Category Archives: Check ’em Out!

March 23, 2016 · 10:40 am

Check ‘Em Out: The High Learys

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The High Learys are a four piece inspired rock band from Perth, Western Australia consisting of Jamie Turner (lead vocals/bass), Michael Nutt (keys/vocals), Matt Williams (guitar) and Mitchell J Benson (drums). Forming in 2011, they have released one album, and a number of singles. In 2013 the band went over to Europe to play shows in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England. In August 2014 the band went back into Poons Head Studios to record their next single “Clear My Mind” with producer Rob Grant. It was then released on 7″ vinyl through Soundflat Records in late October. Shortly after it’s release the single was used in both a Bose Headphones and Sportscraft commercial.

During November and December 2014 the band embarked on a second European tour, playing shows in Germany, Spain and England. Their single “Clear My Mind” charted at No. 1 in the AMRAP charts in 2014. the band have released multiple records and have two European Tours under their belt, 2016 finds them causing quite a stir overseas as well as on their home soil.

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“Cabinet” by THE HIGH LEARYS will be released 25th of March 2016 — listen to it now, right here!

The making of new single, “Cabinet”, was the first time the band had ventured into recording entirely by themselves. Produced and engineered by the band’s keyboard player Mike Nutt and recorded over the summer of early 2015 at various houses and studios. The finishing touches where added at Blackbird Studios with Dave Parkin.

“We’d been talking for a while about recording ourselves so we decided to knuckle down and give it go. We found that doing it this way gave us a lot more creative control in our recording process and enabled us to take our time with tracking to make sure it was exactly how we all wanted it to sound,” says the band.

“Cabinet” explores the insecurities of a young mind. Someone who feels lost in their ways, but at the same time shares the burdens of adolescents with their other half.

“Cabinet” by THE HIGH LEARYS will be released 25th of March 2016 — listen to it now, right here!

 

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March 1, 2016 · 10:09 am

Album Stream: High Waisted – On Ludlow

High Waisted

“Each of these 12 tracks is a party unto itself, complete with scuzzy bass, bright vocal harmonies, and enough reverb to fill a decently sized punch bowl.” – Consequence of Sound

“The band’s mastery of 50s era vocals and classic surf guitar will have you dancing in your chair while considering buying tickets to Hawaii.” – Noisey

[Lead singer Jessica Louise] Dye sings with an easiness that disguises how technically demanding the parts are. Translation: girl can sing, and she does.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“Somehow, they’ve managed to balance organic, unfiltered energy with the finesse necessary to craft lush and dreamy soundscapes that make you want to both chill and get up to dance and freak out – which is quite a feat.” – Alt Citizen

In advance of the March 4 release of their debut LP, NYC’s High Waisted is now streaming On Ludlow in full on Consequence of Sound. After paying their dues and building up a bad-ass reputation in the Lower East Side, the band is ready to release their sunny surf-pop to the rest of the world. In the midst of a dreary winter, Jessica Louise Dye and her band of long-haired hunks bring back the feel-good, warm summer vibes the city so desperately needs.

After the nonstop Winter Whatever tour (shot by the band for Impose), a trip to the Daytrotter studios, summertime shows on boats, and fundraiser “baked” sales, High Waisted is definitely due for a full album. On Ludlow will be self-released on March 4 with a hometown Lower East Side release show on March 3 at Mercury Lounge. The band will also be playing multiple showcases at this year’s SXSW.

High Waisted thrives on letting the city that never sleeps join in as another member of the band, holding just as much influence as any of the members and serving as the perfect backdrop to the endless summer nights spent on rooftops, the crushes gone wrong, and the friendships and memories that make it all right again. On Ludlow is Jessica Louise Dye’s narrative of love and life in the Lower East Side filtered through a lens of reverb and sunshine.

Album Stream: High Waisted – On Ludlow

Catch High Waisted Live:
March 3 – New York City – Mercury Lounge
March 14-20 – Austin, TX – SXSW

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February 24, 2016 · 2:54 pm

Funk Powerhouse Lettuce Documentary on Vimeo

lettuce

After premiering in NYC and on Jam Cruise to widespread acclaim, Let Us Play, the official documentary from funk powerhouse Lettuce, is now available to purchase or rent on Vimeo.

The 45-minute film, directed by Jay Sansone of Human Being Media and produced by Live for Live Music’s Kunj Shah, merges footage from live sets, recording sessions, interviews, and candid scenes from the road. Filmed over a six-month period, the footage chronicles the mechanics of improvisation and the artistry behind making a funk record. Viewers will get an in-depth diagnosis of the band, who they are as artists, how they work together and use their ridiculous expertise to come up with funk music.

Click below to watch a special teaser, and view the whole thing here!

Following suit in a monumental year for the funk favorites, Lettuce will be hosting the inaugural Fool’s Paradise festival in St. Augustine, Florida on April 1 & 2. The funk-fueled beach extravaganza takes place in the heart of one of America’s most historic cities at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and features two explosive sets from Lettuce. Other acts on the lineup include GRiZ, Vulfpeck, and Chris Robinson’s Soul Revue. Fool’s Paradise brings bands to the beach for two full days of genre-bending music, artist-led excursions, musical workshops, yoga, and activities with your favorite musicians in a destination event like no other. Camping options, VIP packages, and tickets are available now at FoolsParadiseFL.com.

Tour Dates:
3/4 – Okeechobee, FL at Okeechobee Music Festival
4/1+2 – St. Augustine, FL at Fool’s Paradise
4/7 – Austin, TX at Euphoria Music Festival
4/8 – Port Chester, NY at Capitol Theatre
4/24 – New Orleans, LA at Tipitina’s
4/28 – New Orleans, LA at RAGEFEST
5/26 – Martinsville, VA at Rooster Walk 8
5/27 – Chillicothe, IL at Summercamp Music Festival
6/2 – Hunter, NY at Mountain Jam 2016
6/9 – Manchester, TN at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
6/10 – Morrison, CO at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
6/17 – Dufur, OR at What The Festival
7/9 – Marshfield, MA at Levitate Music Festival
8/4 – Thornville, OH at Werk Out
8/25 – Arrington, VA at LOCKN’ Music Festival

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February 17, 2016 · 1:50 pm

Listen: The Smoking Bells – “Good Woman”

smoking bells

New album Sleeptalk out March 4

From The Smoking Bells:
I’ve always had an intense fascination with dreaming and sleeping and this is how the new Smoking Bells’ record was born. Throughout my younger life, I consistently experienced what is known in technical terms, as sleep paralysis. Yet, throughout history and countless cultures, it’s a phenomenon we called “the hag,” in Newfoundland, “succubus” in medieval folklore, and “Kanashibari” in Japan.
While frightening, this experience was intriguing in that it seemed to bridge some divide between the sleeping and waking worlds, the subconscious and the conscious. An apt metaphor, especially when embracing the artistic process: conjuring ideas from nothing to something.

Listen here: The Smoking Bells – “Good Woman”

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February 17, 2016 · 9:50 am

Video: Telegram – “Taffy Come Home”

Telegram

Recorded on a red lighthouse boat, moored at Trinity Bouy Wharf in East India Quays, the eagerly awaited debut from London four-piece Telegram is set for release March 18 via Red Eye. Operator is a series of frenzied meditations on Time and Speed, steeped in the sensitivity and strangeness of Kurt Vonnegut and approached through the erstwhile themes of love and intoxication. Melding post industrialist kraut rock with garage rock and the best bits of Eno and Bolan, the album offers twelve luminescent tracks, rooted in solid grooves but anti-gravitational in your mind’s eye.

Lead single “Taffy Come Home” is the album’s totemic standout. The video accompaniment for the track, which premiered on BrooklynVegan, was produced by Douglas Hart (an original member of The Jesus & Mary Chain) and is featured on Q Magazine. The track is the biggest pop song on the record, it is also – quixotically – the most personal, and the best demonstration of lead singer Matt Saunders’ supremely lyrical style. His lyrics share their despair, as well as their radical optimism and their pugnacious approach to the world’s harshness. For ears that have come across Telegram and stayed attuned, singles “Follow” and “Aeons” astound a second time, licked in a fresh coat of blinding enamel, alongside live favorites “Folly” and “Regatta”. Rerecorded, they’ve been elevated through work on the minute details.

Formed almost spontaneously in 2013, Matt Saunders (vocals, guitar), Oli Paget-Moon (bass) and Matt Wood (lead guitar) were repeatedly drifting together in kitchens, living rooms and makeshift studios. With whichever party it was reaching a certain depth and pressure, they decided to cut against the drift and commit their shared time to history in musical form. Wunderkind drummer Jordan Cook was recruited and, with a blistering run of shows, the band became extraordinarily tight. Moreover, they were made sensitive to the subtleties and extravagances of good performance. Once the album was recorded, Pip Stakem took over lead guitar and the band is now set to embark on a string of UK dates. Telegram will then be bringing their dynamic live show to Austin for SXSW 2016 as well as New York City on March 24 at Pianos to celebrate the release of the album.

Tracklisting:
1. Rule Number One
2. Follow
3. Inside/Outside
4. Godiva’s Here
5. Aeons
6. Under The Night Time
7. Taffy Come Home
8. Telegramme
9. Regatta
10. We’ve Got A Friend (Who Knows)
11. Have It Your Way
12. Folly

Tour Dates:
3/16 – Austin, TX at Javalina (SXSW)
3/24 – New York, NY at Pianos

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February 12, 2016 · 3:45 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Rossy – “Roses” (cover)

Rossy Picture

Check out this acoustic version of The Chainsmokers’ “Roses” by Rossy. He’s a singer/songwriter, producer and director living in San Diego. This year he plans to release his solo catalog with influences ranging from pop, reggae and hip-hop.

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February 8, 2016 · 12:28 pm

New Music: South of France – “Washed Up”

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Listen: South of France – “Washed Up”

Denver’s beloved indie-pop duo South Of France have returned to deliver their own compelling sense of style to the music and the fashion world alike.  The band have unleashed their newest single “Washed Up” in conjunction with the launch of their collaboration with cutting-edge clothing brand Akomplice. The collection highlights the band’s affinity for taking control of the many facets of their creative process with their own unique vision.

Both independently owned and operated and hailing from Colorado, South Of France and Akomplice brought their collaboration to fruition through a mutual love of creation. Akomplice owners Mike and Patrick Liberty were impressed after hearing “Washed Up,” and together with South Of France they drew inspiration from Wes Anderson’s cult classic The Darjeeling Limited, to bring to life a capsule collection that includes a duffel bag, field notebook and custom white 45 record featuring the new single.  The collection simultaneously showcases the brand’s ability to transition from the world of hip-hop to indie rock, as well as the band’s penchant and talent for design, both sonic and visual.

Launched by multi-instrumentalist and producer Jeff Cormack in 2012, South Of France, began as a lo-fi garage rock project until Jeff was introduced to Kelly Lueke. Upon discovering their amazingly similar taste in music, the two joined forces  and soon settled into their signature reverb-soaked indie pop harmonies. Their debut LP Another Boring Sunrise was critically lauded and the band have since shared stages with TV On The Radio, Portugal. The Man, Jimmy Eat World and many others. The duo recently married and are hard at work on their next album. Catch them opening for Bob Mould at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO on May 7th and be on the lookout for more from the band in 2016!

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December 17, 2015 · 2:49 pm

Check It Out: Justin Sawicki – “Upsala Trees”

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Listen: Justin Sawicki – “Upsala Trees”

Check out this track from Justin Sawicki, whose self titled second album just came out on December 11. The record was made entirely in his home studios and Justin says this most recent effort is more hones and mature with a strong focus on traditional roots rhythms and arrangements. During the tracking and production process… he met his wife, got married, bought a house, and had his first son.

Album can be purchased at www.justinsawickimusic.com

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November 19, 2015 · 3:37 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Renders – “I Am Gone”

Renders

Kelly McMichael, aka RENDERS, pours her sensitive heart into this debut single, “I Am Gone”. Asserting herself in the discourse of pop music, Renders is a love letter to herself and the state of moving on.

Check out the track, described on SoundCloud as “sounds like Solange and Robyn making out in Washed Out’s studio.”

LOVE the intro. The song was produced by Mark Andrade of the band Paradise Animals (which you should also check out HERE).

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November 4, 2015 · 2:59 pm

Newest Love: Paradise Animals – “Monday Morning”

Paradise

Monday morning I received an email from these guys…with their song “Monday Morning”!!! Coincidence. Nope. Not at all.

And this song is awesome!

The single is from the band’s LP Day Bed, and it’s their very first full length. The album was recorded and produced by the whole band in both Northern Ontario and Toronto.

From the band:
Day Bed is the place we go to rest in the daylight. A place where memories wash over us; a place where we pause and think about life. It’s a collection of songs that highlights the warmth and happiness of family and childhood, the heartbreak of relationships, and the randomness of social life in the 21st century.
Check out the video:
And look out for Day Bed on November 13th!

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