were performed faithfully, though others were given a new tempo or some extra jangle. “Sweet Virginia,” for one, was slowed way down and played more as a ballad than a country stomper. Watch the band perform that one, plus “Tumbling Dice” and a nine-minute version of “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.”
The iconic singer-songwriter Ryan Adams headlined his Exile on Bourbon St. an incredible group of musicians performed one of the greatest albums in music history, Exile on Main St., in its entirety. “I’ve listened to all the multi-track tapes from the EXILE period and it’s not hyperbolic to say that this is probably the greatest rock ‘n roll ever recorded! I can’t wait to dig deep into these songs with The Mighty Ryan Adams and this incredible group of musicians,” says Don Was,
Reflecting on 10 years as a band, Deer Tick have announced a new documentary entitled Straight Into A Storm.
Straight Into a Storm, tells the story of how the band Deer Tick, fronted by John McCauley, surfed the waves and tempests of the rock & roll life to accumulate a diehard fan base and a cultish identity that has kept them on the road for well over a decade. With never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with friends like Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and plenty of live shots to bring to life Deer Tick’s lengthy story.The film – directed by William Miller focuses on the band’s history as well as their 10-year anniversary run at Brooklyn Bowl over New Year’s 2014.
The film also shows how vital the band dynamic – now including Ian O’Neil, Chris Ryan and Dennis Ryan – is to Deer Tick’s sound.
“Our 10-year anniversary shows were a celebration for our fans and for us,” the band said in an official statement. “It was a lot of work, but also a blast! William Miller was there every night to capture that spirit. We’re proud and excited for his film to get an official release and proper distribution by partnering with Abramorama.”
On their last set of records, Deer Tick Vol. 1 and Deer Tick Vol. 2, the Nashville-based, Rhode Island-bred band made peace with their dual sides: one acoustic and one electric, it showcased the breadth of their range and their ability to hop from somber folk one moment to raucous, sweaty punk the next.
Straight Into A Storm will debut at New York City’s Roxy Cinema Tribeca, followed by a Q+A from the band and a concert cruise around Manhattan.
Katie Von Schleicher follows up her 2017 album “Shitty Hits” with “Glad To Be Here”, available now and as a 7″ on May 4th just in time for her upcoming US and European tours. Produced & engineered by Von Schleicher, herself , Glad To Be Here incorporates the warmth and saturation of Bleaksploitation and Shitty Hits, while nodding towards what’s next. “On a break from touring this winter I went back to my childhood home in Maryland. I built a fire, set up my gold drum kit, saw a ton of stars and felt smushed by silence. It was lonely, so I made these songs. ‘Glad to Be Here’ is where I find myself right now. ‘Party Dawn’ is tied to Maryland, to a dear friend and our adolescence,” says Von Schleicher. Bringing the songs back to New York, she finalized them with collaborator Adam Brisbin (Sam Evian, Jolie Holland, Buck Meek) and mixed them with Julian Fader (Ava Luna, Frankie Cosmos, Nadine, Palehound).
This Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Katie Von Schleicher, who’s hitting the road with Mitski this summer, treated Paste to her stirring, emotion-packed songs.
Katie Von Schleicher
Helmed by members of The Cult of Dom Keller, Monumentals are an instrumental soundtrack duo from Nottingham creating ethereal cinematic soundtracks that range from sci-fi westerns to krautrock-infused art rock to electronic space symphonies inspired by the likes of Morricone, Eno, & Vangelis with the shadows of Crowley & Lynch haunting their otherworldly cinematic soundscapes.
Monumentals are Ryan DelGaudio & Neil Marsden. All tracks written, performed & produced by Monumentals.
Honey Radar sound like a low-budget Clientele, all major-key arpeggios somewhere between psych and Felt.” Are you ready to go on a Psychic Cruise, this summer, Well strap in. Yet again, Honey Radar. What can you possibly say by now that’s not totally redundant at this point? Lo-fi master-class pop handyman rock sketches in the vein of Pavement or Syd Barrett. “Psychic Cruise” is the third proper single that Chunklet has been fortunate enough to release by the Philly band. More splayed noise. More reverb. More racket. More hooks. Repeat. Five new jams. Never heard before. New Honey Radar will always be celebrated at Chunklet HQ. We’re told that next in the Honey Radar series will be a Fall tribute single featuring Chunklet’s Henry Owings. What will they be called? Henry Radar. Coming Fall ’18.
“Five tracks of shambolic Syd Barrett burial rites that exhume the shaggy spirit of clang-clobbered pop, echoplexed to perfection and smeared with enough hooks to keep ya diggin’ for the long haul.”
“Fill Your Head with Rock” (1970) was the third release in the successful CBS Records “Rock Machine UK budget sampler album series. It broke new ground, by extending the format to a double album, and also featured far more UK artists than previous samplers.
Compiler David Howell stated that while the earlier samplers were merely aimed at promoting specific full-price releases, this record was part of a major push to establish the label as “the top label in contemporary music” in the UK, and also to establish the market for double albums
For once a sampler album cover showed the featured artists, and even provided a key for identification. Laura Nyro can be seen at the top left, Taj Mahal next to her, and Al Kooper & Leonard Cohen at the top right. Four of the artists are not shown: Moondog, Amory Kane, Black Widow and Skin Alley. The front cover features Jerry Goodman of The Flock.
Tracks
“Listen” (R. Lamm) : Chicago (from the LP Chicago 66221)[3] (3:22) “Savour”[4] (Santana) : Santana (from the LP Santana 63815) (2:46) “Give A Life, Take A Life” (California/Adler) : Spirit (from the LP Clear 63729) (3:47) “Passing Through” (K. White) : Steamhammer (from the LP Steamhammer[5] 63694) (5:17) “Smiling Phases” (S. Winwood-J. Capaldi-C. Wood) : Blood, Sweat and Tears (from the LP Blood, Sweat & Tears 63504) (5:10) Side Two “Tired of Waiting” (Flock[6]) : Flock (from the LP Flock 63733) (4:35)[7] “Come To The Sabbat” (Clive Jones-Jim Gannon) : Black Widow (from the LP Sacrifice 63948) (4:55) “Dance In The Smoke” (R. Argent-C. White) : Argent (from the LP Argent 63781) (6:10) “Gunga Din” (G. Parsons) : The Byrds (from the LP Ballad of Easy Rider 63795) (3:02) “Living In Sin” (James) : Skin Alley (from the LP Skin Alley 63847) (4:35) Side Three “Gibsom Street” (L. Nyro) : Laura Nyro (from the LP New York Tendaberry 63410) (4:30) “You Know Who I Am” (L. Cohen) : Leonard Cohen (from the LP Songs from a Room 63587) (3:22) “Stamping Ground”[8] (L. Hardin) : Moondog (from the LP Moondog 63906) (2:36) “The Inbetween Man”[9] (A. Kane) : Amory Kane (from the LP The Inbetween Man 63849) (5:22) “The Garden of Jane Delawney” (T. Boswell[10]) : Trees (from the LP The Garden of Jane Delawney 63837) (4:05) “A Small Fruit Song” (Al Stewart) : Al Stewart (from the LP Zero She Flies 63848) (2:00) “Driving Wheel” (T. Rush[11]) : Tom Rush (from the LP Tom Rush 63940) (5:22) Side Four “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)” (J. Ragavoy-C. Taylor) : Janis Joplin (from the LP I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!) (4:13) “One Room Country Shack” (Mercy Dee Walton) : Al Kooper (from the LP Kooper Session 63797) (3:35) “Six Days On The Road” (C. Montgomery-E.Greene) : Taj Mahal (from the LP Take A Giant Step 66226) (2:55) “Don’t Think About It Baby” (M. Bloomfield) : Mike Bloomfield (from the LP It’s Not Killing Me 63652) (3:34) “Bluesbuster” (C. Allen) : Pacific Gas & Electric (from the LP Pacific Gas and Electric 63822) (2:56) “I Love Everybody” (J. Winter) : Johnny Winter (from the LP Second Winter) (3:50)
The lineage of kaleidoscopic California folk-rock could hardly have meandered into better hands than those of GospelbeacH, the all-star quintet whose members boast resumés longer than a hippie’s hair. At the center of the spinning wheel is singer-guitarist Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks, the Tyde, Further). While Rademaker is the unchanging core, various lineups of the band have included his former Beachwood Sparks bandmate and drummer Tom Sanford, guitarist Neal Casal (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Furthur), guitarist Jason Soda (Everest, Watson Twins) and bassist Kip Boardman (Watson Twins).
Last summer GospelbeacH continued to deftly honor the grand tradition of West Coast rock and roll with their second album Another Summer of Love. This time around it was more 70’s FM rock than 60’s AM gold, more cosmo than country with a theme of timeless love delivered through straightforward, inviting songwriting and singing by Rademaker.
Warm classic production and tight harmonies are helmed once again by guitarist/vocalist Jason Soda. Recorded in Los Angeles at Palomino Sound, Jason’s new 1970’s vintage artisan recording studio. Third GospelbeacH core member Jonny Niemanns adds cascading piano, organ and mellotron fill out the album’s rich sound.
“Change of Heart”, a previously unreleased single from the album. The song features effortlessly cool vocals and bouncy, power pop-tinged rock and roll sound. References to Tom Petty are unmistakeable, but you can also hear the band finding inspiration in acts like Mikal Cronin and Traveling Wilburys. Their is a sunny California vibe to the song, even though it seems to be dabbling in the fare of a broken relationship. The band also throws in some vibrant group harmonies that give it a warm, surf pop sound. Ultimately “Change of Heart” captures a different side of Rademaker’s musical vision, proving he isn’t an artist put all his eggs into one basket when it comes to the genres he tackles.
In the tradition of the Troubadour scene of the 1970’s Another Summer of Love also features some of the GospelbeacH friends and Los Angeles’s finest players and singers including, Pearl Charles, Miranda Lee Richards, members of Wilco, Mapache, Eels, and pickers from the Grand Ole Echo. The album artwork features reflective photography by GospelbeacH guitarist/singer Neal Casal and Allah-Las drummer Matthew Correia.
Played and sung by
Brent Rademaker- vocals, guitar & bass
Jason Soda- vocals, guitars
Jon Niemann- keyboards
with
Kyle Crane- drums
George Sluppick- drums
Andres Renteria- percussion
Pearl Charles- vocals
Sam Blasucci- vocals
Will Courtney- vocals
Steve Taylor- vocals
Austin Singer Songwriter Shakey Graves who in December 2017 teased the oncoming of new music via Twitter, has officially announced the new studio album ‘Can’t Wake Up’ due out 4th May on Dualtone Records. In evolution from his 2014 release ‘And The War Came‘, and receiving the award for Best Emerging Artist at the 2015 Americana Music Awards, this new album harnesses a revelatory sound that ascends to new genres for the artist.
“This record is the most I’ve ever intentionally worked on a project, musically speaking, in terms of the scope of it and how much thought went into it,” shares Alejandro Rose-Garcia aka Shakey Graves. “It’s a dense album; there’s a lot of information going on.”
Thirteen new songs venture through reflections and life lessons learned from personal experiences dating as far back as high school. “The beautiful lesson of all this is having to trust yourself, to be willing to start something that you don’t know the outcome of,” he reflects. “Or to lean toward something just because it feels right, even though it may not be what you originally put down on paper. Those are the kind of stories in this record. They’re not so much about specific people or even myself per se. They’re different shades of every person’s life.”
In addition to the album, Shakey Graves will be heading out on tour in the UK in February, with all dates already sold out.
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