Radio On is a brand new band based in London. They just put out their first track, “Don’t Wait” (listen below) and I am definitely liking it. It makes me think of high school…prom…things of that nature. Molly Ringwald would love it, too. Wild Honey Pie also debuted the track a few weeks ago. You can check that out, here.
I had a short interview (2 questions) with James from Radio On:
MA: Who all makes up Radio On and how did you come to be?
J: We are Adam, Alex, James and Sam. Some of us are from Lancaster and some of us are from Scotland and we met in London. Radio On started in late 2013.
MA: (After he told me that their name comes from a film they love) “If you don’t mind my asking, what is the film that your name comes from?”
J: The film Radio On is an incredible piece of work that a lot of people seem to have overlooked. It was one of the things we bonded over!
Lewis Watson is set to release his long-awaited debut album The Morning in the US on June 17th. Demonstrating Lewis’ powers as a songwriter, The Morning combines fully-realised reworkings of select songs from his early EPs with plethora of new material – including instant grat track “Halo,” “Stay” and much more. These new songs take Lewis’ stripped-back, guitar-and-voice roots to a new level of richer, more textured soundscapes.
In 2012, Lewis Watson self-released his debut EP It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW after establishing a devoted online fan-base. It topped the iTunes singer-songwriter chart on the first day of release, outselling the likes of Adele, Madonna and Ed Sheeran in the process, and landed the then nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter a deal with Warner Bros. Records.
In addition to critical acclaim, all five of his EPs to date have hit the Top 10 at iTunes, each building upon the sales of the previous release. Meanwhile, his online following is phenomenal: 5 million YouTube plays; 100,000 likes at Facebook; 5 million streams at Spotify; and 70,000 Twitter followers.
Fans who purchase The Morning iTunes pre-order, available now, will receive an instant download of new album track “Halo”.
“…a terrific new band whose 70s-tinged rock, sung with rasping intensity by white soul wonder Nic Snyder,
reminds you of some of the best stuff from the pre-punk era…” – The Guardian
“…hints of that Girls-like ’60s revival, indistinct gestures of surf rock, and touches of grainy, lo-fi acoustics….” –Consequence of Sound
Pittsburgh’s genre-defying band 1,2,3 has returned after a two year hiatus, and will be releasing their sophomore double album Big Weather through their newly-founded label American Hermitage on May 27th. The band rolled out “Porch Swing Song” a few days ago, which is the third song they’ve shared from Big Weather (their first two singles “Big Weather Pt. 1” and “Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair” are both still available to stream, see below). Combining classic rock with the best elements of lo-fi soul, punk, garage and even classical music sampling, this is the first new music 1,2,3 has released since their critically-acclaimed debut album New Heaven (2011).
1,2,3 had a turbulent few years since the release of New Heaven. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Nicolas Snyder quit the band at the end of 2012, burnt out after touring on the heels of their debut and writing/recording the follow-up for over a year. Several months later, after a few nights of drunken persuasion, he re-convened with the rest of the band and coaxed them back, wanting to finish what they had started. Snyder had been inspired by 70’s dystopian movies, combined with a pattern of strange weather and its resulting destruction (a tornado ripped through his aunt’s house in Pennsylvania… something that shouldn’t happen in PA), along with the tsunami that devastated Japan two weeks later.
The band began recording storms through a screen door in the house they were renting on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, which often flooded, halting production. While recording, the band listened to nothing but local oldies radio stations. Big Weather was recorded entirely on primitive gear, using nothing but creaky old guitars, a bass, and things to bang on. Eventually some classical vinyl sampling was brought in to conjure certain feelings, and add new textures to the short stories and spoken word interludes. The lyrics had all the usual lovelorn, loneliness and death-questioning the band had previously written about, but this time it was more vivid, usually recorded during or after storms.
In the words of Snyder, “it’s more interesting to be lonely in the eye of the hurricane than it is to be in a bedroom. This album is undoubtedly ridden with flaws, but so are its creators, and the circumstances under which it was created… and in that regard, this album feels very special to me.”
The band will be playing their album release show in Pittsburgh on May 30th at Brillobox!
1. Big Weather Pt. 1
2. Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair
3. Pontoon Song
4. Waiting For The Horsemen
5. Mile High Grass
6. Bus To Babylon
7. Refusal Bop
8. Shapes of Wrath
9. Fear_Pure Elevation
10. Rebuilding
11. Stone Haus
12. Porch Swing Song
13. Big Black Car
14. Big Weather Pt. 2
15. In The House of The Locust
16. When The Levee Broke at The County Fair
17. Strawberry
18. Faith Hill
19. Where We Lived
20. Sick of the End
“…A rising sound that swells like a wave as it blends the spirit of Aretha Franklin into a soulful dance-romp through territories inhabited by Fitz and The Tantrums, Portugal The Man and beyond.” – Crave
This fifteen-piece collective blends blues, jazz and soul for a larger-than-life sound reminiscent of rock greats like The Black Crowes and Joe Cocker.
Dwight & Nicole, an American roots band formed by recording artists Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson, will be self-releasing their new album, Shine On, on April 22, 2014. Shine On puts some impressive talent on display: gorgeous vocals, developed songwriting skills, and masterful playing were all captured live at Boston’s Rear Window Studio. The delivery is often exciting, always multi-dimensional, and never run-of-the-mill. Dwight & Nicole express deep emotion effortlessly on every track of Shine On. This will be their first major release, heavily funded by their devoted fans via music-oriented crowd-sourcing site PledgeMusic.
Their performances have inspired comparisons to some of the greats — Etta James and John Lee Hooker, the Rolling Stones and the Staple Singers — but it is their own fresh blend of spirited blues, rock, and gospel that will land them a spot among the celebrated music makers. Following their critically acclaimed independent release !Signs, the Boston Globe called them, “a tour de force,” and named them among the “25 Most Stylish of the Year.” They have garnered four Boston Phoenix award nominations, six Boston Music Award nominations and Nelson just nabbed a BMA for “Female Vocalist of The Year.”
In September of 2012, Nicole appeared on NBC’s #1 hit show “The Voice,” knocking out all four coaches and winning the hearts of millions with her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The song was a hit of its own, rising to #26 on the iTunes Pop chart, and propelling a wave of nationwide appreciation for Nelson’s home grown style. The bright lights of network TV also shed much deserved light on her band—New England’s best kept secret Dwight & Nicole—helping the group to shatter through the glass ceiling that most self-promoting indie artists are up against today.
Their music has already been featured on TV shows such as “Nikita” on CW, “The Forgotten” on ABC, “Missing” on Lifetime, and “The Cleaner” on A&E. Dwight & Nicole starred in the documentary film “Where’s The Music At?” They have performed live at countless world class venues and festivals around the world including Montreal Jazz Festival, Tanglewood, Life Is Good Festival, Symphony Hall, The Somerville Theatre, The Tennessee Theater, The Paradise, The Higher Ground, and The Blue Note in NYC.
Dwight & Nicole have shared the stage with many other great artists including BB King, Buddy Guy, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Maya Angelou, Ray Lamontagne, Los Lobos, Alison Krauss, Martin Sexton, Levon Helm, Norah Jones, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Winton Marsalis, The Avett Brothers, Raphael Saadiq, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Carly Simon, The Funk Brothers, Maceo Parker, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Buffet, Biz Markie, Little Richard, Angelique Kidjo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irma Thomas, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“…a smoky, uplifting sound that fuses blues, rock, country and pretty much every genre in between.” – USA Today
“…we’re digging her combination of raw, bluesy vocals and glitchy electronics.” – NYLON
“…sultry cyber-soul.” – SPIN
Brooklyn’s captivating modern day siren Arum Rae is gearing up to self-release her Warranted Queen EP next Tuesday, and in advance, she’s rolled out her dynamic new single “Something’s Happening To Me” with Noisey. “Something’s Happening To Me” is symbolic of Arum’s recent transformation from shedding her traditional singer-songwriter roots, to her entrancing new endeavor under her given name.
Her new single follows closely on the heels of her previous stand-out singles “Warranted Queen” and “2001”. Arum’s ability to transcend styles allows the music to resurrect the soul, feel the blues, and then re-invent rock through her deeply rooted foundation as a songwriter. After relocating to Brooklyn from Austin, Arum shed the White Dress moniker and teamed up with producer Sanford Livingston for this new EP (and forthcoming album). Everything Arum has lived through and all of the songs that have been born from it are not meant to impress, they’re meant to lead.
Although being a new endeavor, Arum Rae is no stranger to the stage. She’s toured extensively over the past several years, opening up for and sharing stages with artists like Willie Nelson, Rodriguez, The Kills, Gary Clark Jr., Dan Auerbach, BB King, The Civil Wars, and Peter Bjorn & John, to name a few. With a renewed energy and passion, Arum looks to 2014 to embolden artists and singers like herself to pursue their passions with pause, regret or fear.
Los Angeles electro-pop outfit Tapioca and the Flea (TATF) have premiered the brand-new video for their new single “Take It Slow”, which premiered last week and is available on iTunes. The video shot by ENDS (creative collaboration between director duo Daniel Iglesias Jr. & Zack Sekuler), who is also responsible for The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” and “Afraid”, chronicles the highs and the lows of a chaotic relationship. “Take It Slow,” which was produced by Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath, is TATF’s contribution to Red Bull Sound Select’s forthcoming Limited Edition Split 7″, to be released as free gift with purchase on Record Store Day (April 19) at all participating retailers in the US.
PopMatters had this to say about the track, “Just don’t let the title fool you, since “Take It Slow” is a brisk, catchy synth-driven number, a combination of old-fashioned pop-minded songwriting and a state-of-the-art vibe.” TATF will bring their high energy show to Los Angeles’s Amoeba Music (6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028) for an in-store performance this Saturday, April 19th at 6 PM.
Tapioca and the Flea began as a bedroom project of Samuel Jacob-Lopez, Jr. As the son of a Puerto Rican DJ and salsa dancer, the LA-based artist fell in love with rhythm at an early age. Growing up skateboarding to the sounds of artists like Syd Barret, Radiohead and Dr. Dre, Tapioca and the Flea, found its own eclectic blend of psych, indie rock, and electronic music. In 2011, he recruited three of his best friends – drummer Matt McClanahan, guitarist Ronnie Watson and bassist/keyboardist Frank Alva – and the full electro-pop band was fleshed out. Tapioca and the Flea gained momentum in their native L.A. on the strength of their psychedelic dance tracks “Mellotron” and “Home” and have opened for such acts as CSS and Young the Giant. The band has won praise and support from OC Weekly, who nominated them for Best New Artist of 2014 and The Owl Mag, who described their music as “the soundtrack to the world’s coolest underwater dance.”
FAIRCHILD will digitally release their debut Burning Feet EP worldwide on Friday April 25th through Canvas Sounds. Produced & mixed by Catherine Marks (Foals, Howling Bells, Wolf Alice), the EP will also feature a KNDR remix of “Dancer”. In anticipation of the release, the band have just put out a new music video for the title track “Burning Feet” directed by their drummer James Haigh.
Although being their debut EP, the band have been around since 2005. Going through several line-up & name changes before re-launching themselves as FAIRCHILD at the beginning of 2013. During this time, they have toured through Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and supported the likes of Neon Indian, Kids of 88, Parachute Youth, Red Riders, Parades, Cassette Kids, Canyons, Pigeon, Battleships, The Khanz, Cub Sport & Northeast Party House.
“Similarities to Two Door Cinema Club and Swim Deep” – It’s All Indie
“The contemporary indie pop references are there for modern listeners to lap up – the African guitar riffs, the disco rhythms and the singalong choruses all mark Burning Feet, Dancer and Figure It Out as songs that the kids will absolutely love.” – TODAYonline
“DIY indie pop band from Oz that music lovers in the United States need to hear because we think they’re pretty amazing” – Indie Rock Cafe
“Sounds like Foals, Bloc Party, The Temper Trap” – Indie Shuffle
“Filled with layers of catchy melodies and vibrant polyphonic textures, this tune will take you back to Summer-holiday music festival; think Last Dinosaurs meets Neon Indian. Songwriting aside, the production value of this track is flawless.” – adamNOTeve
“… a strange sort of calm we can’t deny.” – Earmilk
“… a bass-heavy, atmospheric rock aesthetic and frenetic live shows that draw comparisons to Radiohead and Alt-J.” – BPM
The new video “Winter fell” from Walking Shapes reflects the state of emotional flux, feeling overwhelmed and is depicted by two masked dancers in a confined space.
“The song ‘Winter fell’ came about during a ‘polar vortex,’” singer Nathaniel Hoho tells Village Voice, who deems the tune “much warmer than its subject matter.” It’s a song about being forced to take a break, reflecting and coming to terms with one’s inner demons, while simultaneously embracing the good things and people in life.
Heralded by publications such as SPIN and Earmilk, Walking Shapes was formed by way of mountains, and through the tides of the city. Their fierce and eclectic debut Taka Come On channels their love to their home New York City. Featuring Nathaniel Hoho on vocals and guitar; Jesse Kotansky on guitar, violin, vocals ; Jake Generalli on keys, vocals; Dan Krysa on bass and vocals; and Christopher Heinz on drums, Walking Shapes meld driving guitars, intricate arrangements and visually evocative songwriting into stunning audio refractions on New York’s sonic landscape.
Debut album Taka Come On out next week!
Catch Walking Shapes’ Riveting Live Shows this Spring:
4/3: Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
4/4: Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
4/5: Ponoma. CA @ Acerogami
4/6: San Francisco, CA @ Brick @ Mortar Music Hall
4/7: Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot
4/8: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Room
4/12: Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar
4/13: Fayetteville, AR @ Smoke and Barrel
4/14: Oklahoma City, OK @ VZD’s
4/19: Nashville, TN @ High Watt
4/21: Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
4/23: Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
4/24: New York, NY @ Bowery Electric
4/25: New York, NY @ DROM
The Colouristrelease their self-titled full-length debut in stores and through all digital retailers today through Republic Records. “The Colourist” features the Orange County quartet’s lead-off single “We Won’t Go Home”and buzz track “Little Games”.
The Colourist’s success has been unprecedented across the board. From their critically acclaimed Lido EP last year, “Little Games” cemented them as one of the most buzzed about acts on the scene. It was named iTunes “Single of the Week”, garnering over 150,000 downloads. Meanwhile, Amazon dubbed it one of the “Best Songs of 2013”, and it went Top 30 at Alternative radio. The original recording as well as its St. Lucia, Yeasayer, and Magic Man remixes hit #1 on HypeM—the same goes for The Chainsmokers’ remix of “Fix This”. Moreover, “Little Games” entered hearts and minds in several high-profile ad campaigns, while ABC’s Chasing Life and The CW’s Vampire Diaries placed “Yes Yes”during key scenes.
Last year’s Coachella saw The Colourist give a breakout performance, and they went on to support the likes of The Naked and Famous, Panic! At The Disco, Metric, Atlas Genius, Fitz and The Tantrums and more. Coming off show-stopping turns at SXSW 2014, they’re in the midst of their first headline tour.
The Colourist – (Self-Titled LP) Track Listing:
1. Little Games
2. Wishing Wells
3. We Wont Go Home
4. Yes Yes
5. Tonight (Young Hearts)
6. What Can I Say
7. Say You Need Me
8. Fix This
9. Stray Away
10. Oh Goodbye
11. Put The Fire Out
Tour Dates:
March 25th – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY
March 26th – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
March 28th – The Met – Providence, RI
March 30th – Pike Room – Detroit, MI
March 31st – The Basement – Columbus, OH
April 2nd – Schubas – Chicago, IL
April 4th – 7th St. Entry – Minneapolis, MN
April 7th – Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
April 8th – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO
April 9th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
April 11th – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
April 12th – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
April 14th – Harlow’s – Sacramento, CA
April 15th – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
Musically Amusing 