Jesse Jo Stark - Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease - Wojtek the bear
Background - Los Angeles-based rock goddess Jesse Jo Stark releases her highly anticipated debut EP Dandelion today. The album was written and produced by Jesse Jo, her guitarist Thomas Hunter and Dan Taylor (The Heavy). Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) also makes a special appearance on guitar for the lead track, “Dandelion.” The vibe of Dandelion is on brand – spooky and beguiling, with nods to rock and roll, blues, and old country.
Jesse Jo Stark is the femme fatale alternative music has been starving for. If Nick Cave and Elvira had a one-night stand, she might be the resulting progeny. Her last 5 singles – “Down Your Drain,” “Driftwood,” “April Flowers,” “Deadly Doll” and “Fire of Love” – have generated over 1 million Spotify plays and earned praise from fans and critics alike.
Jesse Jo has also secured her place as an emerging voice in rock with her scorching live shows, opening for Guns N’ Roses, Jane’s Addiction, headlining her own month-long residency at The Echo in Los Angeles and supporting indie darlings Sunflower Bean on a six-date domestic tour.
A lifetime music obsessive schooled at the altar of David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac and a born rock star, she represents the future of rock with a wink to its past. Jesse Jo Stark will release her first full length record this September. TWITTER.
We featured Jesse Jo Stark a couple of times in 2017 and the new song 'Dandelion' is the first of five tracks on the EP of the same name. Once again the atmospheric rock vibes are present throughout, as are the melodic hooks and her natural and appealing rock vocals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background - Joey Sweeney is a Philadelphia-based songwriter who has been writing songs and prose since in the 1980s. Over the years, he has fronted the influential Philly bands The Trouble With Sweeney and The Barnabys, as well as recording and performing as a solo artist. The Neon Grease’s sound is rooted in a nighttime city vibe of rain-slicked streets with neon signs’ glow reflecting off them. It’s an album very much about the cities, and the way Sweeney's city or your city is changing. You could say the city is the central character, but there’s also much about falling in and out of love, being with your friends and not being with your friends... all against the backdrop of looking for some kind of grace, while down the street, they’re tearing the old church down.
His songs and records have received widespread critical acclaim over the years; of his last record with The Trouble With Sweeney, Fishtown Briefcase. Sweeney’s songwriting draws inspiration from sources as disparate as 1970s Philly nightlife folklore and Denis Johnson’s The Incognito Lounge. In their new songs, chiming guitars, classic rock sax solos and rainy bedroom Velvet Underground listening sessions all blend together. In these songs are little stories of triumph over dirty circumstance and grace under pressure, with the friendship of an urban family “street band” woven throughout.
Joey’s sharing “And Soon” the lead single from Catholic School that features Renée LoBue of Elk City on vocals (whose new album Everybody's Insecure is out now on Bar/None). Sweeney wanted to write something beautiful and hopeful about the experience of coming out of loss, saying “I liked the idea that ghosts could turn friendly, and that in grief you could have the kind of grace that Sandy Denny has on Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (which is referenced in the song)." FACEBOOK.
The musical arrangement is thoughtful and beautifully laid out, giving distinction to each instrument as they shine through with style. 'And Soon' is a gently flowing song, where the vocals and duet are peaceful and dreamy, an alt rocker of sorts, this is music of real class.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background - Scottish Fiction Records are proud to present strong suit; the third single to be taken from Glasgow indie four piece wojtek the bear's debut album a talent for being unreasonable.
Previous singles made out of maps and oil & water have both received airplay from the likes of Roddy Hart and Janice Forsyth on BBC Radio Scotland, Tom Robinson on BBC 6Music, and Amazing Radio.
strong suit is a stripped back duet weaving the tale of a warring couple trading lyrical blows and features an incredible vocal performance from the band's Scottish Fiction label-mate Annie Booth. Of the lyrics lead singer Tam Killean describes the track as being "probably the most viscerally honest thing I've ever written. I think we've all been in fights or arguments in relationships before where if we were to stop for even just a second we'd realise how pointless or unproductive it was. I'd wanted to write an old style country & western duet for a while now and when we got Annie in to work with us we knew we had something special."
strong suit is released digitally on 27th July 2018 via Scottish Fiction Records. TWITTER.
We shared 'oil & water' back in May and are really pleased to be able to feature the third single 'strong suit' ahead of the bands debut album release. The band have developed a consistently distinct and attractive sound, that lingers somewhere between indie and alt rock. The vocals and harmonies are notable, there is a sense of earnest intent that adds a level of drama, and the music might be slightly understated, yet it remains fabulous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments