Lettuce: European tour dates

Free flowing NYC funk band Lettuce fly across the big pond for an extensive European tour to promote their Elevate album.

Waltzburg: Cut The Wire

photo: Jessie Kamp

Dutch indie band Waltzburg play quirky pop songs a ka Tullycraft. Their new album Cut The Wire has elements of New Wave, synth pop, and art rock. They threw in downright cheesy keyboard parts and get away it, because their melodies are too damn catchy to ignore. Make no mistake, the songs are far more complicated than they might seem, speeding up and slowing down, with Calm Down as the prime example.

They have tons of tricks up their sleeves, but they use them wisely. Note the old school vocal effects they unearthed for Exhale, making it a weird excursion into baroque pop. Bowing out with the superb progressive power ballad Eyes Shut they have a winning formula of smartness and accessibility that is hard to pin down or replicate.

Phish: "The Story of the Ghost" on vinyl for Black Friday

An official press release is still to come, but a vinyl reissue for Black Friday (November 29) of the Phish album The Story of the Ghost is happening. It is already available for pre-order via Dutch web stores Kroese Online and Platomania.nl. An original pressing changes hand for a shitload of money these days.

» phish.com

Cover Me: Picture Book

Watch Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers tackle Picture Book, The Kinks classic. They taped covers during their Van Sessions while they are traveling to their next gig.

» nickibluhm.com

The Tape Op Podcast: Nick Raskulinecz

Tape Op sat down with Nick Raskulinecz, go-to producer and engineer for the loud stuff:

Heavy music wouldn't sound like it does today without the help of producer and engineer Nick Raskulinecz. We interviewed Nick back in 2005 for Tape Op #50 and so it seemed like a good time to check back in with him to chat about his move to Nashville, his new studio and his work with bands like Rush, Alice in Chains, Mastadon, Foo Fighters and more. Enjoy!

Lian Ray: Maps

French singer-songwriter Lian Ray has unveiled the third single from his upcoming debut album Rose, out on November 22 via Snowstar Records. While all the songs on this albums are about a relationship going South, Maps is the exception to the rule. After coming out of drug rehab, he picked up the pieces and reconnected with the woman that is the subject of his plea ("If you wait for me, I promise I’ll make it up to you”). Lo and behold, that actually worked out fine, and they are still together to this day.

Words about music (502): Colin Blunstone

You should be extremely grateful for whatever success comes your way, and of course we were, but it would have been better if our chart success had come a couple of years later. We really were thrown in at the deep end.

Colin Blunstone

Deleyaman: new album "Sentinel" in January

French dark wave band Deleyaman will release their new album Sentinel on January 17, 2020. It is the follow-up for the critically acclaimed The lover, The stars & The citadel. More details TBA.

Live dates:

• 12/07 Le Kalif - Rouen, France *
• 12/08 Chateau du Bec - St. Martin du Bec, France *
• 12/13 Kulturcafé Lichtung - Köln, Germany *
• 12/14 Le Clou et Le Bec - Nancy, France
• 12/15 The Swamp - Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany *
• 12/19 Le Local - Strasbourg, France *
• 12/20 The Message - Troyes, France
• 01/18 Art Base - Brussels, Belgium

* w/ High Tatras

» deleyaman.com

HCTF review of The lover, The stars & The citadel.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: "Into My Arms", "Magneto", "The Ship Song" live videos

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have a posted three more live videos from Distant Sky, their show @ Royal Arena in Copenhagen on October 20, 2017. Watch perform Into My Arms, Magneto, and The Ship Song.

Borka Balogh: "Hollow" video

Watch the new Borka Balogh video for Hollow, a track from her self-titled full-length. The clip was made by Ryan Lambert. "Her vocal style might put some people off - she doesn't hit the notes, but approaches them gradually. This is quite common in folk music, and it forces the listener to take note of the lyrical content."

Live date:

• 09/30 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Cinetol

» borkabalogh.com

HCTF review of Borka Balogh

Maggie Brown: World on Paper

photo: Jennifer Steetskamp

Amsterdam based indie guitar band Maggie Brown have just released the second tracks of a three-part singles series. World on Paper is a showcase for keyboard player Friso Schmid. He added multiple layers of Eighties-inspired parts as an enhancement for the melancholy of the lyrics.

They wil release one more single (Commander) this year. With the recording of five more songs next year plus the 2018 double A-side Take Flight b/w Into Motion the track listing for a new full-length is pretty much completed.

John Cale: Paris 2019/09/25 setlist

John Cale performed at @ Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France - September 25, 2019. Third and final night of the John Cale (2019-1964): A Futurespective series. Special guest: singer Cate Le Bon.

The band:
John Cale: vocals, electric guitar, keyboards
Dustin Boyer: lead guitar, samples
Joey Maramba: bass
Deantoni Parks: drums, samples

Setlist:

1. E Is Missing
2. The Philosopher
3. Leaving It Up to You
4. (I Keep A) Close Watch
5. Story of Blood
6. Fear Is a Man's Best Friend
7. Hallelujah
8. Riverbank
9. Secret Corrida
10. The Endless Plain of Fortune
11. Wasteland
12. You Know More Than I Know
13. Satellite Walk
14. Letter From Abroad
15. Femme Fatale
16. E: Emily

» John Cale on Facebook
» John Cale setlists

It's Karma It's Cool: Hipsters and Aeroplanes

English upbeat power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool continues where The Popdogs and B-Leaguers left off. Singer James Styring was a member of both bands, and he brought along former B-Leaguer Mikey Barraclough to play bass and guitar. with the addition of two multi-instrumentalists - Martyn Bewic and Danny Krash - they set out to create a bunch of Technicolor songs, harking to back to the days when people believed that technology would lead humankind to a future where the sky was the limit.

Their debut EP Hipsters and Aeroplanes is a slice of optimism at a time that the UK is in the midst of an endless tug of war between leavers and remainers. They offer solace with gentle, upbeat songs like Raised By Engineers and United State Of No Regret. They name Big Star, REM and The La's as point of reference, but changes are that more than one band member has worn out his copy Television"s Marquee Moon to dissect the guitar parts.

Randy Newman: tour dates

Randy Newman will be on tour in 2020. He starts out in Australia & New Zealand. Europe is next in the Spring.

Australia & New Zealand

• 01/30 Riverside Theatre, Perth, Australia
• 02/01 Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, Australia, February 1,
• 02/02 Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Australia
• 02/04 State Theatre, Sydney, Australia
• 02/07 QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane, Australia
• 02/09 Civic Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand
• 02/11 Wellington Opera House, Wellington, New Zealand
• 02/13 Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch, New Zealand

The Rev: Every Little Thing

Outlaw country rockers The Rev show that they have the heart on the right place with their new single Every Little Thing, a song that addresses depression, mental illness, and suicide prevention. And while it might not be a cure, it sure as hell can act as a wake up call for those who are unaware of such issues. And the message that there are others who are trying to cope is comforting as well.

John Cale: Paris 2019/09/24 setlist

John Cale performed at @ Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France - September 24, 2019. Second night of the John Cale (2019-1964): A Futurespective series. Special guest: singer Cate Le Bon.

The band:
John Cale: vocals, electric guitar, keyboards
Dustin Boyer: lead guitar, samples
Joey Maramba: bass
Deantoni Parks: drums, samples

1. Gravel Drive
2. Buffalo Ballet
3. Empty Bottles
4. Mr. Wilson
5. Hanky Panky Nohow
6. Darling I Need You
7. Amsterdam
8. Thoughtless Kind
9. Big White Cloud
10. Gideon's Bible
11. Helen of Troy
12. Heartbreak Hotel
13. Dead or Alive
14. Gun / Pablo Picasso / Mary Lou
15. E: Half Past France

» John Cale on Facebook
» John Cale setlists

Phish: New Year's Run at MSG 12-28/12-31

Phish takes over NYC's Madison Square Garden again for a four-night New Year’s Run (12-28/12-31):

Phish returns to New York City for another four-night New Year’s run at The Garden beginning Saturday, December 28th through Tuesday, December 31st.

Spottiswoode & His Enemies: tour dates

photo: Brian Geltner

Spottiswoode & His Enemies take their jazzy vaudeville songs on the road. Front man Jonathan Spottiswoode goes out on his own as well.

Live dates:

• 10/13 Camden, London @ Green Note Basement Bar (Spottiswoode solo)
• 10/24 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)
• 10/25 Concord, MA @ Private House Concert
  (Spottiswoode w/ Henry Dennis - mail for ticket inquiries)
• 10/26 Washington, DC @ the deej

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: new album "Ghosteen"

A new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds double album is coming soon. Ghosteen will premiere on October 3 (listening parties in record stores), hit the digital streaming services on October 4, and wil be available on CD and vinyl on November 6. Pre-order from their website.

John Cale: Paris 2019/09/23 setlist

John Cale performed at @ Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France - September 23, 2019. First night of the John Cale (2019-1964): A Futurespective series. Special guest: singer Cate Le Bon.

The band:
John Cale: vocals, electric guitar, keyboards
Dustin Boyer: lead guitar, samples
Joey Maramba: bass
Deantoni Parks: drums, samples

Setlist

1. Frozen Warnings
2. Dying on the Vine
3. Guts
4. Cable Hogue
5. I'm Waiting for the Man
6. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
7. Jack the Ripper
8. Style It Takes
9. Magritte
10. If You Were Still Around
11. Hedda Gabler
12. Mary
13. Rosegarden Funeral of Sores
14. Ghost Story
15. Paris 1919
16. Villa Albani
17. Ship of Fools

» John Cale on Facebook
» John Cale setlists

Moonchy & Tobias: Atmosfere

Ohio based experimentalist Todd Tobias and Italian avant-garde singer Pat Moonchy have teamed up for a collaborative Moonchy & Tobias album. Their self-titled debut was a nice surprise, a meeting of musical minds that left the listener wanting more.

Atmosfere picks up the quiet intensity of the debut, meandering soundscapes with Moonchy as a guide to a pastoral, almost childlike world. All lyrics are in Italian, but there is no need to be fluent in that language in order to get the gist of the words. Tobias plays a kot of acoustic guitar on the tracks and the tinkling sound of that instrument is like a second guide. Pick one to follow or change mid-song to find something new and interesting. All tracks are invitations to dream and wonder.

Katmaz: Let It Go

Katmaz, an electro pop artist from Buffalo, NY, comes close to the mainstream with his latest single Let It Go, but he likes to kick the listener out of his comfort zone with off-kilter rhythms and a jazzy coda. This is the course that has been recently adopted by Marco Benevento and although he is not match for the latter's keyboard skills, he nails it with the vocals. Recommended to use as a gatecrasher in Disney-fied playlists.

Amber Kamminga: UK mini tour

Dutch singer Amber Kamminga travels to the UK for three shows in early October. Country is her first love, but she is open for trying out other genres. Case in point: her latest single: "Name Of Love is more pop-oriented, with lush backing vocals and crunchy keyboards. Her voice is her weapon of choice, powerful with just a hint of twang to appease the early adapters."

League of Lights: In the in Between

Farrah and Richard West are League of Lights, a London based symphonic synth rock duo with a sof spot for progressive song structures, a mesh of New Wave production values and classical vignettes, complex yet accessible. Their new album In the in Between is an inner journey, contemplating loss, health issues and hope for a better future (not necessarily during their lifetime).

LIJO: "Elasticity" live video

Watch Dutch avant-pop singer LIJO perform Elasticity, aided by her label mates electro-rock duo Pocket Knife Army. Filmed by Desirée Coumans, audio recorded & mixed by Erwin Tuijl.

The studio version of Elasticity ia released via Mind The Gap. "It's a buzzing, almost hyperactive, song about trying to fit in, but keeping an outsiders perspective at the same time. She sounds like St Vincent backed by Nine Inch Nails: fast but always in control."

» thisislijo.com

HCTF review of Elasticity.

Elephant Stone: Land of Dead

photos: Eric Tschaeppeler

Canadian psychedelic raga rock trio Elephant Stone have been laying low for awhile, but a new album should hit the shops next year. Lead single Land of Dead sounds a bit more heavy than their previous output, with the guitar mixed up front.

Words about music (501): Tina Weymouth

Richard Lloyd of Television is one of my favorite guitarists. His mentor was Jimi Hendrix when he was just 14. Jimi was always pounding everything he knew into that kid.

Tina Weymouth

The Claypool Lennon Delirium: NYE in San Francisco w/ Sausage

The Claypool Lennon Delirium will wrap up 2019 with a show in San Francisco. Les Claypool is his own support act, bringing back back Sausage to mark the occasion:

Ring in the New Year at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA with The Claypool Lennon Delirium and special guests Sausage, who will be playing live for the first time in 25 years. What would end up being the precursor to Primus, the band features Les Claypool, Jay Lane, and Todd Huth.

Kaki King: on tour in the USA & United Arab Emirates

Guitar virtuoso Kaki King has announced a couple of Stateside shows as well as a 3-night stand in Abu Dhabi, where she will perform at an outpost of the New York University.

Live dates:

• 09/27 Arden, DE @ Arden Gild Hall
• 10/1U Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Indy
• 10/12 Stoughton, WI @ Stoughton Opera House
• 11/13 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates @ The Blue Hall - The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
• 11/14 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates @ The Blue Hall - The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
• 11/15 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates @ The Blue Hall - The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
• 11/22 Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square
• 12/06 Colorado Springs, CO @ Stargazers Theatre & Event Center
• 12/07 Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater

Quiet Desperation 2.0 - Another Brexit Playlist

"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way". Some comfort from another playlist while the UK is struggling to make sense of the whole Brexit fuck up. Whatever happens, the music remains. In alphabetical order: Billy Bragg, Blur, Fischer-Z, Joy Division, Madness, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, The Kinks, The Who.

The first Quiet Desperation playlist can be found here.

The Petals: Seven Stops

photos: Luke Shannon

Pittsburgh based indie-rock group The Petals go through various moods on their latest album Seven Stops, with power pop and post-rock as the main ports of call. They are a band that goes with the flow, changing the tempo whenever they see fit. The vocals are a bit rushed at times, especially during Pinhead, a song that could have been a long lost Jonathan Richman track.

Searching for hidden meanings, both real and imaginary, is what drives them. In Quiet Down an answer is almost tangible, only to slips away again, leaving them flustered. With their for amalgam of noise and gentle pop The Petals have created a string of closely linked songs about doubt and trying to let go. The plea in Nyugalom to "Disengage wherever your are" sums it all up.

Crash Midnight: Chinatown

Las Vegas based hard rockers Crash Midnight were under the impression that they were going to get signed by a major, but after quite promising get together in LA Sony stopped returning their call, finally offering some lame budget issues excuse. So they said fuck it and decided to return to good old DIY to get the word out about their music. Their latest single is called Chinatown, a farewell song for their former place of residence Boston, where they spend many nights in the seedy bars. Recommended if you like Five Finger Death Punch and Guns 'N Roses.

» crashmidnight.com

Cover Me: I Would Die 4 U

What better way to use a spare day while making an album to record some more music with fellow artists who happen to be in the same city? Canadian singer Rose Cousins hooked up with British folk rock band Bear's Den and Dutch singer Christof van der Ven for an exquisite acoustic rendition of the Prince classic I Would Die 4 U.

Maggie Brown: new single "Takes Time" + two shows in The Netherlands

photo: Jennifer Steetskamp

Amsterdam based indie guitar band Maggie Brown have come back out of hiding with a new single, the appropriately titled Takes Time. More new material might be road tested during their upcoming shows.

Live dates:

• 09/27 Amsterdam @ De Nieuwe Anita
• 11/07 Utrecht @ Cafe Hofman

» maggiebrown.nl

HCTF review of Another Place.

The Fierce & The Dead: stream "Andy Fox" from "Live USA 17"

English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce & The Dead have shared another track from their forthcoming new album Live USA 17. Echoes And Dust premiered Andy Fox. "Hitting the Americans over the head with post-rockers like Spooky Action and the towering power of Truck and soothing them with the pastoral The Wait and a superb rendition of the complex Andy Fox they build their set like a classic English mansion: balanced, yet with plenty of hidden rooms and weird details".

Phish: feature on new podcast Long May They Run

Dean Budnick, Journalist, author and Relix Editor-In-Chief, is the host of the new podcast Long May They Run. H ekicks of with Season One with bunch of episodes dedicated to Phish, interviewing the band members as well key players and music industry insiders to discuss the longevity and influence of the Vermont jam band. Episode 1 goes live tomorrow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Phish is back on the road this Fall for a short tour.

Clara Engel: Where a City Once Drowned: The Bethlehem Tapes Vol. II

Toronto based avant space-folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Clara Engel is a seeker, whose questions are answered with a mix of poetry, spirituality and philosophy. Her latest album ic called Where a City Once Drowned: The Bethlehem Tapes Vol. II, featuring six meandering compositions about halfway Kate Bush and Astralingua. The songs were captured in one take, no small feat considering the complexity of the material, with just a few additional overdubs.

Nature in all its facets is her main source of inspiration, offering her safety and a means of escape to get away from the bustle and hustle of the big city she calls home. Maybe some day she will follow her dreams and settle down in the woods: "make me a home in the mountainside // where there's no cell phone tower // where wild goats climb // I wasn't born to fly //I'm a land animal".

Tracy Shedd: The Carolinas

Tracy Shedd returns to electric, eclectic indie rock with her new album The Carolinas. The first lines is of the opening track pretty much sums about what's top come on this concept album of moving to North Carolina with her husband James Tritten: If there's an easy way, no we won't take it. If there's an easy day, no we won't waste it".

The influence of the music of the couple's side-project Band & The Beat comes to the fore in the Free Love, with it's Eighties-inspired synth rhythm. Her love for garage rock gets a nod with songs like Kissing and Romancing and Good Times. Shedd is obviously quite happy in her new abode and her relationship is doing great as well (Letters). Few albums can earn the badge "all killer, no filler", but The Carolinas has every right to wear it proudly.

HCTF premiere - Alibi: Sunday In Mexico

photo: Frances Chang

New York-based songwriter Mike Naideau captures the feeling of being lost in an unfamiliar environment on the new single of his Alibi project. Sunday in Mexico finds him milling about, talking and singing softly to himself on top of sparse piano notes and fuzzy electronics. It is a single from his forthcoming album Become Your One, out on Epifo Music and Reflective Tapes (cassette) on September 20.

Lexytron: Couples

Manchester-born indie pop singer Lexytron moved to Auckland recently, which might explain the delay for releasing a new single. Moving down under hasn't changed her critical outlook on life, once more taking a scalpel to things she gets mad about by way of music. Couples can be a tiresome for those who are going it alone and it gets under her skin in a big way: "The sound of your own feet as you're walking down the street, you're hearing couples // Couples kissing on the metro, say 'I miss you' or won't let go, you see couples // The vision of division is reminding you that you should see it double // The bakery has a birthday cake with two birds on the top and they're a couple".

Subterranean Street Society: The Road Stays Mine

Folk artist Louis Puggaard-Müller sings about staying in control on his new single he Road Stays Mine with Subterranean Street Society project. It's a track from the forthcoming new full-length Twelve steps, "a concept album centered around the alcoholic anonymous big book", inspired by his father's gradually descent as the liquor took over his life. Raising his voice at the appropriate moments Puggaard-Müller makes a stand, claiming his new found independence.

The Who: new studio "Who" in November

The Who have just announced their the details for their new studio album Who. It will be released on November 22, their first since Endless Wire (2006). They made a video for lead single Ball and Chain, a fierce rocker about Guantanamo.

HCTF premiere - Unhappy Fly: Electric Light

Unhappy Fly are mixing sunny side up pop with a bit of jazz on their new single Electric Light. Xentos Fray Bentos (synths, goblets, guitars, bass, piano) and Richard Dudanski (drums> percussion) have been playing together for years, but with the addition of Sarah Washington (vocals) and John Glyn (sax) all the pieces finally came together resulting in a twisted post-punk song that serves as a taste from their self-titled album, due for release via Emotional Response Records on September 27th..

Daniel Ruiz: Saturn's Rings Got Replaced By An Ad

Barcelona based singer-songwriter Daniel Ruiz has rounded up his latest singles plsu th epreciously unreleased Afterhours Transoceanic Voice Message for his second EP Saturn's Rings Got Replaced By An Ad, splitting the songs in two slightly different parts. The first three have a slow moving rock mode and the other three are even more mellow. The overall vibe is late night melancholy. Ruiz sings with a dark baritone voice, almost slurring the lyrics and forcing the listener to hang on to each word - a must to make sense of But The Popcorn They Sell Reminds Me Of Your Eyes, a lullaby he wrote for his cat 400. Incidentally: there is a whole series of cat instrumentals on his Bandcamp.

Mark Foggo's Skasters: Ska Pig Returns!

English ska veteran Mark Foggo may have left the UK a couple of decades, but he is keeping tabs on the politics back home. The new album Ska Pig Returns! opens with a kick in the but of (former prime minister) Theresa May. London Town is a lovely tribute to the nation's capital, although he doesn't turn a blind eye to the clueless tourists roaming the streets.

His music is still firmly grounded in the production values of the heyday of the genre when bands like Madness, The Beat and The Specials reigned the charts in the UK and beyond. Ska Pig Returns! is a joyous, upbeat album, with blaring trumpets setting a party mood that belies the underlying seriousness of the lyrics, with Rats and Mice about being still being alive as the stand-out track. Mark Foggo is a survivor, still assuring his fans that “This is just the beginning", 40 years after he released the classic debut single New Shoes.

Donna Blue: on tour in Spain

Dutch retro-pop duo Donna Blue will be on tour in Spain in December, promoting their latest self-titled EP: "Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen channel the sunny French pop sound of France Gall and Francoise Hardy with 1 2 3, try to escape from boredom with the bubblegum ballad Get Away, and wrapping things up with surf and country in the superb Arlene's, a mashup of the Primitives, Ry Cooder, and Johnny Cash. Changes are that this track will inspire lots budding of guitarists trying to figure the effect pedal settings".

Words about music (500): Richard Thompson

I want people to come to my music without prejudice. I want them to get the music first. And who I am isn't that important. If they like the songs to me that's a good thing.

Richard Thompson

Morgendust: Storm Will Come

Dutch quintet Morgendust are all in their mid-forties and are about to release their debut EP Storm Will Come. Tongue firmly in cheek they label themselves as a midlife rock act, a few guys who finally got around to write and record Eighties-inspired mid-tempo songs and share them with the world. All the elements are in place: swirling keyboards, a bit of echo on the guitars plus straightforward bass and drums to keep it all together.

They sing about getting older, but they are OK with that. No longer dreaming about world domination by way of music Morgendust are taking it easy. When shit happens in relationships or otherwise, they are able to wing it, pretend, and ride the wave. That is one of the perks about no being young anymore. Recommended if you like melodic powerpop with a hint of prog.

Mike Gordon: Winter tour dates

Mike Gordon and his band will hit the road for a Winter tour in 2020. As per usual Gordon made a weird but fun video to announce the shows.

FEVA: We're Not Defective

photo: Daniel Stark

Newcastle based alternative rock quartet FEVA used copious amounts of leakage. reverb and distortion on their new single We're Not Defective. All that mayhem can't hide the fact that the song is pushed forward by a New Wave inspired melody. Bottled anger that their live audiences can dance too with reckless abandon.

Marvin Dee Band: Changes

The Dutch melodic rockers of the Marvin Dee Band are firing on all cylinders on their new album Changes, with brass and strings added to their signature shared vocal parts. Although the album was named after a song that did not make the final track listing it is an adequate title for a bunch songs contemplating the passage of time: kids growing up fast (Little Boy), pondering about recent events (Step Back) and old age (Harder).

It seems that the band is at a crossroads. Reminiscing has set in big time and it shows in their AOR arrangements. They target an adult audience WHO has gone through some ups and downs, wrapping the lyrics in radiofriendly music harking back to the Seventies. Passionate yet subdued rock that isn't cool as such, but it is brutally honest and proudly mainstream.

The Fierce & The Dead: Live USA 17

The invitation to play the renowned RoSFest in Gettysburg, PA, came as a big surprise for English instrumental prog experimentalists The Fierce & The Dead, a show that is now available on the new album Live USA 17. At the time they were still an underground band, cherished by a small knit of musos and music geeks who sang their praises to mainly deaf ears. All that would change in 2018 with their breakthrough album The Euphoric, their third full-lenghth studio release that garnered rave reviews in leading prog magazines. The RosFest show was a special treat for the band, a change to road test some of the songs from that as yet unreleased album as well as choice cuts from If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving to Morecambe and Spooky Action.

Lauren Ruth Ward: tour dates

LA based rock singer Lauren Ruth Ward is preparing for an extensive Fall tour. She wil be supporting Melanie Martinez in North America, followed by a European club tour as headliner.

Johnny Dowd: new album "Live at GrassRoots 2006"

Ithaca's finest left field dark country treasure Johnny Dowd has announced a new album: Live at GrassRoots 2006, recorded in Trumansburg, NY in July 2006. He posted a recording of Miracles Never Happen on his website in 2014:

Johnny sang and played guitar. Michael Stark (keyboards, organ), Willie B (drums, bass pedals) and Kim Sherwood-Caso (vocals) were the band for that tour.

Live dates:

• 11/23 Ithaca, NY @ Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
• 12/07 Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo's Mohawk Place

» johnnydowd.com

HCTF review of Family Picnic.