Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 194
November 19, 2024
Stella Rose (Dave Gahan Daughter) Shares "HOLLYBABY" Single + Video via FLOOD | 'Hollybaby' EP Due December 13th via KRO Records
Single + Video via FLOOD
Hollybaby EP Due December 13th via KRO Records
Photo by Nolan ZangasPRE-SAVE: Stella Rose - Hollybaby EP Pre-Save
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Stella Rose - "HOLLYBABY"
Stream | YouTube
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Stella Rose - "MS.45"
Stream | YouTube
LISTEN & SHARE: Stella Rose - Eyes Of Glass LP
Stream"Crafting her own mélange of sounds with her band The Dead Language, Rose doesn’t conform to any particular sights or sound on Eyes of Glass, produced by Yves Rothman. Eyes of Glass is walk on the wilder, and sentimental, sides of Rose’s life over the past few years."
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"'Faithful' doubles down on the dark and electric energy of her earlier track while amplifying its focus on pop hooks, seemingly documenting a night out in LA as directed by David Lynch."
- FLOOD Magazine
"Dark, clattering, noisy"
- Revolver
"With the metal scrapes still ringing in our ears, the New York-based multi-hyphenate slows it down — and induces auditory whiplash in the process — with her elegant new single, 'Angel' [...] Her warm, folksy croon swells into a room-filling climax, reminiscent of an impassioned prayer or sermon."
- PAPER
“Rose combined the poetic gifts of Patti Smith with a powerful voice reminiscent of Lady Gaga. There’s nothing muddled about her future, she’s on her way to stardom.”
- The Line of Best Fit
"Dark, intense, and synthy [...] a great vehicle for Stella Rose's smoky vocals"
- Brooklyn Vegan
"Passionate and dissolute, 'Muddled Man' recalls Nick Cave at his Biblical best"
- Clash - Track of the Day
Today, ahead of the release of her upcoming EP, Hollybaby, due December 13th via KRO Records, NYC based rising singer-songwriter, Stella Rose, releases the single and lyric video for “HOLLYBABY,” the project’s titular track.
The release of “HOLLYBABY,” follows the first single from the EP, “MS.45.,” an ethereal and chilling work of poetry turned song, produced by her longtime collaborator, Yves Rothman, co-founder of KRO Records. In “HOLLYBABY,” Stella’s signature seductive vocals, and bombastic, dangerous punk sound blend together as the haunting bass melody repeats over an echoing Stella singing, “I’m a loose wire.”
The writing process for Hollybaby saw Stella Rose differ from familiarity. Not only did she shift from her native New York to Los Angeles to complete her home recorded demos, she also adopted a more urgent style of writing, embracing time constraints and challenging herself to give her original ideas a “second life”.
Each day reached 100+ degrees as Hollybaby came together during the hottest week of the summer in LA. Both Stella Rose and her producer Yves fed off that uncomfortable heat in the studio, culminating in her loudest, rawest and arguably most entrancing material to date.
2024 has been a year of growth and transformation for Stella Rose, seeing her grow into an international fashion muse for houses like Ann D, Celine and EDR. She is receiving the full embrace of the booming underground scene in New York City, having recently performed at the very first show at the buzzy Hancock, frequented by Pretty Sick and The Dare. Having recently wrapped up a successful run of UK/EU tour dates with A Place To Bury Strangers, Stella Rose embarks on her latest chapter with the wind firmly in her sails.
With influences like Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and evidently, her father Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, Stella Rose’s unapologetically expressive and alluring persona and lyrics are sure to captivate.
Stella Rose - "HOLLYBABY" (Lyric Video)Stella Rose is taking her show on the road, hitting stops across Europe this month. Find tickets and more information HERE.
STELLA ROSE LIVE
11/19 - Koln, DE - Bumann & Son
11/22 - Athens, GR - Death Disco
11/23 - Bucharest, RO - Control Club
11/25 - Vilnius, LT - Catherine's Church
OSEES Announce 2025 U.S. Tour Dates | 2025 Europe & UK Dates with Container On Sale Now
2025 Europe + UK Dates with Container On Sale Now
Photo by amdophotoLISTEN: OSEES - SORCS 80 LIVE LPSpotify / Apple Music
LISTEN & SHARE: OSEES - SORCS 80
Spotify / Apple Music
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OSEES - "Earthling"
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OSEES - "CASSIUS, BRUTUS & JUDAS"
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube2024 has been a record year for OSEES. This year, the band has traveled extensively, with headlining performances throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia, and they have no plans of slowing down. Following the summer release of their album, SORCS 80 , the iconic group will continue to jet-set across the globe. Fans can look forward to a blend of innovative sounds and the raw punk energy that OSEES are known for.
Today, OSEES are announcing a huge U.S. tour in 2025. Tickets go on sale Friday November 22nd at 9am PT/ Noon ET. Find info and tickets HERE, and see the full list of dates below.
OSEES Fall 2025 US Tour
February 15 – Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar w/ Diode, DJ Nick at Nite
July 18 - Oakland, CA @ Thee Stork Club (Mosswood Meltdown Pre-Party)
July 19 - Oakland, CA @ Mosswood Meltdown
September 3 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater
September 4 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater
September 5 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
September 6 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
September 8 - Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club (Ballroom)
September 9 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
September 10 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
September 12 - Las Vegas, NV @ 24 Oxford @ Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
October 17 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
October 18 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas
October 19 - Dallas, TX @ Ferris Wheelers
October 20 - Hot Springs National Park, AR @ Cedar Glades Park
October 22 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre
October 24 - Philadelphia, PA
October 25 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
October 26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
October 28 - Cleveland, OH
October 29 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
October 30 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
November 2 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
November 4 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
November 5 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent BallroomRecently, the band announced a run across Europe and the UK in May and June of 2025. Today, they are announcing Container as the supporting act on their UK run.
Find more information and tickets HERE, and find the full list of dates below.
OSEES LIVE IN EUROPE & UK 2025:
May 15 - Paris, FR - Cabaret sauvage
May 16 - Brussels, BEL - Les Nuits Botanique
May 18 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
May 20 - Marseille, FR - L'espace Julien
May 21 - Toulouse, FR - Le Bikini
May 23 - Barcelona, SP - Paralel 62
May 24 - Murcia, SP - Antioxidante
May 25 - Madrid, SP - La Riviera
May 26 - Biarritz, FR - Atabal
May 28 - Lyon, FR - Transbordeur
May 29 - Esch sur Alzette, LUX - KulturFabrik
May 30 - Nuremberg, DE - Z-BAU
May 31 - Vienna, AUT - Arena
June 15th - Bristol - Marble Factory
June 16th - Manchester - 02 Ritz
June 18th - Glasgow - SWG3 Galvanisers
June 19th - Edinburgh - Liquid Rooms
June 20th - Leeds - Irish Centre
June 21st - Birmingham - The Crossing
June 23rd - London - Electric Ballroom
June 24th - London - Heaven
June 25th - Brighton - Chalk
OSEES LINKSWebsite | Bandcamp
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart announces B-Sides collection, 'Perfect Right NOW' ahead of reunion shows
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart announces B-Sides collection, PERFECT RIGHT NOW ahead of reunion shows
VIDEO: "Say No To Love" -
YouTube
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart exploded out of the late 00s Brooklyn indie scene with a bright, distinctive sound that paid tribute to everything from C86 to early Slumberland, Sarah and Creation label pop, but with a distinct American flavor drawn from groups like Smashing Pumpkins and The Exploding Hearts. Their 2009 self-titled debut is rightly considered a classic, and with Perfect Right Now, we're thrilled to round out the story of The Pains' early years.
The ten tracks here compile the much-loved (and LONG out of print!) b-sides from the 7"s that accompanied that first album, the follow-up Higher Than The Stars EP, a couple of scarce tunes from split singles, and finally "Say No To Love," a spectacular song that points the way forward to the band's next chapter. There are some proper lost classics here, songs like "Kurt Cobain's Cardigan" and "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" that still pack the dancefloors at indie discos from Göteborg to Glasgow and we couldn't be more excited to make them available again.
We'll let Kip from the band have the last word: "Many of these songs, like those that comprised our debut record, were written in that *now* – making up in wild pop fantasy what we couldn't quite yet achieve through musical ability. But even if that *now* is now an irrevocable *then,* I still believe that there is nothing better than making music with your friends and dreaming, as our Myspace page once proclaimed, of 'being the biggest band in the world—to about 18 people.'"
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Perfect Right Now: A Slumberland Collection 2008 - 2010
(Slumberland)
Street Date: Feb. 7, 2025
Formats: Vinyl / CD / Digital
Track List:
1. Kurt Cobain's Cardigan
2. Come Saturday ('Searching for the Now' Version)
3. Ramona
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5. Side Ponytail
6. Higher Than the Stars
7. 103
8. Falling Over
9. Twins
10. Say No to Love
TPOBPAH LINKS:
Pre-order vinyl
Official Site
Blue Sky
Facebook
Instagram
1960’s San Francisco Vocalist Jeannie Piersol Releasing First-Ever Anthology Via High Moon
HIGH MOON RECORDS PRESENTS FIRST-EVER ANTHOLOGY
FROM 1960’S SAN FRANCISCO VOCALIST JEANNIE PIERSOL
THE NEST COLLECTS VINTAGE STUDIO OUTTAKES,
DEMOS, LIVE PERFORMANCES, AND SOUGHT-AFTER SINGLES
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE THE CHILL-OUT CLASSIC, “THE NEST” – LISTEN
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERES TODAY – WATCH
EXTENSIVELY ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET FEATURES LINER NOTES
FROM 5X GRAMMY® AWARD-NOMINATED ARCHIVIST ALEC PALAO,
NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS, AND MORE
THE NEST ARRIVES VIA HIGH MOON RECORDS
ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025
PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW
High Moon Records is pleased to announce The Nest, the first-ever anthology from enigmatic 1960’s San Francisco vocalist Jeannie Piersol. The 12-track collection arrives Friday, January 24, 2025 on CD, vinyl LP, and digital download, accompanied by an extensively illustrated booklet that includes liner notes from 5x GRAMMY® Award-nominated compilation producer Alec Palao (featuring exclusive interviews with Piersol and many of her musical collaborators), plus lavish artwork, never-before-seen photos, memorabilia, and more. Pre-orders are available now.
PRE-ORDER JEANNIE PIERSOL – THE NEST
With her hip hybrid of rock, soul and Indian flavors, Jeannie Piersol is one of the enigmas of the mid-1960s San Francisco scene. Though little known, the distinctive singer emerged from the same Marin County community that nurtured the principals of the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Big Brother and other leading lights of Bay Area’s future rock meritocracy. Close friends with Grace Slick and her brother-in-law Darby Slick, Piersol duetted with Grace in an embryonic line-up early Bay Area outfit The Great! Society before leaving to front her own bands, The Yellow Brick Road and Hair, both of whom worked the clubs and ballrooms of the emerging SF circuit, including such legendary venues as The Matrix.
The Nest gathers together the handful of tracks Piersol recorded during her all-too-brief but blazing career, including a pair of sought-after singles released on Chess Records’ psychedelic Cadet Concept subsidiary, plus studio outtakes, demos, live performances, and material by The Yellow Brick Road and Hair. Highlights include the slow-burning, psychedelically informed 1969 single, “The Nest,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official music video premieres today at the High Moon Records YouTube channel.
LISTEN TO “THE NEST”
WATCH “THE NEST” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
A siren song marked by its ear-catching flourish of sarod, funky backbeat, and – seemingly out of nowhere – Piersol’s honeyed, hypnotic, eminently seductive voice, “The Nest” has become a chill-out favorite in recent years, lionized by DJs, reprised by indie rockers, and frequently pondered in blogs and podcasts. For decades, the backstory to this alluring track (which notably features backing vocals from iconic soul singer Minnie Riperton) was ambiguous at best, but it can now be revealed as a landmark by-product from the crucial formative years of the fabled Bay Area rock scene.
“A full 55 years since its release, ‘The Nest’ still entrances, and perhaps has now found its true place in a world where records this disarmingly ingenuous can probably no longer be made,” write Alec Palao in his liner notes. “Along with most everything else Jeannie recorded, it’s something to be justly proud of.”
Jeannie Piersol’s tale may be just one of the multiple strands that make up the fabric of West Coast rock ’n’ roll mythology, but it nonetheless remains instructive. There is the distinct air of unfulfilled potential that spills from The Nest, but the singer was subject to the variegates of an industry that still flung new acts at the wall and would happily abandon anything that failed to adhere commercially. So, like many of her generation, rather than succumb to the showbiz grind, Piersol decided to walk away and live a normal life. Now, High Moon’s welcome release of The Nest, what for decades have been Jeannie Piersol’s own personal keepsakes and memories are now something we can all appreciate.
# # #
JEANNIE PIERSOL
THE NEST
(High Moon Records)
Release Date: Friday, January 24, 2025
TRACKLIST:
Side 1
1. The Nest
2. Joined In Space
3. Gladys
4. Quivering
5. Everyone Needs Love
6. Shot Me Through
Side 2
1. Your Sweet Inner Self
2. Gladys (Demo)
3. Mr. Bright Eyes
4. Heading For The Sun
5. With Your Love
6. Light Sinking Down
CONNECT WITH HIGH MOON RECORDS
HIGHMOONRECORDS.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
CLARA LA SAN ANNOUNCES RE-RELEASE OF 'GOOD MOURNING'
CLARA LA SAN ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL RE-RELEASE OF ACCLAIMED MIXTAPE GOOD MOURNING
OUT DECEMBER 13; PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE HERE
LISTEN TO SINGLE “UNPLANNED”
ANTICIPATED SOLD OUT DEBUT SHOWS THIS FALL IN LOS ANGELES, BROOKLYN, AND LONDON
PRESS PRAISE FOR CLARA LA SAN
“La San has opened up a new world within her sound with gorgeous details that reveal themselves on multiple listens and huge, cinema-sized emotions.” - FADER
“Clara La San’s sound is singular. Her voice is effortless, slippery. Her lyrics have the unique quality of being disarmingly direct, moving between the confessional and meditative.” - PAPER
“The slickest noughties R&B beat and Aaliyah-esque melodies we’ve heard in a minute.” - NYLON
“She weaves observations on daily life into a sonic tapestry of synths, 90's trip-hop, and experimental R&B” - OFFICE
Today, enigmatic composer, producer, and singer Clara La San announces the revival of her acclaimed 2017 mixtape Good Mourning — out December 13 via CLS Music / AWAL Recordings. Co-written and co-produced with UK electronic producer Jam City (Troye Sivan, Lil Yachty, Kelela) and adding to Clara La San’s mysterious allure, the project had been deleted from DSPs after making waves in underground circles upon its initial release. Now, following the release of her debut album Made Mistakes in June, La San is returning to her roots to re-release Good Mourning with re-recorded vocals and a fresh mix from engineer Geoff Swan (Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Caroline Polachek). Crystallizing the sonic and visual world she has been perfecting for nearly a decade, the mixtape also features a never-before heard/brand new song titled “Enemy”. She announces Good Mourning with “Unplanned”, a track that found virality through a series of “leaked” fan demos on YouTube and across social media that, albeit unintentionally, laid the foundation for the growth of Clara La San’s cult following. Listen to “Unplanned” HERE.
In June, Clara La San released her long-awaited debut album, Made Mistakes—critically heralded by The FADER, Office Magazine, Paper Magazine, Nylon, and more. Made Mistakes finely balances Clara’s renewed conviction in her solo sound with an empathetic vulnerability that identifies her as an R&B siren taking control of her agency and finding her place in the world. Somewhat shadowy and avoidant of the spotlight previously, on Made Mistakes Clara opens listeners up not just to her music, but the whole Clara La San audio-visual world, finally unlocked for fans to interpret and ultimately lose themselves in. This month, Clara will play a string of shows in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and London marking Clara La San’s debut live performances and providing long-time fans and newcomers alike the opportunity to experience Clara’s world up close and personal. Tickets on sale HERE.
While her music is steeped in a holistic listening of myriad musical strands—from early aughts R&B to contemporary rap instrumentals—Clara La San braids her influences with inspirations from cinema scores and up-to-the-second sound design, also thanks to additional and co-production provided by Yves Rothman (Amaarae, Blondshell, Yves Tumor) and mixing by the iconic Tony Maserati (Mary J Blige, Beyonce, Lady Gaga) to express a singular style of electro-soul and pop. In October 2024, Made Mistakes was “Chopped Not Slopped” by Houston legends DJ Candlestick and OG Ron C, further cementing her authentic influences to a tangible community of rap and R&B lovers. Listen HERE. Her palpable style is matched by a rare ability to conceive top-line vocal melodies, layered in blushing harmonies that instantly imprint on the memory and have kept her growing and devoted fanbase, including many other artists and peers, returning for more.
LISTEN TO “UNPLANNED”
https://claralasan.ffm.to/unplanned
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE GOOD MOURNING
https://claralasan.ffm.to/goodmourning
STREAM MADE MISTAKES
https://claralasan.ffm.to/mademistakes.OPR
WATCH THE VISUALIZER FOR “THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW”
https://claralasan.ffm.to/thingsyoudidntknow.OPR
WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR “THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW”
https://claralasan.ffm.to/tydklyricvideo.OPR
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “TALKING TO YOU”
https://claralasan.ffm.to/talkingtoyouvideo.OPR
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT”
https://claralasan.ffm.to/dontworryaboutitvideo.OPR
GOOD MOURNING TRACKLIST
MADE MISTAKES LIVE DATES
Wednesday, November 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge, Hollywood Forever
Friday, November 22 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere, Zone One SOLD OUT
Wednesday, November 27 - London, UK - Corsica Studios SOLD OUT
Thursday, November 28 - London UK - Corsica Studios SOLD OUT
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
PHOTO CREDIT: Bernado Martins
FOLLOW CLARA LA SAN
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GOD'S MOM share new single/video "Dallo A Me". Debut album 'As It Was Given' exclusively available on Nina.
- Debut album 'As It Was Given' exclusively on Nina
Photo credit: Jacopo Paglione
God's Mom is the collaboration of Canadian artist Bria Salmena with producer and filmmaker A. Matthews to reimagine her ancestral Calabrian vocal traditions into a distorted portrait of the present. Today they share their new single/video "Dallo A Me" out via LMDD/Bonsound, taken from their album of selected works As It Was Given which is now available exclusively to stream and download via Nina and Bandcamp.
"Dallo A Me" on other streaming services:https://ffm.to/godsmom-dalloame
As It Was Given stream/download: https://www.ninaprotocol.com/releases/as-it-was-given
Across the selected works on As It Was Given, recorded between 2020-2024, God’s Mom expands on the short bursts of dancefloor energy from their previous EP with a more panoramic and nuanced expression. Inspired by vocal traditions rooted in her Italian heritage, Salmena packs the album full of mantras, fiery assertions, and personal confessions, often explicitly regarding womanhood. Studying the polyphonic singing in Calabrese tarantella’s, documented in recordings from the 1930’s-60s, she found that songs sung by these women from her family’s native region were especially haunting: “in almost every track it was clear that singing was the purest form of expression, singing to release energy, pass the time, mourn the dead, and even happy songs are almost unlistenable at times. They sound far more raw than any punk singer I had ever heard”.
Salmena’s urge to draw on her ancestral connection with these traditions became God’s Mom’s foundation, “in order to understand why I need to express myself musically in certain ways”, she says. “The voices of these women in the recordings were the only things that could not be silenced by extreme religious and gendered oppression, and in some way, I felt I could give a voice to the women in my lineage whose only value was seen in childbearing and serving men. God’s Mom’s performance and styling are not hedonism for the sake of hedonism, it’s a reckoning”.
Salmena, who releases her solo music via Sub Pop/Royal Mountain started working with Matthews (Dime Lifters) on the selected works that is As It Was Given in 2020, following several years of intensive touring with her band FRIGS and as a member of Orville Peck’s band. Between 2020-2024, they created the varied pallet of God’s Mom’s sound, which is laden with hooks, blown-out bass, and reckless genre jumping. Moving from rave anthems to moments that feel like some forgotten 80s Vogue classic or even a melodramatic wedding song from the Calabrian coast, the album switches footing fearlessly. It presents very much like a club that has different styles of music for different rooms, depending on whether you want to come up or come down.
The album carries a shadowy undercurrent that often rattles like an exorcism but can also appear hymnal and celebrates the power and beauty of community. The cacophonous group vocals that haunt the record are the connecting thread, with Salmena singing in chorale with these ghosts of the past in harmony and admiration. As It Was Given is new body music that channels an old-world spirit.As It Was Given album artwork:
Links:
Youtube
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Apple Music
Spotify
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Debut Album w/World Tour & Upcoming Reissue
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
CELEBRATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF LANDMARK DEBUT ALBUM
WITH EPIC WORLD TOUR AND UPCOMING REISSUE
GLOBAL HEADLINE RUN BEGINS MARCH 31, 2025 IN WASHINGTON, DC
TICKETS FOR ALL DATES GO ON SALE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22
ORIGINAL 2004 RECORDING OF ALBUM FAVORITE,
“HEAVY METAL,” PREMIERES TODAY – LISTEN
SPECIAL NEW VINYL EDITION OF CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
ARRIVES EARLY NEXT YEAR ON THEIR OWN LABEL
VIA SECRETLY DISTRIBUTION
Photo Credit: Matt Barrick
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark self-titled debut album with an epic world tour and exclusive new reissue. The first leg of the global headline run gets underway with North American dates beginning March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC and then performing 20 more shows including a very special homecoming performance set for May 10 at Philadelphia, PA’s Union Transfer. September will see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah crossing the Atlantic for a series of European dates in Belgium, Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom including a two-night stand at London’s EartH (September 19-20). The tour then heads Down Under for dates in Australia and New Zealand beginning November 5 at Sydney’s Metro Theatre. Tickets for all dates go on sale Friday, November 22. Additional dates – including further European shows and visits to Japan, Central and South America – will be announced soon. For complete details and ticket information, please visit cyhsy.com/live.
The 20th anniversary of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will further be commemorated with a special new reissue, arriving on limited-edition vinyl LP early next year on the band’s own label via Secretly Distribution, the defiantly independent home of Alec Ounsworth’s music for over two decades. The celebration officially gets underway with today’s premiere of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s original 2004 version of the fan favorite, “Heavy Metal,” available everywhere now. Recorded live at Pawtucket, RI’s Machines with Magnets Studios, the newly remixed and mastered track was recently discovered among the original project files and captures what Clap Your Hands Say Yeah founder and frontman Alec Ounsworth calls “a special moment in time – a young group of guys all piling into one hotel room to wake up and go to a real studio (!) to try to come up with something special just for the fun of it.”
“At the time, “Heavy Metal” was meant to appear alongside a small collection of songs to be used for an EP to be shopped around to labels,” Ounsworth says. “We never thought that an album was possible at the time. Later, during the mixing of the EP, a decision was made to add other songs. This final collection of songs went on to be the first album.
“I guess I didn't think this original version of ‘Heavy Metal’ sat very well on the album once we started recording some of the later songs (‘The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth,’ ‘Is This Love?,’ etc.) so I decided the song should be changed even though the original (as a standalone single) had always worked. Now that I listen to the original ‘Heavy Metal’ remixed and mastered, I realize it very well could (should?) have been on the album itself.
“I really like both versions of ‘Heavy Metal’ but 20 years later I think I’ve come to appreciate this one a little more. The rest of the album has this excitement too of course but the earliest songs speak even more to a certain innocence around that time which I try hard not to forget.”
LISTEN TO “HEAVY METAL” (ORIGINAL 2004 VERSION)
# # #
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR 2005
MARCH
31 – Washington DC – The Atlantis
APRIL
1 – Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
2 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
4 – Ft. Worth, TX – Tulip’s
5 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
7 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
8 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater
9 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
11 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
12 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café
13 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
16 – Denver, CO – Bluebird
MAY
2 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar and Hall
3 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
4 – Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
6 – Toronto, ON – Great Hall
7 – Albany, NY – The Egg
8 – Somerville, MA – Crystal Ballroom
9 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
10 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
SEPTEMBER
14 – Leffinge, BE – Leffingeleuren Festival †
16 – Dublin, IE – Button Factory
18 – Paris, FR – Gaité Lyrique
19 – London, UK – EartH
20 – London, UK – EartH
NOVEMBER
5 – Sydney, AU – Metro Theatre
7 – Melbourne, AU – Northcote Theatre
8 – Brisbane, AU – The Triffid
11 – Auckland, NZ – The Tuning Fork
† FESTIVAL APPEARANCE
# # #
FOLLOWING WILDLY SUCCESSFUL NORTH AMERICAN RUN, NEW WAVE ICON HOWARD JONES AND SYNTH POP STARS ABC ANNOUNCE MORE CO-HEADLINING AMERICAN TOUR DATES FOR FEBRUARY, 2025
FOLLOWING WILDLY SUCCESSFUL NORTH AMERICAN
RUN, NEW WAVE ICON HOWARD JONES AND SYNTH POP
STARS ABC ANNOUNCE MORE CO-HEADLINING AMERICAN
TOUR DATES FOR FEBRUARY, 2025
SIRIUSXM DJ RICHARD BLADE TO OPEN THE SHOW
(New York, NY) – Following a wildly successful run of North American tour dates earlier this year, new wave icon Howard Jones and synth pop stars ABC are set to return to the United States for more co-headlining tour dates in February, 2025. SiriusXM First Wave DJ Richard Blade will open the show with his world-renowned DJ set. The 2025 tour dates kick off in San Francisco at The Masonic on Thursday, February 6th. Please see below for the confirmed itinerary to date.
Of the new tour dates, Howard Jones commented, “So excited to be teaming up with the excellent ABC once again for another run of dates in the USA. When I heard that Richard Blade was on board with us, I knew that this tour will be something extra special. Join the party...see you out there!” ABC frontman Martin Fry stated, “Keenly anticipating some incredible nights with good friends Howard Jones and Richard Blade on stage. This tour’s gonna be unmissable”. Richard Blade added, “I'm thrilled to be asked to go on the road with two such important musical artists - and great friends - Howard Jones and Martin Fry of ABC. Their live performances are always so good, I'm definitely going to have to step up my game. It's really going to be an exceptional tour.”
Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones has been a constant presence on the international touring scene for the past four decades, playing live in a number of different configurations including intimate solo shows and dates with his full high-tech band set-up. He first burst upon the contemporary music scene in 1983, with his very English songwriting and pioneering synthesizers with “New Song”. His first two albums HUMAN’S LIB and DREAM INTO ACTION were worldwide hits. HUMAN’S LIB reached #1 in 1984 in the UK and featured the hits “New Song,” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, Jones released the follow-up, DREAM INTO ACTION, which quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and featured the smashes: “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.”
Howard Jones has sold upwards of 10 million albums worldwide and continues to make new music and tour the world. Jones has performed on NBC’s top-rated morning and nighttime shows respectively, Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His ubiquitous hits can be heard in such high-profile television series and films such as “Stranger Things,” “Breaking Bad,” “Watchmen,” “The Carrie Diaries”, “Superstore” and “Bumblebee”. Howard Jones’ most recent album is DIALOGUE, which was released in September, 2022. DIALOGUE is the third album in a trilogy of electronic releases from Jones with multi-media project ENGAGE coming out in 2015 and studio album TRANSFORM out in 2019. DIALOGUE garnered serious coverage in outlets such as Spin, Stereogum and more.
ABC’s career has been nothing short of spectacular, helping define the 80’s with a unique brand of pop that set a new standard for the decade. Their debut album THE LEXICON OF LOVE , released in May 1982, skyrocketed to number one on the UK charts. Showcasing Martin Fry’s distinctive, soulful voice with unforgettable hits like “Poison Arrow” and “The Look Of Love” and “All of My Heart”. Produced by the legendary Trevor Horn, and voted by many as the best British album of the decade, cementing ABC’s place in music history. More hits would follow with subsequent albums BEAUTY STAB, HOW TO BE A ZILLIONAIRE and ALPHABET CITY including “How To Be A Millionaire,” “Be Near Me” “Vanity Kills” and “When Smokey Sings”. ABC have released nine albums to date. With upwards of 20 million albums sold worldwide. ABC’s influence has only grown. They continue to thrill audiences globally with their stunning live show. In 2016, Martin Fry released the highly acclaimed LEXICON OF LOVE II album which entered the top five of the British album charts. ABC have also toured Europe extensively to great acclaim with an orchestral show conducted by Anne Dudley and featuring The Lexicon Sinfonia. Martin Fry has recently published his memoir celebrating four thrilling decades in the music business, “A Lexicon of Life”.
Richard Blade is one of the most popular and best-known DJs in America, hosting a daily radio show on both SiriusXM 1st Wave Ch. 33 and middays on KCBS, Jack FM. In the 1980s, he was the top-rated morning drive DJ on KROQ, Los Angeles, and hosted and directed numerous TV shows and series including Video One, MV3 and VideoBeat. In 1991 he created Richard Blade’s Flashback Lunch which aired daily at noon and was copied by many stations across North America. It also spawned a series of six CDs on Sony Music, Richard Blade’s Flashback Favorites. He has won numerous awards, including, most recently, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Richard is the best-selling author of World In My Eyes, his autobiography, and five novels: SPQR, Birthright, Imposters, Ghosts of the Congo, and Slapton Sands, all of which made #1 on Amazon’s best-seller lists. He also has two non-fiction music books, The Lockdown Interviews and The Unlocked Interviews, which feature both Howard Jones and ABC. He is releasing an expanded version of World In My Eyes on Dec 10th.
Howard Jones and ABC with Richard Blade 2025 American tour dates:
FEBRUARY
6 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
7 Rancho Mirage, CA Agua Caliente Resort
8 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
11 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom
14 San Antonio, TX HEB Performance Hall
15 Dallas, TX Music Hall At Fair Park
16 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
17 Houston, TX House Of Blues
19 Omaha, NE Steelhouse Omaha
20 Waukegan, IL The Genesee
21 Nashville, IN Brown County Music Center
23 Washington, DC Warner Theatre
To experience Howard Jones, please visit:
To experience ABC, please visit:
For more information on Richard Blade, please visit:
November 18, 2024
AGAPE LODGE POETRY SOCIETY November 17th 2024 @ Ultrasound Studios DTLA
All photos taken by Martin Worster
Nada Surf Announce Second Leg of North American Tour - Additional European Dates Also Announced
NADA SURF ANNOUNCE SECOND LEG OF NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
ADDITIONAL EUROPEAN TOUR DATES ALSO ANNOUNCED
MOON MIRROR OUT NOW VIA NEW WEST RECORDS
Nada Surf Photograph by Nico Quere
Nada Surf announced the second leg of their North American tour launching April 15, 2025 in Baltimore, MD. On the road in support of their new album, Moon Mirror, the tour will feature stops at the Basement East in Nashville, TN, The Parish in Austin, TX, The Bluebird Theater in Denver, CO and more. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, November 22 at 11:00 AM local time.
The band is currently in the midst of their UK/European tour and will be in London this Saturday night at the Islington Academy. Additional European dates were also recently announced through March 14, 2025 in Ris-Orangis, France. Please see tour dates below.
Nada Surf’s New West Records debut was released in September to universal acclaim. Rolling Stone raved “Moon Mirror is one of their best…” calling it “Nada Surf’s most musically and emotionally passionate album in years” while Uncut Magazine called it “Masterful power pop with a cerebral core… the band’s deepest and most accomplished effort yet.” MOJO called it “Wonderful” in their 4 Star review, while No Depression said “Moon Mirror represents a step forward for the band… one of the best albums of their long career.”
A thrilling and moving leap forward for the band, Moon Mirror is true to the human experience—as meaningful and mysterious and sometimes absurd as it is. These new songs thrum with love, grief, deep loneliness, doubt, wonder, and hope. There is hard-won wisdom and hard-won belief in possibility. It has everything fans love and expect from the band: play-on-repeat heart punches, poetic and thought-provoking musings on the world around them, and bittersweet anthems that begin quietly but explode into soaring harmonies.
Nada Surf formed in New York City in 1992 and released their debut single, “The Plan”/“Telescope” in 1994. They signed to Elektra Records and released their first full-length High/Low in 1996. Produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars, High/Low was an instant hit based on the massive success of its lead single “Popular,” but the band truly hit its stride in the 2000s, starting with the release of 2002’s Let Go. Anthemic, catchy, yet emotionally knotty, that album won them new fans and greater acclaim, and they built on both with each subsequent release, including 2005’s melancholic The Weight Is a Gift and the bone-raw The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy. Rather than summarize their celebrated career with a traditional greatest hits package, on 2016’s Peaceful Ghosts they recorded some of their most popular songs alongside the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, one of the only remaining film orchestras in Western Europe.
Nada Surf is Matthew Caws (vocals, guitar), Daniel Lorca (bass, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), and Louie Lino (keyboards).
Nada Surf’s Moon Mirror is available NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
Nada Surf on tour:
November 21 - Dublin, IE - Academy
November 22 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla
November 23 - London, UK - Islington Academy
November 24 - Luxembourg - Den Atelier
November 25 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg
November 26 - Brussels, BE - Botanique
November 27 - Cologne, DE - Carlswerk Victoria
November 29 - Paris, FR - Bataclan
November 30 - Lille, FR - Aeronef
December 1 - Hamburg, DE - Markthalle
December 2 - Berlin, DE - Metropol
December 3 - Munich, DE - Backstage Werk
December 4 - Vienna, AT - Arena
December 6 - Zurich, CH - Dynamo
December 7 - Milan, IT - Santeria Social Club
December 8 - Clermont-Ferrand, FR - La Cooperative de Mai
February 24, 2025 - Lyon, FR - Transbordeur
February 25, 2025 - Perpignan, FR - El Mediator
February 26, 2025 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmattazz 2
February 27, 2025 - Valencia, ES - Rambleta
February 28, 2025 - Murcia, ES - Theatre Villa de Molina
March 2, 2025 - Vigo, ES - Mar de Vigo Auditorium
March 4, 2025 - Bordeaux, FR - Rock School Barbey
March 5, 2025 - Besançon, FR - La Rodia
March 6, 2025 - Geneva, CH - Alhambra
March 7, 2025 - Maussane-les-Alpilles, FR - WIM Fest
March 9, 2025 - Hannover, DE - MusikZentrum
March 10, 2025 - Leipzig, DE - Täubchenthal
March 11, 2025 - Aschaffenburg, DE - Colos-Saal
March 12, 2025 - Liege, BE - OM
March 13, 2025 - Den Haag, NL - Paard
March 14, 2025 - Ris-Orangis, FR - Le Plan
April 15, 2025 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
April 16, 2025 - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern
April 17, 2025 - Lexington, KY - Headliner’s
April 18, 2025 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
April 19, 2025 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
April 21, 2025 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
April 22, 2025 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
April 23, 2025 - Little Rock, AR - Stickyz Rock ‘N’ Roll Chicken Shack
April 24, 2025 - Austin, TX - Parish
April 25, 2025 - Houston, TX - The Heights Theater
April 26, 2025 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater
April 28, 2025 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
April 29, 2025 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
April 30, 2025 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
May 2, 2025 - Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
May 3, 2025 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar
May 4, 2025 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit Hall
