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TJ Roberts returns with his energetic new single ‘Sinceridipity’. This follow up to the successful and reflective ‘True Secret To A Happy Life’ shows TJ Robert in a fun raucous mood, turning everything up until the foundations shake.
‘Sinceridipity’ is a song written in the time honoured tradition of barely comprehensible nonsense; loosely charting the cringe of looking back on the faux (and often misinformed) personas that develop through adolescence.
Equally inspired by the dark-eyed Lou Reed and Mark Everett (Eels) as it is the rambunctious energy of Dinosaur Jr. and Fugazi. Featuring the highest-grade noise from guitar hero Zac White (Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Zac White).
'Sinceridipity' is released today June 12 on Libertino Records.
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Boston based songwriter, Teghan Devon’s Little Lion is an EP of 4 extremely personal songs written in the thick of grieving the loss of a best friend, a 13 year-old yellow lab, named Sarge.
For those of you who are thinking “she really wrote an EP about losing her dog?” Yes, she did. In doing so, she tapped into the universal feelings of grief, that come along with losing anyone that we care about.
Devon explains the EP and the decision to write about this subject, - Sarge was more than just a dog. He was larger than life. He fought through laryngeal paralysis, a broken leg, three surgeries, his heart stopping for 10 to 12 minutes, a traumatic brain injury, and multiple arthritis attacks. He was a miracle and my guardian angel. He was by my side through every hardship, every challenge, always showing me the good in the world and in myself. He was meant to be in my life. Losing Sarge is one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. A year later I’m still going through it. A part of me will always be going through it. We've all lost someone we loved. My someone happened to have paws, and the biggest, purest heart. These 4 songs really show my different stages of grief after he died. Missing him, disbelief that I might never see him again, feeling angry at the world, and again always desperately missing him.
The EP features a sweet and simple acoustic guitar, an aching fiddle, some dreamy synths, a raw electric guitar, and heartbreaking solo piano. I recorded the EP at a studio in a gorgeous old church in West Springfield MA, called Rotary Records. It is honestly the most beautiful studio I've ever been in. The EP was produced by Ryan Hommel, mixed and recorded by Andrew Oedel, and mastered by Kevin Butler. Making this EP was a very emotional but incredible experience and I am so thankful to all of the wickedly talented people who helped my vision come to life.
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It’s with a sense of unfinished business that Cork cult indie-rockers Emperor of Ice Cream emerge from their lengthy hiatus to release ‘Lambent Eyes’ on FIFA Records. The track is a gorgeous, hazy re-introduction to the band’s long-awaited debut album, originally set for release on Sony Records in the summer of 1995.
Emperor of Ice Cream (named after the novel by author Brian Moore) quickly became the toast of Irish indie music in the early nineties when, after a clamour for their signature, they were whisked away to London from Cork by Sony Records to tour and record their first album, following a trail blazed by fellow Corkonians Sultans of Ping and The Frank & Walters.
“There was a real sense of excitement on the music scene in Cork at the time,” recalls Haggis. “We were going to see bands like Pavement, Mercury Rev, Rollerskate Skinny, Sonic Youth and Nirvana in venues like Sir Henry’s and Nancy Spains. We were hurtling towards the end of the century and discovering new music every week. I do look back on it as a bit of a golden time for music, maybe everyone does with parts of their youth. But it did seem like one of those times that only happens every once in a while.”
Fledgling riotous performances and early demos had piqued the interest of several record labels, but Sony pipped them all to the post with a promising development deal, and the lure of London captured the imagination of the four young band members - John ‘Haggis’ Hegarty, Graham Finn, Eddie Butt and Colum Young. It resulted in three extremely well-received EPs (‘Overflow’, ‘William’ and 'Know Me') and recordings began with 'Fast' Eddie Clarke of metal legends Motörhead.
The rest, as they say, is history . . . For almost unfathomable reasons, the debut album never saw the light of day and the band returned to Cork, having burned very brightly, with its fires quenched. The four band members went their separate ways and expectant fans never got the opportunity to listen to a collection of songs that had been filling venues across the UK and Ireland, yet never committed to tape or vinyl.
“Apart from a few heads in Cork who might have heard demos back in the day, it will be the first time these songs have been heard by most people and I think, at least with us in the band, it's about time we got them out there,” says Haggis. “It’s been great reconnecting with the lads to bring this together and it's a nice feeling to finally put a ribbon on something we worked hard at, but never saw it come to fruition.” ‘Lambent Eyes’ is the first taster of this soon-to-be-discovered lost gem of Irish music, set for release at the beginning of July..
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Evening Hymns – the ever-evolving project of musician, composer and producer, Jonas Bonnetta – has just shared his new single, ‘Pyrenees’ which comes with an official video directed by Monika Kraska. ‘Pyrenees’ is the third song to be released after ‘I Can Only Be Good’ and ‘My Drugs My Dreams’ – tipped so far at NPR, Gorilla vs Bear, American Songwriter, The Line Of Best Fit, Exclaim and more – from the long-awaited new album, Heavy Nights, out via Shuffling Feet Records on June 26, 2020.
Recorded and self-produced at Port William Sound, Bonnetta’s rural studio in Eastern Ontario, the new record features an array of guests including Joseph Shabason (Destroyer), José Contreras (By Divine Right), Bonnetta’s partner, Caylie Runciman (Boyhood) and Edwin Huizinga (The Wooden Sky). ‘Pyrenees’, a glistening standout from the album featuring Shabason’s brooding saxophone work was written between France and Spain whilst on tour. Thematically it captures the moments when Jonas began to move past heartbreak and transition in life, there are elements of catharsis and personal development in the essence that are emulated in the sonics of the track too, the pent up energy and tension before the incendiary ending.
“I woke up before the band on the last date of tour in one of my favourite places in the world,” says Jonas. “Sitting way up in a mountain villa on the border of France and Spain above the village of Sare. I played guitar to a beat I had programmed on my phone. I was feeling new life. Falling in love while on the road and thinking about all the what-ifs. It [the track] wasn’t something that I could take to anyone to help process, so it just lived inside my head for that tour. It felt like catharsis to have an outlet for this pent-up energy. All of the conflict just being obliterated by this new excitement for a big change.”
Speaking about the challenges of producing the video during a pandemic, director Monika Kraska adds: "In making this video I wanted to visually express the duality of being enthusiastic about a new relationship, with the opposing force of feeling guarded in its newness. I wanted the focus to be a dance performance, but having been met with restrictions due to the pandemic, my options were limited. Having only the resources I could create for myself, I was really fortunate in that I have friends nearby with black belts in karate.
Although it initially felt like a compromise, I grew to feel that the seriousness, and physicality in watching these sisters performing katas from memory was absolutely in keeping with my initial concepts of what the video should represent.”
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NYC country crooner Dougie Poole's new album The Freelancer's Blues is due out today Friday (June 12th) on Wharf Cat Records (Palberta, Bambara, Public Practice). The album has seen two singles the "Vaping On The Job" in March and "Los Angeles" which was accompanied by a video that re-imagined the opening credits of Star Trek: TNG as set in a Dougie Poole-themed universe. Today Poole is releasing a final single from the album with "The Who's Who of Who Cares" and once more taking a dip into classic TV by taking a drive through New Jersey for a video that remakes The Sopranos opening credits.
The Freelancer's Blues reveals country songwriting as a medium that is surprisingly well-suited for exploring the working and creative lives of Dougie Poole and the city-dwelling peers, and "The Who's Who of Who Cares" applies that formula to the classic country song topic of a night at the bar with your buddies. A song about the camaraderie found amidst the striving and stress of trying to make a life with art in it that gently pokes fun at the status obsessions that sometimes entails.
"My friends and I had been using this turn of phrase for years, long before I ever started this project," explains Poole. "Maybe someone asks 'Who was at the party?', expecting a real answer, and the other person responds 'The who’s who of who cares.' It’s a way of poking fun at whoever asked the question for caring to ask. It’s a way of poking fun at any number of people at the party, who might have been cooler, smarter, better-looking, more-fashionable than we were. Maybe it was about imagining ourselves as somehow outside of or above the social universe we inhabited (which we weren’t). Building a little wall.
"As time went on that turn of phrase started to mean something different to me. Instead of the who’s who of who cares being the other people, the who’s who of who cares were my people. The artists I work with, and play shows with, who don’t always know whether to keep going or pack it in. When you’re in your early twenties, a lot of people you know are musicians. It’s what’s so beautiful about a DIY scene - you’ve got a lot of different voices. But as time goes on the crowd thins out a bit. Some folks give it up, cause they start working on other things, or start looking for a little more stability. Some just get sucked into their day jobs and never come back. A few lucky ones break through to another level of success - they can work within the system and do their art like a real job. But most of us who stick around are caught somewhere in the middle. Making work that we take seriously in whatever time we’ve got left over. And maybe that work gets some attention, but doesn’t blow up in the way you need it to if you want it to pay the bills."
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Country Singer/Songwriter Brenda Cay has released the music video for her newest single, "Unplug and Recharge" on Tuesday, June 9th. Brenda Cay is an incredibly talented artist that instantly and authentically connects with her audience through her work. Her latest single, "Unplug and Recharge", is a simple reminder to take a break from the crazy pace of our lives that leave us totally drained!
“I wrote the song with my friend, Brian Brewer, after laughing about some frustrating social media posts (we can all think of some post that has made us shake our head) and we concluded that sometimes it’s best to unplug and recharge.” - Brenda Cay
Read Aria Mae's review (Music Update Central) of "Unplug and Recharge":
Brenda Cay shows everyone just how much fun it can be to “Unplug and Recharge” in her new music video. With a groovy melody that is sure to get you dancing she sends a message that we all too often forget. The hectic tasks we perform in our day to day lives often drag us down and cause us to stress out. When you get caught up in all the details and forget how enjoyable the little things are, the chorus of this catchy tune will remind you to follow in Cay’s footsteps and “Make livin' life simple, my way of livin' large”.
This video doesn’t leave out the importance of good company either. After all, you can only have so much fun by yourself. So, grab some friends, open a few cold ones, and get your groove on to this lively song that is sure to get you to “Unplug and Recharge”.
"Unplug and Recharge" was written and recorded by Brenda Cay; produced at Sound Resources by Brian Brewer, Fred Shendel and Steve Babb. Song includes vocal production by Kristin K. Smith with Justine Blazer on background vocals. Following the release of the single the accompanying music video for “Unplug and Recharge” will be released on June 5th. The video was produced by Brenda Cay and Scott Kornblum, with video editing by Dylan Thomas.
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