Rock And Blues International - March 2023

Rock And Blues International

Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Soft City

Marc Jordan

The Church

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Pierce The Veil and more!

Rock And Blues International

Hello Rock And Blues International readers. I hope everybody had a great February.

Be sure to check out all the tour announcements and ads in this issue. If you’re a publicist and your act doesn’t have a tour announcement in here, then you’re client is really missing out. Don’t leave them by the wayside.

And now on to the March issue of Rock And Blues International. In this issue you can read all about Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia. Mike and Albert have a great new album that will be released this month and we’re giving you a heads-up on it before it hits the streets. It looks like it’s going to be a great one! We’ve got a great story by Edoardo Fassio about Norwegian Blues Band Soft City. There are also stories on Victor Wainwright and The Train, the Backtrack Blues Band, Marc Jordan, Kendrick Scott, Meretdith Moon, The Church, In Flames, Nate Brazier, Steve Vai and his new album Vai / Gash, Natalie Nootenboom, Escape The Fate, Pierce The Veil, Frank Zappa and more! As you can see, there are a lot of varied genres of music here for you to check out, or as we like to say, there’s a little of something for everyone here. We have even included the current installment of the novella, “The Biker”. Read it and than email us back with your thoughts on this. So far our readers seem to really like this Blues loving Biker.

I sincerely hope that everybody reading this publication finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http://www.rockandbluesinternational.com. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at rockandbluesinternational@gmail.com and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a link to the magazine each month when it is published.

Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

Rock And Blues International

Page 6

Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia

Gulf Coast Records’ Blues Music

Award-Winners Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia Are Blood Brothers on New CD Coming March 17

Page 22

Marc Jordan

Celebrated Singer-Songwriter Marc Jordan Announces the April 21st Release of His New Album, Waiting for the Sun to Rise

Page 10 & 11

Soft City

Edoardo Fassio talks about Norwegian Blues Band, Soft City

Page 34

The Church

THE CHURCH Share Statuesque Pop Song “No Other You,” Chock Full of Heartache and Yearning

From Upcoming Album THE HYPNOGOGUE

Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia

BLOOD BROTHERS

Gulf Coast Records announces a March 17 release date for one of the most-anticipated albums of the year, the upcoming Blood Brothers disc featuring multi-Blues Music Award-winners Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia. The duo concluded a highly-successful string of “Blood Brothers” shows in the spring/ summer of 2022 with new tour dates already announced beginning in February and running through the summer, culminating with a special appearance at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas in September. Blood Brothers was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith and recorded at Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana. “Sweet Mama,” the album’s first single/video, drops February 10th.

“This album was a blast to make and I am even more excited to take this music out on the road and perform for the people,” says Mike Zito. “It’s just a bit more complex with an overall band dynamic that I think sets apart from what Albert and I normally do.”

“The making of this album was a ‘brotherhood’ in every sense of the word,” adds Albert Castiglia. “The production team of Josh Smith and Joe Bonamassa, along with Mike and I created something incredibly special. I hope our fans enjoy this collaboration as much as we did.”

Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia are true “Blood Brothers” in life and in the music they create both individually and collectively, joining forces in a collaborative effort of songwriting and performances to create a total listening experience greater than the sum of its parts. Added to that process are the talents of producers Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, who brought fresh ideas to the recording sessions, pushing Mike and Albert creatively and musically to present their best work to date.

“Mike and Albert have a special chemistry together when they plug in and play that few have. They finish each other’s sentences musically,” awardwinning guitarist Joe Bonamassa said about the sessions. “Great tunes, great people, great hang! What’s not to like? It was an honor to be involved in this

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Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia

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“For ‘One Step Ahead of the Blues’: I am a JJ Cale fanatic. I love his voice and his style. Although JJ did not write this song, his recording has always been on my playlist. It just fits this band and album with Albert. It turned into a great duet that makes for a strong bond.”

project.”

For the Blood Brothers album, Mike Zito: vocals/guitars; Albert Castiglia: vocals/guitars – brought together their two powerhouse bands, featuring Matt Johnson: drums; Ephraim Lowell: drums; Doug Byrkit: bass; Lewis Stephens: piano/organ. Josh Smith provided his additional talents on guitar to the sound, and Joe Bonamassa stepped up to be featured on the new song, “A Thousand Heartaches.”

“Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia have done something special,” added coproducer Josh Smith. “They have both found their musical confidante. Most solo artists never even look - let alone find - theirs. They have brought together a real ‘band’ using members of each’s solo acts. The sum of all these parts

added with a tremendous effort to both write and perform the strongest record of their respective careers has paid off in a special album. Blood Brothers indeed! Joe and I are proud that these brothers trusted our partnership to produce this special album!”

Of the many insights into the songs on Blood Brothers, Mike Zito offered these two about “‘In My Soul’ and “One Step Ahead of the Blues”: “In the summer of 2022, my wife Laura was diagnosed with cancer. It was a surreal shock. Albert suggested I write songs about how I felt, but I said no. I just couldn’t bring myself to that place yet. ‘In My Soul’ is the only song that came out of what I was feeling at that time. I didn’t think about it or analyze it, I just started singing.

Albert Castiglia ventured inspirations for “A Thousand Heartaches” and “Tooth and Nail”: “In March of 2022, while on tour in Delaware with The Blood Brothers, Mike asked me to write a ballad for the new album, because we were well-stocked with up tempo numbers and needed to change the pace a little. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to write an unrequited love song like ‘Bell Bottom Blues’ by Derek & The Dominos or ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ by Bob Seger. I’ve been through unreciprocated and forbidden love in my life, but never had the songwriting chops to express how I felt in the midst of it. Most of my songs of love gone bad or love never meant to be usually had me coming off as bitter. I wanted to change that, dig into my past and write something that had me taking the high road and coming off a little more dignified. I think my songwriting has come a long way and ‘A Thousand

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Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia

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Heartaches’ is a result of that progression.

“And when Tinsley Ellis writes a song for you, you listen! Tinsley came to our Blood Brothers show in Atlanta last summer and told us he had a few songs that he had written for us. ‘Tooth and Nail’ grabbed my attention right away. It has all the elements that appeal to a blues-rock guy who grew up in Florida. To me, it’s the ultimate southern rock, Florida/Georgia blues tune. It’s signature Tinsley. It was an honor to sing and play on this one.”

Mike and Albert will be hitting the road again in support of the new Blood Brothers album, with dates booked by Intrepid Artists. With over 45 years combined in the music business, Zito and Castiglia have toured the world spreading joy and bringing the music to the people. For the upcoming “Blood Brothers” tour, both Mike and Albert will be onstage performing together for the entire show, so fans can enjoy the amazing chemistry and creativity that these two musicians share with each other – and the audience. In addition to their own rock, blues and roots individual tunes, the set will feature a number of songs from the Blood Brothers album.

Both Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia are celebrating their mostrecent albums: Zito’s double live set, Blues for the Southside (released Feb. 2021), debuted at number one on the Billboard Blues Chart; and Castiglia’s latest solo disc, I Got Love,(released in May,2022) also charted very high. On their last “Blood Brothers” tour, fans got to see Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia come together to create a special musical journey unlike anything seen before in the Blues and Roots genre.

Mike Zito won the 2022 Blues

Music Award for “Blues Rock Album;” and Albert Castiglia won the BMA for “Blues Rock Artist.” With both artists on the exciting Gulf Coast Records label, it only made sense to join forces and give the fans what they’ve long been clamoring for: “Blood Brothers.”

Musicians:

Mike Zito: Vocals/Guitars

Albert Castiglia: Vocals/Guitars

Douglas Byrkit: Bass Guitar

Matt Johnson: Drums/Percussion

Ephraim Lowell: Drums/Percussion

Lewis Stephens: Piano/Organ

Featured Artist: Joe Bonamassa - A Thousand Heartaches

Additional musicians:

Josh Smith - Guitar

Joe Bonamassa - Guitar

Lemar Carter - Drums

Calvin Turner - Bass

Steve Patrick - Trumpet

Mike Haynes - Trumpet

Jimmy Bowland - Saxophone

Jonathan Salcedo - Trombone

Matt Jefferson - Trombone

Jade Macrae - Background Vocals

Dannielle DeAndrea - Background Vocals

Tracks

Zito

10. Hill Country Jam - written by Mike Zito / Josh Smith

11. One Step Ahead of the Blueswritten by Roger Tillison

Blood Brothers Upcoming Tour Dates

Mar. 23 - Safety Harbor Art & Music Center - Safety Harbor, FL

Mar. 24 - The Funky Biscuit - Boca Raton, FL

Mar. 25 - Buckingham Blues Bar Spring Festival - Ft. Myers, FL

Mar. 26 - The Alley - Sanford, FL

Mar. 28 - Cafe Eleven - St. Augustine, FL

Mar. 29 - Neighborhood TheatreCharlotte, NC

Mar. 30 - The Blue Note Grill - Durham, NC

April 1 - Coeur d’Alene Blues FestivalCoeur d’Alene, ID

April 4 - The Hamilton LiveWashington, DC

April 6 - Infinity Music HallHartford, CT

April 7 - StageOne-Fairfield Theater Company - Fairfield, CT

April 8 - Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues ClubPortsmouth, NH

April 11 - The Kent Stage - Kent, OH

April 12 - Jergel’s Rhythm GrilleWarrendale, PA

April 13 - Sellersville TheaterSellersville, PA

April 14 - The Iridium - New York, NY

April 15 - The Music Room - West Yarmouth, MA

April 17 & 18 - Fanatics Pub - Lima, NY

April 19 - Chan’s - Woonsocket, RI

April 20 - Bull Run - Shirley, MA

April 21 - Narrows Center For The ArtsFall River, MA

April 22 - Tupelo Music HallDerry, NH

Sept. 7 - 10 - Big Blues BenderLas Vegas, NV

Additional dates forthcoming….

1. Hey Sweet Mama - written by Mike Zito

2. In My Soul - written by Mike Zito

3. Tooth and Nail - written by Tinsley Ellis

4. Fool Never Learns - written by Fred James

5. A Thousand Heartaches - featuring Joe Bonamassa - written by Albert Castiglia

6. My Business - written by John Hiatt

7. You’re Gonna Burn - written by Fred James / Berry Hill

8. Bag Me, Tag Me, Take Me Awaywritten by Graham Wood Drout

9. No Good Woman - written by Mike

Soft City: How to compete to conquer your future

By Edoardo Fassio

At the 38th International Blues Challenge, which took place in Memphis at the end of January, the Houstonian band Mathias Lattin and solo artist Frank Sultana from Sydney, Australia, more than deservedly triumphed in their categories. But the entire contest, promoted annually by the Blues Foundation, was a showcase for many interesting acts from the whole planet, or nearly so.

Of course, not everybody can come first but, as Mick Kolassa wisely notes, everybody wins just by being there. Kolassa, a performer of undisputed stature and a long-time judge at the IBC, recalls that, among those who took the challenge but didn’t win, there’s been Michael Burks, Susan Tedeschi, Sugaray Rayford and other future superstars of the genre.

Soft City, a driven and talented young band from Oslo, are among those who did not pass the turn. When they started, in 2018, the five members, all music students, lived in different cities of Norway; they used to swap ideas and write the songs via email and met on the weekends for rehearsals. Their debut album, Settle for the Moon, came out in 2022 on the esteemed Kirkelig Kulturverksted label; guest musicians include national blues guru Knut Reiersrud

The band’s blues/soul instinct intersects with their visionary reimagining of the Sixties and with the natural tendency to research and improvisation, where elements of jazz and art-rock can be detected. Even when they play in front of an audience, the lively interpretative freedom of the soloists - Ask Vatn Strøm on guitar and Håvard Ersland on organ - does not come at the expense of the aesthetics of the songs, nor of their full expressiveness.

The group’s name derives from a comic story that has become a cult, created in 1975 by Hariton Pushwagner, an emblematic protagonist of the Norwegian counterculture. His restless wails of urban alienation ring out on “This Don’t Feel Like Home,” which stands out alongside the inventive ballad “Fool to Love You” and the pleading soulfulness of “Lost into Space”. As in the title track with its danceable, vigorously retro riff, one of the band’s winning weapons is Thea Paulsrud’s false-innocent singing. To a proudly original repertoire they add some brilliant surprises during live performances, such as unveiling a new delicacy to the well-known standard “I’d Rather Go Blind”.

Already darlings of a country where blues culture is deeply rooted, Soft City’s next international stop will be in June 2023 in Chorzów, Poland, where they will be ambassadors of Norwegian blues at the European Blues Challenge. Regardless of the results, the charming Thea and her worthy partners are already conquering their future.

Soft City: Come competere per conquistare il futuro

By Edoardo Fassio

All’International Blues Challenge, che si è svolto a Memphis alla fine di gennaio, hanno più che meritatamente trionfato la band dell’houstoniano Mathias Lattin e Frank Sultana, da Sydney, Australia, nella categoria solo/duo. Ma l’intera rassegna promossa annualmente dalla Blues Foundation è stata una vetrina per parecchie realtà interessanti provenienti dall’intero pianeta, o quasi.

Naturalmente non tutti hanno potuto arrivare primi ma, come nota Mick Kolassa, interprete di indiscussa statura nonché a lungo giudice alla IBC, la partecipazione in sé è già una vittoria. E ricorda che molte future superstar del genere, come Michael Burks, Susan Tedeschi e Sugaray Rayford, non furono tra i vincitori.

Non ha superato il turno la giovanissima band di Oslo Soft City, motivata e ricca di talento. All’epoca della fondazione, avvenuta nel 2018, i cinque componenti, tutti studenti di musica, vivevano in diverse città della Norvegia; si scambiavano i suggerimenti e componevano i pezzi via email per poi ritrovarsi nei weekend per le prove. L’album di esordio, Settle for the Moon, esce nel 2022 per la nobile etichetta Kirkelig Kulturverksted; tra i musicisti ospiti appare il guru del blues nazionale Knut Reiersrud.

L’istinto blues/soul della band si interseca con un’immaginaria ricostruzione parallela degli anni Sessanta e con la naturale propensione alla ricerca e all’improvvisazione, dove si intravedono tracce di jazz e di art-rock. Anche durante le esibizioni live, la vivace libertà interpretativa dei solisti - Ask Vatn Strøm alla chitarra e Håvard Ersland all’organo - non va a scapito dell’estetica dei pezzi, né della loro incisiva compattezza.

Il nome del gruppo deriva da una storia a fumetti diventata un culto, creata nel 1975 da Hariton Pushwagner, un personaggio emblematico della controcultura norvegese. I suoi inquieti lamenti di alienazione urbana risuonano in “This Don’t Feel Like Home”, uno dei cavalli di battaglia insieme all’inventiva ballad “Fool To Love You” e all’implorante deep soul

“Lost Into Space”. Come nella title track dal riff danzabile, vigorosamente rétro, una delle armi vincenti della band è il canto falso-innocente di Thea Paulsrud. A un repertorio orgogliosamente originale aggiungono dal vivo qualche brillante sorpresa, magari scoprendo una nuova delicatezza al notissimo standard “I’d Rather Go Blind”.

Già beniamini della critica e del pubblico di un paese dove la cultura blues è assai radicata, la prossima tappa internazionale per la Città Morbida sarà a giugno 2023 a Chorzów, in Polonia, dove saranno ambasciatori del blues norvegese alla European Blues Challenge. A prescindere dai risultati, la seducente Thea e i suoi degni partner stanno già conquistando il loro futuro.

Victor Wainwright and The Train

Performing On Both Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises In 2023

Acclaimed 2019 Grammy-nominated American Roots artist Victor Wainwright and the Train, ‘The Piana From Savannah,” is honored to perform at both Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises in 2023.

“Victor Wainwright and the Train have become one of the favorite bands to perform on the twice-yearly Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises,” says LRBC CEO and Talent Buyer, Roger Naber. “Victor first came on the Legendary Cruise in 2012 to perform solo in the Piano Lounge, and has seen his mastership of Boogie Woogie gain appreciative large crowds, while assembling one of today’s top touring bands, The Train. Not just a band leader who has assembled an excellent working outfit, Victor also has the “team player” skills to fit in with others, whether he’s leading a late night Jam Session or is asked to participate in support of another band’s set of songs. A crowd favorite, Victor Wainwright is a powerful singer and a

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dynamic performer we regularly present on the prestigious Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises,” concludes Naber.

Wainwright is currently performing on LRBC #38 in the Eastern Caribbean, and performs October 28-November 4 on LRBC #39 in the Mexican Riviera.

Victor Wainwright & The Train performing on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise with Special Guests - https://youtu.be/qmqZ88Dk87A

Backtrack Blues Band

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Recorded live at the Tampa Bay Blues Festival on April 10, 2022, the new live album showcases the band that consists of Sonny Charles on harmonica and vocals, Kid Royal on lead guitar and vocals, Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on drums and Stick Davis on bass. On larger shows, the band is joined by Wayne Sharp on B3 organ and the Backtrack Angels on backing vocals. These seasoned musicians combined have garnered a Grammy Award, two Blues Music Awards, a Keeping the Blues Alive Award, and three Tampa Bay Music Awards for “Best Blues Band. “

“I have been a friend and fan of Sonny Charles for years,” says Gulf Coast Records founder Mike Zito in announcing the signing. “His band has been a staple in the Florida Blues scene for 40 years. This live album is a wonderful culmination of his great band and love for the music.”

“A Day by The Bay captures the energy and excitement of the band performing live at a major festival,” adds Sonny Charles. “Lots of guitar, harp and B3 organ on these original tunes to please Blues music fans. We think blues music is best when it’s experienced live. This album represents our decades of performing together, and the band’s longevity is reflected in the strong guitar, harp and B3 organ that really shine here. “

The Backtrack Blues Band was formed in St Petersburg, Florida in 1980, and is one of the longest-running blues bands in America. This high-energy quintet features Chicago- style blues, with Texas influences. Exceptional guitar, harp, and vocals have made this band a favorite on the American and international festival circuit.

Track Listing:

Best Friend’s Grave (Sonny Charles) Make My Home in Florida (Sonny Charles)

Help Me Just This Time ( Sonny Charles) Dixie Grill ( Sonny Charles) Natural Born Lover (Jimmy Reed)

Backtrack Blues Band has performed in concert with the world’s greatest blues artists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Buddy Guy, Gregg Allman, Robert Cray, Johnny Winter, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Koko Taylor, John Lee Hooker, and many more. The group has released eight albums of original music, including this latest album on Gulf Coast Records.

The group’s members are serious students of blues music, and their influences include Little Walter, Albert King, Ronnie Earl, Paul Butterfield, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Sonny Charles is an accomplished harp player in the mold of the great Chicago blues harmonica legends. Kid Royal is influenced by the Texas blues sounds of Freddie King, T-Bone Walker, and Jimmie Vaughan.

Rich Man Blues (Sonny Charles)

She Might Get Mad (Kid Royal)

Times Is Hard (Kid Royal)

You’ll Come Back Someday (Sonny Charles)

Together, they comprise one of Florida’s longest-running and most accomplished blues bands, displaying original, electric blues music with honesty and panache!

A Day by the Bay Album Credits

Musicians:

Sonny Charles - lead vocals and harmonica

Kid Royal - lead vocals and lead guitar

Little Johnny Walter - rhythm guitar & backing vocals

Joe Bencomo - drums

Stick Davis - bass

Wayne Sharp - B3 Organ

Latonya Oliver - backing vocals

Dana Merriwether - backing vocals

Producer: Jim “Pinky “Beeman

Italy’s Martin Craig Be

Tearing It Up In Houston Jack!

Look out now The Big Easy in Houston, Texas was smokin’ hot when the Evelyn Rubio Band took to the stage and set Italy’s Martin Craig free to nail down some hot, hot, hot blues rock. The lead guitarist from Turin Italy would do three shows in greater Houston and be a studio guest on Tom Tranchilla’s Songwriter’s Studio on KPFT radio. Two shows with Evelyn Rubio, one at The Big Easy and the other at Green Oaks Tavern plus one more with the incredible Steve Krase Band at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge. Martin is the band leader of The Black City Band as well as being a club owner himself. Back in 2017 Martin’s band backed up Evelyn Rubio at four nightclub events in northern Italy. At that time Evelyn reciprocated and invited Martin to perform with her band in Houston. Finally last month February 2023 that pairing reunited right here in Evelyn’s home town and the evenings were nothing but way cool. At the Big Easy the place was either right at capacity or close to it. The dance floor was packed solid and there was a line at the door to get in. Ah the good ole days were back now that it’s post pandemic and this night was special for sure. James Wilhite, the famous blues and rock guitarist was also tearing it up as he always does with Barry Seelen was on the keys and nailing his solos big time. The bass player, Alfred Kennedy, was hotter than a sunny day in August in Houston and the drummer, Memo Reza, did a solo that kicked ass all the way from downtown to Austin. Look out now! Last but not in any way least was Boris Tabasco the blues harp master from Italy as well. This man did not only deliver soul in each blues number through his harp but his gritty low voice was the icing on the cake. Evelyn’s song rotation included a number of her popular chart busting tunes along with such crowd favorites as Proud Mary and Respect. Her goal was to keep the dance floor packed all night long and she accomplished that for sure. Tommy McClendon, owner of The Big Easy had this to say, “This feels good, so many top shelf talents on stage with a house full of blues rock lovers - we are cooking tonight!” Martin comes from a family of musicians with his father being a very early admirer of the late Frank Zappa. Martin would learn from his father and then gravitate toward funk as well and stay within his sub-genre producing albums with a cross fusion of funk and Zappa. His latest album released in June of 2022 is aptly titled “Blue Funk Trip” and was performed live at the Torino Film Festival recently. Martin also owns Birraceca Pub82 in Rivoli just outside of Turin where both music lovers as well as established musicians stop in most nights of the week. Evelyn continues her music career with a new album already in the works and with the recent announcement of her new “Ocean Child” a song she produced for the movie short of the same name. The song is also being released in a new music video featuring Evelyn in the studio and her video will roll out in the Dolby Atmos format, the hottest new music format to come along in a long time. Evelyn is releasing “Ocean Child” in MP3, WAV, MP4, and Dolby Atmos formats for the international marketplace. In Houston both The Big Easy and the Green Oaks Tavern continue to present the blues nightly. If you are going to Turin in northern Italy don’t miss seeing Martin Craig and The Black City Band tear it up.

Photo Credit: Sophie Jouvenaar

With Valentine’s Day upon us, it is good timing for the master crafter of Love Songs, Marc Jordan, from whose pen emerged the classic global top-5 pop hit for Rod Stewart, 1991’s “Rhythm of My Heart,” to announce that his new solo album, Waiting for the Sun to Rise, will be released worldwide on April 21 by Linus Entertainment. An advance single, “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” has just been released and is an example of the kind of romantic ballad Marc is renowned for writing.

Marc Jordan’s song craft is lauded by the likes of Diana Ross, Cher and Joe Cocker, all of whom have covered his songs; but Marc is an artist in his own right, since his first album was released on Warner Records in 1978 generating the hit, “Living In Marina del Rey.”

Marc’s new album, Waiting for the Sun to Rise (Linus Entertainment). comes hot on the heels of the Juno-nominated Both Sides, and represents another deep dive into the jazz-tinged, wholly original soundscape Jordan revisits with each new release.

Whereas Both Sides saw Jordan exploring the Great American Songbook — which to him ranges from Hoagy Carmichael to Lou Reed — Waiting for the Sun to Rise is a return to Jordan originals, sumptuously arranged for the piano and orchestra by acclaimed producer Lou Pomanti (Michael Bublé, Blood Sweat and Tears), with trumpet solos from Grammywinning artist Randy Brecker.

His 15th album may well be his most emotionally direct ever; its songs suggest comfort in the wee hours, redemption amid the ruins. Jordan sets his stories in an afterhours netherworld populated by lonely lovers and disappointed dreamers, referencing historical figures like John Coltrane and Joe Louis, counterbalanced with the splendor of the natural world: more than ever, these new songs feature celestial bodies, mountains, canyons and forests. His cover choices this time out include two British favorites of the ’80s: underrated

Marc Jordan has recorded with several of music’s best-known producers — David Foster, Gary Katz (Steely Dan) — and has had success in multiple genres. In 2010 he co-starred with Olivia NewtonJohn in the film Score: A Hockey Musical, and since 2004 he has been performing and recording with Ian Thomas, Murray McLauchlan and Cindy Church as Lunch at Allen’s. He is married to singersongwriter Amy Sky, and in 2022, the duo recorded an album of duets entitled He Sang She Sang.

“Marc Jordan has always been about

uncompromising quality. He has a way of not doing the obvious, and that’s what makes a great songwriter: you say it or play it differently than everybody else.” —

David Foster

https://linusentertainment.com/marcjordan/ cult favorite The Blue Nile (“The Downtown Lights”) as well as one of the biggest hits of that decade: Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” to which Jordan gives a smooth-jazz makeover.

Tracklisting

1. The Last Buffalo 1:05

2. Best Day of My Life 5:07

3. Coltrane Sings the Blues 5:22

4. Waiting for the Sun to Rise 4:41

5. Frontier 1:36

6. Rio Grande 5:52

7. Everybody Wants to Rule the World 4:43

8. Tell Me Where it Hurts 4:19

9. The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress 4:41

10. Bad time to Say Goodbye 5:45

11. The Downtown Lights 5:57

12. Cradle to the Grave 4:45

Dolby Atmos – A Dramatic Experience In The Clarity Of Your Music

I have a friend that lost most of his hearing in his left ear when he was little. He still became a musician and has played with partial hearing for over 40 years. When he sat in the center chair in my studio and I played examples of Dolby Atmos ready songs, it was emotional. For the first time in his life he was hearing the music like he was supposed to hear it. Being immersed in the middle of the song somehow compensated for his hearing loss. He almost cried. Recording Artists pay close attention, this opinion is for you. Dolby Atmos is going to revolutionize the way we listen to music.

I have made a nice career out of understanding computer technology trends and helping large corporations understand the impact and importance of those changes; how to benefit from and embrace new technology. I combined 40 years of expertise in computer technology with my passion for music when I opened my studio in 2015. My vision has been to advance the quality of music recordings. This vision was and continues to be something that I have been chasing for 20 years, a real labor of love. As I became more knowledgeable of the music recording industry, it was only natural for me to notice how technological advances tended to disrupt the recording industry. Probably as much as any industry I have ever worked in changes in technology drive the consumer market for music. One item I that have noticed about technology is when something changes it never comes well planned and organized. Instead, the changes tend to be slow and messy. For example, it takes time for related technology to integrate, for people to learn, and for the work processes to adjust to the new products. Only then is there a chance these advancements will become mainstream and commercially viable. Often the new technology is very expensive, and one has to wait to see if it is going to be accepted by the consumers. Sometimes it’s not adopted and fails to gain mass acceptance. The music industry is a good example of how technology can disrupt an industry and, in some cases, fail. What I noticed about the music industry is for something to become accepted, it has to be more than just an advancement in recording techniques or audio quality. The advancements have to hit home, they must be mobile for instance, the technology has to be easily accessible and be embraced by the public. When the new advancement is accompanied by widespread popularity, a commercial boom is soon to follow. This has been the case since music was first heard over the radio through a phonograph recording of “Ombra mai fu Largo” on Christmas Eve 1906. Although the technology was available, the big boon for the music industry arrived much later not until the 1950’s when car radios became affordable and AM radio stations sprang up everywhere. There was a large demand for music to be played over the radio waves. People loved it because they could listen to the music they loved on the go. Soon affordable handheld and portable transistor radios would follow and the golden age of radio was in full swing. The recording industry was boomcontinued on next page

David

Not since music moved from mono to stereo has anything been this immersive

Ehninnger ATR Studio

Dolby Atmos – A Dramatic Experience In The Clarity Of Your Music

ing and recording artists and record companies could not deliver enough music to meet the demand. Then came another advancement in the recording industry followed by an advancement in the playback technology. Stereo recordings were invented followed by FM radio stations. Suddenly music could be heard in two dimensions. The concept of Stereo was invented in the late 30’s and stereo music recordings were available in the late 50’s. At this point in time the public was skeptical and the cost to own a home stereo was high. It wasn’t until FM radio came along that the format took off. When auto manufactures began to offer Car stereos, the stereo format really took off. And boy did it take off, soon everyone had a home stereo system. This was the platinum age of radio. All forms of music were being recorded and played on the FM radio stations. I vividly remember when 8-track tapes came out, I was so happy. You could finally take your music, the music you wanted to listen to, with you. I remember Christmas 1970 when my brother bought me a Three Dog Night 8 track tape. We would ride around in his car and I would belt out “Joy to the World, all the boys and girls”… and what a joy it was. Cassette tapes would soon follow and for the first time we could make our own mix tape, again taking our own music with us in car stereos and eventually play them on boom boxes and The Walkman. This was the first time I saw the word Dolby. I didn’t know what Dolby did, but I knew when you pushed the Dolby button the cassette tape sounded much better. I was a fan. The pace of change in the music industry and the disruptions have only increased. Over the last 30 years the impact to the market and speed of change seems to arrive more often, but the changes also generate opportunities for those that embrace the change. 52nd street by Bill Joel was released in 1982 on compact disc, and the digital age of music began. Once again it took some time for public acceptance of this new format but once CD players were available in home systems, car stereos, and the Walkman, CD’s took over. To this day you will find people that say their vinyl albums sound better, and perhaps they do, but what digital did for music was make it even more portable, more accessible, more available. Digital music led to Apple to release their IPOD, another important advancement in the mobility of music. Now you could download just the songs you wanted and take your music with you anywhere you wanted to go. Network bandwidth and improved wi-fi led to music streaming and now streaming has become the way most people listen to music. We continued on next page

Dolby Atmos – A Dramatic Experience In The Clarity Of Your Music

are at a point in time where people hardly buy music anymore. When was the last time you bought a Vinal record, a CD, much less a cassette or 8 track tape? Yet all of these were important advancements in the accessibility and portability of music. Now immersive audio is at the brink of acceptance - and has already started to create another disruption of the industry. Once again, Apple has led the way with their release of spatial audio on Apple Music and by doing so they woke the giants of the movie industry and the pioneers of immersive audio Sony and Dolby up. If you have been to the movies since 2012 you were likely to have heard Dolby Atmos in the movie theaters. This is the technology that allows the allusion of jet airplanes flying overhead, and the sound of rockets ships blasting past you as the low frequencies immerse you in the movie. Now that experience is available in music. Much like the technologies I have been writing about, it has been around for a while, but the acceptance and the mobility part are happening now. If you own an Android phone, chances are you already have Dolby Atmos on your phone and don’t even know it. Most newer home theaters have Atmos built in, and there are many affordable high quality sound bars that are coming Atmos ready. These are popular with the home movie crowd but they also work for music. Apple realized that most people are listening to music by streaming it through their phones to headphones and they capitalized on biaural headphone technology being used in PC gaming systems for music. And most recently several major car manufacturers; Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes have announced Dolby Atmos car systems are coming soon. So the portability, and mobility of immersive audio is on its way and coming to more places than just theaters. This is the next disruptions in the music industry which brings me back to the start of my article. The case for immersive audio. It is the actual experience that will change everything. Because for the first time, you feel like you are in the band, on the stage, immersed in the music. Think of being in the center of a music bubble, surrounded by the song. I am experiencing the same type of emotional reaction from anyone that sits in the center chair in my studio. They are hearing things in songs they have never heard before. They are talking about the clarity and the different parts; they feel like they are part of the music. And this is the case for Atmos or any immersive audio format. This is what you always wanted for your music - to be presented in a format that allows the listener to feel they are a part of the music. The time is now, are you ready? David Ehninnger is a seasoned technology expert that researches and recommends solutions for major corporations. His life long love of music drove his curiosity to research and then finally open ATR Studio in Katy Texas. A successful presence that works with both aspiring and well established artists.

To learn moreATR Studios. Across The Road , LLC. acrosstheroadllc.com acrosstheroadproductions@gmail.com. 281-804-5210.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN BETTMAN

Kendrick Kendrick Kendrick Kendrick Kendrick

Scott Scott Scott Scott Scott

Drummer and composer Kendrick Scott released his new single “One Door Closes, Another Opens” with an accompanying live performance video. The song is the second single from his upcoming full-length Corridors — releasing March 3rd, Corridors is Scott’s third album for Blue Note Records, and his first compositional treatment of trio context: saxophone, bass, and drums. The follow-up to A Wall Becomes A Bridge, Scott’s much-lauded 2019 release with his band Oracle, Corridors unveils an exposed rumination from the Houston-born artist and his acclaimed collaborators: saxophonist Walter Smith III and bassist Reuben Rogers.

Equal parts somber and tender, “One Door Closes, Another Opens” pays tribute to loved ones lost and loved ones born during the pandemic. On this composition Scott incorporates his own vocal down in the mix. “I love to sing on my record but it’ll never be in the forefront,” he says. “I’m always singing, so it’s just a little window into how I hear music.” Originally commissioned by Rio Sakairi for The Jazz Gallery’s 2020 Artist Fellowship Series, Corridors features eight original compositions and one new arrangement of a beloved tune from the Bobby Hutcherson canon (“Isn’t This My Sound Around Me?”). Born during the pandemic lockdown, the record focuses on posing outward questions instead of inward contemplation. “I often write about something that I’m going through,” says Scott, “but for this record I wanted to zoom out from my perspective and instead, try to deal with everyone’s. The pandemic forced everyone to deal with the shadows they had been running from.”

Corridors reflects a shared intimacy and spotlights a different aspect of Scott’s expression in the pared down trio setting. A conceptual question emerged around loss: “What was taken away from everybody?

What did you lose?” For Scott, who serves as album producer, this question became the impetus for assembling the album’s instrumentation. To create a truly empathetic musical gesture, he chose to abandon what he loves most: “In my band Oracle, it’s pretty much built around the guitar and the piano. I thought what I could do in aural form is take away those two instruments.”

From that intrinsically transitory point of origin — and the discomfort of loss — Scott allowed the music to develop, on the page and inside the studio. Over the course of the album, he and his fellow artists transform tension building into a nuanced art form. Summoning waves of harmonic dimension from the drum kit, he shifts between creating atmospheric spaces for Smith and Rogers to explore and plunging into those spaces himself.

“One of my strengths is creating a harmonic

Follow Kendrick Scott: Website @ http://www.kendrickscott.com/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/kendrickscottoracle Twitter @ https://twitter.com/kendrickscott Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/kadscott/ space for groups,” says Scott, “And the trio afforded me even more space so I too could be freer to interpret all the layers. Reuben navigates the world in such a genuine and loving way and his playing is a reflection of that. He’s the glue element — grounding and uplifting. And Walter has this sound that’s

always been so beautiful and inspiring to me. Of my peers, Walter’s always been a guiding light.”

Corridors is available for pre-order on vinyl, CD, and digital at https://kendrickscott.lnk.to/ Corridors

New Music From Canada

Stars Align for Toronto Singer-Songwriter Meredith Moon for the Launch of Her True North Records Album, Constellations on March 31

Listen to the title track “Constellations” | Watch the video at https://truenorthrecords.com/meredithmoon/

Pre-Order | Pre-Save the Album Here at https://truenorthrecords.com/meredithmoon/ spaces and online forums. Now her second album, Constellations, has landed her a global record deal—and she’s ready for her close-up.

True North Records today announced the signing of Meredith Moon and the forthcoming release of her new album, Constellations, a blisteringly honest but astonishing body of work that easily puts her neatly in the footsteps of her father, Gordon Lightfoot. Constellations is set to be released March 31st, 2023.

For the past decade, Meredith Moon introduced herself simply as “a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter,” wowing audiences around the world with her clawhammer banjo and original songs. She didn’t mention that her father is Gordon Lightfoot; she first wanted to prove herself, on her own terms. Which she did: one gig at a time, hitchhiking around North America, riding the rails, making her own connections in DIY

Constellations comprises 10 songs that showcase Meredith’s unique voice and captivating lyrics, wrapped in a raw neo-traditional folk sound, with traditional Appalachian step-rhythms and banjo.

But Meredith Moon isn’t someone living in the past. She’s a young woman. She taught herself to play banjo when she was 21 by watching YouTube videos. Then she hit the road playing solo alongside a folk-punk band, tapping into a DIY network that enabled her to book her own tours: across North America, Central America and western Europe,

including Croatia and the Czech Republic — many places that don’t often see a young female singer-songwriter playing Appalachian-style banjo. Bars, art spaces, house shows — it didn’t matter to Moon: “I booked everything through the traveling punks and the old-time scene—which are honestly quite similar.”

She only performed publicly with her father for the first time in 2022, opening some Canadian dates for the songwriting legend. “He didn’t introduce me as his daughter. He completely understands and respects why I’d want that. He’d just say, ‘Give it up for Meredith Moon.’ That was really nice.”

So take the man’s advice and put your hands together and give it up: follow Constellations until you find Meredith Moon. On her own merits.

Meredith Moon will be performing an album release concert in Toronto at the Rivoli on March 31, 2023.

Constellations Tracklisting

1. Starcrossed (2:10)

2. That Town (3:44)

3. Constellations (4:17)

4. Brokenwing Bird (4:12)

5. Your Cards (3:34)

6. Soldier’s Joy (2:46)

7. Lighthouse County (3:40)

8. Mark Twain (3:19)

9. Needlecase Medley (3:09)

10. Slow Moving Train (4:21)

Death

Death

Death

Goals

Death Goals Death

Goals

Goals

Goals

Photographer credit: Gobinder Jhitta

Death Goals Announce New

Album, A Garden of Dead Flowers

Lead single And Music Video For ‘Faux Macho’ Out Now Watch The Music Video For “FAUX MACHO” Here At https://youtu.be/Y9gaGwF9TWk

FOLLOW DEATH GOALS ONLINE:

Facebook @

https://www.facebook.com/DeathGoals

Twitter @ https://twitter.com/deathgoalsband

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/deathgoalsband/

Hertfordshire, UK chaotic hardcore duo DEATH GOALS have today announced their second album, and Prosthetic Records debut, A Garden of Dead Flowers - set to be released on May 5. Alongside the album announcement DEATH GOALS have shared the lead single and music video, Faux Macho, which is available to listen to on all streaming services now and view below.

Speaking on the album announcement and Faux Macho, DEATH GOALS comment: “We are so excited to finally share this album with everybody; It’s truly Death Goals down to a T, and a real honest reflection of ourselves as artists.

“Faux Macho is one of our favourite tracks we wrote for this record, wearing our love and appreciation for queer culture with pride on our sleeves for the world to see”

Whilst bands are often prone to describing their latest opus as a progression, in the case of DEATH GOALS it very much is - and there were signposts towards their burgeoning intentions on 2021 fulllength The Horrible and the Miserable’s closing track. Nothing Left To Give was the only song to feature clean vocals and paved the way towards what is now just around the corner with A Garden of Dead Flowers. This album also sees the pairing of Harry Bailey and George Milner embrace being defined as a queer hardcore band; their experiences - both good and bad - with that label and its accoutrements are documented throughout.

From album the album opener - the wonderfully titled Genderless Clones of Gameshow Hosts - through to the joyously provocative closer, Faux Macho, Harry and George guide listeners through secret woodland hookups, fighting against queer erasure, nightmarish middle of the night fears, addiction and rehab, dysphoria, and - potentially most importantly - euphoric community acceptance.

Sonically, the pair have expanded their palette - arguably a happy by-product of feeling more comfortable in their own skins and within the band’s identity. With more time and focus dedicated to shaping and re-working the songs in pre-production, the 11 tracks on A Garden of Dead Flowers are more cohesive and well-rounded than ever before. Recording took place over just five days in April 2022 with Tom Hill at Bookhouse Recording studio in London, UK. Whilst they stay true to their chaotic hardcore nucleus, there are flourishes of

Stream Faux Macho via Apple Music @ https://music.apple.com/gb/album/a-garden-of-deadflowers/1653855860

TIDAL @ https://tidal.com/browse/album/259553604 Deezer @ https://www.deezer.com/us/album/ 374087177?utm_campaign=clipboardgeneric&utm_source=user_sharing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_content=album374087177&deferredFl=1

Bandcamp @ https://deathgoals.bandcamp.com/album/agarden-of-dead-flowers

Spotify @ https://open.spotify.com/album/ 1YwyXxxKAFxiyxGI8euCx7?si=ls0rg6aSQal541_mLgCvQ&nd=1

Pre-order A Garden of Dead Flowers here @ https://lnk.to/DeathGoals

noise, sludge, and even black metal speckled throughout. The flowers of the album name are motifs of members of the queer community; trampled, crushed and oppressed by policies, politics and society itself. The title track revisits the content of the song Exit Wounds on their debut - detailing an experience in rehabbut this time through the lens of increased queer self-acceptance and ownership. Whilst there are undoubtedly dark moments on A Garden of Dead Flowers, DEATH GOALS are gleefully antagonistic and have created an engaging anthology of reflections on lived experiences, offering up hope, support and community to those around them.

A Garden of Dead Flowers tracklist:

7.

Providing a savory spoonful to whet our insatiable appetites for more new music, The Church has just released the third single – “No Other You” - from their forthcoming album THE HYPNOGOGUE (release date: February 24, 2023, via Communicating Vessels). Reading like a short story from visionary science fiction author Philip K. Dick (“A Scanner Darkly,” “Electric Dreams”), the release of “No Other You” continues the album’s retro-futuristic, dystopian narrative that revolves around a fictional machine (the “Hypnogogue”) that extracts music directly from subconscious dreams.

While the single “The Hypnogogue” introduces characters “Sun Kim Jong” (a Korean scientist/occult dabbler and creator of the aforementioned contraption) and her love interest/ rockstar “Eros Zeta” who wants to employ the machine to revive his flailing career, and the follow up “C’est La Vie” served as a cautionary tale from Zeta’s agent not to mess with the Hypnogogue, “No Other You” continues the narrative on a more personal level. Bassist/ vocalist/founder STEVE KILBEY explains that it is an “ultra-romantic song that Zeta writes for Sun Kim Jong, who is the inventor of The Hypnogogue. It’s a heartfelt song about an irreplaceable woman. And the Church gets to explore a slightly glam rock feel to boot.” At the heart of it, “No Other You” is pure and simply a cinematic love song. As Backseat Mafia lauds, ‘No Other You’ has a reflective shimmering wall of sound with singer/bass player Steve Kilbey’s voice filled with a heart-aching yearning. It is one of the most anthemic songs the band has ever produced – filled with melody and orchestration that is ethereal and cinematic.”

THE CHURCH “No Other You” Single Artwork (hi-res)

Entering their fourth decade of making music and playing live shows with all the fierce creative energy of their early years, The Church will be setting off on a North American tour kicking off on March 11th in Los Angeles and circles the States, concluding on April 8th in Pelham, TN (tour dates below).

Starting out in 1980, The Church has continued to expand their atmospheric blend of indie rock, shimmering post-punk, icy dreampop and psychedelic post-rock without any retread.

Photo credit: Hugh Stewart

THE CHURCH

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from previous page)

Their expansive music career yielded a string of hit songs including “Under the Milky Way,” “Reptile,” “The Unguarded Moment” and “Almost With You” amongst others and their equally stellar live shows have been deemed “spectacular” by MAGNET Magazine, citing their “dreamy psychedelia that will daub your evening with shades of paisley.” Their most recent U.S. performance at 2022’s Cruel World Festival alongside Blondie, Bauhaus and Morrissey was heralded as “a subtle delight… that captivated the late afternoon audience” (Orange County Register), “providing the perfect soundtrack” (Rock Cellar Magazine).

The 2022 epic five-piece line-up is bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; with long-time collaborator Tim Powles, drummer and producer across 17 albums since ’94; guitarist Ian Haug formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger, who joined the band in 2013 and Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero), touring multi-instrumentalist who is now a full-time member of The Church since the departure of Peter Koppes in early 2020. The band have also recruited Ashley Naylor, long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band and one of Australia’s finest and most respected guitarists (Even, The Grapes, The Stems).

The Church’s 26th album THE HYPNOGOGUE was released on February 24, 2023 via Communicating Vessels.

The Hypnogogue Tracklisting

C’est La Vie

I Think I Knew

Flickering Lights

The Hypnogogue

Albert Ross

Thorn Aerodrome

The Coming Days

No Other You

Succulent

Second Bridge

The Church “No Other You”

Link/embed:

Apr

Apr

In Flames Release Their New Nuclear Blast Records Release Foregone Icons Legends. Torchbearers

In the metal world, In Flames are, quite simply, all of the above.

In Flames represent the best of metal’s past, present, and future. New Wave Of Swedish Death Metal architects and innovative purveyors of groove, hard rock, and melody, the band’s artistry, influence, and stature loom as large as the vibrant style’s horizons. The widely recognized titans boast an impressive and diverse catalog celebrated internationally. In Flames are as vital (and even more energized) today than when they unleashed classics like Come Clarity and Clayman in decades past.

“In Flames are one of the few bands to successfully pull off a radical stylistic shift and not only maintain but actually

grow their fan base, while also staying true to the band’s core sense of self,” Revolver Magazine wrote in 2020, saluting their dual status as hooky hard rock heroes and melodeath icons.

The continued popularity of anthems like “Only for the Weak” (72 million streams on Spotify alone), “Cloud Connected,” “Alias,” “I Am Above,” “Pinball Map,” “Zombie Inc.,” “Artifacts of the Black Rain,” and “Come Clarity” demonstrates how much the fans embrace the diversity of In Flames.

The songwriting duo of singer Anders Fridén and guitarist Björn Gelotte (both of whom appear on every In Flames release since 1995) persists as one of the most potent creative teams in heavy music.

Foregone, the furious fourteenth studio album, combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of their landmark records with the seasoned songwriting of their postmodern era.

“In a way, it sounds stupid to say we wanted to be more ‘metal,’ because we always felt that we were,” Fridén observes. “Over the last couple of years, the world became even more hostile and evil in certain ways. We have a war in Europe. People, in general, are more stressed. All of that energy and anger helped fuel this album. We went in to make something on point, heavier, and yes, ‘more metal.’”

Gelotte concurs. “We made an aggressive album. We kept the dynamics, some big epic choruses, heavy guitars, lots of kick drums, and melodies. That’s who we are and who we’ve always been.”

Foregone is the second In Flames album with bassist Bryce Paul and drummer Tanner Wayne, the first with exMegadeth guitarist Chris Broderick, and the third with Grammy-winning producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace). Mike Plotnikoff (All

continued on next page

In Flames

(continued from previous page)

That Remains, Warbringer) engineered at Benson’s West Valley Recording Studios. Joe Rickard (10 Years, Starset, Diamante), who played drums for In Flames from 2016 through 2019, handled mixing duties.

“Tanner is the best drummer we’ve ever had,” Fridén says proudly. “I don’t say that to diss anyone that came before. Tanner has so much energy and there is so much stuff going on all of the time. Bryce is an amazing bass player, really, really heavy, with a good feel. Chris comes in with all of his knowledge of the guitar. His solos are way different from Bjorn’s and the combination of those two guys just works perfectly. It’s easy to do what I do on top of it because the foundation is so solid.”

Songs like “State of Slow Decay,” “End the Transmission,” “Bleeding Out,” “Meet Your Maker,” and “The Great Deceiver” pulsate with hypnotizing power and furious anger. There’s desperation, a raw nerve exposed, brought on by the chaotic dystopia of post-pandemic society.

“This album is about lost time. Everything is going in the wrong direction,” Fridén explains. “We can’t make up for the lost time. That’s why the album is called Foregone. We’re destined to end. That realization creates different emotions – panic, frustration, fear. ‘Scary’ isn’t a horror movie or an angry metal guy screaming. The real horror is what’s going on in the news from around the world. We are basically doomed. The album is about the few moments we have left and what we do with them.”

The melodic guitars, crushing riffs, and high-speed tempos that define much of the In Flames catalog first crystalized on their second album, The Jester Race (1996), complete with hints of the catchy choruses to come. Whoracle (1997) is the rawest and arguably heaviest In Flames album from the 90s.

Metal Hammer declared melodeath masterpiece Colony (1999) “an undisputed fireball of an album.” Clayman (2000) introduced synths and more prominent clean vocals, with accessible hooks, without sacrificing the band’s overall intensity, resulting in their first Top 20 album in Sweden. Reroute to Remain (2002) took the groove element even further and broadened the American audience.

Soundtrack to Your Escape (2004) expanded the arena rock bombast. Come Clarity (2006) is a perfect metalcore slab, as majestic as the American bands In Flames inspired. Even as it stepped away from death metal, A Sense of Purpose (2008) delivered some of the band’s best and most eclectic songs.

The gothic groove metal of Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011) paved the way for the unapologetic arena rock of Siren Charms (2014) and Battles (2016), albums full of Active Rock hooks. Fans of the more aggressive side of In Flames heralded I, the Mask (2019) as a return to form. Foregone masterfully, if improbably, manages to serve all sides of the In Flames fanbase, with powerful force.

“We’ve had our fair share of times when we were trying to please others,” Fridén reflects. “‘You should write with other people. You should go after radio.’ We tried it but it wasn’t for us. With this album, we didn’t even think about anyone else or any of that.” The major strength of Foregone, and of In Flames altogether, continues to lie in the long partnership between the singer and guitarist.

“Bjorn and I have 100 percent trust in each other,” Fridén says. “He can give me a piece of music and know that I will give

him something back he’ll feel proud about. I know his way of playing and it’s something I love singing on. He’s from that Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page school of soulful, bluesy guitar players. And he has a good melodic sense. I know him inside and out and I love him to death.”

Both men continue to follow their own compass. “It’s impossible to please everybody. So the most important question to ask is always, ‘Do we like it?’” Gelotte points out. “If I didn’t like the music we play, I couldn’t believe in it. It’s a lot of time away from family. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love it. That’s why we’ve been able to do it for such a long time; because we actually enjoy what we do.”

The band built a stunning reputation with devastating, crowd-moving, inspired performances around the world at every major rock and metal festival imaginable, on festival tours like Rockstar Mayhem and Ozzfest, headlining multiple treks, and touring with their heroes, friends, and giants in the genre.

The band regularly headlines some of the biggest stages and festivals in the world. The list of In Flames tourmates boasts Slipknot, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, Within Temptation, and Lamb Of God. (Over the years, they even took newer bands like Ghost and Gojira as support acts.)

“I’m really proud of what we achieved and that we never went away,” Fridén says reflectively. “Sometimes you’re loved, sometimes you’re not, but we always pushed ourselves and created the music we felt was awesome. I’m so proud and happy with Bryce, Tanner, and Chris, what they’ve brought into the band, on the recordings, and with their energy, and where In Flames is at today.”

A sense of pride, accomplishment, and continued vitality are evident every time the band takes the stage, and all over Foregone. The album itself represents In Flames of the past, present, and future.

“Not caring about anybody’s opinion but ours is a great situation to be in,” Gelotte says. “We’re confident in what we’ve done. We love what we’re doing. And we’re constantly exploring forward.”

New Music From Canada

Lauren Spencer Smith Releases Her New Single “Best Friend Breakup”

Highlighting Her Powerhouse Vocals And Poignant Lyricism

Nominated For Two 2023 JUNO Awards: Artist Of The Year And Fan Choice

LINKS:

“Best Friends Breakup” @ https://bestfriendbreakup.lnk.to/single “Narcissist” @ https://laurenspencersmith.lnk.to/Narcissist

“Flowers” @ https://laurenspencersmith.lnk.to/Flowers

“Fingers Crossed” @| https://laurenspencersmith.lnk.to/FingersCrossed

Follow Lauren Spencer Smith Online At:

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/laurenspencersmith/ TikTok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenspencersmith

Twitter @ https://twitter.com/iamlaurenmusic

YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_0AVrgtXhtBObIFSX7JlA

Lauren Spencer Smith, the generational talent and breakthrough act of 2022, is set to have a landmark 2023. The 19year-old singer songwriter from Vancouver Island, Canada, shares her latest single “Best Friend Breakup” from her forthcoming debut album. The newest anthem is for a certain type of heartbreak — one that comes from the falling out of two best friends. Lauren’s booming, impressive vocals are on full display while she sings about both a deeply personal and universally relatable experience. With “Best Friend Breakup,” she continues her streak of sharing songs that make her fans feel understood; Lauren’s brand of music is like a hug from a friend at the time it’s needed most.

Lauren had an impressive 2022 at nearly 1 billion global artist streams. “Fingers Crossed” catapulted her onto the charts and has earned her RIAA Platinum Certification. She followed “Fingers Crossed,” with equally emotive pop ballads “Flowers,” and “Narcissist,” performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 2022 MTV VMAs, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and more. “Flowers” also earned RIAA Gold Certification. Lauren was nominated as a Best New Artist and performed at the People’s Choice Awards 2022 and Apple Music selected her as one of their “5 Breakthrough Artists Of 2022.” She has earned praise for her versatility, from both her powerhouse vocals to her detailed songwriting. When she steps up to the microphone, the Vancouver Island singer and songwriter shares the kinds of stories typically only traded by best friends long after the sun goes down. Her unfiltered feelings resonate just as loudly as her stunning vocals do, tracing life’s ups, downs, and everything in between with sharp lyrics and even sharper melodies.

Lauren was honored with two 2023 JUNO Award nominations, Artist of the Year and Fan Choice, and will properly introduce herself on her forthcoming fulllength debut album, to be released via Island Records/Republic Records.

Nate Brazier

Photo Credit: Joe Howat

Following a run of acclaimed club-ready singles, South Londonborn artist and producer Nate Brazier has released his debut EP YSK.

Nate Brazier’s artistry is injecting a breath of fresh air into the alt-dance space, bringing color to greyscale coming-of-age moments. Incorporating elements of future garage, alternative R&B and two-step, his music is steeped in the heritage of electronic music – but the difference is he’s writing about his teenage years. Think late-night street-roaming, listening to music in parked cars and curbing hometown monotony with your chosen family. Nate set the tone for his debut EP via a string of acclaimed singles‘Inertia’ ( https://soundcloud.com/ nate-brazier/nate-brazier-inertia ) and ‘Feels’ ( https:// soundcloud.com/nate-brazier/ feels-1 ) emerged amidst the clamor of fans calling for new music after getting hooked on Nate’s first offering, ‘Patterns’ ( https://soundcloud.com/natebrazier/patterns ), and the accompanying videos, which made you wish you’d been out with him and his friends the night before.

The resulting body of work is what Nate calls “an adolescent museum”, as he explains: “I wrote this EP over my teenage years and I think there’s a beauty to this period in life - living in your own world, growing up with your friends and this EP embodies all of that. I want to champion that nostalgia - the beauty in the mundane and my generation’s fears of coming-of-age.”

Nate Brazier Shares Debut EP ‘YSK’

Check It Out At

https://natebrazier.lnk.to/YSK

Connect with Nate Brazier Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/natebrazier/ Twitter @ https://mobile.twitter.com/natebrazierr Tiktok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@natebrazier Soundcloud @ https://soundcloud.com/nate-brazier YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UC4P6q8aTD43UOQhG0crpHJQ

Quick to praise his influences, Nate draws inspiration from the experimental soundscapes of Burial, James Blake, Jai Paul and FKA Twigs. His early releases have amassed over 1M+ streams, featuring on Spotify’s coveted POLLEN playlist and has seen co-signs from Kojey Radical, p-rallel, and Potter Payper. TikTok has been a defining force in how Nate has released music so far, building his fanbase through a series of cinematic TikTok videos which depict the adolescent world he shares with close friends. Imagine 20 seconds of Skins meets Euphoria, accumulating over 10M+ video views on the platform and simultaneously picking up fans across press and radio including:

Clash’s ’Ones to Watch’, Notion, NME, Sian Anderson’s ’Next Generation’ on BBC 1Xtra, Jamz Supernova, BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs’ ‘Hit Reset’, ’New Music Fix’ playlists and most recent ‘Guest Mix’. In such a short space of time, Nate Brazier is an essential new artist to watch.

Listen to YSK above and stay tuned for more Nate Brazier.

Nate Brazier YSK

1. YSK (feat. Louis Culture)

2. Patterns

3. Inertia

4. Feels

5. Untold

6. Evening Shift

Anakena Releases Deluxe Version Of Carita Feliz | Carita Triste

Listen And Watch Their New Single “Por Hoy” Here @

https://youtu.be/xbPgriOhxuw

Follow ANAKENA: Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/anakenamusica/ YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCmSdR_nQFMbpnBGi6JYw_1g

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/anakenamusica

TikTok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@teolb.oficial?lang=en Web @ https://linktr.ee/Anakena

Twitter @ https://twitter.com/anakenamusica

The Venezuelan band combines their albums Carita Feliz and Carita Triste in one special compilation with live versions, remixes, and new songs. The band is also releasing an original podcast and surprises fans with bonus audiovisual material.

In June and August 2022, Anakena released their second album in a unique way: in two parts. Both commercially and conceptually, the band chose to divide their album into two complementary sides: Carita Feliz and Carita Triste, both with a total of seven songs that make each side a completely unique experience. A few months after

the release, multiple music video releases and concerts, the Venezuelan Caribbean pop band brings us the deluxe version of their second album, which they have named Carita Feliz | Carita Triste and where we can find, in addition to the 14 songs that form the original album, three live versions, a remix and two bonus tracks, the latter of which include “Bikini,” a song that was released at the end of 2022, and a new song titled “RELA.”

“RELA is a song very different from what is on the album. It’s a song that speaks about infidelity, but from the cheater’s side. At a musical level, we went for a very groovy, sexy and personal vibe. I think that you’re going to like this side of Anakena,” Mikel, the band’s singer, says. The band’s new song came accompanied by an official music video, which was directed by Tuto Rodríguez and is now available on their official YouTube channel.

Anakena has always been a band that gives great importance to supplementary content and that goes beyond songs. That’s why this time the band released the 2nd season of “Bachata, Bigotes y Queso de Cabra,” an original podcast where the four members talk in each episode about the album’s songs and explore the composition, production, marketing and stories so that fans can learn all the details about their favorite songs. Furthermore, some of the podcast’s episodes were accompanied by bonus content, such as the official music video for “Por Hoy,” a live version of “Baby Beach” from Buenos Aires and a mini documentary where the entire creation process behind the mural by Anakena and Badsura in Chacao is shown. The podcast is available in video format on YouTube and audio format on all digital platforms. All the bonus content can be found on the band’s YouTube channel.

It’s not the first time that the term “deluxe” appears on an Anakena release. Midway through 2020, the Venezuelans released Anakena (Deluxe), a special version of their first album where, in addition to the nine songs that shape the original project, their fans were able to find bonus content, such as live versions, remixes and, on that occasion, a new song.

“The truth is that at that time we were doubtful of the format, because we didn’t know if it made a lot of sense to create this compilation in digital format, but the results showed that the idea caught people’s attention and it also helped us give a second push to all the songs. In the end, the experiment worked and we wanted to repeat it this time as well,” Santiago, the band’s guitarist and songwriter, comments.

2023 looks promising for Anakena, who on their social media accounts have already hinted about a new album and a possible midyear international tour.

Estrena La Version Deluxe De Carita Feliz | Carita Triste

Escucha y mira su nuevo sencillo “Por Hoy” aquí @

https://youtu.be/xbPgriOhxuw

Sigue a ANAKENA:

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/anakenamusica/ YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCmSdR_nQFMbpnBGi6JYw_1g

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/anakenamusica

TikTok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@teolb.oficial?lang=en Web @ https://linktr.ee/Anakena

Twitter @ https://twitter.com/anakenamusica

La banda venezolana unifica sus álbumes Carita Feliz y Carita Triste en un solo compilado especial con versiones en vivo, remixes y temas inéditos. También estrena un podcast original y nos sorprende con material audiovisual adicional.

En junio y agosto de 2022 Anakena estrenó su segundo álbum de una forma particular: en dos partes. Tanto comercial como conceptualmente, la banda optó por dividir su álbum en dos caras complementarias: Carita Feliz y Carita Triste, ambas con un total de siete canciones que hacen de cada contraparte una experiencia completamente única. Luego de algunos meses del estreno, varios lanzamientos de videoclips y conciertos, la banda venezolana de pop caribeño nos trae la versión deluxe de su segundo álbum, al que han bautizado Carita Feliz | Carita Triste y donde podremos encontrar,

además de las 14 canciones que conforman el disco original, tres versiones en vivo, un remix y dos bonus tracks. Uno de estos dos últimos es “Bikini”, tema que vio la luz a finales de 2022 y el otro es una canción inédita titulada “RELA”.

“RELA es una canción muy distinta a lo que hay en el disco. Es un tema que habla sobre la infidelidad, pero desde el lado de ‘el cacho’. A nivel musical nos fuimos por una onda muy groovy, sexy y personal. Creo que les va a gustar esta faceta de Anakena”, dice Mikel, cantante. La nueva canción de la banda vino acompañada de un videoclip oficial que ya está disponible en su canal oficial de YouTube, dirigido por Tuto Rodríguez.

Anakena siempre ha sido una banda que le da mucha importancia al contenido complementario y que no se queda solo con las canciones. Por eso, en esta oportunidad la banda estrenó la 2ª temporada de “Bachata, Bigotes y Queso de Cabra”, un podcast original donde los cuatro integrantes hablan en cada episodio sobre las canciones del disco y profundizan en la composición, producción, marketing y anécdotas para que los fanáticos puedan saber todos los detalles de sus canciones favoritas. Además, algunos de los episodios del podcast vinieron acompañados de contenido adicional como el video oficial de “Por Hoy”, una versión en vivo de “Baby Beach” desde Buenos Aires y un mini documental donde se muestra todo el proceso de creación del mural en Chacao de Anakena y Badsura. El podcast está disponible en formato audiovisual en YouTube y formato audio en todas las plataformas digitales. Todo el contenido adicional se encuentra en el canal de YouTube de la banda.

No es la primera vez que el término “deluxe” aparece en algún lanzamiento de Anakena. A mediados del 2020 los venezolanos estrenaron Anakena (Deluxe) una versión especial de su primer álbum donde, además de las nueve canciones que conforman la placa original, sus fanáticos podían encontrar contenido adicional como versiones en vivo, remixes y, en aquella oportunidad, un tema inédito.

“La verdad es que en ese momento estábamos dudosos del formato, ya que no sabíamos si en digital tenía mucho sentido realizar este compilado, pero los resultados mostraron que a la gente le llamó la atención la idea y además nos ayudó a darle un segundo empujón a todas las canciones. Al final, el experimento funcionó y quisimos repetirlo esta vez también”, comenta Santiago, guitarrista y compositor.

Este año 2023 se plantea prometedor para Anakena, que en sus redes ya han estado dando pistas de un nuevo proyecto discográfico y una posible gira internacional para mediados de año.

Leith Ross

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Following the release of their new single “(You) On My Arm” on Friday, rising Winnipeg singer, songwriter, and artist Leith Ross (They/Them Pronouns) reveals their spring 2023 headline tour dates across North America, UK, and Europe. The tour kicks off in Bristol on April 11th and makes stops at London’s Lafayette on April 17th, Los Angeles’ Lodge Room on May 23rd, Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 6th, Toronto’s The Danforth Music Hall on June 10th, and more. Tickets will go on sale via pre-sale beginning tomorrow at 10am local time and via general on-sale on Friday, February 17th at 10am local time. Tickets will be available at www.leithross.com/live.

On the meaning behind their latest release “(You) On My Arm,” Leith declares, “This song is about having a massive crush on someone. It happens, fortunately and unfortunately. I hope it can help with any yearning you may feel the need to do. That’s what it has done for me. I love being gay.” Stay tuned for the premiere of the official music video soon!

“(You) On My Arm” is Leith’s first release of 2023 and follows their previous viral singles “We’ll Never Have Sex” and “Orlando.” The breakout “We’ll Never Have Sex” has amassed over 37 million Spotify streams and 1 million video views to date. In support of their new music, Leith performed sold-out headline shows across North America last fall, as well as supported Lord Huron in Canada and Andy Shauf and Helena Deland in Europe on various tours last year. Not to mention, they were the recipient of the inaugural John Prine Songwriter Fellowship at last year’s Newport Folk Festival—read more HERE.

Hailing from outside of Ottawa, Ontario, Leith Ross embraced music at a young age, channeling emotional confessions through softly strummed chords. Recorded live, they made their debut with the independent Motherwell EP in 2020. Beyond prominent editorial playlisting, it incited widespread critical applause across US and Canada. Leith maintained this momentum in 2021 with the I’d Have To Think About It, and the title track has notably amassed nearly 12 million Spotify streams to date. With a rising profile on TikTok and among tastemakers, Leith signed to Republic Records in 2022. Stay tuned for more new music to come from Leith Ross this year!

Leith Ross is a songwriter, singer, and artist born and raised in a small town outside of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They’ve been a sensitive and overly artistic person since birth, and when they started writing songs around the age of 12, it quickly became Leith’s favourite way to be sensitive and overly artistic. Still is. Since then, they’ve recorded and released two projects, and have a new one underway. Inspired by the likes of Lucinda Williams, Dolly Parton, Disney movie soundtracks, High School Musical, and their dad’s horrible parodies of all of the above, their songs attempt to explore themes of gut-wrenching and cheesy love, silliness, and extreme existentialism. Their favourite stuff. Leith’s recent singles, “We’ll Never Have Sex,” “Orlando,” and “(You) On My Arm,” are soaked in that ‘favourite stuff’ and ready to be listened to wherever you can find it. Coming Soon To Some Kind Of Live Venue Near You!

2023 TOUR DATES

UK/EUROPE:

April 11 – Bristol, UK – The Exchange

April 13 – Leeds, UK – Hyde Park Book Club

April 14 – Glasgow, UK – King Tuts

April 16 – Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute

April 17 – London, UK – Lafayette

April 18 – Brighton, UK – Komedia

April 21 – Utrecht, NL – EKKO

April 25 – Dublin, IR – Grand Social

NORTH AMERICA:

May 18 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre

May 19 – Seattle, WA – Neumos

May 20 – Portland, OR – Holocene

May 22 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop

May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room

May 27 – Austin, TX – The Parish

May 28 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada

May 29 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall

May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5

June 1 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle

June 3 – Washington, DC – Union Stage

June 4 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry

June 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

June 7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair

June 9 – Ottawa, ON – The Saw

June 10 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall

June 13 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall

June 14 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry

June 16 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre

New Music From Australia

CIVIC ‘Taken By Force’ LP Out Now Via ATO Records

Listen here at https://atorecords-ffm.com/takenbyforce

Stay Connected with CIVIC Official Web Site @ https://www.civicivic.com/ Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/civic_aus/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/civicbandaus/ YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCkZyzbQBuScrox1lRx0ivjA

“These Melbourne garage rock hellions’ high-energy ramalama suggests the gritty attack of early SST hardcore, the motorhead dervish of the MC5 and fellow countrymen The Saints.” – MOJO

“Civic’s whole style is punked-up garage rock, played with the grimy lo-fi abandon of ’90s noise-rock but with the joyously hooks of car-radio classic rock — a potent combination.” – Stereogum

“Civic, a high-energy quintet from Down Under, revels in high-octane, oldschool punk vibes and some dystopian imagery.” – AV Club

“The Chats and Amyl and the Sniffers may have ignited modern Australian punk rock into the mainstream, but Civic will duck under the wreckage with a tougher, harder sound

that will outlast any fashion and hype.” –Vive Le Rock

NPR Music’s partner stations select a wave of artists poised for greatness

Sometimes you just want to strip it down, keep it simple, and embrace your younger self who grew up in a time when bands with guitars were actually popular among young folks. Am I showing signs of “get off my lawn”-ism? Perhaps. I guess it’s just nice to know that punk records like these are still in existence for those of us that need them. CIVIC’s sophomore release Taken by Force drops on Feb. 10 (bonus points for the surf-themed album artwork). — Jason Thomas, Indie 102.3

Melbourne’s CIVIC – Jim

McCullough (vocals), Lewis Hodgson (guitar), Roland Hlavka (bass), Jackson Harry (guitar). Matt Blach (drums) –release their new album Taken By Force – today, February 10th via ATO Records, listen here at https://atorecords-ffm.com/ takenbyforce.

Taken By Force finds CIVIC setting their artful venting of existential dread against a backdrop of blistering riffs, thrashing rhythms, and shoutalong-ready vocals. They joyfully obliterate the line between furious catharsis and unbridled fun, introducing a vital new energy into today’s musical landscape. Rob Younger from seminal Australian punk band Radio Birdman produced the new album and it was mixed and mastered by another Australian punk legend Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current, Sonny & the Sunsets).

The band will be making their US live debut at SXSW in Austin, TX in March, stay tuned for a complete list of shows they’ll be playing! In the meantime, if you’re in the UK/EU this spring, you can hopefully catch the band at one of the dates below.

May 17 - BE - Brugge, Cactus

May 18 - BE - Antwerp, Trix

May 19 - NL - Utrecht, ACU

May 20 - NL - Groningen, Vera

May 21 - DE - Berlin, Cassiopeia

May 23 - UK - London, Shacklewell

May 25 - UK - Manchester, The Castle

May 26 - UK - Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club

May 27 - UK - London, Wide Awake Festival

May 30 - FR - Brest, Cabaret Vauban

May 31 - FR - Bordeaux, L’lboat

Jun 1 - ES - Bilbao, Azkena Club

Jun 2 - ES - San Sebastian, Dabadaba

Jun 3 - ES - Madrid, Blocparty Festival

California Rock Band ALO Share Track & Video for “Sparrow” Out Now

ALO’S NINTH FULL-LENGTH

ALBUM SILVER SATURDAYS IS DUE OUT MARCH 3 VIA BRUSHFIRE RECORDS

LISTEN HERE @ https://alo.lnk.to/SparrowPR

WATCH HERE @ https://youtu.be/06Wl5E4yazI

PRE-ORDER THE LP HERE @ https://alo.lnk.to/SilverSaturdaysPR

CATCH ALO LIVE ON TOUR CELEBRATING

25 YEARS ACROSS THE WEST COAST THIS SPRING ON THE TOUR D’AMOUR XVI

GET TICKETS HERE @ https://www.alomusic.com/#tour-section

California rock band ALO share track “Sparrow” out everywhere now ahead of the release of their ninth studio album, Silver Saturdays due out March 3, including a limited run of clear 180g vinyl, via Brushfire Records and available for pre-order now. All orders through this weekend will include an autographed four postcard set from the band. Get an exclusive look at the making of the forthcoming album as the band brings listeners behind the scenes here.

Alongside the track, the band shares an accompanying animated visual that becomes increasingly more detailed as it develops. Plus, ALO will hit the road this spring on the Tour d’Amour XVI around the Western U.S. with support from Rainbow Girls on several dates, and other dates featuring Hot ButteredRum, ORG?NE, Ron Artis II and The Moore Brothers. Tickets are on sale now.

“Sparrow,” out today, celebrates the power music has to make one feel understood and its ability to carry one through a difficult time. Explaining the meaning behind the track, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz shares, “Who amongst us has not been knocked to the floor, or lifted to the clouds by the power of a song that hit them at just the right moment in their life? ‘Sparrow’ is an ode to this goddess of music. She is not bound by time or space, and she always shows up right on time... but only if you let her.”

The latest visual sees the band reunite with animator and director Deren Ney (Tom Petty, Grace Potter, Marcus King) who was behind the previously released “Hot Damn” video. Ney explains, “Lebo had the idea of this amorphous, eternal power that can materialize as a sparrow, an arrow, or a musical goddess, but it’s always this propulsive energy that keeps moving forward and affecting things along the way.”

Adding more context behind the video, Ney adds, “The video is a creation myth for the record, starting at the inception of the universe — ‘A Brief History of Silver Saturdays.’ The animation design evolves along with the story, starting very minimalist and building until it’s a full-on cosmic freakout.”

The forthcoming album Silver Saturdays celebrates an ongoing journey that began in Saratoga, California in the late eighties when Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz (guitar/vocals), Zach Gill (keyboards/vocals) and SteveAdams (bass/vocals) met in grade school. It stands out as the first full-length studio release featuring drummer/vocalist Ezra Lipp— a fixture in the Northern California creative scene where he cut his teeth with the likes of Phil Lesh, Sean Hayes and countless others. Meanwhile, the title nods to the band’s recent penchant for silver attire at their Saturday shows, which became a costume theme amongst their fan base and an acknowledgment of their silver “25th” anniversary.

Today’s release follows the previously shared, irresistible “Hot Damn,” a feel-good track that alternates between moments of lush instrumentation, fluid fret-simmering guitar leads, and a hypnotic high register-inflected hook perfect to sing along to with the windows down (and funkified enough to move and groove to!). It highlights both their musical intricacies and downright undeniable knack for a chorus. Keyboardist and vocalist Zach Gill explains, “‘Hot Damn’ is the eureka moment, the soulful epiphany, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. As we behold our respective treasures, be they love, wisdom or an actual chest full of gold, we say to ourselves “Hot Damn!” Animator and director Deren Ney delivered a video to accompany the song’s release and adds, “The song explores the theme of digging around for the good stuff in life, so we reimagined the ALO origin story as a Goonies-style suburban adventure where the kids discover the greatest treasure of all: the power of rock and roll.”

Recorded at Sun Machine studio—nestled in the hills of northern Marin County, CA—the album is a fully collaborative effort written by the band and co-produced alongside longtime engineer David Simon Baker. For Gill, Lebo, Adams and Lipp the session was both a return to their roots and a new beginning – a chance to reconnect and immerse themselves in the creative process.

“There’s always a moment in the making of an ALO record when we ask ourselves, “Why make another record?” Gill reflects,

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Photo credit: Jay Blakesberg

ALO

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“For me, the answer comes in waves over time. It has to do with the spirit of musical adventure and the rhythms of laughter. It’s about the sweet release of a Lebo guitar lead over an Ezra drum beat as Steve and I weave the bass and keys around each other. Call it a jam, call it a song, call it a feeling, but it has to do with connection. For me, it feels like coming home.”

Lebo adds, “It’s a palpable feeling when the four of us are in a room together creating music—having our individual sound waves collide as they transform and morph into one before even getting captured by the microphones. My hope for the listeners of ALO’s ‘Silver Saturdays’ is that they get to experience a bit of this invigorating feeling—and better yet, that it stirs up some inspiration of their own!”

The result is ten new original songs, recorded mostly live, that pay direct homage to the journey and the artistic process and further refine ALO’s singular and self-ascribed “jam-pop” genre—which Lebo fondly describes as “human music for humans.”

The sounds captured on Silver Saturdays are fresh and mercurial, but they are also fun, thoughtful, dreamy and articulate. All four members lend their distinctive lead and background vocals throughout. Their concise, meticulously-crafted songwriting and storytelling is interwoven with Lebo’s soaring, seemingly effortless leads as he draws impossible, ever-evolving tones from his signature acoustic-electric guitar. Gill’s tasty comping on keys and Adams’ bass groove perfection provide deep pockets sewn by a lifetime of mutual experience, and Lipp’s jam-informed rhythmic flourishes breathe new energy into the mix while also maintaining stylistic continuity with ALO’s earlier body of work.

Following the album’s arrival, the band dons their best silver and sets out on the Tour d’Amour XVI – to support the release and celebrate 25 years together – with good friends Rainbow Girls, Hot Buttered Rum, ORG?NE, Ron Artis II and The Moore Brothers joining on various dates.

The Tour d’Amour XVI kicks off on March 10 & 11th with two consecutive dates at Crystal Bay Club in Crystal Bay, NV. The band will then make its way through California for six dates including Belly Up in Solana Beach and The Fillmore in San Francisco. At the end of March, the band will play Portland, OR’s Doug Fir and complete the tour in Seattle, WA on April 1st. Tickets are on sale now viaalomusic.com/#tour.

“Sparrow,” and its accompanying visual, is out everywhere now, sees ALO embrace the power that music has to heal, uplift and propel one forward. Silver Saturdays, the ninth studio album from the band, is due out March 3, along with a limited run of clear 180g vinyl, and is available for pre-order now via Brushfire Records. All orders through this weekend will include an autographed four postcard set from the band. Watch the making of Silver Saturdays with an exclusive behind the scenes look here. Hear the new music and longtime fan favorites as ALO put on their best silver suits and celebrate 25 years on the Tour d’Amour XVI across the West Coast this spring with tickets on sale now. Find ALO on Instagram,Facebook, and YouTube to stay up-to-date with much more to come.

ALO stands for Animal Liberation Orchestra—because music liberates the inner animal, of course. As liberated as they come, Zach Gill, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, and Steve Adams have certainly been at this a long time. The trio met while still pre-teens in Saratoga, California, where they quickly connected through their love of music and sound.

In junior high, they got the idea to put together a band for the eighth-grade talent show. Zach recounts the struggle of the emerging

artist thusly: “It’s hard to get all the pieces right, you know, you’re chasing a dream and an abstract vision, and you’re going through puberty. It’s kind of a lot.” Lebo elaborates, “We met at a time in our lives where we were coming of age and craving identity. Music, and more specifically, our band, gave us a vessel with which we could “set sail” on the ocean of life”.

And the rest is history, but history is always a crooked path. You end up where you belong, but the journey is never quite what you expected when you took the first step. 25 years in, Gill (keyboards/ vocals), Lebo (guitar/vocals), Adams (bass, vocals) and “new-guy”Bay Area drum legend-in-training Ezra Lipp (drums, vocals) have recorded their greatest work to date. Quite simpy, this is what happens when the band doesn’t break up – the culmination of a lifetime of shared effort and camaraderie. Four master collaborators at the peak of their craft individually and collectively with nothing left to prove –near-telepathic cohesion.

These guys have played with everybody. From royalty like Phil Lesh and members of the Grateful Dead to SoCal surf-troubadour Jack Johnson, if the show happened in California, you’ll almost always find one of them in the corner of the shot and, sometimes, even in the center.

But you don’t really hear it all until you hear them together. And it urges repeat listening, because it’s a rich stew that only fully reveals itself with time, attention, a few tears, and a lot of love.

ALO call their music “jam-pop,” and the description is apt. Meticulously crafted, hooky and accessible compositions laced with improvisational departures in which they function as a single organism at once voice and consciousness. They’re always exploring, but never wandering. There is always intention, momentum, and a patience and confidence that can only be wrought from a quarter century of collaboration and water under the bridge.

The band’s new full-length album “Silver Saturdays” is a celebration of that crooked path, of having lived through a turbulent phase of human history, and of the winding road still to come.

Listen: “Hot Damn” @ https://alo.lnk.to/HotDamnPR

Watch: “Hot Damn” (Official Music Video) @ https://youtu.be/ 4S7PbN8zI9U

Watch: Behind The Scenes of Silver Saturdays @ https:// youtu.be/qDKR0E4V_wI

ART / PORTRAITS at http://www.mlgpress.com/steve-vai/vai-gash

http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com

http://www.vai.com

http://www.twitter.com/stevevai

http://www.facebook.com/stevevai

https://www.instagram.com/stevevaihimself

Steve Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group release VAI / GASH digitally and on CD today. The vinyl album will follow on February 24. He shares, “Vai / Gash was written and recorded in somewhat of a stream of consciousness in 1991 within perhaps a 2-week period as an answer to my desire to have a particular kind of music to listen to when I was riding my Harley Davison Motorcycle with my friends. One of those friends was John ‘Gash’ Sombrotto, who is the powerful singer on this record. It’s reminiscent of a certain type of rock music I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1970’s. These recordings sat on the shelf for over 30 years and are being released now in 2023.” The three songs presented in to the release are “She Saved My Life Tonight” (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PY28ihSbg), “In The Wind,” (https://youtu.be/ AkbnEj2yDw0) and “Busted” (https:// youtu.be/O2U5pSbFSIg).

John “Gash” Sombrotto was born in Queens, New York and as a youth was an avid motorcycle enthusiast. In 1977 at the age of 21, he endured a serious accident that caused his body to catch fire while plunging 30 feet onto a barbed wire fence. Vai wrote in the liner notes, “The doctors told his family that he had third degree burns over 60% of his body, and that if he even survived, there was a strong possibility that he would lose his right arm and left leg. While in the Burn Unit, he endured excruciating pain, especially when given the intense daily cycle of hot baths for his burns. He soldiered on, and after a month he was finally discharged from the hospital. Luckily, no limbs were amputated. He was, however, left with a partial left ear and layers of skin grafts over his neck, arms, legs, and entire chest. The stories he told about his recovery and the excruciating pain involved were crushingly gut wrenching. But he survived, and eventually thrived again. He made his way out to Los Angeles in 1982 and got right back up on his motorcycle.”

Vai met John through a mutual friend, Mark Cimino. They bonded over biker culture, and he choose the name “Gash” as a nickname. Vai wrote,

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VAI / GASH

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“…I’ve observed many people interacting with him on our numerous motorcycle road trips and other adventures. At first sight, many people could be taken by his bald head, scarred neck and burnt-off ear. Looking as he did and riding a Harley it was easy to assume he was perhaps a tough, menacing biker with a nefarious attitude, but after engaging with him for even a minute, his charm and magnetic charisma had them laughing in their shoes and completely enjoying his uplifting presence. He endeared people with his wit, warmth, and sparkle. John hit it off instantly with the most unlikely of people of every age, color, size, political or sexual persuasions. He was non superficial and never judged people. This allowed his engaging personality and intoxicating charm to draw you in. Under all those scars was a bold and fearlessly warm heart that can be seen in his disarming and big soft blue eyes.”

He continues, “…something in me wanted to get him in the studio and see how he would belt over these biker type songs I had demoed, but nothing could have prepared me for the voice that came out of his mouth. I had to think, off course he sounds like that because that’s him, confident, authentic, fearless but with a lighthearted intention. This was the voice I wanted to hear wailing over these slamming rock tracks. I was stunned. Around that timeframe I was also starting to launch work on ‘Sex and Religion’ and was hoping to eventually record more than the 8 songs I had laid down with John for an alternative project, but that was proven impossible. On September 7th, 1998, two days after my father had passed away, the phone rang, and it was John’s beloved girlfriend Nancy. Her voice was quaking, and I somehow knew what she was going to tell me. ‘John was in a bike accident and was killed’.”

After three decades, Steve Vai has finally shared this master with The World. In his opinion, “He would have absolutely been the greatest rock lead singer you would ever want to know. All the elements were in place, but he was gone. Disheartened, I put the entire project on the shelf, and would listen to it at least once a year for the past 30 years, especially around the anniversary of his passing. Then recently something compelled me to want to put it out now. I wish you would have had a chance to get to know John. I believe you would have loved him just as we all did. For now, he is ‘In the Wind’.”

Steve Vai is a virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer, considered by many as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. In over 40 years in the industry, Vai has sold over 15 million records, received three Grammy Awards, and recorded with music legends like Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and many more. Vai has also toured extensively and recorded live projects with G3 (collaborating with different touring lineups including Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Lukather) and Generation Axe, a supergroup Vai formed with Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. Vai is the

author of Vaideology: Basic Music Theory for Guitar Players (Hal Leonard), his inaugural music theory book designed to help both beginners and veteran guitar players. He is currently touring North America supporting his most recent studio album Inviolate. For a complete discography and more visit www.vai.com.

Steve Vai will resume the Inviolate World Tour in Europe this March. On the 24th, he’ll commence the tour in Lisbon, Portugal and wrap that run on May 7 in Helsinki, Finland.

24 March Lisbon, Portugal CCB

26 March Porto, Portugal Casa da Musica

27 March Malaga, Spain Teatro Cervantes

27

Natalie Nootenboom

Photo by Leo Bellamy

“I was inspired to cover ‘Rocket Queen’ because of its bold, sexy, wild, and shocking origins. It’s a song so fiery and playful it makes you want to dance in your underwear with the window curtains open. I wanted my take on the song to focus on celebrating queerhood and female empowerment,” says Natalie Nootenboom.

Natalie Nootenboom shares, “There were times when I almost didn’t release “Rocket Queen” because I thought ‘this isn’t me, this is a persona,’ then I realized there’s nothing wrong with having a persona because my personas are a part of me. Music is one of the ways we can try on different energies and perspectives in a fun, nonserious manner. I realized with this project that’s what I’ve been doing.

I originally recorded a dirty version of this song with my friends - we parked in an area in my neighborhood and jokingly started moaning into my phone. Listening back to it, I couldn’t take it seriously. It was satire. The moans in the studio thing worked for Guns N Roses cause they were recording a moment that authentically represented their lifestyle- it was real as it could be. But it wasn’t reflective of mine. It reminded me of when I was recording the vocals and I originally tried emulating Axl’s voice. Then I realized one, this was my cover and it had to come from my perspective, and two, there’s no copying Axl Rose. I think making covers teaches you how to be more original.

I wanted to cover ‘Rocket Queen’ because it’s a song that completely sets you on fire. It’s an invigorating track that screams ‘here I am’ - a declaration of one’s confidence. I wanted to give it a modern take - female-driven and a celebration of queer sexuality. You don’t see that a lot of that kind of representation in hard rock music. “

Emerging rockstar Natalie Nootenboom is shattering stereotypes. Fueled by electric guitar riffs, powerhouse vocals, and a whole lotta soul, Natalie’s sound is fierce, punchy, defiant of genres boxes, and unapologetically her own.

Blazing a trail that’s part-hard rock, part-pop, and a touch metal, the multi-hyphenate creative isn’t afraid to

Nootenboom Reimagines

Guns N’ Roses Classic “Rocket Queen”

Watch The Video for Rocket Queen at

https://youtu.be/eIHM9ix99rQ

ORDER LINKS:

“Rocket Queen” - https://natalienootenboom.ffm.to/rocket “Rocket Queen” (Extended) @ https://natalienootenboom.ffm.to/rqueen Natalie Nootenboom online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalienootenboom/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nootenboom

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCCVVVEFYAMlJbR5k3fVYJZA

live a life that sets her apart. Queer, mixed Japanese-Dutch, and one of the first plus-sized Asian models ever to break into high fashion, Natalie’s all

about authentic self-expression, embracing diversity, true representation, and owning the sh*t out of being different.

Photo by Krishta Abruzzini

Photo by Mick Rock

Musician/Model Natalie

New STORMO Album, Endocannibalismo Out Now

Endocannibalismo is available on all streaming platforms. Pre-order Endocannibalismo here @ https://lnk.to/Stormo

Follow Stormo Online At: Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/stormohc/ Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/stormoband/

Endocannibalismo is available on all streaming platforms.

Pre-order Endocannibalismo here @ https://lnk.to/Stormo

Speaking on the album premiere, STORMO vocalist Luca Rocco comments: “We wanted Endocannibalismo to be a direct and caustic record; we tried to cut all the unnecessary to build a sound that embodies the harshness of the themes on the album.”

Formed in 2007 in the Dolomite Alps region of Italy with a deep admiration for their native country’s hardcore punk luminaries in La Quiete and Raein, as well as eighties and nineties cult heroes in Negazione, Wretched and Indigesti. STORMO’s steady rise from unassuming beginnings has been one of consistently stirring songwriting. Having amassed over 400 shows across Europe and the UK - including support slots to Converge, Full of Hell and La Dispute, as well as appearances at Fluff FestSTORMO’s next chapter sees the band fully come of age.

Sequestered into isolated reflection throughout 2020 and 2021, it was not long before the band found themselves ruminating on concerns far bigger than themselves; namely death and ecological endings. The end not only of themselves, nor the human race as a whole, but of the world as we know it. Upon discovering Brazilian photographer Claudia Andujar’s work on the Yanomami tribe, STORMO soon found themselves intrigued by the concept of endocannibalism - the practice of which

Endocannibalismo tracklist:

includes consuming parts of dead relatives in a display of mourning and to free the deceased’s soul - leading the band to take on death and egotism as central influences for Endocannibalismo.

Lyrically, Endocannibalismo was written entirely in the band’s native tongue; partly as a byproduct of the albums nocturnal and instinctive writing process and partly in honour of their history as a band. Recorded and mixed by Giulio Favero (OvO, Buñuel, Zu) before being placed in the hands of Giovanni Versari (Muse, Raein, Verdena) at La Maesta for mastering, Endocannibalismo’s 11 tracks possess a crystalline clarity to service STORMO’s surging blastbeats, spiralling rhythms and noise punk cacophony, whilst staying true to the each songs deep seated primal nature.

Seeking to tie together the whole process visually, STORMO took to artificial intelligence when creating Endocannibalismo’s art. Utilising specific prompts, the AI render was put through stages of mutation before culminating in its final form. A haunting graphic representation of living beings in a state of constant death and rebirth.

STORMO is: Luca Rocco - vocals, Giacomo Rento - guitars, Federico Trimeri - bass, Stefano Rutolini - drums.com/ stormoband/

STORMO tour dates

24 March - TBA - Roma, IT

25 March - ZUT - Foligno, IT

31 March - Bronson - Ravenna, IT

08 April - Maximum Fest - Treviso, IT

13 April - Mattatoyo - Carpi, IT

14 April - Blah Blah - Torino, IT

15 April - Ink Club - Bergamo, IT

13 May - Palestra Lupo - Catania, IT

Photo by Scott Ritchie

1. Valichi, Oltre

2. PV77

3. Sorte

4. Spire

5. Anabasi

6. Frame

7. Endocannibalismo

8. Disequilibrio

9. Deserti

10. Vipere, Ombre

11. Sopravvivenza e Forme

New music, new label - Escape The Fate is back!

ESCAPE THE FATE RE-EMERGES WITH “H8 MY SELF”

Check Out The New Single At https://bignoise.ffm.to/h8myself

With a new label, new band members and new music ESCAPE THE FATE is all about evolution. With today’s release of the new single “H8 My Self” - the band’s first with BIG NOISE, the label run by longtime collaborator/ producer John Feldmann – they have reached the next level.

Vocalist Craig Mabbitt, drummer Robert Ortiz, guitarist TJ Bell and newly minted member, bassist Erik Jensen welcome guitarist Matti Hoffman to fill in for Kevin ‘Thrasher’ Gruft as he explores the world of production fulltime.

“H8 My Self” features the aggres-

sive guitar attack emblematic of ESCAPE THE FATE’s work. Setting the rules of engagement in the war against the darkness inside, Mabbit is all of us, facing down negative influences. Set him against your demons and enjoy the music

The 5-piece is currently on tour in the US, playing headline dates routed around their slot on the ROCKZILLA tour with Papa Roach, Falling In Reverse and Hollywood Undead. They will also tour Australia 4/18-23, play Rock Fest in Finland 6/8-10, Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium 6/16-18, Hellfest and Blue Ridge Rock

Festival in Virginia in September. Come out to hear new songs and your favorite ETF classics!

SEERD Releases Empowering “I Won’t Comply” Featuring Father & Daughter Vocalists

https://seerd.hearnow.com/

SEERD online:

Merch: https://anchormerchandising.com/?s=Seerd

?Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seerd_official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seerd_official Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087119163449

When was the last time you heard of a Rock/Metal band that has a former elementary and middle school principal as its lead vocalist? When was the last time you heard of a Rock/Metal band with father and daughter vocalists? When was the last time you heard of a Rock/Metal band that formed from the staff and parents of an Armenian elementary school? Well, Central California Rock/Metal band SEERD, has all three and is now looking to make a serious dent in the rock and metal world. Vocalist Curtis Shamlin formed SEERD by recruiting all its members from Charlie Keyan Armenian Community School in the Fresno, California area. Mher Ezekian and Robert Gonzalez were both parents, Kayla Shamlin was the volleyball and soccer coach, and Curtis Shamlin was the

principal/superintendent.

SEERD incorporates melodic hooks, a rollercoaster range of emotional and aggressive vocals with modern heavy industrial sounds, and just a hint of 80’s metal.

Lead vocalist Curtis Shamlin shares, I have always been a rebel against the “Rule Makers” especially when I think the rules are ridiculous and do not benefit me or people I care about. My rebellion gave me the reputation of “Most likely to be expelled” in school. As an adult, I hear, “They let you be a Principal?” a lot. I rebelled against just about everything and everyone because I especially don’t like people telling me what to do. My

daughter (Kayla Shamlin) has many of my characteristics and rebellion against authority is at the top (Except against me, LOL). We have an amazing relationship even though we have some different views on life, we love each other no matter what. We feel that’s the way humans should act with each other.

“I Won’t Comply” has really become our motto in life. We wrote this song together to share our feelings with others even though this song means different things to us. We both agree to disagree but still love each other unconditionally. We question everything. We will always rebel against those that force their views on us or force us to do anything against our will! Our answer to them is simply, “I WON’T COMPLY!”

SEERD is: Curtis Shamlin – Vocals, Robert Gonzalez – Guitars/Various Instruments, Mher Ekezian (Mike EFEX) – DJ/ Master of Sounds, Kayla Shamlin – Vocals.

Curtis Shamlin blasted on to the metal scene at the end of the last millennium as the frontman for GRYP (Walden Media/ W Records, Metro One Records). Then again in 2002 with Rock/Metal band Speakers for the Dead (Magna Carta Records).

Robert Gonzalez has an extensive music career playing in many bands including Mynis, The Next Page, GRYP, Fusion Porn and several more. Robert and Curtis became friends when Robert helped to record and produce Speakers for the Dead’s demo. Robert’s band Mynis and Speakers for the Dead toured the northwest together.

Mher Ekezian came from the EDM scene where he performs as Mike EFEX (Coldharbour Recordings) and is known in the EDM industry worldwide.

Kayla Shamlin is an avid metal fan. She grew up in the music industry due to her close relationship with her father. She now gets her first chance at a taste of the stage.

SEERD music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and almost all digital distribution apps. https://seerd.hearnow.com/

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Add North American East Coast Headling Dates For Spring

To Join Pink On Select Dates For Her Summer Carnival Stadium Tour

Multi-platinum, chart-topping GRAMMY® Award winning duo Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo have announced more dates to their 2023 North American headlining tour. Starting on April 12 in Port Chester, NY, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will embark on 8 east coast dates before joining P!NK on select dates for her Summer Carnival Stadium Tour in July.

General on-sale for Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo’s April tour dates begins Friday, February 10 at 10am local. For more information and tickets, please visit http://www.benatargiraldo.com/tour.

On March 9, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo will be joining an allstar lineup of rock, blues and soul music including James Taylor, John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Mavis Staples, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, St. Vincent, Rufus Wainwright, Jim James, Stephen Marley, Gary Clark Jr., Allison Russell, The War and Treaty, Bernie Williams and more for a very special evening to celebrate the seventh annual Love Rocks NYC benefit concert for God’s Love We Deliver live from the historic Beacon Theatre in NYC. For more information and tickets click here at https:// www.msg.com/calendar/beacontheatre-march-2023-love-rocks-nyc/ 3B005D9BFE4928DF.

2022 proved to be an eventful year for Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, joining a long list of fellow ground-breaking global icons. Watch a clip of their rousing performance from the night here at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ORinoUgI0Ms.

The duo also celebrated the WORLD PREMIERE presentation of their critically acclaimed INVINCIBLE - THE MUSICAL at The

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Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

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Wallis in Los Angeles. INVINCIBLE

– The Musical weaves Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo’s legendary catalogue and inspired new songs throughout a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Set in the modern, wartorn metropolis of Verona where the newly elected Chancellor Paris vows to destroy the progressive resistance and return the city to its traditional roots. The star-crossed lovers’ story, exploring how love and equality battle for survival in times of great transformation, envisions peace in a divided world. The pair performed the musical version of ‘Heartbreaker’ with leading cast members Khamary Rose and Kay Sibal on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Be sure to catch Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo live in a city near you this year.

In a pop culture world defined by its perpetual changes, the partnership of singer songwriter Pat Benatar and producer-musician Neil Giraldo has been a potent, steadfast union that has soared to the top of the charts and into fans’ hearts on their own terms. Her staggering vocals and take-no-prisoners attitude, along with his trailblazing artistry as a guitarist, producer and songwriter, forged the undeniable chemistry and unique sound that created eternal rock hits including “We Belong,” “Invincible,” “Love Is A Battlefield,” “Promises In The Dark,” “We Live For Love,” “Heartbreaker” and “Hell Is For Children.”

Their stunning achievements are a testament to their vision. Together, Benatar and Giraldo have created two multi-platinum, five platinum and three gold albums, as well as 19 Top 40 hits. They have sold over 36 million records worldwide and have won an unprecedented four consecutive GRAMMY® awards. They have also been feted with three American Music Awards, a People’s Choice Award, a 2008 induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, and most recently have become Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

03/09/23 - New York, NY - Love Rocks NYC Benefit - The Beacon Theatre

04/12/23 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre^

04/13/23 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount^

04/16/23 – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre New Jersey^

04/21/23 – Cherokee, NC – Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center^

04/24/23 – Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall^

04/26/23 – St. Augustine, FL – The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre^

04/27/23 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall^

04/29/23 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood^

07/31/23 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park*

08/01/23 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park*

08/07/23 – Washington DC – Nationals Park*

08/10/23 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field*

08/12/23 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field*

08/14/23 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Field*

10/05 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium*

^headlining

* with P!NK

Demons Down Release Their New Frontiers Music Srl Release I Stand March 10th

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announced the signing of Demons Down, a new band featuring two talented up-andcoming musicians, vocalist James Robledo (Sinner’s Blood) and guitarist Francesco Savino (False Memories), along with hard rock scene veterans guitarist Jimi Bell (House of Lords, Autograph), drummer Ken Mary (ex-House of Lords, Alice Cooper, Fifth Angel, etc.), and bassist Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, bass, ex-House of Lords, etc.). Their debut album, “I Stand” sees this gathering of young performers and established skill players delivering a quintessential classic hard rock album.

Demons Down traffics in a hard rock sound that references the late ’80s/early ’90s movement where massive hooks, huge melodies, and lush keyboards were the order of the day. But this is no simple exercise in paying tribute to yesteryear as the music rocks hard to compliment the vocal talents of Robledo (who has, sonically, been compared to the likes of Jorn Lande and Russell Allen). Fans of early House Of Lords material and their sonic peers from that time period as well as Robledo’s debut solo album, “Wanted Man”, will have much to enjoy here.

James Robledo is a Chilean vocalist who comes from a family of musicians with prominent places in the history of Chilean music, with both national and international success. In his youth, he began his foray into metal and rock, but in 2016, James took part in the popular TV show THE VOICE CHILE 2, where his participation generated a stir thanks to his outstanding vocal performances. Since then, he has become a more active member of the larger hard rock/metal community and with Frontiers, he has released one solo album, “Wanted Man” and an album, “The Mirror Star” with Chilean metal band Sinner’s Blood, whom are also currently preparing their second album for release.

Francesco Savino is an Italian guitarist

and songwriter who founded the up-andcoming gothic metal band False Memories in 2015. That band’s latest release, “The Last Night Of Fall,” (2021) was met with praise from both fans and metal media alike. The band also released a covers EP, “Echoes Of A Reflection” and a live EP, “Live Until The Twilight” since the release of their last studio album. With his songwriting partner Rossella Moscatello (who is the lead vocalist for False Memories), Franceso has also been contributing songs to Frontiers and is working on the next False Memories album.

Jimi Bell is an established hard rock guitarist who is currently a member of both House Of Lords and Autograph, and, of course, Demons Down. Bell, a Connecticut native, was inducted into the New England Music Hall in 2020. In addition to his work with various bands over the years, he has done a wealth of studio work for sports outlets like ESPN, WWE, Impact Wrestling, and NASCAR. Bell is an official endorser of Roberts Guitar, Viper Guitars, Charvel Guitars, PVX Guitar, Funk Guitars, Ovation Guitars, GHS Strings, Rocktron, Randall, Marshall Amps (Europe), and KickAss Cables. He is also the inventor of the SHREDNECK.

Chuck Wright is an American bassist, best known as a member of Quiet Riot. He

originally joined Quiet Riot in 1982, playing bass on the tracks “Metal Health (Bang Your Head)” and “Don’t Wanna Let You Go,” as well as singing background vocals on all tracks from the 1983 album Metal Health. In addition to Quiet Riot, whom he has played with intermittently, Wright has played with Giuffria, House Of Lords, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, and Heaven & Earth, to name a few, over the years.

Drummer Ken Mary’s lengthy career in music has seen him play in a wide variety of genres that showcased his wide ranging skills at the instrument. In addition to being a drummer, Ken is also an engineer, writer, vocalist, and award winning producer. He has sold a combined 5 million (plus) albums globally over the entirety of his body of work. His drumming can be heard on albums from Alice Cooper, Jordan Rudess, Northern Light Orchestra, Kip Winger, House of Lords, The Beach Boys, Impelliterri, Don Dokken, Fifth Angel, Bonfire, and many more, and of course, very soon, Demons Down.

Demons Down is: James RobledoVocals, Jimi Bell - Guitars, Francesco Savino - Guitars, Chuck Wright - Bass, Ken MaryDrums

Pierce The Veil Release Their New Fearless Records Release The Jaws Of Life

It’s finally here!

The Jaws of Life, the new, statement-making and powerful album from the iconic band Pierce the Veil.

Pierce The Veil debuted atop Billboard’s Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, and Hard Rock Albums charts twice – first with Collide with the Sky (2012) and its follow-up, Misadventures (2016). A decade after its release, the already platinum “King for a Day” shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Streaming chart, driven by the viral #KingForADay hashtag on TikTok (even Lizzo joined in.)

Even with a platinum song; two gold singles; a gold album; multiple awards and nominations (iHeartRadio Music, MTV Fandom, Kerrang! Awards, Golden Gods, Libera); tours with their peers in bands like Bring Me The Horizon and A Day To Remember; and

performances for millions of fans around the world; 2022 shapes up to be their biggest year. Because this is the year of The Jaws of Life.

The band Rolling Stone once described as “hyperactive, progressive post-hardcore,” returns with album number five, full of fuzzy guitars, massive melodic hooks, and PTV’s distinct emotional heart. The Jaws of Life is Pierce The Veil at their most raw, crackling with urgency and immediacy. They sound forceful yet vulnerable, like some of the defining albums of the altrock and grunge movement.

Never predictable, always engaging, Pierce The Veil continues to soar on the strength of highly potent energy, rich musicality, and a scrappy sense of authentic exuberant ambition that’s frankly unrivaled.

“Pass The Nirvana,” “Flawless

Execution,” “Emergency Contact,” “Damn The Man, Save The Empire,” and the rest of the new songs comprise the most diverse offering from Pierce The Veil thus far. And that’s saying a lot for a band whose last album went from “The Divine Zero” to “Circles.”

Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry, and Jaime Preciado are reliably good-natured and charming in person. They put all of the volatile, angsty, confessional emotions into the music, which is why their songs resonant with so many people, on record and onstage. “No matter where the band performs, fans will show up,” Loudwire noted in a review. “And when you see Pierce The Veil live, you’ll understand why.”

PTV’s evolution from album to album is nothing less than stunning, a testament to the band’s determination to

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Pierce The Veil

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always, however improbably, top what came before. The early buzz generated by A Flair for the Dramatic (2007) made its follow-up one of the most anticipated albums of 2010. Selfish Machines shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. “Bulletproof Love” and “Caraphernelia” endure as two of the most beloved songs in modern alt-rock, anthems for romantics and outcasts.

The Chicago Tribune saluted Collide with the Sky for its “post-hardcore punk… with more than a few nods to Queen,” as Pierce The Veil indulged their theatrical leanings further to dazzling effect.

On Misadventures, the band leveled up from Warped Tour headliners to a true arena act, cracking rock radio and selling out huge venues without losing the intimate connection with their audience. In an overwhelmingly positive review, the long-running rock magazine Alternative Press concluded, “Misadventures is the stuff of time capsules, marvelously embodying everything important this musical subculture offers while enthusiastically transcending its limitations with authentic charms.”

Fuentes composed the songs for The Jaws of Life following the conclusion of the touring behind Misadventures, then picked up again during the pandemic and buckled down for roughly a year afterward. (He also co-hosted a 12-hour livestream on behalf of the nonprofit Living The Dream Foundation, where he serves as CEO and co-chairman, which featured appearances from members of Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Papa Roach, and Theory Of A Deadman. Living The Dream Foundation works to make dreams come true to children living with terminal or life-threatening illness.)

Vic’s childhood friend Curtis Peoples shares co-writing credit on songs going all the way back to Pierce The Veil’s debut (which listed only Vic and his younger brother, Mike, as band members). As with prior albums, the frontman invited a few collaborators into his process and spent a great deal of time in isolation away from home. Those trips included a stay in the mountain town of Julian, California, where he wrote with Josh Rheault, a producer and former member of The Dear Hunter.

He spent time at Monkey Trench Studios, a converted house in smalltown Bremerton, Washington, owned by MxPx frontman Mike Herrera. He worked with Peoples and another “King for a Day” contributor, Steve Solomon (whose credits include “Circles,” as well). Two songs came from sessions with Vic, Curtis, and the electronic duo MilkBlood, David Dahlquist and Pat Morrissey. Those were the first single, the ‘90s worshipping “Pass the Nirvana,” and the title track, “The Jaws of Life.”

In the years since Misadventures, Pierce The Veil underwent their first and only lineup change. (Mike Fuentes gradually realized the life of a public figure didn’t suit him and amicably moved on.)

Vic, Tony, and Jaime rented a house just outside the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. While making the album, which stretched across Halloween 2021, they often wandered, soaking up the atmosphere. They even recorded

some sounds of the city – crowds and other ambient noise. Longtime friend Brad Hargreaves of multiplatinum rockers Third Eye Blind laid down drum tracks.

The band hired multi-instrumentalist and Mutemath frontman Paul Meany to produce. (Meany worked extensively on the fifth album from Twenty One Pilots, Trench.) Grammy Award-winner Adam Hawkins (Machine Gun Kelly, Turnstile, Twenty One Pilots) mixed The Jaws of Life.

With its reference to season depression and other internal struggles, the title track doesn’t mince words. “Life can try to sink its teeth into you,” Fuentes says of album five’s title. “Sometimes we feel this grip of life just holding us. ‘The Jaws of Life’ is about the journey to find your way out of that.”

Another of the album’s songs, “Resilience,” conjures a cinematic moment of resurrection and escape. Fuentes wrote the song with Colin Brittain (5 Seconds Of Summer, Papa Roach, Foundry).

Deadly serious subject matter abounds, but Pierce The Veil enduringly navigates it all with grace. The lyrics continue the Fuentes tradition of painstaking honesty and clever twists of phrase, with a healthy amount of Easter-egg style references to everything from formative influences, like Pennywise; to tour mates, like Bring Me The Horizon; to favorite movies, like Empire Records.

Pierce The Veil performs at the biggest festivals and is counted among the biggest and brightest of a younger generation of bands, kindred spirits with the most inventive and creative of the modern day with a foot anchored in the emotional high points of the ‘90s and the epic melodicism of the ‘70s. It all starts with the songs, and The Jaws of Life is filled with the kind to keep PTV moving indefinitely.

“We’ve been lucky that the band has remained so strong with our fans,” Vic says. “Everything has stayed strong. Things are bigger than ever, which is just mind-blowing to me. We’re so thankful.”

Frank Zappa’s Short-Lived 1980 Lineup

Showcased On Latest Vault Treasure, “Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich”

Due March 3 Via Zappa Records/UMe

Two Full Concerts Recorded At Intimate NYC Venue, The Mudd Club, And Massive German Arena, Olympiahallee, In Munich

Includes Nearly Three Hours Of Unreleased Live Performances And Marks First Time Full Shows Have Ever Been Released By This Exciting But Brief Band

Both Concerts Presented On 3CD/Digital Or Seperately On 2LP And 3LP Vinyl

“Outside Now” From The Mudd Club Streaming Ahead Of Release

Pre-order Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich at https://frankzappa.lnk.to/Zappa80pr

Presenting two previously unreleased concerts from Frank Zappa’s short-lived 1980’s band, the latest exciting live collection to be released from The Vault, Zappa 80: Mudd Club/ Munich, offers fans an opportunity to hear two blistering shows recorded in two distinct settings: the intimate 240 capacity Mudd Club in New York City and the massive 12,000 seat German arena, Olympiahalle in Munich. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this historically significant release, releasing March 3 via Zappa Records/UMe, marks the first time that full concerts have ever been released featuring the 1980 lineup of Zappa leading the five-strong band which included the dual vocal attack of Ike Willis and Ray White, Arthur Barrow on bass, Tommy Mars on keyboards, and newcomer David Logeman on drums. Additionally, this is the first posthumous release of this distinct, brief lineup, as Logeman, who replaced drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, would end up leaving when Colaiuta returned to the band. Previously only two tracks from these shows –“Love Of My Life” from Mudd Club and “You Didn’t Try To Call Me” from Munich – were ever released by Zappa on his CD live series, You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore.

The Mudd Club show was recorded on May 8, 1980 by Klaus Weidemann on a 2-track Nagra tape recorder while the Munich show at Olympiahalle was recorded and mixed by engineer Mick Glossop direct to digital 2-track stereo and has the distinction of being the first digital live recording of Zappa ever. The Maestro was early to embrace the emerging technology and would importantly shift to it as a result of this recording. Made on a Sony PCM 1600 recording system, the show was recorded on 3/4” U-Matic videotape, which at the time was state of the art but is now a relic of the rapid evolution of sound recording. The show was transferred from the original digital masters and audio drop-outs, a common issue with this format, were fixed by Travers using multiple tape backups, some analog, some digital, that Zappa worked on, signaling he was considering a potential release at some point. Both shows were mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Master-

ing.

Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich, which is being previewed with a scintillating performance of Joe’s Garage standout, “Outside Now,” from the Mudd Club show, will be available digitally and as a 3CD set with the 15-track Mudd Club performance in its entirety on disc 1 and the 22-track full Munich concert spread across discs 2 and 3. The package features cover photography and a host of rare and unseen photos of Zappa and the band members in the accompanying 17page booklet shot on tour by superfan George Alper. Alper, the son of seminal ‘60s photographer Joe Alper, who befriended Zappa and became part of his inner circle in NYC and eventually sold merch on tour, provides some of his personal memories in the extensive liner notes that also includes an introduction from Joe Travers, a detailed track-bytrack of the setlists by band member, Arthur Barrow, who also offers up a reminiscence about the tour and 1980 lineup, and is rounded out with an illuminating essay by Steve Vai who attended the Mudd Club show as a 19year-old fan who was hired by Zappa to transcribe recently recorded guitar solos and drum tracks. A few months later Vai was invited to join the band and as the virtuoso guitarist/songwriter pens in the liners, “From that point on, the whirlwind world of Frank Zappa that I embarked on for the next 3 years was intense, funny, terrifying at times, but deeply and soulfully rewarding.”

In addition to the 3CD set, the Mudd Club and Munich shows will also be available separately on 180-gram vinyl, with the Mudd Club pressed on 2LP at 45 rpm and Munich on 3LP 33 1/ 3 rpm vinyl. uDiscover Music and Zappa.com (https://www.zappa.com/) are also exclusively offering a limited edition 180-gram color pressing of each title with Mudd Club on Coke Bottle Green and Munich on Transparent Orange vinyl, which both come with iron-on transfers. Like the CD and digital, the vinyl releases have also been mastered by Bernie Grundman. Vinyl has been pressed at Optimal Media in Germany. For more information about the formats or to order, visit: https:// FrankZappa.lnk.to/Zappa80pr

In conjunction with the album, a series of exclusive merch commemorating the 1980 tour has just been released. Check out the new items and order here: https://bit.ly/3WNtfqV

In 1980, The Mudd Club was a happening, underground venue in lower Manhattan best known for being a popular hangout for the counterculture and a bastion of new wave and punk which dominated NYC’s music and fashion scene. As Travers writes in the liners, “celebrities and musicians alike would frequent the ‘art bar cabaret’ during its heyday between 1979 and 1983, dancing, drinking and making the scene amongst the New York City denizens of the deep.” Zappa loved the small, seedy club and the punks, posers and hipsters that called it home, and so made it a priority to play there while on tour, scheduling a performance on May 8th, 1980, at the tiny 240-capacity room, sandwiched between much larger arena dates in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island where he played two shows in one night to more than 20,000 fans total.

Zappa and his five-piece band treated the sweaty, packed club to a thrilling 15-song, hour-long set filled with tracks from the recently released 1979 albums, the triple LP rock opera, Joe’s Garage (“Joe’s Garage,” “Keep It Greasy,” “Outside Now,” “Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?”), and Sheik Yerbuti (“Bobby Brown Goes Down,” “City Of Tiny Lites”), along with songs from across his prolific catalog, including “I Ain’t Got No Heart” and “You Didn’t Try To Call Me” from 1966’s Freak Out!, and the title track from 1970’s “Chunga’s Revenge.” Additionally, the band played early versions of Zappa’s homage to the club, “Mudd Club,” “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing,” and “You Are What You Is,” which would all be recorded after the tour and released the following year on You Are What You Is. The show was famously captured by an Austrian film crew DoRo (Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher) who included two songs – “Mudd Club” and “Chunga’s Revenge” – in their documentary, “Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere.”

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“Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich”

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Whereas the Mudd Club show took place early into the tour, the concert at Munich’s Olympiahalle arena was the final show and saw the band firing all on cylinders after three months on the road together. The set, which included most of the songs played at the Mudd Club, was nearly twice as long and also featured such highlights as “Cosmik Debris,” “Dancin’ Fool,” “Pound For A Brown,” “The Illinois Enema Bandit,” and a cover

of Tony Allen’s “Nite Owl.” Notably the band played an early rendition of “Pick Me, I’m Clean,” which Zappa would release the following year on the double live album, Tinsel Town Rebellion.

Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich is an opportunity to experience Zappa and his terrific yet transitory 1980 band playing two fantastic concerts at two very different venues for the first time.

8. You Didn’t Try To Call Me

9. I Ain’t Got No Heart

10. Love Of My Life

11. You Are What You Is

Disc 3: Munich, Germany Olympiahalle

July 3rd, 1980 (Continued)

1. Easy Meat

2. Mudd Club

3. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

4. Joe’s Garage

5. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?

6. Dancin’ Fool

7. Bobby Brown Goes Down

Zappa ’80:

Mudd

3CD

Club/Munich

8. Ms. Pinky

9. Stick It Out

10. Nite Owl (T. Allen)

11. The Illinois Enema Bandit

Disc 1: Mudd Club New York, NY May 8th, 1980

1. Mudd Club Show Start

2. Chunga’s Revenge

3. Keep It Greasy

4. Outside Now

5. City Of Tiny Lites (Edited)

6. Pound For A Brown

7. You Are What You Is

8. You Didn’t Try To Call Me

9. I Ain’t Got No Heart

10. Love Of My Life

11. Easy Meat

12. Mudd Club

13. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

14. Joe’s Garage

15. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?

Disc 2: Munich, Germany Olympiahalle

July 3rd, 1980

1. Munich ’80 Show Start

2. Chunga’s Revenge

3. Keep It Greasy

4. Pick Me, I’m Clean

5. City Of Tiny Lites

6. Pound For A Brown

7. Cosmik Debris

Zappa ’80: Mudd Club – 2LP

Side 1

1. Mudd Club Show Start

2. Chunga’s Revenge

3. Keep It Greasy

4. Outside Now

Side 3

1. You Didn’t Try To Call Me

2. I Ain’t Got No Heart

3. Love Of My Life

4. Easy Meat

1. Mudd Club

Side 4

2. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

3. Joe’s Garage

4. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?

Side 2

1. City Of Tiny Lites (Edited)

2. Pound For A Brown

3. You Are What You Is

Zappa

Side 1

1. Munich ’80 Show Start

2. Chunga’s Revenge

3. Keep It Greasy

4. Pick Me, I’m Clean

Side 2

1. City Of Tiny Lites

2. Pound For A Brown

Side 3

1. Cosmik Debris

2. You Didn’t Try To Call Me

3. I Ain’t Got No Heart

4. Love Of My Life

5. You Are What You Is

Side 4

1. Easy Meat

2. Mudd Club

3. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

4. Joe’s Garage

5. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?

Side 5

1. Dancin’ Fool

2. Bobby Brown Goes Down

3. Ms. Pinky

4. Stick It Out

Side 6

1. Nite Owl (T. Allen)

2. The Illinois Enema Bandit

’80: Munich – 3LP

The Biker, The Blues, And We Be Smokin’ Jack!

You want to know what goes good with bikes, blues and good friends? Meat smoked just right and ice cold beer. It just does not get any better than that… I can be tripping down a street and when that smell reaches my nostrils my eyes are all over the landscape just looking for where it is coming from. I remember one time coming down an exit ramp and as soon as I reached the stop sign I could smell the hickory wood smoke in the air. Of all places it was a Shell gas station with a restaurant hooked onto it that had a side fire box pit smoker fired up. Well I needed fuel and my taste buds said yep that’s the place so I gripped the gas and let out the clutch. The closer I got the better I liked it as the gal handling the smoking was smokin’ hot herself. Got my gas first, parked my scooter and made tracks for the smoke. I said howdy and asked what was in the smoker and she said sausage, brisket, pork, and some bacon wrapped jalapenos. She said they had been smoking the brisket for about twelve hours and just about ready to pull it. It would go into a picnic cooler so that the juice inside the foil would get soaked back up into the meat and then it would be ready. The sausage and jalapenos were ready right now. She saw me looking around and told me that the restaurant wasn’t hooked onto the station so they can sell beer if I was interested. I said sure and added how about you, thirsty? She smiled and went back to taking care of what was in front of her, the smoking duties. I made my way over to the restaurant which actually had a little bar area and even a jukebox. The music played outside too and they had a couple of picnic tables so I went outside. So there I was sitting in the warm sunlight with an ice cold Stella and keeping my eyes on the smoker and that good looking Mommy doing the honors. I say Mommy because she looked young but was wearing a wedding ring on her right hand and a small necklace that read Best Mom. Most folks don’t know it but smoking came about due to the poor folks that lived in southern Texas buying meat (brisket) that was known not to be tender and started heating it up using a wood named mesquite to cook it. Up until then mesquite was thought to be a wood that was basically worthless. Look at it today, highly popular. Mexican American and Black cowboys were even adding flavoring in the form of dry rub spices and so the smell invited neighbors over and the taste kept them visiting for awhile longer. Now if you want to go a step further the Germans and Slavs are credited with furnishing the fine taste of great beef and pork sausage. To this day

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Page 2 - The Biker, The Blues, And We Be Smokin’ Jack!

their packing houses and stores can be found all across the state of Texas. Well the beer went down really easy and I was keeping my eyes fixed on the new shorty pipes I bought back up the road and installed while at the bike shop. They looked good with the only flaw being that when I lowered my boot the ground the pipes pushed hot exhaust on them. But when I looked at the way they made that side of the engine rock it was a small price to pay for the good looks. The wind changed and the smell wafting off the chimney on the smoker was making my mouth water. The gal that had placed the meat inside the cooler came walking by with the cooler in her hands and said, “It’s ready.” Well I was certainly ready too and off I went right behind her to grab a refill and put in my order. An order of sausage, brisket, and couple of those stuffed jalapenos. They gave me a number and told me they would bring it to me so off I went back to the picnic table. Small place so the gal that had been doing the smoking brought the order out along with some silverware. She said to let her know how it was and I said you bet. Oh man was it ever good. The brisket had both a sweet taste to it along with a bit of snap, a bit of heat. The jalapenos weren’t really hot but they were flavorful and the sausage was to die for too. I sat there taking in the afternoon and listening to some nice jams coming out of the box. I picked up on Maria Daines performing “Low Down Dirty Love” and if you haven’t checked her out she’s kick ass for sure. Sexy, sassy, meaningful gritty voice. The song is about love taking a hold of you and even if it’s not proper if it’s low down dirty love well then that moth keeps pulling you closer to the flame as you keep coming back for more. Ain’t that the truth… Next up was Credence doing Suzie Q and that’s always on target. More beer, time for a cigar, screw getting in the wind this is just too cool of an afternoon to go anywhere

and now Suzie Q, way cool. The song is almost nine minutes long and every second of it touches a person’s soul. If I’m lying I’m dying. Now that good looking Mommy came strolling by and asked well how did you like it and I said that’s really good. Then I asked who’s recipe and she smiled and pointed to herself. Man if this woman owns a scooter I think I am in love, maybe even low down dirty love, can you dig that brothers and sisters? As she came back by I invited to sit for a moment or two or maybe sixty if you get my drift. She nodded yes and kept going toward the kitchen with the used cooking utensils. In my mind I thought man if she comes back then that will be the cherry on the icing on the cake for this really cool day. About twenty minutes later she came by and lit a cigarette. I was in tall cotton digging this to the max. She asked if I was staying around there and I said if I drink a few more yes for sure... She stood up,

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Page 3 - The Biker, The Blues, And We Be Smokin’ Jack!

turned around and lifted her shirt up and there it was the best looking set of wings I had seen in a long time. Man, this gal was a good cook, good looking, and sporting wings. Of course the obvious question to ask was whatever led you to add Harley wings? She said she loves to ride but did not own a bike. Then she asked me if I bought my bike or built it. I said built it, she smiled. About then a yellow school bus pulled up and a young girl got off and ran to her Mommy, yep I was right she’s a Mommy, a good looking sexy one but a Mommy no less. She told the little one to sit at the table with me while she went to get her a root beer, the young girl complied. We looked at each other and then she stuck her tongue out at me. I thought well you little shit and soon afterward almost like right away her Mom came back with the root beer. Our conversation continued as she took the last puff off her cigarette and then instructed the little one to come inside with her. I thought ok this is over, she said goodbye and I nodded accordingly. The little girl didn’t even look at me. What a brat! I thought ok I’ll kill this beer, cash out this cigar, and maybe play a song or two and then leave. I took a swig, left the cigar in the ash tray and went inside to find the juke box. There it was on the wall and it was interesting because the song that came to mind was “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley. I punched it up and yep it still sounded good. I followed up with “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”. Don’t ask me why I chose those two songs but I did however and got a positive nod from the Mommy so that was cool. Outside two guys were by my bike and one was looking around and so I instinctively waved and they headed my way. Introductions and I said I was passing through. They invited me to a run that was starting in two days. Sounded cool enough but I wasn’t sure if I would stick around. Then the Mommy walked up and told one of them that she was going to be bringing the smoker out and would be making her famous pulled pork. She looked at me and I just smiled. They left and she asked if they had invited me and I said yes and she said well you gonna go? I said I think so and asked where a guy with a bike could find a good priced motel. She told me and I headed out. Got there, asked if they had a first floor room and the guy said almost always yes and today we do. I got the key and pulled my bike around to the parking space in front of the room. I removed my sleeping bag with all my stuff inside and went into the room. Opened it up and took out a Rocky Patel and made a bee line for the door and took a chair with me. Once outside I fired that sucker up and began to take in the late afternoon early evening sunset. A car pulled up next to my bike. It was that little brat and her very sexy mother. She said we stopped by KFC and got some chicken, we live here, got another chair for two guests, we’ll share our dinner with you. I got the chair and we ate chicken and french fries with one very spoiled little brat of a kid sitting on her lap. The kid got tired but her Mom did not She took her daughter to their room and then came back. We talked a while and then went inside. I really liked this woman, a bit mysterious but interesting for sure….. It was a good day on the road.