It’s difficult to say where Night Beds begins, but maybe it’s here: August 2006, Colorado Springs, Matt Wilcox invites Winston Yellen to his apartment to record. Or it could be a little later, when one is studying engineering in Nashville, and the other remains behind, an unhappy captive of secondary education: “We were lonely people. We’d call each other and talk about records.” Or any number of moments, really, along a series of migrations, but probably here: the summer of 2008, back in Colorado Springs, when they write the first Night Beds song. You Were Afraid.
“God knows that we try to do the best we can”
After that there is a lot of time spent in basements, a lot of alcohol, a lot of irreverent tuning, but not all that much need for talk. Most things are shared, understood: in thin mountain air, or in a waterlogged summer atmosphere, there can be a sense that breathing is effortful, that sleep is easy but not restful. The songs that come out of those first few years, collected on three EPs (night beds, every fire; every joy, and hide from it), are an exercise in catharsis. They’re deeply ringing things, washed in whiskey. The sound is like something emergent from a tunnel. It may be the red eye of a cigarette in the dark, or it may be dawn peeking out.
“Somewhere we might find softer light”
“We didn’t think. It just was always what felt good.” So the songs come together over acoustic guitars, over the first skeletal melodies, and then they grow. Yellen’s voice takes on a pure kind of thirst when wrapped in the sonic landscapes he and Wilcox devise. It’s searching. It’s taken several years to map everything out, but after a hiatus spent driving the deserts and prairies and coastal roads of the United States, sleeping in a hatchback or on friendly couches – after a long time spent alone – Night Beds has found a home in Nashville, with southstead records. Soon it will see the release of Country Sleep, a full-length album in the spirit of the vagabond, in the winding path to a place of good rest
It should never be the goal of an artist to make pop for pop’s sake. Rather if you make songs that will truly connect with people and present them in the best way possible, they will become pop without intention. Strip away the lights and you’re left with a song. The lights may capture your attention, but the song will forever capture your heart. It is this thought that inspires and energizes The Young International.
Stationed in Music City, the gentlemen of The Young International make pop-rock music without intention. Best friends since meeting at college, TYI has spent over 5 years honing their craft both musically and professionally in preparation for the launch of their much anticipated new project. Each member plays a distinct musical as well as professional role whether it is producing, engineering, designing, booking or writing. These modern day music entrepreneurs have turned their Nashville home into a well-toiled music factory billowing with inspiration.
There is no limit to this burgeoning group’s potential. With the talent, tools, and inspiration at their fingertips, The Young International will be your new favorite band.
We are a band of brothers. The songs that we write are a reflection of the hope, love and joy that we seek. We aim to please ears, but more importantly, we aim to encourage friends to seek hope, love and joy with us. Christ represents all of these to us and is the reason we make music
Influences:
Jesus, Family and Friends, Nada Surf, Death Cab For Cutie, Tom Petty & the Heart Breakers, The Beatles, Genesis, Coldplay, The Wallflowers, The Beach Boys, The Police, Switchfoot, Simon and Garfunkel, M83, Sigur Ros, Guster, Embrace, The Killers, Audio Adrenaline, Third Eye Blind, The Steve Miller Band, The Format, The Waterboys, Jimmy Eat World, Johnny Cash, U2, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys and so on.
Damh the Bard is a Druid whose spirituality is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic traditions his performances are both entertaining and educational, weaving a tapestry of myth, peace, and Pagan anthems that speak directly to the heart, but never without a good splash of humour. As a musical storyteller, Damh works within that world of myth that cannot be proved; where the Faerie really do dance on Midsummer's Eve, where the trees talk, and the Hollow Hills take you into the realms of Annwn. Where the Goddess rides her horse, guiding you to magic, and the Horned God of old calls us from the shadows of the Greenwood.
Influences:
Show of Hands, Dougie Maclean, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Kate Rusby, Richard Thompson, Seth Lakeman, Steve Knightley, Damien Rice, David Gray, Nick Drake, levellers
Sounds Like:
Funnily enough.... Show of Hands, Dougie Maclean, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Kate Rusby, Richard Thompson, Seth Lakeman, Steve Knightley, Damien Rice, David Gray, Nick Drake, levellers, oh, and Damh the Bard!
The Ruse have been known to deliver songs that will crawl into your head and take hold of your heart. Love Sex Confusion, the band’s fourth studio album of new songs, brings a blend of guitar-laden tracks and commanding drum and bass lines that generate the feeling of a live performance.
“We wanted to make the songs on the album much more ‘danceable’ than we did on previous albums,” guitarist Jim Bilus says. “Overall, we wanted to make a rock and roll album that would really shine when we played it live. We tried to create a bigger and brighter sound that would be fun for our audience.”
Love Sex Confusion is equal parts of lead singer John Dauer’s powerful operatic vocals, guitarist Jim Bilus’ rocking garage-y guitar riffs, and the burly rhythms dispensed by drummer Jason Young and bassist Mark Stolze. The album was produced by Jorge Vivo and the band in their hometown of Los Angeles. With Love Sex Confusion, the Ruse continues to combine honest lyrics with a selfless message, swinging from stripped down rock to moving, moody, and melodic ballads.
No stranger to television, the band has had over a dozen tracks and a cameo role on MTV’s “The Hills;” they performed in an episode of HBO’s “Entourage;” and several songs from the band’s last album, Midnight in the City, are in current use on MTV’s new show, “The Buried Life.” JamLegend.com will make Love Sex Confusion songs available for fans to play - the Ruse is a JamLegend.com favorite with over 900,000 plays on the website.
iTunes has featured the Ruse’s “Beautiful is Gone” as Single of the Week and the band has had the distinct pleasure of playing an opening show for U2 at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.
Band Highlights:
*iTunes Single of the Week (June 2009) for "Beautiful is Gone" *Reached number 21 on Billboard's "Heatseekers" Chart (June 2009) *Guest Star and performance on Season 3 of MTV's "The Hills" *MTV Video Music Award Nomination for Breakout Artist LA 2008 *6 Coast to coast US tours in 3 years *12+ songs featured on MTV's "The Hills" *Numerous TV and movie placements *Cameo on HBO's "Entourage" *Featured on ABC's "20/20" *Shows at Bowery Ballroom, Gramercy Theater, Mercury Lounge, and 9:30 Club in NYC/DC
*Shows at The El Rey, Troubadour, House of Blues, Roxy, Key Club, and Viper Room in LA
Discography:
2010 "Love Sex Confusion" LP 2008 "Midnight In The City" LP 2007 "Live At The Viper Room" EP 2006 “Light In Motion” LP 2005 “Invasion” LP
Together since 2007, Scott Perrie and Jeremy Breaks are the heart and soul of Redgy Blackout. Both come from musical backgrounds and their chemistry is unmistakable with tight harmony, eclectic instrumentation, and heartfelt vocals that all blend together to create a unique sound.
Perrie (lead vocals, guitar, piano, trumpet) grew up singing in choir and acting on the stage; he inherited his grandfathers ‘61 Gibson J45 at the end of high school soon after falling in love with The Beatles. Breaks (banjo, guitar, vocals) grew up in his father’s music store in Prince George; he played in various funk, rock and metal bands before he moved to Vancouver where he met Scott. From busking on the streets of Vancouver, to “killin’ it” in bars, clubs and festivals, they always gets people movin’ to the beat.
In 2011 they released a self-titled EP produced by Elisa Pangsaeng and mixed by Tom Dobzanzski (Said the Whale). They’ve been selected as a Top 20 artist in the Peak Performance Project in BC for a second year running with their songs Bottom of the Sea and Alexandria getting regular rotation on 102.7 The Peak in Vancouver. They recently finished two brand new singles, Lovely, Lovely Day and When I Wait, both produced by Warne Livesey (Matthew Good, Midnight Oil) set to be released this fall. They will hit the road from September 14th to October 27th with Christa Couture for their first Canadian National Tour.
Press:
“They each have formidable talent as versatile musicians, Perrie adeptly playing various instruments such as the guitar, trumpet, harmonica and kazoo and Breaks who also plays the guitar, has crackerjack proficiency on the notoriously difficult banjo.” - Jennifer Wotzke, Vancouver Weekly
“Their vocals feature intricate harmonies on top of brilliantly enticing melodies. Perrie’s voice has a superb clarity and tone to it that is rarely heard. His ease of melodic expression is natural and a sheer pleasure to listen to.” - Jennifer Wotzke, Vancouver Weekly
“My first time seeing them, they completely knocked my socks off! [Redgy Blackout] is full of energy and their songs are engaging and at times incredibly humorous.” - - Char, Vancouver Music Review
"The moment I saw Redgy Blackout’s self titled EP Cover I started laughing because the picture brought memories of when I was a Kid, and not surprising, there was a great track on the CD Titled When You Were a Kid”. I identified with the band right away!
After listening to the entire CD I went and picked up MYOTOS and the first track, “Like Penguins Do” had me hook line and sinker. I knew I was in for fun music and a few smiles...And they didn’t disappoint either."~ Stewart Brennan – World United Music
“Like Penguins Do” by Redgy Blackout on their MYOTOS EP is so hook laden and catchy that my fingers became professional drummers. I’m an instant fan of Redgy Blackout!" ~ Stewart Brennan – World United Music
Here’s a little potted history of Fink, from 2006 ‘til today. Some might see it differently, this is how we remember it…
BISCUITS – I guess this current incarnation of Fink all started when Guy said he was up for playing bass on a few tracks (‘So Long’ on Biscuits For Breakfast being the first I think) and Tim, over beers at a pub in Hampstead, was persuaded to play drums on a few (his first being probably the title track ‘Biscuits’). Then Ninja Tune released Biscuits in 2006, and the track ‘Pretty Little Thing’ kinda struck a chord out there for some reason. So we toured, and toured and toured, learning and playing, playing and learning… We packed a tent at Lowlands festival in Holland, we sold out La Maroquinerie in Paris and Joe’s Pub in New York City, we played from the USA to Poland and everywhere in-between.
DISTANCE – When we were through learning what a soundcheck was, we wrote Distance And Time in 2007. It has some really solid tracks we think: ‘Blueberry Pancakes’, ‘If Only’ (which led to me working with John Legend), and particularly ‘This Is The Thing’, which continues to give us love not only as a decent song but also as a sync machine… Timmy took a break to pursue real life for a moment, so we toured quite a lot of Distance with Adrian the Canadrian (seen rocking out in the video section at the Haldern festival in Germany). We kinda turned to Europe big time as the UK was ignoring us a little… Radio 1 was great, but the press didn’t want to know… So we toured Europe, and loved it, so we toured it again… supporting Camille and Massive Attack, playing huge amphitheatres and everywhere from LA to Cape Town, the Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall… it was awesome….
REVOLUTION – We stopped touring Distance and went straight into the studio. Well, I say studio, but we wanted to take it somewhere else… somewhere maybe more intimate… so we converted my apartment into a recording studio-cum-storage ground, and after several visits and threats of fines from Brighton Council we delivered Sort Of Revolution in 2009, the tricky third set. We loved dub and hadn’t really represented that on previous outings so we nailed ‘Sort Of Revolution’ and ‘Q&A’ – the former gaining us our first KCRW session in LA, the second our first BBC Maida Vale session for Gilles Peterson (perhaps the last DJ on Radio 1 we expected to like our stuff). This record saw us really start to play bigger, and after all the TV stuff the fame game was beginning to kick in, which was and still is a little weird… We really did tour the shit our of this album, including a mind-bending China tour, finishing up in Australia with one of our fave gigs ever I think, at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne….
PERFECT DARKNESS – So we took a little hiatus: a bit of writing time, put our lives back together a little bit… During all of the above Timmy wrote a few books (available now on Random House: they’re about bands… lots of famous musos from the 90’s love ‘em…. if you even know what a ‘neddy’ is you’ll love ‘em too). We recorded a couple of Sideshow albums for Aus Music, and I wrote a load of songs for other people. We really needed a few months off… we all got fat and lazy and it was great…. then we travelled to Los Angeles in November 2010 for a blitzkrieg recording session in Steakhouse studios with Billy Bush. We had 8 tracks written and roughly planned out, plus two to do on the ground once there… y’know, kinda soak up the atmosphere as well as the Mexican junk food… We nailed the whole record from start to finish in 16 days – a feat that I think surprised the producer as much as us… we wanted to nail some hardcore blues (‘Wheels’) and some big tracks (‘Fear Is Like Fire’) as well as a stringy epic (‘Perfect Darkness’). We’re pretty amped about the whole album… It comes out in June 2011 (September in the US)… See you there, back out on the road… new set, new songs, loving it….
Once upon a time we were members of the Virgins and Young Lords and the Takeover UK. We teamed up a few months ago and recorded these songs in our apartment with a 50 dollar mic and an old computer. We think they turned out pretty good. We try and stay optimistic. It ain't easy in these rough and tumble times.
Members:
Blair Van Nort Reed Van Nort Erik Ratensperger Mark Solomich.
Influences:
Little Richard, Fatboy Slim, Shorty Long, Biggie Smalls
An American sound with elements of Gospel, folk and acoustic rock, with comparisons to Ryan Adams, Ray Lamontagne and Paolo Nuttini; The truth is I grew up on a diet of Credence, Van Morrison, Miles Davis, Lizzy, Pink Floyd, and some Stevie for good measure. However, my influences stretch well beyond these icons.
My love for music started when I was very young, joining my local choir, followed by the local brass band and then on to school and Uni where I studied both Music and Trumpet. I also got to play with Irish Youth Orchestra of Ireland for a few years.
After college I came very close to joining the army brass band but failed to show up to the drug test! I know what you're thinking, but the actual fact is, I found the whole thing very formal and regimented. I wasn't looking for a pension job, but something more adventurous, where I could take my own risks and be in control.
I had been singing and playing guitar with a number of bands since I was 13 so the natural progression was to put my hand to writing my own music. In the last few years I have developed both as a songwriter and performer. For the first time ever, I can say with hand on heart, that I feel truly happy with the sound that's emerging. This is helped by a great backing band, who really get the music and make rehearsals and gigging seem effortless. I've had the pleasure of opening for the likes of Lionel Richie, Smokey Robbinson, Laura Izibor and more recently Ocean Colour Scene. In the last 18 months I've toured heavily throughout Ireland and the UK and even ventured as far as US, Canada and Egypt where the response was overwhelming.
I released a 4 track EP in March '09 called 'Hired and Fired' featuring brass and woodwind. As I started touring the EP my sound naturally moved away from the brass heavy arrangements and towards a more acoustic rock sound. Much of the new songs I was writing, were more acoustic based and didn't benefit from adding brass or woodwind. It was also during this period that I formed a permanent band. Up until know I had called in friends and session players to perform with me.
Having a regular band allowed the songs to develop naturally from gig to gig and by the time we entered the studio to record the album the overall sound was there, if a few songs were still unwritten!
The album 'Outside Looking In' was released in June this year in Ireland and online and is available to buy, in those places where you go to buy music. The album includes "Damn Honey", "Memphis" and "Love Don't Work", which have all just been shortlisted for this years International Songwriting Competition and last years winner of the Performance category "Never Really Cried"
Our music is inspired by space, travel (...) by listening to our music, we want people to be carried away to an imaginary place where everything's controlled through the natural equilibrium of the universe
In 2006, some friends got together to have fun doing what they liked doing most: making music. Rapidly, they started writing their own songs and soon realized they were ready to take their music to the next level. Influenced by a wide range of bands like Sigur Ros, Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance; to U2, Pink Floyd and Radiohead, they decided to call themselves "Utter" and started working on their first album.. The word «utter», meaning "total, complete, infinite and extreme", embodies their aspiration to deliver an incomparable music experience to their fans through original songs and unique sounds.
In 2007, two of Utter's songs were quickly playlisted on "Radio Comercial", one of Portugal's biggest Stations. In 2008, Utter had already self-produced their first album entitled "Utter", distributed nationally by Compact Records. Their first album gained momentum throughout the country, which got them an invite to the radio station "Radar FM" in Lisbon, to present their newly released album, which by then was also available in stores like FNAC. Utter then embarked on their first National Tour.
Recently Utter released a free download entitled "first trip" which was released exclusively on the website of Antena 3 as well as exclusives on Supajam in the UK and on websites in America and other countries: Plans for the Album release are being discussed as the band continue to look at interested labels. . Stay tuned or join the mailing list for news on the album, promotions and future gigs.
Paul Givant - Lead Vocals, Guitar & Banjo John Kraus - Banjo, Electric Guitar & Vocals Tim Weed - Fiddle, Mandolin & Vocals Stephen Andrews - Upright Bass & Electric Bass Christian Hogan - Drums & Vocals
It may come as a surprise to hear the foot-stomping strains of Appalachian bluegrass channeled through a rock band here in Los Angeles, but heartache, loss and regret have always been the cornerstones of great music and this city has its share. In a town better known for porn stars and face lifts, anything as authentic and heartfelt as Rose's Pawn Shop, is a pleasant surprise.
Singer-songwriter Paul Givant grew up on the disparate array of popular musical styles any late 20th century kid did. And in that mishmash of rock, punk, country, pop, rap, and all the rest, it was American Folk and Bluegrass music that rooted deepest in Paul, transforming him and his songs. Having played in various rock bands since early high school, in 2004 Paul decided it was time to take his growing batch of old style/new school folk songs, and build them into something greater, more ferocious. The songs were there, volatile, almost flammable, but if they were to attain their potential greatness, he was going to need help.
As so many fortuned events unfold, it was through a series of chance meetings, twists of fate, and Craig's List, that Paul met kindred spirits in Sebastian St. John, Derek O'Brien, Bill Clark, Derek Swenson, and John Kraus. And in 2005 they began building the music and the band that would soon be known as Rose's Pawn Shop. This group of young musicians combined in their collective musical melting pot the old style American sounds of Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, and Hank Williams, the high energy punk of The Ramones, and The Pogues, and the melodic songwriting sensibilities of Elliott Smith and The Beatles. They were creating something musically unique and yet imbued with a familiarity and accessibility.
The final ingredient was added one fateful day when Paul's scorned ex-girlfriend/former band mate in an act of revenge stole the band's instruments and gear and took them down to the local pawn shop. Priceless. Rose's Pawn Shop was born... The match was lit.
In spring of 2006 after months of playing live and breaking ground around Los Angeles, the band recorded and released their debut album "The Arsonist". The album quickly began receiving critical praise from print and online publications as varied as "About.com", "The Daily News", "Miles of Music", and "Music Connection". A month after its release, Rose's Pawn Shop showcased and won the grand prize in Billboard Magazine and Discmaker's: Independent Music World Series. And in the summer of that year, the members of Rose's Pawn Shop dared to quit their day jobs and hit the road, and what had started as a slow and steady burn, began spreading like wildfire.
They have been touring the United States nearly non-stop ever since. On any given day you might find Rose's Pawn Shop playing the Georgia Theatre in Athens, busking the streets of Jackson Square in New Orleans, opening for Jack White and The Raconteurs at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, ripping the walls off the club in their month long residency at the Parkside Lounge in New York City, or hitting the main stage of Floydfest in Virginia. On any given day they're out there, growing their music, igniting their passion, and converting an ever increasing congregation of loyal fans.
In early 2010, Rose's Pawn Shop entered the studio with renowned producer Ethan Allen (Patty Griffin, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, Luscious Jackson, The 88, Gram Rabbit) to record the second album, "Dancing On the Gallows." In recording the new record, Rose's Pawn Shop found themselves rising to new level song craft and sound experimentation, while retaining the same fiery intensity and excitement of their early material. The highly anticipated album is slated for an early August 2010 release.
What do they sound like, you ask?
With an arsenal of banjos, guitars, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, upright bass, and thundering drums, their sound is a wholesome mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails and your mom's cookin'. It's sincere, straight-forward and sexy as fuck, effortlessly combining such disparate musical styles as rock, country, bluegrass, and punk to create an incomprehensibly smooth and accessible sound for true believers and skeptics alike.
With wisdom beyond their years, they fearlessly confront traditional country music themes of loss, lamentation, and redemption, while throwing in some drinking-songs for good measure. Sure, they're borrowing pages from the books of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and Johnny Cash, but Rose's Pawn Shop takes those pages, tears them up and sets them on fire with breakneck speed, bluegrass instrumentation, 3- and 4- part vocal harmonies and lyrics that'll break your heart.
Whether it's the dreamy snake-charm-thump of "Lone Rider," the wistful whisky-soaked wisdom of "Down The Line," the honky-tonk ruckus of "Funeral Pyre," or the Gypsy-infused mandolin twang of "Reckoning," Rose's Pawn Shop will hook you. Like catfish from the creek, they'll reel you in. And they won't let you go.
And you'll be glad they did.
Because something happens when you hear these songs. No matter how low you've sunk, something in the music finds you. It picks you up and carries you home.
"Henry Wagons is a songwriter and performer of disturbing strength, an assessment that must surely be set in stone with the release of Wagons’ fourth album, The Rise and Fall of Goodtown"
PATRICK EMERY, BEAT MAG
"The Rise and Fall of Goodtown is Wagons' fourth album and is terrific: the quality and narrative power of some of the songs are in my opinion equivalent to Nick Cave's storytelling"
CHRIS JOHNSTON, MELBOURNE MAGAZINE
"The new album, The Rise and Fall of Goodtown, continues Wagons' love affair with deathly country ballads, but it's a rockier album than its predecessors, with producer Cornel Wilczek succeeding in capturing the band's powerful live energy to create what is arguably the finest Australian release so far this year"
THE AGE
“The Rise and Fall of Goodtown is a brilliant album: entertaining, witty, sentimental and a prime display of a band at the height of their powers.”
SYMON JJ ROCK, INPRESS
"The Rise and Fall of Goodtown" is a grand, loping beast of music with a 70s sound that you’d expect to have been borne out of the oversized state of Texas.
ALEX GILLIES, TIME OFF
"The Rise and Fall of Goodtown mark Wagons as a local treasure..."
ADAM CURLEY, MX SYDNEY
****, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
BERNARD ZUEL
"Wagons have been threatening to make an album this good for their whole career...a classic australian album on their fourth try. Genius."
****1/2, PATRICK DONOVAN, THE AGE
"Far from from a bare bones folk record, it's steeped in resonant, epic layering which peak and trough in perfect unison with simple, stirring melodies...A real storybook of a record."
Time Out NY attests, Brooklyn’s “My Cousin, the Emperor makes happily gnarly music; The band’s debut album, A Long Way from Home, trades in rolling country rock & roll.” My Old Kentucky Blog calls it, “Filled to the brim with both alone-in-the-pouring-rain ballads and throw-me-another-whiskey barroom romps” and Under the Radar Magazine declares, “My Cousin, The Emperor stands up for all that's still right with the genre of country.”
The accolades continued when the title track from their debut won the Independent Music Award for ‘Best Alternative Country Song of the Year’ and the quartet won the crown for Brooklyn in WNYC’s “Battle Of The Boroughs.” MY COUSIN, THE EMPEROR follow up their first offering with the release of a single disc, double EP entitled, THE SUBWAY EPs on March 29, 2011.
Volume I of the set is the acoustic PROSPECT PARK WEST and Volume II is the electric BROADWAY-LAFAYETTE, named after lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Jason Reischel’s two main stops between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Think of it as the mirrored counterpart to Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home.
“They say the Devil is in the details, but God is in there too...It's those little details that can make or break a song, and I hear those details in My Cousin, The Emperor's songs."
- John Schaefer, Soundcheck WNYC
“I'm officially a fan."
- Jad Abumrad, Radiolab (NPR)
"Led by the singer/songwriter Jason Reischel, MCTE explores the usual issues (love, loss, more loss), but does it with honesty and conviction."
-Brad Farberman, Relix Magazine
“Really sweet Americana... notably clean and well-imagined. This [The Subway EPs: Vol. I & II] might be a good springtime roadtrip album. Good crisp air and sunshine music.”
- Kim Ruehl, No Depression
"I have always maintained that when done right, country-folk-blues can be some of the most soulful music on the planet and thankfully, Reischel and company provide ample evidence of this assertion...An excellent addition to the country-folk-blues-rock canon. File next to your Wilco, Uncle Tupelo and Jayhawks LPs."
- Power of Pop
"On the brand-new Subway EPs...Brooklyn quartet My Cousin, the Emperor comes off like a shiny 21st-century update on The Basement Tapes, Bob Dylan’s 1967 gloriously chaotic collaboration with the Band."
- Matthew Everett, Metro Pulse
“This sunny side up, harmony filled strumalong would probably brighten up most dull grey commutes... If all train journeys were this creative and inspiring even Bob Crowe and Boris Johnson might get along together.”
- Paul Villars, AmericanaUK
“This Brooklyn-based band creates Gram Parsons-influenced, rich country folk.”
- AOL Music
"The whole affair is nicely produced and recorded, its clear, clean sound and crisp separation adding to the sunny, upbeat vibe."
- Sleeping Hedgehog
"My Cousin, The Emperor is giving the sounds of traditional folk and country music a modern edge. That, or they lend their edginess a countrified swagger. Regardless, it's good songwriting that stays in fashion, and these guys bring it."
- Andy Friedman
“My Cousin, The Emperor is like a country version of Pavement. They have nuances of a lo-fi 90s band, mixed with a country acoustic twang.”
- The Deli Magazine
“Songwriter Jason Reischel writes underground country flavored pop that is refreshing and genuine... Well written tunes, executed to perfection.”
- Babysue
“Reverb-heavy melancholy that is very comparable to songs from artists like Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison.”
- Brooklyn Rocks
“These guys remind me of Explosions in the Sky. Great rhythm, great harmonies...great fusion of country and indie rock."
- Rik Cordero, Three/21 Films
“With his band My Cousin, The Emperor, Reischel explores an alt-country sound that tips its hat to the indie rock scene while still maintaining a simple twang.
In Noid, a tiny hamlet situated to the south west of Bath, some of the most dangerous and ill sounding beats and riffs are being created by four wolf like personalities.
The Heavy started out ripping and chopping beats from the likes of Bo Diddley, Little Walter and The Parliaments and fusing them with their now patented brand of high grade dirt. Guitar riffs that intoxicate, bass lines that reverberate around your head like a King Jammy dream and vocals that will challenge any of the genres they decide to take on.
The Heavy continually cross genres as they as a unit are proud to be completely musically schizophrenic. From country to rhythm and blues, garage punk to rock and roll, Studio one to the slums of shaolin, you'll find that The Heavy are indeed like a pack of chemists with the way that genres get cooked up, blended, stirred and then mixed, to create their own unique style of rock and roll.
The album Great Vengeance and Furious Fire released on Counter Records in late 2007 generated a great deal of interest with songs like That kind of man, Girl, Set me free, Coleen and Dignity, firmly laying foundations for the house of dirt that they are building at present. There is no other band that sounds as raw as The Sonics while holding soul in a headlock and frequently wrestling rock to the ground with the weight of Mr 808 as tag team partner. Listen, then try and tell Louis different.
You will not experience another band like this ....So dirty. So much weight. So much energy and laced with a soul that you just don't hear anymore. The Heavy have indeed created a monster. ............ King Louie............ The Heavy biographer.
We're just two dudes who really enjoy playing acoustic music together.
After a year of writing and playing shows together we've finally released our first ever cd which is available online at www.asleeplessmelody.bigcartel.com - as well as some cool threads & other sweet gear!
Currently we are writing for a new release and will be sharing plenty of demos and such with you guys along the way so keep an eye and ear out for those!
In the mean time - keep safe and thank you for your ongoing love and support! We wouldn't be able to do this without you guys!
Keith Hook - Guitar, Vocals Ronan Hook - Guitar, Vocals Colin Delaney - Drums
The Hooks were born in a Church Hall in Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, Ireland by the two Mulligan brothers (Nigel & Keith). Ronan muscled his way in later on while Nigel slipped out the side door.
The Hooks recorded a 4 song demo at JAM Studios which led to a session on Irish National radio, 2FM, for Ireland's version of John Peel, Dave Fanning.
Shane MacGowan got wind of 'The Hooks' and in his own eloquent way asked them to join him for two separate Irish tours.
In search of new experiences, The Hooks left for San Francisco, where we find them today.
Gigs with many musical luminaries include: The Pogues, X, The Stiff Little Fingers, The Bravery, Flogging Molly,The Corona's, The Filthy Thieving Bastards, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes.
Vacillating between the agit-driven punk rock they are famous for interspersed with galloping Irish trad(played fast loud,and sometimes Gaelic)with a twist. The Hooks recorded two EP's (10,000 Feet EP & Irish Punk Rock Anthems) at NOFX's Motor Studio's with Jamie McMann. The album tracks are in the can, it's just a matter of mixing and mastering.
The Hooks just recently returned from great success at SXSW playing The Mohawk in Austin and winning celebrity fans such as Tricky and Drew Barrymore (lovely lady).
To RAVIN’WOLF the blues is “mostly about having nothin’…”
Tucked away in the earthen canyons of Central Washington State, where Seattle meets the Sage, RAVIN’WOLF is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most captivating acoustic blues acts. In 2010, Ravin’wolf was nominated for the Best of the Blues 2010
“Best Blues Solo/Duo” Award by the Washington Blues Society and has been submerging themselves in feral blues & non-stop gigging all year long, sharpening their double sided six-string performance to a razor's edge, honing their live performance together and becoming increasingly familiar as “that male-female duo you’ve just gotta hear!”
This one of a kind pair slips in and out of the genre with ease to explore the psychedelic edges and defy the boundaries of their blues ’n groove rock influences, to take their audience on a sometimes raunchy, sometimes mystical journey into Psychedelic Sagebrush Blues...a shotgun wedding of blues rock fusion...and southern back-porch jelly...saddled up next to the pop edge...with an old school psychedelic delivery.
They hit the road early in 2010 on their “2010 Sun Valley Run Tour” in their personal tour bus traveling to the far reaches of Montana, Idaho, Northern California, Oregon & Washington which opened up new friendships and venues, the highlights of which included performances at the Oregon Country Fair, Seattle’s Highway 99 Blues Club, The Rock Cut Blues Festival, Pine Springs Resort Blues Bash, Missoula’s Top Hat and Moscow’s John’s Alley. Sharing the stage with Nick Vigarino, Terry Robb, Alice Stuart, Randy Oxford, Mary McPage, Kevin Selfe, Too Slim & the Taildraggers, the Fat Tones, Sugarcane Collins, Deadwood Revival and many others over the past year has only served to make richer each note upon the air between friends.
RAVIN’WOLF has featured many of the Northwest’s finest musicians on their stage and in the studio having released 2 full length studio albums and a live CD “Live at the Columbia City Theater”, showcasing slop jar slide-slingin’ and dueling guitars with their signature soulful vocal harmonies and a blues lilt with a far more dangerous groove.
Patrick Park is a Colorado native that grew up outside of Denver, surrounded by words and music. His mother is a published poet, and his father played folk and blues on the guitar around the house. “I’ve written songs since I was a kid,” he says. “There was nothing else that I really wanted to do—I was obsessed with it. I pretty much decided at the age of 13 or 14 that this was what I wanted to do.” Now with three EPs and two full lengths to his name, Patrick Park is set to release his strongest set of songs yet with the new Come What Will lp.
Patrick Park’s ernest start at becoming a songwriter came sometime around 2000 when living in Los Angeles with a batch of songs that he decided to demo. He lacked the money to go into a studio, but that didn’t deter him. “I ended up recording in the back of a store that a friend’s girlfriend owned. I sang all the vocals on my knees inside of this couch cushion hut that we built because there was a cricket in the room and it kept bleeding into the microphone. It was August and it was hot and horrible,” Park laments.
With his first album underway, Park began playing solo shows in LA, and the local press immediately reacted. His fellow artists took notice as well, as he opened shows for the likes of Richard Buckner and Gomez. Beth Orton handpicked Park as the supporting act on her U.S. tour. Hollywood Records also took notice, and signed Patrick. While recording for the major label, Badman Recording Co. released Park’s gorgeous, well received, six song EP: Under the Unminding Skies.
Park released his first lp Loneliness Knows My Name in 2003 (Hollywood Records) and immediately hit the road, touring with My Morning Jacket, David Grey, Liz Phair, The Thrills, Rachel Yamagata, Granddaddy and more. As the album drew praise from critics, Patrick won over crowds show by show with his intimate, nuanced live performance.
Problems with Hollywood Records quickly appeared and began to challenge the future of Park’s next album as they stalled giving the go ahead to record new tracks. He recalls, “I think they were either waiting for me to try to jump ship or turn in a Hillary Duff song about sexy text messages. I ended up recording a whole new record without them knowing. When it was done I left it on my A&R guys doorstep with a note that said just said "this is my second record". I think that he was amused, but it's fair to say nobody else was.”
After enduring the long process of getting off Hollywood, Patrick finally released Everyone’s in Everyone in 2007. Park worked with several producers including Dave Trumfio, (Built to Spill, Wilco), Rob Schapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) and Chris Stamey (Whiskeytown). The albumwas well received, making several year-end Best Of lists, lead off track, “ Life Is A Song” was featured as the final song on The O.C, and viewed by over eight million people and the second single “Here We Are” was one of Stereogum’s most downloaded tracks of 2007.
As on his first two records, Park returned to working with his friend, producer Dave Trumfio in creating Come What Will. “On this record, I would write a song and then immediately go into the studio and record them when they were super fresh and new. A few songs were recorded at home in one take in the middle of the night- in the same room where my girlfriend was asleep. Topically, I feel like there is a strong thread of redemption and a rebirth that runs through a lot of these songs -mixed in with a healthy dose of regret and the odd bit of "oh fuck , the world is falling apart,” Park reveals. Come What Will is set for an April 6th release date on Badman Recording Co. Patrick Park will be touring Spring-Fall 2010 in support of the album.
“Park is an inheritor of the Elliott Smith melancholy mantle, with a less edgy and more traditional bent, and one of the great heartbreaking voices working in the acoustic singer-songwriter world today.” - LA Times
There’s a scene in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov where the main characters Ivan and Alyosha discuss the existence of God. Ivan, in particular, questions the idea of God. Alyosha, on the other hand, is a monk, a believer, some may say, a holy fool.
Talk of faith and exalted things is rare in indie rock today. Enter Seattle band Ivan & Alyosha. Throughout their second release, the five song Fathers Be Kind EP, the band chart their own course between divinity and disbelief.
“I left my family and my home/to fight the battle on my own
I stole a car and drove away/but in my hate St. Paul did say
‘Glorify the Lord above/with your drink and making love
Glorify the Lord my son, with your whisky and your gun.”
Ivan & Alyosha began as the solo outlet for Tim Wilson but in spring 2007 the band formed after Tim met Ryan Carbary through a former band mate and mutual friend. Ryan and Tim began playing and recording together and a trip to Los Angeles to work with Eli Thompson (Richard Swift, Delta Spirit) spawned the name Ivan & Alyosha. According to Tim, Thompson is a huge Dostoevsky fan and the name stuck. With that, Wilson and Carbary released The Verse, The Chorus, their debut EP on Cheap Lullaby Records (Joan as Police Woman, The Silver Seas, Teitur). The stand out track “Easy To Love” earned NPR Song of the Day honors as “a propulsive, sweetly booming ode to love as a feat of endurance.”
The name Ivan & Alyosha is apt for a band cutting its teeth. As Ivan in Brothers Karamazov moves through the novel with doubts, Ivan & Alyosha navigate the indie rock world contemplating their path as a band. Tim says he writes songs about what’s current in his life. He recently married and had a son. Songs like “Living for Someone” and “Fathers Be Kind,” reflect Ivan & Alyosha grappling with the idea of being in a band and trying to fashion a career. Not only to follow their dreams but to earn a livelihood and support their families; a feeling he expresses in the former song, “Expecting our first child / Amid the great recession”. Despite the uncertainty, Ivan & Alyosha’s soulful folk tunes suggest a band inspired, hopeful and longing; a band unafraid to probe their collective faith and doubts.
Plus, things are different this time around. Tim and Ryan are joined by two others – Tim Kim and Pete Wilson, Tim’s brother. The band built a studio in a barn at Ryan’s parent’s house in Snohomish, 45 minutes outside of Seattle. Snohomish provides an idyllic setting with a charming main street lined by bars and little distraction. Self-recording their upcoming EP allows the guys more time together to create and perfect the new songs.
In the Brothers Karamazov, when Ivan asks Alyosha to renounce his beliefs, Alyosha refuses. Rather, he kisses Ivan on the lips. Seattle’s Ivan & Alyosha are not nihilist indie rockers but a new brand of tender dreamers. And non-believers be damned! God, or no God - these guys are no holy fools. They have their music to prove it.
Oh, my love, this is the beginning… It certainly is the beginning of a new chapter for Josh and Nicole Johnson as they combine their passion and raw talent to form Elenowen (pronounced “ellen-owen”) after their national debut on NBC’s “The Voice.” Hailing from Nashville, TN, Josh and Nicole pursued individual careers before forming the indie/pop duo that sings through the journeys of everyday life and the many battles it brings. Their music emphasizes heavy harmonies, raw acoustics, and ambient elements that combine to create a unique mood and sound that comes as an honest breath of fresh air in an overly manufactured music world.
After about a year of living paycheck-to-paycheck working at the same local coffee shop, Josh and Nicole started pursuing their dream by creating their debut album, Pulling Back the Veil (released January 2010). Pulling Back the Veil is a collection of eight original songs, written both individually and collaboratively to paint a picture of the road they have been on for the past year – a road filled with internal struggles to know truth, joyous triumphs through desire, and the awakening adjustments to married life.
In forming Elenowen, Josh and Nicole felt called to not necessarily give answers or guide the listener, but to be honest and as real and vulnerable as possible. One quick listen to their music reveals Elenowen’s uncanny ability to move past the surface and into the heart. The combination of Josh and Nicole’s powerful melodies, smooth harmonies, and insightful lyrics distinguish this husband and wife duo from the magnitude of other aspiring artists. In an industry hungry for something new, raw, and beautiful, Elenowen distinguishes itself as an up and coming act that completely and refreshingly satisfies its listener.
