Mamas Gun - Paul Cherry - A. Wesley Chung
Background - Mamas Gun are now sharing the video for new single, ‘You Make My Life A Better Place’, the new clip follows the recently announced UK tour. The dates arrive as part of a wider world tour in support of the band’s forthcoming album, Golden Days which is due for release on May 18, 2018 via Candelion.
‘You Make My Life A Better Place’ follows in the footsteps of the Lauren Laverne-supported ‘London Girls’ and the Earmilk and Indie Shuffle-approved ‘Strangers On A Street’. The new album, Golden Days itself chronicles the band's decade-long journey to date with Platts and the rest of the band taking production duties into their own hands, recording the tracks live using analogue equipment. Notable contributions are littered throughout the album with the likes of Shawn Lee (Jeff Buckley, Kelis, St Etienne) assisting on the album’s mix, and songwriters Connor Reeves (Tina Turner, Joss Stone) and Christopher Braide (Sia, Lana Del Rey) lending hands.
Alongside the likes of Charles Bradley, Curtis Harding and the Dap Kings, Mamas Gun have helped fuel the vanguard of 21st century soul, as well as spawning Top 10 hits on four continents. In addition to securing support slots with the likes of Beverley Knight and Raphael Saadiq, Mamas Gun have performed at global and domestic music festivals including WOMAD, Secret Garden Party, Wilderness and Greenroom with their forthcoming UK tour arriving after an intimate sell out return in London. TWITTER, WEBSITE.
UK Tour
June 21 | The Jam House, Birmingham
June 22 | Deaf Institute, Manchester
June 28 | Rialto Theatre, Birmingham
June 29 | Omeara, London.
Bright and oh so fresh 'You Make My Life A Better Place' has some incredible classic soul influences all wrapped up in a modern and truly refined manner. Melodic and catchy the accompanying video also has style and adds even more colour to what is one high quality song.
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Background - Paul Cherewick, aka Paul Cherry, came up during Chicago’s garage rock golden age of 2014. Despite being heavily involved in the DIY scene with up-and-coming bands such as Twin Peaks and The Lemons, Paul has abandoned the all-too-familiar lo-fi rock sound of his first EP “On Top”. He has spent the past two years returning to his jazz roots, completely reinventing himself on his upcoming LP, Flavour.
The first single, "Like Yesterday" sets the tone for the record as a brilliantly written, mid-tempo pop ballad. It would fit nicely as a modern addition to Paul McCartney's “Ram” or Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything," or even Player’s “Baby Come Back.”
Paul Cherry crafts melodies on Flavour that sit at the intersection of 1970s yacht rock and Ariel Pink’s lo-fi dream pop. Lyrically, Cherry touches on millennial culture with references to love in the modern age, phone culture, and giving a new, light-hearted twist to age old old themes of love lost, missed connections and polar political climates. TWITTER, BANDCAMP.
Whether it's Yacht Rock or Indie Pop the ten tracks that make up 'Flavour' are all pretty impressive. The featured song 'Like Yesterday' is indicative of the quality and unique nature of Paul Cherry's music, where ideas are there in abundance.
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Background - Californian-born, Glasgow-based Americana musician A. Wesley Chung (The Great Albatross) has just shared the lead track from his debut - 'Restless' - a life-affirming and cinematic dose that tells of Chung's own conflicting emotions around growing up and leaving California.
The wonderful singer-songwriter will release his debut album as a solo artist on 18th May via Glasgow’s own LP Records. Neon Coast is an homage to the US West Coast, where Chung grew up, and the three most pronounced sentiments that he associates with it – freedom, lonesomeness and restlessness.
The songwriter, known for his previous collaborations with Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It / Their There They’re) and Kate Grube (Kittyhawk), was reared on the ‘golden oldies’ – Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, The Beatles. “I've tried to explore the three themes of ‘freedom’, ‘lonesomeness’ and ‘restlessness’ through the sounds of Country, Motown and Folk/Americana that I grew up listening to in California” says Chung. He expands: “In our deep search for meaning/self we become obsessed with self-actualization, and our fear of death pushes us further into our desire for recognition which only leads us deeper into self – this is ‘restlessness’.
Reflecting on the influence his Californian youth has had on Neon Coast, Chung comments: “Thematically, it’s a meditation on my home state, while sonically it’s a straight up road trip album, like a mixtape from a friend. From the start I wanted to make this perfectly-imperfect album that focused more on getting the vibe right than the parts or performance (a main reason we recorded most of it live).
Chung emigrated to the UK in his adult life to a wholly different and, in many ways, surprising culture, making Glasgow his new home. The Scottish city would be the facilitator to Chung’s band of revolving members and collaborators, The Great Albatross, who’s split 7” with Into It. Over It. was released on Struggletown Records, with the B-side mixed and co-produced by Glasgow producer Gordon Skene (formerly of Frightened Rabbit, Smash Williams, Moth and the Mirror). Skene would also go on to produce the band’s full length. FACEBOOK.
Hand claps and vocals introduce 'Restless' however this is no minimalist piece. As the musical arrangement develops we are treated to a melodic and cleverly layered assortment of instrumental sounds. The vocals are smooth and engaging, if the rest of the album is of this standard, we have a lot to look forward to.
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