Genre Wander: The Medicine Hat - Leslie Doll - The Tigerlilies - Gothic Tropic

The Medicine Hat - St. Cecilia.

Background - There's no mistaking Nabi Sue Bersche's unique, raw and emotive vocals. Here's her thoughts on the song:

"St. Cecilia is a song for all the men who have ever harassed me. It's a song for all the long stares and salacious grins, all the licked-lips and hey-sweethearts, all the shadows that walk a little too close behind me. It's about the thick skin I put on when I walk alone or I'm on stage. 

I love the power of that skin, but I hate that I need to be tough to feel safe. Now a brief glance in the mirror turns to a thousand eyes ogling me up and down, unkind hands fussing with my appearance. They impair a kindness I used to carry so easily. St. Cecilia is my constant companion. The patron Saint of music, she's with me in every dark bar, on every walk home. Watching my drink, watching my back, whispering a sweet melody in my ear." 

'St. Cecilia' is the second song we have featured by The Medicine Hat, and it's another gorgeous one. There is a quite intriguing video that has also been produced and can be seen over on our BeeVids page.

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Leslie Doll - Electronic.

Background bio - From the home of innovative pop music - Nub Country Records - comes the new Album from Leslie Doll. Leslie is a versatile producer, musician and songwriter - a passionate and soulful creator and performer who takes listeners on a journey through a musical world where fun and joy balance introspection and sometimes sorrow. His music is a reflection of deep expression and a bit of urban perspective. A member of the Vermont music writer’s society he has performed with a number of bands playing bass and keyboards and has recently received a publishing contract with music delivery in Brazil.

Leslie is a self taught musician and producer, his influences teaching him everything he knows about songwriting  - Mozart The Beatles, Billy Joel, Bach, Beethoven, Henry Mancini, Glen Miller and so many more.  He has written and produced over 150 songs within the past three years in his home studio with no limits in genre as he is comfortable writing in any style of music including classical compositions. What’s next for Leslie? He is looking to write an Opera and more classical pieces as well as more of his own unique beat driven tracks as shown on Durick 104.

 “This is now a passion for me, and will be with me for the rest of my life. Being an artist and writing music is what I am and always will be. This is something I must do and is not simply a hobby, or part-time work. I firmly believe that I have a gift that needs to be worked as best I can and heard by people that enjoy my sounds and new audiences as well”. Leslie Doll. 

Durick 104 is a really adventurous collection of electronic musical compositions, of which 'Electronic' gives a flavour. Melodies and tempos vary considerably, the one constant is the quality.

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The Tigerlilies - Easy As It Seems.

Background - The style set forth by the Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick and The Ramones is alive and well in the hands of The Tigerlilies - Cincinnati’s sole practitioners of post punk power pop.

Brothers Pat (vocals, guitar) and Steve (vocals, drums) Hennessy spearhead the band which includes Brian Driscoll (bass) and Brendan Bogosian (lead guitar). Together they have played countless shows around Ohio, serving as support for Violent Femmes, Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Guided By Voices and Superchunk, and attaining a sizable and appreciative following along the way. The past decade has seen the release of many singles and albums on independent Midwestern labels such as Atavistic, Violently Hip and Mono-cat 7, chalking up a total of four full lengths which showcase The Tigerlilies economic blend of punk, 60’s soul and garage rock.

Holding together the band through the years proved challenging with certain harsh memories developing into positives and others leaving lasting scars. Their practice spaces through the years are often rich with hilarious subterranean anecdotes – from their underground “keg room” which had to be accessed through a grate in the sidewalk to their current vintage junk store which they have lovingly named “the lily pad”. A tour van crash in Dallas years back is a more painful chapter in the bands history; killing their manager, Craig Falbe, and injuring all of the band members. They stayed together, helped each other through and kept on playing.

Resolve seems to be a constant theme in the bands work and has never been more apparent than on their newest EP, 123456, which delves into subject matter as varied as loss, alienation and space travel. It even includes a timely tribute to David Bowie, written a year before the superstar’s death. “These things are important to us because they represent a shared human experience” asserts Pat. “Hearing them reflected in song can bring people together, make them feel uplifted, reflective and just better.” This is a sentiment which has been echoed by their fan base who have expressed how The Tigerlilies music has helped them through depressing and even suicidal times. It’s seems the band’s retro, revved up rock, which often comes with a care free veneer, has a deep effect on people’s lives.

Their newest EP, 123456, is out September 2nd, and the featured song 'Easy As It Seems' kicks the collection of six songs off. It demonstrates the "post punk" side of the band off, however as this collection of songs demonstrates, they are capable of slower and gentler material, giving the listener a well rounded and highly enjoyable collection of tracks.

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Gothic Tropic - How Life Works.

Background - Los Angeles' Gothic Tropic introduces a new brand of female fronted, guitar-driven indie rock. Gothic Tropic have also shared a new track "How Life Works," as they announce the upcoming album 'Fast or Feast' due for release on Old Flame Records with a street date: October 28, 2016.

The brainchild of Cecilia Della Peruti, Gothic Tropic keeps the vibe playful and punchy, bringing audiences into a new era of female rock nobility, nodding to stars like Debbie Harry, and Chrissie Hynde. Delivering a blend of Richard Lloyd and Nile Rodgers on guitar, Gothic Tropic's Della Peruti has won sponsorships with Fender, and leading pedal manufacturers, and works professionally as a touring and session player for Charli XCX, BØRNS, and more.

Another act where it's second time around on Beehive Candy this year. 'How Life Works' showcases the quality of their brand of indie rock. Layers of melodic guitar driven music, support the dreamy vocals, on what is a very fine song and taster for the forthcoming album. 

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Genre Wander: The Blackheart Orchestra - BKBirge - George Sarah - Staycations - The Medicine Hat

The Blackheart Orchestra - Keep The Light In.

Background promo - Manchester based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist duo The Blackheart Orchestra bring a heavenly fusion of acoustic folk, progressive pop and modern classical composition with new single “Keep The light In” released Friday 24th June.

Minimalist and fragile, “Keep The Light In” weaves melodies and atmospherics to create an ethereal musical landscape drawing comparisons with the likes of The Cure and London Grammar while Chrissy Mostyn’s captivating vocals soar, reminiscent of Kate Bush. Combining ancient synthesisers and modern songwriting, The Blackheart Orchestra create an enchanting masterpiece leaving the listener with no choice but to cling on to every note through to the track’s rich and rewardingly layered climactic end.

Often mistaken for an 8-piece band on first listen, The Blackheart Orchestra can be found on stage with a multitude of instruments ranging from guitars, piano and electronic beats to vintage synthesisers, omnichord, and flugelhorn. Comprising of long term collaborators Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington, the duo have seen their 3 previous albums, extensive touring across the UK, Europe and Australia and playing close to 1000 shows amass a large and loyal following ahead of their forth album to be released later this year.

11/06    Hartlebury     Hall
18/06    Colmworh     St Denys Church
25/06    Nantwich     Worleston Hall
13/08    Ravenglass     Muncaster Hall

'Keep The Light In' from The Blackheart Orchestra (Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington) sees the duo presenting a lighter and quite minimalist song. Melodic and with the vocals well up in the mix, it's a very pleasing song.

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BKBirge - Imagination Town.

Background promo - bkbirge is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience behind and in front of the glass. He has written hundreds of songs, produced for dozens of artists, and performed as a solo artist on several records. He brings an encyclopedic knowledge of musical style to every project while adhering to the “if it sounds good it is good” philosophy of production.

His solo albums “Down The Hole” (2014) and "Imagination Town" (2016) have been released by Nub Country records distributed by The Orchard. They have elements of psychedelia, funk, jazz, and rock; for fans of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Ian Drury, XTC, Bootsy Collins, The Tubes, The Cars, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Roxy Music, John Hyatt, Steve Earle, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Meters, Gang of Four, Dwight Yoakam, The Cramps, Bill Laswell, Stump, and Booker T.

As a bass and keyboard player as well as writer he has worked with the influential art rock psychedelic groups the Sealers and the Ex-Sealers. The Sealers single “Wombat Rhythms” was picked for inclusion into the weird-out album “Topped With Fudge” (VA). His brush with greatness came when Frank Zappa heard a Sealers album given to him by his daughter Moon and called up the guitar player to say what a cool record it was. The guitar player thought he was being pranked and told Frank to eff off. He has also worked with Pat Boone and was once uncomfortably touched by Jerry Falwell.

Engineering and production credits include Iggy Pop, North Carolina State Symphony, underground punk pioneers Sloppy Seconds, Grammy winning gospel artist Sandy Patti, Royce Campbell (longtime guitarist for Henry Mancini), upright bass virtuoso Ratzo Harris, and Latin Grammy nominee guitarist Juan Manuel.

I was not sure which song to feature from the album Imagination Town, so I took the easy way out and went with the title track. The album takes the listener in a variety of directions and musical styles, sometimes quite off the wall, but always interesting and sometimes quite stunning.

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George Sarah - Min and Elsa.

Background promo - George Sarah's new 3-track EP takes the electronic composer in a more mellow West Coast chillwave sound, with three instrumental tracks that are much more dance floor-friendly and optimistic than the at-times harsh onslaught of his previous release Timelapse. Gentle beats, arpeggiated synths, sweeping pads, and piano make for a lovely experience on the title track “Min and Elsa,” while “Reverence and Unknowing” references a bit of Sarah’s dark industrial past. Side two’s extended 11min. track “Forgotten Animals” has a driving, minimal feel evoking early 80’s electronic music.

Electronic composer and multi-instrumentalist George Sarah has been a mainstay on the Los Angeles music scene since 1985. He has achieved critical acclaim for his unique brand of electronic chamber music. Sarah performs his original compositions from a bank of synthesisers and drum machines alongside a trio of live strings, bridging the normally discrete musical worlds of electronic and classical

George Sarah has scored 28 episodes for the Discovery network. In Aug 2008 he composed music for the ceremonies at the 2008 summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. His songs have been featured on the hit CBS shows "CSI", CSI NY, Paul Haggis’s Family Law, the Oprah Winfrey show, HBO’s “Addiction” "History Detectives" on PBS, Chris Rock's "Everybody hates Chris" ‘Everwood’ on WB, scored 1 episode for EWTN and performed his songs on the hit TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Three Episodes), and has had his music played on Buffy spin-off ‘Angel’ as well as in eight feature films and documentary’s including “Bra Boys” narrated by Russell Crowe and “On the line” featuring Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen. His songs have been licensed to many networks including Style, TLC, and Spike.

'Min And Elsa' is one of three good tracks on the new EP. It's a synth lovers dream, full of good west coast vibes and highly catchy melodies.

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Staycations - The Enemy.

Background promo - Having recently played alongside the likes of Lonely The Brave, High Tyde and playing sets at festivals such as Secret Garden Party and Rhythms of the World, Staycations new material is a statement of intent. Full of racing guitars and strong drumbeats reminiscent of LA-style surf pop, there are also influences of Peace, JAWS and Superfood to be heard here. Staycations music is familiar but it remains individual throughout thanks to the beguiling idiosyncratic vocals from frontman Lewis Hall and the satisfyingly off-kilter guitar riffs and intricate rhythms from the rest of the band.

Speaking about 'The Enemy' the band said: "The Enemy is an anti-love song. It’s about the feeling of an unrequited sense of admiration towards someone you really care about and who you’d do anything for but you know they wouldn’t in return. It’s kind of depressing the more we think about it."

With real heads for song craft on the bodies of such young musicians, their new single perfectly captures the spirit, zeal and electricity of what it is to be young and restless in 2016. As a taster of what’s yet to come ‘The Enemy’ is over before you know it, and is likely to leave listeners and their well-earned fans eager in anticipation for their next release. This is material is completely new territory for Staycations, and it’s one that is likely to please fans and newcomers alike.

'The Enemy' showcases the Staycations' in a very positive light. Hook laden alt or indie rock sounds, the vocals punch above a very tightly delivered soundtrack. It's one of those play it again songs, always a good sign.

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The Medicine Hat - New Survival.

Background promo - The Medicine Hat is a five-piece band from Hamilton, Ontario making experimental pop music. Front woman Nabi Sue Bersche's nimble, raw lyricism is illuminated by a voice like holy fire: blistering and purifying. Focused guitar work dances with the hypnotic timbres and soaring melodies of analog synthesisers.

Deft lines and dangerous grooves are intoned by a disciplined drum & bass combo. Chaos lurks beneath the surface of The Medicine Hat's tight motifs and rhythmic trances, erupting into moments of prophetic ecstasy. Their live performances are wild affairs. Brimstone at their heels, The Medicine Hat's contagious energy turns rooms into reveries.

The Medicine Hat has played festivals and dark rooms across Canada with innumerable class acts. They recently collaborated with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in an ambitious and innovative performance piece. The Medicine Hat will be debuting songs from their self-titled record in June of 2016.

It's always good to finish off a new music round up with something special and 'New Survival' does the job very well. There is a sense of restrained emotion in the vocals, whilst the music is melodic and so well delivered. More please!

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