Abby Zotz - Warbly Jets - The Callas with Lee Ranaldo
Background - Abby Zotz contemplates the stories an old house could tell in her second video release from her solo recording, Local Honey. Good Bones, another co-write with long-time collaborator and former Two Roads Home partner Bryan Williston has a warm folk-country feel and features her live band and videography and direction by Ryan Osman.
Ryan's careful attention to detail and the presence of the band create the deep fondness and humour found in real human connection and add depth to the message of the song: “that we stand alone, but within a larger community, and that our bones, like a home's, must be lived in and loved if we're to make any sense of this life.”
Sharing her personal journey with an enchanting voice, soul-touching lyrics and a range of musical styles, Abby Zotz weaves tendrils of hope together with strands of humour, resilience and, ultimately, joy.
A gifted musician and vocal artist, Abby’s message is an uplifting and often poignant expression of the human experience. She explores tiny fragments of life, both the lighter side and the struggle of finding hope in a troubled world. Her songs are at once intimate and relatable.
From classical and world music to country and traditional folk, Abby’s exposure to a medley of styles in her childhood set the tone for a life-long thirst to explore new musical avenues and expand her range. Her multi-faceted career has taken her from the Royal Conservatory of Music Concert Hall to tavern stages to trios and (almost) everywhere in between. WEBSITE.
'Good Bones' and 'Stability' are taken from Abby Zotz's debut solo album 'Local Honey' which has just been released. The music video for 'Good Bones' captures the mood of the song with all it's melodic charm and classic Americana sophistication. I have also included 'Stability' from the album as it helps to demonstrate the musical diversity found within this tasteful collection of tunes, that and it also happens to be my favourite.
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Background - It's been a busy year for Warbly Jets: the band released their debut S/T LP last fall, followed it with multiple worldwide tours (including dates opening for Liam Gallagher), and most recently, had their single "Alive" featured as the intro song to the new PS4 game Spider-Man (Marvel / Sony / Insomniac Games.) On the heels of the game's release, they're sharing a new video for their track "Shapeshifter" and announcing preliminary tour dates for 2019.
Warbly Jets are heading back into the studio this month to record the follow-up to their debut LP, due out later this year. With the goal of keeping fans on their toes, they promise that it will be something you're not expecting to hear from the band: "On this new collection of songs, we made an effort to set no particular stylistic boundaries," frontman Samuel Shea explains. "As an artist I believe it's extremely important to make drastic differences as you transition through phases. That was something that Julien [O'Neill] and I talked about from the conception of this band. I hope you always hear what you're not expecting when you listen to a new release from us." WEBSITE.
Warbly Jets on Tour:
1/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
1/12 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
1/25 - Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse
1/26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
We featured Warbly Jets a couple of times last year and on both occasions were impressed with their somewhat genre defying music. 'Shapeshifter' finds the band in a full on rock and roll mode, with a splashing of psychedelic vibes, as once again they take another musical twist, doing so with this sub two and a half minute musical blaster.
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Background - Greek art rock band The Callas don’t just make music, but also films, art shows, and more, and after collaborating with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo on the soundtrack of their film The Great Eastern, they’ve now also made a collaborative album with him. It’s called Trouble and Desire, and it’s due out on October 26 via Inner Ear and Dirty Water Records.
Lee Ranaldo said: It’s been a pleasure for me to know and collaborate with The Callas on their new album Trouble and Desire – we met a few years ago and I’ve been drawn into their artistic world in Athens. I’m a fan of their visual art tapestries and their art studio/venue and I’ve been having a great time making music with these like-minded travelers. Our collaboration took off quickly and was such a natural fit – we speak the same language and the performances we’ve done together have been a total blast! I love the community of artists that they have gathered around them, and I hope we will do more collaborations in the future.
We’re premiering the title track along with its video, which is mostly made up of performance footage of Lee and the band. This song is a perfect example of how Lee Ranaldo and The Callas “speak the same language” (as Lee put it). It’s got elements of ’60s psych, droning but driving jams, and a speak-sung vocal delivery — all elements that you can also hear in Sonic Youth and Lee’s solo material. WEBSITE.
With a dark and moody opening and the chanting of 'Trouble And Desire' the band launch into some gorgeous and potent rock where the vocals are gritty and determined. The harmonies sweeten things as they add even more hooks, to what is a splendid teaser ahead of next months album release.
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