SWF is the dream of, and moniker for, the artist, musician, and self-described mystic, Stevie Weinstein-Foner. Stevie’s messages of love and longing roll from his debut album, Let It Be Told, like mantras blasted from the radio of a brightly re-painted VW van, cruising down a metaphysical highway of endless summer with the windows down. Let It Be Told (out October 8 via Mecca Lecca) was recorded in Memphis, and the album’s soulful proclamations are backed by a chorus of fuzzy guitars, vocal harmonies, and very singable hooks. Time Out New York describes SWF’s music as “warm, mellow, scruffy rock & roll.” A few days ago marked the release of his first music video for “Black & Golden”, which you can watch below. The video was shot over the course of an entire year, beginning with the Chinese New Year in 2012 and wrapping on New Year’s Day in 2013.
After spending the summer of 2008 in the Grand Canyon rafting down the Colorado River, Stevie moved to Brooklyn, where he began to study yoga and write the songs which would become the material for Let It Be Told. Leaving Brooklyn to live and work on farms in Central America for the winter, he ended his travels in Memphis in May 2011, recording the first half of his debut album. Upon returning to Brooklyn, Stevie began performing as SWF, gathering friends from the yoga and music communities to act as band members.
After a year of determination, detox, and deep self-study, Stevie returned to Memphis in January 2013 to record the rest of the album. On “Warrior”, he sings, “I let my darkness shine, I let the darkness out, I’ve taken the warrior’s vow”, illuminating his path of sincerity and soul discovery. The songs are odes to a deeper connection to our soul and the challenges and beauty of hoping to attain enlightenment in the 21st century.
Revealed in both the spirit of light and darkness, Let It Be Told is a work of truth, love, and a heart that beats for rock & roll.
Upcoming SWF Tour Dates
9/02 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands (w/ Vermont Joy Parade)
10/08 – New York, NY – Pianos (Record Release Show)
Smallpools, the Los Angeles 4-piece announce two new tours today. After headlining the sold out Neon Gold’s Popshop West party on September 4th, the band will divide their time between the studio working on the full-length debut and touring with Walk The Moon in October and 21 Pilots in November. The foursome consist of Sean (vocals/keys), Mike (guitar), Joe (bass) and Beau (drums), just finished their tour with San Ciscoto a wild response.The release of their self-titled debut EP gained them critical acclaim.Neon Gold calls “Mason Jar”“a sepia splash of power-pop that crystallizes into a starscraping smash before the verse even kicks in, as stadium-sized Of Monsters And Men gang vocals ride high on the buoyant flair of Smallpools’ youthful, Two Door-esque ebullience.”
Their first single “Dreaming” was produced by Captain Cuts and instantly shot to #1 of Hype Machine within the first 3 days of its revealing. Check out where I originally posted “Dreaming” and a couple other remixes here AND check out the latest remix below.
Cold War Kids announce the release of ‘Tuxedos’, a digital EP available September 17th throughDowntown Records and MapleMusic Recordings. The six-song collection includes two previously unreleased tracks, “Romance Languages #2” and “Pine St.”, as well as covers “Aeon” (Antony and the Johnsons) and “You Don’t Come Through” (The Band). ‘Tuxedos’ also features the self-titled original album track and an alternative version of “Bottled Affection” from their April 2nd release, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts.
“Fits and starts of brilliance on the first three records, Cold War Kids have hit their stride and locked into a very intense groove for the fourth,” saysEsquire Magazine. NME adds, “(Dear Miss Lonelyhearts) has gone back to the sort of idiosyncratic weirdness that made us fall for them in the first place.” Relix states, “There’s a natural flow to the songs on this disc … a complexly drawn collection. And that blues sensibility you always liked best about them is happily still there.”
Tuxedos:
Tuxedos
Aeon
Bottled Affected (Cathedral Version)
Romance Languages #2
Pine St.
You Don’t Come Through
Cold War Kids Tour Dates
August 15 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues *
August 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas *
August 17 – Denver, CO – Cultivate Festival
August 18 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre *
August 19 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre *
August 21 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cain’s Ballroom *
August 22 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Amphitheater *
August 23 – Dallas, TX – South Side Music Hall *
August 24 – Columbus, OH – CD 102.5 Summerfest
August 31 – Edmonton, AB – Sonic Boom
September 1 – Calgary, AB – X-Fest
September 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *
September 21 – Flagstaff, AZ – The Orpheum Theatre *
September 22 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre *
September 26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue *
September 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall *
September 28 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall*
September 29 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue *
October 18 – Boston, MA – House of Blues *
October 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *
October 21 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
October 22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 *
October 24 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
October 26 – Richmond, VA – The National *
October 29 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theatre
October 30 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt
October 31 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
November 1 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
Chicago based duo Wild Belle have announced an extensive fall headlining tour that will kick off September 5 in Madison, WI. The band recently made their Lollapalooza debut before they headed to San Francisco to play Outside Lands. After previously touring the states opening for Passion Pit and Toro y Moi, Wild Belle will travel across North America and back for over 25 headlining tour dates -making this their biggest headline tour to date (full list of dates below). To catch a glimpse of Wild Belle’s life on the road, watch the band’s self-directed video POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD Nº3.
Wild Belle’s live performances have been recognized for their catchy hooks and infectious sound. The band took their effortlessly sunny set on the festival circuit this summer with performances at Coachella, Sasquatch, Firefly, Full Moon Festival, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. The musical talents of both siblings shine during the band’s live performances, with Rolling Stone noting how “Natalie (breezes) about the stage with relaxed bravado while Elliot (switches) effortlessly between keyboards and sax…creating an organic wall of sound.”
In June the band stopped by a Los Angeles bike shop to record a performance with KCRW of “Love Like This” for NPR’s Field Recordings. Noted by the Chicago Tribune for their “breezy sounding pop music,” Wild Belle is currently featured in Glamour’s summer music issue and as Time Magazines “Band to Watch”.
Wild Belle is Natalie and Elliot Bergman. The band is joined live by Kellen Harrison (bass) as well as fellow NOMO members Erik Hall (guitar) and Quin Kirchner (drums).
The Fratellis are back! After a 5-year release hiatus, the band is thrilled to announce their third full-length album We Need Medicine, slated for release on October 8 through BMG. An 11-track record of bluesy rock anthems, it was recorded in Glasgow’s West End and produced by Jon Fratelli and Stuart McCredie, who also mixed the record.
Lead by driving percussion, “This Old Ghost Town” is an upbeat summer-perfect track, while the darker “Rock n Roll Will Break Your Heart“ tells a tale of regret and love lost. “Seven Nights Seven Days” is a rousing jam with a deliriously catchy guitar hook, pounding keys and classic Fratellis snarling vocals. Check out “Seven Nights Seven Days” now!
Renowned for their electrifying live show, The Fratellis are planning to take the US by storm this fall. Stay tuned for more news & tour details coming soon!
We Need Medicine Track List
1. Halloween Blues
2. This Old Ghost Town
3. She’s Not Gone Yet But She’s Leaving
4. Seven Nights Seven Days
5. Shotgun Shoes
6. Whisky Saga
7. This Is Not The End Of The World
8. Jeannie Nitro
9. We Need Medicine
10. Rock n Roll Will Break Your Heart
11. Until She Saves My Soul
Brooklyn’s Desert Stars have premiered the jewel encrusted, kaleidoscopic video for their song “Farewell Decade”. I’m not the biggest fan of the video, but I’m surely digging the song.
“The song is about a friendship that is over, even though this could be seen as sad, it is a part of growing up. I wanted to express how when we move on and out of toxic relationships we spring into another dimension, we detangle ourselves, we break free,” explains video director Stephanie Dodes. “It’s a surreal exploration in to the ways in which we are all mirrors and spring boards for one another.”
Desert Stars is comprised of lead vocalist Janelle Best, guitarist and backing vocalist Carrie Ashley Hill, guitarist Eric Altesleben and drummer Gregg Giuffré, a quartet whose music has the effect we only wish Phil Spector had produced for The Jesus and Mary Chain. With twelve tracks of languid harmony and reverb, Habit Shackles (available now) is certain to resonate with fans of Nico, Cat Power and their ilk.
When Morcheeba last toured Brazil, they stayed in a Sao Paolo hotel with a swimming pool bar called the Skye Bar on its roof. One day, singer Skye Edwards was swimming in the pool when the manager came up and told her, “You do realize this pool is named after you, Skye?”
This gives some measure of how far and how deeply Morcheeba’s influence has spread since they first sketched out the blueprint for trip-hop with their debut album Who Can You Trust? It’s a journey that has taken the brothers from their native Kent and Skye from East London to performing for tens of thousands of ecstatic fans in South America and China, along the way releasing seven successful albums of modern music that reflects the most positive aspects of contemporary culture.
With a career spanning over 18 years and with millions of album sold worldwide, Morcheeba now return with their eighth studio album. Head Up High is due for release on October 15th 2013 via [PIAS] America. This follow up to 2010’s Blood Like Lemonadesees the band enlist Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), James Petralli (White Denim), Rizzle Kicks, Ana Tijoux and Nature Boy, highlighting the magnitude of their career and influence on a wide variety of artists old and new.
The biggest changes in the band’s sound, though, are provided by the retrained post-dub step elements coming through in some songs such as the wobbly synth bass underpinning the urgent dancehall throb of “Make Believer”, and the jerky rhythm of the bittersweet “To The Grave”, a song about guilty secrets. In the elastic, buzzy synths of “Hypnotized”, which in typical Morcheeba manner, blends Paul’s turntable scratches and Ross’s bluesy guitar and harmonica into a piece that defies simple genre description – all the more so for the fiery Spanish rap by Ana Tijoux, whom Paul first encountered watching an episode of Breaking Bad.
“I thought she was incredible,” he recalls. “While she was recording her vocal for ‘Hypnotized’, she was heavily pregnant and we didn’t know if she was going to be able to do it; I think she went into labor about a day later.”
Ana Tijoux isn’t the only guest featured on Head Up High. Rappers Nature Boy, Jim Kelly and Jurassic 5’s Chali 2Na appear on the sinister “Release Me Now” and the infectious, loping strider “Face Of Danger” respectively, the latter song a celebration of shame-free liberation and self-determination.
But it’s not just rappers that guest on Head Up High: three tracks also feature the smoky vocals of White Denim guitarist James Petralli, who brings a soulful blues tone to “Call It Love” and blends beautifully with Skye’s voice on the brief “I’ll Fall Apart” and album closer “Finally Found You”. All three songs also feature Petralli’s lyrics, while Ross gets to display the full gamut of his guitar prowess, with a delicate break on the latter and an all-out, Hendrix-style blitz on “Call It Love”.
For the other tracks, Paul wrote lyrics using the cut-up method devised by William Burroughs and most famously employed by David Bowie. “I took phrases I admired from a load of my favorite books – writers like Philip K. Dick – put them in a bag and drew them out, putting relevant ones together, and the mood and feeling of a song would come together from that,” he explains. “It was just a nice, fresh way of approaching it. With the English language, it’s so difficult to reinvent the wheel, despite its flexibility.”
It’s an attitude typical of the band’s approach to their art overall: Morcheeba have never been a band ready to rest on their laurels. “I always need to feel we’re moving on and making progress,” says Paul. “When we make new records, all we want to do is blow our fans away, and hopefully make some new ones.” With Head Up High, Morcheeba more than fulfill those ambitions.
TRACKLIST 1. Gimme Your Love 2. Face Of Danger 3. Call It Love 4. Under The Ice 5. I’ll Fall Apart 6. Make Believer 7. Release Me Now 8. To Be 9. Hypnotized 10. To The Grave 11. Do You Good 12. Finally Found You
Warp Records are pleased to announce the release of Kwes’ debut album ilp following last year’s critically acclaimed EP meantime.
The new track “36” off the album is inspired by the enduring love Kwes witnessed between his grandparents. His music displays an unabashed honesty that highlights his ability to craft heart-on-the-sleeve songs about relationships. The foundation for which is his experimental take on pop which he refers to as Freepop, forged by his dual love of “mad” sounds and personal songwriting. But for Kwes, it is more of a creative process than a sound, marked by his desire to keep learning and trying out new things.
Last year, he made his first appearance at SXSW, and was heralded by New York Magazine’s Nitsuh Abebe as one of the festival’s standout discoveries. Other live performances were as part of Bobby Womack’s “super group” which also included another Kwes collaborator, Damon Albarn. The group made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which can be viewed HERE.
“open-hearted… mixes a homemade aesthetic with swirling electronics” – Pitchfork
“the right combination of ego and insecurity to lure listeners into his lush, sentimental world”– Village Voice
“velveteen blend of handcrafted, ultra-earnest electronica” – SPIN
Brooklyn trio Raccoon Fighterhas announced the release of their debut LP, ZIL, out October 1st via Papercup Music. The band, comprised of three guys from Southern New Jersey, has spent the past two years quietly infiltrating Brooklyn’s music scene with their not-so-quiet brand of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll. For a taste of their infectious sound and a sneak peek at ZIL, you can listen to track “Santa Tereza” below.
Packing a mean punch with the gritty, raw vocal stylings of lead singer Sean Gavigan, the hypnotic basslines of Gabe Wilhelm, and a steady, driving foundation set by Zac Ciancaglini, Raccoon Fighter’s sound is as much razor-sharp as it is in-your-face . All hailing from the same small Jersey town, it wasn’t until close friends Sean and Zac, who had played together in previous bands, met Gabe (who contributed bass parts to Ryan Adams’ Easy Tiger, among other albums) through a mutual friend that everything fell into place. While the three tend to be soft-spoken off stage, their raucous live shows burst with passion and raw energy.
Standing strong between the high-handed anthemic choruses of the Killers and the retro synth melodies of MGMT, Gentlemen Hall has established itself as one of the most talked about bands to emerge from Boston in recent years. The band is gearing up to release a new EP this fall, but in the meantime, they’ll be taking their live show on the road, performing several festivals around the Midwest and East Coast, interspersed with several headlining dates.
Gentlemen Hall recently released their single “Sail Into The Sun”, which has garnered radio airplay nationwide, along with huge synchs in Target and Samsung commercials. RAC also gave it the remix treatment, which is available as a free download below.
Beginning as a group of friends hanging in college dorms in the mid 2000s, the 6 gentlemen formed the band in 2008. After winning numerous accolades such as MTV’s Best Breakout Band in 2009 and Boston Phoenix’s Best Act in 2011, the band was nominated and won Billboard’s Battle of the Bands and made history being the first independent band to perform on the Billboard Music Awards in 2011.
Upcoming US Tour Dates
8/23 – Chicago, IL – The Boulevard (Logan Square Music Festival, w/ The Whigs & more)
8/25 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
8/26 – Columbus, OH – The Basement
8/27 – Oxford, OH – Brick Street (free show)
8/29 – Minneapolis, MN – Nether Bar
8/31 – Indianapolis, IN – WARMfest (w/ Mayer Hawthorne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Delta Spirit & more)
9/21 – Canton, MA – Life Is Good Festival (w/ The Roots, Trampled By Turtles & more)
9/28 – Albany, NY – Pearlpalooza (w/ The Dirty Heads, Said The Whale, Cayucas & more)