Posts

Saturday &: Juke Ross - David Ellington

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Juke Ross - Not A Blade Of Grass. Background - For over 100 years Venezuela has tried to claim that a vast swathe of Guyana, an area west of the Essequibo River that is home to indigenous villages and mining camps, abundant with deposits of gold, diamonds, bauxite and other minerals, belongs within its borders. Last year tensions escalated once again after Exxon Mobil, conducting work on behalf of the Guyanese government, discovered oil off the shores of the disputed land; Venezuela tried to stake a claim to the oil. During another border dispute flare up in the 1970s one of Guyana's favourite musical sons - Dave Martins, was inspired by a Native American Chief's speech refusing to bow to the white man's invasion of their land and wrote a resistance song for his countrymen. It instantly connected with his people and became part of Guyanese folklore. "The Chief spoke about his people’s love for their land," recalls Dave Martins, leader of the legendary Tra...

Friday Double: Penny for the Workhouse - Charlie Haley

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Penny for the Workhouse - Smoker At The Window. Background promo - Formed in 2012, the band's unique ‘Folk ‘n’ Roll’ style marries the energy of Indie rock with the captivating storytelling of Folk. With catchy lyrics and toe tapping drum beats, Penny For The Workhouse are bursting with personality, always making their audience feel part of their performance.  Their self-released debut EP “Coins and Cards” (2012) was met with 5 star reviews on iTunes and also by Paul Weller, the Modfather himself! In 2014, the band’s follow up EP “Jack The Gun Slinger and Other Tales” was recorded at The Animal Farm in London. Along with a sold out successful launch night at The Camden Enterprise, tracks from the EP were picked up for radio play and the band also donated the title track “Jack The Gun Slinger, Country Singer” to feature alongside the likes of Noel Gallagher on The Pete Quaife Foundation Charity CD, “Legends; Shoulder to Shoulder”.  Later in 2014, the band were lucky enough...

Genre Wander: Sinderins - We Are Bandicoot - The Fontaines - TheROAMies

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Sinderins - Fayre. Background promo - The band’s name is taken from a confluence of roads in the band’s home town of Dundee.  Very appropriate this is too, since this band is truly the result of a meeting and a meshing of talents and minds. Producer Matt Lawrence allowed the band to capture the essence of what makes the music special, distilling not only the foam and the energy, but also the eeriness and otherness that sits at the heart of their sound. With hundreds of gigs already chalked up, and the schedule for 2016 filling fast–don’t doubt their commitment. The single is energetic and cheerful, with an uplifting tone. Vocalist, David, manages to highlight the incredible ability to his vocal range and it’s clear to see the amount of talent that Sinderins have is extraordinary. On Fayre, David Webster hits and sustains a high note across four bars. Initial attempts to record this fell short so, channelling something he had read about Thom Yorke leaping into a fjord, Webster...

Double Delights: Cerise - Popincourt

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Cerise - St. Nick. Background promo - LA by way of Chicago songstress Cerise is set to release her debut album 'Smoke Screen Dreams,' on June 24.  Although music has been integral to Cerise's life since as far back as she can remember, it was her teenage days spent listening to such dark and romantic luminaries as The Cure, Bauhaus and Siouxsie And The Banshees that had the most dramatic effect. "That was the first time music really spoke to me," she remembers. "The darkness and beauty of those bands seduced me into this other world and having a big interest in music. But it always seemed like it was the hardest thing in the world to actually do. To me, being a musician in a band seemed like being a ballerina- like you had to be trained for it from the age of six to become this amazing artist." With Cerise's interests in modelling and photography initially taking a front seat, any thoughts of being a musician were put on the back burner until ...

Quality Not Quantity: Monk Tamony - Post Death Soundtrack

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Monk Tamony - Leaders. Background promo - NYC indie duo, Monk Tamony, officially releases the next instalment off their forthcoming self-titled debut EP, Monk Tamony. “Leaders” follows debut single, “Back Of The Building." Pancakes & Whiskey raved of “Back Of The Building," The track is rife with rolling guitar riffs and a solid back beat which gets our blood pumping for more from this new exciting duo.” Comprised of TJ Rosenthal (Vocals, Guitar) and Joe Zdaa (Drum, Vocals), the stellar, two-piece band produces super charged, hard-driving rock with unmistakable New York City attitude. Zdaa and Rosenthal first met in 2002 at Dark Room, a discreetly hidden bar on Ludlow Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. “Joe was a bartender,” describes Rosenthal. “And I was a DJ and a regular patron. It was always a scene, and I’d go some nights just make sure I wasn’t missing anything.” In the fall of 2015, Monk Tamony put the finishing touches on their debut EP. The dynamic ...

Three Good Ones: Winters End - Bad Sounds - Joana Serrat

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Winters End - Thoughts. Background promo - Winters End have released their new single Thou ghts, the follow-up single to their critically acclaimed 2015 single Mayfair. Comprised of siblings Marissa and Christopher Pinto, Winters End are a Sydney-based indie, electronic duo. Formed in October 2011, they have toured twice internationally for the Indie Week Music Festival in Canada and the Youbloom Music Festival in Los Angeles in 2014. Winters End's follow-up release to their critically acclaimed 2015 single Mayfair, comes in the form of Thoughts. Thoughts was recorded in Sydney at A Sharp studios and Studios 301 with esteemed record producer Lachlan Mitchell (The Jezabels, The Whitlams, The Vines).  If you combined the wistful synth sounds of Stevie Nicks, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush and added an Adele-like narrative, complete with heart wrenching and honest lyrics, the result would be Thoughts. Thoughts is a beautiful piano-based track which starts sparsely and progresses ...

Sunday Selection: Stone Cold Fox - Auna Sims - Adeline Hotel - The Maytags

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Stone Cold Fox - Contagion. Background words - The best kind of road trips are the ones that are spontaneous. You know where you want to go, you have a final destination in mind - you just don’t necessarily know how you’re going to get there. But that’s OK, because it’s all about the journey, right? Brooklyn-based four piece, Stone Cold Fox want to take a road trip with you- they’ll get you to where you want to go, you just gotta let them take the wheel, because in the end whatever will be, will be. And the soundtrack? Their forthcoming EP, Tunnel Vision. Tunnel Vision is a stunning contradiction- a collection of journeys made up of distorted dance synths that bleed with a rock-heavy heart. Written, recorded and produced over a period of two years, the sound of Tunnel Vision resembles a mindset that is anything but narrow minded- instead, it’s a collection of tracks that skew in every which way, that ultimately steer back to it’s original course to create a wistful, cohesive sound....

Genre Mix: David Trull - Daniel Trakell - Dear Thieves - Broadway Sounds - Hunter As a Horse

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David Trull - Beautiful World. Background bio - Back in his high school days, with one faithful roadie and one faithful Fender amp in tow, David Trull was a regular feature at the Roadhouse in Webster Groves, MO. Every Tuesday, the Roadhouse Bar and Grill would have local blues hero Alvin Jett onstage to lead a jam session. David headed to the Roadhouse, rain or shine, for three years’ worth of Tuesdays. On that stage, David struck his musical roots in the soil of the blues. His great loves at that time were The Allman Brothers and The Derek Trucks Band; he was known to laugh in rapture at the grinding, throaty “breathing” of Derek Trucks’ guitar. Years later, at college, David found a different kind of treasure: he discovered The Milk Carton Kids. Their blend of eclectic, punchy song‐writing and limpid melodies inspired him to write music more restrained, music more focused on lyrical power. He began by covering several of his favourites at an open mic night in the spring of 2013,...

Friday &: The Phantom Sound - The Redhill Valleys - Vague - Bencoolen - Manon Meurt

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The Phantom Sound - Crushing. Background promo -  The Phantom Sound recall the best of the 70’s & 80’s with contributions from the Punk & New Wave hall of fame in the powerhouse of a single: “Crushing” out May 16th 2016. The band’s powerful sound and brooding vocals of songwriter Marisa Schlussel has seen the likes of BBC and Amazing radio jump on board the good ship Phantom. “Crushing” the standout track from the band’s special edition release of debut album “The Phantom Sound”, begins with a truly defiant swagger befitting of the punk ethos. With the unstoppable momentum of an out-of-control steam locomotive, the track leads to its iconic chorus that would be at home at both grimy rock clubs and major summer festivals. Following her dream of working with the very artists that inspire her, Schlussel sought out the legends of the late 70’s and 80’s Punk & New Wave movement, aspiring to make sure that they loved her music. As it turn’s out, they didn’t need much co...

Suzerain - Identity (New Album - May 27th)

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Suzerain - Always (Radio Mix). Background promo - We live in a world that is rapidly changing around and within us. Each day is a time capsule: a snapshot of who and where we are at that precise moment. Perspective is key, but by nature human consciousness isn’t built to process experiences in such a manner. People can struggle to get a helicopter view when they’re stuck in the eye of the storm that is life. It’s a concept which London noise merchants Suzerain have been exploring with second album 'Identity' – their very own dystopian nightmare born from the winds of change. “We made this album across two years,” reveals singer Thomas Pether. “So it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.” “We wanted to strip away as much as possible,” continues guitarist Rich Summer. “It sounds like a cl...

Wednesday Rock Blast: The Lost Poets - This Party

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The Lost Poets - Insubordia Pt. II. Background bio - The Lost Poets - a mysterious dark impact from Sweden. Their faces are unknown and covered by a tar like substance. Wearing top hats and suits. Even though strange and dark, the music is full of beautiful melodies, positive elements and unique vocals. The Lost Poets originates from Stockholm, Sweden. Their only release is an EP from 2014 "Insubordia", and the single "Mouth". Both received raving reviews internationally and in a very short time they have become hugely sought after.They are to be included in Dolph Lundgrens forthcoming feature film "Without YouI'm Nothing" and they opened for "Volto" (Tool drummer Danny Carey's band) at the infamous Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard merely weeks after arriving to Los Angeles. The Lost Poets are also currently working on the short film "Tales from Insubordia" and the children's book (!) "The Lost Poets". The Los...