In the Summer of ’18, Twisted Pine [praised by NPR for “upbeat, poppy vibe; energetic, driving rhythms; virtuosic solos … and tight harmonies”] released Dreams, a deft reimagining of the band’s pop, rock, and disco favorites, from Joni Mitchell to Vulfpeck, Scissor Sisters to The Cranberries. Pop Matters raved: “Four musicians from various parts of the country found a common bond in Boston as Twisted Pine, and take on some heavy hitters as they release a seven-song EP full of spark, light, and irresistible force… wildly innovative covers.”
The vinyl pressing, with a bonus track covering the pop duo Hall & Oates, is now available for pre-order.
Just before the dust settles from a run of sold-out dates that stretched from coast-to-coast with his co-founding band Camper Van Beethoven, Victor Krummenacher will be hitting the road again. Only this time he’ll be doing double-duty as both the opening and headlining acts. In support of his forthcoming solo album, Blue Pacific (out March 1st), Victor Krummenacher & His Flying Circus will open these shows, followed by his other revered art/psych/prog band, Monks of Doom, who just recently released The Bronte Pin, their first album of new studio material in 25 years. Music critic Nick Spacek writing for the music site Modern Vinyl, called it “a welcome return for the band” and that it “sees them exploring folk-inflected progressive rock that manages to be serene and pastoral one moment, and thunderous the next. It makes The Bronte Pin quite an involving listen, and one you’re likely to dissect for weeks after first listening.”
Blue Pacific marks Victor’s ninth solo effort. The inception of this emotionally-charged project started nearly a year after his divorce, and, as it turns out, it’s one-part exorcism and one-part an effort to heal and put it all behind him.
“It was a really difficult album to make, some of the basics were recorded three times,” Krummenacher admits. “I went through two other drummers before settling on Michael Urbano. There was a lot of tension this time, and [co-producer] Bruce Kaphan seriously went all out to help make the best album we think we could do.”
Despite the fact this record was a direct result of so much pain, heartache and hurdles, musically it turns out to be one of Krummenacher’s most rewarding efforts of his lengthy career – be it solo, or with his other bands. “There was a LOT of time put into this one,” the musician reveals, “and I don’t know if I can really do much better in as far as writing or recording. Between the emotional context and the difficulty in getting all the aspects of the recording taken care of, it was one of the hardest projects I’ve worked on.”
The Steel Woods‘ sophomore Thirty Tigers album, Old News, represents a creative leap for the southern roots rock songwriting team of Alabama native Wes Bayliss and his North Carolina partner Jason “Rowdy” Cope, who completed their first recordings barely months after they first met. Recorded in Asheville, NC at Echo Mountain Studios, the site of an old church during a six-day break in a hectic touring schedule, the new album features more original songs and, for the first time, the whole band participated — including the rhythm section of bassist Johnny Stanton and drummer Jay Tooke — playing in a single room, cutting the tracks virtually live. Part Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, dual-guitar southern blues-rock with elements of R&B, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, folk and metal, the descriptively named, Nashville-based band deepens its resolve on a theme-driven album that joins the mystery train of the past with the full-speed loco-motion of the present, seeking to bring people together with the universality of music.
Kim Taylor has toured extensively with friends Over The Rhine, artists Ron Sexsmith and Kasey Chambers, and has supported songwriting heroes like Kris Kristofferson. Her songs have been featured in numerous television shows including Flashpoint, Army Wives, Smallville, Cyberbully, One Tree Hill, Justified, The L Word, and most recently in the UK’s flagship comedy-drama, Stella.
Taylor’s current project Songs of Instruction will be released February 22, 2019. The first single, “The Hard Way”, released digitally on October 15, 2018.
