Scandinavian duo Sail By Summer offer yet another slice of Eighties inspired New Wave. The new single LowLowLow is a tightrope walk between grief and joy, the go to recipe for Danish keyboard player Jens Kristian and Norwegian singer William Hut. It makes for captivating listening, a multifaceted colourful gem with a dark core. It will be included on their forthcoming debut album Casual Drive, out on August 9.
Between Me & My Mind, the documentary about Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, will get a second one-night only screening at select cinemas on August 5. Tickets and info at etweenmeandmymind.com.
» trey.com
It's been awhile since the last Tracy Shedd album. After releasing her acoustic album Arizona in 2013 she formed the left-field electronic duo Band & The Beat with her husband James Tritten, but now she is back with a new indie rock album called The Carolinas, due for release on September 20 via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital).
Lead single Kissing and Romancing is a rambling garage rocker with tons of reverb, proof of her impeccable knack for both melody and spot-on guitar mayhem. The album was inspired by the couple's move to North Carolina. It's obvious that she has no regrets of their reallocation. Real estate brokers can't make this shit up.
Italian alternative electronic rock trio Hypergear go wall-to-wall heavy prog on their new single Selenium Hunters, with vintage sounding sci-fi lyrics. Have fun pointing out all the references. Spoiler: the Yes classic Roundabout gets a nod in the intro amidst the surf guitar bits.
Jason Elliot (film) and Colin Robinson (music) have shared another video for their six-part series called the Calder Valley Suite, "a love letter to the local area" in West Yorkshire. Rain is not uncommon in those parts, but all life is well adapted to it as is shown in the footage and the "oh well' vibe of the music.
» Calder Valley Suite on Facebook
HCTF review of Calder Valley Suite Pt. 4 - Autumn.
Dutch electronic pop duo Pocket Knife Army have posted a live video of their new song The Body of a Man, the seventh of the "one new song each month" series. Desirée Coumans and Erwin Tuijl used a basic beat that they heard on their way to the studio, blaring from the speakers from the car next to them. Add their glimmer of an idea to use bit of spoken word, and presto: a slightly scary song that could have been recorded by Propaganda. The clip was filmed in their recording studio by Jesse Immanuel Bom.
» Pocket Knife Army on Facebook
HCTF review of The Dream Eater.
Detroit based dark post-punk trio Vazum have incorporated some R.E.M. in their sound on their new album Variant. Singer Zach Pliska channels the phrasing of Michael Stipe, on top of the industrial tinged backing, with guitarist Zachary Anderson supplying some slightly more lighthearted fills as an answer to the massive bass lines of Michael o'Connor.
Variant is an unrelenting album, a throwback to the Eighties and early Nineties, when Soundgarden and Sisters of Mercy reached their creative peak. Vazum is the right band for the wrong era, but their music can act as a gateway to appreciate the work of their predecessors.
Watch the new Little Fishes video by The Claypool Lennon Delirium. It's a track from their second full-length album South of Reality. The clip was directed and animated by Micah Buzan.
When I started with Can I had a lot of critics who said we were repeating all the time, and we didn’t have ideas. But I think the repetition, you have to feel it. With Can, for every tune we played I designed a special rhythm, so each of the tunes had different rhythms. It’s not like rock rhythm. I stopped with all that. I’ve given up that old style of – you can call it American drumming. American drumming, it was and still is normal, everybody plays American. So that’s why I don’t play what to me is normal. Like the typical drum set, with hi-hat, bass drum, snare drum, tom-tom, right cymbal – I’ve changed that.
Jaki Liebezeit
Memphis coolest screaming blues band Low Society hit the road for a European Summer tour, playing shows in Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. Husband and wife Sturgis Nikides (guitar) and Mandy Lemons Nikides (vocals) will once again be joined by their Belgian rhythm section Jacky Verstraeten (bass) and Bart De Bruecker (drums).
Californian project Split Screens is a recording outlet for Jesse Cafiero. As a multi-instrumentalist he can lay down the framework and quite a bit of the embellishments for his dreamy pop songs, but he can tap into the circle of his friends if he needs a particular skill and/or instrument. His latest single is called Need From Me, a melancholic song that gets a lift from Geneva Harrison (Bells Atlas) on vibraphone, and the in-the-pocket drums courtesy of Rory O'Connor (Tycho).
Alt-country singer Eilen Jewell wil release her new album, likel Gypsy on August 14th via Signature Sounds Recordings. More live dates have, including shows in Europe in the Fall. The lead single Crawl is available for streaming. The promo video was directed by Muff Jones.
Vida Blue returns with a new album in September. The synths, bass and drums trio led by Phish keyboard and piano player Page McConnell is now a quartet, with guitarist Adam Zimmon joining the ranks alongside bassist Oteil Burbridge and drummer Russell Batiste. Listen to Analog Delay, their first new music by the band since 2003.
Start the Week Over, a fresh sounding powerpop trio from Boston, enter the outside world with their debut single Daisytop, With a hint of punk as the cherry on the cake it covers all the bases of a radio-friendly, energetic Summer tune.
They cite Cheap Trick and The Cars as their major point of reference. With a catchy "woo-hoo-ooo" in the chorus they rail against injustice - both real and imaginary - in relationships. Roll down the car windows and turn it up.
Watch Glen Hansard tackle the Nick Drake classic Place To Be. Filmed for Hauskonzerte.com in Munich in 2012.
Jason Elliot (film) and Colin Robinson (music) have shared another video for their six-part series called the Calder Valley Suite, "a love letter to the local area" in West Yorkshire. Autumn bustles gently, with all the colours that foliage can trees dress up in during that particular season.
» Calder Valley Suite on Facebook
HCTF review of Calder Valley Suite Pt. 3 - Running Water.
London indie band Pushpin sound a lot like Radiohead on their Where's Your Sister?, a passionate song with quite-loud-quiet passages and halting vocals wrapped in choppy guitars bits and retro synths. Make no mistake, they are obviously a talented bunch who can play their instruments quite well, but they are still searching for their own identity. Stir things things up a little, allow themselves to roam free, and who knows where they will end up.
Ronan Conroy has posted five videos from his The Moment Is Gone album release show on May 30 Cafe Beit in Williamsburg, NY. Erel Pilo (aka P!lot) and Charlie Nieland lend a hand. "While his previous EP Blood Dread found him down on his luck, this new collection of songs share an air of defiance. He is now able to move on and do what he does best: wearing his heart on his sleeve and let his warm baritone do the talking."
Watch them perform Cordite, You're So Cruel, Who Do You Think You’re Kidding, GuiltChild and Evening Comes.
Tomer Krail, is an off-shoot of a member of the evasive London based jazzy pop band Organised Scum. The new single Alma Mater is actually more a mix of powerpop and rock, two genres that are tailor made for proclaiming that not caring is an about things that were said and done in the past. That is obviously a lie, but it works as means to get some kind of closure.
Singer-songwriter Heather Nova hits the road in Europe to promote her new album Pearl. Expect plenty of songs form her debut album Oyster as well to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
Norwegian indie pop band Remington super 60 capture the beauty (and ennui) of touring on their new single The Highway Again, a soft and infectious song that could have been recorded in the Sixties. Songwriter Christoffer Schou took some pointers from the Beach Boys and Yo La Tengo, while keeping it lo-fi to make the vocal of singer Elisabeth T stand out in the mix.
I’ve always considered it a great privilege to be a musician, I’ve never lost sight of that.
Natalie Merchant
NYC Gothic rock act mtf8 came out of hibernation with the release of the splendid single The Smile, a stand-alone front-runner for an EP trilogy. The frist one, Rebirth finds him blinding a the daylight and being a little scared as well. the bad stuf that drove him into hiding is still lingering in his mind, but his unspecified fears are now under control. He now has the ability to turn weaknesses into strengths.
The heavy-handed Eighties sound of bands like the Sisters of Mercy and Bowie in Berlin phase are obviously a huge sources of inspiration, with NYC go-to shoegaze musician and producer Charlie Nieland having his back. They are already working on the next one. a decade of forced silence has ended and all those ent-up energy can't wait to be used.
Yip Man of Scotland, alter ego Al Nero, takes not giving a fuck to a new level on his new single Here Comes The Feelings, a defiant, rumbling rocker, with drums and guitar trying to get the upper hand as he delivers his "whatever man" lyrics. The animated video is a tribute to the weirdness of Monty Python's Terry Gilliam.
NYC avant-jazz keyboardist Marco Benevento appears to be gravitating towards lo-fi art rock. The psychedelic video for Let It Slide finds him in full singing mood, with his wife Katie Benevento (backing vocals) and Karina Rykman (guitar) helping out. It is the title track and lead single from his new album that will be released on September 20 via Royal Potato Family. Producer Leon Michels oversaw all of the proceedings during the recording process, something that Benevento always shied away from.
Musician Brick Briscoe puts his experience as a radio and television host to good use for his new album From Lucky Point to Père Lachaise, a travelogue describing a journey to France, after having received treatment for cancer. Starting in his hometown Petersburg, IN (Lucky Point) he paid visits Chicago, Boston, New York, Paris, Bordeaux,before heading back to the States. After two short tracks that set the tone for the album Briscoe puts on his storytelling hat, telling tales about love, history, and art.
He has a soft spot for late Eighties college rock, the gnarly yet melodic kind that was championed by the Pixies, Chuck Prophet and Hüsker Dü, with plenty of ad lib comments sprinkled on top. From Lucky Point to Père Lachaise is an album that should be listened to in full, so set aside 35 minutes and 33 seconds, pull the curtains, and follow him on his journey. He knows he will die, but that did not stop him from creating an intense set of linked songs.
UK/US indie pop band The Sorry Kisses have made a video for "Play It Cool, a track from their new album Life's An Illusion album, a record that "will sit comfortably next to albums by the Sundays and the Bangles. There are monsters besides the unicorns and rainbows and with two-thirds of Englishness in the band a Hollywood ending is not a given. Recommended if you like happy-sad music after a bad day". The clip was directed by Miles Watts.
HCTF review of Life's An Illusion.
Experimental avant-funk metal trio Primus will be supporting trash metal legends Slayer on their Farewell World Tour. Industrial metal band Ministry is the opening act:
Slayer is one of the rare bands that has always maintained a high level of consistency, persistency and integrity throughout their career. We were fortunate enough to bond with these glorious vikings of sonic aggression on an Ozzfest tour in the late nineties and Ler Lalonde has had a history with them since he was a teenager playing in Possessed. It is an honor to support them on their final go round of the USA.Live dates:
Also, for me, the opportunity to watch Ministry every night is going to be the bonus cherry on this mighty stentorian cupcake of an adventure. I’m very much looking forward to this tour.
Les Claypool
Jason Elliot (film) and Colin Robinson (music) have shared another video for their six-part series called the Calder Valley Suite, "a love letter to the local area" in West Yorkshire. Running Water flows gently but firmly, like only water (and versatile guitar players) can. The footage closely follows that mood, using only a few camera angles. And a sad looking dog.
» Calder Valley Suite on Facebook
HCTF review of Calder Valley Suite Pt. 1 (The Meadow) & Pt. 2 (Keighley Road).
Charlie Baran is the driving force behind Chicago collective Radio Free Honduras, with Dan Abu-Absi acting as his trusted musical director. Their latest release is a 6-track EP, Mis Sueños, a blend of folk, latin pop and even some country with a cover of the Willie Nelson classic On The Road Again. Baran is an ace guitarist with a clear tone - check the solo in Suavecito. This is utterly danceable music, with plenty of brass, crisp percussion, and the signature sound of the bandoneon.
Radio Free Honduras bring a ray of sunshine to the Windy City, a Spanish ode to life and love, with melancholy pitching in to keep it real. They dare to dream, but don't turn a blind eye to things going wrong.
Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson reminisces about touring with Rory Gallagher in 1974 en 1982, lifting one of his tricks, the 1961 Strat and more.
Phish
2019/07/14
Alpine Valley Music Theatre
East Troy, WI
Watch the new Tullycraft video for Hearts at the Sound, a photo gallery of B&W party photos from yesteryear.
It's a track from their album The Railway Prince Hotel."(...) filled with upbeat, rambling garage tunes that will get many a listener spin the wrong foot. Is there something wrong with the rhythm? Well, no actually, but it's a kind of free-flowing music, jagged and lo-fi while they take the piss at pretty much anything. Think a mix of XTC, The Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman and the Decemberists".
HCTF review of The Railway Prince Hotel.
Phish
2019/07/13
Alpine Valley Music Theatre
East Troy, WI
Innerviews has an in-depth interview with King Crimson frontman Jakko Jakszyk:
When I first was asked to join the group, it was a culmination of all sorts of things musically and ambition-wise. It was difficult not to acknowledge the 13-year-old boy in me who'd seen the band at Watford Town Hall back in 1971. In the ‘80s, I looked back somewhat cynically at that moment and thought of it as a kind of rather over-romanticized ideal that I'd witnessed this group and experienced some magic that had somehow changed my life. Then I got to the age I am now and you know what? It really did change my life and here I am in the midst of that music. That music that made me want to become a professional musician in the first place. It was difficult to escape the shadow of that experience when I first joined King Crimson. It was also difficult to escape the shadow of the enormity of the task I had decided to take on. I remember Robert saying to me at one point, "Be careful what you wish for."
Avant-prog improv trio Stick Men and special guest violinist add keyboards player David Cros documented last year's Latin American tour on a limited 5CD box set. PanAmerica is available for pre-order:
And the crowds all over the Latin America were great -- with band and audience feeding off of one another's energy. This was an adventurous journey: every date was magical ... the music soared!
Phish
2019/07/12
Alpine Valley Music Theatre
East Troy, WI
The folks at Mattel try to cash in on the 50th anniversary of Space Oddity with a Barbie doll dressed in Ziggy Stardust attire. From The Guardian:
Complete with red boots to match a backcombed mane of hair and a striped jumpsuit, plus some cosmic accessories and face paint, Barbie replicates the look of Bowie’s bisexual messenger from the stars – though her usual pleasant smile doesn’t quite match the intense stare usually associated with the character.
Can somebody explain to the Yanks that Space Oddity was released three years before David Bowie's creation of his alter ego?
Watch folk singer Jasmine Rodgers perform Underwater live @ Kore Studios in London on May 16th, with Scott Matthews (12-string guitar, vocals) and Danny Keane (cello). It's a track from her 2016 debut album Blood Red Sun. Filmed by Pavel Radu at Ropo Films.
Phish
2019/07/10
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, CT
Jason Elliot (film) and Colin Robinson (music) teamed for a six-part series called the Calder Valley Suite, "a love letter to the local area". The first two parts, The Meadow and Keighley Road, are up on Elliot's YouTube Channel. A fine example of pastoral avant-garde with a hint of folk. They have created multimedia postcard from West Yorkshire with a refreshing lack of tourist information. Seeing (and listening!) is believing.
London based Jo Carley And The Old Dry Skulls have made a video for Get Down Low, a track from their Shake Them Rattlin’ Bones album: "a steaming broth of cabaret, blues, ska, Veudeville, voodoo and skiffle. Horror stories are the main course, with a side orders of sex, trouble, and all-night parties".
I could have gone on to be an engineer full time, except that there was more demand for my playing. But the love of working the board never leaves you.
Steve Cropper
Phish
2019/07/09
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, CT
Dutch indie label Tiny Room Records enters the world of book publishing with Circus Devils: See You Inside. Written by Todd Toabias the book documents the 14 full-length albums released by the Ohio freak-rock trio founded by Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices):
In October 2018, Jeremy St James and Johnny Savely set up the listening party series ‘Discussions in the Cave’ in the Guided By Voices facebook group. All Circus Devils’ albums were being discussed, while the people in the group listened to one of the 14 records from A to Z. Band member Todd Tobias provided notes of his reflections on the music. This led to a book about the psych rock formation, their albums, and his own history of making music. The book offers a personal glimpse into the band’s playfully dark, psychedelic world.
BBC Radio 2 dedicates a show to the 50th anniversary of Space Oddity, the song that got David Bowie his break after he had been struggling for years to make a mark. The shows airs on July 13th at 21:00:
July 2019 is the 50th anniversary not only of the Apollo moon landing but of the original release of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ single, which was his first ever hit. ‘One Giant Step’ examines the origins and legacy of ‘Space Oddity’ – arguably Bowie’s best known song, and its importance as a shadowy presence throughout his whole career cannot be underestimated. With new interviews from those who were there – including musicians, record company personnel and friends – as well as archive and unbroadcast interviews with David and producer Gus Dudgeon – we track ‘Major Tom’ from ‘Space Oddity’, through ‘Ashes to Ashes’ ‘Hello Spaceboy’ to ‘Blackstar’ with unheard studio outtakes and live performances. Contributors include: Pet Shop Boys, Dana Gillespie, Kevin Cann, and Olav Wyper.
NYC singer Billie Williams wears her heart on her sleeve on her new album Hell to Pay, an amalgam of blues, rock, funk and soul. She gets rightfully angry about the dirt brought to light by the #MeToo movement in the title track, tackles a bad breakup (Damn) and finds hope inspiration after she joined the Women's March in Washington in 2017 (Ten Million Sisters).
All anger and politics aside she is powerful singer, who can bring the house down and commandeer the spotlights amidst the members of her kick-ass band. Hell to Pay is entertainment with a message. She doesn't take shit from anybody, but she knows damn well that, in order to get people to listen to the words, getting them to dance and singalong as well is a sure fire recipe to capture their attention.
Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight will release their new record Eggs & Marrowbone in November, a concept album abiut murder ballads. It will serve as the soundtrack for a book (and a website) featuring the work of 100+ artists, with expositions in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Phish
2019/07/06
Fenway Park
Boston, MA
Frank Zappa alumnus Ike Willis and Anglo-Dutch band ZAPPATiKA will be on the road again the UK in October.
Live dates:Brighton based art-rock quintet Youth Sector have made a video for their Renting Spaces In My World single. "A catchy one-fingered salute to people who think the others are there only to admire their lifestyle, after handing over an admittance fee." The clip was directed by Alex Montgomery.
Synth power pop with a side-order of punk is the recipe followed by trio Autogramm, a band consisting of three veterans who wil probably be rocking until they die. Jiffy Marx (Brooklyn’s Hard Drugs and Vancouver’s Blood Meridian, CC Voltage (Berlin’s Dysnea Boys, London’s Loyalties and Vancouver’s Black Halos and Spitfires), and The Silo (Vancouver’s Black Mountain, Lightning Dust and Destroyer) have a new single out to celebrate their upcoming European tour.
Bad Day is an upbeat song about feeling down, an energetic tune that can start a mosh-pit. The b-side is a cover of the Ramones classic I Wanna Be Sedated, sung in Spanish - the 7" version is released via Spanish label Jarama 45RPM Records (blue - 100 copies - and black vinyl - 200 copies). They slowed down the tape at the end to force the fade-out, a cost-effective trick that never gets old.
Phish
2019/07/05
Fenway Park
Boston, MA
John Cale will be headlining Rockaway Beach, an indoor music festival @ Butlin’s Bognor Regis in West Sussex on January 10-12, 2020. Also the bill are Scottish surf noise rockers The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Tuscon based alternative rockers La Cerca hit the road to promote their new album Night Bloom, the long overdue follow-up for Sunrise for Everyone.
LA indie band Rat Fancy are on the road in their home state California to promote their Stay Cool album: "They can tell short story within the space of a couple of minutes and they could have picked any of the tracks as a single. If you are looking for something to play after spinning The Breeders or The Slits, Stay Cool should be near the top of the list".
Phish
2019/07/03
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Springs, NY
London based soft-spoken rock quartet Heavy Heart have bottled sadness for their single Cry Ice, a gently swaying song with a refreshing use of metaphores and smart wordplay: "So why you crying ice for? // You know it's only a matter of time // I think my body's turning blue". Recommended if you like This Mortal Coil and Lucky Soul.
British shoegaze pioneers Ride have made an audio only video for Repetition, another single from their new album This Is Not A Safe Place, out on August 16. Although rhythm takes precedence, there is also quite a bit of ELO and George Harrison shimmering through.
Phish
2019/07/02
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Springs, NY
Watch Muse tackle the U2 classic Where The Streets Have No Name, with The Edge on guitar. Recorded live @ the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 26th 2010. U2 were supposed to play too, but they had to cancel due to Bono's back injury.
» muse.mu
Bass player and composer Bryan Beller will release his long-awaited progressive concept double album Scenes From The Flood on September 13. An impressive roster of musicians helped him out to create an old school sprawling record that is both complex and compelling. Beller constructed the 18 songs over an 11-year period. As an in-demand musician (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Dethklok, Steve Vai) he had to scramble for time to get some work done on this project. He has made a video for The Storm.
The thing I wonder about is where does Brian's creative spark come from? Not his subjects or anything, but his spark. What makes it so great for me is that I really don't know. There's a mystery behind Brian, even to me.
Dennis Wilson
Los Angeles based alternative rock band Silversun Pickups have embraced safe AOR on their new album Widow’s Weeds, supposedly a highly personal bunch of songs, but it doesn't help to keep using like "crying" or "believe" ad nauseam to get message of dread and grief across. The same goes for going through the dumpsters of Depeche Mode for some unused electro-pop tidbits. Producer Butch Vig must have been fast asleep in his producer's seat during the recording sessions.
Widow’s Weeds breaks number one of making music: "Thou shall not bore the listener to tears". These shoegazers should look up for a change. Stop whining and toss out the fucking rhyming dictionary.
Dutch electronic pop duo Pocket Knife Army have posted a live video of their new song The Dream Eater, the sixth of the "one new song each month" series. Desirée Coumans and Erwin Tuijl brought their on stage lightning with them for this one, a pulsating rocker about nightmares, pushed forward by sci-fi keyboards and a rhythm track that could have been used by fellow Dutch band De Staat. Note the punch of the bass guitar, made by Relic Guitars in The Hague. The clip was filmed in their recording studio by Jesse Immanuel Bom.
» Pocket Knife Army on Facebook
HCTF review of The Time For Me And You.
Phish
2019/06/30
BB&T Pavilion
Camden, NJ
