Rock And Blues International - January 2023

Steve Hill

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achieved with the album ended up reflecting both maturity and introspection. Overall, I feel like the album is telling that no matter what happens, you should give it everything you got and move on, be the best person you can be, and no matter what, the sun will rise again. Don’t dwell on suffering, and don’t forget about it, either. Even treat misfortune as a friend, slap it on the back and say, Thanks for teaching me.”

Widely considered as one of Canada’s most prolific guitarists, Steve Hill has consistently delivered wildly ambitious performances and albums. Heralded wherever he goes, the guitarist, singer, drummer, harmonica player, songwriter and accomplished producer is a musical force to be reckoned with.

Already playing the bar circuit at the age of 16, Steve turned pro two years later when he joined the Bob Harrison Blues Band. He left after two years to pursue a solo career. His first album was released in 1997, and lead to Real Blues magazine proclaiming: “Steve Hill is for my money the best young Blues guitarist on the North American Scene today.”

He spent the next 15 years touring across Canada and Europe, releasing albums with different line-ups, until he became a one-man band in 2012. Following the success of his JUNO-nominated Solo Recordings Volume 1, which also won at the International Blues Challenge in 2013, Solo Recordings Volume 2 won the Juno Award and seven Maple Blues Awards in 2014-2015. It was followed by Solo Recordings Volume 3 in 2016 which has had close to six million streams on Spotify so far. In 2018, he released The One-Man Blues Rock Band. The live album shows an artist at the top of his game. It comes to no surprise that the Montreal Gazette has referred to Steve Hill as “the meanest guitar player in Canada.”

A guitar stylist with a wide musical vocabulary, he has performed over 2,500 concerts in many configurations. For the past 10 years, he has toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe supporting his critically acclaimed Solo Recordings albums trilogy and his one-man band show. When it comes to one-man bands, Steve Hill has no limits. Anything goes. He is the true exponent of a one-man band. Steve performs standing up while singing and playing guitar, his feet playing bass drum, snare drum and with a drumstick fused to the head of his trusty guitar to hit the hi-hats and a cymbal. Germany’s Guitar Magazine proclaimed Steve as being “the most spectacular one-man band on the planet.”

Over the years, Steve has shared the stage with many of his heroes, including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmie

Vaughan, and ZZ Top, to name a few, and has played at some of Canada’s biggest music festivals. With 12 albums of original songs to his name, he has explored everything from Rock, Country, Folk, Metal, Jazz, while continuing to fuse it all with his first love, the Blues.

STEVE HILL AWARDS

Juno Award, Blues Album of the Year (2015) Memphis International Blues Challenge Best self-produced CD (2013)

8 Maple Blues Awards Electric Act of the Year (2000 - 2014 - 2015) Entertainer of the Year (2014 - 2015) Guitarist of the Year (2014 - 2015)

Album of the Year (2014) 21 Lys Blues Awards

Dear Illusion Album Track List

1 - All About The Love (3:53)

2 - Keep It Together (4:11)

3 - Everything You Got (3:22)

4 - Dear Illusion (4:15)

5 - Steal The Light From You (4:09)

6 - Don’t Let The Truth Get In The Way (Of A Good Story) (5:03)

7 - Follow Your Heart (3:22)

8 - So It Goes (2:49)

9 - She Gives Lessons In Blues (3:51)

10 - Until The Next Time (3:04)

Oscar Jerome Releases Introspective Sophomore Album The Spoon Reworks of “Berlin 1” and

mid-pandemic when he found himself at crossroads in his life, alone in Berlin and using the time and space to reflect and eventually beginning work on The Spoon. Narratives of masculinity, melancholy and insecurities were explored in a run of releases including “Berlin 1” and “Channel Your Anger” in addition to an Orchestral version of lead single “Sweet Isolation” alongside Metropole Orkest.

“The Spoon takes an arc from emotional, sad boy to angry man looking out at this mess humans have created and then to a more light, open and accepting place of reflection on the beautiful parts of this existence. The main aim is to make you feel something,” says Jerome about the message behind The Spoon.

Coming to life over the past two years, Oscar went into hibernation to birth tracks between studios in Berlin and London. Also, two years since his highly-regarded debut album Breathe Deep, his latest project reflects his feelings about depression, capitalism and the ongoing injustices of the UK. Showcasing a new level of creative melancholy, “Sweet Isolation” and “Berlin 1” sees the introduction of parody characters “Jerry” and “Ice Guycicle” who combat the dark undertones with a humorous touch. A contrast of intimate and gentle moments can be heard throughout the album with blissful poetry remaining at the heart of the record.

The second half of the album commences with “Feet Down South” driven by his intricate jazz guitar chops and introspective lyricism about anxiety. Introspectively examining his role as a musician, “Feed The Pigs” and “Use It” reflect the journey of his inner emotions. Throughout the project, he worked closely with producer Beni Giles, creative director Malcolm Yaeng, and additional musicians Ayo Salawu (drums), Tom Driessler (bass) and Crispin Robinson (additional percussion).

Although some of the record was developed in Berlin, Oscar has settled in South London after leaving his birthplace, Norwich, 11 years ago. Oscar has become an anchor within the London Jazz scene at the hands of his virtuous sonic and live show since bursting onto the scene in 2016. His willingness to feels the complexity is highlighted on this album marking his personal and musical growth. With infinite potential to his artist, The Spoon cements his ever-evolving legacy.

Following its digital premiere earlier this fall, one of the UK’s leading Jazz musicians, OSCAR JEROME, has now released his sophomore album, The Spoon, physically, on vinyl and CD. The artist who The Line of Best Fit proclaims “radiates both charisma and an organized chaos, creating a distinctive and refreshing perspective on neosoul and jazz fusion,” has been wowing European audiences for the last few years, building a formidable surge for his brand of “funky, intriguing and pleasingly off-kilter” stew of modern Jazz with pop and R&B

elements. This new physical release follows various reworkings of album tracks “Berlin 1” and “Aya and Bartholomew” that Jerome unveiled in November. The Spoon can be ordered now on vinyl and CD here.

This creatively expansive project encompasses twelve tracks, offering a refreshed creative approach as he paradoxically inhabits different personas to provide the most transparent version of himself to date. Called “the Jazz upstart you nee to hear now” by Guitar.com, Jerome wrote the album

Photo Credit: Alex Waespi

Gulf Coast Records

debut CD in the Spring of 2023. Connor will be going into the studio in December to record the new album. She’ll be recording with her “Wrecking Crew 22” band that includes: Joanna Connor - guitar and vocals; Shaun Gotti Calloway – bass; Dan Souvigny – guitar and keys; Curtis Moore Jr. – keys; and Jason J Roc Edwards - drums and vocals. Several special guests on the sessions will be announced at a later date.

“I’ve been a fan of Joanna Connor for a long time and it’s just incredible that she’s working with our label,” Gulf Coast label head Mike Zito said in making the announcement. “Joanna Connor is one of the greats in contemporary blues and has been for over thirty years. She has a sound and a feel that is immediately recognizable and magical.”

“I’ve had some wonderful labels in the past, but signing with Gulf Coast feels like I’m joining a family,” said Joanna Connor. “I’m also extremely excited for my new band to bring our music to the world. Now we have found the home base to launch it from.”

Looking more in-person like a woman who could be your next door neighbor rather than the scorching blues rock guitar goddess that she is, Joanna Connor is an atypical and unassuming guitar heroine who absolutely shreds or tenderly caresses notes out of a Gibson Les Paul. Those who are in the know rave about a musician who has played behind Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush and Luther Allison; and shared stages with the likes of Jimmy Page, Robben Ford, Robert Cray, the Doobie Brothers, Etta James and numerous other legends. Having her performances passed along on social media by heavy hitters Slash, Bootsy Collins, Vernon Reed and others only gives credence to her immense and intriguing talents.

Joanna Connor was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, and after beginning her career there at the age of 17, packed a suitcase, a Fender Twin Amp, a guitar and bought a bus ticket to the Blues Mecca of Chicago, where her goal was to be in a cracking blues band learning from the best . A mere month after moving to the Windy City, Delta blues heavyweight Johnny Littlejohn hired her. A few months after that, Dion Payton enlisted her to be a part of his 43rd Street Blues Band, where they held residencies at the hallowed Checkerboard Lounge and the Kingston Mines blues clubs, and were the backing band behind every major talent in the city. Joanna went on to tour with sax great AC Reed before starting her own band at the urging of the Kingston Mines owner. Blind Pig Records signed Joanna in 1989 and released several records on her before she went on to become the second artist to sign with Ruf Records; subsequently releasing many records for the German-based label, which led to a decade of touring throughout Europe.

In 2002, The House of Blues in Chicago offered Joanna and her band a weekly residency, and with her additional residency at the Kingston Mines, Connor made the decision to come off the road touring grind for a while and work locally four nights per week, while raising her two children as a single mom. Joanna also recorded several albums for the highly-respected MC Records during that decade.

In 2019, one of the videos of her fierce guitar work caught the eyes and ears of one of the most prominent guitarists of the modern era -Joe Bonamassa - as well as director Adrian Lynne (Flash Dance, Fatal Attraction). Lynne offered her a scene performing in the movie, Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck. At the same time, Joe Bonamassa and his KTBA Records label gave her the opportunity to make a studio album. Both projects happened right before the COVID 19 epidemic and subsequent lockdown. The KTBA album, 4801 South Indiana, was released in February of 2021 to immense critical acclaim and a number one spot on the Billboard blues chart. The Deep Water film was released on Hulu in March, 2022.

Joanna and her band went right back to work in April of 2021. With a band of young virtuoso musicians she dubbed the “Wrecking Crew 22,” fires were started worldwide on stages everywhere. Joanna reached out to one of her most beloved musicians, Mike Zito and Gulf Coast Records in hopes that this tsunami of musical energy and passion could be unleashed on record, and soon everyone will hear what all the excitement is about.

Stony Plain Records announces a March 24, 2023, release date for Ridin’, the new album from two-time Grammy nominee and Blues/Roots music legend Eric Bibb. The label released the album’s first single, “Family,” on December 8. Eric Bibb has already scheduled lengthy tours of Europe and Australia in the first quarter of 2023 to support the new album’s release.

The follow-up to his multiple award-winning, criticallyacclaimed 2021 album, Dear America, Ridin’ is a continuation of the vision that informs Bibb’s artistry as a modern-day Blues troubadour. Grounded in the folk and blues tradition with contemporary sensibilities, Bibb’s music continues to reflect his thoughts on current world events and his own lived experiences, whilst remaining entertaining, uplifting, inspirational and relevant.

“As a songwriter, studying African American history has always been a deep well of inspiration. The true stories of my ancestors and their communities are at the heart of many of the songs on my new album - Ridin’. Together with co-writer/producer Glen Scott, we’ve created a concept album focusing on the ongoing task of understanding systemic racism and purging it from our world. For all its seriousness, Ridin’ is a funky, groovy, hopeful collection of songs that feature stellar guest appearances by Taj Mahal, Jontavious Willis, Russell Malone and Habib Koité. At a time when popular political movements are attempting to delete truth from the historical record, I feel called upon to sing songs that contribute to greater understanding and much-needed unity. The making of Ridin’ has been a labor of love. We hope you’ll enjoy the journey.” – Eric Bibb

The ethos for Ridin’ was hugely inspired by the oil painting by Eastman Johnson, “A Ride for Liberty (1862),” that depicts an African American family fleeing enslavement in the southern USA during the American Civil War. In Eric’s own words: “Johnson’s painting embodies all the hope, determination and courage that is at the core of the African American experience and needed now throughout the world.”

Ridin’ was produced by Glen Scott and features Habib Koité, Taj Mahal, Steve Jordan, Tommy Sims, Harrison Kennedy, Russell Malone and Jontavious Willis, as well as a host of brilliant session musicians and singers from around the globe.

A two-time Grammy Award nominee with multiple Blues Foundation awards, Eric Bibb is known and revered globally for having carved his own musical destiny with honesty and power. Eric’s father, the late Leon Bibb, was an activist, actor, and folk singer who marched at Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King. Eric’s youth was spent immersed in the Greenwich Village folk scene. Names like Dylan, Baez, and Seeger were visitors to his home. He was deeply influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, and Taj Mahal – who guests on Ridin’ - and he has synthesized all of that into his very own style.

Photo Credit: Thomas Buchberger

After six years of silence, XANDRIA are finally back on February 3, 2023, introducing their new lineup with the brand new studio album, The Wonders Still

Awaiting! Today, the pioneers of German symphonic metal release the album’s title track, alongside a captivating official video.

The new single combines the impressive vocal range of new singer Ambre Vourvahis continued on next page

Photo Credit: Tim Tronckoe

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and a real choir and orchestra with grandiose, bombastic orchestrations by Lukas Knöblknown for his work with Hollywood greats like Roland Emmerich. On the new single, the band around mastermind and songwriter Marco Heubaum focus on their strengths and deliver a song perfect for the pre-holiday season.

XANDRIA on the new single: “As one more taste of our upcoming album, The Wonders Still Awaiting (out February 3, 2023), we proudly present you the title song of it. We think that together with the songs you’ve heard so far, it gives you a hint of what to expect, and that it will be musically about a lot of powerful and magical atmosphere.

But every song on this album will be its own little universe to explore, its own story and altogether it will be quite a journey of wonders and surprises... “

The Wonders Still Awaiting marks the first record presenting new vocalist Ambre Vourvahis, Robert Klawonn (guitars), Tim Schwarz (bass) and Dimitrios Gatsios (drums). Presenting 13 songs in total, XANDRIA’s sound emerges harder, darker and more epic than ever before, but holds an intimate setting and range of emotions at the same time. Rich in different styles and genres, the massive album resembles that of a blockbuster movie score at each and every turn - sending its listener on an exciting journey to experience a world of sound never heard before in the universe of XANDRIA. This is further brought to life by a 40-piece classical choir, authentic Celtic instruments performed by renowned musicians, and delicate violin and cello contributions from SUBWAY TO SALLY’s Ally Storch. The new record is topped by the Bulgarian National Radio Children’s Choir, which marks the first collaboration of this kind in the band’s history, while none other than Lukas Knöbl is responsible for the orchestrations - known for working with Hollywood greats like Roland Emmerich, for example. Each song’s colossal soundscapes and cinematic nature create a story that rapidly unfolds in the listener’s imagination.

XANDRIA on The Wonders Still Awaiting:

”The Wonders Still Awaiting is very diverse and includes many different influences. We had a lot of things - little musical dreams - in our minds and hearts that we wanted to realize, and along with what you already heard in the first two new songs this is just one of them. There will be quite some more surprises coming...”

The impressive vocal wealth of Ambre Vourvahis - ranging from rock grit, operatic

highs and even death metal growls - opens the unit’s sound to a wider palette of colors. Songs like the opening epic “Two Worlds”, “The Wonders Still Awaiting” and “Ghosts” manifest the thematic mood of the album while constructing incredible soundscapes of pure symphonic metal. “Two Worlds” also sets the record’s lyrical concept, dealing with questions of what kind of world we are living in; one in which people deal sensibly with each other and treat it respectfully, or a dystopia dominated by autocrats and controlling technology? “Paradise” showcases some of the album’s strongest hooks, captivating with great metallic pop melodies. The veil of various influences is lifted once more in “Illusion Is Their Name”, dashing all deception with heavy power metal vibes. Tracks like “Your Stories I’ll Remember” and “Scars” show the intimate side of XANDRIA on one hand, while combining rhythmic heaviness on the other. The latter is reminiscent of a James Bond theme, dressed in a heavy musical soundscape. The epic nine minute album closer “Astéria”, featuring Greek lyrics written by Ambre Vourvahis, lands as the album’s exclamation point, proving with a grand finish that the five-piece has fearlessly started a revolution in the

symphonic metal genre - commencing an impressive new era of XANDRIA with The Wonders Still Awaiting.

XANDRIA are:

Ambre Vourvahis – Vocals

Marco Heubaum – Guitar Robert Klawonn – Guitar Tim Schwarz – Bass Dimitrios Gatsios – Drums

The Wonders Still Awaiting Track Listing:

Two Worlds

You Will Never Be Our God (feat. Ralf Scheepers)

The Wonders Still Awaiting

Ghosts

Your Stories I’ll Remember

My Curse Is My Redemption

Illusion Is Their Name

Mirror Of Time

The Maiden And The Child

XANDRIA Online: TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/XandriaBand? FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/xandriaofficial/ INSTAGRAM @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/xandria NAPALM RECORDS @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/xandria

“Sparkles”, Stereo Dive Foundation’s song for the movie “Scarlet Bond”, is a pop ballad blend of pleasing melodies and creative arrangement that emanates tranquility and leaves SDF audiences in awe. Released last November 25th, “Sparkles” is a tease for fans as SDF tours for his burgeoning US audience, showcasing his vastly growing local roots in the United States. Written about how what we leave behind is more important than what we receive in life, SDF hopes that the song will spark positive emotions that listeners can relate to for various situations in their own lives.

With over 217K monthly listeners on Spotify, Stereo Dive Foundation (SDF) is a sound-creating project of songwriter/music producer R•O•N, who not only releases music under its own name but also produces various sound contents and music for varieties of popular Japanese artists and top-rated Anime TV series. Known for his Asian-pop vibe, SDF’s music journey began at the young age of 4 when he started playing the piano and that led him to create his own music by the time he reached high school. His audition with Sony in 2001 became a defining moment in his life and changed the trajectory of his music career, which led him to sign with Lantis (and is currently signed with Lantis). SDF describes his music as a mixture of piano and melodic sounds. And with this crossover, he hopes his creative arrangement will resonate with his US audience. With SDF’s work being 90% anime music and subscription services that provide accessible access to anime, the chance of listening to anime-related music in the US has increased significantly. Currently, on his North American Showcase tour in support of the latest Stereo Dive 02 album, SDF hopes that this single will be a pleasing gift for American fans and will further establish his presence in the States.

Keeping

Credit: Nina Rocio

photo credit: Benedikt Walter

TO THE GRAVE

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“Axe of Kindness” continues the band’s strong vegan message. The band comment:

“Axe is a tongue-in-cheek horror concept in the vein of The Purge, we had a little fun going ultra-violent on the idea of someone who’s had enough with a world full of apathy and plans to exact vengeance for animals by going door-todoor with a fire axe.”

At just over 44 minutes in length, ‘Director’s Cuts’ is an album packed with ambition and conscience. To The Grave have never shied away from channeling the real horrors of animal cruelty and its impact into the violent, emotional intensity of their music. Songs such as ‘Red Dot Sight’, ‘Found Footage’ and ‘Cut Off The Head’ perfectly conjure images of a world gone astray.

‘Director’s Cuts’ was recorded by bassist Matt Clarke, with drums recorded live at The Brain Studios in Sydney and mixed and mastered by Lance Prenc at Prenc Audio (Void of Vision, Alpha Wolf, Polaris) in Melbourne with album photography by Animals Uncovered.

The band comment on the new album:

“This is the refinement of our combined musical tastes, fuelled by our sadness and anger at the state of the world. We made the music we wanted to make without really considering how it would fit into any little genre boxes, because we knew if we loved it completely then everyone else would too. These songs are hard and heavy without being technical just for the sake of it.”

Watch the video to their first single “Red Dot Sight”, a hard-hitting track about anti-vegan public figures and the media perception against vegan activists, here at https://youtu.be/_eVHPX18kPc

Catch To The Grave on tour in Europe throughout January 2023 with Shadow Of Intent, Enterprise Earth and Angelmaker.

One of Australia’s most uncompromising bands, To The Grave return with their heaviest album to date, both sonically and thematically. Since the release of their 2019 debut album

‘Global Warning’, the caustic five piece have garnered international success, with 2021’s follow-up ‘Epilogue’, a re-issue of ‘Global Warning’ with bonus tracks, solidifying their position as “one of the country’s heaviest exports.” (Revolver).

To The Grave have steadily built an audience in the underground, accumulating more than 11 million Spotify streams, racking up over 5.4 million YouTube views, all whilst decimating live audiences alongside Parkway Drive, Polaris, Cattle Decapitation, Thy Art Is Murder, Vulvodynia and Alpha Wolf.

Now, following a sold-out national headline tour in 2022 and revitalized by a new lineup, the band are more focused than ever, looking ahead to the release of their second album ‘Director’s Cuts’ in February 2023.

The eleven tracks lyrically expose a societal and environmental hell on earth whilst pushing the boundaries of accessible extremity, full of barbed hooks, thick with atmosphere and drenched in groove. Razor-sharp guitars played with an exploratory approachblending everything from whammy pedal squeaks and chiming cleans to death metal chainsaw tones - are

entwined with live drums to give a level of dynamism that musically sets this band apart from the extreme metal pack, yet they maintain the weight of the heaviest bands today. Vocalist Dane Evans commands a multifaceted performance, bursting with vocal energy from throat-ripping dissonant screeches to low end gutturals.

To The Grave are

Dane Evans - Vocals

Jack Simoni - Guitars, Programming Luke Ringin - Guitars, Vocals Matt Clarke - Bass, Vocals

Simon O’Malley - Drums, Vocals

To The Grave Director’s Cuts Tracklist

& Sever (feat. Sam CrockerAntagonist AD)

Reversing The Bear Trap (feat. Jess Christiansen - Bled Out)

Persefone

(continued from previous page) acrobatics. The band has toured worldwide with notable acts like Obituary and Leprous, has hit stages at important festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Metal Days, Brutal Assault, ProgPower and 70,000 Tons of Metal, and are now about to tour North America for the first time in support of their new album, metanoia!

Featuring collaborations with standout artists like Steffen Kummerer (Obscura, Thulcandra), Einar Solberg (Leprous), Angel Vivaldi and Merethe Soltvedt (Two Steps From Hell), metanoia exploits the full potential of contrasts in every song, with each track representing a story evolving from beginning to end and constantly growing in strength – redefining typical musical boundaries. Mixed by David Castillo (Leprous, Soen, Opeth) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Enslaved, Ihsahn, Sepultura), the new full-length stretches over 10 songs, each appearing to glide seamlessly from one to the next.

Persofone about metanoia: “metanoia is the next step in our personal pursuit for existential growth through music. This album is a call for a deep change, a call for an inner journey through fear and pain, a call for a leap into a meaningful and rooted place. Making this album has forced us to face many musical and personal hurdles and fears, and the result of that confrontation lives within all the notes and words captured on this new chapter in our journey. May you find meaning in all this musical chaos.”

Persofone is:

Marc Martins – vocals

Miguel “Moe” Espinosa – keyboards and vocals

Carlos Lozano – guitar

Filipe Baldaia – guitar

Toni Mestre – bass

Sergi “ Bobby” Verdeguer – drums

neobliviscaris.com.au

https://www.patreon.com/persefoneband https://www.patreon.com/neobliviscaris

PERSEFONE online: Website @ https://persefone.com/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/persefoneband Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/persefoneband/ YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/persefoneband Napalm Records @ https://label.napalmrecords.com/persefone

PERSEFONE

Supporting NE OBLIVISCARIS w/ Special Guests BEYOND CREATION

10/5/2023 Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage 10/6/2023 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 10/7/2023 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry 10/8/2023 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 10/10/2023 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum 10/11/2023 Orlando, FL @ The Haven 10/13/2023 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live 10/14/2023 Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge 10/15/2023 San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center 10/17/2023 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater 10/18/2023 Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile Theater 10/20/2023 San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues 10/21/2023 Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco Theater 10/22/2023 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge 10/24/2023 Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall 10/25/2023 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory 10/26/2023 Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Brewhouse 10/27/2023 Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom 10/28/2023 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 10/29/2023 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater 10/31/2023 Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room 11/1/2023 Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre 11/3/2023 Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre 11/4/2023 Lincoln, NE @ Royal Grove 11/5/2023 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line 11/7/2023 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge 11/9/2023 Toronto, ON @ Opera House 11/10/2023 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda 11/11/2023 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall 11/13/2023 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater

photo credit: Sietse Schoenmakers

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votes. FLO’s debut single “Cardboard Box” has now amassed over 40M global streams, with their debut EP The Lead reaching 100M streams to date. But at the heart of FLO are three ambitious young women - 20 year-olds Renée and Jorja and 21-year-old Stellawhose immaculate three part harmonies, contemporary take on 00s R&B and eradefining music videos have connected with hundreds of thousands of R&B fans globally. Wanting to thank fans for their unparalleled support this year, FLO release “Losing You” this holiday season, an R&B slow jam that showcases three voices so connected with each other and their growth as the most remarkable vocalists coming out in music scene. With a video directed by Meekz and Frost (Pa Salieu, Headie One, SK), “Losing You” is a beautiful love letter to 2022, ending FLO’s astonishing debut year and signaling the start of a global superstar girl group.

Nine months ago, FLO released their debut single “Cardboard Box,” which catapulted them into the collective consciousness and won them fans R&B and hip-hop luminaries such as Brandy, JoJo, SZA, Victoria Monét and Missy Elliott, as well as girl group royalty - none other than Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland and Sugababes - have all co-signed the R&B girl group. “Cardboard Box” has become the biggest girl group opening statement in over a decade and was the first song FLO ever wrote together as a group, with executive producer and longtime friend MNEK. “Cardboard Box” has set the world alight, with the Happi Remix becoming the number 1 sound on TikTok UK after a Polynesian-creators dance routine went viral on the platform, leading to over 5 billion views and 11 million versions of the dance created. FLO have since gone on to perform the track on their first US late night TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, their UK TV debut on Later…with Jools Holland, The UK Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, as well as the MOBOs. FLO also picked up their first award as “Music Artist to Watch” at the inaugural GUAP Gala, and a nomination for “Best Female Act” at the Rated Awards 2022, alongside Little Simz, Mahalia and Cleo Sol.

Having been in the studio with legendary producer Darkchild (Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, H.E.R) recently and receiving a tweet from Stormzy saying he was “ready when you are” to collaborate, FLO are building a global family of highprofile fans and artists. FLO recently gave a world-class performance of colossal track “Not My Job” for VEVO DSCVR, leading to an online conversation with fans stating they

hadn’t seen a group’s bond so strong in decades. It’s no wonder FLO sold out their debut London show at The Outernet and New Century in Manchester in record time - just under 2 minutes - following a sublime performance at fellow R&B star Mahalia’s club night. FLO also made a surprise appearance at Pink Pantheress’ Boiler Room earlier this month, personally invited by the BBC Sound Of 2022 winner. Schooling us with a masterclass in R&B and pop harmonies, FLO prove they have carved out their own lane, with a sound that is reminiscent of classic 00s R&B, but with the London grit and attitude of three young black women who know their voice.

FLO released their debut EP The Lead at the height of summer in 2022 to critical acclaim, which sparked a cultural conversation about the future of British R&B. Working closely on The Lead with their “extended family;” executive producer MNEK, Jamal Woon, KABBA and Aston Rudi, FLO hustled every day in the studio to create a sound that recalls the greats from peak-era Timbaland and Aaliyah, but also captures three young women finding their voice through the genre of R&B, which they know has the capacity to become pop, “people need to give R&B the same love and chance”. FLO are an act at the helm of their musical and visual identity, with each track

off the 5-track EP a vignette into how they have navigated their late teens through struggle, romance, heartbreak and friendship. FLO’s fusion of the old and new takes the best bits of R&B’s experimental phase and grounds it with UK swagger.

In March 2022, one tweet stating “the UK girl groups are coming hard,” led to over 5M views, 140k likes and 20k retweets, and catapulted FLO to the center of the cultural conversation about the important role girl groups play in our society, and the alchemy and science behind why they work. It’s FLO’s sister bond that runs deep, having all been raised by powerful single mothers and understanding the gravity, hustle and tenacity of picking this career path. From Kelly Rowland visiting them in a studio session in LA earlier this year, to hundreds of thousands of fans showing up on their growing Instagram (200k) and TikTok (300k) channels, FLO have already been tipped by the likes of The Guardian, i-D, Dazed, NME, Complex, and Pitchfork (“worthy heirs to the millennium girl group legacy”), Spotify, BBC 1Xtra, Capital XTRA, and have been announced as VEVO DSCVR’s Artists To Watch 2022, as well as Apple Music’s Global Up Next artist accolade, following in the footsteps of Billie Eilish and Holly Humberstone. FLO have taken The Lead in 2022, and this is just the beginning.

Critically-Acclaimed New Album Honey Harper & The

we were listening back home in Toronto before finishing the vocals, Alana decided to add a new chorus that gave a Lou Reed ‘Perfect Day’ dynamic to the song.

The video was filmed exactly a year ago to this day in Golden, BC by our dear friend Angus Borsos. We convinced someone to forklift a piano to an abandoned helipad on the side of the mountain, so we could pretend we were John and Yoko for a day. A very cold day.”

Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky emerged from a deliberate revamping of the band’s creative approach with Honey Harper co-founder and keyboardist Alana Pagnutti taking on a far greater role in the songwriting process alongside Fussell. The 12-song collection marks their first time recording with their stacked band The Infinite Sky, featuring their longtime bassist and contributing writer Mick Mayer, pianist John Carroll Kirby (Solange, Steve Lacy), Spoon keyboardist Alex Fischel, guitarist Jackson MacIntosh (Drugdealer, Jessica Pratt), pedalsteel player Connor Gallaher (Black Lips, Calexico), and TOPS drummer Riley Fleck. The album was mixed at Wowcat Studios in Los Angeles by Joel Ford (yes/and, Ford & Lopatin).

Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky was praised by The Boot, BrooklynVegan, The FADER, The Bluegrass Situation, No Depression and many more. The band is set to tour Europe in 2023, making stops in Paris, London, Glasgow and more.

Find a full list of tour dates below.

2023 European Tour:

3/2 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg, Club Nine

3/3 – Groningen, NL @ Vera

3/4 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique, Witlof Bar

3/6 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up!

3/9 – Brighton, UK @ Green Door Store

3/12 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers

3/13 – London, UK @ Moth Club

3/14 – Bristol, UK @ Crofters

3/15 – Birmingham, UK @ The Hare and The Hound

3/16 – Birkenhead, UK @ Future Yard

3/17 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Petes

3/18 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast

Today, the Toronto-based cosmic country band Honey Harper released the official video for “Heaven Knows I Won’t Be There” from their new album Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky out now ATO Records. The video was directed by Angus Borsos and was filmed in Golden, British Columbia.

“I found the original version of this song on my friend Matthew Deloach’s Soundcloud in 2016,” explains frontman

William Fussell. “We fell in love with the track and immediately asked if we could cover it for Starmaker. We made multiple versions of it but felt we couldn’t get it just right so we held on to it. When we were recording in LA, we decided to give it another shot with The Infinite Sky. This version was originally inspired by Harry Nilsson’s ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ but ended up somewhere in between that and ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. When

Credit: Colin Medley

Not Since Tom Waits introduced his landmark album Closing Time has anyone even come close to delivering the nuances of real life authentic American day to day, night to night realizations. Meet Joshua Morris, a new day has dawned.

It has been said with accuracy that blues and country live next door to each other and it’s true. From the mountains of Appalachia winding through the hills of Tennessee and far down into America’s southlands these two genres have always enjoyed a common bond. One only has to listen to early Hank Williams to realize this man was singing the blues. Meet Joshua Morris who pens and delivers captivating true to life lyrics. Lyrics and music that are reminiscent of cultural observations housed within the golden eras of the sixties and seventies. Joshua Morris has the ability through his body of work to set us back deep into our chairs with thought and agreement. He’s a poet that ties prose into musical format and his gut level, gut wrenching down to earth down home delivery brings the point home. Slow blues is not just about twelve bar performances, no it is much more than that it’s a form of cultural communication. Just as the young father that is coping with enough work to feed his kids to the lonely stripper that needs to keep a roof over the heads of her kids Joshua Morris originals hit home. They address reality. His messages are a reflection of not the American way of life but of relevant cultural day to day situations, situations that glare at us in real life but few have the intestinal fortitude to tackle and present. For instance Joshua sings about the ravages of drugs and how self awareness can open our eyes and we see that love was around us all through that experience. The lost soul reaches out to that love ever grateful that the brief romance with narcotics did not lead them to peer banishment but rather opened their eyes to the mercy of another. From that dalliance with destruction the almost lost addict finds redemption in the beauty of the souls around them. This situation could be any one of us. It takes a certain someone to not only observe the frailties of the neon night life but also see the broken residing within it, those who just like the addict do not see the path they are on. Joshua Morris tells their story remarkably well. Many paths lead away from downfall because where blind ambition resides the power of hope can blossom into new found tributaries of love, affection, and soulful peace. Joshua Morris has the unique ability to realize these moments, he captures them in poetic form, sets them to music and invites a host of established musicians in to lay them down track by track. The goal: capture the very ambiance of each moment, to create the very essence of life in song. Joshua Morris captures these moments extremely well. He has an upcoming album on the Pilot Light label that will drop the first quarter of 2023. On page two we examine the poet’s first album…...

Artist: Joshua Morris

Album: “It Ain’t Easy”

Available:

iTunes

Spins: Spotify Review

Let’s get right into it -

“It Ain’t Easy” is an eight song compilation that perhaps combines real life episodes with lore. Joshua Morris has a unique knack for finding the words, putting them into poetic framework and then presenting the story at hand in a most relaxed down to earth manner to come along in a long time. On track one “Cocaine And Whiskey on Ice” Joshua melds his vocal qualities with the strumming of a single six string that together vividly paints the deep pain of human loss and for the desire of redemption and grace. The artist slows the presentation down dramatically near the end of the song as he describes approaching the pearly gates hoping for resolve, for grace. As you go through the album you notice that Joshua Morris describes people and places metaphorically. For example in track three “Anna Lee” Joshua paints a picture of how near perfect Anna Lee was by relaying lyrically that “birds sang just for her” and then in a verse coming up he shares how her Mother knew the man she shot had it coming. The songwriter presents the listener with a candid view of a form of injustice. He ponders the question how could someone can be so together with life but then a person comes along and destroys them. In this portrait Anna Lee waited up for husband and when he came home drunk it was all over. Who captures situations like these, situations that exist and remain poignant from the time they happened for all eternity? Joshua Morris does and he presents it well. Moving on to his song “Lawman” Joshua threads the needle with ease once again as he lets the listener know up front that a grown, mature man decided to rob a store knowing full well the lawman would come gunning for him. Inside this song the writer uses a tapestry of colors to depict emblematic roles. Blue for the color he didn’t like that lawmen wear and red for the blood he would lose after not going peaceably. It takes a special someone to witness injustice and then present it in a way that is not distasteful but yet dramatic in nature. Johnny Cash could do it extremely well and proved over and over again such as he did with the Trent Reznor song, Hurt. At times in life the right songwriter comes along that can communicate what they see and hear in musical format and do it vividly. Joshua may well fit into that mold as his descriptions are clear, his sound solid and not overpowering, a perfect combination for ballads, for a mix of truth and lore. This will definitely not be Joshua Morris’s last album, expect more from this artist with the same buy in, the same intensity.

Learn more and hear more at Joshua Morris Music

Photo credit: Bryan Greenberg

Robert Jon & The Wreck

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Southern roots rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck have released “Who Can You Love,” the captivating, Americanainfused second single from their new EP ‘One Of A Kind,’ out March 10th via Joe Bonamassa’s newest independent label, Journeyman Records. Produced by the renowned, multi-GRAMMY Award winning producer Don Was (Bonnie Raitt, The Stones, John Mayer), “Who Can You Love” was recorded at Hensen Studios in Los Angeles (the same studio that gave us legendary albums including “Tapestry” by Carole King and “Blue” by Joni Mitchell, and many others).

“Don is a mysterious guy,” commented frontman Robert Jon Burrison on the collaboration with Was. “He’s so much about the vibe of the song, rather than the details, and he loves making stuff that sounds raw. He would tell awesome stories about the Dead and the Stones, and there was just so much gravity in his words because he’s been in those legendary rooms. It’s hard not to be intimidated but he made us feel right at home.”

“There aren’t a lot of great rock and roll bands out there playing’ right now,” added Was. “It’s a real thrill to be able to record this kind of music with such a great band.”

With its infectious melodies, catchy riffs, and Americana sound, “Who Can You Love” showcases another side of the band following the release of the EP’s explosive lead single “Pain No More,” an outstanding riff-driven roots rock track produced by the eight-time Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Blackberry Smoke, Rival Sons). In contrast, “Who Can You Love” is a reflective, inward-looking track about questioning what you are looking for in a partner. From the uplifting lyrics and velvety vocals of Robert Jon to Henry James’ soul-stirring fretwork, “Who Can You Love” has all the makings of a timeless Southern Rock ballad. The Wreck’s latest

track will be right at home alongside cherished classics like The Allman Brothers’ “Melissa” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” as well as modern gems like Chris Stapleton’s rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey” & John Mayer’s “Last Train Home (Ballad Version).”

“Who Can You Love” is the latest in a series of singles that Robert Jon & The Wreck will roll out over the next year, beyond the release of the ‘One Of A Kind’ EP. Prolific songwriters with a wealth of new material who refuse to be constrained by traditional release strategies, the band’s new partnership with Journeyman Records affords them the opportunity to work with the world’s top producers and release a steady stream of high quality singles on an ongoing basis, cutting through the industry chaos and ensuring new music is accessible to fans as intended.

Reigning from Southern California, Robert Jon & The Wreck take the Southern rock sound from the east coast and make it their own. Since their inception in 2011, these four native Californians; Robert Jon Burrison (lead

vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, background vocals), Henry James Schneekluth (lead guitar, background vocals), and Warren Murrel (bass) have been electrifying audiences all over the world with their soaring guitar leads, rich vocal harmonies, and memorable tunes. Simply put, it is difficult to ignore when these talented musicians take the stage.

Little wonder they have made an impact on audiences across the world, where they’ve played a run of sold-out shows and proudly shared bills with talent the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy and Rival Sons. 2020’s ‘Last Light On The Highway’ garnered worldwide acclaim for the band and 2021’s ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’ continued their upward trajectory, leading to a collaboration with Journeyman Records. They released two singles in early 2022 “Waiting For Your Man” and “She’s A Fighter.” On September 30th, The Wreck released their latest Album ‘Wreckage Vol. 2,’ which has paved the way for even more new and exciting music from the band.

Stay tuned for continued updates.

NYC-based singer, poet, and musician Stella Rose returns with her second single, “Angel,” alongside an accompanying music video. As remarked by PAPER contributor Jade Gomez, the track induces “auditory whiplash,” slowing things down and introducing a “folkier” and “impassioned” side of Stella Rose’s haunting siren-esque vocality.

Speaking on the track’s music video, director Primordialfreaks wrote: “The inspiration was mainly the song itself, the dark but also light quality. I think we set out to capture the heartbreak of Angel. It’s a sad but also triumphant song, like a celebration of loss and loneliness and how the most difficult things can make life more pure in a strange sort of way.”

Earlier this fall, Stella Rose made her official debut with an electrifying, yet haunting single entitled “Muddled Man,” released alongside a theatrical accompanying video. The track was produced by Yves Rothman (Yves Tumor, Girlpool, Blondshell) and received acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone UK, Clash, Brooklyn Vegan, Northern Transmissions, CREEM, and NME.

Stella Rose is a singer, poet, and musician from New York City. Living in New York, she is no stranger to her predecessors. Stella Rose toys with language of folkloric ballads, conducting narrations of her most inner reveries through life experiences and observation. Hanging around even after the coffee has gone cold, she is a collector.

Stella Rose met Producer Yves Rothman in November of 2020 in Los Angeles. After listening to her low-fi voice note poetry, Yves and Stella Rose spend 2 weeks together in the studio. During a time where things felt uncertain, the stars seemed to align. Stella Rose’s debut track “Muddled Man” is like a videodrome, a murder of your most precious possession. Her band, Stella Rose and the Dead Language, have been found playing packed out clubs all around downtown New York and Brooklyn, opening up for bands Pretty Sick and Girlpool. Stella Rose will be featured in the October Issue of Buffalo Zine, photographed by Richard Kern, and in an editorial for Flaunt Magazine later this year.

Photographer: Morgan Maher

Designer: Saint Sintra

Currently in New Zealand wrapping up Phase One of their massive 2022 - 2023 World Tour, today Pixies announce initial dates for the first leg of their 2023 North American headline trek. Pixies will hit the road on May 4 at the Fox Theatre in Oakland CA, headlining shows in U.S. western states through to the middle of May. The confirmed dates are below; tickets went on sale Friday, December. Log on to https:// www.pixiesmusic.com for all ticket purchasing information.

The tour is in support of the band’s latest album, Doggerel, a mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock haunted by the ghosts of affairs and indulgences, driven wild by cosmic forces and envisioning digital afterlives where no God has provided one. The album was released on September 30, 2022 (BMG) to tremendous reviews:

As will be the case on these upcoming dates, every Pixies’ show will be different from those they played before and those they will play down the line. Prior to every tour, the Pixies rehearse 90-100 songs from their extensive catalogue, and “the next song” is determined just before its first note is played. Concertgoers can expect the band to perform some of their most beloved and iconic Pixies songs, as well as tracks from Doggerel.

Pixies - Black Francis/guitar, Joey Santiago/lead guitar, David Lovering/ drums, and Paz Lenchantin/bass - have been acclaimed as the most influential, pioneering band of the late 80s alt/rock movement, having served as a major influence for artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, the Strokes, Weezer, and many more. And today, a whole new generation of music fans has been discovering and embracing the band’s “loudquietloud” signature sound. Quirky, catchy melodies have always been Pixies’ calling card; eight genre-defining studio albums, including the Goldcertified Surfer Rosa, and the iconic Platinum Doolittle, considered one of the all-time, quintessential alt/rock albums. Sell-out crowds all over the globe, Pixies’ live shows are unadulterated magic, simultaneously electrifying and lo-fi. Seventy-five minutes of the band playing anything they want, in whatever order they want, the classics and the new gems.

As a blood moon looms over mankind in the wake of the pandemic, Pixies come out to play, gripped by a creative rage. In a virtually peerless 36-

year history taking in a first era (19861993) that gouged out a raw, dynamic and influential new path for alternative rock over a clutch of seminal albums merging mythological savagery, sci-fi intrigue and collegiate pop charm, and a second since their 2004 reunion that has seen them alchemize more sophisticated dark arts, the iconic alt-rock pioneers rarely been so fired up and wracked with that ancient hunger. “We’re trying to do things that are very big and bold and orchestrated,” says frontman Black Francis, “not necessarily without any sophistication or complexity, but it’s nuanced.”

Their renewed musical fervour saw a stand-alone single ‘Human Crime’ leap from the shadows in March and has created an eighth album, Doggerel. Produced by regular studio foil Tom Dalgety, it’s a mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock, haunted by the ghosts of affairs and indulgences, driven wild by cosmic forces and envisioning digital afterlives where no God has provided one. Here are captivating songs of fatalistic hedonism (‘Dregs Of The Wine’) and subsequent collapse (‘Vault Of Heaven’). Of ancient outcasts (‘Pagan

Man’) and online meta-futures (‘Get Simulated’). Of romantic spectres (‘Haunted House’), full-moon lusts (‘There’s A Moon On’) and the distant rumbles of war and personal destruction (‘Thunder & Lightning’). Like 2019’s Beneath The Eyrie, Doggerel is a record brilliantly evolved from, but not beholden to, their acclaimed past. And like all things Pixies, it comes steeped in a darkness that illuminates.

Confirmed dates for the first leg of Pixies’ North American tour are as follows:

MAY 2023

4Fox Theater, Oakland, CA

6Golden State Theatre, Monterey, CA

8The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ

9Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe, NM

10The Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO

12Encore Theatre at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

13Encore Theatre at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

12-14Kilby Block Party, Utah State Park, Salt Lake City, UT (Festival)

Steven Page Sets January Tour Dates Including A Return To The Troubadour In LA

Steven Page, whose latest album Excelsior was released earlier this fall, is going back on the road after having toured England and opening a slew of North American dates for The Who. He’s set four consecutive shows in January with The Steven Page Trio – Page along with Craig Northey (guitar, vocals) and Kevin Fox (cello, vocals) – that will see him return to The Troubadour in Los Angeles on January 19th. It was at “The Troub” that Barenaked Ladies, of which Page was a founding member, made their LA debut in 1992.

Page noted, “The last time we played there, in 2018, it was a really amazing night – jam packed with friends and supporters from over the previous 30 years. We’re definitely looking forward to playing there again this time around.” Page will play Pappy & Harriet’s, the legendary high desert haunt in Pioneertown, CA on January 20th. He’s in Las Vegas at The Duomo at Rio on the 21st and in Phoenix at the Musical

Instrument Museum on the 22nd. It’s expected that a run of dates in the northeast will take place this spring with the itinerary for that now a work-inprogress.

This Saturday, December 17 marks the 95th episode of Page’s Live From Home Zoomcast, always recorded in his home studio/performance space just outside Syracuse, NY. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, on just about every Saturday when he’s otherwise not occupied, he’s performed a live two hour show for fans around the world. This week’s show has been dubbed Live From Home For The Holidays 3 as it’s the third time he’s put together a program of seasonal music in as many years. He’ll be playing selections from Barenaked for the Holidays, including “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and his own “Hanukkah Blessings” as well as newer additions to his holiday repertoire including “Cheese Log,” which he debuted on the Live From Home For The

Holidays 2 last year. Airing this Saturday at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific / 10:00 PM GMT / 7:00 AM Sunday Australian EST, Live From Home For The Holidays can be accessed through this link: http://buytickets.at/stevenpage

Steven Page notes, “2022 was a massive year for me, with 18 Live From Home shows and 80-odd in-person shows on the road, including a memorable return to the UK. Club, festival and theatre shows all over North America and an unforgettable series of shows opening for The Who were a dream come true for me to play, particularly with the Steven Page Trio, rocking the big arena stages in our unique configuration. The release of Excelsior in the fall was a big deal for me. To release a record that is so personal and so very much a solo record in all senses of the word, and to be able to share it with people and hear how it has connected with so many, and in such a deep way that, honestly, I think has surprised even the most die-hard of fans, has been incredibly moving. I’ve also really enjoyed being able to watch as folks who have become friends with each other over Zoom as a part off the Live From Home community, get a chance to meet each other in real life now that in-person shows are again possible.”

Steven Page’s new album was lauded by Bill Bentley in his Bentley’s Bandstand column for Americana Highways who wrote, “Excelsior’s songs are so sharp, so strong and so, well, right-on that it feels like the man singing them could fly right into the air. In so many ways, this is a time for celebration for one of the most original rockers of the past three decades.”

At the end of this past October, Page, introduced by Ryan Reynolds, played the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s A Funny Thing HappenedOn The Way To Cure Parkinson’s fundraiser in New York. He shared the bill at the event with Brad Paisley and Steve Jordan with Super Soul Banned, as well as comedy greats Denis Leary, Jim Gaffigan, Lewis Black and Samantha Bee.

Steven Page Trio on tour in January

Thursday, 1/19 – Los Angeles, CA

– The Troubadour Friday, 1/20 – Pioneertown, CA –Pappy & Harriet’s Saturday, 1/21 – Las Vegas, NV –The Duomo at Rio Sunday, 1/22 – Phoenix, AZ –Musical Instrument Museum

Winery Dogs To Release Their New Album III

THE WINERY DOGS are back in full force with their aptly named third album III, which is set for release on February 3, 2023 on the band’s Three Dog Music label (via Burnside Distribution/The Orchard). Following in the footsteps of their first two albums, III was once again self-produced by The Winery Dogs and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston.

The first song to be released from

III, “Xanadu,” recently made its world premiere during Eddie Trunk’s “Trunk Nation” show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. It’s now available on digital formats. Fans can pre-order to order the album now. Be sure to enter to win a custom Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster. A vinyl edition of III will also be forthcoming in just a few months.

While the all-out smokin’ opening track and lead single “Xanadu,” title

might evoke different imagery in more progressive-leaning listening circles, KOTZEN’s zen-seeking, hard-rocking ruminations on “Xanadu” once again shine a light on the eternal power of good collaboration. “Coming out of the gates, that’s a barnburner,” acknowledges PORTNOY. “It’s one of the fiercest tracks on the album.” Incidentally, eagle ears will also delight in

Frank Zappa

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In 1972, following the aftermath of being pushed off stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London by a crazed attendee, Frank Zappa found himself recuperating for months in his home in the hills of Los Angeles. Although he was confined to a wheelchair and in immense pain, his work ethic could not be tamed, and he would end up having one of the most prolific years of his hugely prolific career. During this time, he managed, among other things, to assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, he contracted a 20-piece group for recording sessions and an eight-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now popularly known as the “Petite Wazoo” toured for almost two months. After all was said and done, Zappa finished the experiment with two albums in the can – Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo – plus two tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.

In celebration of half a century of this pioneering phase of Zappa’s peerless career, Zappa Records/UMe presents Waka/Wazoo, a five-disc multi-format box set that features a complete historical rundown of the entire project, available now, just ahead of what would have been the Maestro’s 82nd birthday on December 21st. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the comprehensive 4CD + BluRay Audio set boasts unreleased alternate takes of almost every composition recorded during the album sessions, Vault mix session outtakes and oddities, and also includes the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972. Additionally, the collection includes a set of demos for George Duke’s solo material that Zappa produced and played guitar on during the album recording sessions at Paramount Studios. Although Duke would go on to re-record the compositions for his own

albums, the versions with Zappa have never been officially issued until now.

The Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo albums themselves are presented on Blu-Ray Audio disc in a variety of exciting listening experiences: brandnew, first-time-ever immersive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital True HD 5.1 surround sound mixes, mixed from the original multitracks by Erich Gobel and Karma Auger at Studio 1LA, and 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters, mastered by Doug Sax with Robert Hadley and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam at The Mastering Lab in 2012. Both albums are also available for hi-res streaming.

The five-disc set is housed in a clamshell box with a 44-page booklet with unseen photos from the Vault from the recording sessions, rehearsals, and tour, plus liner notes by Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers and Scott Parker, author of several books on Zappa and host of the official Zappa podcast, the ZappaCast. Aside from several vintage mixes included in the set, and the surround sound mixes, the audio was mixed by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Ct. Studios and John Polito at Audio Mechanics from the original 1972 16-track and 4-track analog masters, all mastered by Polito.

For the first time since they were repressed from the analog tapes in the

‘70s, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo are now available once again on vinyl. Fans have the choice of audiophile grade 180-gram black vinyl or limited edition 180-gram color vinyl. UDiscover Music and Zappa.com are exclusively offering Waka/Jawaka on translucent green vinyl and The Grand Wazoo on brown marble vinyl, both with tip-on jackets and lithographs. Mastered from the analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, the albums are being pressed at Optimal Media in Germany.

Following the completion of 1972’s Just Another Band From L.A., recorded live at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles in August 1971, Zappa turned to assembling an electric orchestra, a large group of musicians that would be able to play super intricate compositions with the intensity and volume of a modern rock concert. The musicians largely consisted of players new to Zappa, with a few familiar faces in the mix, and included folks like drummer Aynsley Dunbar and bassist Alex “Erroneous” Dmochowski, who Dunbar brought into the fold, longtime Mothers keyboardists George Duke and Don Preston, guitarist Tony Duran, percussionists Alan Estes, Bob Zimmitti and a whole host of brass and woodwind players that included the likes of Sal Marquez, Malcolm McNab, Kenny

Frank Zappa

Shroyer, Earle Dumler, and Tony “Bat Man” Ortega.

Rehearsals started for the album recording sessions sometime in late March/early April and once the material was honed to his satisfaction, Zappa and crew decamped to Paramount Studios where recording began on April 10, 1972. By the end of the month, Zappa, who handled production, guitar and conducting duties, had recorded the bulk of two albums, the jazz-influenced Waka/Jawaka (intended by Zappa as a sequel to Hot Rats), recorded with a lineup of six to nine musicians, and the epic and ambitious jazz-fusion masterwork, The Grand Wazoo, recorded with a larger ensemble ranging from eight to as many as 20 musicians.

Zappa planned that following the Waka/Wazoo sessions, a touring version of what he dubbed the “Mothers of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo” would perform a short eight-date tour in September of 1972. As Travers writes in the illuminating liner notes, “once the Wazoo project was set in motion, the first thing Frank did was hire Kenny Shroyer to help enlist and contract the musicians. 20 of them were eventually hired, and new musical relationships were created. Some musicians such as Sal Marquez, Bruce Fowler and bass player Dave Parlato would go on to be involved in future Zappa endeavors. The debut of the live 20-piece would take place at none other than the Hollywood Bowl on September 10, 1972. It was the first time Zappa ever played the historic venue. After a trip to Europe and back with the monstrous group, seven shows later it was over. Within six months, the concept switched to a 10-piece line up that was billed as the Mothers Of Invention but would later be endorsed as the “Petite Wazoo.”

The Wazoo 20-piece band seems to have been only captured on tape once, or at least that’s all that has been found in the Vault thus far. Included in the box set is Zappa’s sonically treated edited master

of “Approximate” from the September 24th, 1972 Boston Music Hall show. The version is unreleased, although the full Boston performance was released in 2007 as Wazoo. Following the Grand Wazoo tour, Zappa, as Parker writes in the liners “then headed back out on the road in late October 1972 for a twomonth tour with a scaled down, more financially viable 10-piece band, playing yet another repertoire of largely new compositions. This show is historically significant not only because it was the group’s last, but it also brought a conclusion to FZ’s Wazoo-era experiment.”

Presented in the order they were recorded, the alternates and outtakes on the Waka/Wazoo box set provide a window into Frank Zappa’s creative process as he worked on two of his most ambitious and beloved albums as he was going through one of the most emotionally and physically challenging times of his life. Waka/Wazoo commemorates fifty years of Zappa’s incredible output in 1972, a year when he found recovery and “blessed relief” in his art.

In conjunction with the release of Waka/Wazoo, some rare footage of the Grand Wazoo 20-piece band on the road during September 1972 has been released. The footage was shot by trumpet player Malcolm McNab and taken from his personal home movies. McNab captured moments in the UK and Europe, along with the final show at the Music Hall in Boston. Check it out here: https://Zappa.lnk.to/wazoopt1pr

WAKA/WAZOO TRACKLISTING

CD 1

Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes

1. Your Mouth (Take 1)

2. Big Swifty (Alternate Take)

3. Minimal Art (Eat That Question –Version 1, Take 2)

4. Blessed Relief (Outtake Version)

5. Think It Over (The Grand Wazoo) (Outtake Version)

6. For Calvin (And His Next Two HitchHikers) (Outtake Version)

7. Waka/Jawaka (Outtake Version)

CD 2

Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes, continued

1. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Take)

2. Eat That Question (Version 2, Alternate Take)

3. Big Swifty (Alternate Mix)

4. For Calvin (And His Next Two HitchHikers) (Alternate Mix)

5. It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal (Alternate Mix)

6. Waka/Jawaka (Alternate Mix)

7. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Mix)

8. Eat That Question (Alternate Mix)

CD 3

George Duke Demos – The Master Versions

1. For Love (I Come Your Friend) 2. Psychosomatic Dung 3. Uncle Remus (Instrumental) 4. Love

George Duke Session Outtakes

5. For Love (I Come Your Friend) (Basic Track, Take 1)

6. Psychosomatic Dung (Basic Track, Take 2)

7. Love (Basic Track, Take 1)

The Grand Wazoo – Live

8. Approximate (Live – FZ Record Plant Mix)

10-Piece/Petite Wazoo – Live / Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972

9. Winterland ’72 Opening And Band Introductions 10. Little Dots

CD 4 10-Piece/Petite Wazoo –Live, continued Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972

BLU-RAY AUDIO

THE GRAND WAZOO 1. The Grand Wazoo 2. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) 3. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus 4. Eat That Question 5. Blessed Relief

Robbie Williams has released a new deluxe edition of his multimillion-selling debut solo album, Life Thru A Lens, on December 2 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the record.

The special expanded 4-CD album, out on UMe/Island Records, combines the original chart-topping record – including the hit singles “Angels,” “Let Me Entertain You,” “Old Before I Die,” “Lazy Days,” and “South Of The Border” – as well as bonus tracks and B-sides. The new edition will also feature previously unreleased demos, rehearsal recordings, and rare remixes, as well as the first audio release of the complete concert recorded at London’s The Forum in June 1998, released that November as “Live In Your Living Room” on VHS tape and VCD but never reissued.

Life Thru A Lens was originally released in September 1997, spending two weeks at Number 1 on the UK Album Chart and 92 weeks in the UK Top 40. It has sold 2.1 million copies in the UK alone. The deluxe edition will be available in 4-CD Box Set, vinyl, and digital download formats. To listen to or pre-order Robbie Williams’ Life Thru A Lens, click HERE.

Robbie secured his 14th UK Number 1 album last month with XXV, which topped the chart in its first week of release. With this amazing achievement, the music icon has now broken the record for the solo artist with the most UK Number 1 albums - only The Beatles now have more UK Number 1 albums than Robbie with 15. His total chart-topping UK albums across his solo work and records released with Take That now stands at 19. It places him in the top two acts of all time with the most Number 1s across their catalog, with only Paul McCartney with more.

The full track-listing for the Life Thru A Lens special edition 4CD Box Set is –

CD1 - Life Thru A Lens: The Original Album

Lazy Days

Life Thru A Lens Ego A Go Go Angels

South Of The Border Old Before I Die One Of God’s Better People Let Me Entertain You Killing Me Clean

Baby Girl Window (silence)

Hello Sir (hidden track)

CD2 - Life On The Flipside; B-Sides and Bonus Tracks

Freedom (from “Freedom” CD Single 1, July 1996)

Better Days (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 1, April 1997)

Average B-Side (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 1, April 1997) Making Plans For Nigel (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 2, April 1997)

Kooks (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 2, April 1997)

Teenage Millionaire (from “Lazy Days” CD Single 1, July 1997) Falling In Bed (Again) (from “Lazy Days” CD Single 1, July 1997)

She Makes Me High (from “Lazy Days” CD Single 2, July 1997)

Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (from “Lazy Days” CD Single 2, July 1997)

Lazy Days (Original Version) (from “Millennium” CD Single 2, September 1998)

Cheap Love Song (from “South Of The Border” CD Single 1, September 1997)

Walk This Sleigh (from “Angels” CD Single 1, December 1997)

Karaoke Overkill (from “Angels” CD Single 2, December 1997)

Get the Joke (from “Angels” CD Single 2, December 1997)

Angels (acoustic version) (from “Angels” CD Single 2, December 1997)

Angels (Spanish Version) (from “The Ego Has Landed” (South America Editions). April 1999)

Let Me Entertain You (Full Length Version) (from “Let Me Entertain You” CD Single 2, March 1998)

Medley Of Songs From The Motion Picture Soundtrack The Full Monty (from “Let Me Entertain You” CD Single 1, March 1998)

I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing (from “Let Me Entertain You” CD Single 1, March 1998)

I Am The (Res)erection (from “Let Me Entertain You” CD Single 1, March 1998)

CD3 - Work In Progress: The Making of Life Thru A Lens

Freedom (Ambient Mix) (July 1996 Promo Release)

Freedom (New Sound Dub) (July 1996 Promo Release)

Hey Little Girl (Axis Studios Demo, October / November 1996)

Clean (working title Mr. Sheen) (Axis Studios Demo, October / November 1996)

Old Before I Die (Crescent Moon Studios Demo, October 1996) Lazy Days (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Angels (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Red Lights (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Average B-Side (Westside Studios Demo, February 1997) Teenage Millionaire (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997) South of the Border (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997) Killing Me Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)

Life Thru A Lens Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997) South of the Border (Mother’s Milkin’ It Mix)

Let Me Entertain You (The Bizzaro Mix)

CD4 - Life On The Stage

Let Me Entertain You (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

C an (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

South Of The Border (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Average ‘B’ Side (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Baby Girl Window (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

One Of God’s Better People (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

There She Goes (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Killing Me (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Life Thru A Lens (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Teenage Millionaire (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Lazy Days (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Ego A Go Go (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Old Before I Die (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Angels (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

Back For Good (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

The Biker, The Blues, & The Musical Gumbo Of The South

Sounds and styles of the blues come in all flavors but no one could dispute the downright enjoyable creations that come out America’s south. The south’s unique presence is a class A distillation of multiple genres and soul filled personalities. Little Feat, The Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Dr. John and the great Trudy Lynn just to name a few. If you have been up or if you have been down the blues, the genre and its many sub-genres have touched you at some point in your life. After that first experience we all keep going back for more. What is it that’s inherent within us all that drives our thirst to be quenched over and over by the subtle nuances created by the great songwriters and artists of America’s south? What glue pulls them all together, unites them, to form this passionate cool musical gumbo and yet each contributor remains unique in their own right?

There’s a place, basically a modern day juke joint located on Kirby Street in Houston. Maybe the place holds two hundred people at most. It is without a doubt the most unique setting for the multitudes of blues lovers from every walk of life. It is known for its always friendly, pleasant crowds and yet the place jumps when its stage lights up with a who’s who of well regarded artists and bands. Normally the door charge is either a five or ten dollar bill and on the outside there is a man that fires up his smoker just outside that door. Is it ever crowded well the question really is when isn’t it crowded? You would have to know the owner, Tommy, he’s the real deal, his heart is right and it’s dead centered on the blues and zydeco. Ah, there’s that southern influence coming into play, zydeco. This particular style has been influencing southern blues forever and there’s no let up in sight. Yet it is only one facet in this multi-faceted diamond called southern blues. A guy named Steve Krase, one of the south’s most well respected blues harp players, turned me on to the Big Easy. The place was eclectic. Young, Old, White, Black, Male, Female, all with one common denominator - the blues. There were miles of smiles. A five dollar cover, a three dollar bottle of beer, and yet top notch live entertainment. That night Trudy Lynn was performing and the lead guitar player was Houston’s top rated James Henry. Steve would join them on stage and kick off Trudy’s set. Wow is the only word that comes to mind even today, years and years later. Then Trudy Lynn went to the stage and the place erupted, this was my first experience attending a Trudy Lynn event. I was blown away by the mere mention of her name and the crowd instantly went wild over her. Soon I could not only hear why but see why. Trudy does not portray a traditional blues singer, this woman is one indeed. To this day this woman tours Europe at least four months out of every year. Back in the states in cities like Memphis and across the big pond in Europe major blues festivals such as Lucerne in Switzerland. Trudy Lynn is blues royalty with over fourteen

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albums to date and performance schedule that would choke a horse. So here I was in the thick of it in a place I had not heard of previously that was to say the least jumping that night. One guy was even on roller skates just dancing away. No one minded, it really is that down home. In fact that is how you find the southern blues performers too. Everyone is cool with who you are and does not take your presence for granted. They all know that you are there to receive what they have to give and so entertainment with class is the priority of the evening. Not convinced yet? Well the south has ZZ Top and they have been delivering top shelf blues rock with class for years upon years. Recently when the group lost Dusty a young aspiring blues rocker Clay Melton of Cypress Texas paid homage to the group with his remake of “Jesus Just Left Chicago”. The recording was not an effort to duplicate the marquee sound of ZZ Top but to be as close to them as a new generation artist could be as it is their key influences along with Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray that drives the amazing guitar prodigy. The Big Easy is also the place that features rising acts that are on their way up and one of those acts is Ally Venable out of the Dallas Texas region. Ally fronts her own trio and they tour almost constantly and when they are coming through Houston you can almost bet your bottom dollar that this sexy super talented blues rock singer songwriter will be on the bill at The Big Easy. About six hundred miles west of Houston are the twin cities of Midland Odessa. A blues festival promoter named Lisa Grissom resides there. Their annual blues event draws literally thousands from around the U.S. and many other countries as well. They come to hear the best in blues and that of course includes southern blues men such as the one and only Kenny Neal from Baton Rouge Louisiana. Kenny is not only a much sought after artist but also the man owns his own juke in southern Louisiana. He’s blues to the core. Returning back to the very most southern area known for musical gumbo we come to Galveston Texas. The one and only Bert Wills, master lead guitar and blues harp player extraordinaire performs there on a regular basis at the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is well known for its evenings of all original blues music. Bert Wills fits right in with his combination blues country sound. Bert’s lyrics are not only penetrating but like the roots songwriters of the Appalachian Trail he presents both real life situations and well as lore. Another southeastern talent, a two time Blues Music Award recipient no less is none other than blues vocalist Annika Chambers. Annika’s up tempo releases have thrilled audiences all the way from the south in the U.S. over to the many countries in Europe. Also, it would be remiss not to include the top rated talents of the man that hails from the northern blues community of Shreveport Louisiana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. What’s not to say about this extremely talented bluesman who help stirs the pot within the south’s cavalcade of stars. If you are driving

James Henry, Steve Krase, Trudy Lynn performing at the internationally famous Lucerne Blues Festival Switzerland.

Page 2 - The Biker, The Blues, & The Musical Gumbo Of The South

through the south keep an eye on Kenny’s home town show plans but it’s tough to see him locally as this man’s tour package has him routed to both domestic and international destinations most of the time. Moving right across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi (a nice ride for scooter folks by the way) we run smack dab into the real deal himself, Mr. Dexter Allen. To this day Dexter still lives on the family farm in Mississippi although his music takes him to stages all over the world. He’s laid back but his sound is fresh, driving and I might add that while he can grind an axe with the best of them his true to the blues format is as traditional as it gets. Dexter’s neck of the woods is located close to the famous crossroads of Robert Johnson fame and in today’s blues world the home of Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero juke joint. Ground Zero is located in Clarksdale an area south of Memphis that to this day still turns out roots artists that carry the torch forward. This part of Mississippi is also home to the famous cigar box guitars that are hand made to this day for veteran bluesmen and women around the world.

Dropping back down into Louisiana we find ourselves at its southern most tip in New Orleans. Well does one have to tell you about New Orleans? Of course we all know about its deep roots into American jazz but for those that love the blues New Orleans has got that going on too and in a big way. None of us will ever forget Dr. John whose originals remain so powerful they can stop a locomotive. Not just a powerful writer and artist but a showman beyond compare. When it came to stage dress one never knew what to expect from Mack and his antics oh that was

another calling card. It could rain tons of glitter all around the stage and on the first rows of the audience and then turning on a dime the room’s ambiance would change and the man would deliver an in depth portrait of the human condition. Both with great taste no less. This mixture I write about, this musical gumbo, isn’t a commercial application that paints a veneer over a standard musician. It’s a way of life that transcends time. Sounds and rhythms that have been handed down and refined, somewhat duplicated but always original.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Dexter Allen

The Late, Great, Dr. John Of New Orleans