BEEHIVE CANDY

Jared Saltiel - The Fountain. Background - “The Fountain,” the scene-setting new single from singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jared Saltiel, begins with a softly strummed guitar and Saltiel’s sweet falsetto, gently ushering the listener into an intoxicating haze of magical storytelling. The ornate arrangement of warm, rich strings, delicate harp, and bittersweet countermelodies give way to a lush trio of female voices, beckoning us toward a beautiful vision. The second single and opening track of Saltiel’s upcoming album Out of Clay (due out February 2), “The Fountain” was recorded at The Bunker Studio, and is available as an approved downloadable mp3. The song unfolds like a chapter in a magical realist novel. Cast in a dreamlike mist, a sailor washes up on the shore of a deserted island. Through the fog he sees an ethereal, silver-y fountain, guarded by three mysterious women; are they spirits, or witches, or distinct manifestations of a Goddess? They show him a beautif...

Berry - Fragments. Background - The music of Berry is a strange animal. But writing and recording over 100 songs in their 15 years together has resulted in some dense, delicate, graceful pop songs with a certain Searching for Bobby Fischer mentality. Berry formed in 2002 on Martha’s Vineyard when guitarist/vocalist Joey Lemon and drummer Paul Goodenough connected at an intensive four-month music program. When they returned to the Midwest, the two recruited college friend and keyboardist Matt Aufrecht. Their first LP, Marriage (Right Place Records), was released the following year and was met with critical acclaim, allowing the band to tour extensively throughout the country. After several tours and bass players, Berry moved to Chicago in search of a city that would fit their quirky and idiosyncratic music. There, they began a recording frenzy, releasing a series of six EPs between 2007 and 2008. To promote these releases, the band embarked on a novel idea for a tour. Foregoing the u...

Gasoline Lollipops - Montreal. Background - Gasoline Lollipops is a Colorado band that combines the sincerity of dirt-floor folk with the energy and rebelliousness of punk. It's an all-new incarnation of alt-country that’s both high-energy and heartfelt, like the American highway's soundtrack. This year marked the release of the GasPops' debut full-length album, Resurrection, and the band’s first-ever vinyl release Soul Mine. Colorado Daily readers voted Gasoline Lollipops "Best Local Musician/Group" for 2017, and in 2016, Denver Westword named Gasoline Lollipops Color ado's Best Country Artist. 2014 and 2015 brought multiple awards and accolades to the Gasoline Lollipops.  These included being selected to play six showcases in Austin during SXSW 2014; getting voted "Best Local Musician/Group" in the Colorado Daily's 2014 and 2015 polls; being selected as one of only six bands across Colorado for the highly coveted SpokesBUZZ Emerging Arti...

Port Cities - On the Nights You Stay Home. Background - Port Cities’ music is a perfect balance of Nashville (where much of it was recorded) and Nova Scotia (where the band reside); of the rustic and atmospheric, of indie intimacy and the sort of arena-pop anthems that betray Port Cities’ globe-trotting ambitions; 2018 sees the band embark upon their second cross European tour, including a timely stint here in the UK, where their following is building up nicely off the back of 2017's visit, and the hugely successful #PostcardsFromPortCities series of videos. A port city is a place where cultures and histories collide, where goods and ideas are imported and absorbed into the local bloodstream. Not entirely un-coincidentally, Port Cities the band is the musical equivalent; a melting pot of three of Canada’s most creative individual talents, drawn together to make an entity even more outstanding as a group than as its constituent parts. As with any form of musical collaboration, th...

Libertino Records - ‘I’r Gofod A Byth Yn Ȏl’ Libertino MIX 1. Background from Wale's Libertino Records - ‘Into Space and Never Back’ Libertino MIX 1. This is a celebration of the first eight months of Libertino's releases. What a gloriously, head-spinning roller coaster journey it has been so far; and this is only the beginning.  Holding steadfastly to our ethos of inclusiveness and community grass roots support for emerging artists, our releases have demonstrated a bravely eclectic streak from indie death disco to psychedelic folk and post punk feminist anthems.   This compilation also includes taster songs from artists with whom the label will be working in 2018. ‘I’r Gofod A Byth Yn Ȏl’ Libertino MIX 1 is our way of saying thanks for all the support that Libertino's artists have received this year. All songs are free downloads. Turn up loud and lose yourself in the colours and sounds of our world. Until 2018, thank you and diolch. Love from Libertino x ‘I’r Gofod A...

Andrew Reed - If All the World Were Right. Background - Auspiciously due on 1.1.2018, with "If All the World Were Right" there is a shot of positivity in the world. There is nothing really being sold here except an atmosphere to "believe in yourself" and "embrace your own greatness" with heavy doses of humility thrown in thanks to our struggles through dense matter. This concept album is of a journey...a journey of a Prodigal, who has to return home after being defeated by life and the world... Humility fills the album. The new album, Andrew says, is "about my journey, but I don't think it is unique to me at all. Most of us go through really tough patches during our lives. So much of it has to do with our thinking and the emotions that result from our thinking. We are constantly thinking about how to interpret or reconcile our lives... but we have a choice in how we experience the world! And all it takes to improve things is to change your th...

DateMonthYear - March. Background -  New Zealand outfit DateMonthYear has announced their forthcoming single 'March' on the trail of their well received single 'Numbers', released earlier in 2017. On both of these releases, the band tastefully combines pop melody and rock dynamics with a cinematic atmosphere, calling to mind such artists as Low, Cat Power, and Sharon Van Etten. Based in Hamilton, DateMonthYear is a five-piece comprised of Trevor Faville, Emma Koretz, Brooke Baker, Hayely Schwass and Tyler Leet. 'March' eludes to the process of grief and loss, delivering a strong message with hard-hitting lyrics, music and video. The band worked with local production team Bad George in Hamilton to produce and film their new music video. Bad George production team were award nominees at the HP 48 Hour Film Festival, with production crew member and also band member Brooke Baker nominated as best director and best female director, and Jay Baker nominated as b...

Candy Ambulance - Weekday. Background - Candy Ambulance are a high-energy band from upstate NY. They're gearing up to release their new EP Spray scheduled for release on February 18, 2018. The trio self-released their first single "Weekday" earlier this fall. Described as alternative grunge rock, the band pulls plenty of pop hooks and punk energy into their sound. Formed in the summer of 2014, grunge-influenced Candy Ambulance of upstate NY are Caitlin Barker, Jesse Bolduc & Jon Cantiello. Lifelong friends and musical mates, Bolduc & Cantiello rescued Barker from a wealthy engagement prospect and whisked her away to the land of DIY punk. Poppy melodies, dynamic vocal changes and half naked live shows have solidified this rock trio as always entertaining, unabashed fun. Boasting a healthy and frequent tour schedule the band has played with notable acts such as Screaming Females, Speedy Ortiz, Daddy Issues, and Dorothy. WEBSITE , FACEBOOK . The second of six ...

Delta Deep - Bless These Blues. Background - Blues-Rock-n-Soul supergroup Delta Deep is thrilled to announce the release of their live CD/DVD East Coast Live on January 26, 2018 through Frontiers Music Srl which as an added plus will also be availble on vinyl. The East Coast Live CD is a full show performance filmed at legendary Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY while the DVD showcases select songs and highlights from that night. The label will also be re-releasing Delta Deep's debut album. The group, which made their chart topping debut in 2015, featuresPhil Collen, lead guitarist of Def Leppard,  Debbi Blackwell-Cook (back-up vocalist for such artists as Michael Buble & Gregory Hines), Robert DeLeo (bassist for Stone Temple Pilots) and Forrest Robinson (drummer for Joe Sample & The Crusaders, India.Arie & TLC). Delta Deep’s self-titled debut was released in June 2015 entering iTunes Blues charts at #2. The band immediately hit the road performing at festivals and concer...

Micah Olsan - Open Space. Background - Micah Olsan is a versatile singer, songwriter, guitarist and tape machine enthusiast who's sound falls somewhere between Nick Drake and Michael Kiwanuka. Olsan’s energy, talent, and seminal sound have made him one of Milwaukee’s longtime beloved musicians. A one-man sound machine, Micah Olsan bucks the trend of overly-produced perfection choosing instead to focus on capturing a moment in time and preserving it for posterity. Using his voice, guitar, and a few old machines, Olsan wanders through dimensions of Americana, Soul and Psychedelia. With every offering on the ‘Open Space’ EP blurring the lines of archetypal styles, it’s no wonder that Micah Olsan hunkered down at National Studio with a handful of prodigious guest musicians to create the perfect cocktail of melodrama and focus into four deceptively simple tracks. WEBSITE , FACEBOOK . The first of four tracks on Micah Olsan's 'Open Space' EP is the featured title track. ...

Kudzu - No Backbone / Some Cops. Background - Missouri-based post-punk synth wave duo Kudzu have announced their forthcoming album 'Defeated', slated for release in early 2018 via Push & Pull Records. This album is a reaction to mounting disappointments and frustrations with increasingly frustrating and disappointing realities. On this 9-track long-play, Kudzu delivers a cheerfully caustic synth pop assault with psychedelic underpinnings, like paint fumes you'd happily dance to. The offerings range from post-punk (Defeated) to synth pop (One Purpose, No Backbone) and tracks with a darker more industrial sense (Balking The Grave). If that's not enough to intrigue you, the vocal delivery oscillating between John Lydon of Sex Pistols and PiL fame and the cold sinister lyricism of Al Jourgensen's Ministry in the band's earliest phase. Based in Springfield, Kudzu is Seth Goodwin (vocals, synth, and drum programming) and Mark Gillenwaters (vocals and guitar). I...

Yellow Feather - Lucille. Background - Old Fort, North Carolina band Yellow Feather, which features vocalist Casey Kristofferson, daughter of Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, released their debut album, And Gold, arlier this month. Yellow Feather also features guitarist/vocalist Hunter Begley (who stars in the video for the album’s first single “Lucille”) and lap steel player Charlie Wills and the album features drummer Herschel VanDyke and bassist Robert Parks along with a slew of special guests! And Gold was recorded at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC with producer Rorey Carroll, mixed at Café Rooster Records in Nashville w/ sound engineer Gabe Masterson and mastered by Alex McCollough (Jim Lauderdale, Amanda Shires, Todd Snider) at True East Mastering in Nashville. Mountains call many to their bosom. Born sheltered by the winding valleys, amidst time-worn peaks, or discovered down a  shady dirt road, songs and humans alike, have many origins. Hunter Begley found him...