The Beat Is Dead is the new solo debut LP from Girl In A Coma frontwoman Nina Diaz, announced recently alongside her NPR Tiny Desk Concert and lead album track “January 9th”. Today, displaying the feistier side of her ecletctic 13-song collection, she unveils the colorful video for post-punk 80s synth driven album single “Trick Candle”.
Girl In A Coma is the critically hailed indie-punk band that was famously nurtured by Joan Jett, opened for Morrissey and Tegan and Sara, and earned multiple Independent Music Awards. The Beat Is Dead shines a light on Nina’s electrifying rock’n’roll repertoire and introspective nature, simultaneously tapping into a dark emotive place and the triumphant strength of her journey to sobriety.
Hailed for enrapturing crowds with her wildly seductive live performance & warm sense of humor, Nina Diaz will kick off a national tour this weekend with stops in NYC, Philadelphia and Chicago as well as a support date for Cyndi Lauper on 9/17 in Albuquerque.
9/10: San Marcos, TX @ SMTX Pride
9/10: San Antonio, TX @ Mission Pachanga
9/17: Albuquerque, NM @ Sandia Casino w/ Cyndi Lauper
9/23: Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
9/24: New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall (9:45 set time)
10/6 Savannah, GA @ Wormhole
10/8: Arlington, VA @ Iota Cafe
10/9: Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
10/13: Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music Diner
10/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
10/15: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
10/17: Chicago, IL @ Double Door
10/18: St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
While singing the blues in smokey bars throughout Northern Minnesota, 12‐year‐old Cobi always had a vision of touring the world. He was 8 years old when a family friend first taught him a few basic chords on the guitar. With money earned from mowing lawns, Cobi soon bought an electric guitar and began teaching himself to play his new instrument by ear, relaying heavily on his Godfather’s extensive eclectic music collection.
Cobi went on to team up with five other musicians in Boston to form the group Gentleman Hall, a synth heavy alternative rock band who would later sign with Island Def Jam Records. With local radio play and multiple TV syncs, the band performed at the Billboard Music Awards and were named “Best Breakout Boston Artist” at the MTV VMAs.
Cobi left Gentleman Hall in 2014 and moved to Los Angeles to follow his heart and desire to play his soulful style of rock and folk.
In 2016 Cobi toured as a guest vocalist for the electronic act Above and Beyond performing at iconic venues including Royal Albert Music Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, the Greek Theater and more.
Cobi’s debut single was released on May 6th 2016. As powerful of a song as they come, “Don’t You Cry For Me” caught the ear of industry veteran Lyor Cohen who immediately signed Cobi to his new label 300 Entertainment (alongside Grammy nominated artists Fetty Wap and Highly Suspect).
The track features a seventies vibe with a piano and moog under Cobi’s soaring vocals complimented by his layered backing vocals. The track reached #1 on Spotify’s Most Viral Chart (World) and has surpassed 10 Million streams to date.
Cobi is currently on tour with his band, performing at venues and music festivals throughout the US and Canada. He’s set to tour alongside Boy & Bear October 2016.
Pittsburgh’s thriving culture of innovation and some of the most cutting-edge tech and art from around the country will be showcased across 100,000-square-feet of free exhibits, demos, and interactive experiences during the fourth annual Thrival Innovation + Music Festival, from September 20-24, 2016.
In just three short weeks, the Thrival Innovation + Music Festival will welcome its most ambitious lineup to date for its two-day live outdoor music experience — headlined by Billboard #1 artist The Chainsmokers, as well as CHVRCHES, Thievery Corporation, Ty Dolla $ign, Metric, Lettuce, and more. Set times below.
The Chainsmokers and CHVRCHES will co-headline Friday night, with the Scottish electro-pop group hitting the stage at 9:00 PM and the meteoric rising DJ duo will close out the night, beginning at 10:30 PM. Festival mainstay funk outfit Lettuce, summertime scion Sir the Baptist, and Pittsburgh-native (and Chainsmokers collaborator) Daya will also perform, with notable local acts Meeting of Important People and the Bastard Bearded Irishmen opening the festival.
Thievery Corporation closes out Thrival 2016 on Saturday night with a full 20-piece ensemble to mark their first visit to the Steel City in their 20-year history. The band of “Thieves” will begin their headline set at 9:30 PM. Recent MTV Video Music Award-winner Ty Dolla $ign performs at 8:15 PM, immediately prior to alt-indie darlings, Metric, who kick-off their set at 9:15 PM. Rubblebucket and Wild Child bridge the afternoon with a marquee early evening set by DJ/producer Hudson Mohawke that starts at 7:00 PM. Wu-Tang Clan member Cappadonna and syndicate group Killarmy will perform with the WuLords and Ezekiel XI on a unique national/local collaboration. For an early afternoon dose of EDM, rising stars The Cheat Codes will get the crowd going at 2:15 PM. Brooke Annibale, Chalk Dinosaur, Beauty Slap, and Balloon Ride Fantasy round out a strong local showing for Pittsburgh.
The two-day show is hosted at the historic Carrie Furnaces, a national historic site just minutes outside of Pittsburgh. A 125-foot-tall blast furnace will serve as a dramatic backdrop between two stages, with performance times staggered so festival-goers do not miss an act.
“So often, festival-goers pay top dollar to attend these events, and they’re forced to choose between multiple acts they very much want to see but can’t due to time overlaps. As such, the experience has a built-in sacrifice for attendees, even though they are paying promoters for the full experience. It’s our approach to ensure that each performer has the stage to themselves, and the audience can celebrate the entire lineup, from beginning to end,” says Thrival Executive Producer, Dan Law.
According to Martin Potozcny, Thrival’s Creative Director and CEO of LUXE Creative, the music is only part of the experience.
“The moment you pass through the gates of a music festival you’re struck with the sensation that you’re on the cusp of a remarkable experience. Our goal is to tap into the deep emotional current that music evokes, and we have a unique opportunity to transport each and every individual to a world where all of their senses are engaged. Whether this is a concert goers’ first festival or tenth, at the forefront of our mind is creating an experience that inspires, surprises and engages — it will be a transformative experience that can only be described as the magic of being part of a growing international festival,” says Potoczny.
On the innovation side of things—- for the first time this year, the festival will transform over one hundred thousand square feet at Nova Place and Alloy 26 — a former indoor/outdoor mall and Woolworth’s five-and-dime — as its home base for its Thrival Innovation programming. A 14,000 square foot “Innovation Hall” will feature highlights from experiential electronic music collaborations through smart devices (CEEMI) to live demos by noted Pittsburgh chefs of a new hands-free cooking assistant app (Yes, Chef). This will be paired with an outdoor “Innovation Playground” that includes aesthetically graffitied demolition derby cars (PGH Art Car), adaptive sports games for people of all abilities (Find Some Flow), and a mobile office bus equipped with 3-D printing, laser engraving, and robotics (Tech Tank).
“The debut of Innovation Hall and the Innovation Playground this year will take Thrival to an exciting new level — offering festival-goers and city residents alike a chance to experience some of the most dynamic art and tech from Pittsburgh and from around the country,” says Law.
“We started with a blank slate of huge spaces on the North Side of Pittsburgh. We took on the challenge of transforming it into an alternate universe — and definitely an experience people won’t forget,” says Kenny Chen, Thrival’s Director of Innovation.
Highlights include:
Tinker with and explore how “old” synth technology is inspiring new generations of music creators with music industry stalwarts Roland, Pittsburgh Modular, and Novation while engaging with Shutterstock Music, SpaceoutVR, and OpenArc in Thrival’s interactive tech tent.
Pick up official merch through Pittsburgh-based street wear pioneers 412 partner with Thrival for the first time this year, introducing a brand new line of festival gear aimed at a new generation of culture creators, athletes, musicians, and original thinkers.
Participate in an eclectic mix of DIY projects led by Kelly Malone, founder of award-winning makerspace Workshop SF, who is returning from California’s Bay Area to reboot in Pittsburgh with Workshop PGH (tagline “Drink Beer. Make Stuff.”).
Experience awe-inspiring industrial production through live iron pours on the concert site with Rivers of Steel Arts.
Multimedia troupe Squonk unveil a first-time artistic collaboration of the group’s “Pneumatica” structure paired with the both quirky and surreal “Cycle Sonic” performance.
NENA coming to America: it’s one of the great unrequited love stories of pop culture history.“99 Luftballons” was the first German-language song to enter the US charts since Marlene Dietrich, yet although the pop queen toured all over the world, she never made it over to the US to perform. NENA has continued to rule the charts in Germany with sixteen studio albums and countless hits, and now is finally her time to take America by storm.
In the 33 years since it was released, NENA’s “99 Luftballons” (“99 Red Balloons”) has had an unmatchable impact on popular and music culture. Although NENA never stopped making music – she’s had a three-and-a-half decade career of hits and 16 studio albums behind her in Germany – and has toured in countries as far as Japan, NENA never got to tour the US. It’s one of those flukes in music history where what should have happened didn’t happen. But in NENA’s own words, “…now’s the right time. It’s always now!…When you want to do something and it just doesn’t happen, you shouldn’t be sad or disappointed because, well, 35 years later, it happens! It’s perfect timing.”
At the heart of NENA is a rock’n’roller with unbeatable stage presence and energy to spare, whether she’s playing to regularly sold-out crowds at the biggest arenas or more intimate club venues. Just take a listen to NENA’s latest outing – the excellent, energetic and rocking live album Live at SO36, recorded during a within-minutes sold-out concert at the famed Berlin club SO36. The opening rocking riffs of “Noch Einmal” NENA struck on her Telecaster sent out a shockwave of energy that carries through an entire night. From pure rockers to new-wave favorites to the touching ballads that fans sing along word-for-word, NENA can electrify a crowd with her incomparable, instantly recognizable voice and her own brand of rock’n’roll that includes influences of The Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads, among many others. The dancing never lets up with NENA until the lights finally go on at the end of the night. That’s what NENA is going to ultimately bring to the US – an amazing live energy that can shake an entire audience to its core.
She’s captured the hearts of Germany: her numerous top ten hits and 25 million sold records are proof of that. Now it’s time to share that with America. NENA’s most recent studio album, Oldschool, is the perfect fusion of her constant drive for artistic development and genuine authenticity. Produced and co-written by German hip-hop superstar Samy Deluxe, it blisters with a sense of immediacy and newness while especially playing lyrically with references to her past.
NENA has never been a nostalgia act; she still delivers onstage an exhilarating mix of her amazing and expansive discography. With that much spark, it’s a recipe for an utterly mind-blowing evening. American fans that missed the opportunity to see NENA when they were first introduced to her now have that chance. To paraphrase her latest single, there’s no time like “Genau jetzt” (right now).
NENA will be playing San Francisco on September 30, Los Angeles on October 2, and New York City on October 4.
“Coast Modern debuted with “Hollow Life” and followed it up with “Animals” both jaunty, summery songs with lyrics that go deeper than you might think on first listen. (Check out my post from back in May.)
The Los Angeles duo’s new single is “The Way It Was,” and this time they introduce a surprising electronic element towards the end alongside their usual pop/rock blend.
“With so many songs about ‘better times,’ we thought there’d be no better time to write a song about the wetter times—the lush rainforest of the present. In such a turbulent era, it’s easy to get stuck in the quicksand of nostalgia or tangled in vines of worry. Come on this jungle cruise with us as we explore the wonders of now…because we all know it’s never gonna go back to the way it was.”
Coast Modern Tour Dates:
September 2 – Bumbershoot – Seattle, WA
September 19 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR***
September 21 – Commodore – Vancouver, BC***
September 23 – Life is Beautiful – Las Vegas, NV
September 25 – Gothic – Denver, Colorado***
September 27 – Varsity – Minneapolis, MN***
September 28 – Metro – Chicago, IL***
September 29 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI
September 30 – Phoenix – Toronto, ON***
October 1 – The Meadows – Flushing, NY
October 4 – Royale – Boston, MA***
October 5 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA***
October 6 – 930 Club – Washington, DC***
October 8 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA***
October 9 – 3rd and Lindsley – Nashville, TN***
October 11 – Granada – Dallas, TX***
October 12 – White Oak – Houston, TX***
October 13 – Emo’s – Austin TX***
October 16 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA***
Speculation and rumors of a collaboration between musicians and longtime friends Porter Robinson and Madeon (Hugo Leclercq) have long been internet fan fodder.
The duo put the rumors to rest dropping a surprise joint single “Shelter” (ft. Madeon on lead vocals) and announce a joint North American that will see the two share the stage for a collaborative live performance ft. music from both artist’s catalogs reworked and re-imagined for the stage.
Each made a name for themselves as solo artists who redefined electronic music from the inside out, expanding the genre from the festival stage to the pop charts and bringing electronic music into the global mainstream with their critically acclaimed debut solo albums, Porter’s Worlds (2014, Astralwerks) and Madeon’s Adventure (2015, Columbia).
“Shelter”- a brilliant shimmering, humanity-infused electronic pop – comes at a serendipitous time for the two young artists and sees the duo taking a hands-on approach to the songwriting process. To write, the two decamped to Madeon’s studio in Nantes, France and the two wrote together in real-time, face-to-face, taking a decidedly old-school approach to the collaboration, inspiring and challenging one-another along the way. The result, “Shelter” is an ode to family ties as much as it’s a pop song that epitomizes their friendship.
“Both Porter and I started working with people in-person when we started making our respective albums and appreciated how much more collaborative you can get,” Madeon explains of their decision to work together. “Our intent was to make music that would reflect our friendship.”
“I see enthusiasm and inspiration as the most important currency you can have when you’re making music,” Porter adds. “It’s this weird sensation of being drunk on your own confidence and excitement that leads to so many creative breakthroughs. That effect was really exaggerated when we were working together.”
While this collaboration is a first for the two artists, they have played a pivotal role in each other’s work over the past decade of their young careers, providing feedback—sometimes brutally honest—about each other’s solo work. This laid the groundwork for a successful partnership. Having first met on an internet message board a decade ago as young Daft Punk fans who wanted to produce music, Porter and Madeon have pursued distinct but coincidentally parallel careers to become electronic music creators of their own, each has emerged out of the electronic music scene to become crossover electronic pop powerhouses.
Porter first caught the ears of tastemakers in 2010 with his track “Say My Name.” An EP on Skrillex’s OWSLA label followed and he signed to the venerated Astralwerks in 2013 when he was all of 21. The next year he released his debut artist album, Worlds, an expansive LP that included the songs “Divinity” (as heard in Google’s “Year in Search” commercial) and the landmark “Sea of Voices.” Worlds debuted in Billboard’s Top 20 and prompted the launch of the Worlds Tour, an interactive live show as ambitious at the album it was named for.
Madeon first came to global attention with his game-changing video and track “Pop Culture” in 2011. Early last year, he released his highly-anticipated debut album, Adventure, which spawned the singles “You’re On,” co-written with Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, Disclosure), and “Home.” Having sharpened his live skills as an opener for Lady Gaga and with sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza, Madeon launched two tours in support of Adventure: Adventure Live and the Pixel Empire Tour.
To support the release of “Shelter” Porter and Madeon kick off a joint tour this Fall (dates below / more TBA) that will see the two share the stage for a collaborative live performance that combines the best of their individual catalogs into one interactive performance fusing emotion, live instrumentation, visual artistry and cutting edge technology. Fans will get to hear old favorites, newly re-worked cuts from Worlds and Adventure, a few surprises, and of course an emotional and affirming live delivery of “Shelter.”
The single and the forthcoming joint North American tour captures both artists as they enter a new phase of their respective careers.
PORTER ROBINSON & MADEON “SHELTER” TOUR Tickets HERE + More Dates TBA
9/29: Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
10/1: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Critereon
10/2: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/4: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/5: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/6: Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
10/7: Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
10/8: Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
10/9: Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
11/13: Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
11/14: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
11/16: Washington, DC @ Echostage
11/25: San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Auditorium
11/26: Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
11/29: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
12/1: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
12/2: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Right around a month ago, I posted a track from Tall Heights called “River Wider” (check it here), and now we’ve got another new track from them called “Infrared”. And again….I gotta say, this one is even better! They just keep getting better!
Interview Magazine premiered the track yesterday —- and you HAVE to go check it out. Their debut major label album, Neptune, will be out August 19th via Sony Music Masterworks.
Also, here’s a video of “Spirit Cold” live, for your listening and viewing pleasure.
Tour Dates
8/20: Schwenksville, PA @ Philadelphia Folk Festival
8/27: Hunter, NY @ Doctorow Center for the Arts
9/14: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
9/15: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
9/17: Ashland, OR @ Brickroom
9/21: Los Angeles, CA @ Resident
9/29: Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
9/30: Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10/5: Washington, DC @ DC9
10/6: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
10/15: Portsmouth, NH @ Word Barn
10/20: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
10/21: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
10/22: Cedar Rapids, IA @ CSPS Hall
10/23: St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
10/27: Goshen, IN @ Ignition Garage
12/16: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
12/18: Albany, NY @ The Egg
Ahead of the release of their soaring debut album Crayon Soul, New York’s Corbu are streaming the new single “Better Better Off”. A swirling anthem, “Better Better Off” perfectly balances trippy desert rock with glacial stargazing. Corbu’s Crayon Soul is released August 5th via 3Beat (EU) & Big Picnic (US).
The band recently gave an insight into their vivid world with the animated video to the track “Battles”. The video hints at the narrative that began to unfold as frontman Jonathan Graves was writing the record. Each track tells a different part of the story, taking the listener on a true journey through Corbu’s vibrant imagination. Despite taking inspiration from science fiction and psychedelia, the album also pulls from the band’s real life experiences to create a body of work that is both otherworldly and deeply personal.
Crayon Soul is produced by Corbu and mixed by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, MGMT, The Flaming Lips). It follows two acclaimed EPs, We Are Sound and Everything You Imagine Is Real, which garnered praise from the likes of NYLON, Stereogum, The Guardian, NME and more, as well as capturing the attention of Jessie Ware, who personally requested the band to remix her song “You & I (Forever)”.
Civil Twilight, originally from South Africa, and now Nashville based, are living proof of what happens when you stop worrying about being the chosen one and make music built on both the roots that grew you and the love that keeps you thriving every day.
Civil Twilight’s songs embrace every corner of human emotion, balancing delicate, poetic lyrics with sweeping arrangements that touch all the senses: a phrase to make you think; a rolling drumbeat you can feel in your bones; a guitar vamp as illustrative as a picture; a shimmer of keys whose light can nearly be seen and heard.
The same goes for their most recent release – a gorgeous, goose-bump giving acoustic rendition of their album, Story of an Immigrant, which premiered via Billboard. “It was a lot of fun breaking these songs down to their core, stripping them naked and giving them a new outfit,” singer Steven McKellar tells Billboard. “To see what else we could bring out of them and what else they could say. These versions allow the listener a closer look and hopefully a more intimate experience of the original album.”
Available via Wind-up Records and one year since the release of the original record, the acoustic record also features three bonus tracks, “Letters from the Sky” and “Save Yourself”, plus an ethereal cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,” that premiered a few weeks prior via Consequence of Sound.
Following appearances at Bonnaroo and Firefly this Summer, the band will continue across the country on a headlining tour this July. With a handful of upcoming shows with Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness, the band also announce today that they will be direct support for Nothing But Thieves this Fall. The tour sees them travel to Canada, down the west coast of America through the Pacific North West and into Southern California, with another leg in October that brings them to the East Coast and into the South.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
* with Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
**with Nothing But Thieves
7/19 The Old Rock House – St Louis MO
7/20 Schubas Tavern – Chicago IL
7/21 Wooly’s – Des Moines IA *
7/22 The Blue Note – Columbia MO *
9/14 Vancouver BC @ Vogue Theatre**
9/16 Edmonton AB @ The Starlite Ballroom**
9/17 Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth**
9/19 Seattle, WA @ Neumos**
9/20 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom**
9/22 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall**
9/23 Santa Ana, Ca @ Constellation Room**
9/24 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Voodoo Room**
10/21 Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry**
10/22 Pittsburg, PA @ Stage AE**
10/23 Washington, DC @ Rock n Roll Hotel**
10/25 Nashville, TN @ Exit In**
10/26 Charlotte, NC @ The Underground**
10/28 Birmingham, AL @ Saturn**
10/30 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West**
11/01 Orlando, FL @ The Social**
While singing the blues in dive bars throughout Northern Minnesota, a 12-year-old Cobi dreamt one day of performing on the biggest and most renowned stages in the world. He knew that music made him feel more alive than anything else and that he wanted to bring his art to a much larger audience.
After spending a few years in the Boston band Gentlemen Hall, a synth heavy alternative rock band signed to Island Def Jam Records, Cobi left to pursue his solo efforts. Cobi’s heart and desire to play his soulful style of rock and folk outweighed the early success his former band was achieving.
Cobi’s debut single, “Don’t You Cry For Me”, as powerful of a song as they come, caught the ear of industry veteran Lyor Cohen who immediately signed Cobi to his new label 300 Entertainment (alongside Grammy nominated artists Fetty Wap and Highly Suspect). The track features a seventies vibe with a moog under Cobi’s soaring vocals complimented by his layered backing vocals. Since it’s premiere on Interview Magazine in May, the song has garnered over 5 million streams on Spotify, peaking at Number One on the Global Viral Spotify Charts.
Cobi has spent most of this year on the road with Above and Beyond, touring the world performing at iconic venues including Royal Albert Music Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, the Greek Theater and more. Now, Cobi returns to the West Coast for a handful of dates withAugustines.
Musically Amusing 