Now available from Fat Wreck Chords, Stitch Puppy is comprised of 10 captivating tracks that display a further progression in Joey Cape’s sound. Poetic lyrics are set to acoustic instrumentation (guitar, piano, cello, mandolin, percussion) and driven by strong melodies.
Big Something is one of the most exciting new bands to emerge from the Southeast. A 6 piece powerhouse with a sound that is both unique and timeless, BIG Something fuses elements of rock, pop, funk, and improvisation to take listeners on a journey through a myriad of musical styles. Soaring guitars, synths, horns and alluring vocal hooks rise to the top of their infectious collection of songs and represent a sound for fans of Galactic, Moe., Robert Randolph, and even The B52s.
The group recently released its 3rd full-length studio album – Truth Serum – with the help of Grammy-nominated producer John Custer. Recorded almost entirely live in the studio, Truth Serum, is a great snapshot of the magic the band is capable of creating on stage. The album was named 2014 Album of the Year by The Homegrown Music Network, which makes Big Something the only band ever to win this award 3 times with 3 different releases (2010, 2013, and 2014). Available now for the first time on vinyl!
Gospel Machine is garage gospel band out of Northeast Minneapolis resurrecting the soul and R&B styles of the 1960’s. The band features Jayanthi Kyle (Romantica, Black Audience) on vocals and members of Twin Cities rock band The Small Cities – Wes Burdine (guitar, backing vox), Jimmy Osterholt (Bass), Scott Munson (keys), and David Osborn (drums).
Gospel Machine formed in 2011 when Burdine wrote a soul/gospel liturgy for a Lutheran church in Northeast Minneapolis called Mercy Seat Lutheran Church. He asked Kyle and his bandmates from The Small Cities to back him for the occasion. They had such a good time that Wes started writing more material in the vein of his heroes Nina Simone, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. In 2012, they took their music to the clubs and in 2013 started recording their debut record, Your Holy Ghost – available on vinyl from the band now.
Mute Forest is Kael Smith’s solo project, as well as his most introspective and spacious work. In Mute Forest, he combines nylon guitar passages with heavily processed field recordings and subtle electronics. Mute Forest’s Infinity Pools EP is out now with it’s follow up full length, Deforestation, to be released in 2015 via Lost Tribe Sound (stay tuned – records just shipped).
Viands is a spontaneous collaboration between two auteurs of Detroit’s underground music scene. Joel Peterson (b. 1976) &Dave Shettler (b. 1980) met in the early aughts while Peterson was actively carving a name for himself presenting underground and new sounds (his and others) to Detroit audiences with his Bohemian National Home venue and Shettler was back boning and warping various rock and R&B acts across Detroit and the western world. Viands began as a sound check for a visiting jazz pianist borrowing Shettler’s Moog sitting atop the Piano in Peterson’s current venue Trinosophes. All live, all completely improvised, Temporal Relic #1 & #2 are carved out of the same continuous 40 minute session that marked the first time the pair sat down together and “just hit record.”
Decade is a live studio recording (recorded to 2 inch analog tape) of Drew DeFour‘s best original songs written over the last 10+ years.
Drew spent 2006-2015 completing 8 international tours, performing over 1,000 concerts, and producing 5 albums, all without the help of a record label. He was able to finance these endeavors with steady work at Dueling Piano bars around the United States and abroad.
On their debut 12” EP for Ever/Never Records, New York City’s Ballroom explode out of the gate with a whirlwind fury. Anchored by a tornado of vicious snare drum thwacks and excoriating guitars, “Corridor” is a threat made manifest by singer Eric Cecil’s warnings to “not let the sight disturb ya.”
Ballroom are a powerful ensemble assembled from scattered remnants of other notable bands. Cecil (who also plays guitar) did time in Chicago punk standout Busy Signals, and has featured in numerous NYC bands since his relocation. The other axe-slinger, Kristian Brenchley, is a founding member of long-running scum rockers Woman, and also lays down the bottom end in Ever/Never labelmates Degreaser. Ballroom low-end is provided by Home Blitz’ Theresa Smith, while the drums are beaten into submission by Steven Fisher, leader of Wilful Boys and Dozers.
It’s fun to watch a band be in such effortless and complete control of their sound and aesthetic as Donovan Wolfington is right now. This new album is a banger of riffs and hooks that sees the band meander from playfully introspective to downright dark over the course of its 13 songs. For fans of Joyce Manor, Ovlov, Beach Slang or Desaparecidos.
John Nolan’s new album – Sad, Strange, Beautiful Dream is available now from Collective Confusion Records. For a very limited time, you can also grab an “acoustic bootleg” version of the album. Also, John’s tour starts August 19 in Philadelphia — check with John for a list of dates!
Drummer/producer John Roccesano (Johnny Rock) produced an album written and performed by friends, recorded and mixed on tape, pressed on vinyl.
Johnny has been playing the drums since 1992 and has been recording professionally since 1998. He has served as the drummer, background vocalist, and/or producer for many music acts in NJ, and started releasing his own songs in 2009. Johnny is influenced by several generations of rock and pop acts, jazz artists, percussionists, classical composers, experimental music, and even the sounds of Mother Nature.
The album brings together several amazing, unsigned musicians to record a once-in-a-lifetime album. Calling on writers, musicians, and family, Johnny Rock has formed small ensembles to write and record this special vinyl LP. More than a compilation of songs, For The Record was produced as two cohesive sides of new original music, recorded and mixed on tape; analog all the way to the cutting head. The album packaging also features hand drawn artwork to minimize the 1’s and 0’s between the artists and the audience.
