Elle Celeste - The Pleasures - Michelle & Jason Hannan feat. Howard Parker - Blunt Chunks - Futurebirds & Carl Broemel

Photo - Sebastian Buzzalino

Elle Celeste - Call On Me.

When Elle Celeste started playing music for public consumption in her early twenties, she wanted to make the most amount of noise and be as wild as possible—screaming her head off and slapping audience members in the face as she fronted an acid rock band. She considered it a good gig, as long as she could hold a note long enough that it felt like she was going to pass out.

A lot has changed since then for the resident of Calgary, Alberta. In 2014, she and her primary musical collaborator Kirill Telichev formed the band Copperhead, making self-described “21st Century folk music” that blended punk, ambient and electronic sounds with traditional elements. Over the course of making two well-received independent albums, and sharing stages with the likes of Art Bergmann, Elliott Brood, Lindi Ortega, Terra Lightfoot and The Strumbellas, Elle got exposed to the wider music world and where she envisioned her place within it.

It’s led to Elle Celeste’s debut solo album, Call On Me—released independently today—which builds on the foundation that Copperhead laid, taking it into more expansive musical territory while delving deeply into Elle’s personal experiences through its lyrics. Although Telichev still played a major role in the creation of Call On Me, it became a moment when Elle felt confident in taking full control, making fully fleshed-out demos and harnessing the full range of her unmistakable, smoky voice, which some may liken to Sharon Van Etten or Cat Power’s Chan Marshall.

Recording got fully underway in December 2019 at the National Music Centre in Calgary, overseen by Casey McMechan, better known as the Techno DJ/producer Tyrek. When lockdown restrictions halted their work in the studio, sessions continued remotely over the next 18 months, with Telichev eventually coming on board to co-produce several tracks and mix the end results. In spite of all of that, Call On Me is a stunningly cohesive collection that utilizes modern technology to fully express Elle’s unflinching songwriting.

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The Pleasures - Every Story Has Two Sides.

“Every Story Has Two Sides” is the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Pleasures’ barnstorming debut single “The Beginning of the End”.

As two of Australia’s most loved and respected country and Americana artists, the union between Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan was destined to turn heads - and “The Beginning of the End” certainly did that. Released in January of this year, it quickly lit up YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, as well as scoring high rotation on Double J, ABC Country, ABC Local and iHeart Country. Add to that the support of CMT in Australia and the USA, and airplay on many programs in the UK, including shows across the BBC.

“Now it’s time for the next chapter”, says Lachlan of the new single. “Far from being a token duet, Every Story has Two Sides couldn’t exist without the both of us. It’s as much an argument as it is a song - filled with passion and desperation - when we sing this live it feels like we’re actually screaming at each other - and it felt like that in the studio too”.

The new release coincides with The Pleasures’ second short South Eastern tour, including a festival appearance at Dashville Skyline and live dates in Victoria and NSW. The band includes brilliant multi-instrumentalists Damian Cafarella and Brad Bergen on bass and drums, respectively.

"It's very exciting to be releasing another taste of this raucous project and to be hitting the road with the band again”,says Catherine. “Every bit of this record screams heartbreak and sticky pub floors and this next single is no exception to that!”

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Michelle & Jason Hannan - Wastelands (feat. Howard Parker).

“’Wastelands’ is a song I wrote that compares the end of a long relationship with being trapped out in the badlands. I wanted to write something with a dark feel that would introduce the concept of the album, which mostly features songs from the darker side of life. Howard Parker’s pedal steel and dobro set the mood and Michelle just sings it to perfection,” says Jason Hannan, the song’s composer.

Besides Michelle (vocals), Jason (guitars, bass, mandolin, drums, vocals) and Howard (pedal steel, dobro), “Wastelands” features the talents of Patuxent Records recording artist Shannon Bielski on fiddle. Both the single and the upcoming album are produced by Jason Hannan and Howard Parker.

Michelle & Jason’s last album, Cheater’s Waltz, met with critical acclaim and was included on many country/Americana publications’ “best of” lists for 2021. As with Cheater’s Waltz, Michelle & Jason’s new album Out There in the Dark will feature the talents of Howard Parker on pedal steel guitar, dobro, and vocals.

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Blunt Chunks - Wasted.

The Toronto-based project, Blunt Chunks, helmed by Caitlin Woelfle-O'Brien (of Jaunt) has today returned with her new single, "Wasted" which is out now as part of the Fire Talk Records Open Tab series. The new track follows the self-titled EP which was released in May via Telephone Explosion Records and found widespread acclaim.

The new single, "Wasted" finds Woefle-O'Brien – who collaborates with the likes of Scott Hardware and members of The Weather Station, Broken Social Scene and Luna Li as part of Blunt Chunks – wrapping forlorn piano around gentle, atmospheric percussion, melding this with her celestial vocals. She once again taps into her unique blend of spacious, psychedelic country to explore deep emotions and balance the light with the dark. Speaking about the track that comes produced by David Plowman (The OBGMs, Islands), Caitlin says:

"This was really fun and intense to do. I got together with my producers and a few good friends who are wicked musicians and we put this song together in a few days. It was different from the way we recorded the EP, which took more or less two years. David Plowman pulled not one, but TWO all-nighters because he had to catch a flight and needed to finish the song beforehand. Honestly, the last couple of days recording this song were hectic but I trusted in the process and David’s perfectionism. We had a few revisions and just kind of did the best we could in the minimal time we had. I think it turned out beautifully and also reminiscent of some 90’s songs I love, it’s giving Mazzy Star vibes a little bit."

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Futurebirds & Carl Broemel -  Bloomin Too (E.P).

Indie rock band, Futurebirds, have teamed up with guitarist/producer Carl Broemel from My Morning Jacket to create a new EP, Bloomin’ Too. Bloomin’ Too follows the releases of “Buffet Days”, “Sinz & Frenz”, and features the brand new track, “St. Teresa”.

Along with the EP release, today the Futurebirds announce the forthcoming release of the Bloomin' LP, a compilation of the two Bloomin' EPs into a full-length vinyl album. Delivered on heavyweight vinyl, the limited edition LP is expected to hit stores May 26, 2023.

Recorded at the legendary Ronnie’s Place in Nashville, two worlds collided building a sincere kinship and solidarity. Futurebirds’ Carter King says, “Carl is really in tune with what the band is and what it strives to be. He’s engaged and understands our vision…And it’s great to be able to defer to someone you respect so much with creative decisions in the studio…”

“Buffet Days”, “Sinz & Frenz”, and “St. Teresa” are all part of the seven-track collection which sets the tone and meaning. The EP in itself is “a vortex of sonic textures”, says writer Garret K. Woodward. He goes on to say that this, “album ricochets from cosmic space, rock to rough around the edges, alt-country dreamscapes, sandy beach bum odes to kick in your step pop ballads — all signature tones and musical avenues at the core of the Birds' wide musical palette.”

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Elle Celeste - BERRIES - The Local Honeys

Elle Celeste - So Few.

Calgary-based singer/songwriter Elle Celeste releases the second single, “So Few,” from her debut solo album Call On Me, due out in Autumn 2022. Much like the title track, shared back in March, “So Few” offers another powerful glimpse of Elle Celeste’s stunning artistic vision that combines familiar folk-rock elements with cinematic atmospherics, all propelled by her haunting voice, reminiscent of Cat Power’s Chan Marshall and Sharon Van Etten.

“This song was inspired by the original Blade Runner from 1982,” Elle Celeste says. “I enjoy the gloom and dread in the film and the feeling that everyone is just existing. Vangelis did an incredible job on the score. I tried to emulate his synth tone in the intro. Overall, this track is my ode to the rise of machines.”
Elle Celeste’s new material builds on the “21st Century folk music” approach of her former band Copperhead that blended punk, ambient and electronic sounds with traditional elements. She wrote eight of Call On Me’s nine tracks, later crafting them with longtime musical collaborator Kirill Telichev and producer Casey McMechan, better known as the electronica artist Tyrek. 

Beginning in December 2019, the trio assembled Call On Me over the next 18 months, building sonic landscapes to complement Elle Celeste’s unflinching lyrics, many based on her personal experiences. “I feel I’ve matured in almost every way making this record,” Elle Celeste adds. “It’s motivated me to keep looking for ways to connect my experiences and song concepts with audiences.” 

In all, Call On Me provides a dramatic first impression of a dynamic new voice on the Canadian independent music scene. With an ear trained to the past, but with her eyes firmly set on the future, Elle Celeste is an artist with unlimited potential.

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BERRIES - We Are Machines.

BERRIES have unveiled their latest  single ‘We Are Machines’ taken from their forthcoming debut LP ‘How We Function’ (out 8 July 2022).

Once more tackling a hard-hitting theme head on with a razor-sharp blend of fuzzy guitars, driving riffs and gritty rock melodies, ‘We Are Machines’ arrives as BERRIES announce the release of their first cohesive full-length record ‘How We Function’, out 8 July 2022 via Xtra Mile Recordings.

Tracing the thread of guttural garage-rock that ran through earlier single ‘Wall of Noise’ — but lacing it with a more infectious sort of optimism — ‘We Are Machines’ blends jagged noise-driven instrumentals with a rhythmic guitar riff and catchy, convulsing melodies that wriggle in the head long after the track has come to a close. The track itself grapples with the struggles we as humans face in a society hell-bent on dehumanising individuals.

As BERRIES explain: “It is a song about struggling in a demanding society and being exploited by people who have little empathy or concern for your well-being. The song touches on how we are forced to become machines, trying to maintain an impossible level of perfection and how we need to fight against this. Admitting we are only human and finding the strength to stand up and push for balance and rights. In turn, becoming a different type of machine.”

With its expert alloy of barbed guitar lines, polished yet anarchic and densely layered rhythms and melodious vocals, ‘We Are Machines’ is a skillful second glimpse into BERRIES’ forthcoming debut ‘How We Function’ — an album ostensibly about mental health struggles and the resounding empowerment of overcoming and learning to live thoroughly with them.

Of the new record songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Holly explains: “The album is about strength and growth, and recognising the dark times and how you get over them. We’ve got over a lot of mental health struggles, but we wanted the album to have an empowering vibe to it as well. This is our journey to growth. Mental health is not a shadow over what you’re doing — this is really healthy and we can talk about this stuff.”

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The Local Honeys - Dead Horses.

When a master songsmith like Tom T. Hall calls someone “a great credit to a wonderful Kentucky tradition,” it’s time to pull up a chair and pay attention. As it pertains to the nearly-decade-running duo The Local Honeys, he was right on the money. The duo—Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs—have long been an integral part of Kentucky’s musicscape, and on July 15th, they’ll be adding a new entry into the Bluegrass State’s rich musical canon. Their first release on La Honda Records (Colter Wall, Riddy Arman, Vincent Neil Emerson), The Local Honeys features ten winsome vignettes of rural Kentucky, conjuring 90’s alternatives sounds with hillbilly Radiohead lilts, soaring above layers of deep grooves and rich tones masterfully curated by longtime mentor Jesse Wells, a GRAMMY-nominated producer, musician (currently a member of Tyler Childers’ band The Food Stamps), and Assistant Director at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State.

Today, The Local Honeys shared their first taste of the new album with “Dead Horses,” an emotional look at the tragedy of animal husbandry. With lines like “Suppose we’re all just animals with slightly different hides,” Stokely displays a cut and dried existence on the farm and the world at large while drums and banjo meld together propelling the tune from verse to verse. The accompanying music video finds Stokley and Hobbs surrounded by nostalgic photos of their equine counterparts, contributed by the band’s fanbase, adding weight to the meaning of the song itself. The“Dead Horses” video can be viewed right here and pre-order or pre-save The Local Honeys ahead of its July 15th release at this link.

Over the years, The Local Honeys have paid their dues, garnering countless accolades and accomplishments (tours with Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, praise from the New York Times), and have become the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-god Kentucky music. With The Local Honeys, Stokley and Hobbs ended up with the most nuanced, moody, deep-holler sound they have captured to date. “This is the first time we’ve actively gotten to express who we are and where we’re from” says Linda Jean, “The songs on the album speak for us,” adds Montana “they’re about what we know, reflections of us as people. We realized we have the power to add our own narrative into Kentucky music.”

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