New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Beneficials released the first single, “Management”, from their forthcoming debut LP, Torn Cloud. The single is accompanied by a wild video created by the band’s Cole M. Johnson and featuring art by Brennan Zweig.
This is the experimental Psych-Rock of Brennan Zwieg, Peggy Fioretti, Corey Wichlin and Cole M. Johnson.
Photo by Tina Scarpello
A lazy summer heat beat down on the Line Hotel’s outdoor pool as mass of laissez-faire humanity lounged around the oasis like bespectacled sun lizards. Local musicians, instagram-obsessed 20-somethings, and tattooed Californian bros all assembled to absorb the easygoing aesthetic, as well as the brilliantly curated music of music legend, Peanut Butter Wolf.
Kicking off a music-focused Summer pool party series, The Line Hotel pulled off a coup in getting Chris Manak aka Peanut Butter Wolf to appear in such a casual and understated setting. PBW is producer/ DJ and founder of Stones Throw Records, one of the most successful and influential indie labels of all time. Yet there he stood, pulling vinyl out of crates behind a poolside DJ setup, largely ignored by the oblivious bathing suit-clad day drinkers. A gaggle of hip-hop heads and inspired bikini girls floated around the DJ booth as PBW dropped audio jewels on his decks.
Time evaporated as the sunset of the evening’s pool party began to avail itself. Peanut Butter Wolf continued to paint the ambience with deep hip-hop cuts and danceable rhythms. A quintessential Austin afternoon that ebbed away beautifully and helped frame what a casual Sunday pool party should look like.
Indie pop artist Alex Di Leo will perform at the True Music Room at the Cambria Hotel on June 12th; it comes as one of the first shows in a long string of performances around America. Di Leo released his latest album, the EP Strange Open Land, in November 2018, and his latest single "High" this past spring. The indie pop jam has hints of inspiration from groups like lovelytheband and Imagine Dragons, making for the sort of song that would stir up a crowd at a summer music festival or get people dancing on the beach. Check out Di Leo when he takes the stage at True Music Room on June 12th before he sets out on tour, and take a look at the music video for "High" below. – Will Sisskind
American Damage has shared an excerpt from the new tape from Terran Wretch, Tomb Weaver. This is new experimental Ambient music from Anthony Dunn, formerly of Sun Splitter, is both ominous and beautiful.
Last week, Blossom released her newest LP, Maybe. It’s a beautiful reflection on what the mind can do when left alone. Blossom makes fever dreams feel spine-tingling and sultry. She has great command over her voice, delivering each word succinctly and powerfully. As the months get hotter, we’re all going to get more and more grateful that she’s released this album in time for summer. “Betty Rizzo” is an especially alluring song, which makes sense given its namesake. It’s one that will probably bring more than a few bodies to the dance floor.
Blossom will be having an album release party for Maybe next Monday, June 10th at the Armory. She will be joined by Butter Baby, DJ Dubblife, Fountaine, KayelaJ and Bocha.
-By Avril Carrillo
demo 01 (songs, raps and ideas), the new release from HUEY, The Cosmonaut., captures a mellow, smooth melding of hip hop and R&B. Against those accessible, jazz-oriented beats, incisive, authentic storytelling reaches out an inviting, musical hand. You can catch HUEY this Saturday, June 8 at Gay Baby jail, as part of Magnetic The Shaman’s album release celebration that also features ASCXNSION, Rego, and Damiano The Don/The Miserable Genius. Keep a look out for more recordings coming from HUEY, The Cosmonaut. in the not so distant future.
The music of Andrew North is precisely what you would expect to listen to on a cheery Saturday night at your favorite Bean Town jazz club. As New England as a delicious cup of clam chowder or a walk by the seacoast, Andrew North’s cheery piano melodies, and uplifting lyrics have that unifying feel to them; they evoke a strong sense of community. Backed by former bandmate and good friend Pete Casselman on drums, North stepped into a Burlington, VT studio to record Lost City, his first EP released in March that encompasses years of musical and personal discoveries. In “Out of Time” Casselman’s funky drumbeat drives North’s intricate jazz tunes while in “Go North” the upbeat tempo and tender piano embellishments ooze ardent devotion for the craft. The story of Andrew North is one of resilience, of returning to long lost passions, of acceptance and love. Andrew North’s story continues as he will perform June 21st at Market Days Music in Concord, NH. “Go North” is streaming for your enjoyment below. – Rene Cobar
Singer/Songwriter Conrad Merced recently released a new single called “Don’t Stop Here”. This follow’s his creative 2018 Shel Silverstein Tribute EP, and is taken from his forthcoming album.
You can catch Conrad Merced at Silvie’s Lounge on June 10th as part of Acoustic Explosion.
“Fault Line” is featured on Riverby‘s debut EP, The Guide to Oversharing. It’s a delightful, radio-friendly throwback from a bygone era with Sophia Greenberg delivering a warm yet heart-aching tale. Depicting temporary happiness and the long-term, melancholy aftershocks, the song characterizes how one disregards the long view in favor of the moment. And with that, a sense of loss, rather than a memory of joy, remains. You can get the feels with Greenberg and company tomorrow evening at Connie’s Ric Rac, where they will be joined by Dweller and Patrick Donovan.
Hearkening back to the UK twee pop sound of the mid-80’s, Brooklyn’s Jeanines are set to release their self-titled debut album on June 14th. Partnering with Slumberland Records makes perfect sense as that label has specialized in next generation bands emulating the C86/early Creation sound since it’s inception in 1989. The wistful lyrics, vocals and guitar of Alicia Jeanine and My Teenage Stride Jed Smith’s bass and drums perfectly combine to create new songs within this timeless sound. “Either Way” (streaming below) captures the melancholy charm of original era bands like Talulah Gosh, who were as influential as any of the Sarah Records pioneers. It’s jangly, indie-pop that couples doubt with a sense of hope (“you have got to stay.”) Just released new single “Too Late” (streaming here) takes that a step further, with a more frantic velocity echoing its lyrical sentiment of regret. The album is now available for preorder, while the band play next on 6/12 at Trans-Pecos, and 6/22 at Alphaville for their release show. –Dave Cromwell
Kills Birds wanted to bring a primal approach on their new single “Ow”—ignore any restrictions and discover their essence through pure spontaneity. Armed with vocalist Nina Ljeti’s feral delivery, the noise rock project built the skeleton of the track through unconstrained means. At first, guitarist Jacob Loeb had a simple riff and Lteji could only offer her stream of consciousness vocals. The final result shows the now-quartet’s undeniable chemistry—Ljeti’s offbeat, cryptic imagery is built around Loeb’s bendy, soft-loud sonic dynamics, stringing together an aural assault that blazes through with loads of attitude.
"Ow" is featured on Kills Birds’ self-titled debut LP, which is due out August 28 via KRO Records. Watch them perform at Office Party in Highland Park on June 18. Juan Rodríguez
Advance Base (aka Owen Ashworth) has released a great cover of the classic Magnetic Fields song “Either You Don’t Love Me Or I Don’t Love You”. The track is taken from his remastered Magnetic Fields cover EP, “Tomorrow’s Home Today”, wihich will be reissued via Orindal Records on September 13th. However, the album will be available in person through out the tour.
The single was released in conjunction with the announcement of Ashworth’s summer tour, which kicks off on June 21st at Hungry Brain with Claire Cronin & Moon Racer. You can find all of the tour dates here.
