Rock And Blues International - November 2022

Rock And Blues International

November 2022

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

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 November issue of Rock And Blues International. In this issue you can read and interview with Al Basile. Al has got a new album out called Through With Cool and it’s fantastic Al talks with us at length about his new masterpiece, as well as his past and he also gives us a little bit of insight into the new album and the stories behind the songs. It’s certainly a very interesting interview. We’ve got a great story by Edoardo Fassio about Michelle David & The True-tones There are stories on Bobby Blackhat, Fally Ipupa, Tigercub, Julio Iglesias Jr. and Brian McKnight, Hope Tala, Candy Dulfer, Unloved, The New Roses, Cat Stevens, The Animals, 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

Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

Rock And Blues International

Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher

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Al Basile Tells Us “He’s Through With Cool”

By Kevin Wildman

Eight-time Blues Music Award

Nominee Al Basile has just released his new album titled Through With Cool, On Sweetspot Records. Overall, this is actually Al’s 19th solo album, however you’ll also find his touch on albums for Roomful Of Blues and Duke Robillard to name a couple. Al is a true Renaissance Man. He is a writer, playwright, songwriter, musician, poet, teacher, singer, producer, and probably one of the best horn players you’ve ever heard., however his specialty is the coronet. Al’s previous 8 albums have all made the top 20 of the Living Blues charts and he’s been nominated eight times for a BMA as Best Horn Player. His 2016 album, Mid-Century Modern was nominated as Best Contemporary Blues Album. It will come as no surprise to us if Through With Cool gets nominated for a few awards as well. This album is spectacular.

Through With Cool is probably anything but ‘uncool’. The album is filled with 14 of the coolest songs you’ve ever heard. The entire album is packed full with great melodies, smooth solos, and some of the most thought-provoking lyrics you’ve ever heard. Basically every song on this album tells a story. Some of these stories are really deep. Some have warnings, some have really deep meanings, and some are just plain fun. Inspirations for these songs come from so many places. Some are inspired by just a line he had said to him or heard somewhere. Some are from observations he has seen over the years, and some of the songs are from personal occurrences. Whatever the source may have been, the result of each is a very fine crafted song.

This is actually Al’s third time of producing himself and he does a fine job here. The album was recorded and engineered by Jack Gauthier at Lakewest Studios in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Besides Al, the stars on this album are definitely the musician he hand picked to record with. They are Bruce Bears (keyboards), Brad Hallen (bass), Mark Teixeira (drums), Doug James (tenor sax0, Jeff ‘Doc’ Chanonhouse (trumpet) and last but not least, he has the amazing Kid Andersen on guitars. Needless to say, but Al handles all the vocals and does some amazing horn playing on here as well. Let me tell you, Al’s vocals are nothing less than first-class. He delivers a smooth vocal style somewhat reminiscent of the traditional Blues singers we’ve grown to love over the years. When it comes to horn playing, Al definitely hits a new ‘high’ here. Check out his cool solos in “Take Your Time” and “We Lie On Your Grave.”

“Through With Cool is the most completely realized of my 19 albums - the closest to what I heard on my head when I

first conceived of the songs,” Basile says. “I’ve worked with Mark, Bruce, and Brad on ten CDs, and they know my music inside and out. The horns have been together on my projects multiple times. And Kid Andersen has outdone himself on his second time out, coming up with great rhythm parts and a rainbow of different guitar colors, each an enhancement to the songs. His versatility and taste show his nomination as best guitarist at this year’s BMAs was apt, and I turned him loose on a few extra-long solos that are spectacular. We’ve also stepped up our production game, with seamless teamwork between Jack Gauthier in the studio and Glenn Halverson in mastering on this, their second project together. It’s my best sounding record.”

We had a chance to sit down and talk to Al recently in what might be one of the best interviews we’ve ever had. It was certainly a lot of fun and at times we both just ended up laughing about a lot of what we talked about. It was very refreshing. In this interview we touch on a lot of subjects ranging from his starting out in the business to his methods of writing and the meanings of all the songs. It was really quite enlightening.

Rock And Blues International: Hi Al, what are you up to right now?

Al Basile: I’m sitting at my keyboards working on demos.

Rock And Blues International: I guess it’s time to get back to work again and start on the next album. You’ve got quite a few albums under your belt now.

Al Basile: Yeah, I go into the studio in January to work on the next record. I’ve done one every year basically for the last 20 years and so, I’m on a cycle. I write the songs in the early Spring and Summer and early Fall. I’m doing demos and doing horn arrangements and getting everything ready to give out to the musicians before the holidays so they can come back after the turn of the new year and get ready to go.

Rock And Blues International: When you present them with the music do you give them scores of all the arrangements with a demo tape to follow?

Al Basile: Actually, what I do is make demos that are for the bass players and the horn players. The horn players have charts. The bass player has a line that I want him to play. For the chord guys, I give them chord chords. They get a piece of pager with the chords on it and everybody gets a breakdown of the form and they also get the lyrics. I’ve had most of the same guys, except for the guitar player, for over 10 years, so they really know how to work with me. The guitar player is a new guy. That’s Kid Andersen and this is our third project together. He’s fitting in

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great, so he knows how to do what I need right away.

Rock And Blues International: Kid is one of those ‘go-to guys’. He has his own studio. I don’t know how many people I’ve talked to that go to his studio in California to record. He seems to be the right guy to use on the Blues

Al Basile: Yeah, he’s exceptional. You know, in my case I’m in Rhode Island, so we do the rhythm section track and the horns and stuff, then we can send the files out to Kid and he’s got his own studio so he adds the guitar parts and solos right in his own studio. It’s very easy. You don’t have to set up sessions with somebody out of state for example, he’s right there.

Rock And Blues International: That works out just great for you, doesn’t it. You just send him the files and he loads those into his computer and adds all his guitar parts for you without you having to fly out to California and help him handle it.

Al Basile: It’s just as if he had us there playing with him, It’s great.

Rock And Blues International: You’ve had a pretty long and prestigious career. You were the first horn player for Roomful Of Blues. I’ve bet you’ve got some stories to tell about that time in your life.

Al Basile: That was my first professional job. I was playing locally around Providence (Rhode Island) in the year before that. I had played the trumpet

as a child. I had a private teacher and for five years learned how to read music and learned how to play the instrument, and so, I was a reader. When I was in boarding school, I was in the orchestra and the marching band, the pep band, the brass choir. I did every musical group that they had, but it was always playing from sheet music, so I was that kind of player. I was okay, I wasn’t great at it, but I was serviceable. Then in College, I went to Brown (University) in Rhode Island and put the horn away… didn’t touch it for four years and did other musical things. I started writing lyrics, song lyrics, and musical plays. I had a partner who wrote music. I was the ‘words’ guy, and then we graduated and my partner went to law school and became a lawyer, started making money, and stopped making music.

Rock And Blues International: Yeah, there’s something strange about that, right…

Al Basile: Yeah, but by then I had become friends at the end of my college career with Duke Robillard and with Scott Hamilton, who’s a great tenor player and they both said to me, ‘you used to play an instrument, if you ever want to pick it up again… they used to have jam sessions. Scott said, ‘you can come and play at my house. We know you’re just starting out and it’s okay for you to struggle. You’re among friends and you’ve got a place to kind of learn the basics.’ That was exactly what I needed… a safe place to learn. So I started doing that and I played in public for the first time with Scott… I think about 1972 and then Duke heard about it. He

already had the three horns in Roomful (of Blues) at the time and three saxes. That band was doing ‘swing’ stuff, it was doing ‘jump’ blues, it was doing classic ‘rhythm and blues,’ like tenor sax tunes, as well as B.B. King guitar stuff, and all the guitar stuff that Duke did. They hired this great rhythm and blues tenor player, Red Prysock, who had had hits in the ’50s… this was now the ’70s… and he had become a jazz guy and was touring with his brother Arthur. Arthur Prysock was a very well known jazz vocalist. Anyway, they hired him to play a gig and they were trying to headquarters here in Rhode Island at the Knickerbocker Café, which is still running and they played there. So for that special gig, Duke hired me because a lot of Red’s songs had the trumpet in the arrangement. I played on that one gig. That was the first time I played out professionally. At the end of the night, Red was going, ‘you guys have a great band here.’ and Duke said, ‘thanks, but actually the seven of us are the band and this guy (Al) was hired for this gig because a lot of your arrangements.’ Red said, ‘Well, you got to hire this man, that trumpet puts fire into your arrangements,’ and so they hired me. So that’s how I got started into Roomful (of Blues). That was like going to finishing school (laughs), learning how to play, and learning how to be a professional. We did 300 dates a year, so I’m learning how to travel, and learning how to run what’s left of your life after you get home from every day. That’s how I started.

Rock And Blues International: Right… on the job training…

Al Basile: Yep, and then because it was Duke, a few years later after Duke had left the band, which he did in ’78, he and I got together and started writing. And so I wrote a bunch of tunes with him and for him, but I wrote a lot of his Rounder albums and Point Blank albums and a lot of the Shanachie albums that he did in the ’80s going into the ’90s. I also played as a sideman on a lot of those sessions. And so, I was keeping things going, but at the same time I had become a full-time teacher. I was teaching at a private school here in Rhode Island. I was teaching Music, English, and Physics.

Rock And Blues International: Well, sometimes a person needs to get a steady paycheck, so I understand that.

Al Basile: Well, it was a normal life. I moonlighted and kept my music stuff going and right around the end of the ’90s I started my own record company and started doing my records where basically every record that I released were songs of mine that I wrote. Duke produced me for the first twenty plus years and I always had him and his band and the rest of my friends

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left over from Roomful, like Doug James and Carl Quefurth on a lot of my sessions, so there was a ‘Roomful’ thing and a Duke thing. So, I did my own records all the way through the 2000s and up to 2020 and then I just switched over the last two years to producing my own self, and Kid’s the guitar guy now.

Rock And Blues International: Now that you’re producing yourself, do you find that more satisfying or is it added pressure?

Al Basile: There’s a lot more satisfaction. When I started, Duke was like my University, so when I started playing, I was learning how to play in a band and I was learning how to improvise. He kind of brought me along. Then when he started producing me, I started to pay attention to what the producer actually did and how many decisions that the producer made that affected the overall sound of the album when it was finished. I decided right about the time I switched over because Duke just got more and more involved in his own projects and it was harder and harder for me to get to him. I had worked with Kid with the Blues Music Awards down in Memphis and I knew he could do all the stuff I write. Duke could play all the stuff that I write. So, I thought, I’ll get Kid. And I also thought, ‘I think I’m going to try to learn to produce.’ The first record I did was two years ago and it was called Last Hand. All I had behind me was a piano and organ trio, so I didn’t have horns. I didn’t have guitar. So the production end of it was stripped down and I learned how to go through just the basics with the trio behind the voice. I didn’t play horn on it except for a couple of times and so that was my undergraduate time of learning all the decisions that the producer makes. I worked real closely with my engineer Jack Gauthier, which we had been working at his studio, Lakewest Studios, for forty years, and so Jack helped me through it. Then after we did that, I thought that now I’m going to go back and have a full band. That was last year’s B’s Testimony, and it was the first full production that I did with a bigger band and this year is the third time out… the second time with a bigger band. But yeah, if you’re the person who wrote the songs, wrote the

arrangement, sang and played on it, then you can be the person who makes all the decisions about all the different sounds and the mixing with the engineer. The record couldn’t be more mine. I literally made the decisions from before the song existed to what you hear on the record, so I’m very happy with what we’ve got. I like the way the record sounds. People seem to like the production. So yeah, to answer your question, It’s always been satisfying, but I keep expanding the ways that it satisfies me.

Rock And Blues International: Were there any agonizing decisions on your part where you wanted to do something, but you thought, ‘I want to do this, but maybe I should do that’, perhaps a little overthinking on certain parts?

Al Basile: No, there wasn’t much of that because to tell you the truth, when I write a song, I actually hear the arrangement while I’m writing the song. In other words, I hear the horn parts, I hear the bass line, I know what the groove is and I write the song out of the rhythm, out of the groove. I use horns most of the time to answer the vocal phrasing, so I’ve got everything in my head when I start. I know the melody, I know the lyrics. I know what my vocal phrasing’s going to be. I know how the horns are going to interact with that. I know what the rhythm section is going to be doing. If I only second-guess myself, it’s because I had it at the very beginning and all I’m doing is bringing it to life because I’ve been living with it from the start.

Rock And Blues International: I understand that you had a little throat problems for a while, but they’ve since healed. How much did your vocals or vocal style change from your last couple of albums to this album?

Al Basile: Well, I’m going to go a little further back than that. Back when I was doing Roomful, I started doing jazz gigs around Rhode Island and so I was always doing the jazz standard repertoire. I was very heavily into Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and I was singing standards, soft blues, but mainly standards in being a jazz guy. And so, that was my phrasing. My vocal phrasing was built around that kind of approach of holding notes and the stuff that Frank did and Tony Bennett did so well. Now when I started writing my own tunes, they’re not in that style any more. Now they’re more rootsy. They’re blues and soul based and classic R&B based, so now my vocal mentors were different people. Now they’re like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Percy Mayfield, and all those kind of people and that’s a different vocal approach. Over the last 20 years I’ve been working on that. Now when I had my vocal problems a few years back, what basically happened was it turned out I had a fungal infection in my larynx. I didn’t know it. All I knew was for me to sing what I wanted to sing, I had to push and I could do it, but it sounded like I was pushing. It didn’t sound easy, it sounded like work.

Rock And Blues International: Were the vocal a little more contrived? Did they come with great difficulty?

Al Basile: I was more hoarse, it wasn’t as smooth, and there was just pressure in the voice like pushing. I’m trying to be sincere about this, so I won’t say it was contrived, but it was effortable. Well, it thought, geez, I’m getting older. It’s just what happened. As it turned out, they discovered I had this infection and then they gave me medication and it cleared it up. So, from last year’s record to this year’s record is all the difference in the

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world. Now I can go back to singing the way I want to and it doesn’t sound like I’m forcing it. It just sounds like I’m singing within myself, so it’s smoother and it’s less hoarse and it’s more like what I was doing 4 or 5, 8 or 10 years ago, doing this same kind of material. My writing style really hasn’t changed a lot over the last 15 years or so.

Rock And Blues International: Well, I’m not too familiar with your past material. Realistically, this is the first album of yours that I’ve heard and I was knocked out by it. I really enjoyed the whole album. It’s full of tiny stories or short vignettes. There were a couple of themes that seem somewhat traditional, but overall I really enjoyed the variety of all the songs.

Al Basile: Thanks for noticing that first of all because that’s what I do. I am a storyteller. When I was in college, I was a

writer. I wrote fiction and I wrote plays, and I wrote some poetry. Writing fiction, the idea of telling a story came very naturally to me and when you’re writing a play you’re also telling a story with characters. When I started writing songs, I adopted the idea of making these songs like a little… it’s almost… it’s not a play, but a lot of times it’s a dramatic situation and a character. Sometimes the person singing is the character, it’s not me personally. I’m just a guy doing the voice of this character and I’ve always done that. I loved it when Randy Newman did it and so I would do that and if your were to go back and look, I’ve got a couple of hundred songs and a lot of them are character based. And musically I would build on the Blues tradition and then try to extend it out, so every record I’ve got has got some straight ahead 12-bar Blues or some homage to Tampa Red or B.B. King style Blues. I’m always doing that stuff to kind of ground it. Then I’ve got these other rootsy songs that

are from the blues and soul days and they might have some changes. They might have a bridge, but the grooves are still the same solid grooves and they still tell stories or speak from a particular situation.

Rock And Blues International: I love the subject matter on all the songs. I can’t think of one song on here that turned me off to it or anything negative about it. It was a very, very interesting album. I was very happy that you included the lyrics with it because you get so many albums with no lyric sheets and you try to keep up with what being sung and sometimes you loose little things in there that you should have picked up on.

Al Basile: Well, I’m a writer and every one of my albums has got a big booklet with all the lyrics in it. If you go back and look at my entire catalog, it’s like that. And most of them have… if you look in the booklet of the record, I have those little blurbs, little introductions before each lyric.

Rock And Blues International: Right, I noticed all of those. They were very interesting as well. You refer to opening for Howlin’ Wolf, Roomful of Blues, and other little anecdotes in there.

Al Basile: Right, so sometimes I’ll explain the story, where the idea came from, and then a lot of the story songs sometimes are things that happened to me. Sometimes they’re things that happened to somebody else I know and I’m just kind of adopting their voice. “My Hero” is a good example. I knew a guy that had that problem. He got involved with somebody and they just were just stringing him along to see what they could get out of him. He kept thinking he was going to be the one, the knight in shining armor and of course at the end of that you find out that you can’t. And so that’s why I wrote that song. Of course it sounds like it all happened to me. It kind of did, but that was 40 years ago. It hasn’t happened to me lately.

Rock And Blues International: In the first song, “Keep On Living,” I believe you stated that this song originated from something that Howlin’ Wolf had told you.

Al Basile: Yeah that was Roomful (of Blues) days. There was a guy in the band, one of the guys… I won’t say which one that was, but we were working with Wolf at a festival in Vermont and he was sitting backstage and this guy in the band went by and said, ‘hey old man.’ Wolf kind of looked up at him and said, ‘you just keep on living and you’ll be old too.’ I kept the ‘keep on living’ and then you’ve got to flesh it out. I didn’t write it in the voice of Howlin’ Wolf. I just took the idea and built on it.

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Rock And Blues International: Well, inspiration comes from all sorts of places. You hear something here, you hear something there. Sometimes it just jumps right out at you and it makes more sense on down the line.

Al Basile: There’s no question about that. There’s a couple of songs in there that… I won’t tell you what inspired them, but there’s some real life inspirations on some of those songs.

Rock And Blues International: On “I’m Waiting,” it looks like you want the ‘curves of her face,’ you love the ‘sound of her voice and the taste of her lips,’ but she’s just got to make up her mind what she’s gonna do.

Al Basile: Well, the thing about the Blues is, it’s a feeling, it’s an attitude, it’s not just a musical form. It’s always been true things… I don’t write any bullshit. It’s all something that’s happened to people, either me or people I know or people I know that are out there. Pretty much everybody’s been in a relationship like that, where you’re waiting for the yo-yo to come back up and it’s not coming back up.

Rock And Blues International: And I like the metaphors that you use, like in “Two Legged Mule”. It’s about a guy that’s messing around with your woman. I love the way you call him a mule. It’s very visual.

Al Basile: Yeah, well that’s an example of a traditional tune. It goes back to Muddy Waters… ‘another mule is kicking in your stall,’ which I first fell in love with Muddy Waters back in the ’60s. I don’t have a farm and I don’t have a mule, but yeah, it is a metaphor and it builds on a mule kicking in the stall image that Muddy used and a lot of other people use. It’s kind of a traditional part of Blues imagery. I am also a poet. I’ve got three books out, so I’m aware of all that stuff and what you can do with words to make things more vivid. I try hard to use that in my lyrics just like I try to do that in my poetry, but my poetry is more complex. In a poem, the words have to do all the work whereas in songs, the words are doing part

of the work, but the music is doing a lot of the work too, setting the mood and taking the people through the song. I’m the same writer, but I don’t write lyrics the same way I write poetry. There’s a difference.

Rock And Blues International: One of the songs on here, “Take Your Time,” is really a smooth number. I really like that. I love the coronet solo in there. It’s a coronet… right?

Al Basile: Yes it is. I’ve been playing the coronet since I joined Roomful. I played the trumpet as a child, but I switched to coronet when I picked it up again. Any time you hear me on my own records or on Duke’s records or anybody else’s records that I’m on, it’s always the coronet. Thanks for noticing because the coronet is like the trumpet, but it’s not the trumpet. It’s got a mellower sound that I like. I like to think that my horn has an alternate voice and I don’t want a piercing stabbing trumpet sound, I want a fat warm kind of coronet sound.

Rock And Blues International: And the second solo on that song, the organ solo, it’s simply unbelievable. It’s fantastic. That just fit in beautifully there.

Al Basile: Yeah, Bruce Bears is terrific and he’s been on… like my last ten records, so he really knows. All those guys really know… Brad Hallen on bass, Mark Teixeira on drums. They just know how to make me sound the best that I can sound. They’re creating the setting for whatever kind of gem I’m trying to stick on top.

Rock And Blues International: And I believe that’s another song that was inspired by something that you heard from Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson.

Al Basile: Yeah, we worked with “Cleanhead” a couple of times when I was

in Roomful. In those days he would play sitting down. He would sing sitting down and he would play sitting down, so he would be in the middle of the band. Somebody would be taking a solo and he would kind of lean over and he’d go ‘take your time son, take your time.’ That was his advice on how to solo, don’t rush, don’t try to get it over with, say what you’ve got to say. That’s actually part of the lyrics. That’s where that lyric came from.

Rock And Blues International: On “Couldn’t Live With It,” it’s the character… you said it wasn’t necessarily yourself, it’s the character that couldn’t handle success and drives away the woman that fell in love with him. Elaborate on that a little.

Al Basile: Yep, well I’m happy to say that ain’t me.

Rock And Blues International: Well that why I said it sounds like a character.

Al Basile: It’s not me, but I tell ya, I’ve known people like that. They can’t stand the prosperity. If they start going good, they find some way of messing it up. When you start with an idea for a character like that, then the song sort of spools out from that idea and all you need to do is come up with illustrations of what happened to this kind of person. So if you go verse to verse in that song, every one is a little different till you get to the woman. Of course everybody sits around complaining that nothing ever works out, but for this guy all of a sudden it does and he can’t handle it.

Rock And Blues International: When it comes to the next song, “Not Any Place

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The character’s woman left him, he hasn’t heard from her, he wants to find her, and when he thinks he found her, he can’t make it there…. His car dies on him.

Al Basile: That’s an example of what I call ‘magnification.’ In other words, the real situation happened to me, but what it was, was that I was in touch with somebody for a long time and all of a sudden I stopped hearing from them. So what I did was I magnified that into a situation where two people were married and living together. Then the guy gets up one day and all of a sudden, she’s gone. Her car is gone and she didn’t leave any forwarding address and he’s just kind of left hanging. What comes out of that is you become a detective and try to find out where did she

go. That’s where it came from and the idea that there’s a guy named Gus that owns the local cleaners, gives him a little bit of information. By the time you get to the end of the song, you know that he’s not going to find her. Even if he were to find this woman, it’s not going to help. He’s not going to get her back just because he finds where she went to. She left for a reason. That’s why he’s not anyplace at all. He’s just at loose ends. He doesn’t know what the hell is happening.

Rock And Blues International: On “We Belong Together,” that’s more of a tradition subject there.

Al Basile: Well that’s a romantic song there. That’s like before when you’re

trying to get things to work out, you’re trying to close the deal that you want to be close to this person for a long time and so you try to convince them. That’s one thing you can try to do. You say ‘look, this is meant to be.’

Rock And Blues International: On ‘Uh Huh,” it sounds like the woman in that song is kind of a tease there, but if she finally finds the lead character in that song, she’ll have finally found a real man.

Al Basile: The idea there is that you’ve got a woman who is used to getting her way and getting men to do whatever she wants. She takes the whole thing as a game and takes it kind of lightly. And then this guy is basically saying, ‘look, I’ve got something more permanent to offer and one of these days you’re going to realize that.”

Rock And Blues International: Yeah, I’ve seen that woman in a lot of clubs out there.

Al Basile: (Laughs) I bet you have. You’ve seen her, her sister, her cousin and their best friend too.

Rock And Blues International: I see them out there every weekend. She’s the kind of girl you would kind of like to have, but you don’t really, because no matter what bar you walk in, everybody knows her name.

Al Basile: Yeah! Yep! That’s what I mean when I say, they’re taking it as a game. They’re not taking it as seriously as the speaker is taking it. So he is basically saying, you can play around, but after a while you’re going to get tired of that and you’re going to want something that’s more real and then you’re going to find out what I’m all about. It’s a confident position to take. It’s kind of like predicting the future when there’s nothing really happening in the present.

Rock And Blues International: On “Turnabout Is Fair Play,” it seems a little like you’re saying a lot of men just don’t understand a woman, they just don’t understand what she wants and it’s a little hard to figure it out and then when they do, it becomes a problem. Or have I read that wrong?

Al Basile: You read the first part of the song exactly right, but the second part of the song shows the other side of the coin. The singer is taking men to task at the beginning for being stupid, but then he gets around to mistakes that women make in the second half. So, by the time you get to the end of the lyrics, both sides have been talked to. This is the teacher in me coming out, because that’s another thing, I continued on next page

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like to tell stories and I like to teach. It’s kind of like a rootsy rock tune. There’s a lot of lyrics in this. What it’s meant to do is say, you’re all making mistakes in the wrong way and misunderstanding what’s really going on. Fair about is fair play. That’s what that is all about. The guy is complaining about the women and the women are complaining about the guys. I’m saying you all need to get yourself together.

Rock And Blues International: The next song is “You’d Better Change Your Tune.” I like the little thing where you relate it somewhat to The Beatles song “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.” It sounds like a warning… You must be talking to a drummer here.

Al Basile: (laughs) You know, I’m happy to say I never thought of that, but I know what you’re saying has got a lot of truth. I hear from a lot of people that talk to a lot of drummers. (laughs again) Let’s put it that way. Well, The Beatles connection is “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.” If you don’t treat her right, then I’m gonna steal her away from you and this is the same thing. You’d better change your ways or you’re not gonna what you want. The idea came from The Beatles. It’s been a long time ago since I first heard that song. The first time that I heard that idea in a song was on that Beatles tune. And then, whatever it is, 50, 55 years later I use the same idea. They’re not similar songs really, but the idea is similar.

Rock And Blues International: Well, I’m very familiar with that song. I think we’re probably close to the same age. I’ll be 70 in a few months and you actually look younger than me.

Al Basile: Well, I’m 74.

Rock And Blues International: Really! Well you look a lot better than me.

Al Basile: (laughs) Well I can’t see you on the phone, but I’ll have to take your word for that.

Rock And Blues International: It looks like we grew up in the same era, so I

pretty much remember that song.

Al Basile: Yeah, this goes back to me being a playwright. It’s a dramatic situation. It’s like there’s a guy with a girl and the guy’s not treating the girl right. Now who are you? You’re the person talking to that guy, saying ‘if you don’t straighten up, you’re gonna lose it.’ Now there are some other Arthur Alexander songs that do that. There’s some great Arthur Alexander songs that do that. Basically they talk not to the woman, but to the guy and say this. And Sometimes the dramatic situation is Arthur Alexander has lost out to a guy and he’s saying ‘you’d better treat her right because I can’t.’ If you think about who’s singing and who he is singing to, pretty much every song that I right has a situation. The song points at a person with a very dramatic situation with the person who is singing. That’s kind of endless. You can go round and around and around with all kinds of themes. They don’t always have to be romantic themes.

Rock And Blues International: Well, the next song kind of sounds like a Edgar Allan Poe story or theme. We’re lying on your grave. What is this… making love in a Cemetery?

Al Basile: Yes. It’s kind of freaky.

Rock And Blues International: Yes it is. It is kind of freaky. I was wondering… is this for real? You’ve got to tell me why. I definitely need to know the back-story on this song.

Al Basile: Well, I can’t give you details, but yes, it’s for real.

Rock And Blues International: Well, in a way, I can somewhat relate to that. When I was a teenager, we would go off to the local cemetery with a girl because there

was nobody around and nobody to interrupt us.

Al Basile: Yep that’s part of it. And the other part of it is that there’s some people that… I guess the way they look at it is the closer I am to somebody that is dead, the more alive I feel.

Rock And Blues International: Okay… that’s an interesting thought right there.

Al Basile: I don’t want to say too much.

Rock And Blues International: Go ahead and tell us. Nobody’s going to see this story. You can tell us a little more about this… (Laughing) No one is going to know.

Al Basile: No, (laughing) I’m not going to say anything more about this situation, but I will say I think that maybe my favorite horn solo is in this song. I think it’s one of my favorites on the record. It’s definitely one of my favorites that I’ve ever recorded. I was really happy with the way that came out.

Rock And Blues International: That brings us to the last song on the album. Let me ask you… are you too cool? The name of this song is “Through With Cool.” Are you just too old to be cool now? Explain this one.

Al Basile: Well, okay. First of all there’s a story about this. I’m sure that you noticed it’s not a band tune, it’s just Kid and me.

Rock And Blues International: Yeah.

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Rock And Blues International: Well this was really an extraordinary album. I really enjoyed it. I enjoy the Blues. I enjoy most Blues songs, but this kept my attention from the first song clear through to the last one. It really did.

Al Basile: Well thank you very much! I would hazard to say that if you go back to pretty much any of my previous albums, particularly during the last 15 years, you’ll find that they’re very consistent in that regard. I don’t like throwaway tunes. I don’t write filler tunes to fill up space the way they used to do in the ’60s where you’d have a couple of singles and a lot of B-side material. I write the songs that come to me and the ones that I like, I record. I don’t record any songs that I think are kind of run-of-the-mill or average. I’m glad that you feel that there aren’t any in this record. I think you would feel that if you listened to my other records. I’ve been doing it a long time, but it also takes a long time for people to catch on to what you’re doing.

Rock And Blues International: Well, I’m going to have to look for those. I do listen to a lot of new albums and I hear a lot of filler material in there. I see it all the time. Bands will go, ‘we have six good songs, but we need four more to do the album. Let’s just write a few real quick.’

Al Basile

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Al Basile: And there’s a sound in the background. It could be like a kick drum. The deal about that is, normally I put thirteen songs on an album. When I’ve written thirteen songs that I like, I say ‘okay, that’s it. I’ve got the songs I need.’ And so we go in the studio in January and record them. We get everything put together and then damned if I didn’t write another song, like in March. We already had all the stuff in the can and I wasn’t going to bring the whole band back together. So I said, you know what, I had just done a duo thing with Kid at the hotel in Memphis during the Blues Music Awards about five or six years ago and I was singing and he was playing and I thought, ‘well, why don’t we just do this.’ What’s that about is, and you probably noticed it if you’re as old as you said you were, you get to a point where… I wrote a song on the same topic on Last Hand, the first song is called “Invisible Man.” What it is… you get to a certain age and young women don’t see you anymore. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Rock And Blues International:

Unfortunately I do.

Al Basile: (laughs) Okay… So I wrote “Invisible Man.” Now this one, I actually heard somebody say the phrase ‘through with cool’. They didn’t mean it in the way I mean it, but the way I mean it is you get to a point where young people don’t think you can be cool. In fact, they don’t pay any attention to you at all. But, we’re the generation that invented the word ‘cool.’

Rock And Blues International: That’s right!

Al Basile: So, give us a break. Basically what I’m saying is that song is… I’ve reached a point where I’ve just passed it. I just have to accept it… I can’t compete anymore. I’m not seen in the same way younger men are seen by women. That’s just the way it is. But, in fact, the reason I made it the title of the album was that I hope that people write reviews and things like that, that they give you a bit of an argument. That they say, ‘wait a minute. This is cool!’

Al Basile: Yeah, exactly. I’m not coming from that direction. In fact, what I said about writing extra songs, normally when I write like that 14th or 15th songs. After I’ve got my first 13, then I’ll go back and decide which two are not up to the standards of the ones remaining and take two out. So, overall the level comes up. And that pretty much happens every year.

Rock And Blues International: I honestly can not think of any song on here that needs to come out. They all seem very vital to me.

Al Basile: Well, you didn’t hear the ones I took out (laughs).

Rock And Blues International: Well, I’m just talking about what I have to work with here right now.

Al Basile: I’ll tell you, you probably won’t ever hear the ones that I took out because I take one or two out every year, but then by the next year I’ve got new songs. One thing about songwriters and artists in general, when you finish, that’s what you think is the best. You don’t want to go back to old stuff.

Rock And Blues International: It makes me wonder sometimes when I see reissues of old albums by an artist that

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Al Basile

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died, and they end up putting about 12 more tracks on there of outtakes. You would think that the artist would turn over in his grave if he knew they were issuing songs that he really didn’t want out there. If he had wanted them on there, they probably would have been on there.

Al Basile: Well, every once in a while you run into an artist whose got material that didn’t come out originally that does stand up. I’m looking across genres here, but Prince is like that. If you listen to the stuff that Prince was recording when he put out all his regular albums, he just had too much good stuff to put out any given year. He’s like that. There are some Rock guys like that too. Andy Partridge from XTC is like that. The band hasn’t been together for a while, but he’s got a whole series of records that he’s put out called “Fuzzy Warbles” that are all songs that didn’t get on XTC albums. There’s a ton of great songs on there, but those guys are the exception. You can squeeze the sponge as hard as you want, but you won’t find much. Look at The Beatles. You didn’t find 10 more great songs to find their way onto the albums when they were together. They’re just finding bits and pieces and scraps.

Rock And Blues International: What do you want people to come away with after hearing this album. If you can picture two people together in a room listening to this album, what would you want to hear from them when the last notes of the last song rang out?

Al Basile: The first thing I hope somebody would say was, ‘who is that guy?’ I’ve never heard of him.

Rock And Blues International: Oh, come on, you don’t want them to say that… Really, when they hit the last note, what would you really want them to come away with?

Al Basile: That isn’t all I was going to say, but I wanted to stop at that for this reason. If you go back to my back catalog, you’ll find a lot of songs that are just as good as the ones on this record. But, what I believe is a good song will make it’s way

into people’s hearts and minds if they hear it, but they have to hear it. It’s really all about exposure and so if they finish hearing all the record and they say, ‘who is this guy,’ that means that they’ve heard enough to know that they should go back and listen to everything else that they missed up to this point. So that’s what that quote is about. In terms of being more fair to your question, because I know you’re looking for something a little different, I would say, ‘boy, this guy honors the traditions, but he extends it. He’s not a slave to it. He’s not trying to copy what’s been done in Blues, but he uses what’s been done and he does something personal with it. He takes it somewhere else.’ I had one review once that said, ‘This guy is putting another brick in the wall of the Blues tradition.’ That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to make my contribution of what I have to offer, but I want to stay on the reservation. I want it to be accessible to people that love Blues and Roots music and not say ‘I don’t understand this music. It doesn’t have a beat or what does those words mean.’ I want it to be understandable and I mean to honor the traditions, but I mean to do something that nobody but me could do. That’s what a good writer does. She or he tells the thing they can do that’s isn’t really anything like anybody else. That’s what it is. I got to tell you this…

Everybody expects guitar solos, keyboard solo, sax solos in the Blues. They don’t expect coronet or trumpet solos, but if you go back to the ’20s, Louis Armstrong was playing some of the best Blues ever with Bessie Smith on accordion. That’s another thing that I’d like them to say. ‘Wow! Nobody plays like this guy! I’ve never really heard a coronet on a Blues record, but it fits.’ I’d love for people to say that.

As you can see, there’s a lot more to Al than meets the eye. He is truly a Renaissance Man. He is certainly a welleducated man and one of the finest musicians we’ve had the pleasure of talking to. His writing skills are excellent and the quality of his songs are simply wonderful. After listening to this album, the thought comes to mind, ‘just how is he going to top this.’ The album has got to be the best one he’s done yet. Well, let me tell you… he will. I’m sure the next album that he is currently writing will surely top this one, but in the meantime this one is his finest. I urge everybody out there that loves the Blues to get out and find this album and add it to your collection. You’ll certainly be glad you did. You can pick it up at http://www.albasile.com. While you’re there you might as well order some of his older releases along with a couple of books of his cool poetry.

Angela Strehli Returns With Ace Of Blues November 18th Via

Records/New West Records

songs made famous by Elmore James, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Clay and more. It concludes with “SRV,” a beautiful and personal tribute to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. As the only original on Ace of Blues, the song celebrates their friendship, creative connection, and musical bond with one of the most heartfelt, hypnotic, and hardhitting performances on the record.

Buddy Guy calls Ace of Blues, “Tough, soulful, and sexy. My kind of blues” while Bonnie Raitt says, “Always a fan, I’m so glad Angela’s back with a new album, putting her soulful take on this collection that pays tribute to her old blues friends.” Charlie Musselwhite says, “Angela has just kept getting better. She truly loves and ‘gets’ real deal blues and what it means. It’s great to see her share her blues with us all” while Maria Muldaur offers, “Her lifelong devotion to the blues is fully realized here! This is an absolute, must-have album for any blues lover.”

Ace

Angela Strehli’s

Angela Strehli returns with Ace of Blues on November 18th via Antone’s/New West Records. The 12-song set is her first album in over 17 years and was co-produced by Strehli & her husband Bob Brown. For over five decades, the 76-yearold Strehli’s voice has coursed through the genre akin to blood through a heart. Her influence can be

felt in the legacy of Antone’s — the iconic Austin blues club she helped found with the late Clifford Antone and where she performed & became friends with the likes of Muddy Waters, Albert King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Reed, and countless others. Ace of Blues pays tribute to the artists who inspired her throughout her career and features renditions of

Relix Magazine premiered the album’s lead off track saying, “For over 50 years, her voice has graced the music world, sashaying through genre, leaving gentle yet permeant imprints wherever she landed — but no such mark has been left so cleanly as her mark on the blues.” Of her rendition of “Two Steps From The Blues,” they call it “... a song doused in blue light and veiled in thick white smoke. On the track, Strehli, accompanied by the glam and glimmer of a full backing band, gives tribute—to the song made famous by Bobby Bland—with sentimental vocals that drip with a musical acumen that could only come from experiencing it live, in person with absolute focus.”

Angela Strehli was born in Lubbock, TX in 1945. Shortly after graduating from the University of Texas in Austin, Strehli joined James

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Angela Strehli

Polk and the Brothers, a Soul/R&B group, and went on to form Southern Feeling with W.C. Clark and Denny Freeman, which became a local favorite. Her next move was to start The Angela Strehli Band which led to five consecutive awards from the Austin Chronicle for Best Female Vocalist. The “Queen of Texas Blues” was born.

In 1975, Strehli co-founded the blues club Antone’s which became internationally famous and still exists today. The venue became home to then long neglected blues masters including Muddy Waters, Albert King, Otis Rush, and countless others, and its house band was the newly formed Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Jimmy Vaughan & Kim Wilson. Strehli would befriend a young Stevie Ray Vaughan at Antone’s when he would come to see if Albert King or another one of his idols would walk in.

Vaughan started playing “Texas Flood,” a song Strehli would perform regularly, and it became the title track to his debut album with Double Trouble in 1983. Vaughn would then have Strehli perform with him at many of his important appearancesCarnegie Hall, the CBS Records Convention, Austin City Limits among them. Strehli would then help establish Antone’s Records & Tapes, serving as President, and releasing her debut solo album Soul Shake in 1987. Following her acclaimed Blue Highway in 2005, Strehli eased into a prolonged hiatus… until now.

Angela Strehli has also announced a limited number of 2022 performances celebrating the release of Ace of Blues. The itinerary

features two special engagements on November 15th and 16th at Antone’s in Austin, TX as well as appearances in Houston, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and her home base of Marin County, CA. Please see tour dates below.

Angela Strehli’s Ace of Blues marks the first new release for the relaunched Antone’s Records imprint through New West Records. It will be available across digital retailers & streaming platforms, compact disc, and standard black vinyl. A limited to 500 Blue Vinyl Edition will be available at Independent Retailers and is available for pre-order NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS at http:/ /newwst.com/aceofblues.

Angela Strehli

Ace of Blues Track Listing:

1. Two Steps From The Blues

2. Person To Person

3. Ace Of Spades

4. I Love The Life I Live

5. You Never Can Tell 6. Gambler’s Blues

7. Howlin’ For My Darling

8. Trying To Live My Life Without You

9. Take Out Some Insurance

10. More And More

11. I Wouldn’t Mind Dying 12. SRV

Angela Strehli Live: November 5 - Nicasio, CA - Rancho Nicasio

November 15 & 16 - Austin, TXAntone’s

November 17 & 18 - Houston, TXMucky Duck

December 1 - Oakland, CA - Yoshi’s

December 2 - Santa Cruz, CAKuumbwa Jazz

www.AngelaStrehliMusic.com www.NewWestRecords.com

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Michelle David & The True-tones: Rhythm-and-Gospel’s new appeal

By Edoardo Fassio

The appearance of Michelle David & The Truetones in Turin for Eurovision 2022 opened the eyes of many to a reality already established in the Netherlands and other European countries.

Started as a project to explore the origins of soul and rhythm & blues, in a few years it has become a real band, now with a new name (will it be the definitive one?), six albums cut since 2015, the nomination for an Edison (the Dutch Grammy), the invitation to perform for the King and Queen of the Netherlands and their show at the opening day of Eurovision 2022, on the occasion of the symbolic take over from Rotterdam, the city that hosted it the previous year.

It all began after the European tours of Michelle David, a singer born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in New York. David was no stranger to performing, having sung in churches, theaters and musicals all of her life. She had graced the stages of the Old Continent since 1992, but her career took off when she met the Lefties Soul Connection, a Dutch band dedicated to a serious revival of instrumental soul music of yesteryear, from Booker T. & the MGs and the Meters to more recent artists such as the Roots and Soulive.

The discovery was mutual: the European musicians were thrilled to add an authentic soulful voice to the band, so far mainly instrumental; the American vocalist found a new, steady audience for her talents. Thus, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions was born, the denomination pointing to the spiritual roots of the music, the classic gospel sounds of the Soul Stirrers, the Zion Travelers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Shirley Ann Lee, virtual sacred counterpart of the “profane” blues-cum-rhythm.

On record and in concert, the group stays true to tradition, while its repertoire and arrangements keep the door open by incorporating traits of calypso, traditional Caribbean and Brazilian music, and even sub-Saharan Gnawa melodies, also dealing with styles still loved by the retro in-crowd such as Northern soul, boogaloo and Afro-beat.

The current line-up includes founders Onno Smit and Paul Willemsen, both guitarists and multiinstrumentalists straight from the Lefties, and drummer Bas Bouma. They now call themselves Michelle David & The True-tones, but the change does not have them deviate from their original intent, which remains essentially Rhythm-and-Gospel. The lady and the boys are still looking for the balance between tradition and commercial appeal, also pursued in the latest album Truth and Soul, where alongside the severe “Yes I Know” and “Wait”, a contemporary deep soul, is placed the seductive sweet soul ballad “Trust” and the disruptive “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”, a disguised rendition of Spencer Davis Group’s “Keep On Running”.

Michelle David & The True-tones: il Rhythm-and-Gospel ha un nuovo appeal

By Edoardo Fassio

L’apparizione di Michelle David & The True-tones a Torino per Eurovision 2022 ha aperto gli occhi a molti su una realtà già consolidata nei Paesi Bassi e in altri paesi europei.

Cominciata come un progetto per scoprire le origini del soul e del rhythm & blues, in pochi anni è divenuta una vera band, ora con un nuovo nome (sarà quello definitivo?), sei album all’attivo, la nomination per un Edison (il Grammy nederlandese), l’invito a esibirsi per i reali d’Olanda e l’apparizione alla giornata inaugurale di Eurovision 2022, in occasione del simbolico scambio di consegne con Rotterdam, sede della precedente edizione.

Tutto nacque in seguito ai tour europei di Michelle David, cantante statunitense originaria di Winston-Salem, North Carolina e cresciuta a New York. David non era nuova a esibirsi in pubblico, avendo cantato in chiesa, a teatro e nei musical per tutta la vita. Aveva calcato i palchi del Vecchio Continente dal 1992, ma la sua carriera prese il volo quando incontrò la Lefties Soul Connection, una band olandese dedita a un serio revival del soul strumentale dell’altro ieri, da Booker T. & the MGs e i Meters fino ad artisti più recenti come Roots e Soulive.

La scoperta fu reciproca: i musici europei furono entusiasti di aggiungere una autentica voce soulful alla band, finora soprattutto strumentale; la vocalist nordamericana trovò un nuovo, stabile pubblico per i suoi talenti. Nacque così Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions, con la denominazione accentuata sulla radice spirituale della musica, il gospel classico di Soul Stirrers, Zion Travelers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe e Shirley Ann Lee, virtuale controparte sacra del contemporaneo e “profano” bluescon-ritmo.

Su disco e in concerto la formazione rende omaggio alla tradizione, mantenendosi aperta nel repertorio e negli arrangiamenti. Assimilano elementi di calypso, della musica tradizionale caribica e brasiliana e persino delle melodie Gnawa subsahariane e si confrontano con stili tuttora amati dalla club culture come Northern soul, boogaloo e Afro-beat.

Attualmente l’organico comprende i fondatori Onno Smit e Paul Willemsen, chitarristi e polistrumentisti provenienti dalla Lefties, e il batterista Bas Bouma. La denominazione è diventata Michelle David & The Truetones, ma il cambiamento non rinnega l’impostazione originale, che resta essenzialmente Rhythm-and-Gospel. E neppure la ricerca dell’equilibrio tra fedeltà alla tradizione e appeal commerciale, perseguita anche nell’ultimo album Truth and Soul. Che a fianco della severa “Yes I Know” e di “Wait”, deep soul di fattura contemporanea, colloca la seducente ballad sweet soul “Trust” e una dirompente “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”, palese derivazione di “Keep On Running” dello Spencer Davis Group.

Blues artists have a long history of capturing the essence of historic events through their lyrics. I work hard to keep that tradition alive. When writing about a tragic event such as a hurricane, where so many lives are impacted, I endeavor to do so in respectful, forthright, and compassionate manner. I hope I met that challenge with “Hurricane Blues”.

I have developed a niche as an “Event Inspired Songwriter”, able to quickly respond musically to some of the hot issues of our times. Through my music, I have addressed a myriad of high profile, and often sensitive topics ranging from school shootings, homelessness, election campaigns, and the Pandemic. In the words of Paul Shugrue, PBS/WHRO radio personality, “Bobby has a knack for writing timely songs that we all can relate to”.

Bobby BlackHat, Virginia’s Blues Ambassador, award winning recording artist, harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter, comedian, and producer, blends the influences of Chicago, Memphis, Piedmont, and Delta style blues along with a little Gospel into a Toe Tappin’, Finger Poppin’, Hip Shakin’ blues experience.

Musicians On “Hurricane Blues” include Bobby BlackHat (harmonica, vocals), Danny Lubertazzi (guitar), Brian Eubanks (bass), Cal Hamlin (keyboards), and Michael Behlmar (drums).

Bobby BlackHat, Virginia’s Blues Ambassador, award winning recording artist, harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter, comedian, producer has been playing harmonica for over 46 years.

Bobby Blackhat Releases New Album Hurricane Blues

Bobby is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander with 27 years of distinguished service which included serving as Military Aide to the President and being awarded the Coast Guard Medal for Heroism.

He has opened for music legends: B.B King, Taj Mahal, Delbert McClinton, Patty Labelle, Ramsey Lewis, and Maze. He has also performed with Eddie Shaw, Kenny Neal, Ruthie Foster, Tas Cru, Jason Ricci, Slam Allen, Mick Kolassa, Fernando Jones., Memphis Gold, and Lurrie Bell. BlackHat is a judge for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN.

In 2017, Bobby won the USAA/We Are The Mighty Mission: Music nationwide competition. In 2016, the Bobby BlackHat Band advanced to the finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. Bobby has won two Blewzzy Awards for “Song of the

Year” (I Hear Mama’s Voice, 2012 and Please Mr. BlackHat, 2015). He was also awarded two 2016 VEER Music Awards for “Best Blues” and “Song of the Year” (HRBT Blues).

Bobby BlackHat blends the influences of Chicago, Memphis, Piedmont, and Delta style blues along with a little Gospel into a Toe Tappin’, Finger Poppin’, Hip Shakin’ Blues experience. You Never Know What’s Gonna Happen at a Bobby BlackHat Show!

“I bought my first harp after hearing Lee Oskar play with WAR in 1972. The sound of his harp just mesmerized me and I knew right then and there I was gonna be a harp player too.”

Affiliations

Member Blues Foundation River City Blues Society

Voting Member Recording Academy Life Member Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Life Member National Naval Officers Association

Life Member Society of White House Military Aides

Emma Birski

Congolese superstar Fally Ipupa has shared his new single “Se Yo” via Elektra France / Warner Music France which is now available to stream here at https:// fallyipupa.lnk.to/seyo. The tender track has arrived with a striking music video, which continues part two of a three-part visual narrative.

“Se Yo” follows the rhythmic “Science-Fiction” (https://youtu.be/ 3ZpMdm0cjqY) which was released in September with a music video that has already garnered 2.7 million views along with support from OkayAfrica and RIFF Magazine. To date, the Congolese artist has over 20 million combined social media followers, hundreds of millions of streams, and was just nominated for Best International Act at the 2022 BET Awards.

For over two decades, Ipupa has helped pave the way for Congolese and African music in the mainstream, honoring the legacy of African rumba while updating its sound for today’s audiences. He was part of the first wave of musicians to fill large venues in France with Congolese music – in 2020, Ipupa sold out Paris’ 20K+ capacity Accor Arena.

In addition to his music, Ipupa gives back to his community through philanthropic endeavors in partnerships with UNESCO, UNDP and UNICEF, currently serving as a national ambassador for the latter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 2017, Ipupa has worked directly with UNICEF in the fight against malnutrition, which affects 10 million children across the DRC every year.

photo credit: Pinelopi Gerasimou

Westerman shares new song “Idol; RE-run” And Announces

Tour

Speaking about the new song, Westerman shares: “The lyrics to the song were written around the same time as the storming of the Capitol. The compulsion towards the pedestal is strong. The need to scapegoat and revere without logic. Our populists actively celebrate their being people who don’t know anything other or better than anyone else, yet these spectres with their failings conduct our anger and resentment as if they were gods. They are nothing more than the shadow of something else, the face fronting a need to be loved or revered present in everyone. And there will always be another face to front.”

Westerman also announces his first headlining North American tour in four years. The month-long run begins in San Diego on May 6th with stops in Seattle, Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta, and Austin before wrapping up in Los Angeles on June 3rd.

In 2020, Westerman released his debut album Your Hero Is Not Dead, a graceful and self-reflective project described as “excellent” by Pitchfork, that continued the artist’s journey from pop maverick to one of the most vital voices coming out of the UK. Your Hero Is Not Dead features the stand-out songs, “The Line”, “Your Hero Is Not Dead,” “Waiting on Design,” “Think I’ll Stay” and “Blue Comanche” and is the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed Ark EP.

5/6 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah

5/7 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

5/9 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

5/10 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s

5/14 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

5/16 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry

5/17 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

5/19 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

5/20 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB

5/21 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair 5/23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

5/24 - Philadelphia, PA @Johnny Brenda’s 5/26 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd

5/27 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle - Back Room

5/28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

5/30 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s Nightclub

5/31 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

6/2 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

6/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

South London-born and Athens, Greecebased artist Westerman returns with his first offering in two years with the song “Idol; RErun” out now via Partisan Records. The new track, produced by James Krivchenia and Westerman, juxtaposes gentle and celestial sonics with an aggrieved disposition and features artwork by renowned New York via Portugal Graphic Designer and Illustrator Bráulio Amado. Written after he emerged from a period of disenchantment with making music, and with the future of his career feeling abstract due to the pandemic, it seemed unclear to Westerman whether the material he was working on would ever be heard. Creatively, this un-

certainty offered a strange kind of freedom, and accommodated some of the most adventurous and unselfconscious songwriting of his career. “Idol; RE-run” is the first taste of Westerman’s output during this period. Composed shortly after the storming of the US Capitol, “Idol; RErun” is a meditation on false prophets and poisonous internet echo chambers, and an exorcism of sociological frustration. The track features James Krivchenia, Mikel Patrick Avery and Booker Stardrum on drums, Ben Reed on bass, Luke Temple on synth, Mat Davidson on piano, Robin Eubanks on the trombone and of course Westerman on vocals, guitar and synth.

UK Rock Trio Tigercub Release First Single “The Perfume Of Decay” On Stone Gossard Label

Brighton, UK-based rock ‘n’ roll trio Tigercub has returned with their hard-hitting new single, “The Perfume of Decay,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. “The Perfume of Decay” marks Tigercub’s debut release for Loosegroove Records, the label cofounded by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, a longtime champion of the band.

“They say comparison is the thief of joy,” says Tigercub’s 7-foot frontman Jamie Hall, “and nowhere is this more acutely felt than on the internet; the public ledger where I must amend my social cv daily, to portray my life to others in the most rose tinted & ineffable way possible. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth of course, beneath this facade I am crumbling, cascading into despair and at odds with my emotions. ‘The Perfume of Decay’ is my expression of this feeling, an argument between affectation and naturalness. It marks the beginning of a new era for us – this is Tigercub at its heaviest, its most accomplished, and most unapologetic.”

“Jamie Hall is not only an incredible songwriter, singer, and fucking wicked guitarist,” says Stone Gossard, “but he also has a deep understanding of art and music history. This guy dabbles in it all — visual arts, digital media, world history. This band is generational, and Jamie’s a natural star. Loosegroove couldn’t be happier working with Tigercub.”

Tigercub’s music has always sounded larger than life, occupying an extreme space within a diverse range of influences spanning Led Zeppelin and Slipknot to Sonic Youth and Frédéric Chopin. Hall and his two bandmates — drummer James Allix and bassist Jimi Wheelwright — made a spectacular debut with 2016’s Abstract Figures in the Dark, instantly earning praise for their dynamic songcraft and lacerating musical power. 2021’s acclaimed As Blue As Indigo saw Tigercub pushing

Tigercub

the boundaries even further, broadening their massive sonic palette while incorporating a deeply personal introspection which explored topics including anxiety, depression, toxic masculinity, the death of Hall’s grandmother, and the recent suicide of a close friend. The album proved the band’s popular breakthrough, ascending to #11 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart, while drawing international applause as one of the most electrifying rock releases in recent memory, with Guitar.com hailing it as “shaped by a determination not to compromise, made with tenacity and pride, and finished with a caustic bite.” “This is an expansive and experimental record,” wrote Kerrang!, “not just a twisting, twisted road through Hall’s own experiences, but also a rebirth of a maverick rock ‘n’ roll poet.”

As mind-bending and immediate on stage as in the studio, Tigercub celebrated As Blue As Indigo with a suitably epic live schedule, including a sold out UK headline tour, dates alongside longtime friends Royal Blood, and an inspirational North American run with Clutch and Eyehategod. This summer saw the band celebrating its signing to Loosegroove Records with showstealing sets at the UK’s annual Reading and Leeds Festival as well as by joining Pearl Jam for their colossal two-night stand at London’s BST Hyde Park 2022.

Now, with “The Perfume of Decay,” Tigercub embark on the next stage of their amazing journey, confidently embracing all the contradictions, counterpoints, and catharsis of modern-day rock while heralding further new music in the weeks and months to come.

“It’s all about opposites,” Jamie Hall says. “Sweet-and-salty popcorn tends to taste better than regular

popcorn, even though those are two opposing forces. I wanted to nail that concept with our heavy guitars, softer-sung vocals, Can-style grooves, and a bit of shoegaze. Counterpoints can come together and make a powerful connection. I’ve crossed the threshold from my 20s to my 30s, so I’m getting older, but I’m also entering my prime. This record is a reflection of that.”

TIGERCUB TOUR 2022

NOVEMBER

1 - Austin, TX # 2 - San Antonio, TX #

4 - Dallas, TX #

5 - Houston, TX #

11 - Glasgow, UK * 12 - Newcastle, UK * 13 - Leeds, UK * 15 - Exeter, UK * 16 - Brighton, UK *

18 - Hannover, GER * 20 - Hamburg, GER * 22 - Berlin, GER * 23 - Munich, GER * 24 - Wien, AT * 25 - Zagreb, CRO * 26 - Milan, IT *

DECEMBER

2 - Toulouse, FR * 3 - Lyon, FR * 5 - Zurich, CH * 6 - Stuttgart, GER * 7 - Frankfurt, GER * 9 - Cologne, GER * 10 - Paris, FR * 13 - Bristol, UK * 14 - Birmingham, UK * 15 - Manchester, UK * 16 - Nottingham, UK * 17 - London, UK *

# - with Highly Suspect * - with Clutch

“THE PERFUME OF DECAY” - LISTEN AT https://tigercub.ffm.to/theperfumeofdecay

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BABASÓNICOS Nominated To The 2022 Latin Grammys In The

Album And

Categories With

Listen to “Trinchera”

The Argentinean band Babasónicos received 2 nominations to the Latin Grammy with their latest album “Trinchera” in the Best Pop/Rock Album and “Bye Bye” for Best Pop/ Rock Song categories. This is Babasónicos’ first studio album in four years, following the release of Discutible in 2018.

While Babasónicos’ new album continues to garner acclaim, the group is preparing the release of the exclusive vinyl edition of “Trinchera,” and is preparing to end their “Bye Bye” international tour in their home country with two-night appearance at Movistar Arena, of which the first show sold out

in less than 3 days.

https://orcd.co/trinchera

The band is also in the midst of promoting the single titled “Trinchera”, a story with dramatic undertones that chemically fuses with the artificial, danceable and carefree rhythm, as if the band doesn’t care about fixing this world that’s already beyond repair. “Trinchera” is part of a trilogy of songs that will be

completed in the near future with the songs “Carnal Kombat” and “Cicatriz#23.”

The 23rd Latin Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Univision from the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Thursday, November 17, 2022.

Follow BABASONICOS

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/babasonicos/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/BabasonicosOficial Twitter @ https://twitter.com/babasonicos

https://www.youtube.com/babasonicos

Nueva

BABASÓNICOS Nominados A Los

Latinos 2022 En Las CategoriasDe Mekpr Álbum De Pop/Rock Y Mejor Cancion

“Trinchera”

La banda argentina Babasónicos recibió 2 nominaciones a los Grammy Latinos con su último disco “Trinchera” en las categorías de Mejor Álbum Pop/ Rock y “Bye Bye” para Mejor Canción Pop/Rock. Este es el primer álbum de estudio del grupo en cuatro años, tras el lanzamiento de Discutible en 2018.

Mientras el nuevo disco de Babasónicos sigue cosechando elogios, el grupo prepara el lanzamiento de la edición exclusiva en vinilo de “Trinchera”, se preparan además para finalizar su gira internacional “Bye Bye” en su país natal con la presentación de dos noches en el Movistar Arena, de las cuales la primera función agotó las

@ https://orcd.co/trinchera

entradas en menos de 3 días.

La banda se encuentra en plena promoción del single titulado “Trinchera”, una historia con tintes dramáticos que se funde químicamente con el ritmo artificial, bailable y despreocupado, como si a la banda no le importara arreglar este mundo que ya no tiene arreglo. “Trinchera” forma parte de una trilogía de canciones que se

completará próximamente con los temas “Carnal Kombat” y “Cicatriz#23”.

La 23ª edición de los Grammy Latinos se transmitirá en vivo por Univisión desde el Michelob ULTRA Arena en el Mandalay Bay Resort y Casino el jueves 17 de noviembre de 2022.

Sigue a BABASONICOS por Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/babasonicos/ Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/BabasonicosOficial Twitter @ https://twitter.com/babasonicos YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/babasonicos

credits:

Cordero and

Abbott

International recording artist Julio Iglesias Jr., has released his new single, a duet of a Stevie Wonder medley with Brian McKnight featuring “Overjoyed / I Just Called to Say I Love You / Isn’t She Lovely,” from Julio’s new album Under The Covers out February 7 and produced by legendary, GRAMMY-winning producer Rudy Pérez. Featuring Julio and Brian’s smooth, soulful vocals set to a reimagining of Stevie’s classic hits, the medley arrives alongside a live performance video.

“Rudy and I knew we needed a Stevie Wonder cover on this record, but when we looked at his repertoire, we realized it was impossible to choose just one song. We ended up taking these three songs and turning it into a beautiful medley, and who better to sing it with me than Brian McKnight?” says Julio.

“I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project with Julio Jr. I was honored to even be asked. Bringing separate cultures together through Stevie Wonder’s music is a win-win situation for me,“ says Brian.

Julio also recently released “Into The Night,” a spellbinding duet with Benny Mardones that offers a new take on Mardones’ 1980 hit. Go to https://youtu.be/wDu1EPzMea8 to watch the live performance video brimming with Julio’s irresistible warmth on stage.

Under The Covers finds Julio reinterpreting an eclectic mix of pop songs in the classic sound of big band and swing—a supreme fit for his crooner voice and innate elegance as a song interpreter. The album’s selection of songs feels like a soundtrack to our lives, evoking good memories and brightening the heart. The album includes lush renditions of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are,” Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You,” and Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” and duets with other special guests including “I’m Too Sexy” with Right Said Fred and “Careless Whisper” with Jewel.

Last night, Julio inducted José María Lacalle (posthumously) into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame during the LA MUSA Awards last night at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL.

Julio Iglesias Jr. has lived a life steeped in the transcendent power of music as part of one of the most talented

Watch The Live Performance Video @

Stream the song @

and recognizable families in entertainment. Since first taking the stage with his legendary father as a small child, the Madrid-born artist has turned out global musical projects in a dazzling expanse of genres, toured with icons like Cher, records in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, and continues to deliver crowd-thrilling performances where he finds unparalleled joy being able to authentically connect with audiences on stage. As Julio taps into the true heart of his artistry with Under The Covers, he is preparing several other exciting major projects still to be announced

Under The Covers Tracklist:

1. What’s Going On

2. Careless Whisper (with Jewel)

3. Shape of You

4. Everybody Wants To Rule The World

5. Just The Way You Are

6. Heaven Is A Place On Earth

7. Into The Night (with Benny Mardones)

8. Wicked Game

9. I’m Too Sexy (with Right Said Fred)

10. Overjoyed / I Just Called to Say I Love You / Isn’t She Lovely (with Brian McKnight)

FOLLOW JULIO IGLESIAS, JR.

Website @ https://www.julioiglesiasjronline.com/

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/juliojrofficial/ TikTok @ https://www.tiktok.com/@officialjuliojr Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/JulioJrOfficial

Hope Tala Unveils

Stunning New Ballad “Stayed At The Party”

Continuing her string of critically acclaimed releases this fall, West London-based songstress Hope Tala reveals her latest single “Stayed at the Party” today via Republic Records— listen at https://hopetala.lnk.to/SATPPR. For the song, Hope once again collaborated with legendary producer Greg Kurstin [Adele, Sia, Beck].

On the song, cinematic orchestration gives way to acoustic guitar and whispery vocals from Hope. Wrapped in warm strings, it slips into an entrancing chorus, as she sings, “So I’ll just stay at the party, dance ‘till my feet hurt, tell all my friends I love them for no reason.” With the detail of a novelist and her captivating delivery on point, Hope strikes a balance between the tension of a world on the brink and the elation of a never-ending night out.

Hope reveals, “‘Stayed at the Party,’ which I wrote in the summer of 2021 in my bedroom, was born out of a time in which I was thinking a lot about the importance of my personal relationships as a symptom of what was going on in the world around me. During and after the lockdowns, I found myself gravitating towards two seemingly juxtaposing writing topics—partying and existential dread. This song looks at both of these things and finds a relationship between them.”

Last month, Hope opened for Florence + The Machine at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. This month, she’ll make her debut at Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival on November 18th.

“Stayed at the Party” arrives on the heels of her recently released singles “Leave It On The Dancefloor” (written with Mozella [Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Jonas Brothers] and produced by Greg Kurstin) and “Is It Enough” (produced by Al Shux [Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Alicia Keys]). The new music

continued on next page

Hope Tala

(continued from previous page)

teases Hope’s soon-to-be-announced new project.

Earlier this summer, Hope shined at a slew of festival performances, including Glastonbury Festival, Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival, Life Is Beautiful Festival, Way Out West Festival, NOS Alive Festival, Mad Cool Festival, and Electric Picnic Festival.

The past two years have been filled with breakout moments for Hope Tala, as she has quietly shaken up the industry with one impressive release after another. 2020 saw the release of her celebrated EP Girl Eats Sun, which featured fan favorite track “All My Girls Like To Fight”—praised by Barack Obama and featured in the opening scene of the Gossip Girl relaunch. During 2021, she piled up millions of streams with “Mad” and “Tiptoeing,” which were made with legendary producers Paul Epworth [Florence + The Machine, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons] and Greg Kurstin, respectively. Hope simultaneously incited the applause of BBC Radio 1, Billboard, Consequence, DAZED, HYPEBEAST, NME, Rolling Stone, SPIN, The Guardian, TMRW Magazine, and many more, in addition to touring North America with Alina Baraz and across the UK and Europe with BENEE, as well as headlining sold out shows in London. She embarked on her next chapter with the 2022 single “Party Sickness,” gathering nearly 1.5 million Spotify streams since its release earlier this year. It also earned widespread acclaim, with NPR praising it as “a timely reflection of how young people are earnestly trying to make up for lost time,” and Clash summing it up best as

“immaculate.” Most recently, Hope was featured for a second time on Barack Obama’s Summer Playlist, this time with her song “Cherries” feat. Amine.

Hope Tala transmits a thoughtful message as she simultaneously unlocks a creative flow state where R&B, soul, alternative, pop, and Bossa Nova comingle. Teaching herself how to play guitar and record on Logic, the West London-based artist, producer, and songstress initially made waves with “Peace Freestyle” back in 2016. Between earning a First Class Degree in English literature from the University of Bristol, she built a following with a series of independent releases, including the Starry Ache EP [2018] and the Sensitive Soul EP [2019]. Meanwhile, 2020’s Girl

Eats Sun EP represented another high watermark. The single “All My Girls Like To Fight” not only soundtracked the opening of the Gossip Girl relaunch, but it also landed on Barack Obama’s “Favorite Music of 2020.” Releasing “MAD,” “Tiptoeing,” and “Party Sickness,” critical acclaim followed from BBC Radio 1, Billboard, Clash, Consequence, DAZED, Entertainment Tonight, HYPEBEAST, NME, NPR, Rolling Stone, SPIN, The Guardian, and TMRW Magazine, to name a few. Expanding her vision, she cut deep with “Is It Enough,” which tackled systemic inequality without fear. Now, she captivates and provokes on a series of singles for Republic Records and her forthcoming full-length debut introduced by “Leave It On The Dancefloor.”

CONNECT WITH HOPE TALA ONline

SPOTIFY @ https://open.spotify.com/artist/74CcYmmNeHKe5PrZaISk8e APPLE @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmtPsAQjmhNRaIwOz7nfdg YOUTUBE @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmtPsAQjmhNRaIwOz7nfdg INSTAGRAM @ https://www.instagram.com/hopetala/?hl=en TWITTER @ https://twitter.com/hope_tala FACEBOOK @ https://www.facebook.com/hopetalamusic

On “YeahYeahYeah,” the feisty opening track of Candy Dulfer’s new album ‘We Never Stop,’ the Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist channels P-Funk, Prince, and Average White Band with a percolating vintage funk groove and a feisty outro sax solo. It’s the latest single from Dulfer’s new release, a party platter of stanky jams, silken R&B, jazz, and pop-funk. “This song’s about the feeling of rebirth we musicians were experiencing when we were allowed to perform again,” Dulfer recalls. “It’s an ode to the magic that is live music. Magic not just for the musicians, but for the audiences as well. Live music elevates, soothes, educates, uplifts, brings people together and makes them forget their pain and sorrows. Although times are tough in the world for many people, we say a big YEAHYEAHYEAH to the future, because positivity is the only way.”

Out 10/28 via The Funk Garage/ Mascot Label Group, ‘We Never Stop’ features several guest appearances by Chic guitarist, producer, songwriter, and three-time GRAMMY Award-winner Nile Rodgers. The release of “YeahYeahYeah” follows the album’s lead single “Jammin’ Tonight (feat. Nile Rodgers),’ a bold injection of party popfunk with a slick jazz overlay that recalls Rodgers’ 1970s “Good Times” finery.

Give the people an invigorating beat, some swanky sax uplift, and watch the pain melt away. That’s the funky stuff Prince’s former top-choice sax player Candy Dulfer and her band specialize in. A solo artist, a songwriter, and in-demand instrumentalist, Dulfer has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music, including Van Morrison, Maceo Parker, Sheila E., Mavis Staples, Lionel Richie, Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Chaka Khan, and Aretha Franklin, among many others.

Now, after three decades of superstar collaborations and world tours, and chart-topping and high-selling solo career releases, Candy is living proof of the title of her latest album, ‘We Never Stop.’ Nothing gets in the way of her making funky stuff. ‘We Never Stop’ features vocals from Candy’s rainbow family of a band with lyrics informed by band dialogues and the culture and health crises of the past two years. These include the toll of the pandemic on the music communities and the race horrors that have galvanized a global Black Lives Matter movement.

Candy Dulfer

(continued from previous page)

“This is a personal album—it’s personal for everyone because we are struggling with many of the same things,” Candy shares. ”The main spirit of this music is to elevate. It feels like it’s never been more important to not let the hurt and pain in the world defeat us. That’s why I called this album, We Never Stop.”

Credit: Carin Verbruggen

Dulfer first rose to fame with her high-profile collaboration with Dave Stewart on the worldwide number 1 smash “Lily Was Here.” Her tenure with Prince may be best remembered by his tongue-in-cheek recommendation in the “Partyman” video: “When I want sax, I call Candy.” Their collaboration continued over the years with many studio sessions, TV show appearances, award show performances, including the Grammy Awards, and concert tours around the globe, including Candy joining Prince’s NPG band as a permanent member for his record-shattering Musicology tour and album.

In addition to her superstar collaborations, Candy is a serious lifelong musician with a robust history as a solo artist releasing albums and touring the world for over 35 years. Since her Grammy-nominated debut, 1990’s Saxuality, Candy has issued 12 albums. The combined world-wide sales of her solo albums top 2.5 million copies, and she has had several number 1 hits in the USA. In between her solo albums and her high-profile collaborations, Candy still manages to join Dutch female supergroup the Ladies of Soul for their annual sold-out concerts at the massive Amsterdam Ziggo Dome; she is a headline performer on Smooth Jazz Cruises in the USA and Europe; she is an ambassador for the Dutch ALS Foundation; and Candy was a judge on the Dutch version of X Factor.

At the age of 4, Candy’s destiny unfolded before her eyes, watching jazz heavyweight saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Her father, Hans Dulfer, brought her to the show. Hans is a well-known Dutch jazz saxophonist who, when Candy was growing up, surrounded himself with legends such as Archie Shepp, Dexter Gordon, and guitarist John McLaughlin. Candy began playing sax at the age of 6, and started her own band Funky Stuff at

the age of 13.

Candy soaked up music and life lessons from her father, and the iconic musicians he worked with, but Candy also boldly discovered her own voice as a songwriter and an instrumentalist, finding a home in contemporary jazz and pop-funk. She has worked hard to become an ar/st on her own terms, inspired by the likes of David Sanborn, Steps Ahead, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Maceo Parker, Cannonball Adderley, percussionist Sheila E. and Janet Jackson. I wanted to be Janet Jackson but then with a saxophone entertaining and at the same time musically giving”

Today, her determination and passion remain, but her motivations are different. “These days, I play music to, hopefully, inspire younger people. When

I was 12, I didn’t have many female saxophonists to look up to, and I want to be that person for the next generation of musicians,” she says.

‘We Never Stop’ – Track List

1. YeahYeahYeah

2. Mo’ Seats At The Table

3. Jammin’ Tonight (feat. Nile Rodgers)

4. Deeper

5. Say Something

6. Raindrops

7. We Never Stop

8. The Walls (feat. Marcus Miller)

9. Perspective (feat. Durand Bernarr, Aron Hodek, Philip Lassiter)

10. Since I Found U

11. Afraid For More

12. No Time For This

13. The Climb

14. Convergency (feat. Nile Rodgers)

Follow Candy Dulfer Online

https://candydulfer.nl/ https://www.facebook.com/candydulferofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/realcandydulfer/ https://twitter.com/candydulfer

Photo credit: Gil Lesage

UNLOVED are pleased to reveal a bundle of remixes of their single, “Number in my phone” by Black Science Orchestra. “Number in my phone,” a heart-breaking Shangri-Las teen tragedy beamed into the heart of the modern age, is taken from Unloved’s latest album, The Pink Album, which was released on vinyl as a double LP with artwork by Julian House on October 21, 2022 via Heavenly Recordings.

Speaking about “Number in my phone”, Unloved’s David Holmes says: “One day I was searching for a number in my ‘phone and Andrew Weatherall’s number caught my attention - it immediately dawned on me that I still had the numbers of all my nearest and dearest - my parents, sister & brother who had passed away, in my ‘phone. The line “ever since you passed on I’ve still got your number in my ‘phone“ was quickly noted and when Jade, Keefus, Raven, Kat and I went to Provence to finish the writing of The Pink Albumthis line was passed onto Jade who turned it into gold recounting her own experience after losing her own mother. The early music sketch started in my studio with Keefus working his usual magic - we were listening to The Ron Grainer Orchestra’s classic “Theme To The Tales of The Unexpected “. I’ve still got all their numbers in my ‘phone.”

One of the first record’s David Holmes made was with British producer legend Ashley Beedle (the 1993 single De Niro released under the name The Disco Evangelists). Nearly three decades later, Beedle - under his recently revived Black Science Orchestra moniker, on the bounce after their BBC6 Music A-listed cosmic call-and-response mix for Emma Jean Thackery - has got under the bonnet of Unloved’s slo-mo Shadow Mortonesque “Number in my phone”. The result is a glorious percussive acid-disco bounce, a shot of pure serotonin to help ease the changing of the seasons.

Buy/Stream “Number in my phone” Remix bundle here at https://ffm.to/numberinmyphonebso Unloved’s “The Pink Album” will be available on vinyl and CD as a double LP with artwork by Julian House on 21 October via Heavenly Recordings. Pre-Order here at https://ffm.to/thepinkalbum

01. Rainbrose

Track List

Waiting for tomorrow

Now

Girl can’t help it

I don’t like you anymore

Foolin’

07. Mother’s been a bad girl ( https://youtu.be/Y36hiNxjEgY )

Boowaah

Lucky

WTC

11. Sorry, Baby

Number in my phone ( https://youtu.be/C-P9lSWqtnk )

13. Call me when you have a clue (feat. Jon Spencer)

14. No Substance

15. Love Experiment (feat. Étienne Daho)

16. Turn of the screw (feat. Raven Violet)

( https://youtu.be/fEGH_W-z3tM )

17. To the day I die

18. Walk on, Yeah

19. Accountable (feat. Jarvis Cocker)

20. There’s no way

21. Ever 22. Thinkin’ about her

Website @ http://weareunloved.co.uk/ Twitter @ https://twitter.com/weareunloved Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/WeAreUnloved/m Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/weareunloved/

photo credit: Vera Friederich

THE NEW ROSES are on the rise - an ode to the glory days of stadium rock!

German rockers THE NEW ROSES return with another jab - the passionate “My Kinda Crazy” from their upcoming fifth studio album, Sweet Poison, out this Friday via Napalm Records.

Within this this glittering piece of classic stadium rock, the band pushes past all limits, delivering one hit after another. Supplying tracks that would make even Bon Jovi proud, it comes as no surprise that their previous release Nothing But Wild entered the top 10 of the German album charts. After performing with and supporting world-famous artists like KISS, Scorpions, Accept and Tremonti, the quartet around Timmy Rough continues their successful journey with their upcoming tour. Before their extensive headline tour in autumn, they also supported rock icons like KISS and Foreigner. Fasten your seat belts and join THE NEW ROSES on their way to the top with Sweet Poison.

Their newest single “My Kinda Crazy” provides a befitting opening to the album with brilliant guitar-driven soundscapes. Despite the tender love song-like lyrics, THE NEW ROSES do not miss their characteristic sonic bang that energetically drives the soundmaking this a standout single. With high energy and pure love for rock, they construct an unforgettable sound - so let’s go and get it on!

Timmy Rough on “My Kinda Crazy”: “’My Kinda Crazy’ is a good mix of positive energy and badass Rock & Roll attitude. It’s a song about a toxic love affair that always ends up in a catastrophe, but you just can’t get enough of it. So there might be some similarities to some of our after show parties as well. (laughs)“

Watch the new video for “My Kinda Crazy” HERE:

Their newest offering, Sweet Poison, starts off with the brilliant, guitar-driven anthem “My Kinda Crazy” providing a taste of what’s to come before blasting into authentic rockmeets-Americana tracks like “Playing With Fire” and “Sweet Gloria”. Massive track and album highlight “Warpaint” stages the band’s raw power with blazing

guitar riffs and powerful drumming, while “The Usual Suspects” and “1st Time For Everything” convince as smooth sing-along hymns with catchy hooks. Tracks like “Dead Of Night” emerge with gloomy power, building atop a distinct melody and leading into a strong anthemic chorus, while THE NEW ROSES offer their softer side with songs such as “All I Ever Needed” – a mighty mid-tempo rock ballad showcasing the band’s vulnerability while reviving emotionality alike some of Guns N’ Roses most touching ballads. Frontman Timmy Rough passionately serves the full range of his voice on the track, also impressively evident on lyrically tender acoustic offering “True Love”.

Sweet Poison is an outstanding rock album providing hit after hit and anthem after anthem, taking 80s retro rock to an extraordinary new level. Brace yourself as THE NEW ROSES shift into high gear, taking you on a ride towards the horizon of stadium rock!

THE NEW ROSES are:

Timmy Rough - vocals, guitar Dizzy Daniels - guitar Hardy - bass Urban Berz - drums

Sweet Poison Tracklist:

1. My Kinda Crazy

2. Playing With Fire

3. All I Ever Needed

4. The Usual Suspects

5. Warpaint

6. Dead Of Night

7. True Love

9. Sweet Gloria

10. The Lion In You

11. Veins Of This Town

Sweet Poison is available to pre-order in these formats:

1 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl

1 LP Gatefold Marbled Red Black (limited to 300 copies)

CD Digipak + Wristband

CD Digipak Digital Album

THE NEW ROSES live:

04.11.22 DE - Stuttgart / Im Wizemann 05.11.22 DE - München / Backstage Werk 11.11.22 AT - Wien / Szene

12.11.22 AT - Wörgl / Komma 18.11.22 DE - Köln / Kantine

19.11.22 DE - Wiesbaden / Schlachthof 25.11.22 DE - Hannover / Musikzentrum 26.11.22 DE - Hamburg / Markthalle 01.12.22 UK - London / The Underworld 02.12.22 UK - Cardiff / The Globe 03.12.22 UK - Sheffield / Cooperation Winter Rocks

Daniele Luppi & Greg Gonzalez

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Speaking about the video, Luppi shares:

“Throughout the conversations I had for the video, there were a few constants I thought had to be there no matter what the final treatment was going to be: a classic 1940’s car, actor/dancer Keva Walker and some kind of a “Lynchian” twist involving vintage footage. I found this incredible-looking 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster in truly impeccable shape. Its design works as a timemachine, or at least as a strong visual twist that transports the story to ‘another’ time, though I use “time” loosely as we didn’t go for a true period piece but rather some kind of retro-futuristic surreal place where everything can happen. Keva’s facial features proved to be the balancing ingredient — they combine so many aspects of human emotion and convey a timeless feeling in such a straightforward way. The idea was to conjure a specific atmosphere through small details: the haircut, the wardrobe, the way they move and occasionally dance, the make up etc. The result is a constant push-and-pull between old and new, classic and avant-garde, traditional and innovative. The “Lynchian” aspect was approached by mixing reality with dream-like sequences, surrealism (a nod to filmmaker Luis Buñuel whose work I love) and some strong violet lighting. Specifically, the alternate reality was represented by actual vintage black&white footage taken from a variety of romantic films, which is slowly discovered in awe (and perhaps envied) by Keva’s character.”

The project is the platonic ideal of two separate artistic sensibilities melding to create something totally new. Across the 5-tracks of Charm of

Pleasure, the artists fuse their compositional elegance and dream-pop sensibilities to craft music that sounds like nothing either of them has accomplished before—while also making perfect sense within their own catalogs. Charm of Pleasure includes the previously released singles “The Rose You Kept,” created with a rented ELKA Synthex and “You Never Loved,” which arrived with a self-directed visual.

While creating Charm of Pleasure, Luppi and Gonzalez drew inspiration from a variety of sources—from the futuristic decay of the classic film Blade Runner to the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright— to create thoughtful, deliberate music that nonetheless sounds like a curlicue of smoke wafting in front of your eyes: inviting, beautiful, and with a vanishing impermanence that lingers long after the needle runs off the grooves. A limited run of vinyl is available on the artist store here.

The new EP follows Luppi’s 2017 collaborative album with Parquet Courts and Karen O, Milano, which Pitchfork described as “vibrant, and full of possibility” and his 2011 collaborative project Rome with Danger Mouse along with his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gnarls Barkley, John Legend, Broken Bells, and more.

Watch “Silent Dream” and listen to Charm of Pleasure at the page to the left, find the full tracklisting below and stay tuned for more from Daniele Luppi coming soon.

Charm of Pleasure EP

Daniele Luppi and Greg Gonzalez

1. Last Drink

2. You Never Loved

3. Silent Dream

4. The Rose You Kept

5. Another Life

Photo by Sydney Lolli, Styled by Maayan Loven

Paper Idol

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“[‘Hey You’] lures the listener in with smooth vocals and quirky keys, but there’s something just a little odd lurking under the surface. The stacked harmonies on the chorus, which lead into a perfect use of xylophone, create an otherworldly atmosphere. The world Paper Idol is painting here is like the moment coming out of a dream — what’s real, and what isn’t? We’re not entirely sure, but we don’t want to stop listening any time soon.”

- Consequence of Sound

This year, electro-pop artist Paper Idol (Matan KG) is set to release his most ambitious project to date: The Playground (due November 18). The LP will chronicle eight stages of childhood in eight tracks, from the days of sidewalk hopscotch to teenage nihilism and everything in between. The music was produced in both the United States and Israel, the two countries in which Matan spent his formative years. In an attempt to keep the tracks raw and authentic, Matan wrote, produced, and mixed all the tracks himself in collaboration with his bandmate Adam Rochelle. The album artwork was created by Matan as well, which pulls inspiration from minimalism and analogue collage to create surreal playgrounds out of notebook paper. “The songs are definitely based on my own upbringing,” he says, “but I’m telling stories anyone will be able to relate to.” The first few singles from the project, released this summer, have already gained hundreds of thousands of streams.

Paper Idol shared a new single off the LP, the playful and bouncy, but trance-inducing “Hey You.”

Speaking on the track, Matan wrote:

“Most of the songs on The Playground are carefree and upbeat, whereas ‘Hey You’ is about the dark side of growing up. I spent most of the pandemic isolated in my music studio, and this song just flowed out of me one night. It started with that bassline and two simple drum sounds on loop... there was something so dark and hypnotic about it, I knew I had to finish the song. I wrote it for anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction, or loneliness. The song is about the cures society sells for our problems – medication, television, social media – and how they usually just make things worse.”

Paper Idol - real name Matan KGdescribes his music as “delusional pop.” True, the songs weaves dance music and alternative into “something unique and utterly disarming” (Beats per Minute), with storytelling that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, optimism and delusion.

After graduating university with a Neuroscience degree, Matan left medical-school ambitions behind to pursue music in LA. In just under three years, he has released a long string of singles and 2 EP’s, which have amassed over 35 million streams across platforms and secured placements on Spotify editorial playlists such as Indie Pop, Alternative Beats, OFF POP, and metropolis. Paper Idol has been lauded by BBC Radio 1, Billboard, EDM.com, Under the Radar, and Dancing Astronaut. The music has also been featured in placements such as CW’s Nancy Drew, NBC’s The Equalizer, and Disney’s SPIN.

This year, he is set to release his most ambitious project to date: The Playground. The LP will chronicle eight stages of childhood in eight tracks, from the days of sidewalk hopscotch to teenage nihilism and everything in between. The music was produced in

both the United States and Israel, the two countries in which Matan spent his formative years. “The songs are definitely based on my own upbringing,” he says, “but I’m telling stories anyone will be able to relate to.” The first few singles from the project, released this summer, have already gained hundreds of thousands of streams.

Paper Idol’s live set combines electronic samplers and real instrumentation and has graced both ballrooms and dancefloors. Featuring former classmate Adam Rochelle (keys), Paper Idol has performed the Fonda Theater, The Teragram Ballroom, and an official showcase at South By Southwest. He will be sharing the stage with Sylvan Esso, Two Feet, Lewis Del Mar, and Washed Out in festivals across the US this fall.

The Playground -

Bat Out Of Hell - THE Musical Goes Full Throttle For SOLD-OUT Opening Night at Paris Las Vegas, October 7th

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical (https://batoutofhellvegas.com) celebrated its highly anticipated official opening in its brand-new, immersive theatre at Paris Las Vegas on Oct. 7, 2022. The sold-out audience filled with VIPs, rock fans and musical theatre enthusiasts alike were treated to an electrifying performance of back-to-back hit numbers from Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s best-selling albums including “Bat Out of Hell” and “Bat Out of Hell: Back to Hell,” punctuated by highoctane special effects, pyrotechnics and a colossal set. The 26-member ensemble, live band and larger-than-life choreography transported showgoers into an alluring post-apocalyptic city filled with forbidden love and rebellious youth.

“Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s jaw-dropping songs soar with an unbelievable all-star cast. With motorcycles, explosions and driving choreography the 85-minute show fits beautifully into the Paris Theater,” shared Jay Scheib, Director of Bat Out of Hell –The Musical. “I am so excited for Las

Before curtain call, the cast of Bat Out of Hell – The Musical arrived to its new, permanent home on the Las Vegas Strip on custom motorcycles to pose for photos and greet fans. The special welcome moment marked the musical production’s official arrival to Paris Las Vegas. After the 85-minute production and standing ovation, the cast, crew, producers, creative team and invited guests enjoyed a Bat Out of Hell-themed after party fit for a rockstar at Pool á París, nestled under the hotel’s Eiffel Tower.

Bat Out of Hell brings to life the legendary ballads of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, uniquely capturing the magic and excitement of a musical with the untameable energy of rock n’ roll. Bat Out of Hell – The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, with choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, set and

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Vegas to finally see the cast and crew’s hard work, and Jim’s dream come to life on stage.”

Bat Out Of Hell

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costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestrations by Steve Sidwell, original wig designs by Linda McKnight and casting by Louanne Madorma. Bat Out of Hell is produced by Michael Cohl, Tony Smith and David Sonenberg with executive producer Julian Stoneman and managed in Las Vegas by BASE Entertainment.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical performs Tuesday – Sunday in the Paris Theater with tickets starting at $49 plus tax and applicable fees. A special VIP upgrade will be available upon checkout for those looking to elevate their entertainment experience. Tickets are available now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and BatOutOfHellVegas.com. Connect with the show on Instagram @lvBatOfOutHell, Twitter @lvBatOfOutHell, Facebook @LVBatOutOfHell, YouTube @BatOutOfHell - Las Vegas and TikTok @lvBatOfOutHell.

About Bat Out of Hell – The Musical Cast and Band

The epic tale of rebellious youth and romance is performed by a powerhouse cast, hand selected by the all-star producers, including: Travis Cormier as the coveted starring role of Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost who first received mainstream recognition for his viral audition of “Dream On” on the

Canadian version of “The Voice,” Alize Cruz, a local Las Vegas entertainer who plays Raven, the stunning daughter and heiress to the Falco fortune, known for her previous roles in the touring productions of “Sound of Music,” and “The Little Mermaid,” entertainment veteran Travis Cloer, who takes on the role of Falco, the tyrannical ruler and father of Raven, known for his part in the Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning Broadway production of “Jersey Boys” and Anne Martinez as Sloane, wife of Falco and mother of Raven, seen on stages across the Las Vegas Strip for her roles in “Jubilee!,” “Showstoppers,” “Fantasy,” “Zombie Burlesque,” “50 Shades the Musical” and much more.

Cormier, Cruz, Cloer, and Martinez are joined on stage by an impressive roster of main characters such as: Mecca Hicks as Zahara, Je’Shaun Jackson as Jagwire, Freddy Lealoukoula as Tink, Mikayla Agrella as Valkyrie,

best known for her live performance roles in “Anastasia: The Musical,” and “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” and Jared Svoboda as Ledoux, previously seen in productions like “Chicago,” “Newsies” and “The Little Mermaid,” along with a supporting cast of singers, actors and dancers including: Matthew Ballestero as Markevitch, Kyle Becker as O’Dessasuite, Kris Bona as Esquivel, Connor Crowley as Denym, Mitchell Gray as Hoffman, Joe Hebel as Hollander, Waverly Jade as Kwaidan, Kyle Kuhlman as Goddesilla, Drew Lake as Bessamy, Ally Mendoza as Leibeswoosh, Paige Anne Mills as Mordema, Justine Rafael as Lunarrow, Jeffery Ricca as Vanveeteren, James Simpson as Astrogranger, Rachel Wirtz as Vilmos and Laura Wright as Scherzzo.

The production is also complemented by a live band of well-known guitarists, bassists and percussionists such as: Flint Hawes, famed musical director and conductor, Jake Langley, previously seen on tour with Bobby “Blue” Band, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Willie Nelson and The Righteous Brothers, Tyler Williams, former musical director who performed with Andrea Bocelli and in several Broadway productions, Chris Cicchino, former lead guitarist of “Rock of Ages,” Alex Stopa, Las Vegas-based percussionist who has performed alongside Idina Menzel, Aretha Franklin and in “Wicked,” “The Lion King” and Mary Poppins, Rachel Julian, whose performance credits include Las Vegas Philharmonic, “Lion King – Las Vegas” and “Hairspray,” Dave Richardson, acoustic guitarist and New England folk musician and Angela Chan-Stopa, Las Vegas-based composer and lyricist.

single as their 4th offering, Cranking Evil! The release will be unveiled to the world on November 4, 2022 via Napalm Records. Boundless evil will spew from the musical cauldron as Daif, Nick, and Chris have cooked up two piercing cuts, “Ripped to Pieces” and “Kneel & Worship”.

Today, “Ripped to Pieces” has been unleashed along with an official video and dashes with uncontrollable speed towards the top. There is no stopping this speeding train to hell that STÄLKER is conducting! As said on “Ripped to Pieces”: “You’ll know his name. With no place to hide. Written in fire.”

STÄLKER on “Ripped to Pieces”: “What lays ahead? Where will you go? Fate is what you make, But tonight you’ll be….Ripped to Pieces”

Never hitting the brakes, STÄLKER’s underground punk attitude introduces a new age that unites metal and rock n’ roll with no sweat. The group’s 2017 full length debut, Shadow of the Sword, brought a new voice to the speed metal scene as the band battered their way through the underground metal world with 10 riff-packed tracks of pure Judas Priest, Motörhead and Venom worship! Soon after, fans rejoiced as the band released their heavily awaited sophomore album, Black Majik Terror, in 2020. The album brought another onslaught of pure speed metal cacophony filled with more power and more riffs, enchanting metalheads and rock n’ rollers to open up mosh pits left and right!

STÄLKER are:

Daif King - Vocals & Bass

Chris Calavrias - Guitar

Nick Oakes - Drums

Cranking Evil track listing: Ripped to Pieces

Kneel & Worship

Cranking Evil will be available in the following formats:

Double Single LTD White

Single

Double Single

Photographer credit: Jordan Nelson

New Music From Spinefarm Rockers BRKN Love, “Black Box”

Toronto-based alt-rock band BRKN LOVE are pleased to announce their new album ‘Black Box’ in the midst of their busy US/CAN touring schedule. It will be released on Nov. 4th.

After the success of their ‘Vol.1’ and ‘Vol.2’ EPs, the trend continues with the band’s sophomore album, which once again showcases how well songwriter/front man Justin Benlolo uses all the tools in his arsenal to firmly position BRKN LOVE in the young, modern rock revolution.

Justin says, “We couldn’t be more excited to announce the release of our new LP ‘Black Box’. This album is the next evolution of BRKN LOVE. Imagine everything you loved about our band and then turn it up to 11. It’s truly a milestone record for us. After the release of our first record and all the complications that came along with it (namely the pandemic), we really wanted to a chance to redeem ourselves. This is our redemption record. We’re back at full force and we’re not pulling any punches this time.

No matter what you hear, right now may very well be the best time for rock ‘n’ roll music.

It’s not about making a comeback (it never left). Rather, it’s about finding a way to reach a disaffected, distrustful, and dislocated generation. BRKN LOVE demonstrates that the best way to reach them is through soulshaking riffs, rumbling distortion, and choruses worth screaming your lungs out to. Ferociously fronted by Toronto-based singer and guitarist Justin Benlolo, the band are unlocking the release the world needs now more than ever. After having amassing tens of millions of streams globally, logging thousands of miles on the open road, and receiving critical acclaim from Guitar World, LoudWire among other accolades, the group make a valiant statement on their latest album, 2022’s Black Box [Spinefarm, released 11.04.2022].

“At a time when mental health is at the forefront, rock is so important, because it’s

abrasive, in your face, and blatant about what it stands for and the feeling it evokes,” exclaims Justin. “It’s a great outlet, since it’s loud, heavy, and cathartic. The punk attitude is rising again, and guitar music is coming full circle. There’s a generation of angered youth torn apart by all of this shit going on in the last couple of years. If anything, rock has never been so relevant.”

Emerging in 2019, BRKN LOVE immediately made an impact upon arrival. LoudWire hailed the band’s self-titled fulllength offering among, “The 13 Best Debut Albums From Up-and-Coming Acts in 2020.” Among many standouts, “River” has been used in over 52k user videos on TikTok with over 1 billion views (unprecedented for a new rock act). The group has toured alongside everyone from Badflower and Highly Suspect to Big Wreck and Dinosaur Pile-Up. Along the way, they recorded Black Box with producer Anton DeLost [Cleopatrick, Seaway, State Champs]. The music absorbed

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BRKN Love

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newfound confidence from the journey thus far and the trials and tribulations it has presented.

“I was less self-conscious,” admits Justin. “I was a teenager when I wrote the songs on the first album. I’m not as anxietyridden or nervous now. I’ve matured and become an actual adult over the last couple of years. By putting a proper band together, touring, and traveling all over the place, I’ve really gotten to know myself better. I’m looking at life more objectively. I’m very comfortable with who I am. I’ve accepted the person I’ve become. It’s so much easier to do everything I want to do, because I don’t give a shit what people think about me anymore.”

That’s instantly apparent in the music. BRKN LOVE set the stage for the project, which comprises of both the band’s previous EPs Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 alongside other new material, with the single “Dead Weight.” The band’s 3rd straight Top 10 single in Canada, the track landed on LoudWire’s “The Best Rock + Metal Songs of November.” On its heels, the single “Like A Drug” instantly intoxicated with its stomping off-kilter riffing and snarling vocals. It ignites a devilishly danceable swing.

“I love rock songs you can dance to,” he smiles. “It’s a style we hadn’t really done before. Lyrically, the track ended up being about a couple of friends who have relationship problems. Let’s say a friend wasn’t being so faithful to their partner, yet trying to justify staying together. I thought it was interesting for someone to justify their love, while breaking that oath. It’s catchy, but the subject matter is serious.”

“Little Black Box” seesaws between strutting guitars and a swaggering refrain as he sings, “Little black box, tell me are you lost.”

“I’m all about self-improvement, growth, and bettering yourself,” Justin continues. “Those themes account for a lot of the lyrical content. The Black Box concept embodies the whole statement of, ‘Let’s go back. Let’s reassess the whole situation and see what we can do better next time’.” We played into this idea, because it makes me think of everything in my life. Black Box represents the new record and who I am as a person.”

Meanwhile, a sidewinder riff wraps around finger-snaps and a toe-tapping bassline on “One In The Same.” It culminates on a hummable and fiery guitar lead.

“I wanted to write a song about the

devil and God inside of you,” he reveals. “It addresses the split. It’s written from this dual personality like Jekyll and Hyde. At some point, you realize you’re the same person. That’s what the song is about.”

The newly-matured thematic focus that permeates throughout BRKN LOVE’s endeavours is taken a step further with Vol. 2. The second EP rubs the band’s signature, hook-driven sound together with punk rebellion, aggressive power, and unrelenting speed to ignite an unparalleled rock inferno. This blazing spirit is exemplified fully within the EP’s lead single, introductory track “Under The Knife.”

“This song takes everything that people have been familiar with before, injects it with a shot of adrenaline, makes it listen to its older brother’s hardcore records and kicks it into a high-speed chase down the highway at 155mph,” Justin reflects, “needless to say, it’s an absolute rager!” The band’s dedication to inducing mosh-pits with an almost surgical precision does not, however, detach the lyrical anchors of the project first amplified in Vol. 1. “Under The Knife” delves into a nuanced exploration of how some toxic relationships can, in fact, bring a distorted and warped facsimile of pleasure to those involved. “The main character’s perspective is one I’ve never written from before,” Justin resumes, “the character actively admits that the scrutiny and torture is something that is

giving his life purpose, and throughout the song it results in him doing anything he can to continue this terrible situation.”

Concurrently, BRKN LOVE’s dedication to the riff could not be more beautifully illustrated than in another of the second EP’s standout tracks, “Rubber Room.” Justin passionately champions the track, arguing it to be the “most daring thing we’ve put on record and also contains the heaviest riff BRKN LOVE has ever laid down, aside from being my favourite song we’ve ever recorded!”

Aside from delivering some of the finest, most brazenly honest rock ’n’ roll the world has enjoyed in decades, BRKN LOVE’s eyes are firmly set upon the horizon. “This batch of songs is only a taste of what our full record is going to sound like,” his grin audibly widens. “The new album is bigger, badder and groovier than you have ever heard us before so watch out: we’re coming for you!”

In the end, BRKN LOVE wave the flag for rock like never before. “When you hear us, I’d love for you to know there’s great music out there and get excited about it again,” he leaves off. “Young people are still doing this. There’s an uprising happening. I hope we’re remembered as part of it.”

The California Honeydrops’ New Album Soft Spot Is All Soul, All Groove, And All Love; All At Once

“This record is all about love and good lovin’ and other things that matter,” says The California Honeydrops’ frontman, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski of the band’s brand new LP, Soft Spot. Released today, Soft Spot finds the band drawing deep from the soulful well of the great rhythm and blues acts that came before them—from roots rock to classic Bay Area R&B, to Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second line. “We continued the Honeydrops’ album tradition of bringing special musical guests to bless the studio with their magic,” adds drummer Ben Malament. “Sousaphones, strings, space echoes…it’s all here.”

The Honeydrops have come a long way since Wierzynkski and Malament started busking in an Oakland subway station, but the band has stayed true to that organic, streetlevel feel. Listening to Lech sing, it can be a surprise that he was born in Warsaw, Poland, and raised by Polish political refugees. He learned his vocal stylings from contraband American recordings of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Louis Armstrong, and later at Oberlin College and on the club circuit in Oakland, California. With the additions of Johnny Bones on tenor sax and clarinet, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards, and Beau Beauilleu on bass, they’ve built a powerful full-band sound to

support Wierzynski’s vocals.

Fans can purchase or stream Soft Spot today right here at https:// cahoneydrops.fanlink.to/softspot as well as vinyl for pre-order here at https:// californiahoneydrops.merchtable.com/ music/soft-spot-vinyl-lp/ and CD for purchase here at https:// californiahoneydrops.merchtable.com/ music/soft-spot-cd. The Honeydrops will continue their nationwide Lil Bit Of Lovin’ Tour at Tempe, Arizona’s Marquee Theatre on October 14th. A complete list of tour dates can be found below or at cahoneydrops.com.

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The California Honeydrops

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More About Soft Spot from Honeydrops drummer Ben Malament: “The first thing many people say to us after watching the band perform on stage is “Man, you all LOVE to play together!” That’s why Soft Spot is such an important album, because we didn’t get to play and hunker down as a full band like this for almost two years! After a few of us recorded the Covers from the Cave album, strictly from home for our quarantined fans, it was a pleasure and privilege to let loose all together in the beautiful Oakland studio, bouncing off each other with creativity, jokes, and sweat, with Thai food and donuts, day after day, night after night. The music on Soft Spot speaks that joy and diligence. Sometimes we recorded when we were hella sick or had pulled back muscles—getting older is tough! Sometimes we recorded on our birthdays and had cake next to the mics. When you get good sounds, you can’t stop! And all the sounds we were getting were good. Really good. And that’s when the recording is easy.

“We continued the Honeydrops album tradition of bringing many special musical guests to bless the studio with their magic. Sousaphones, strings, space echoes, it’s all here. Our engineer, Jacob LaCally’s, aka ‘Cubby’s,’ fine ears and maybe finer patience kept the session rolling through the hours. Leon Cotter and Scott Messersmith have become staples of the Honeydrop sound, filling the room with the full band sensation we could lean back on.

We enlisted the Kid Wonder

and Oakland native, Oliver Tuttle, with his beautiful energy and ideas and the ‘Ponchatoula Powerhouse,’ Miles Lyons, dropped in from Louisiana to add a whole new low end to our music!

“This album has our unique Honeydrop take on many styles of music, all under a cohesive production style so there’s no confusion. There’s no provin’. Only groovin’. ’Soft Spot’ is a special one. We can’t tell you how happy we are to have made it and to give you these new songs.”

More About The California Honeydrops: The California Honeydrops don’t just play music— they throw parties. Led by dynamic vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski, the band draws on diverse musical influences including Bay Area R&B, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second line to bring a vibrant energy to their shows. Assembling their five core

members plus two to three more world-class musicians each show, the Honeydrops deliver an eclectic performance and innovative recording style, evident in the seven studio albums, three live albums, and two cover albums the band has released since forming in 2008. Their highly anticipated forthcoming LP, Soft Spot, is set to release in the fall of 2022, coinciding with a national tour.

Soft Spot Tracklist:

Honey and Butter

Gonna Be Alright

Nothing at All

I Miss You Baby, Pt. 1

Tumblin’

Takin’ My Time

The Unicorn Soft Spot In Your Arms

Lil Bit of Love Sneakin’ into Heaven

I Miss You Baby, Pt. 2

Rock And Blues International

vocalist Field Cate shares: “”Sanitarium” was written during the height of the pandemic. It was a time when everything felt so unsafe and I was dealing with significant depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Ultimately indulging myself in a lot of codependency with a significant other, knowing this was a dangerous solution. But it felt really good. I was looking for somewhere to feel like I belonged and that fulfilled that for me. That feeling of safety inspired this song, a positive perspective on a negative decision. It felt like I entered a sanitarium, which is the origin of the name.”

Not only was “Sanitarium” selfproduced, but it was mixed by Henry Lunetta (5 Seconds Of Summer, State Champs, Grayscale) and mastered by Zach Fisher (Weezer, Rancid, Bad Religion). Prior to today’s release, Fencer had previously dropped tracks “Junebug”, “Fishfriend”, and a cover of Morphine’s “Buena” which had racked up over 1.5 million listens across all streaming platforms. Be sure to stay tuned for more Fencer news coming soon.

Release “Sanitarium” Single & Music Video Out

Blood Blast Distribution

Los Angeles

Fencer, the self-defined garage opera band, is leading a new era of rock music with their own undeniably, dynamic sound. The Los Angeles-based trio consists of vocalist and guitarist Field Cate, bassist Scott Sauve, and drummer Cameron Sauve. Only two years after their inception, they became fan-favorite openers for notable acts such as Badflower, The Wrecks, and Dead Poet Society. Tackling the stigma surrounding mental health and its struggles, Field’s emotive and frenetic vulnerability resonates with listeners to further solidify the band’s electric presence. The trio have racked up an impressive 1.5 million listens across all streaming platforms, despite having not even released their debut album. Field’s synesthesia (seeing music in color), Scott’s vigorous bass-lines, and Cameron’s expertise in self-producing flow together to create an eccentric style that is certain to become rock’s newest novelty.

photo

Photo Credit - Heather Koepp

by Gene Ambo

Enuff Z’nuff will release their new album “Finer Than Sin” November 11th

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the latest album from Enuff Z’nuff, “Finer Than Sin”. Now fronted by bass player and vocalist Chip Z’nuff for their last three studio albums, including The Beatles’ covers album “Enuff Z’Nuff’s Hardrock Nite”, the band are still delivering the band’s patented power pop melded with hard rock tunes. Founding member Chip Z’nuff is once again joined by long-running members Tory Stoffregen (guitars), Tony Fennell (guitars), and Daniel Benjamin Hill (drums). “Finer Than Sin” showcases the musical stylings that have kept the banda loyal fanbase since the ‘80s,

staying true to their rock ‘n roll roots. “Finer Than Sin’’ is the band’s 17th studio album overall.

Originally formed in 1984 in Chicago, IL, the band received their big break in 1989 when they signed to Atco/Atlantic Records. Founding members, Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie were joined by guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx and they commenced work on their major label debut. The self-titled album was a monster hit and spawned two evergreen singles, “New Thing” and “Fly High Michelle”. Both received constant airplay on radio and heavy rotation on MTV, spending over 60 weeks in the

Top 10. 1991 saw the band release their sophomore album, “Strength”. The album had more of a hard rock overtone and sustained the success achieved on the first album. The band made high profile television and radio appearances on the likes of David Letterman and Howard Stern and were featured in Rolling Stone’s Hot Issue as ‘The Next Big Thing’. The band soldiered on during the new musical climates of the ‘90s and ’00s and went on to release over a dozen more studio records.

Enuff Z’nuff are the living,

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photo: Charley Shillabeer

Photo: Ernst Haas, Courtesy of Iconoclast

Enuff Z’nuff

breathing example of what a rock/ pop group should be. The band was formed in 1984 in Blue Island, Illinois. Its first release, “Fingers On It,” gave the band some initial recognition when the track was featured in the 1986 cult movie Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

By 1989, original members, Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie, were joined by guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx. The band had signed with Atco/ Atlantic Records that same year and released their debut self-titled album. The album spawned two singles that were to change the course of the bands history, ‘New Thing’ and ‘Fly High Michelle.’ Both songs were played constantly on radio, and gained heavy rotation on MTV spending over 60 weeks in the top 10.

1991 saw the band release its follow up, Strength. The album had more of a rock overtone, and following its release, the band became regulars on shows like David Letterman and Howard Stern and was featured in Rolling Stone’s hot issue as ‘the next big thing.’

In 1993 the band left Atco records and moved to Arista, releasing the album,’ Animals With Human Intelligence.’ The album gained lots of critical acclaim, and prior to its release, Vikki Foxx was replaced by new drummer Ricky Parent.

Still a major force after 20+ albums, Enuff Z’nuff still has a legion of loyal fans, and has earned the respect and acclaim of its peers and contemporaries. With the addition of longtime guitarist: Tory Stoffregan, ex Ultravox singer/ guitar player: Tony Fennell, and Chicago native: Daniel Benjamin Hill, the band continues to tour and record relentlessly.

LINE-UP: Chip Z’nuff - Bass Tory Stoffregen - Guitars

Tony Fennell - Guitars Dan Hill - Drums

“Finer Than Sin” Tracklisting: Sound Check Catastrophe Steal The Light Lost And Out Of Control Intoxicated Hurricane Trampoline Temporarily Disconnected God Save The Queen Reprise

Social Media:

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Experience Hendrix L.L.C. in partnership with Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is releasing the Jimi Hendrix Experience Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 this November 18 on 2LP vinyl, CD and all digital platforms. Recorded in the spring of 1969 before a raucous, sold out audience, the captivating performance of the original lineup (singer/ guitarist Jimi Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell, bassist Noel Redding) has never before been released in its entirety. This album comes out in time for the 80th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s birth (Nov 27). An advance track from the album “I Don’t Live Today.” is now available online at https://youtu.be/ G5w3tbjUU4M.

Following the massive success of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967-68 studio album trifecta (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland), the trio had developed into the most popular international touring attraction in rock music. This widescale public interest coincided with the construction of new arenas for sporting events, among them the Forum in Inglewood, CA. Designed by famed architect Charles Luckman (who also designed New York’s rebuilt Madison Square Garden), this multipurpose venue opened in 1967 as the home of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, but also began to serve as a music venue. Among the earliest concerts held there was Aretha Franklin in January 1968 and the Cream farewell tour with opening act Deep Purple in October of that year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience were booked to perform on April 26, 1969 with opening acts Chicago Transit Authority (soon-to-be renamed Chicago) and Cat Mother & The All Night Newsboys, the latter of whom shared management with the headliners. Floor seats cost $6.50 ($51.20 adjusted for inflation).

By the time the Jimi Hendrix Experience took the stage to blaze through a spirited set, live concert

sound had drastically improved from the time of the Beatles baseball stadium tours, but crowd control was still a major concern. Between songs, Jimi pled with audience members to stop rushing the stage. A heavy police presence is felt; lyrics for their hit “Purple Haze” are altered (“‘Scuse me while I kiss that policeman!”) and Jimi dedicates “Spanish Castle Magic” to “the plain clothes police out there and other goofballs.” Hendrix treated each performance as a unique event. He never relied on a standard set list comprised only of his biggest commercial hits. This approach was on full display at the Forum performance, blending more familiar tunes such as “Foxey Lady” with “I Don’t Live Today” from Are You Experienced and his signature blues original“Red House” (“Everybody want to know what America’s soul is; everybody think it’s Motown . . . America’s soul is something more like this here”) which had still not yet been released in the US at this time. Furthermore, the group opened their set with a cover of “Tax Free” – an obscure 1967 instrumental by Swedish duo Hansson & Karlsson (consisting of Bo Hansson and Janne Karlsson), with whom the Experience had previously shared bills in Stockholm. Another unique highlight featured within the Forum performance was an early reimagining of “The Star Spangled Banner,” which Jimi would canonize four months later at Woodstock. “Here’s a song we was all brainwashed with,” Jimi trenchantly declares, at a time when the nation was in a state of great political unrest. The group closed their performance with a unique, extraordinary medley of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” and Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. The song was an Experience favorite and a perfect live vehicle for the trio’s unparalleled improvisational skill.

The Jimi Hendrix Los Angeles Forum was recorded by Wally Heider and Bill Halverson contemporaneously, and recently remixed by longtime Hendrix producer/engineer Eddie Kramer for maximum audio fidelity. It was produced by Janie

Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and the sister of Jimi Hendrix, Kramer and John McDermott, who manages the Hendrix music catalog on behalf of Experience Hendrix. The package’s liner notes are by former LA Times staff writer/critic Randy Lewis with a preface by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons who attended the Hendrix Forum show, having toured with the Experience, as part of the Moving Sidewalks, his pre-ZZ band. Both Gibbons and Lewis provided commentary for yesterday’s LAist piece.

Also coming out during the month of Hendrix’s 80th birthday is the book JIMI. Published by Chronicle Books imprint Chroma for a November 15 release, this comprehensive visual celebration is an official collaboration with Janie Hendrix and John McDermott. JIMI significantly expands on the authors’ previously published titles, including An Illustrated Experience, and features a new introduction by Janie, extensive biographical texts, and a trove of lesser known and neverbefore-published photographs, personal memorabilia, lyrics, and more. Additionally, JIMI includes quotations by legendary musicians such as Paul McCartney, Ron Wood, Jeff Beck, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, Drake, Dave Grohl and others who have spoken about Hendrix’s lasting influence.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience –Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 tracklist:

Intro Tax Free

Foxey Lady Red House

Spanish Castle Magic Star Spangled Banner

Purple Haze

I Don’t Live Today

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Sunshine of Your Love

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer & John McDermott for Experience Hendrix, L.L.C.

The Animals Retrospective Out On Vinyl For The First Time Ever November 18th

22-Track Collection Includes “House of the Rising Sun,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Sky Pilot,” Eric Burdon & War’s “Spill The Wine,” Many More

Pre-order at https://theanimals.lnk.to/retro

On November 18, ABKCO

Records will release, for the first time, a vinyl edition of Retrospective, the definitive 22-track collection spanning the years 1964-1970 from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Animals. Originally released in 2004 on CD and SACD formats, the 180-gram black 2-LP set gathers all fourteen US top 40 hits by The Animals and late ‘60s lineup Eric Burdon & The Animals, including “See See Rider,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “San Franciscan Nights” and the transatlantic number one “House Of The Rising Sun.” The set is capped by the 1970 smash hit “Spill The Wine” by Eric Burdon & War. An exclusive edition pressed on 180g orange vinyl is available at Target.

Formed in Newcastle, England in the early 1960s out of the ashes of The Alan Price Rhythm & Blues Combo, The Animals moved to London in ‘64 and were signed to EMI’s Columbia label by the visionary independent producer Mickie Most. Influenced by folk, blues,

jazz, R&B, and early rock and roll, The Animals and front man Eric Burdon seemed tougher and more brooding than their British Invasion peers The Beatles and even The Rolling Stones. An international sensation almost out of the gate, the band toured and recorded nonstop until the end of 1968, going through several lineup changes and parting ways with Mickie Most in ’66 to work with producer Tom Wilson (Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Mothers of Invention). After disbanding, Burdon joined forces in the early 1970s with Los Angeles funk band War for two albums and scored a Billboard number three (Cashbox number one) hit with “Spill the Wine,” which featured the spoken-word style that he effectively employed on many of the latter Animals albums.

The Animals’ approach to music was three-pronged. There were the “Animalized” covers of folk and blues songs like the traditional “House of the Rising Sun,” blues great John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” and “Don’t Let

Me Be Misunderstood,” originally recorded by Nina Simone. Then there were tunes written for the band by Brill Building songwriters such as “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” by Mann and Weil (which became an unofficial anthem for disgruntled American forces in Vietnam), the Gerry Goffin/Carole King-penned “Don’t Bring Me Down,” and “Baby Let Me Take You Home” by Bert Berns and Wes Farrell. Lastly, The Animals had original compositions that they leaned towards in the later years. The thinly veiled ode to LSD “A Girl Named Sandoz” (named after the company that chemist Albert Hofmann worked for when he synthesized the drug). It was covered decades later by Smashing Pumpkins. “Sky Pilot,” the epic, cinematic anti-war masterpiece, and the contemplative “When I Was Young” helped define The Animals’ second wind in the flower power era.

“We were the ultimate club band,” concludes Burdon in Jim Bessman’s Retrospective liner notes. “We had our differences and sometimes came to blows, but we all stood together when anybody attacked us from the outside.”

The Animals Retrospective 2-LP Side 1

1) House Of The Rising Sun 4:29

2) I’m Crying 2:47

3) Baby Let Me Take You Home 2:20

4) Gonna Send You Back To Walker 2:27

5) Boom Boom 3:49

6) Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood 2:29

Side 2

7) Bring It On Home To Me 2:42

8) We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (U.S. single version) 3:16

9) It’s My Life 3:08

10) Don’t Bring Me Down 3:17

11) See See Rider 4:01

12) Inside-Looking Out 3:49 Side 3

13) Hey Gyp 3:50

14) Help Me Girl 2:43 *

15) When I Was Young 3:01 *

16) A Girl Named Sandoz 3:07 *

17) San Franciscan Nights 3:20 *

18) Monterey 4:18 * Side 4

19) Anything 3:20 *

20) Sky Pilot 7:27 *

21) White Houses 4:43 *

22) Spill The Wine 4:03 **

* Eric Burdon & The Animals

** Eric Burdon & War

Yusuf

Following the 50th anniversaries of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ seminal albums Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, and Teaser and the Firecat, 2022 will see the legendary singer-songwriter celebrate 1972’s Catch Bull At Four with a newly remastered 50th anniversary edition. The platinumselling title, which marked Cat Stevens’ most successful chart album, will be available on vinyl for the first time since its original release on both 180-gram black vinyl and limited edition 180-gram orange vinyl, which will be available exclusively on CatStevens.com, UDiscover Music and Sound Of Vinyl. Catch Bull At Four will also return to CD for the first time since its reissue in 2000 and the new remaster will also be available for streaming in both standard and stunning hi-resolution audio. All formats will be released December 2nd via A&M/UMe.

Speaking about the experience, Yusuf / Cat Stevens remembers:

“Contrary to the spiritual nature and theme of the album, Catch Bull At Four went straight to number one and became one of my biggest commercial accomplishments. It was scary! I feared it would divert me from my spiritual goal. That’s precisely why I followed it up with an album called Foreigner, which would sacrifice my newly acquired crown for a welcome return to obscurity.”

Released in the autumn of 1972, Catch Bull At Four marked Cat Stevens’ sixth studio album and fourth release on Island Records –A&M in the U.S. – following Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman (both 1970), and 1971’s Teaser and the Firecat. In the two years leading up to the highly anticipated title, the British singer-songwriter had soared to incredible heights, becoming a global star with such hits as “Father and Son,” “Wild World,” “Where Do The Children Play?” “Morning Has Broken” and “Peace Train.”

The album found Cat Stevens reuniting with producer (and former Yardbird) Paul Samwell-Smith and guitarist Alun Davies, who collaborated with the artist on his previous three records. Joining them in the studio was drummer Gerry Conway, who appeared on Teaser and the Firecat, plus

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Cat Stevens Announces “Catch Bull At

Anniversary Edition; Classic Album

Releasing On Vinyl For

Time Since Original Release

Cat Stevens, London, May 25, 1972

(Photo Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Yusuf / Cat Stevens

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bassist Alan James, and keyboardist Jean Roussel. The album’s title, meanwhile, was inspired by Kuò?n Sh?yu?n’s “Ten Bulls of Zen,” a series of short poems, in which a protagonist sets out in search of a bull, catches and tames him, and, through the experience, finds enlightenment.

When examining the years leading up to Catch Bull At Four, it’s certainly no surprise that the artist found himself looking increasingly inward. After having initial success as a teenager with hits like “Matthew and Son” and “I Love My Dog,” Cat Stevens faced a near-fatal battle with tuberculosis. As he endured months of recovery, the artist made significant changes to his life and began to explore spirituality. This metamorphosis was also reflected in his songwriting, as he embraced a stripped-down, folk-rock aesthetic, while his lyrics became increasingly reflective and poetic. During this period, which proved to be quite prolific, the artist wrote more than three dozen songs – the majority of which appeared on Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, and Teaser and the Firecat. By the time Cat Stevens began work on Catch Bull At Four, however, he was entering a new creative chapter.

The songs on Catch Bull At Four find the artist grappling with his dizzying rise to fame, while, at the same time, delving deeper into his spiritual journey. This search for meaning is illustrated in the album’s title, which specifically references the challenge and strength one must summon as they seek enlightenment. The opening track, “Sitting,” also speaks to this dichotomy. Cat Stevens sings, “Sitting on my own not by myself/ Everybody’s here with me/I don’t need to touch your face to know/And I don’t need to use my eyes to see.” Later, the artist speaks to the trappings of celebrity: “Bleeding half my soul in bad company/I thank the moon I had the strength to stop.”

Sonically, the songs reflect a stylistic shift, with Cat Stevens opting for a more elaborate sound than his previous three records, introducing a broader array of instrumentation, backing vocals, and lush, multi-layered arrangements. This development resulted in no small part from the fact that Cat’s steep ascent into superstardom meant that he found himself performing in ever bigger venues to increasingly large crowds. He felt the need to expand his sound accordingly and began to lean on his love of R&B, soul, and even musical theatre to do so. These influences can be heard across the album, but particularly in such tracks as “Can’t Keep It In” and “O’Caritas,” both of which find the artist expressing his concerns for the state of the world. The foreboding album closer, “Ruins,” takes these sentiments

a step further. In many ways the song can be seen as a successor to the prescient ecological anthem “Where Do The Children Play?” although, this time the outlook seems considerably more bleak. “Ah but it’s all changed winter turned on a man/ Came down on day when no-one was looking and it/Stole away the land, people running scared, losing hands/Dodging shadows of falling sand, buildings standing like empty shells/And nobody...helping no-one else,” he sings.

Catch Bull At Four certainly has plenty of moments of optimism as well. A joyful, romantic spirit runs through songs like the tender “Sweet Scarlett” and the playful “Angelsea,” featuring guest vocals from singer Linda Lewis. Cat Stevens also offers a message of hope with “Silent Sunlight.” Bolstered by strings and woodwinds, he sings about embracing a childlike sense of wonder: “Sing a song of love and truth/We’ll soon remember if you do/When all things were tall/And our friends were small/And the world was new.” These songs contain all the charm, sincerity and imaginative flair that were so instrumental to the success of his previous three albums, and his gift for timeless folk storytelling arguably reaches its zenith with the glorious “The Boy With A Moon And Star On His Head” Clocking in at nearly six minutes long, the song weaves the elaborate tale of a man’s passionate and deeply romantic transgression prior to his wedding. A year later a baby is left in a basket upon his doorstep and the child grows to become a sage who gives voice to the enlightened message of universal love “And people would ride from far and wide just to seek the word he spread/I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned/And love is all, he said.”

Upon its release Catch Bull At Four built on the massive success of its predecessor, becoming Cat Stevens’ first album to top the Billboard 200, where it remained No. 1 in the U.S. for three consecutive weeks. Certified Platinum by the RIAA, and broadly acclaimed by critics, Catch Bull At Four also topped the album charts in Canada and Australia and peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. Single “Sitting,” meanwhile, was a Top 20 hit in the U.S., while “Can’t Keep It In” peaked at No. 13 on the UK pop charts.

Now, a half a century later, fans can enjoy Catch Bull At Four at its best, with audio digitally remastered at 24bit/96kHz from the original stereo production tapes by Mazen Murad. The LP edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a gatefold

jacket, featuring newly-restored artwork. The CD edition, meanwhile, includes a new 16page booklet featuring photos and press clippings from the era, as well as lyrics.

50th Anniversary Editions of Catch Bull At Four will be released on December 2nd via A&M/UMe. Full format details are listed below.

CATCH BULL AT FOUR

1LP 50th ANNIVERSARY REMASTER Side A

1. Sitting 2. Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head 3. Angelsea 4. Silent Sunlight 5. Can’t Keep It In

Side B

1. 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)

2. Freezing Steel 3. O’Caritas

4. Sweet Scarlet 5. Ruins

50th ANNIVERSARY REMASTER (1CD, 24bit/96kHz Hi-Res Digital, Standard Digital)

1. Sitting 2. Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head

3. Angelsea 4. Silent Sunlight 5. Can’t Keep It In 6. 18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare) 7. Freezing Steel 8. O’Caritas 9. Sweet Scarlet 10. Ruins

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

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

Life Thru A Lens was originally released in September 1997, spending two weeks at Number One on the UK Album Chart and 92 weeks in the UK Top 40. It has sold 2.1 million copies in the UK alone. The deluxe edition will be available in 4-CD Box Set, vinyl, and digital download formats.

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

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

CD1 - Life Thru A Lens: The Original Album

Lazy Days

Life Thru A Lens

Ego A Go Go Angels

South Of The Border

Old Before I Die

One Of God’s Better People

Let Me Entertain You

Killing Me Clean

Baby Girl Window (silence)

Hello Sir (hidden track)

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

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

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

Average B-Side (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 1, April 1997)

Making Plans For Nigel (from “Old Before I Die” CD Single 2, April 1997)

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

Teenage Millionaire (from “Lazy Days” CD Single 1, July 1997)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Medley Of Songs From The Motion Picture Soundtrack

The Full Monty (from “Let Me Entertain You” CD Single 1, March 1998)

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

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

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

Freedom (Ambient Mix) (July 1996 Promo Release)

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

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

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

Old Before I Die (Crescent Moon Studios Demo, October 1996)

Lazy Days (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Angels (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Red Lights (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)

Average B-Side (Westside Studios Demo, February 1997)

Teenage Millionaire (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)

South of the Border (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)

Killing Me Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)

Life Thru A Lens Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)

South of the Border (Mother’s Milkin’ It Mix)

Let Me Entertain You (The Bizzaro Mix)

CD4 - Life On The Stage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Biker, The Blues, And Freedom

In the early ‘70s Janis Joplin once sang the words of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me And Bobby McGee”. She lamented “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose and nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free, Feelin’ good was easy Lord, when Bobby sang the blues, Feelin’ good was good enough for me, Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee”. A person cannot help but admire the happiness that someone feels with the presence of another while finding themselves on the road to the future. Circumstances be damned, there is a different definition of kindred spirit that lives between those in sync with each other, their station in life and being free. Hobos on a train, broke people on a bus going across country, parolees standing on the road

outside the main gate of the big house seeing that special someone pulling up. It’s hard to beat that exhilaration when you realize you are not alone. You are just living life in a whole new world of freedom. I feel it, not always having someone with me but meeting families in places like campgrounds having nothing but each other but it’s enough for them. Strippers that climb up on stages doing a job they never dreamed of doing but giving their kid the best they can under current circumstances. Going through something with someone that’s sympatico with you is a blessing and in the song Janis pines “feelin’ good was easy Lord when Bobby sang the blues, feelin’ good was good enough for me, good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.” I had heard about a juke joint that was smokin’ hot on Cullen Street south of Houston Texas and made my way there. (photo on left) An authentic juke whose customers arrived on late Sunday afternoon after church. The entrance vestibule was made of plywood and hung on this plywood were press clippings of many a famous, legitimate blues artist, both male and female. On the other end of the vestibule was a rather dapper looking fellow standing behind a cash register. Everyone called him either Mr. G or Gino. The entrance fee was $5 (cash). You could smell something like chicken soup wafting through the air and so I asked what is that smell and the lady that seated me just said Gino Surprise. When she left the couple next to me told me that “each week Gino cooks up something good but never tells anybody what’s inside the brew until it’s time to serve. It’s always good, just his way.” The place was not eclectic at all as it was made up of middle age to older couples dressed well. Extremely friendly, many of which brought their own bottles of Jack or Gin buying set ups as they needed them. That afternoon the special guest was none other than the international blues superstar Ms. Trudy Lynn. Her Royal Oaks Blues Café at the time was the number one blues album

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Page 2 - The Biker, The Blues, And Freedom

on Billboard. To think that I would get to experience a top shelf traditional blues great for five bucks was in itself tough to believe but it was true. Trudy’s band featured blues harp great Steve Krase and when Ms. Lynn belted out “Red Light” Steve’s harp presence was way cool. One song after another, hit after hit the crowd was going wild. It was like being in a Martin Scorsese documentary but there I was in a real life, inside this real deal juke joint south of Houston. I didn’t know to bring my own bottle but a guy sitting in the row in front of me offered my some of his bourbon and I took him up on it. I offered to pay him but he just smiled and shook his head no. When I ordered the set up I ordered one for him too and he smiled again. What was really cool about this setting was its authenticity. The people there were dancing with each other, talking to each other as neighbors, dressed smart, and just being themselves is the best way to describe it. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. I was enveloped by a bit of real American lore, the music’s culture, and family heritage, very tough to beat that mixture. Twice, as I listened to Trudy Lynn I found myself getting lost in memories intertwined between her vivid lyrics and the band’s musical accents when appropriate. I left Mr. Gino’s after the sun went down, got out on the freeway and headed east toward Louisiana. Just the other side of the border of Texas on I10 is a city named Lake Charles. Well known for four things; it’s gulf front port, refining, their famous volunteer Cajun Navy and major casinos. Not too many years ago when a major hurricane blew through everything and everybody was affected including the interstate being shut down and their port closed too due to trees. No way to get supplies in or even leave for that matter. Armed with only chain saws and axes this blue collar community did what needed to be done. They got their port reopened, the interstate flowing and more in record time. I’ve not forgotten that and this night I was glad to be in their city. I found a motel with room doors that opened to the parking spaces outside and checked in. Nothing major going on that night and it had been a long day so I grabbed a chair from inside the room and placed by the door on the outside, grabbed a 46 ring Maduro single leaf pressed box cigar, a cutter, and a butane lighter from my bike and proceeded to sit down. It’s humid in Lake Charles as the gulf is close by but not enough to run you indoors at the time of year I was there. So I kicked back fired up and placed air buds in my ears and grabbed a playlist on my phone. “Black Magic Woman” by Santana was first up and there couldn’t have been a better tune for the moment. Deep in the south with its rich lore about voodoo and here I was listening to “Black Magic Woman”. I loved it, it was a good night.

Well as all things go then deputy dawg came driving through the parking lot and of course the brake lights came on

3 - The Biker, The Blues, And Freedom

as he eyed my scooter and me smoking my big cigar while leaning back on the rear legs of the chair I was on. I thought oh man come on go chase some murderers or something but no true to form his car went into park and out came this humongous size football looking deputy. Well here we go… So as I stood up and reached for the wallet in my pocket and the man shouted, “Don’t even think of it!” Maybe it was the exotic look of my bike or maybe it was the large cigar hanging out of my mouth then again maybe it was the movement toward my wallet. No matter he had his hand on the grip of his pistol and I wasn’t going to call his bluff. He asked, “Where you from” and I wanted to say “my mother” but thought better about being a smart ass with this man and said I am coming from Texas. He then asked where I was going and I wanted to say “oh I don’t know just up the road” but of course that wasn’t going to fly so I just said Shreveport. He asked, “what’s that in your ear?” and I replied an air bud for listening to music and not bothering others. He asked, “what are you listening to?” which I thought was a weird question but replied, Santana. He asked, “What song?” I said Black Magic Woman” He said he remembered it and actually smiled a little bit. I thought ok this must be where the twist comes in but it didn’t he just turned and left. Now this is where it really gets interesting. As soon as he left the scene so did four others, three men and one woman. Not all together but over the time it took to smoke my cigar the four of them started their cars and trucks and left. I called it a night and decided if I brought the bike inside I would probably be tried for some kind of major felony and I didn’t want the hassle so I just left it outside. Got up in the morning and took off going north toward Shreveport. Along the route I saw this billboard that advertised the best biscuits and gravy in the U.S. guaranteed. Sounded like a plan to me and off I went. Good looking gal waiting tables with a million dollar smile brought the morning jo over and now I was smiling like a jackass smelling fresh grass. I was a bit embarrassed at myself but she was friendly and her legs went all the way to the floor. Shame on me, shame on me, shame on me but you know how it is with men and sweet waitresses. I automatically replied a ham and cheese omelet as that is what I usually order and then immediately changed my order and said those perfect buns I learned about on the billboard. Now there is a difference between buns and biscuits and as you might imagine she wasn’t going to let that go by and asked do you mean biscuits or do you prefer buns? Smart ass woman but good touché on her part. She knew she had me in a precarious position. I began to snicker and my face felt warm as I said for now the biscuits please. She complied as she walked away and I could see she was definitely smiling too. Harmless exchange but I will remember that scene for the rest of my life. Take in a change of scenery, see a bit of America and meet some of the most interesting people of our era. The news media constantly tells us what is bad but if we get out and about beyond our immediate neighborhood we can still feel the old USA being very much alive. Finally, Remember to vote and also remember to preserve wildlife, so get out and go to a party! Set yourself free, come on set yourself free, you know you want to, you really, really know you want to…..