After songwriting comparisons to Bruce Springsteen (“Hold Back”), Nirvana, and Fleetwood Mac (“Roll a Stone”), Communist Daughter is debuting another single from the upcoming sophomore album: the misleadingly upbeat “Balboa Bridge.” The gorgeous instrumental melodies and vocal harmonies are comforting at first take, but demand another listen to reveal another meaning.
Frontman Johnny Solomon explains the inspiration behind the song: “There’s this gorgeous park in the middle of San Diego, and there’s a bridge right in the middle of it that runs over the highway. My mom told me that when she was younger, they used to call that Suicide Bridge. I remember the times when I was thinking of that option, and how far away that bridge was from me. All I could think about was that it was this place, so far away from that basement in Wisconsin where I was getting high; it was this magical place in my mind where I wouldn’t feel the way I did anymore.”
October 21st will see the release of their highly anticipated sophomore album The Cracks That Built The Wall as well as a string of tour dates through the Midwest supporting the album – see below:
TOUR DATES:
10/12 – Sioux Falls SD – Icon Lounge
10/14 – Omaha NE – O’Leavers
10/15 – Des Moines IA – Vaudeville Mews
10/16 – Lincoln NE – Duffy’s
10/21 – Minneapolis – Electric Fetus In Store
11/3- Nashville TN – Hi Watt
11/4 Dayton OH – Blind Bobs
11/5 Florence AL – 116 E. Mobile
11/7 Lexington KY – The Burl
11/8 Madison – The Frequency
11/9 Iowa City – Yacht Club
11/10 UW Platteville – Platteville, WI
11/11 Minneapolis – First Avenue
UK band SSHH, made up of Sshh Liguz and Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son and drummer for Oasis and The Who) is teaming up with TONS of amazing musicians (members of Oasis, Sex Pistols, Marilyn Manson, Amy Winehouse’s band, and more) for their upcoming album ISSUES. The album is a collection of covers using the members of the original bands! Heads up — it kicks ass!
The first single just premiered — it’s a cover of Sex Pistols’ “Problems”, featuring Glen Matlock, Pistols bassist, and Paul Cook, Pistols drummer.
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.
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)
Kelis’ love affair with food started as a child. A native New Yorker, her mother worked as a chef in her own catering business, run out of their home in Harlem. Driven by the speed and the intensity in the kitchen, Kelis’ passion behind watching her mother cook inspired her to roll up her sleeves, willing do to what anyone asked of her. Every detail was clear and defined: Red lips, red nails, perfume, earrings and a military demeanor, Kelis felt in the presence of a master while watching her mother work.
At age 17, Kelis signed her first recording contract and began to travel the world. She discovered local outdoor markets and tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurants and considered them the hidden treasures of her journeys. After 10 years in the music business, Kelis decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu. Attending the famous cooking school gave Kelis the confidence to call herself a chef and to write her first cookbook.
MY LIFE ON A PLATE: RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD (Kyle Books; September 28, 2015; Hardcover; $24.95) tells Kelis’ personal story through the food she creates. Her style has been molded by her culture, her travels, and all the people she met along the way. “My Life On A Plate is my first cookbook, and like the title says, it really is a reflection of my life through food. It includes my version of recipes I grew up eating and things I’ve picked up that have inspired me along the way,” says Kelis. “It’s an exploration of tastes and cultures, and my experience as a chef, musician, mother and wife. It’s a lifestyle, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.”
This book is a collection of her favorite recipes. It features a mix of foods from her Puerto Rican heritage, such as Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder), Arroz con Gandules, and Shrimp Alcapurias along with dishes she created after discovering them on her travels around the world such as Malay Curry Chicken and Swedish Meatballs. Food lovers looking for a new kind of food fusion experience will love MY LIFE ON A PLATE.
“The music world is full of foodies, from Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos to Action Bronson and his penchant for rapping about barbecued venison. Kelis out-foodies them all.”-Observer Food Monthly
Pre-order “MY LIFE ON A PLATE” now at Amazon,Barnes & Noble and all other book retailers ahead of its September 28th release.
Hooray! Jenny Lewis is back!!! Ohhhh, how I miss Rilo Kiley.
Celebrated California singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis has debuted her new single, “Just One Of The Guys,” taken from her forthcoming album The Voyager, which will be released by Warner Bros. Records on July 29th. The album is now available for pre-order today from all participating digital retailers. Those who pre-order will receive an instant download of “Just One Of The Guys.”
“Just One Of The Guys” was produced by Beck, who also contributes backing vocals. “It was one of the tunes I’d tried a few different ways before I finally recorded it with Beck at his home studio in Malibu,” Lewis says. “The whole experience was super laid-back – walking on the beach, talking about movies, the Rolling Stones, and French pop music. It was just very mellow and lovely.”
Beck is one of several artists Lewis chose to produce tracks on The Voyager, which also features production from Ryan Adams, alongside Mike Viola, as well as her longtime collaborator, Johnathan Rice. The Voyager is the former Rilo Kiley frontwoman’s third solo album and first in six years, following 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat (with The Watson Twins) and 2008’s Acid Tongue. It finds the always relatable songwriter at her sharp-witted best, singing about her recent experiences with honesty and incisiveness.
The Voyager is Lewis’s most deeply personal album to date, documenting her struggle to cope following the death of her estranged father in 2010 and the subsequent break-up of Rilo Kiley. The Voyager‘s rootsy, golden glow comes courtesy of Lewis and the artists she chose to produce various tracks, including Ryan Adams (who, alongside Mike Viola, produced all but three of the tracks), Beck, and Lewis’ longtime collaborator Johnathan Rice. The Voyager finds the always relatable songwriter at her sharp-witted best, singing about her recent experiences with honesty and incisiveness.
“Making The Voyager got me through one of the most difficult periods of my life,” she says. “After Rilo Kiley broke up and a few really intense personal things happened, I completely melted down. It nearly destroyed me. I had such severe insomnia that, at one point, I didn’t sleep for five straight nights. Many of the songs on The Voyager came out of the need to occupy my mind in the moments when I just couldn’t shut down.”
After several years of writing new material, Lewis took 2013 off to tour with The Postal Service. Sharing the spotlight was a freeing experience, providing the realization that she needed to give up control in order to move forward. While on the road, she reached out to Ryan Adams to record at his newly built studio, Pax Am, at Sunset Sound. Her first day back from tour, she went into the studio with Adams and his partner Mike Viola, and found the creative collaboration she was missing.
“Ryan and I didn’t know each other very well before this album — we had hardly even listened to one another’s music, to be honest. But I trusted the vision, and Ryan ended up being the person to get me over the fear of finishing something I’d been working on for so long. This record was the hardest one I ever made,” she says. “The Voyager tells that story: the longest night of my life and the journey to finally getting some rest.”
In other Jenny Lewis news, the sometimes actress also appears in the June 5th episode of IFC’s Comedy Bang Bang as a musical co-host filling in for Reggie Watts and singing a duet with Zach Galifianakis. She is on tour throughout the summer, including several dates with Ray LaMontagne, as well as appearances at Lollapalooza and the Outside Lands Festival. Lewis will also perform a hometown show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on August 9th. See below for all tour dates.
June 4 Portland, ME State Theatre w/ Kurt Vile
June 6 New York, NY Governor’s Ball (Randall’s Island)
June 7 Washington DC 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
July 6 Toronto, ON Urban Roots Festival
July 8 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Blues Fest
July 10 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 11 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Performing Arts Center w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 12 Miami, FL The Fillmore w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 15 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 16 Charleston, SC North Charleston PAC w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 18 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 19 Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 20 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
July 22 Interlochen, MI Kresge Auditorium w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 23 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens w/ Ray LaMontagne
July 25 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
July 26 Camden, NJ XpoNential Music Festival w/Ryan Adams
July 27 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls
July 31 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe at Old National Centre
Aug 2 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza SOLD OUT
Aug 3 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Aug 9 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Aug 10 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Festival SOLD OUT
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”.
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!
NPR has premiered the new PHANTOGRAM record Voices in its entirety as part of their exclusive FIRST LISTEN series.Due out February 18th via Republic Records, Voicescan be heard now!
Phantogram will be taking to the road this spring in support of the record, with a full US tour that begins April 4th in Pittsburgh, PA. (YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!)
Phantogramhave also premiered the video for “Fall In Love”, the critically-acclaimed first single from Voices.
Listeners who pre-order the entire record will get an instant download of tracks “Bill Murray”, “Nothing But Trouble”, and “Fall In Love”.
In addition to the full US tour, Phantogramwill also be performing on the West Coast during the week of the record’s release, making the following stops:
02.20.14 Oakland, CA Fox Theatre – SOLD OUT
02.21.14 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
02.22.14 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium – SOLD OUT
02.23.14 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre
After featured performances at the Maverick Music Festival in San Antonio Texas on March 21st and the Buku Music & Art Project in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 22ndPhantogram will embark on a full U.S. tour:
04.04 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
04.05 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
04.06 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre
04.08 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
04.10 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
04.11 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre
04.12 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
04.13 Minneapolis, MI First Avenue
04.15 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
04.16 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
04.18 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
04.19 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
04.21 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
04.23 Dallas, TX South Side Music Hall
04.25 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
04.27 Atlanta, GA Counterpoint Festival
05.23-25 George, WA Sasquatch! Festival
06.20-22 Dover, DE Firefly Music Festival
Recorded in Los Angeles with co-producer John Hill (Santigold, MIA), Voices follows up the group’s celebrated self-titled EP, which spawned the track “Black Out Days”. Phantogram’s full-length debut Eyelid Movies [2010, Barsuk] and Nightlife EP [2011, Barsuk] established them as one of music’s most intriguing indie outfits. Soon, the likes of The Flaming Lips and Big Boi [Outkast] began seeking them out for studio collaborations. Republic Records also recognized their spirit and joined forces with them in 2013.
Multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning global superstar Kylie Minogue will release a brand new album, entitled Kiss Me Once, on Warner Bros. Records / Parlophone on March 18th. This is the Australian pop icon’s first studio album since 2010’s Aphrodite, and her first since signing to Roc Nation Management.
Kiss Me Once, a return to the dance floor after 2012’s orchestral compilation TheAbbey Road Sessions, was executive produced by Kylie and Sia, who co-wrote the title track. Kylie also teams up with Pharrell Williams, who wrote and produced “I Was Gonna Cancel,” Ariel Rechtshaid (HAIM), MNEK (Bastille), and Greg Kurstin (P!nk).
“Making this album was quite a journey but I loved it,” Kylie says. “It was through a time in my life where there were a lot of changes and new beginnings. I’m thrilled with the response to “Into The Blue,” and I can’t wait for you hear the rest of the record!”
The first single, “Into The Blue“ will be released today, and has already been hailed by critics as “the best pop single you’ll hear all year,” as The Huffington Post put it, going on to praise it as “a bona-fide, smack you between the eyes, instant pop classic” that “manages the rare feat of getting better with every listen.” Idolator raved: “‘Into the Blue’ truly takes off at the seismic hook, where Minogue’s crystalline voice soars over an arena-ready dance breakdown. She sounds optimistic, if not in total bliss.” “Into The Blue” will feature remixes by Vanilla Ace, Roger Sanchez and Patrick Hagenaar.
Kylie exploded onto the music scene in 1987 and has not only become a chart topping, multiple Grammy, BRIT, and ARIA award-winning artist over the past two decades, but also a fashion icon, designer, entrepreneur, actress, and philanthropist. She has remained a force to be reckoned with and a constant musical influence throughout the years, having released eleven studio albums, two live CDs, eight live concert DVDs, plus her Greatest Hits and the Ultimate Kylie double album and multiple video packages. She has released 50 singles internationally, all of which have been hits, and sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.
Kylie broke through in the U.S. with her 2001 smash single “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” which reached No.1 in over 40 countries. Her myriad achievements also include performing during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, ranking among VH1’s “Great Women in Music” and Greatest Women of the Video Era,” and inspiring millions around the world as not only a gay icon, but also a breast cancer survivor.
Most recently, Kylie made a triumphant debut as a coach on The Voice UK, with The Guardian exclaiming that she “single-handedly revived the show” as it pulled in record viewing figures. She is also coaching on The Voice Australia, which began filming this year.
Kiss Me Once is available for pre-order in standard and deluxe editions beginning today, Tuesday, January 28th.
Black Lips have dropped the first video from their new one Underneath the Rainbow (out 3/18). The ATL Twins/Matt Swinsky co-directed clip for “Boys In The Wood” is a parade of NSFW visuals set in the backwoods: drinking, drugging, fighting, murder, face-pissing, fire dancing, sponge bathing in a coffin – all somehow beautifully rendered.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, singer/songwriter Greg Laswell has penned a love letter of sorts to his fans with his forthcoming album I Was Going to Be an Astronaut to be released on February 11, 2014 and available for pre-order now. For this special 11-track collection, he’s re-made, re-imagined, and re-recorded some of his – and his fans – favorite songs throughout his career.
Laswell explains, “I’d been playing alternate versions of some of these songs at my shows over the past few years and every time people would come up afterwards and ask if there was ever going to be any recorded versions of those songs. It happened enough times that I decided to do it. Another reason for doing this is because when I slow down a song or sing it a different way than when originally recorded, the meaning tends to change.”
Fans will be thrilled to learn that the alternate versions of “How the Day Sounds” and “What a Day” are among the tracks included on the CD. The album also features a cover of Sparklehorse’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which Laswell says is his favorite song on the album. His favorite remake of his own, however, is the new version of “December,” which was a song that didn’t make his critically acclaimed debut, 2006‘s Through Toledo. Of all the tracks on the record, the artist says “December” and “How the Day Sounds” are the songs that changed the most from their original versions.
This collection wouldn’t be complete without one of his most popular songs, “Comes and Goes (In Waves),” which was his breakout hit from 2008’s Three Flights from Alto Nido. The single garnered more than 6 million plays on YouTube, 3 million Spotify streams, 100,000 digital downloads via SoundScan, and multiple placements in music and TV, including True Blood, NCIS and Grey’s Anatomy. Adding to his accolades is the fact that 100 new Greg Laswell stations are created every day on Pandora.
Of stripping “Comes and Goes (In Waves)” down for the album, Laswell says, “I was nervous about it. It was one of the first songs I tried to record and I couldn’t do it. I wanted to be mindful to not take away what people loved of the original. I tried to choose songs that I thought I could put a new spin on while not getting in the way of what I already did.”
As for the album’s curious title,I Was Going To Be an Astronaut, it’s Laswell’s favorite line from “December.” He explains the lyric’s significance to him: “It’s saying the more I try to plan for things, the more other things happen – personally and professionally. I feel like when I sing that song now it’s more of a celebration of that fact rather than the mystery of this crazy life that we’re all living. Whereas when I first wrote it, it was a little bit more out of despair. I really, really enjoyed coming back and doing that song from the perspective of where I am now,” he says.
I Was Going To Be an Astronaut Track Listing:
1. I Don’t Believe It’s Through (2013 Remake)
2. It’s a Wonderful Life (Sparklehorse cover)
3. Comes and Goes (In Waves) (2013 Remake)
4. What a Day (2013 Remake)
5. How the Day Sounds (2013 Remake)
6. December (2013 Remake)
7. Off I Go (2013 Remake)
8. Take Everything (2013 Remake)
9. Embrace Me (2013 Remake)
10. High and Low (2013 Remake)
11. And Then You (2013 Remake)
Tour Dates:
February 11th: LeStat’s / San Diego, CA
February 12th: Troubadour / Los Angeles, CA
February 14th: The Chapel/ San Francisco, CA
February 16th: Mississippi Studios / Portland, OR
February 17th: The Triple Door / Seattle, WA
February 21st: David Friend Recital Hall / Boston, MA
February 22nd: Johnny Brenda’s / Philadelphia, PA
February 27th: Joe’s Pub / New York, NY
February 28th: U Street Music Hall / Washington, DC
March 4th: Space / Chicago, IL
Musically Amusing 