BEEHIVE CANDY

Crooked Weather - Control Your Blues. Background - Based in East Yorkshire, England, Crooked Weather play earthy, unruly and original folk songs. The sound is lead by carefully crafted lyrics delivered by the haunting harmonies of Holly and Will. The music on 'Long Garden' echoes the ethos of folk songsmiths before them with imagery of escape, adventure, companionship and inner searching but told from a different heart. “Crooked Weather come from the same fertile ground which gave the world David Crosby’s immortal 'If I Could Only Remember My Name'. They are indie meets World music meets traditional British folk. Think a contemporary Incredible String Band with a 21st century mindset.” Sid Griffin, The Coal Porters/Bob Dylan Biographer . From the superb 'Long Garden' album, the featured track 'Control Your Blues' is a fine insight into the band and their music. The music has a natural and genuine feel to it, unspoiled by the increasingly artifi...

Paint The Muse - Free People. And we quote -  The Los Angeles-based Alt-Dance duo, Paint The Muse, formed in 2015 and is comprised of vocalists, Elizabeth Russo - originally from the Bay Area, and Seattl-ite, Ash Wintergrass. Their dynamic first single, "Free People", on Harbour Records, encapsulates the feel-good vibes of the Summer with a cool indie-pop flavor. Its positive message and youthful energy cue this up as a dance anthem for the summer . A nice upbeat song that demands movement from your body, however unwilling a dancer you may be. Oh to be young again... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Home Lives - Cool Waves Young Blood. Background provided - Home Lives is the lo-fi venture of New Yorkers Mike Horgan and Brittany Cohen. Working with a number of talented heads in the NY music scene, the pair have a distinctive naïveté which is what makes them so captivating as...

Mike Wilde - Another Place. Background and quote - ‘Another Place’ is the debut Single from Singer/Songwriter Mike Wilde. An accomplished multi–instrumentalist and live performer, Mike Wilde spent time in Australia and on the road in Europe as a touring musician learning his craft before embarking on a career as a solo artist.  In the 90's Wilde performed on vocals and bass with Sydney band PLUS, releasing 2 EP's. The band made a number of TV appearances, including popular TV export "Home and Away."  Evolving from modern funk into earthy singer-songwriter, his current works reflect the individual and shared experience of returning to country, of coming home. A gifted lyricist and vocalist, Wilde’s music resonates with contemporary adult experience, with a heightened sense of performance earned through years of playing live in Australia and Europe.  Another Place has a spooky ‘70’s storyteller vibe to it. A classic, folk “love gone wrong” narrative with crystal...

Indoor Creature - Present Thinking. So who are Indoor Creature? Quoting them - Indoor Creature is a pop music project from Austin, TX composed of Caleb Fleischer (Vocals, keys, saxophone, synths) and Travis Kitchen (Drums, Bass, Guitar) with the goal of bringing people closer together and further apart . You can find out more about the band and their music via the website ( here ) or over on Bandcamp ( here ). Well 'Present Thinking' is a single release from a collection of twelve songs, and what a refreshing and very pleasing mixture of songs they are. Imaginative compositions are matched by some well produced music and vocals to match. I suppose indie pop would be a fair label, however they are more than capable of drifting into other styles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Plaidians - The Follower. Background promo words - Gary Thackrah & Justin Penkethman ar...

From the Internet Archive (IA) this is a concert recording of Dawes performing at the 600 capacity music venue, The Majestic Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, back on November 12th 2010. For those unfamiliar with this fine band here is a fairly 'rough and ready' summary from Wikipedia - Dawes was formed from the band Simon Dawes after the departure of co-songwriter Blake Mills, subsequently abandoning a post-punk sound in favour of folk rock. Dawes has been described as having a Laurel Canyon sound derived from artists such as Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. At the invitation of producer Jonathan Wilson, the band joined a local informal jam session that included Conor Oberst, The Black Crowes's Chris Robinson, and Benmont Tench. The band recorded their debut album, North Hills, in Laurel Canyon in a live setting to analog tape, resulting in a sound that Rolling Stone magazine called "authentically vintage". Wilco multi-instrumentalist...

River Tiber - When The Time Is Right. Background - Toronto multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist River Tiber has shared When The Time Is Right, his first release since 2013's debut EP The Star Falls. Dummy Mag has a stream of the five song alt R&B gem ahead of its September 16 release and following track features from Complex and The Fader. River Tiber - real name Tommy Paxton-Beesley - captured a flurry of attention earlier this year when Drake's Polaris Music Prize Short Listed If You're Reading This It's Too Late standout "No Tellin'" prominently sampled his then-unreleased "No Talk." Most recently River Tiber was named one of three Canadian entrants to Red Bull Music Academy Paris 2015. RBMA said this of the future star: "As River Tiber, singer/multi-instrumentalist and producer Tommy Paxton-Beesley is unafraid to push his love for R&B and hip hop production into unusual places: pitching his vocals to sound like Maria...

Dead Leaf Echo - Lemonheart. Some background words - Brooklyn's Dead Leaf Echo is an music/art collective that released their debut LP "Thought and Language" in 2013. The album had clear 4AD influences as it was mixed by John Fryer (Lush, NIN, Depeche Mode) with artwork by the label's legendary designer V23's Vaughan Oliver (Pixies, Bauhaus). Their latest EP "true.deep.sleeper" released in 2014 saw them working with Monte Vallier (Weekend, Wax Idols). They are in the middle of recording their 2nd LP again w/ Vallier and also contributions from Jorge Elbreht (Ariel Pink, No Joy) at Mexican Summer's studio in Greenpoint. A 7" single will be released in September followed by a North American tour and appearance at Desert Stars Festival in Joshua Tree w/ Swervedriver and The Lemonheads. They've constantly topped the CMJ Top 20 indie charts. They've played twice live on KEXP's John in the Morning and were recently featured as song...

The Traveling Zoo - Believe Me. The Traveling Zoo, are a  Spanish classic pop band, who tell us they are releasing "Science & Fictions", their third album in three years. Featured song 'Believe Me' is also their first single planned, from the new album. That's all I know at present, I have heard just three songs from the album and each one was encouragingly good, so perhaps we are going to be on the receiving end of something quite special in the near future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delamere - Heart. In Brief - This is the bands forthcoming single 'Heart', due out on October 9th, apparently it's a re-recording of an earlier version. Their debut album is due for release in early 2016. The band are described as an 'indie electronica' band and are from around Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, here in the UK. From what I have been ab...

Joseph Giant - On The Run. The story so far and we quote - Joseph Giant is a Rock & Roll band from Seattle Wa. Formed in 2010 by Joe Syverson, the band quickly shared stages with some of the best bands in town and from around the country. Joseph Giant has played shows with War On Drugs, AA Bondy, Fruit Bats, The Moondoggies , Quiet Life, The Maldives, Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas & many more... Jangly backwoods indie rock with an introspective yet upbeat feeling straight out of Seattle, and layered with lots of warm tones and wandering electric guitars and slides.  Break It Together is the 2nd album from the Seattle band Joseph Giant. Recorded by Kevin Suggs (Cat Power, Eddie Vedder) in his South Seattle Studio the Imperial Room & Mixed by Chris Woodhouse (Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Meatbodies, Wild Flag) at The Dock in Sacramento, Ca and Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI in Seattle, Wa in July of 2015.  The album is a personal scrapbook of events that Joe Syv...

TIO - Through The Heavy Clouds. There website tells us - TIO toil together and co-create in a honeycombed metal silo, hovering over an upturned and chard treasure chest of chords, lights and memories. Flittering stills of futures to come, love's decay and rebirth. The club becomes a mirror for everyone, and it shakes, sometimes slowly. They met outside of the city somewhere. A few years ago, wind whips the sand, glass, wires and light. TIO are from Toronto, Canada. TIO make music from a self feeding wellspring of churning, purple and black waves which says; "you could sit there, or stand, but we are invoking THE invitation, and it is open, swaying and dropping. Movement and memory are the goal, together, lips like wine " They also add - The noise of time is not sad. Time lingers and repeats through the camera. Captured and re-captured, played and re-played, we see each other through the lens of time.  Two worlds, two cameras: Through the Heavy Clouds captures two l...

From the Internet Archive (IA), this is Cowboy Junkies  live at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada, back on May 6th, 1996.  As many of you no doubt know Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins (vocalist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Alan Anton (bassist). From Wikipedia - The Cowboy Junkies first performed publicly at the Beverley Tavern and other clubs in Toronto's Queen Street West, including The Rivoli. Their 1986 debut album, produced by Canadian producer Peter Moore, was the blues-inspired Whites Off Earth Now!!, recorded using an ambisonic microphone in the family garage. The group's fame spread with their second album, The Trinity Session, recorded in 1987 at Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity. Their sound, again using the ambisonic microphone, and their mix of blues, country, folk, rock and jazz earned them both crit...

Starr Blazerz - Found That Soul. Background - Starr Blazerz began in 2013 as a songwriting collaboration between Virginia producer Justin Marlowe and Dallas songwriting veteran Glen Reynolds. By late 2014, both artists were intrigued by the potential of a full release of their work together. At that point Starr Blazerz was born. Inspired by the early 80's anime TV series, the band's name credits their blend of hip hop ("Starr" a salute to rap pioneers Gang Starr), R&B, House, and Synth Pop with the trippy nature of said mixture ("Blazerz"). 'Found That Soul' is the first of three singles from Starr Blazerz' forthcoming album "Reconstruction", out in early 2016 . The first single (due out on the 9th October) is a really nice surprise. For me there are shades of OMD in the lead vocals (that's a plus point) and a striking soundtrack. The album is quite stunning and has even stronger tracks, so if you like the single make a no...

Shakedown At The Majestic - In Control (from the forthcoming EP). Background - Shakedown At The Majestic was formed in New York City by guitarist Chris Vermillion and drummer Taylor Nimtz. They have become well known in the power pop underground and for bringing fun, energetic, superbly played performances to the music scene. Jonathan Vermillion (Chris’s brother) also plays guitar in the band, and after they moved out to Seattle, they added Rob Moura on bass.  Their debut, self-titled EP was produced by legendary recording innovator and Stranger genius Steve Fisk (Nirvana,The Posies, Screaming Trees) for release Friday, November 6, 2015. Shakedown At The Majestic’s name evokes the bamalama and bomp of British Invasion bands, as well as fuelled-up garage groups from a few years out and beyond. The signature style of singles like “Run For Your Life” and “In Control” feature tightly woven harmonies and interweaving vocal melodies, drawing from rock and pop's early years but deli...

Saint Cole - Within This Skin. About Saint Cole - Nic (vocals/producer/DJ) and Curt (guitar/keys) are from a small town called Dewsbury in West Yorkshire just two miles from Morley, home of the legendary nineties techno night The Orbit. Heavily influenced by this scene and the now legendary stories surrounding the club, Nic started producing and mixing hard dance/techno.  Saint Cole represents Nic's passion for dance music fused with his love of indie/rock. He cites influences as diverse as The Beatles, The Stone Roses, The La's, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and Leftfield. Saint Cole was born when he started working with his life long friend Curt. The duo were soon joined by third band member Martin Kolcak who is based in Slovakia and contributes artwork, visuals and animation. Neither Nic nor Curt have met Martin yet, though this is set to change when Saint Cole embark on a tour in summer 2016, complete with live visuals . Their debut E.P to be released Friday the ...

Kirsten Izer - Wave. Background, promo and plaudits from others - 19 year old indie alternative-pop singer, Kirsten Izer, announces the release of her debut EP, What If This Is It?, which is set to drop on September 25, 2015. Every track on the EP is written, performed and produced by the singer/songwriter, whose “style is wild and free while adding a distinctive note of extravaganza to a familiar pop formula” (Nothing But Hope and Passion). After graduating high school, the NJ-based singer/songwriter decided to hold off on college so she could continue writing songs and begin a career in music. However, giving into to the pressure of society, she held off on making her own music and began working for other musicians full-time at the young age of 18 years old. After a stressful year of pretending to be an adult, Izer decided to finally quit her job, start being a teenager, and more importantly, start making music for herself. The EP features Izer’s single, “Wave,” with “fuzzed-out...

From the Internet Archive this is  Chris and Carla  recorded live back on March 12th 2007, at The Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I am sure that most reading this will know that Chris and Carla is a side project by the pair who are part of the band The Walkabouts. Carla Torgerson and Chris Eckman met and began playing music together in 1983 while attending Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. In 1984 they moved to Seattle, and the band (The Walkabouts) was born when they joined forces with Chris' two younger brothers, drummer Grant and bassist Curt. The Eckman brothers had been playing in various punk rock and pop groups during their college years, and Carla came from a folk and street singing background. The band took their name from Nicolas Roeg's cult film, Walkabout. As can be seen form the following piece from Wikipedia Chris and Carla have been extremely active musicians down the years -  Eckman and Torgerson have also released albums as side pro...