Singer/songwriter/performer LPwill release a new track, entitled “Night Like This,” digitally on April 1st.
This track is the first single from her upcoming Warner Bros. Records debut album. “Night Like This” was co-written by LP and Nate Campany and produced by Grammy Award-winning producer and WBR chairman, Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Dave Matthews Band) and co-produced with Mike Del Rio.
“It’s funny because the song almost didn’t make the album,” saysLP, who made her living writing songs for other artists like Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, before focusing on her solo career. “It was promised to a couple of major artists before I decided to keep it for myself.”
“Night Like This” is LP’s first official release since last year’s Live at EastWest Studios EP, which featured the memorable track “Into The Wild” (which was also heard in the CitiBank TV commercial).
In other LPnews, the Los Angeles-based artist will perform “Slip Sliding Away” at the Paul Simon Tribute show “The Music of Paul Simon at Carnegie Hall” in New York City on March 31st. The show features 20 artists performing 20 Paul Simon classics to benefit youth-centered music education programs in New York City. Visit www.carnegiepaulsimon.com for more information.
Warp Records are pleased to announce the release of Plaid’s tenth album, Reachy Prints. The work confirms their position at the vanguard of underground electronic music production, whilst retaining their trademark emotive and playful signature style present throughout their career.
After 25 years together as Plaid, Andy Turner and Ed Handley are still true innovators within their field. Reachy Prints continues the evolution in Plaid’s long nurtured sound and reveals some of its hidden, most complex domains.
The Colourist will unveil their self-titled full-length debut on March 25th in stores and through all digital retailers via Republic Records. Currently on the road, check them out in a city near you!
As the release of his debut album draws nearer, SOHN has taken time out to film a 4AD Session with filmmaker and photographer Andreas Waldschuetz in his adopted Austria. Recorded in the outskirts of Vienna, SOHN – flanked by his live band Albin Janoska (synths) and Stefan Fallmann (bass) – performed four songs from his forthcoming album Tremors. The first of those videos is “Artifice” shown above.
“‘Artifice’ was shot in a wide open studio space outside of Vienna – the biggest soundstage in Austria,” says Austrian filmmaker Andreas Waldschuetz. “I chose a reduced and slick backdrop for the video as I wanted to the overall look to be completely clean and futuristic. I recently rewatched Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey 2001 and was pretty inspired by it. Listening to “Artifice” the first thing that popped into my head were neon tubes – I love neon lights. I love its coldness and sterility, and the graphical element that comes with it. All in all a glitchy piece of art.”
To coincide with the release of Tremors, SOHN will play select dates across North America this May – see full list of dates below. For a full tour schedule head to www.sohnmusic.com/shows
SOHN LIVE DATES
Wed May 7 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
Thu May 8 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
Fri,May 9 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Sat May 10 – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY
Mon May 12 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Thu May 15 – Crofoot Ballroom (Pike Room) – Pontiac, MI
“Rides a nu-wave of fast-tempoed, synth-based electronic sounds driven by rich guitar melodies and arresting vocal hooks.” –Details
”Austin-based duo reach back to 2000s LES-wave, and a little further, forthe mix of disco, post-punk, and electro that drives ‘Position I.’” –Bullett
Night Drive is not a band. It’s a mission. Two secret agents, Rodney Connell and Brandon Duhon, sent to recalibrate the future of electro-pop.
Inspired by dark wave and synthpop alike, and drawing influences from artists such as Brian Eno, The Knife, The Drums, New Order and LCD Soundsystem, the driving beat and dancing synths of Position I makes you want to jet off to some great nightclub in the sky.
Rodney and Brandon began writing together after the tragic death of a young woman they both were dating, unknowingly at the same time. This collaboration left them with the collection of songs from which Night Drive was born.
The duo paired up with Lobo Sucio Creative for “After Dark,” directed Javier Antonio Avellan. “This is our third video with Night Drive,” notes Avellan. “We have explored the realms of experimental and abstract filmmaking in our previous collaborations, so with this video we decided to delve into a fictional world to tell the story of a young girl on a late night adventure.” Check out their previous videos below (I’ve been in love with “Drones” for a few weeks now)!
SXSW 2014 SCHEDULE
March 14: Lose Control @ Krave (9:00 pm)
March 15 The Beautiful Buzzz & The Most Definitely Presents: The Green Room @ Brew Exchange (2:00 pm)
March 15 Bond Music Group Showcase @ The Swan Dive (10:00 pm)
After almost 15 years of friendship, guitarist, songwriter and producer Keaton Simons (Gnarls Barkley,Snoop Dogg, Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde) and experimental drummer, songwriter and producer Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta, Bosnian Rainbows, T-Bone Burnett, John Cale of The Velvet Underground) have finally come together to form their newest project, Best Revenge.
“Brother Blue” kicks off with the peculiar menace of a 80s film score. It soon devolves into a sneering rockabilly track, lacerating the listener with both a swaggering guitar and bold, vocal machismo. The lyrics convey wisdom through hurt, and Parks’ drums throb with the pulse of reckoning. This is an accessible song with an authentic blues rock mentality… You don’t hear a new track like this often. — INDIE SHUFFLE
Best Revenge mixes modern and old school sounds for a down-home dirty, raw rock ‘n roll vibe with a modern, technological spin. Keaton sings and plays guitar (including electric and acoustic guitars, as well as baritone and fretless), and Deantoni plays drums while he simultaneously live samples Keaton’s voice andplays it on the keyboard through a series of computerized effects – note: there are no loops in Best Revenge. The result is thoughtful music that excites and feels damn good. With a massive sound coming from just the two artists, this new project calls upon the adage “seeing is believing.”
Deemed “a triple threat” by his hometown’s Los Angeles Times, Keaton Simons has been captivating audiences for years with his raw, gritty voice, soul-baring songwriting, and incomparable, sought-after electric and acoustic guitar work. He’s been brought on as a guitarist, as well as bassist, singer, writer and musical director for such notable acts as Gnarls Barkley, Snoop Dogg, and Tre Hardson of The Pharcyde. With his own solo project, Keaton has co-produced and released records on major labels, licensed hundreds of songs for TV and film, toured nationally and internationally, and performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Last Call with Carson Daly.
Hailing form Newnan, Georgia, Deantoni Parks is a new wave/avant-garde experimental drummer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He has written, toured and collaborated with T-Bone Burnett, Bosnian Rainbows, The Mars Volta, Meshell Ndegeocello, John Cale of The Velvet Underground, Yoko Ono, Moby, Basement Jaxx, and Cody Chesnutt. Additionally, Deantoni wrote and played drums for the Grand Theft Auto 5 original soundtrack, and is co-founder of Dark Angels alongside producer and keyboardist Nicci Kasper, as well as a member of KUDU.
After meeting almost 15 years ago through jazz/funk trio Soulive, Keaton Simons and Deantoni Parks have not only been close friends, but true admirers of each other’s respective work. Best Revenge is the first of what they hope will be many collaborative projects. Fans will have the opportunity to catch them live in Austin, Texas this week at SXSW. (See schedule below.)
LIVE AT SXSW //
FRI 3/14 @ Austin Ale House – 3PM
301 W 6th Street, All Ages, No Cover
FRI 3/14 @ Listening Room At Winflo – 6:30PM
1315 W 6th Street, All Ages, No Cover
SAT 3/15 @ Quantum Collective Southwest Invasion, Whole Foods Rooftop – 7PM
525 N Lamar Blvd, All Ages, No Cover http://qc2014.eventbrite.com
DWNTWN’s “Til Tomorrow” gets an uniquely refreshing video treatment by animator Courtney Taniguchi. To match the delicate, breezy song, the video plays with pencil sketches and water colors of the band and lyrics.
DWNTWN’s “Til Tomorrow” will be released on the self-titled EP, dropping April 29th on Jullian Records.
Hannah Thiem has released “Brym Al Mar,” the first single from her upcoming EP, BRYM. An ambient instrumental track that starts out with a passionate yet restrained and cinematic sound that builds up to an urgent and energetic drop.
“Brym Al Mar” is emblematic of Hannah’s ability to seamlessly blend her gripping work as violinist with her more recent work as an electronic producer.
Hannah is a producer and violinist whose musical stylings are influenced by her nomadic spirit and her deep appreciation for electronic and ambient soundscapes.Hannah’s upcoming album, BRYM, will be her first release as a solo artist, though her previous works and collaborations are diverse and expansive. As the co-founder of the avant rock group, Copal, as well as the ambient electronic project Nyxyss, Hannah has shared the stage with a range of artists as varied and acclaimed as The Rolling Stones, Kanye West, Bassnectar, MOBY, The Human Experience, Quixotic, and Lucent Dossier.
Hannah has also recorded with Beats Antique, Random Rab, The Rising Smoke of the Hobo Kings, Ancient Astronauts, and Edwin Briscoe. Hannah’s sonic foundation stems from her formative experiences with Eastern European, Nordic, and Middle Eastern music and BRYM is the beginning of an all new journey.
Hannah is also a practicing yogi and often performs her original and improvisational scores at numerous yoga studios in the US as well as internationally, often collaborating with such lauded teachers as Elena Brower, Eoin Finn, Schuyler Grant, Aarona Pichinson, Amy Ippoliti, Danielle Mika Nagel, Vanessa Kudrat, and Chanel Luck.
Jena Malone and Lem Jay Ignacio, aka The Shoe, first met at a Christmas carol party at the Mandrake in Los Angeles, California in 2008. They ended up playing that night and meeting for the first time on stage. They performed “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” but with Jena singing completely in scat-style gibberish and Lem Jay musically not missing a beat. A unique musical friendship and language was born.
Jena had built an instrument she called “The Shoe” which was simply an old steamer trunk she dollied around with a plethora of electronic instruments inside. She brought it over to Lem Jay’s garage to jam soon after they met. Lem Jay, who is a pianist and music producer said:
“From that night, it seemed like she was always over and we were always free-styling, making up songs, playing abstract piano duets, psychotherapy rants and love spells. We’d stay up all night recording all our jams, sometimes we’d improvise complete songs from start to finish. I think we literally have over a hundred hours of nights like this. Since we did this so much, it was hard to know what it was, whether it was a band or an art project or just two friends constantly making music.”
The band’s first EP, At Lem Jay’s Garage, came out in 2009 under Jena’s label, There Was An Old Woman Records.
The Shoe’s sophomore effort, I’m Okay, also recorded in Lem Jay’s garage, beautifully captures the essence of today’s pop music. Malone, her voice sailing tenderly amongst Ignacio’s poignant arrangements, recites witty lyrics, resembling those of the grand songstresses Joni Mitchell or Rickie Lee Jones. The instrumentation, a Wurlitzer piano, an electric guitar, a bass and percussion, interweaves in the most handsome, yet minimalistic ways, borrowing elements from the fuzzy surf pop of theBeach Boys, the dreamy shoe gaze of Mazzy Star and the catchy melodies of Sara Bareilles’ classic pop songs.
Of this newest effort Jena says “This new record means so much more to me because I actually wanted to write songs. I wanted to craft them more than I had ever done. I love the art of freestyle, for me I always start there as a songwriter, but this record was different. I wanted to tell stories everyone could feel and understand, not just me.“
Jena Malone has been acting for over 19 years in independent and blockbuster films. Most recently seen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fireand soon to be seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Inherent Vice. She has been making music for eight years and has self-released two albums as Jena Malone and her Bloodstains.
Lem Jay has made music with many different artists, including Zooey Deschanel and Charlyne Yi. He has composed music for brands such as Pokémon and Converseand for art projects at MOCA, LACMA, and The Hammer Museum.
Musically Amusing 