
Category Archives: Whoa!
Listen: Eclypse Volume Two

SSHH: “Supergroup” Like Whoa

ISSUES is a modern homage to all of the epic bands that made SSHH what they are today. The idea behind the record was simple. Zak and Sshh had been asked to do a radio series on SiriusXM, chatting through the music that has influenced them. But why not go a step further? Why not find the original rhythm sections from those bands and play with them? Why not make an album in the process?
The first call went out to Glen Matlock and Paul Cook, the bass and drums, the meat and veg of the Sex Pistols. If they were up for it, everyone would be up for it, and they were. And thus, during the last week of November in Los Angeles, the project began. Clem Burke, Blondie’s drummer, turned up in the studio on day one to cut an unorthodox “One Way or Another”. Day two, Marilyn Manson’s rhythm men, Twiggy Ramirez and Gil Sharone, arrived for their turn. Fellow musicians Santa Davis and Fully Fullwood (of Peter Tosh’s Word, Sound and Power) also came forward and re-recorded Tosh’s original version of “Get Up Stand Up”, with an added touch from Eddie Vedder.
The duo moved on to London and got back in another studio for “one of the most intense recording sessions of [her] life,” according to Sshh. They began with “Babylon’s Burning” and “Jah War” with the rhythm section of The Ruts, followed by “Back to Black” with Amy Winehouse’s drummer, bassist, and musical director. Darren Moonie and Simone Butler of Primal Scream showed up for a full-on, no-holds barred take on “Shoot Speed Kill Light”. Guests also include Martin Chambers (The Pretenders), Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople), and Kenney Jones (The Small Faces, The Who), and production credits include Youth and Ian Brodie, among others. “Of all the people who’ve taught me drums – Keith Moon, my dad [Ringo Starr], all of them – Kenney showed me the most,” says Zak.
Zak and Sshh first came together in March 2006. Zak, playing drums on tour with Oasis, played a guitar riff down the long-distance line, Sshh recorded it, built it, and put it together, and their first track “Jet Engines” was born. Years passed as Sshh was in a different kind of studio as an award-winning visual artist and Zak was touring with Oasis and The Who. In 2008, the pair played a few gigs in East London under various band names, opening for Kasabian. The two eventually settled on SSHH, the call came from Sirius, an idea was hatched, and SSHH had ISSUES.
The result of those two mad, unpredictable, spontaneous, serendipitous weeks of phone calls, new handshakes, old hugs, musical conversations, long shots and crossed fingers is a record which straddles a huge swathe of modern music history. From the original rock ’n’ roll of the sixties through punk, reggae and dub into modern soul and electronica, this is a wild journey in just eleven steps. And despite all that, it exists as its own work, knitted together with the unique sound of SSHH – a fortnight in the making but a decade in its evolution. ISSUES will be released later this month, and proceeds from album sales will go to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Preorder ISSUES Exclusively via PledgeMusic
ISSUES Tracklist:
1. Problems
with Paul Cook and Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols (producer Chris Thomas)(mix Thom Panunzio)
2. Jah War
with Dave Ruffy and Segs of the Ruts (producer Ian Broudie)
3. Shoot Speed Kill Light
with Darren Moonie and Simone of Primal Scream (producer Youth)
4. All The Young Dudes
with Mick Ralphs of Mott The Hoople and Martin Chambers and Glen Matlock (mix Thom Panunzio)
5. Dominoes
duet with Sshh and Robbie Furze of Big Pink with Twiggy Ramirez and Gil Sharone from Marilyn Manson (producer Nick Launay)
6. One Way Or Another
with Clem Burke of Blondie and Steve Fishman (Mix Thom Panunzio)
7. Back to Black
with Dale Davis and Nathan Allen of Amy Winehouse band (producer Ian Broudie)
8. Private Life
with Martin Chambers of The Pretenders and Glen Matlock (mix Youth)
9. Get Up Stand Up
with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Santa Davis and Fully Fullwood of Peter Tosh, Word Sound & Power (mix Youth)
10. Babylon’s Burning
with Dave Ruffy and Segs of The Ruts (producer Ian Broudie, mix John Gray)
11. Tin Soldier
with Kenney Jones of The Small Faces, Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols, Gem Archer of Oasis (mix Shel Talmy)
Filed under Awesome, Band Change-ups, Highly Anticipated, Holy Freaking Crap!, new albums, Whoa!
Midnight Pool Party Remix Miike Snow’s “My Trigger” For Contest

Miike Snow are currently running a remix competition for their track “My Trigger”, which was the second single off their awesome 2016 album ‘iii’, and today we are premiering one of the remix entries by Australian electro-disco duo, Midnight Pool Party.
“We have been fans of Miike Snow since they released their first album back in 2009. The way they approach their song writing and production is something we admire, and it has influenced the way we approach songwriting as well.
When we heard that the stems were available for “My Trigger”, we knew this was something we just had to have a go at – give it the MPP touch.
We hope everyone enjoys our take on this song, and we hope you feel we’ve done it justice.” – Midnight Pool Party
Voting for the “My Trigger” remix competition closes this Friday, September 9 so get on over there and give Midnight Pool Party some voting love.
NENA’s Coming To The States!!!

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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdiUyMmVQ7E
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.
Filed under Awesome, Holy Freaking Crap!, Shows, video, Whoa!
Falcon Punch – “Higher”

Falcon Punch is delivering his first original work as a collaboration with LA-based duo, Wild & Free. After sitting on the instrumental of the song for 3 years, Falcon Punch teamed up with Wild & Free who delivered the vocal performance he’d been patiently waiting for. The combination leads to an easy to love but hard to forget late summer jam.
The cosmic grooves of Falcon Punch are steeped in no particular musical tradition, but rather in a multi-genre background ranging from soul and funk to house and disco. A lifetime musician, producer and DJ Avery Henderson (Falcon Punch) got his start in the electronic/disco scene producing from his tiny dorm room while living in Amsterdam in 2010. The now Colorado based musician, has crafted his sound into what he calls “Dark Island Funk”, a layered guitar melodies, keys and airy vocals, and has had the fortune of spreading it through a multitude of successful digital and vinyl releases.
Filed under Check 'em Out!, dance, listen, Whoa!
Cover Of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” By Jake McMullen

This fall, Nashville-based songwriter Jake McMullen will release a new EP that follows his critically acclaimed Always EP. Today, Ones To Watch premiered McMullen’s cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” the first single to be released from the EP, and said “Jake McMullen has succeeded beyond our highest expectations. The young singer/songwriter has managed to re-invent the 2010 hit with a brand new, very personal flair.”
Filed under Awesome, Holy Freaking Crap!, Whoa!
Porter Robinson & Madeon!!!

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
Filed under Awesome, Highly Anticipated, Holy Freaking Crap!, Shows, Whoa!
Music From Joan As Police Woman and Benjamin Lazar Davis

Filed under listen, new albums, video, Whoa!
Music From Bobby Nourmand




