“These are songs that sing to the heart, they speak to my core, and they soothe me in the process.”
— Ear to the Ground Music
Founded by Adam Morrow and Natalie Jensen, Della Ray is a three piece rock band built to deliver songs crafted by the couple. With fuzz noise, jangly pop, and quiet folk, the dynamic sets provide a personal outlet for Morrow, who spends much of his time providing lead guitar and backup vocals on tour with John Paul White. In the summer and fall of 2016, they worked with Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes, Single Lock Records) on their first record, due out later in 2017. With their own time, they’re looking to build this new band the old fashioned way–on the road, one show at a time.
While The Prescriptions may come by their Southern style of narrative storytelling honestly, they refuse to rest on the laurels of their musical heritage. Songs like “She Is Waiting” prove that they’re just as comfortable launching into a heavy, alt-country breakdown as they are a world-weary lyrical stream of consciousness. The Prescriptions channel a broad range of influences, from the aching, unaffected honesty of ‘70s folk titans like Neil Young, to the guitar-driven melodies of The Strokes’ early recordings and the experimental energy of Wilco.
“An unabashed pop sense… and sly integration of cello and acoustic guitar”
— Times-Picayune New Orleans
There are about 500 miles between Louisiana and The Shoals of Northwest Alabama. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Elliott knows them all well. They’re the highways and rural roads that led him from playing dollar margarita nights in Cajun country to touring the world as the cellist with acclaimed singer-songwriter Dylan LeBlanc. They’re the trail that connects him musically from Acadiana where roots run deep like the cedar trees to his hometown of Natchitoches to the fabled recording studios of Muscle Shoals. Now, they represent the journey of his latest solo record–a collection of songs that reaches back to his background as a classically trained cellist and forward to the sound he’s building with new generation of Shoals musicians. Stepping out of the touring whirlwind with LeBlanc, Elliott started searching for his next move in between playing his regular haunts and joints across the border in Texas and Arkansas. With fellow Louisianans drummer Jeremy Gibson and guitarist Michael Stephens, he drove those 500 miles back to The Shoals to record with Ben Tanner as producer, violinist Kimi Samson, and Zac Cockrell (bassist of Alabama Shakes). The result: a sonic bridge filled with the tight grooves that made the Muscle Shoals Sound famous and a new-school swamp rock vibe that connects his two homes and his past with his present.
“What started in California, and a re-birth in the small town of West Jefferson, Alabama, Rose’s sound draws from influences as afar as the two locations. Tastes of Blues, Soul, and Psychedelic rocks melt together in an explosive live show. The highly capable musicians are able to pull back the reigns a bit in order to truly give the music the justice it deserves. And the voice, oh the voice, drags the retro sounds up to today’s flavor.”
— BhamRocks
Alabama Rose is the firestorm that fronts Birmingham, AL’s only female-fronted rock-n-roll quartet. Raised on a hard blend of classic soul, blues and funk artists, Alabama Rose marries the wild spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis, the no-nonsense female persona of Wanda Jackson and the soul-baring emotion of Janis Joplin in a way that feels nostalgic while being strangely unique. Adding a band of seasoned pros with backgrounds spanning everything from jazz to gospel music, Alabama Rose creates a sound that is both reminiscent of the primal nature of rock and roll, and capable of giving modern “rock” bands a run for their money.
”Brad Armstrong sings like Richard Buckner at a closed-casket viewing and favors intensely Book of Revelations imagery. 13ghosts continue to reinvent themselves with every song, trying on new sounds and styles to see what fits…The Strangest Colored Lights is a persistently somber, mostly humorless album, but it’s so musically vigorous that you wouldn’t mind if they dwelt on death for the rest of their lives.”
— Pitchfork
Brad Armstrong was a principal songwriter and producer of the critically successful and financially disastrous band 13ghosts, which released 6 full length albums between 2002 and 2012 with Birmingham-based Skybucket Records and Atlanta-based This Is American Music.After the other songwriter quit the band in 2008, Armstrong became the only writer in the band, and released two more albums of material before leaving the South in 2014. He moved his family to the Hudson Valley, in upstate New York, and finished mixing the record he had written and tracked in Birmingham. Jason Lucia (13ghosts, Heath Green and the Makeshifters) plays drums and Maria Taylor (Azure Ray, solo artist) sings harmonies and one lead vocal track. The rest of the album is performed by Armstrong, with the exception of Jason Taylor on double bass and Sue Nuckols on fiddle. The new album is called Empire. It is a diverse and experimental record, in keeping with the work that he did in 13ghosts, and was released January 26, 2016 on Cornelius Chapel Records. It has sync placements on ABC’s Nashville and DirecTv’s Kingdom.
“The listening experience is like the moment when you finally stop to breathe, to appreciate the chill and calm of an inhale, and for a few seconds, all that is an uproar and all that is in motion is at rest.”
— Lockeland Springsteen
Timber is a collaboration between Janet Simpson and Will Stewart — two veteran musicians who came together in that most natural of ways: In a pinch.
Stewart, an Alabama native currently based in Nashville along with the rest of the band, Willie and the Giant, was working on his Coosa EP when it was suggested that Simpson — a multi-faceted, Birmingham, Alabama based musician known for her work in Wooden Wand, Delicate Cutters, and Teen Getaway — to lend her talents to the proceedings. Pressed for time, Simpson came to the studio that day, spent an hour adding keys and her sumptuous voice to a few of Stewart’s songs, and left to catch a plane for a European tour with Wooden Wand.
Last summer, out of the blue, Stewart e-mailed Simpson about writing together. Impressed by Stewart’s melodic gifts and easy demeanor, Simpson accepted the offer. Soon they began trading songs via e-mail, giving each other notes along the way. Once a small batch of similarly-themed compositions made itself apparent, the two met at 2734 Central Recording Studio in Birmingham, AL — working, once again, with producer Lester Nuby — to record their self-titled debut.
Though the two had been exchanging songs online, Simpson and Stewart did not know much about each other, much less how to go about recording their new compositions. Over coffee they talked about productions they were currently enamored with, including albums by Teenage Fanclub, Yo La Tengo, D’Angelo, and Neil Young — particularly After The Gold Rush. Caffeinated and invigorated, the two began crafting the album — splitting the instrumental duties, keeping things simple, and embracing spontaneous moments. Per Stewart’s suggestion, they drafted Nashville musician Scott Murray to add pedal steel, utilizing the instrument’s gorgeous washes of sound for atmosphere rather than staid, Americana twang.
After releasing their self-titled EP in in late 2015, Timber are set to release the single “Sunstroke” on November 19th. “Sunstroke” is a composition that is sonically lush with meditative lyrics; invoking hazy imagery that coaxes the listener to join in on the gauzy daydream. Timber issues the warning, “Got to get you outta my head / before it’s too late” – leaving an open-ended sense of anxiety, which culminates in a frenetic guitar break to end the song with a cathartic release. Timber are currently working to finalize their debut full-length album, which is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2017.
“[I] dug his real feeling brand of country, none of that pop shit here, real country, sad songs sung with beauty and power.”
— Covington Imagery
Dylan Earl is a post-country/countrypolitan/twangcore songwriter from Lake Charles, Louisiana and is currently based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas. He released his first EP in August 2015 titled “Blessing In Disguise” produced by Daniel Romano in Ridgeville, Ontario. Last summer saw the release of “Yee-Haw from Arkansas” a 3 track “pop-up” EP on LA based Play Yah Records at Route 2 Recordings also in Los Angeles. A full-length pedal steel drenched studio album is due out Fall ’17 recorded in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas. This past year consisted of shows ranging from Portland, ME to Portland, OR, London England to Brussels, Balgium and many more stops across North America with his band the Reasons Why.
“Now we know what happened to the soul of Hank Williams when he died.”
— Esther Ciammachilli, WBHM 90.3 FM
Early James and the Latest is an Americana band based in Birmingham, Alabama. At age 23 Early James has been playing music for 8 years. He along with bandmates, Adrian Marmolejo and Devonte Hutchins attempt to spin what perhaps has not been spun before; a so called “fresh” take on Folk, Blues, Jazz, and Country with dark, rusty, crooner-esque stylings.
“The quartet [Nossiens] plays with heat and enthusiasm and are an encouraging reminder that a show’s energy can always be sucked back in through the door just as quickly as it left.”
— Jack Hammett, StudentPrintz
Nossiens are an eclectic post-punk band from Hattiesburg Mississippi, formed in 2014 out of a shared love of Post-Punk and Alt Rock. They spent years together learning to build songs out of unusual chord progressions, melodies, and colorful rhythms.
“[Richard Daniel] has taken title as The Hybrid due to his ability to blend his complex rhyme schemes with his beautiful and smooth singing. On his new album “To Save The World”, he follows the story of The Hero who deals with demons and darkness in the struggle to save the world… and himself.”
— Piccochi Music, Ok-Tho.com
Hailing from Birmingham, AL, Richard Daniel is a hip-hop artist who captures a polished delivery and combines it with a natural southern charm. Whether a heartfelt croon, or a fiery lyric filled verse, he showcases his personal story and many musical ideas through whichever avenue will have him. His latest album, “Sedan”, is a mixture of feel-good tracks and songs that will make you sit back and contemplate. The main goal Daniel wants to achieve through his music is to create something that people can use to find common ground and relate to one another.
“Marcel P. Black originally came to Baton Rouge by way of Oklahoma, but has established himself as one of the city’s hip-hop leaders over the past decade. In addition to cultivating the local scene, Black has become an in-demand act on the regional circuit. Black’s rise has been an unlikely one, creating conscious rap in a Baton Rouge scene largely bereft of such content.”
— XXL Magazine
Baton Rouge veteran emcee Marcel P. Black has already received high praise from some of the most well respected names in Hip-Hop. Most recently Marcel was featured on XXL.com’s list “12 Baton Rouge Rappers You Should Know,” also highlighted on HipHopDX.com’s “Up Next By DX” feature. Marcel regularly tours the Southeast, Gulf Coast, and Southwest, appearing at Atlanta’s A3C Festival, as well as other festivals in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, & Tennessee.
Next to Marcel’s great music and work ethic, his claim to fame is his live show. A3C.com once describes Marcel’s performance style as “Baptist Deacon meets Gangster Rapper meets Malcom X.” Marcel has shared stages with KRS-One, Common, Jay Electronica, Mobb Deep, Run The Jewelz, Kevin Gates, & Slum Village, as well as underground heavyweights like Supastition, Sean Price (R.I.P.), Substantial, Killah Priest, Mickey Factz, and MegaRan.
Marcel recently released a universal critically acclaimed album titled “Cry Freedom,” that featured the likes of Supastition, Substantial, Tef Poe, and Mr. Franklin a.k.a Kamikaze from Crooked Lettaz. Marcel’s style is what he describes “non-traditional conscious Hip-Hop,” a style born out of his gospel roots, street gang influences, and Black Empowerment teachings.
Marcel has always used his platform as an emcee to bring light to social justice issues, from organizing benefits for National World Aids Day, and raising money for the children of Alton Sterling, to speaking on panels and lecturing on the intersection between social justice and Hip-Hop in collegiate and high school classrooms. Marcel has worked in the field as a youth development worker for 15 years, most recently as a mental health counselor. The husband/father/artist/activist/youth worker’s goal is to use Hip-Hop culture as a conduit to freedom.
“Anthony Pirog: Palo Colorado Dream (Cuneiform) An instrumental guitar trio recording here that’s a bit more than usual: Pirog, an American guitarist with taste, skills, and a creative drive that takes him from jazz to rock to prog to covering Terry Riley’s “In C” with 29 other people, is all over the place but in a good way here. Meaning: This is a fine album, lush, diverse and filled with texture–but notably grounded in musicality, structured as an album, and a continuous piece of content. It’s very good, and it sounds like the work of one highly skilled player whose muse is taking him to that special place where genre classifications have no meaning. You’ll like it if you hear it, so maybe you should.”
— Dave DiMartino, Rolling Stone
Seemingly able to master any convention he chooses to adopt and more than capable of developing and adapting his own, Anthony Pirog challenges our preconceived notions about genre and guitar sound. As he comes further into his own as an artist, he continues to shape, tear down and reshape his unique conceptions of what guitar can be. Anthony’s style is studied, yet unorthodox; avant-garde, yet accessible; faintly familiar, yet conspicuously original.
“This is giddy, fun, sing-alongable pop…I love this band and the music they make.”
— John E. Citron, Folio Weekly
The Young Step hail from St. Augustine, Florida. The Young Step sound is as obscure and mysterious as the northeast Florida swampland, with subtle impressions of David Bowie, David Byrne, The Doors, Roxy Music, and T-Rex, blended with New Wave quirkiness a’la Devo and the B-52s, and including a sort of ‘Rock N’ Roll Spiritual’ aspect only the lovechild of Alan Watts and Janis Joplin would understand. It’s a funky-sexy-quirky mind-trip.
The Young Step released their debut album ‘El Clàsico’ in April of 2016. The album was recorded at Micah Gilliam’s home studio in St. Augustine and was mixed and mastered at The Magic Shop Recording Studio in SoHo, by engineer Matt Boynton (Hospitality, MGMT, Kurt Vile).
“What unites musicians in the ongoing Tulsa sound is not that they mimic a style, but it is the way they approach a song. The sound of Tulsa is an easy groove that does not need to be pounded into submission– the music glides on an easy wind. Jesse Aycock stays true to the mood of the sound while stretching all that it can become.”
— The Alternate Root
Jesse Aycock is a musician from Tulsa, OK that has built a strong fan base nationally and internationally. His music is sweeping with beautiful melodies, old school tones, and lyrical depth that is remarkable for someone his age. His style touches on everything from traditional folk, psychedelic, country, and early rock, which makes him appealing to a wide audience. Highly-respected by his peers, he’s quickly become an artist in demand for studio projects and touring due to his prowess on lap steel, pedal steel, electric guitar, and vocals. Jesse is a member of super group Hard Working Americans, as well as Paul Benjaman Band, and his toured with Elizabeth Cook, The Secret Sisters, Samantha Crain, and many others.
“Spocka Summa….on The Progression 001 is a very interesting emcee. He’s got a natural charisma about him that really helps carry his delivery.”
— Extraordinarynobodies
Spocka Summa was born and raised in Providence, RI. From a young age he always had a passion for music and the music industry. Spocka is not only a musician, but also an event coordinator, painter and designer. Being a musician while growing up in Rhode Island was never easy, especially without any real music scene to help showcase talent. As an artist he always focused on taking it to the next level with a DIY style of self-promotion. After releasing his latest EP The Progression 001, Spocka Summa has been focused on spreading a positive message.
“There’s an ominous and stark mood that permeates the energy of God’s Gift, canvassed with the sonic additives of trap beats repurposed through a psychedelic lens of trumpets, guitars, keys, vocals, and experimental overtones. Internal and external examinations to intuitive passages of wordplay, Asad ILL turns the wheel to every degree, diagnosing and displaying the world around him.”
— Nelson Silva, Team Backpack
ASAD ILL & Burnin Giraph deliver dark, psychedelic, bass-heavy sounds and raw, authentic lyrics with their album “God’s Gift” dropping May 26th. Both living in Los Angeles, CA, these two artists began working together in 2015 and developing their sound together. Currently they are planning an east coast run in August w Rhode Island’s Spocka Summa ATL, DMV, PA NY + more dates TBA.
“There are traces of ’70s studio-pop, quirky psych a la Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tin Pan Alley, new wave, folk-rock, disco, lo-fi skuzz and so much more. And although Graham’s oblique lyrics and Dylanesque delivery remain Swarming Branch’s center of gravity, the passage of years and the band’s ever-shifting personnel ensure Surreal Number is a step out into the great unknown for band and listener alike.”
— Chris DeVille, Stereogum
Swarming Branch is a band engaged in three seemingly disparate pursuits: elaborating folk music’s four-chord strum with complex extensions and substitutions, winking at the theater of glam rock from dive bar stages around the country without causing the cynics to spray beer out of their nostrils, and inviting the droning, unbridled tendencies of modal jazz to gradually displace rock and roll’s typical pentatonic shapes. You could say they aspire to become the modern Midwestern Steely Dan, even if they’ve only demonstrated a portion of the elder group’s range thus far.
On Surreal Number, Swarming Branch’s newest LP on SofaBurn Records, the group has temporarily suspended some of its formal experimentation to create a straightforward collection of ten songs. The album was conceived with the help of a Los Angeles team comprised of engineer Drew Fischer and producer Rob Barbato (Drinks, Kevin Morby, Peaking Lights, et al) and shows the Branch finding a thicker, synthesized, and more neatly arranged sound while keeping a playful yet assertive spirit that makes every song seem both unlikely and inevitable.
“They’re sweet. They’re a wreck. They’ve got something really cool, great energy, and the songs are so good.”
— STL Magazine
With soaring three-piece harmonies, and lyrics that can make you cry or make you blush, the River Kittens’ unique St. Louis sound is sure to melt your heart.
“Mariah Parker can roll out gags with the best of ‘ em… but also knows how to cut through bullshit and tell it to ya straight. Her first EP alone dips into touchy subjects like depression, the stigma of abortion, addiction, and racial stereotypes, with barely a breath in between.”
— Lee Adcock, Immersive Atlanta Magazine
Lingua Franca is the hip hop project of Athens-based linguist Mariah Parker, whose scientific fixation with hip hop language is obvious in the intricate rhymes she interweaves with boom bap beats. Her lyrics, garnished with haunting neosoul hooks, tell unflinching tales of chemically-induced heartbreak, reproductive justice, racial politics and feminist swagger, and longtime hip hop heads will hear echoes of nineties New York underground in both her playful vocal delivery and piano-centric, classic R&B-inspired compositions. Her self-titled debut, released February 2017, was heralded as one of the most anticipated local releases of the year by Immersive Atlanta Magazine, and as well, Lingua Franca was named one of their 25 Artists to Watch for in 2017. In Athens, Lingua Franca was voted Hip Hop Artist of the Year in the 2017 Flagpole Athens Music Awards in addition to her nominations for Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. In December, the Lingua Franca EP will be rereleased on vinyl by Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.
“One of the most well thought-out new rap groups in some time. EarthGang has a knack for playful delivery and biting lyricism.””
— Noisey
“For a relatively new band, James & The Ultrasounds have internalized a vast library of Memphis aesthetics, from Stax to Sun, and from Tav Falco to the Compulsive Gamblers, and even shades of the Alex Chilton of “Like Flies On Sherbet”, yet they are at once a bold and fresh new voice in Memphis music.”
— Dirty Water Records
On a given night in midtown Memphis one can find any number of bands. Amidst the dim lights, heat and discordant blend of conversation emerging from venues like the Hi Tone, the Buccaneer Lounge and Bar DKDC there has been a particular group distinguishing itself over the course of the last year or so as one of the best up and coming rock acts in the city. Brash yet thoughtful, with sweet guitars and pummeling, yet danceable, Memphis-Style rhythm. There isn’t quite anything like them in Memphis or elsewhere. If you happen to be one of those who haven’t yet heard James and the UltraSounds, or seen them live..strap in.
The four piece rock and roll band is the brainchild of James Godwin, a familiar face in the Memphis music scene, having been raised in the Bluff City, playing bass in a number of bands since his teens. His time in experimental rock outfit The New Mary Jane offered him an opportunity to develop what now seems like a telepathic understanding with current UltraSounds drummer John Argroves as well as to collaborate with influential Grifters duo David Shouse and Scott Taylor. Godwin also cut his teeth touring as a bassist with heavy hitting Memphians such as Jack Oblivian and John Paul Keith before forming James and The Ultrasounds.
After touring with Jack O and JPK across the US and Europe, Godwin made time to do some songwriting of his own, and in 2012 recorded his solo debut EP, Lovers and Ghosts, playing all the instruments himself to a 4 track recorder. Soon thereafter he put together a band to perform the EP material, bringing in Argroves on drums, Luke White on guitar and David Johnson on bass. The group began to play regionally and have strung together tours up the east coast to New York, returning to Memphis energized and ready to record new material that Godwin had been writing.
This past spring the band planned some recording sessions with another great Memphis multi-instrumentalist, Mark Edgar Stuart, producing. The results of those sessions comprise the band’s MadJack Records debut full length album, “Bad To Be Here.”
More recently, the band released a brand new 7” on a new Memphis label, Misspent Records. The 7″ includes a brand new James and the UltraSounds track, the hook heavy space-punk jam “Robot Love” on the A side, with the B side featuring a crunching version of The Cramps’ “TV Set,” from their Phillips Recording cut and Alex Chilton-produced “Songs the Lord Taught Us.” Look for new releases on both Madjack and Misspent in the coming months, including a special, short-run European press of two early James and The Ultrasounds cuts, “Apocalyptic Love,” and “I Get The Shakes.”
After a successful European tour in 2016, the band returned home, and Godwin began writing the 2nd LP for Madjack Records, who plans to release it in the Summer of 2017. Look for them on the road in the coming months in the U.S. and Europe. You won’t regret it!
“[A] net of eccentric sounds and dreamy vocals paint a picture of a vivid cosmic journey to come.”
— Consequence of Sound
For the last decade, James Wallace & the Naked Light recorded and released music from the fringes of Music City USA, touring all over with a singular vision and purpose. All the while, James Wallace’s name figured in as a trusted companion to a few scenes in particular: the Spacebomb sound coming out of his hometown Richmond, Virginia alongside old friends Natalie Prass and Matthew E. White; inside the new Nashville “underground:” where his bands’ magnetic performance listed them as a favorite among Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard; producing records, occasionally filling in on keys with cult-treasured Promised Land Sound; and roaming with the Oakland collective of songwriters centered around a converted school bus who travel under the banner “Splendor All Around.” But now the name is Skyway Man. Solo tours in Japan and China, a new batch of songs intertwined with his fascination with UFO religion, signaled a shift in direction. His inner mercury nudged him toward a new role, and the name Skyway Man rose to the surface again and again. Was it the trickster of mythology, the soul of some eternally missing astronaut, or the old singing storyteller trying to get through?
Wallace possesses a knack for getting caught up in outlandish events – discovering a trove of mysterious letters written by a Ufologist to a woman, describing the New Jerusalem and the 4th dimension, or months spent playing Mahjong in a smokey trailer behind Opryland, working as a Mandarin interpreter for Chinese Ice carvers in Nashville. This knack also extends to orchestrating outlandish events, getting interesting people on board in his endeavors–sweet-talking the flow of life into altering its course. Time for a new name and new record. Seen Comin’ From a Mighty Eye is a dense undertaking, recorded in different locations, simmering influences, channeling all the correct energies, paying the people and spirits who need to be paid, finishing the work the right way over the slow course of time. He recorded the last Naked Light record in Matthew E. White’s attic, and returned to that revered spot to track this new psych opera about strange futures, haunted pasts, and the Mighty Eye in the sky. Spacebomb house bassist and composer Cameron Ralston provided the horn arrangements and Spacebomb house drummer Pinson Chanselle sat at the kit. Wallace sang, compiled and mixed back in Nashville. It’s the usual stew of B-movie scifi, cosmic American boogie, psychedelic folk and it’s apocalyptically good, focused and potent, an immersive fully realized song cycle and visionary sonic structure.
From his modest rancher in Bordeaux on the Cumberland River, the lights of downtown Nashville are visible at night, shining sweetly or casting a lurid glow depending on atmospheric conditions and the viewer’s mood. Music City is changing fast, but James Wallace is invested in its community and spirit–the true believers, auteur session aces and acid cowboys and cowgirls who need each other to survive the sweltering industrial music machine. Skyway Man transcends this landscape, tapping into an older, more spiritual commerce. Seen Comin’ From a Mighty Eye offers the kind of music you would want on the radio for a first or last kiss, the incidental music from some forgotten Spielberg adventure, a soundtrack for the later (not quite latter) days of earth. If lightning strikes and the car radio explodes, it might just be part of the track. Music for driving along the skyway, and thank god the skyway is made of music anyway.
“It’s hard to imagine how something so soft can deliver such force, but as soon as Adam Torres lets out his wistful falsetto, you won’t have to.”
— Bob Boilen, NPR
There’s a little light on / Buried in my lonely blood moon heart / Sometimes I rely on / And carry through the dark / But all my skin has turned to salt / All my bones have turned to dust / Can you hear at all / Where I’m calling from – “Where I’m Calling From”
In 2006, 20-year-old Adam Torres released his debut album Nostra Nova. The album’s 11 songs are idiosyncratic and varied – as are many great songs – with each existing as its own little world. It’s influenced by the works of visual artist Adolf Wolfli and C.G. Jung, and it’s the sound of Torres making something beautiful. With many truly breathtaking moments throughout, it feels full of promise, and is simultaneously weathered and young. A DIY self-release, Nostra Nova found deep, long-lasting roots within the small Athens, OH community at the time, but didn’t resonate farther until much later.
Following its release, Torres went back to college and turned his focus to other interests. But all the while, he never stopped playing music, writing songs, or performing, even while living in Ecuador on and off for two years, teaching English and volunteering in rural villages in the Ecuadorian Andes, among other things. In 2011, Torres moved to Austin, TX and enrolled in graduate school at the University of Texas, and upon finishing, spent two years working for the state of Texas on a project aimed at cleaning the water quality of the Rio Grande River in South Texas.
Having penned more than 100 songs since 2006, he quietly released his first music since Nostra Nova in 2012 through DC cassette-label DZ Tapes, which featured tape-recorded demos made inside the apartments he lived in during his time in Ecuador.
In 2015, Nostra Nova saw a small reissue. Called a “cult classic” by The A.V. Club, the album finally achieved its due, earning additional praise from Stereogum, VICE, Popmatters, All Music Guide, and Flavorwire, which wrote of Torres as, “…someone who was, at an early age, able to connect his own odd experiences to the concept of life itself in an almost innate way.”
In many respects, that description is a good start at capturing the magic of Torres’ music. There’s a persisting theme that threads through his own story as well as his forthcoming new LP, Pearls To Swine. Within the cosmos of the album, characters experience a sort of misadventure and persevere, casting light on the way life can lead you down a path that’s far from where you wanted to be. Pearls To Swine maps Torres’ complicated history as a songwriter and musician: it’s the sound of someone who discovered the value in his own devotion to music, and how writing and songs are extensions of his own journey. He embeds his own folklore within his high-lonesome sounding, deeply felt and moving brand of folk music.
Across the album, Torres crafts uniquely cinematic soundscapes, ranging through a thoughtfully languid waltz “Juniper Arms” (inspired by Edward Abbey’s iconic book of nature writing Desert Solitaire), and on the evocative, uneasy “Some Beast Will Find You By Name.” It wends through the lush, gently undulating “High Lonesome” to the lonely sweep of the Raymond Carver-signaling “Where I’m Calling From,” and travels from the foreboding, sinuous “Outlands” to the deceptively buoyant cascade of “Mountain River.” Nature abounds on Pearls To Swine – which also examines the tension of the natural versus the constructed, and survival – filled with imagery of juniper trees, deserts, blood moons, rivers, plains, and big western skies that gives it a distinctively southwestern feel. His style acknowledges the classic singer-songwriter tradition, allowing the rhythm sounds to support the structure of songs, while his affecting falsetto conjures the spirit of traditional vocalists such as John Jacob Niles and Robbie Basho.
Pearls To Swine was recorded over eight days in January at Austin’s Cacophony Recorders, which overlooks the Colorado River valley. Working alongside co-producer and mixer Erik Wofford (Bill Callahan, Black Angels, M. Ward, Okkervil River), Torres chose the analog route, recording and mixing directly to tape to allow for more finality and less overthought. This method in turn lends a natural, warm, and almost magical realism atmosphere to the songs – like a high-stakes live show captured in a fantastical setting. The core rhythm was captured live and augmented by a few overdubs, and Torres is joined on the album by the players in his band: Thor Harris (of Swans; on conga drums, vibraphone, and percussion), Aisha Burns (violin), and Dailey Toliver (bass/piano), with drum kit performances by Matthew Shepherd and Rodolfo Villareal III.
“She flaunts a philosophy major’s palette amidst echoes of vintage rockabilly and girl group pop: Gods battle, queens bid their rule, girlfriends enable druggy lovers.”
— Rolling Stone
A native of the south side of Chicago turned longtime Nashville songwriter, Tristen has released two critically acclaimed solo records — 2011’s Charlatans at the Garden Gate and 2013’s CAVES — and toured extensively as a member of Jenny Lewis’ backing band. The folk-oriented Charlatans at the Garden Gate earned her praise as “Nashville’s best-kept secret” (The Boston Globe), and the more synth-pop-oriented CAVES featured “tales of greed, alienation and heartache, made poignant but never saccharine by their electronically enhanced surroundings” (Nashville Scene).
With finely tuned chops and a knack for lashing exceptional melodies to her singularly poetic lyrics, she travels with a practiced backing trio of top-notch Nashville sidemen. Together, they bring Tristen’s lush, expertly crafted arrangements and outsized vocals to life—with performances that channel the rock ’n’ roll eclecticism of David Bowie and the creative prowess of Dolly Parton.
Her third album, Sneaker Waves, will be released 7-7-17 via Modern Outsider Records.
“What started in California, and a re-birth in the small town of West Jefferson, Alabama, Rose’s sound draws from influences as afar as the two locations. Tastes of Blues, Soul, and Psychedelic rocks melt together in an explosive live show. The highly capable musicians are able to pull back the reigns a bit in order to truly give the music the justice it deserves. And the voice, oh the voice, drags the retro sounds up to today’s flavor.”
— BhamRocks
Alabama Rose is the firestorm that fronts Birmingham, AL’s only female-fronted rock-n-roll quartet. Raised on a hard blend of classic soul, blues and funk artists, Alabama Rose marries the wild spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis, the no-nonsense female persona of Wanda Jackson and the soul-baring emotion of Janis Joplin in a way that feels nostalgic while being strangely unique. Adding a band of seasoned pros with backgrounds spanning everything from jazz to gospel music, Alabama Rose creates a sound that is both reminiscent of the primal nature of rock and roll, and capable of giving modern “rock” bands a run for their money.
“This is giddy, fun, sing-alongable pop…I love this band and the music they make.”
— John E. Citron, Folio Weekly
The Young Step hail from St. Augustine, Florida. The Young Step sound is as obscure and mysterious as the northeast Florida swampland, with subtle impressions of David Bowie, David Byrne, The Doors, Roxy Music, and T-Rex, blended with New Wave quirkiness a’la Devo and the B-52s, and including a sort of ‘Rock N’ Roll Spiritual’ aspect only the lovechild of Alan Watts and Janis Joplin would understand. It’s a funky-sexy-quirky mind-trip.
The Young Step released their debut album ‘El Clàsico’ in April of 2016. The album was recorded at Micah Gilliam’s home studio in St. Augustine and was mixed and mastered at The Magic Shop Recording Studio in SoHo, by engineer Matt Boynton (Hospitality, MGMT, Kurt Vile).
”Brad Armstrong sings like Richard Buckner at a closed-casket viewing and favors intensely Book of Revelations imagery. 13ghosts continue to reinvent themselves with every song, trying on new sounds and styles to see what fits…The Strangest Colored Lights is a persistently somber, mostly humorless album, but it’s so musically vigorous that you wouldn’t mind if they dwelt on death for the rest of their lives.”
— Pitchfork
Brad Armstrong was a principal songwriter and producer of the critically successful and financially disastrous band 13ghosts, which released 6 full length albums between 2002 and 2012 with Birmingham-based Skybucket Records and Atlanta-based This Is American Music.After the other songwriter quit the band in 2008, Armstrong became the only writer in the band, and released two more albums of material before leaving the South in 2014. He moved his family to the Hudson Valley, in upstate New York, and finished mixing the record he had written and tracked in Birmingham. Jason Lucia (13ghosts, Heath Green and the Makeshifters) plays drums and Maria Taylor (Azure Ray, solo artist) sings harmonies and one lead vocal track. The rest of the album is performed by Armstrong, with the exception of Jason Taylor on double bass and Sue Nuckols on fiddle. The new album is called Empire. It is a diverse and experimental record, in keeping with the work that he did in 13ghosts, and was released January 26, 2016 on Cornelius Chapel Records. It has sync placements on ABC’s Nashville and DirecTv’s Kingdom.“…they’ve already caught that essential combination of steely rigor and fiery energy, ripping out quick gems that exude control without sacrificing guts.”
— Pitchfork
Omni – the band, not the hotel – are from the former home of the Braves: Atlanta. Playing lo-fi pop that channels the specter of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Omni brings you back to an era where any sane person was reeling from the unfulfilled promise of the Space Age and Age of Aquarius bleeding into the looming threat of “Morning in America.”
Omni distills the buzz and grit that snakes through the best of Television, Devo, and Pylon into surprisingly danceable, hook-laden slabs of raw, angular, sonic bliss. It’s still the summer of ’78, and pushing the roots of rock & roll to its limits remains in vogue. “Deluxe” serves as a fresh reminder that rock music can work outside of blues rooted, formulaic progressions without playing it safe behind a wall of effects.
Arty enough to impress record enthusiasts, yet melodically attractive enough to transcend to those who’ve never asked: “’Sister Midnight’ or ‘Red Money’?”
“Her sound is a sneering fusion of punk-rock autonomy and say-it-like-it-is country from the classic era, paired with a timeless vocal warble and tons of attitude. Honest to a fault and as foul-mouthed as a drunken sailor, she’s a nonconforming spitfire”
— Rolling Stone
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers is an old school country band with punk leanings. They are known for killer lyrics and the amazing musicianship of the Disarmers – backing up Sarah’s plaintive vocals are lead guitarist Eric Peterson (Flat Duo Jets, the dB’s, Matthew Sweet, more); country punk drummer John Howie Jr. (Two Dollar Pistols, John Howie & the Rosewood Bluff); stand up bass player Aaron Oliva (Caitlyn Cary, Nikki Lane); and incomparable pedal steel guitarist Phil Sullivan.
Camacho pulls inspirations from a wide variety of genres. From Billy Joel to Coheed and Cambria, Camacho will strike a chord with anyone looking for an older sound with a very new touch. The Alabama natives from Decatur look to push their creativity in many different ways from chord structures to the vocal melodies.
“Young Valley is the perfect example of why you ALWAYS show up for the opener.”
— Wolf Di Chiara, ninebullets.net
Young Valley is a heartbreaking, hipshaking, Mississippi rock ‘n roll band with country roots and harmony voices singing of love, loss, the devil, and the South. Put on your dancing shoes and say your prayers.
“[Richard Daniel] has taken title as The Hybrid due to his ability to blend his complex rhyme schemes with his beautiful and smooth singing. On his new album “To Save The World”, he follows the story of The Hero who deals with demons and darkness in the struggle to save the world… and himself.”
— Piccochi Music, Ok-Tho.com
Hailing from Birmingham, AL, Richard Daniel is a hip-hop artist who captures a polished delivery and combines it with a natural southern charm. Whether a heartfelt croon, or a fiery lyric filled verse, he showcases his personal story and many musical ideas through whichever avenue will have him. His latest album, “Sedan”, is a mixture of feel-good tracks and songs that will make you sit back and contemplate. The main goal Daniel wants to achieve through his music is to create something that people can use to find common ground and relate to one another.In 1971, in a dusty little five room farmhouse shack outside Montevallo, Alabama, five young and determined musicians mixed Buffalo Springfield/CSNY harmonies with SanFran jam band instrumental acrobatics, firmly establishing fresh territory in the palette on Southern live music. Built on a core of ringing guitars, honky-tonk piano and slinky pedal steel guitar, the band took the name Dogwood, from the tiny unincorporated town just down the road. Small shows at the nearby college and dances at local high schools soon led to several years of touring, playing clubs, colleges, and the occasional opening slot for national acts, primarily in the Southeast. The group’s five year run spawned a grateful, solid fan base, and a catalog of original tunes that join the best of today’s Americana standards with their genesis in that rich musical epoch.
More than forty years later, those tunes live again in their originators, all working players who went on to further decades’ renown as contributors in Alabama’s subsequent live music heritage. Recent hours in Birmingham’s WorkPlay studios have allowed these now-polished craftsmen to achieve an album of 15 unique tracks, to fuel fevered memories of hay field hippies from across the Nixon-era South– an energetic live set by the founding members of Dogwood at Secret Stages is a new generation’s best bet to experience an authentic (and surprisingly relevant) slice of historic regional counterculture.
“His textured songs pivot around clear vocal melodies. ‘Neighbors Knock’ seems to have no beginning or end, just one glaringly bright brushstroke in perpetual motion skyward.”
— Pitchfork
For over a decade Jeff Zagers has been producing music in a style of its own, saluting the sounds of America’s past while still adhering to his own originality and precision. Through extensive tours, full length releases, and collaborations with other performers, Jeff has grown into a virtuosic presence on the national stage. His output includes but is not limited to covers and originals. These songs acknowledge both antiquity and acceleration through Zagers’ charismatic delivery. Don’t expect one idiom or style; it’s all fair game.
“A lot of great male voices have come from North Carolina including Eric Church, James Taylor, Randy Travis and Don Williams. With the release of “Tinderbox,” Aaron Burdett has proven this his name needs to added to that list.”
— Rick Amburgey, No Depression
“Small Batch is comprised of some very talented and experienced musicians, and “True Loves” is reflective of this.”
— Iron Post Blog
Small Batch is a culmination of songs and sounds from several songwriters and musicians in Lexington, KY. Formed in the fall of 2011, the band has played shows in and around the bluegrass state spreading their haunting tales of heartache, love and loss across summer festival stages and inside whiskey drenched bar room walls. The honest recollections of life flow fluid from the strings of the banjo, bass, acoustic and electric guitar. Their debut album ‘True Loves’ masterfully captures Small Batch’s essence through the vocal harmonies of Melissa (Tree) Jackson, Reva Williams and Warren Byrom alongside the warm drive of stand up bass player Scott Wilmoth and the steady cadence of Robby Cosenza.
“On their debut album, Buddha the Beast, Little Stranger uses hip-hop beats as a foundation for a kaleidoscopic array of sounds. Channeling everyone from the Gorillaz to Beck to the Beta Band, the duo, John and Kevin Shields, layers disembodied vocal samples, laid-back synth pop, Coldplay-style wide-screen grandeur, and, yes, the occasional blast of swaggering rap over tight, funky beats.”
— Vincent Harris, Charleston City Paper
Born and raised in Philly and crash-landed in Charleston, John and Kevin Shields are the core members of the quirky indie hip-hop group Little Stranger. Performing live as a duo, Little Stranger is a fresh hybrid of John’s singer-songwriter magnetism and Kevin’s hard hitting, in-your-face delivery. Stylistically reminiscent of Gorillaz and Twenty One Pilots, Little Stranger inhabits a relatively unexplored niche at this point in time. They’re all about originality, every song is a separate work unto itself with all the strangeness that their name implies.
Though the band is relatively new, John and Kevin Shields bring years of experience to the table. With previous bands, they’ve played with names like Slightly Stoopid, Del the Funky Homosapien, Grace Potter, Papadosio, The Heavy Pets, and John Brown’s Body. Little Stranger was quickly recognized at home, named “Hip-Hop Act of the Year” in the 2016 Charleston City Paper Music Awards and listed jointly as one of “17 People to Watch in 2017” in the Charleston Indie blog, Out of the Wood-work. They’ve toured up and down the East Coast and recently released a string of eclectic music videos to their fans. With an ever-increasing arsenal of new tunes, Little Stranger is poised and ready to make 2017 a big year.
“Hints of 90s rock nostalgia mingle with effervescent pop enthusiasm, making for a fizzy, rather enjoyable listen.”
— Fuzzy Logic
Austrian born and raised Cornelia (“Connie”) Calcaterra and husband/guitarist Frank, lead Tampa, FL’s DieAlps! (translated: The Alps!). Formed in 2012 and quickly becoming one of Central Florida’s more beloved acts, the band’s self-titled debut EP (Fall 2014) gave us swaying waltzy baroque-pop with lyrics reflecting Connie’s growing up abroad and her life changes in the States.
With a couple line-up tweaks and guitarist Frank now sharing lead vocal duties with Connie, DieAlps! are currently in the studio exploring new sonic territory heavily influenced by 90’s indie rock. Their debut full length, Our City, will be out Summer 2017.
“Expansive, loud, expressive and delightful.”
— Gordon Lamb, Flagpole Magazine
:lovesongs is an instrumental band from Athens, Ga., formed in the winter of 2014. Their sound has been described like re-imagining Bitches Brew poured through a grindcore filter served at your favorite Indian cafe… Performances are multivalent, modal, and metallic explorations of brutal yet often dance-able soundscapes.
“The Wall Chargers bring a fresh sound with an old voice.”
— Heliopolis
The Wall Chargers are based out of Shreveport, Louisiana. A bizarre corner of the southern world called the Ark-La-Tex. The band’s unique sound draws from western and gospel with rhythm and roots flare. Well-thought lyricism meets well taught instrumentation. Respectful students of an old sound find a personal modern voice.
“Us, Today has redifined the boundaries of experimental music within and beyond the Cincinnati scene with an unwavering commitment to finding the most creative intersection of disparate genres, instruments, and sounds.”
— Brian Baker, City Beat
Us, Today is a trio (drums, guitar, vibraphone/keyboard) based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Their style is best described as an avant-garde post-rock with a heavy emphasis on experimentation.
It all began with a conversation about Annie Clark…
Soon after, Joel and Kristin began meeting weekly in a basement, exchanging ideas, talking about what they’d always wanted to do but never been able to in a band. THAT was what they should play. After a few months of meetings, ideas became songs. “I think I know a drummer that would be into this.”, says Kristin. Jeff shows up to the basement, plays through a few tunes, and asks when “we” were practicing next. The duo is now officially a trio. The name was unintentional and agreed upon immediately.
Us is who we are. Today is most important.
“They play like they could easily open for either Oasis or The Verve. You pick.”
— Paste Magazine
For an alternative to what ails you musically, try Western Medication. The Nashville rock group’s bleeding post-punk sound goes straight for the heart, while their raw hardcore energy takes over the spirit and their poptimismlodges right in the brain. Led by singer/guitarist Justin Landis, Western Medication’s debut album, The Entertainers’ Secret, is the culmination of a consistent vision across four years of constant change. Nine seamless tracks that explore what it means to always move forward with gauzy guitars, a dynamic rhythm section, honesty and a touch of humor.
“Jordan has a voice that only comes along every now and then…Jordan’s voice is massive.”
— Stereogum
Snail Mail is the Baltimore based indie rock solo project of 17 year old, Lindsey Jordan. She released a six song EP titled, “Habit,” on DC punks Priests’ Sister Polygon Records in July of 2016. The record features a full band with Shawn Durham on drums and Ryan Vieira on bass. In their “Best New Track” review for the EPs opening track “Thinning”, Pitchfork describes Jordan as possessing a voice that “sounds like it’s coming from a distance, perfect for a song with lines about wanting to lie face down on the floor for a whole year and the triumph of wasting time”. In addition to her standout vocal abilities, Jordan is a classically trained guitarist of twelve years and experiments often with various guitar tunings and techniques in order to generate Snail Mail’s unique sound.
“Sincerity, community and beauty is how I think of Lowland Hum; the sounds of Lauren and Daniel Goans. Thin is the husband and wife duo’s third album since their 2013 debut, further refining their hushed harmonies and aural paintings. It’s a sound that makes them a quiet Sunday-morning favorite.”
— Bob Boilen, NPR Music
Lowland Hum is an art-folk band based in Charlottesville, Virginia, made up of husband/wife team Daniel and Lauren Goans. In a particularly cacophonous cultural moment, Lowland Hum is a breath of fresh air. The band’s songs have been described as poetic and evocative, and their arrangements minimal, hushed and dynamic. Lowland Hum’s performances are characterized by the vulnerable, intimate space the duo creates and welcomes the audience into. With a loyal fanbase that is steadily growing, Lowland Hum is a band to take note of, especially as they recently released Thin, their third full-length album and support the release with a nationwide headlining US tour in the spring (additional dates supporting Josh Ritter, Jesca Hoop and Penny and Sparrow) and a European tour in the fall. They have toured extensively since the band’s inception in 2012 to support their two full-length albums and one EP. Both their live show and studio releases have garnered critical acclaim from the likes of NPR, the Washington Post, American Songwriter and others.
“With their dance-a-licious beats, Afrobeta’s songs are classic yet modern, underground yet Billboard chart-friendly. It wouldn’t be surprising to find Afrobeta writing songs for Madonna or even M.I.A. For now, Miami is lucky to have them on a regular basis; they’re a match in disco-house heaven.”
— The Miami New Times
There are few names as recognizable and well received in the Miami music scene as Afrobeta, instantly lighting up the eyes and ears of those who hear it. With a genuine love for performance, the electro-pop duo have become a staple on EDM stages around the world, whose tracks “Land of Lost Lovers” and “Play House” have found their way onto the Sirius XM Electric Area and UMF Sirius XM BPM airwaves with ease. Their latest venture, Dream About You is a break into a dream-like world that still nods to the sharp electronic roots they have so eloquently shaped.
Bred from the melting pot of culture in Miami’s streets, the duo of Cuci Amador and Tony “Smurphio” Laurencio fuse electronic production with the romance of an open mind. Afrobeta is the antithesis of an inside joke; their infectious beats form an effortless blend of quirk and skill that invites even the most reluctant of on-listeners into a world where color and fun roam free – a universal message that requires no interpreter.
Their latest album, Dream About You is sure to be another perfect marriage of honest artistry. Afrobeta’s music has been orchestrated by the Nu-Deco Ensemble, with live songs off the new album being performed alongside a 25-piece orchestra. Tracks like “Clones”, “36 Trap”, and the titular single are slated to quench even the thirstiest eardrums. With a quick wit and powerful persona, Cuci’s vocals pierce the soul while Smurphio’s production remains unparalleled.
Before Dream About You, Wig Party climbed itself to #8 on the CMJ chart amongst Bassnectar, Grimes, Simian Mobile Disco, and other members of EDM royalty. The Afrobeta name may be small, but the duo’s stage presence has empowered audiences at Ultra Music Festival, the Identity Festival tour in 2011, Glastonbury, Space Ibiza, UMF Brazil and Korea; with tracks like “As Long as You Like”, “Do You Party?,” and “Clones” finding their way onto popular TV broadcasts on Secret Circle, Cougartown, and Jersey Shore Massacre respectively.
Jabee is a rapper from Oklahoma City whose music, according to Chuck D. from Public Enemy, “has the potential to change the world.”
His new album is Black Future, released in August 2016 with a 4,000-seat sold out show at The Criterion in Oklahoma City. The album reached #25 on iTunes. “Monument,” a track from the album feat. Chuck D., premiered on Billboard, and another track, “By Any Means,” premiered on Mass Appeal.
Jabee has toured with Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P) and Murs, and has been featured on Sway in the Morning, MTV, XXL, Complex, The Source and Vibe. He has also performed at Kevin Durant’s celebrity basketball game and Russell Westbrook’s celebrity comedy show.
He released his first full-length album, Blood is the New Black, in 2008, co-produced by DJ Vadim, and the following year linked with DJs Mick Boogie and Terry Urban to record a mixtape called Must Be Nice. In 2011, Jabee partnered with DJBooth.net and IMKING clothing to produce the Lucky MeEP, featuring Carlitta Durand.
In 2013, his second full-length album, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, recorded under the guidance of hip-hop legend Murs debuted at #50 on iTunes. A track from the album, “Stephanie (Super Ugly),” was produced by El-P.
Jabee received the Oklahoma Gazette’s Woody Award for Best Hip Hop in 2007 and 2009, the Oklahoma Street Music Award for Album of the Year (Blood is the New Black) in 2009, and in 2010 was recognized by URB magazine as an Artist to Watch.
In 2014, Jabee collaborated with Oklahoma City-based marketing agency Funnel Design Group to create, “What If?” a television commercial promoting Science Museum Oklahoma. The video won an Emmy for commercial writing and performance.
Jabee had the opportunity to tour Europe in 2015 with Swedish hip hop group Looptroop Rockers.
“We all love a good hook, and there are many great bands that can consistently deliver them. But without a strong sense of orchestration, hook-rich songs can feel kind of ‘blocky’. There is nothing tying them together, no journey, and this is often where a lot of the hook-slinging kingpins can fall short. Avant-jazz-math-fusion stalwarts Dumb Waiter have solved this problem quite effectively. They appear to have dug up John Zorn‘s sense of mercurial and cacophonous jazz and inserted it nicely within a suite of coherent juicy riffs.”
— Fecking Bahamas
“A reply to anyone who thinks that soul is missing from the indie-rock scene.”
— Village Voice
Daniel and Danny Chavis are natives of Raleigh/ Chapel Hill, North Carolina and East Village residents for the past 28 years. They are also co-founders of the groundbreaking band The Veldt, along with drummer Marvin Levi, who lifted their band’s name from a Ray Bradbury science fiction story. Musically reared in the church and juke-joints of their native southern state, the twins have been performing since they were children, listening to music that included gospel, Motown and Pink Floyd.
In their early days, the Chavis brothers making a name for themselves playing throughout the south at a time when fellow southerners REM and Superchunk were securing major label deals. As more black rock bands (Living Colour, 24/7 Spyz) began selling records and gigging throughout the world, The Veldt was courted by various labels, including IRS Records and Capitol.
Initially signed to Capitol Records in 1989, The Veldt embarked on a musical journey that changed their lives. Soon, they were in the studio with dream-gaze guru Robin Guthrie working on their debut Marigolds, playing American concert halls with Cocteau Twins, working with A.R. Kane, and opening for The Jesus and Mary Chain in England. The Veldt were a sensation from the start as they became a part of a movement of innovators who came of musical age at a time when rhythmic rebels were reflective, gritty and wild. Their sound inspired future generations of alternative artists, including TV On the Radio. In 1991, The Veldt were featured in multiple national magazines as “bands to watch” including Spin Magazine and this Artist Profile feature on MTV. “CCCP” from Marigolds (1992, Stardog)
They switched labels and Mercury Records released Afrodisiac in 1994. Their single Soul in a Jar was an underground hit.
As the brothers moved to expand their musical language, fusing more electronics into their soundscape, they retired the “Veldt” name and, for various reasons, began recording and touring under under the name Apollo Heights. In 1999, the Chavis brothers met bassist Hayato Nakao, who would become their permanent partner. Their music was loud, exploring color, space, sensuality and beat driven melodies with rhythmic and dynamic tension. Daniel’s falsetto vocals cast a contrast upon the wall of sound created by Danny’s heavy rock dreamscape guitar and Hayato’s pounding and licentious beats.
Although The Veldt had signed to two major labels after leaving Mercury Records in 1995, the brothers decided to remain indie and self-released their 2008 album White Music for Black People. “The major labels were always trying to get us to change our sound, our look or both,” Daniel laughs. “But, we had no interest in being the next Lenny Kravitz or Tony! Toni! Toné! Unfortunately, not everyone shared our vision. We weren’t trying to be rock stars, we just want to play our music and pay our rent.”
Apart from Robin Guthrie and A.R. Kane, who produced ‘And It’s You’ from this EP, they have collaborated with TV On The Radio, Mos Def and Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), and have shared the stage with The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & TheBunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Living Colour, TV on the Radio, and most recently with The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
In 2017, The Veldt are back with their new EP “The Shocking Fuzz of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation” which will be released on Schoolkids Records on June 2nd, 2017 worldwide! European and US Tour coming this Spring and Summer, more details to follow!
“Dreary, chops-heavy western gallop with some of The Killers’ Vegas-born, Springsteen-isms in here too. Whether Mr. George Cessna, formerly of Sterling Sisters, likes that comparison or not, it’s true and there’s nothing wrong with it. Not to mention “Young American” shares almost the name of a very famous Bowie song. These country-rock kids got balls.”
— Baltimore City Paper
The band called Snakes is a five-piece rock n’roll outfit from the city of Baltimore, MD. Led by the laden lung of lead singer George Cessna, and with a unique sound that’s like listening to a “a Spaghetti Western soundtracked by a Rockabilly-tweaked Townes Van Zandt,” Snakes is old country for the new generation.
“Sproule’s quirky affectations bring to mind Bjork, and forays into the dark, Michelle Shocked.”
— Village Voice
Devon Sproule is a Canadian/American raised on eco-villages in Ontario and Virginia. North American music with weirdo roots. She works with Tin Angel Records and tours in Europe and Australia, as well as North America. Her new record is The Gold String, described as “lovely and entirely idiosyncratic” by MOJO Magazine. It features collaborators Bernice from Toronto and Sproule’s husband of 12 years, Paul Curreri.
“DWNR, his grunge-influenced Rhymesayers debut, is deeply melancholy, and splits the difference on ‘depressed’ and ‘party mode'”
— Pitchfork
Since signing to indie heavyweight Rhymesayers Entertainment in late 2013, deM atlaS hasn’t wasted any time in spreading his brand of Hip-Hop music across the world. Steadily on the road since his signing, he was able to find the time to release his unofficial debut, DWNR, in late 2014. DWNR was a special release with each cover uniquely hand-drawn by deM atlaS himself. Released to critical acclaim, the first pressing of over 1000 copies sold out within 48 hours.
deM followed the release of DWNR with major festival plays around the country, and supporting label mates Atmosphere on various tours in the US, Canada and Europe. After taking a break in France to record with French super group Ursus Minor, deM returned home and released his second EP titled mF deM on July 15th, 2016. The project features new lyrics over 13 previously released MF DOOM beats and is available for FREE via Digital download at Fifth Element and Vinyl and CD in LIMITED quantities.
Starting in September 2016 deM atlaS joined Atmosphere and Brother Ali on the formers Freshwater Fly Fishermen Tour that spanned the U.S. and Canada until February 2017. Upon returning home deM immediately began putting the final touches on a full-length debut album and gearing up for a busy summer and fall.
“It’s a music based very much on an otherworldly feel—a consuming feel. It’s the kind of music that makes me want to play music. Joyce and Allen have so many fresh, fun ideas jam-packed into Summering. The Bronzed Chorus are masters of their sound—as if they are in tune with one another on some telepathic level.”
— Slug Magazine
The Greensboro instro-rock act finds nontraditional ways to be catchy. Joyce’s pedal-driven guitar melodies are expressive and lyrical, with him often playing both phrases of a call-and-response. And Allen’s drumkit seems to have no boundaries, with him keeping synths and even a modified Atari 2600 within reach while he plays. Allen contributes as much as Joyce to the danceable, pop-educated instrumentalism that is The Bronzed Chorus. While it can be pretty jaw-dropping to watch his one-handed snare rolls, it’s essential to note that the eternal multi-tasker also plays rhythm, melody, and texture lines on the aging gadgets that surround him. -Corbie Hill/Independent Weekly
“Mad Squablz is the future of hip hop, his style, flow, lyricism and stage presence suggest that he’s been here before. I’m proud such a bright young talent is representing my city. Don’t sleep.”
— Reef The Lost Cauze
“MAD Squablz” was born in December of 1996 in Philadelphia, Pa. A very humble young artist when it comes to his talents. Mad Squablz preferred to play the background – never wanting to draw attention to himself. No one knew he had such a gift except him. It wasn’t until his Grandfather passed away from Cancer that Mad Squablz decided to let his parents know of this talent. After hearing him sing at the age of 9 the flood gates were opened. His love for singing birthed his passion for music production which eventually birthed his life’s passion for Hip Hop.The 2016 Philly Hip Hop Lyricist of the Year “MAD Squablz” is in position to move mountains in 2017 as the new young fresh face of vintage Hip Hop. The 20 year old West Chester University student has been called, “a young lyrical genius”a “Hip Hop Savior”and “the kid who will make Hip Hop the genre of choice again”.By the end of 2016, Squablz had viral videos on the internet exceeding 1 million views, he was one of TeamBackPack’s 2016 Mission Underground favorites and even tipped the scales with his EP “Art of BoomBap – Generation Next” coming in at TeamBackPack’s #7 Album of the Year. The miraculous thing about being #7, the Album was released on 12/20/16 – meaning it beat out thousands of other albums for the spot with only being released for 10 days. Squablz relationship with TeamBackPack catapulted last year when he entered their contest to find three 2016 Mission Underground Champions (a global Hip Hop show-of-talents that screened well over 6000+ hip hop contest entries from all over the world). By the end of the auditions, Squablz alongside two other underground artists beat out their competition and received the very prestigious 2016 underground award. Additionally, this experience included numerous invites to YouTube Space to record collaborative music videos projects.
“A band unflinching in the face of change. Anwar Sadat has refined their punk fury, with songs that are informed equally by German industrial and no-wave noise.”
— Syd Bishop, LEO Weekly
Chunky, angular, frantic post-punk on a razor’s edge.
“Killer Mike has…declared him ‘the now and future of ATL.’ ”
— Pitchfork
