Mean Motor Scooter - Jonny Taylor - Billy Momo - Table Scraps - Trudy and the Romance - The Night Ships

Mean Motor Scooter - Wavespotting.

Background - Texan quartet, Mean Motor Scooter, hit the road in support their debut full-length. Mean Motor Scooter is a four-piece Garage Rock band from Fort Worth, Texas. Their self-titled debut EP came out in August 2015. In March 2016 the band released two singles "Naked Brunch" and "Such a Seducer."

They were awarded "Best Rock Band" at the 2016 Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards. In 2017 the group was awarded "EP of the Year", "Band of the Year" and "Artist of the Year" by the Fort Worth Weekly. Their first full length record, Hindu Flying Machine was released in October 2017 by Dirty Water Records USA.

Mean Motor Scooter are Sammy Kidd - Guitar and Vocals, Joe Tacke - Bass and Vocals, Rebekah Elizabeth - Organ and Vocals, Jeff Friedman - Drums and Vocals. France's DIG IT Magazine was overjoyed by the arrival when they exclaimed " "Masterfully out-of-control. Exploding the limits of the genre. Just monumental." - Dig It! (FR). FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.


We featured Mean Motor Scooter last month however the opportunity to share another song and provide their tour details is a little to good to pass up on. 'Wavespotting' is an incendiary blast of wild garage rock, with epic portions of punk insanity, would you expect anything less from this band?

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Jonny Taylor - Diamonds.

Background - Jonny Taylor is incredibly pleased to share the arrival of his new album Dig Deep, an eclectic yet cohesive collection of songs balancing on the edge of contemporary rock with a hint of grunge and a pinch of hard country. Debuting at #3 on the iTunes Singer Songwriter chart and four years in the making since Jonny’s debut Something to Say landed in the ARIA charts, Dig Deep is loaded with classic songwriting throughout, spearheaded by the thoughtfully penned and guitar driven single Diamonds.

Following on from the upbeat Better Day, Jonny says of Diamonds, "Life doesn't always go our way. Things pop up every day to test us, even when we think we've got it all figured out. Diamonds touches on the notion of just moving forward, no matter what's thrown our way." An emotionally charged musician, Jonny seamlessly fuses his skill for a great melody with his passion for a meaningful story. That natural approach is evident in Dig Deep with the songs creating an expedition through life - delivered in a beautifully produced, high impact, high-energy album.

As an exceptionally committed touring artist based in the small rural WA town of Dumbleyung, Jonny's life on the road has earned him a reputation as one of the hardest working and most powerful young singer songwriters around, often averaging 180 shows annually. 2018 looks to be no different as national dates are starting to accumulate including slots at the coveted Tamworth and Sydney Country Rocks festivals.

With Better Day scoring airplay around the country and Diamonds sure to follow suit, the timing couldn’t be better for Dig Deep to cement Jonny Taylor as one the brightest prospects Australia has to offer. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

With his distinct and natural country rock vocals, Jonny Taylor gives 'Diamonds' depth and feeling and plenty of energy that engages the listener. The level of maturity and confidence he brings to his music is perhaps there in part due to his time spent touring, where clearly he has developed considerable talent.


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Billy Momo - We Need Another Shovel.

Background - Billy Momo is a Swedish 7-piece band with diverse musical roots and an instantly recognizable sound. The songwriters Tomas "Barba" Juto and Oskar "Orren" Hovell and their assorted band of merrily bearded men produce music that sounds like it grew out of the warm soil of the American South, yet with a distinctive Scandinavian flavor thrown into the mix.

With three full-length albums already in their catalog, Billy Momo now release a three song EP called "Umbrellas, wings and magic things". The new songs combine the sprawling quirkiness of the first albums 'Ordinary Men' and 'Drunktalk' with the high-end production of their latest effort 'Seven Rivers Wild'. Fans will recognize the D.I.Y. spirit and the musical eclecticism, yet find fresh blood in the ever-expanding horizons of the band's creativity. Newcomers will hear a deeply personal and instantly intriguing sound which draws from many sources, yet sounds like nothing else.

The flavors of Billy Momo are rich and varied, deep grooves meet soulful harmony vocals, with lyrics probing the sometimes murky waters of personal experience. The wide stylistic range of the musicians can take the songs on surprising detours while always remaining true to the core sound.

A Billy Momo live performance always features their quirky sense of humor, which often has a dark undercurrent, and the members of the band are all characters that take on a life of their own during the concerts, with an almost theatrical flair. Their various life stories (which may or may not be rooted in reality, who can tell for sure?) weave tales of broken hearts, debauchery and sometimes more sinister themes.

The intimidating and vaguely threatening Preacher Man, the easygoing charmer Barba, the banjo-wielding raconteur Orren, the playful and usually guffawing Gramps, the colorful soloists Hot Lips and The Head and the mysterious and ever-sarcastic The Coffa make a fascinating cast of characters that keep the audience intrigued and amused throughout the performance. FACEBOOK.

It's pretty much a year to the day since I was introduced to the wonderful music of Billy Momo. 'We Need Another Shovel' continues where they left off last time around, the bands Americana vibes are there alongside some refined pop sensibilities. The video adds a little humour and lots of atmosphere to this fabulous song.


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Table Scraps - Sick Of Me.

Background - Table Scraps have announced their new album 'Autonomy' and premiered a brand new track from it, 'Sick Of Me'. On the song, Scott Vincent Abbott of the band has said “'Sick of Me’ is about when friendships stagnate and minor annoyance gives way to mouldering resentment. 

Then juxtapose that feeling on top of a jangly sunshine pop backdrop (or as close to that as we ever get!). The echo of our breeze block 5m x 5m (and very un-soundproofed) room also perfectly suited the track’s claustrophobic feel. It’s dedicated to everyone just about keeping a lid on telling that one person how you really feel and cutting them loose.”

Their upcoming LP is due out via Zen Ten on February 23rd. Table Scraps have also announced a string of dates supporting the likes of Swedish Death Candy, Black Lips & more. FACEBOOK.

Live Dates::

NOVEMBER
20 - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (w/Black Lips)
22 - Bierkeller, Bristol (w/Black Lips)
25 - Old Blue Last, London (Free entry)

DECEMBER
9 - The Five Bells, New Cross (w/Peeping Drexels & HUSSY)
12 - Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds (w/secret headliner)

FEBRUARY
23 - Foodhall, Sheffield
27 - Hope & Ruin, Brighton
28 - Shacklewell Arms, London

MARCH
1 - 60MPC, Bournemouth
2 - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
3 - Old England, Bristol

'Sick Of Me' is straight to the chase garage punk, where energy, menace, and emotion is packed into just over two minutes of angst ridden rock.

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Trudy and the Romance - Junkyard Cat.

Background - With whip-smart imagination and tongues firmly lodged in cheeks, Trudy and the Romance are nowhere boys for the 21st century. Following the release of singles ‘Is There A Place I Can Go’ and the stomping ‘Twist It, Shake It. Rock & Roll’, Trudy today release their ‘Junkyard Jazz’ EP.

Along with Dream Wife and Pixx, Trudy were another of 20 artists picked out of 1200 applications nationwide to have been awarded PRS momentum funding to go towards the recording of their debut album slated for the end of next year. Champions on the wireless come in the form of John Kennedy, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens & Phil Taggart and 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq. KCRW have also given the group their backing with plays coming in from Marion Hodges, Dan Wilcox, Jason Kramer, Chris Douridas among many others.

With the introduction of keys player Alex Stephens Trudy and the Romance have become the complete package, otherworldly, odd and tightrope-dancing somewhere between reality and fantasy, on show in the band’s recent VEVO Dscvr Session.

“We’re real-meets-cartoon… kind of tacky but great, y’know, it’s trashy,” Trudy’s singer and guitarist, Olly, explains. “It’s a bit like Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mary Poppins or Space Jam.”

The group have just completed a second UK headline tour playing packed venues up and down the country with slots supporting The Fall and Happyness and appearances at Swn, Ritual Union and Mirrors festivals. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Trudy and the Romance are back for a fourth appearance on Beehive Candy and this time they impress with 'Junkyard Cat'. The bands "Mutant 50's Pop" is in good form, their individual and stylish swagger everywhere, and just enough feel good vibes to put a smile on my face.

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The Night Ships - Half The World.

Background - Half The World, the new single of Dutch-Australian duo The Night Ships, is a song drawing together different melodic and rhythmic elements from countries across the globe, resulting in a beat-driven anthem that will lodge itself in your bones. 

The bass was recorded in South Africa, and the sitar, tar and percussion were recorded just off the Naqsh-e Jahan square in Iran. Translated, its name means “half the world”, and points to the city of Isfahan’s majesty and beauty, as well as the population’s joyous underground celebration of music and dancing. In the same way, the contributors to the song, which include a choir of singers from The Netherlands, the US, Canada, Uruguay, France, England and Ireland, a violinist from Chile, and stunning album artwork from an Australian designer, round off the song’s global reach.

The lyrics of the song are a call to action to women in all countries – and to men – to combat the tyranny of violence, oppression and discrimination that women face every day as half of the world’s inhabitants. It is also a tribute to the work of women, past and present, who strive together to change the world, and to make it a place where men and women in all countries can experience equal rights, opportunity and status. Half the World is a warning that the future itself is bound to change, and that such change is inevitable. As a song with sweeping harmonies, sumptuous strings, and a driving beat, you won’t be able to stop at one listen…

Half The World is released this week on BERT Music (a division of TCBYML) and available for purchase/streaming on all known digital platforms. FACEBOOK.

The Night Ships have created a fascinating and genre defying song with 'Half The World', which somehow packs so many styles and directions into the song and yet remains both coherent and catchy.

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The Begowatts - Lower Pink - VanWyck - Mean Motor Scooter - Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Warbly Jets

The Begowatts - Grand Charade (EP).

Background - The Begowatts craft a distinctive blend of rock & roll, rooted in deep 70’s grooves with an ear toward modern atmospheric aesthetics. Formed in 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin, the band built buzz across the Midwest and honed their live presence through relentless touring and Pabst Blue Ribbon consumption. Along the way, the foursome’s sound evolved at a steady clip. While early Begowatts paid faithful homage to classic rock, the band has matured toward a tighter, more immediate fusion of old and new which they christen, “21st century electric rock & roll.”

Within a short time they went from packing basement parties to being the house band at Madison’s world famous Bike Shop and released their self-titled EP in 2015. The EP’s response gave the band the confidence they needed to pony up for a professionally recorded full length debut, and in June of 2016 they released the LP, Photoelectric, to glowing reviews and nominations for the Madison Area Music Awards “Alternative Album” and “Alternative Performer of the Year.”

The group’s sophomore effort, Grand Charade, is scheduled for release this September. Written during the whirlwind of the 2016 election, their new tunes reflect the great division they bore witness to. Songs like the Clash-esque “Kids On Parole” hark back to the politically-charged rock of the late 70’s, while the closing number "You & I" is drenched in dreamlike tension and disillusion, conjuring up a decidedly brooding Twin Peaks vibe. Yet throughout it all, the sound remains undeniably their own in its signature exuberant, carefree coolness. Begofans will find that the group has grown leaps and bounds on Grand Charade, refining their sound and emerging as new contender in the current post-punk scene. Website here, Facebook here.

Six tracks make up 'Grand Charade' an EP we can feature in full. They describe their music as "21st century rock & roll" which seems a more than reasonable summary of the music. Each song has it's hooks, the music is very well crafted and the vocals have plenty of real rock edge. As a whole this is a very likable collection of natural modern rock & roll.


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Lower Pink - Young.

Background - We have the new song "Young" from one of Switzerland's finest Lower Pink. The Swiss music press delivers one rave review after another about the independent troubadour. 

“His intimate & dreamy songs barely let us breathe.”  SRF3 – biggest public radio of Switzerland. “Everything about the songs seems authentic.” Tages Anzeiger

It is not by chance, that we read & hear such praise. “Lower Pink” achieved the creation of his own atmosphere on his new single “Young” – and he fills this atmosphere with voice, synths & spherical pads. On the climax, the song literally erupts over the listener, just to leave behind a barren silence and to disappear. Immediately, his warm voice finds time & space again. 

“Young” is a listening experience and the video, which you can find attached to this, is painting a euphoric feeling through impressive pictures and an unagitated storyline – leaving behind an echo. The video has been shot in the Swiss alps transmits in images, what the music lets us feel: Distance and vicinity – for once unisono. Website here.

As the song gently develops it's the vocals that standout and rightly so. 'Young' is a song where the atmosphere expands beautifully, the music adds some extra layers, however it's the voice that resonates and demands another listen.


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VanWyck - An Average Woman.

Background - Amsterdam singer songwriter, VanWyck, follows up the 2016 single that KCRW’s Chris Douridas called “exquisite” with her new single,“An Average Woman”. The title track is off the album due out on January 19 on Maiden Name Records. Hauntingly atmospheric and melodious, the songs on the album unravel in a spiral of smoky soulful vocals aching with lyrical precision of stories untold. 

An Average Woman is about women who are visible and hidden, sacrificing and selfish, ordinary and magical, obligated and free. It's about the mysteries lurking in the everyday. It's about creating your own universe and your own sense of belonging - and stumbling along the way. 

The lead single is about being braver, bolder, and sometimes selfish. Written in the past tense, it’s almost like a funeral song, burying the average woman in order for the creative woman to emerge. VanWyck says, “Both my grandmothers were strong women (a nurse and a teacher) who came from very humble backgrounds and had to work hard and take care of children. 

Being creative was a luxury that was often not allowed to them. Being in the foreground was also not something they were allowed to aspire to. One of my grandmothers was very inspirational in making me reach higher and to put all my talents to work. I keep her picture as a young girl on my desktop to remind me of the chances she never had and the way she pushed me to reach higher.” Website here., Facebook here.

A slow bluesy vibe is there from the beginning on 'An Average Woman'. VanWyck's vocals are melodic, sensitive and carry some notable emotion. The musical arrangement develops adding even more to a gorgeous soulful song.

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Mean Motor Scooter - Sea Serpent.

Background - Mean Motor Scooter are a fuzzed up, farfed out, Fort Worth quartet of psych-garage goodness firmly rooted in the Texas traditions of The Butthole Surfers, The Dicks, and Roky Erickson with a tab of Scratch Acid. The band was founded in 2015 by singer and guitar player Sammy Kidd, drummer Jeffrey Friedman and bassist Joe Tacke and almost instantly became overnight local and statewide sensations. The trio played 31 shows in 2015 throughout Texas, including shows at the Dallas Music District Festival, with bands like Leopold and His Fiction and Aaron Behrens. 

Mean Motor Scooter released its self-titled EP in August of 2015, which was put out on a limited edition cassette by Dreamy Life Records. In 2016, the band continued the momentum, playing 48 shows, including three unofficial showcases for SXSW and Oaktopia, the Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards Festival, Fort Worth Rock Assembly V and legendary Dallas venue, Trees. In April, Mean Motor Scooter released the singles, “Naked Brunch” and “Such a Seducer,” which received a lot of positive local press and were mentioned in some Best of 2016 lists.

That same year, the Fort Worth Weekly awarded Mean Motor Scooter “Rock Band of the Year.” Mean Motor Scooter began recording their first full-length album, Hindu Flying Machine at Cloudland Recording Studio in Fort Worth, October 2016. During that time they we asked to record songs for both the Dreamy Life Records’ Group Therapy Vol. 4 compilation and the Fort Worth Weekly’s Frequencies Vol. 8, the Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards’ compilation. The group recorded “Mechanical Man” for Group Therapy Vol. 4 and “Surfing Pizza” for Frequencies Vol. 8. Both were released in 2017.

Before finishing the recording of Hindu Flying Machine the trio decided it was time to bring in another member. Rebekah Elizabeth (I Happy Am) was added on the combo organ. Mean Motor Scooter played their 100th live show in July of 2017, at the newly opened Main at South Side. In June the band was awarded “E.P. of the Year,” “Band of the Year” and “Artist of the Year” by Fort Worth Weekly. Hindu Flying Machine will be released in October 2017 by Dirty Water Records USA and the band will be touring in November with The Darts and Escobar. Facebook here.

Psych garage with just a hint of insanity ensures 'Sea Serpent' a timeless feast of music registers within a nano second. Play it loud & leap about!

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Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - The Cypher.

Background - Grammy nominated trumpeter, composer, and producer Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah will release the third installment of a trio of albums commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first jazz recordings. Collectively titled The Centennial Trilogy, the final album in the series The Emancipation Procrastination will be released on October 20th via Ropeadope.

The Emancipation Procrastination the third and final chapter in the trilogy deals directly with the social and political issues of the day. Rather than descend into identity politics, Adjuah sees many disparate cultures in New Orleans being underserved and exploited. This worldview transcends New Orleans, as Christian has traveled and toured the world for almost 20 years, starting as a child and performing with extraordinary players (McCoy Tyner, Donald Harrison, Eddie Palmieri).

The scope of The Centennial Trilogy is not limited to the music; Adjuah uses broad strokes to present his vision of the world. Growing up in New Orleans' Upper Ninth Ward, he witnessed people enduring the same challenges regardless of their race or ethnic background: He saw a community of people undereducated to serve the tourist culture, facing food insecurity, yet viewing each other as different through the lens of race. Seeing this around him, Adjuah came to understand that race is a social construct, and that people could work together to build and move forward.

"I’m not interested in harming anyone," Adjuah says. "I have a responsibility as an artist to create a space where people feel welcome. When I walk outside this hotel room, that is not the reality. There is a difference when music is made with love. When people come into my space they are going to feel that. We are trying to figure out a way to treat each other better. We are all responsible for healing each other.”

The vision of Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is clear – that this is an opportunity for all of US to come together and address issues that affect ALL of us. Emancipation Procrastination means that we all have an opportunity to liberate ourselves from old world ideas. Let the healing begin. Website here, Facebook here.

Whilst Jazz is not a genre that often appears on Beehive Candy, when the music is this good it would be a crime of sorts not to feature it. 'The Cypher' is a superb track where for me some fairly cliche images come to mind, a hot late night urban scenario for example. When I hear music this good I feel I should know a lot more about the genre, perhaps one day...

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Warbly Jets - Ride.

Background - Warbly Jets play synth-driven guitar rock that is a genre-bending blend of punk balladry, wide-screen production and unflinching attitude. The LA quartet will release its self-titled debut album on October 20 but this week they debut the genre-bending churner, "Ride".

Despite a lack of allegiance to any sound or place, since the release of their debut single "Alive", the slithering music industry indictment "The Lowdown", the hip-swaying "4th Coming Bomb" and the maniacle "Shapeshifter", the four piece has grown explosively and earned praise from a number of music sites, radio and the press. The band is climbing the charts at Spotify, VEVO and Apple Music and were announced this morning in the first round of performers for SXSW 2018.

Warbly Jets just completed a massive European tour, including dates with Rival Sons and are returning home to LA for an album release show at The Moroccan Lounge next Thursday, October 19. They then head to Vegas to showcase at Emerge in November. Website here, Facebook here.

I was impressed by Warbly Jets back in July when we first featured them. 'Ride' is another fabulous genre defying song that is loosely alt rock based, the band have psychedelic vibes and the music just gets better!

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