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Before you ask, Jackie is not a rock band. Or a pop band. Or one of those alt-indie darlings that you just know has been packaged for FROSH week. If you must put them in a box, it’s best you just call Jackie a black sheep. Take, for example, the band’s debut single, New at Drugs, a propulsive slice of guitar pop that shimmers and warbles like a synth-led banger.
As the name suggests, that intersectionality may have something to do with its creation: buzzing on psychedelics and more than a little red wine, the group — singer/songwriter Jackie Mohr, guitarist Marc Girardin and drummer Max Trefler — caught the energetic vibe of producer Hawksley Workman, working quirky riffs that shouldn’t work but do under big, shiny melodies. “Like trying to play a D chord weirder than a D chord,” Mohr explains. “I honestly don’t remember it all so clearly, but I remember lyrics pouring out of me so fast.”
The rest of the songs that comprise the band’s upcoming EP flowed shortly after, and likewise contain a funky sense of wonderment and a nod to pop legends. It’s no wonder Mohr counts Chrissie Hynde and Michael Jackson as her favourite singers.
Jackie rises from the ashes of The Mohrs (you may have seen them share stages with the likes of Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction and The Glorious Sons). Originally from Winnipeg, Mohr and Girardin have been playing together since they were teenagers. Moving to Toronto in 2012, the pair eventually hooked up with Trefler and released their debut rock album on Light Organ before renaming. “We changed our sound on this new EP, replacing bass with analog synth, and went back to having just us three as the core of the project,” Mohr explains. “After a few year hiatus we’ve come back as ‘Jackie’. More aware of where we want to take our place in music.
That transformation was partially fuelled by Mohr’s experiences as one of the few females in a male-dominated landscape. “I’ve never had a problem holding my own in this industry, or with men, but it really does make you question why there’s so little female presence,” she points out.
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Whitacre, the self-described “Mountain Rock” band hailing from Denver, CO., will release the new single, “Peach,” tomorrow, November 15th, 2019. The band explains that the song is “A simple love song, about the promise of holding on no matter what.” Frontman Paul Whitacre elaborates, “All of us in the band feel like we've ‘outkicked our coverage’ with the girls we're dating/married to. Almost immediately upon getting married, I noticed this voice in my head saying that my wife would be better off with someone else. That's a really easy lie for me to believe. ‘Peach’ is a promise to my wife and a reminder to myself that no matter how bad the days get, we're sticking to the promise we made.”
Fusing elements of Americana, folk and rock with punk tinges, Whitacre has become one of Denver’s fastest rising bands, selling out shows with Mt. Joy, Wild Child, and Birdtalker, playing legendary venues such as Red Rocks and The Bluebird Theater, and amassing half a million streams on Spotify. With the release of their debut album, Seasons, on the horizon and a national tour planned in support, the trio comprised of Paul Whitacre (lead vocals, guitar), Chase Perry (banjo), and Mark Cunningham (drums) are poised to break out nation-wide.
Recorded at Third & James in Denver, Seasons, marks the first time the band recorded in a big space and they found creative freedom to experiment with new ideas, marking an evolution from their last EP, 2018’s Within The Mountains’ Shadows. A metaphor for the different phases of life, the album helped the band process the concept of there being something to use and learn from in each season and experience. The message of the album goes along with the band’s mission: “We have a burning desire to tell a story that isn’t often told in the music industry today. One of redemption and restoration. We want to reassure the broken-hearted that there is hope, we want to show the invisible that we see them and that they matter. We believe that doesn’t only happen in lyrics but in a melody as well. We believe in the power of music and that it is used to soften and heal hearts.”
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When Shadowlands’ guitarist of four years announced he was leaving the band for personal reasons, band vocalist and lead songwriter Amy Sabin was grappling with the recent death of a close friend. With the first few songs from third album "003" already underway, she was struggling to find direction with this loss. Enter Amy’s identical twin sister, Angie. Despite performing together as kids, they had never played in a band together, or ever fully considered the idea. Whether through their shared experience, shared DNA, or some other connection, Angie instinctively knew that she was a candidate for the open guitar role. Through a series of late night texts over the vision and shared desire to keep the band alive, Shadowlands was reborn. The band played one of Portland’s most popular venues just one month after Angie joined, followed by their first Treefort Fest Appearance.
Amy’s music explores anxiety, fear, depression, and isolation. Sabin’s songs sometimes contain moments of joy and subtle irony, a reminder that life can be hopeful and at times requires levity to persevere. Warm analog synths, shimmery guitar, and intricate rhythms carry you through these emotions made real by Amy’s dynamic voice and heartbreakingly vulnerable lyrics. The band is rounded out by Amy’s husband Casey Logan on drums and Amy’s “band husband” (she jokes it’s an official title earned after 15+ years playing in bands together), Jesse Elizondo on bass.
Shadowlands will release "003" on November 22nd and the band will celebrate with a release show on November 23rd at the Fixin To in Portland Oregon and December 14th at the Highline in Seattle, Washington.
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Revolution, I Love You's dreamy new single "Wait" was released today by Redeye USA. It's the first single from their upcoming album Black Feathers, which drops on February 7, 2020.
“Wait” is a bittersweet narration of the unwanted memories that cross our minds while we sleep. Its propulsive, off-kilter drums and swirling guitars build on top of a haze of synthesizers and feedback. This will be the first recording from Revolution, I Love You to feature drummer Jeff Ormsby.
Coming in 2020, Black Feathers will be Revolution, I Love You’s first full-length record since their 2011 debut LP, We Choose to Go to the Moon. Listeners can expect one more single before the release of Black Feathers.
Revolution, I Love You is Rob Lindgren (lead vocals), Jason Reynolds (guitar), and Jeff Ormsby (drums). Noisetrade described the band’s first record as “exactly what’s been missing in your life”, praising its “perfect mix of real-world instruments and digital flourishes”. The Philadelphia-based band has been a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, performed at Toronto’s NXNE, and has a song included in the British National Library Sound Archive.
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Courteous Thief returns with the mezmerising new single 'Mountians And Sea', a refreshingly beautiful indie-folk balled that will serve as a go-to alternative to the 'Christmas song'. 'Mountians And Sea' will be released via CEG Records on Friday 6th December 2019.
Described as both contemporary new folk and acoustic indie pop, Courteous Thief (aka Gary Roberts) has been a regular on the live circuit, supporting bands and artists such as Turin Brakes, Chris Helm, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Mark Morris (The Bluetones) and Tom Hingley (Inspiral Carpets) as well as festival appearances with performances at some of the UK's top venues and festivals.
Accolades from past singles and releases has seen Courteous Thief being championed By BBC Radio Wales, achieving the coveted BBC Radio Wales Single Of The Week, BBC live sessions, interviews as well as hitting the airwaves on BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, BBC Gloucestershire and recently hitting the British Airways Playlist.
2019 will see new release “A Bed For Me” released in June on welsh label “CEG Records, with more live dates and new tracks on the horizon for late 2019 and beyond. “Melodiously mesmerizing, harmoniously vibrant and warmly atmospheric folk-pop finery” (Nessi Hault, Carpe Carmina)
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Irish art-folk virtuoso Maija Sofia (Trapped Animal Records) has today released 'The Wife Of Michael Clearly', the final single from debut full-length 'Bath Time' due for release November 22nd. This reflective period partly influenced by arguments for abortion on mainstream news in 2019 gave rise to a collection of mystical vignettes that examine the silencing and misrepresentation of women through the ages. A strong delivery on the promise that saw the Irish Times name her among their '50 People to Watch in 2019'.
Hot on the heels of first single 'The Glitter', 'The Wife of Michael Cleary' similarly tells the story of a misrepresented and silenced woman. This time Sofia turns her attentions to Elizabeth Cleary, a woman often referred to as the last 'witch' to be burned in Ireland. Her husband Michael Cleary burned her to death after becoming convinced she'd been switched with a fairy changeling.
Speaking on the track, Maija said: “I'm really interested in folklore, folk history and the strange shadowy underbellies of Ireland that exist concurrent to the sanitised Guinness and Shamrocks version. This is one of the strangest and saddest anecdotes in Irish history, the story disturbed me and I found myself working it into a song almost unconsciously.
“The recording of the song features the voice of Ronan Kealy (Junior Brother) who's work I love, and I love the sense of unease and vague hysteria that has come from our voices singing in slightly off-kilter harmony on the track.” As well as drawing on women from the history books who were silenced and misrepresented - Bridget Cleary, Edie Sedgwick and Mary of Nazareth - Sofia's forthcoming album 'Bath Time' also takes aim at the catholic church, an institution that normalises outdated views of women in Irish society.
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Scott & Charlene's Wedding drop the first single from a surprise E.P 'When in Rome, Carpe Diem' due out on November 29th.
Live Dates are scheduled for:
Saturday, December 7 - The Grace Emily, Adelaide, w/ Fair Maiden & Purr
8pm - $10 presale / $12 door.
Sunday, December 8 - The Port Admiral Hotel, Port Adelaide w/ Dom and the Wizards & Susan Flashman 2pm $10 - door sales only Facebook event.
Saturday, December 14 - Meredith Music Festival.
Sunday, December 22 - Bedroom Suck Records 10th B'day! Thornbury Bowls Club, Melbourne w/ Lower Plenty, Jaala, Cyanide Thornton + more Facebook event
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