Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 207
October 25, 2024
Duff McKagan Releases 3 New Singles Ahead of Tour w/Punk Legends Lee Ving, Joey Sh*thead, and Steve Jones
DUFF MCKAGAN TEAMS WITH ICONIC PUNK LEGENDS
TO HERALD LIGHTHOUSE TOUR ’24 US RUN
ALL TURNING LOOSE (FEAT. LEE VING of FEAR & RANGE WAR)
+
MY NAME IS BOB (FEAT. JOEY “SHITHEAD” KEITHLEY of D.O.A.)
+
HEROES LIVE FROM ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL
(FEAT. STEVE JONES of SEX PISTOLS)
PREMIERE TODAY – LISTEN
EXCLUSIVE 7” AVAILABLE ON THIS TOUR
LIGHTHOUSE TOUR ’24 HITS THE US NOVEMBER 4 IN BOSTON
SPECIAL GUESTS TO INCLUDE RARE PERFORMANCES
FROM LEE VING’S RANGE WAR
AND D.O.A. CO-FOUNDER JOEY “SHITHEAD” KEITHLEY
JUST-WRAPPED EU/UK RUN HIGHLIGHTED
BY HEROES LIVE FROM ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY HALL VIDEO
FEAT. SEX PISTOLS CO-FOUNDING GUITARIST STEVE JONES – WATCH
RELEASING EXCLUSIVE BLACK FRIDAY RECORD STORE DAY
VINYL OF EASY STREET RECORDS PERFORMANCE
Duff McKagan is heralding the eagerly awaited US kickoff of his Lighthouse Tour ’24 with today’s premiere of three new songs that see him joined by a trio of iconic punk legends set to accompany him on select dates of the upcoming headline run. All three songs are available now. ALL TURNING LOOSE (FEAT. LEE VING) and MY NAME IS BOB (FEAT. JOEY SHITHEAD) will be on an exclusive 7” available on this tour.
“ALL TURNING LOOSE seems to highlight those times in life that you just wanna pull your fuckin’ hair out! Lee Ving adds his pure brilliance...and it makes me so happy!” says Duff McKagan. “MY NAME IS BOB is a fun rocker that seemed to write itself one day. Having Joey Shithead be my compatriot along for the ride is one of the best things that could ever happen.”
“Witness the power and glory from DUFF & Co on the forthcoming single “All Turning Loose!!”says Lee Ving. “Don’t miss it (especially with me singing on it)! Range War is honored to play upcoming shows with Duff McKagan this November. Keep an eye out for surprises! Don’t miss your chance to see Range War on its first tour in over 35 years! We look forward to seeing you all there!”
“Hey it was great to be invited to sing on My Name is Bob,” says Joey Shithead. “It’s a great story about how messed up life can be for the average person. Duff hit the nail directly on the head with this one. My name is Joe but I’m glad to help kick ass in the name of Bob! Ya Hey!!!”
The US leg of McKagan’s Lighthouse Tour ’24 gets underway on November 4 at Boston, MA’s Paradise Rock Club. Highlights include intimate shows at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge (November 6), Chicago, IL’s Outset (November 8), and Denver, CO’s Bluebird Theater (November 10), all of which will see support from Lee Ving’s Range War, marking the first live performances from the famed FEAR founder’s groundbreaking country-punk outfit in over three decades. Lighthouse Tour ‘24 then hits Los Angeles, CA’s historic El Rey Theatre (November 13) with support from acclaimed singer-songwriter Grace McKagan, before wrapping up at Portland, OR’s Aladdin Theater (November 18) and Seattle, WA’s The Showbox (November 20) joined by extremely rare solo acoustic performances by legendary D.O.A. co-founder Joey “Shithead” Keithley. Tickets and VIP all announced dates are on sale now. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please see duffonline.com/live. In addition, an exclusive line of Lighthouse Tour ’24 is currently available for worldwide pre-sale at shopglobal.duffonline.com/collections/lighthouse-tour-24.
DUFF MCKAGAN – LIGHTHOUSE TOUR ‘24
NOVEMBER
4 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club †
6 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge †
8 – Chicago, IL – Outset †
10 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater †
13 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey ^
18 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater +
20 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox +
† w/ Lee Ving’s Range War
^ w/ Grace McKagan
+ w/ Joe “Joey Shithead” Keithley
# # #
Duff McKagan and his band wrapped the EK/UK leg of Lighthouse Tour ’24 earlier this week following sold-out stops in Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Sweden. Among the tour’s highlights was a very special guest appearance by Sex Pistols co-founding guitarist Steve Jones, at London, England’s Islington Assembly Hall that saw the two longtime friends (and Neurotic Outsiders bandmates) joining forces for electrifying renditions of Johnny Thunders’ YOU CAN’T PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND A MEMORY and David Bowie’s HEROES, the latter of which can be viewed now at McKagan’s official YouTube channel. In addition, an exclusive Lighthouse Tour ’24 Recap video showcasing the run’s first week of shows is streaming now.
WATCH LIGHTHOUSE TOUR ’24 RECAP #1
McKagan marked the start of Lighthouse Tour ’24 last month with the debut of a double-sided single including a distinctive cover of Bowie’s timeless HEROES b/w TRUE TO THE DEATH ROCK N ROLL BALLAD, both available now. HEROES is joined by an official visualizer streaming now at YouTube.
LISTEN TO HEROES/TRUE TO THE DEATH ROCK N ROLL BALLAD
WATCH HEROES (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER)
In addition, McKagan recently announced DUFF MCKAGAN LIVE AT EASY STREET, a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl LP release of his hometown performance last December at Seattle, WA’s Easy Street Records, arriving for RSD Black Friday 2024 on November 29. The limited-edition release features ten searing live tracks, including performances of songs from McKagan’s critically acclaimed third solo album, LIGHTHOUSE.
# # #
DUFF MCKAGAN
LIVE AT EASY STREET
(Record Store Day Exclusive Release)
Release Date: RSD Black Friday 2024, November 29, 2024
Tracklist:
1. Intro by Matt Vaughn
2. I Just Don’t Know
3. Chip Away
4. Longfeather
5. Fallen Ones
6. Tenderness
7. I Saw God on 10th Street
8. Just Another Shakedown
9. This Is The Song
10. Lighthouse
# # #
McKagan’s first solo headline run in half a decade, Lighthouse Tour ‘24 celebrates last year’s release of his critically acclaimed third solo album, LIGHTHOUSE, available everywhere now. Hailed by Paste as “an emotional, personal and spiritual reckoning...(McKagan’s) most important rock project yet,” the album sees Duff McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. LIGHTHOUSE was met by critical applause from such international outlets as Rolling Stone, Kerrang!, Revolver, and American Songwriter for such singles as LIGHTHOUSE, I SAW GOD ON 10TH STREET, and LONGFEATHER, the latter hailed by Revolver as “folky, elegiac” and joined by an official music video streaming now at YouTube. McKagan later performed LONGFEATHER with an exclusive appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, streaming HERE.
CONNECT WITH DUFF MCKAGAN
DUFFONLINE.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
# # #
Pixies New Album Out Today - The Night The Zombies Came
PIXIES RELEASE NEW ALBUM
THE NIGHT THE ZOMBIES CAME
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE TODAY VIA BMG
LISTEN TO NEW SONG ‘THE VEGAS SUITE’ HERE
Cover artwork for Pixies’ album, "The Night The Zombies Came"
FRIDAY, October 25, 2024 — Pixies’ new studio album, The Night the Zombies Came, is released today via BMG.
Enigmatic album closer ‘The Vegas Suite’ sees Pixies inspired by the classic 1950s standard ‘Que Sera, Sera’ diving into the world of sci-fi, as frontman and principal songwriter Black Francis describes:
“The closing track of the record is based on the song ‘Que Sera, Sera’, a standard written in the 1950s. We originally did a version of it for a television program about not zombies but monster sci-fi creatures. So we thought, ‘How can we make this fit into this sci-fi monster setting?’ I did not know that this was going to end up on the record. But then when our producer Tom Dalgety went to mix the record, he stuck it on, and it was the perfect closing credits to a record called ‘The Night the Zombies Came.'”
"The Vegas Suite" follows Pixies’ own cover version of "Que Sera, Sera." released earlier this year as the AA side to their first single of 2024, "You’re So Impatient."
The Night the Zombies Came is Pixies’ tenth album, if you count their classic 1987 4AD mini LP Come On Pilgrim, and first new music since 2022’s Doggerel LP. The album has seen Pixies praised by MOJO, “the most thrillingly deathly of bands remains alive,” and by All Music Magazine, “a bold evolution in the Pixies’ storied career.”
The Night The Zombies Came arrives ahead of Pixies’ live return to the UK and Europe. In April and May 2025, the band will perform a 20-date headline tour, including nine UK shows with two nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton.
Thirty-five years since their groundbreaking album Doolittle catapulted the band into the U.K. Top Ten and was certified Platinum in America, and 20 years since their celebrated reformation at Coachella, Pixies are deep into their second act amid a creative purple patch.
Druidism, apocalyptic shopping malls, mediaeval-themed restaurants,12th-century poetic form, surf rock, gargoyles, bog people, and the distinctive dry drum sound of 1970s-era Fleetwood Mac are just some of the disparate wonders that inform the 13 new songs.
For the new album recording sessions, the band returned to work with producer Tom Dalgety, who drummer David Lovering refers to as “a fifth Pixie” after producing 2016’s Head Carrier, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie, and 2022’s Doggerel. Early on in the recording process at Guilford Sound studio in Vermont, the band noticed the new songs were dividing into two camps: what they came to call the “Dust Bowl Songs” - country-tinged, ballad-esque numbers such as ‘Primrose’ and ‘Mercy Me’, and on the other side, the album’s furious punk numbers such as ‘You’re So Impatient’ and ‘Oyster Beds’. Only ‘Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)’ keeps its feet in both camps — reminiscent of early '60s Phil Spector, the band hitting the sweet spot between mushy and abrasive, it’s a track that Black Francis allegedly likened to being chased by a swarm of bees.
The Night the Zombies Came also sees Pixies welcoming new bass player Emma Richardson (Band Of Skulls) to the line up, the first British band member to join the group. There’s also an expanded role for guitarist Joey Santiago. After contributing his first-ever Pixies lyrics on Doggerel, Santiago wrote the words to ‘Hypnotised’ for the new record by completing a complex lyrical riddle known as a sestina.
Pixies will head for New Zealand and Australia in November 2024 for stadium gigs with Pearl Jam, closing a monumental year for one of the world’s most influential, revered, and deeply adored bands.
The Night the Zombies Came is now available on black vinyl, CD, digital download, and streaming platforms. A crystal clear and violet smoke LP plus merchandise bundles are also available from the official Pixies store here. A clear and red smoke LP will be available at select U.S. retailers.
The Night the Zombies Came will also include ‘You’re So Impatient,’ the brand-new single with AA-side ‘Que Sera, Sera’ which saw Pixies described as “alt-rock gods” by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music and tipped as “huge new singles” by the U.K.’s NME.
For the new album recording sessions, the band returned to work with producer Tom Dalgety, who drummer David Lovering refers to as “a fifth Pixie” after producing 2016’s Head Carrier, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie and 2022’s Doggerel. Early on in the recording process at Guilford Sound studio in Vermont, the band noticed the new songs were dividing into two camps: what they came to call the “Dust Bowl Songs” - country-tinged, balladesque numbers such as ‘Primrose’ and ‘Mercy Me,’ and on the other side, the album’s furious punk numbers such as ‘You’re So Impatient’ and ‘Oyster Beds.’ Only ‘Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)’ keeps its feet in both camps — reminiscent of early ‘60s Phil Spector, the band hitting the sweet spot between mushy and abrasive, it’s a track that Black Francis allegedly likened to being chased by a swarm of bees.
The news of The Night the Zombies Came arrives amidst a packed touring schedule set to take in circa 70 live shows worldwide through 2024 - with even more dates to be announced for 2025. The band just wrapped a tour across North America with Modest Mouse and Cat Power and is playing through Europe before returning to the U.K. in August for a run of already sold-out headline shows at Glasgow Academy and Halifax’s Piece Hall. Major festival performances at London’s All Points East, Victorious, and headline shows at Galway Airport, Belfast’s Custom House Square, and Dublin’s RDS Simmonscourt are all scheduled.
Pixies’ upcoming tour dates are as follows:
2024 Auckland and New Zealand Tour w/ Pearl Jam
NOVEMBER
8 Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland, New Zealand [SOLD OUT]
10 Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland, New Zealand
13 Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia [SOLD OUT]
16 Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia [SOLD OUT]
18 Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
21 Giants Stadium, Sydney, Australia [SOLD OUT]
23 Giants Stadium, Sydney, Australia
2025 UK and European Headline Tour
April 25 - TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands [SOLD OUT]
April 26 - Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium
April 28 - Oosterport, Groningen, Netherlands [SOLD OUT]
April 29 - 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
May 1 - Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
May 2 - Palladium Köln, Köln, Germany
May 3 - TonHalle, Munich, Germany
May 6 - Arkéa Arena, Floirac, France
May 7 - Zenith Nantes Metropole, Saint-Herblain, France
May 9 - Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Granada, Spain
May 10 - Sagres Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal
May 13 - P&J Arena, Aberdeen, UK
May 14 - O2 Academy, Edinburgh, UK [SOLD OUT]
May 16 - O2 Brixton Academy, London, UK
May 17 - O2 Brixton Academy, London, UK [SOLD OUT]
May 19 - O2 Academy, Leeds, UK
May 20 - Academy, Birmingham, UK
May 21 - Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UK
May 23 - O2 City Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK [SOLD OUT]
May 24 - O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK [SOLD OUT]
The Night the Zombies Came tracklist
1 Primrose
2 You're So Impatient
3 Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)
4 Chicken
5 Hypnotised
6 Johnny Good Man
7 Motoroller
8 I Hear You Mary
9 Oyster Beds
10 Mercy Me
11 Ernest Evans
12 Kings of the Prairie
13 The Vegas Suite
Chuck Prophet and ¿Qiensave? Release Cumbia Album 'Wake The Dead' // New Video Out Now // On Tour This Fall/Winter
Wake The Dead,
Out Now Through Yep Roc Records
Watch The Video For “First Came The Thunder”
Touring Europe, US, and UK This Fall/Winter As
Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes
(Featuring Members of ¿Qiensave? & The Mission Express)
“Pure joy”
- MOJO (4/5 Stars)
“Defiantly vigorous”
- Uncut (8/10 Stars)
“Across these 11 tracks, Prophet adventurously explores new lyrical concepts (including calling out Elon for,
you know, all that stuff he does) nearly as much as he does “cousin” Latin-American genre
territories including samba, bossa novas, and boleros.”
- FLOOD Magazine
“A stylistic gem, a spring of brave hope and resilient promise, an abundantly textured offering of
deep reinvigoration and clear, harmonious reverence.”
- Americana Highways
“An adventurous, soulful project that deftly balances darkness and hope, shot through with the
unmistakable energy of a veteran musician having more fun than he has in years.”
- KQED
October 25, 2024: Today, San Francisco-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Chuck Prophet released Wake The Dead, a new collaborative album with cumbia group ¿Qiensave? available everywhere through Yep Roc Records. An extraordinary and unlikely pairing, Prophet and ¿Qiensave? blend seamlessly together as the collection dives headfirst into the world of cumbia music, which consumed and comforted Prophet during a recent battle with stage four lymphoma and subsequent recovery. They also shared a video for “First Came The Thunder,” a melancholy tune that follows a lonesome lover chasing down a memory that hangs perpetually out of reach.
Watch “First Came The Thunder” HERE
Stream/Purchase
Wake The Dead
HERE
Prophet sat down with NPR’s Morning Edition to chat about Wake The Dead, his cancer diagnosis, meeting ¿Qiensave?, and how casual jam sessions led to rollicking live shows and ultimately recording an album together.
Prophet’s fascination with cumbia began after experiencing a weekly cumbia night at a local haunt in San Francisco’s Mission district. He quickly became obsessed: collecting old vinyl from Latin America, studying its origins, DJ’ing, and loading his friends up with new mixes every time they came to visit. After he was diagnosed, he had a lot of time to just sit and listen as he went through treatments. “I was going through a tunnel,” he recalls. “It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my savior.” More than any other genre, cumbia served as a faithful musical companion and reprieve during his immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
Once recovered, Prophet started driving out to Salinas on a regular basis to jam with ¿Qiensave?, a group of brothers based in the Central Coast farming community. The sessions came together on a whim, for the sheer fun of it at first, but Prophet soon invited the band to back him up at a couple of live shows, and the immediate reaction from audiences made it clear they were on to something special. Prophet and ¿Qiensave? hit the studio soon afterwards, where they blended with his longtime backing band, The Mission Express, to track the heart of Wake The Dead live on the floor. It was chaotic at times, cramming as many as eight musicians into the same studio space, but they prioritized gut feeling over sonic perfection and allowed the undeniable energy of the performances to guide them. Watch the official video for the “soft Western-esque ballad” (FLOOD) “Red Sky Night,” which shows behind-the-scenes footage of Prophet, his band The Mission Express, and ¿Qiensave? in the studio during the album recording sessions, their melding of sound and creative energy on full display.
The result is a profoundly adventurous celebration of life that balances hope and fear in equal measure, a rich and exultant meditation on what really matters from an artist who always manages to find the light, even in the face of the most oppressing darkness. Prophet approaches the style not as an academic or historian, but as a fan with a voracious appetite and an insatiable curiosity. The songs are intoxicatingly rhythmic, all but demanding you move your body while you listen, with arrangements that blur the lines between tradition and innovation, between past and present, between cultures and countries. There are flashes of rock and roll, punk, surf, and soul, all filtered through the streets of San Francisco and wrapped up in the rich legacy of a genre that traces its roots back hundreds of years and thousands of miles.
Watch the Official Video for “Wake The Dead.”
Watch the Official Video for “Sugar Into Water.”
In support of Wake The Dead, Prophet will embark on an extensive tour that will feature members of ¿Qiensave? and his long-time band The Mission Express, dubbed “Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes.” The tour kicks off next month and will take them across Europe, the US, and the UK. For more information or to purchase tickets, see below or visit his website.
Track Listing:
01) Wake The Dead
02) Betty’s Song
03) Give The Boy A Kiss
04) First Came The Thunder
05) Sally Was A Cop
06) Red Sky Night
07) Same Old Crime
08) One Lie For Me, One For You
09) Sugar Into Water
10) In The Shadows (for Elon)
11) Good Day To Be Alive
Tour Dates:
11/05 - Oberhausen, DE @ Zentrum Altenberg
11/06 - Heilbroon, DE @ Waldhaus
11/07 - Russelheim, DE @ Das Rind
11/08 - Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicer
11/09 - Malmo, SE @ Plan B
11/10 - Copenhagen, DK @ Råhuset
11/11 - Aarhus, DK @ Headquarters
11/13 - Berlin, DE @ Privatclub
11/15 - Šumperk, CZ @ Blues Alive Festival
11/16 - Vienna, AT @ Chelsea
11/17 - Geislelin, DE @ Rätschenmühle
11/18 - Zurich, CH @ El Lokal
11/20 - Bilbao, ES @ Kafe Antzokia
11/21 - Santander, ES @ Espacio Escenario
11/22 - Madrid, ES @ El Sol
11/23 - Valencia, ES @ Loco Club
11/24 - Zaragoza, ES @ Rock & Blues Cafe
11/26 - Leffinge, BE @ De Zwerver
11/27 - Groningen, NL @ Vera
11/28 - Bolsward, NL @ Ons Gebouw
11/29 - Hengelo, NL @ Metropool
11/30 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
12/01 - Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
01/16 - New Orleans, LA @ Chickie Wah Wah
01/17 - South Walton Co, FL @ 30A Songwriters Festival
01/18 - South Walton Co, FL @ 30A Songwriters Festival
01/21 - Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
01/22 - Washington, DC @ The Hamilton
01/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
01/25 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
01/26 - New York, NY @ City Winery
01/28 - Boston, MA @ City Winery
01/29 - Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace
01/30 - Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse
01/31 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios
02/01 - Fall River, MA @ Narrows Center for the Arts
02/02 - Old Saybrook, CT @ The Kate
02/04 - Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall
02/05 - Columbus, OH @ Natalies Grandview
02/07 - Berwyn, IL @ Fitzgeralds
02/08 - Stoughton, WI @ Stoughton Opera House
02/19 - Oxford, UK @ The Bullingdon
02/20 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
02/21 - Manchester, UK @ Yes Pink Room
02/22 - Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny
02/23 - Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes
02/24 - Sheffield, UK @ The Greystones
02/25 - Leicester, UK @ The International
02/27 - Cambridge, UK @ Portland Arms
02/28 - Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre
03/01 - Hassocks, UK @ Mid Sussex Music Hall
03/02 - Bristol, UK @ Lantern
03/03 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
03/04 - Southampton, UK @ Eighteensixtyfive
03/05 - London, UK @ The Garage
(Credit: Kory Thibeault)
Follow Chuck Prophet:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram
Follow ¿Qiensave?:
trauma ray release debut album & video, 'Chameleon' today via Dais. On tour; dates w/ Panchiko, Levitation & more.
trauma ray Release Debut Album Chameleon Today via Dais – Listen / Share / Purchase
Share Video For Title Track - Watch / Share
On Tour: Levitation, Dates w/ Panchiko + Headlining The Roxy In LA November 29
“‘Bishop’ is a complex layer cake of moody effects and tempestuous riffs. Emerging out of an echoey whirlpool of warbly melancholy and mumbled lyrics, ‘Bishop’ is a brooding, volatile shredder that cleverly leans into shoegaze’s drowsier side.” The FADER
“trauma ray Transcend Shoegaze” Consequence (Heavy Song of the Week)
“colossal” Stereogum
“gorgeously dense” Treble
“a fine offering of woozy, wall-of-sound delicacy” Brooklyn Vegan
trauma ray’s debut album Chameleon is a masterpiece of craft, balance, melody, lyricism, and gravity, flexing a fresh vision of loud-quiet-loud architectures and the vertigo depths of blasted harmonics. From Slowdive to Deftones to Hum and beyond, trauma ray absorb and expand on their influences into a rare and dedicated alchemy. trauma ray's cinematic tempest is a gathering storm only just taking flight.
Since first making waves with a S/T EP in 2018, the Texas five have been honing their live set across increasingly adventurous American tours – stacking amps and turning heads show by show, justly earning them a massive following in no time. The band’s three guitar attack is a force to behold, alternately surging, savage and spectral, drenched in precision distortion.
The core songwriting duo of Uriel Avila and Jonathan Perez has expanded and refined the project’s vision and craft, culminating throughout Chameleon. Avila’s background in a devout Pentecostal community gives his lyrics about guilt, purgatory, and passing to the other side to an emotional authenticity that cuts through the music’s majestic volume. Rounded out by bassist Darren Baun, drummer Nicholas Bobotas, and guitarist Coleman Pruitt, the album both synthesizes and transcends its influences, a stormy fusion of downer hooks, apocalyptic beauty, and bulldozer riffs.
trauma ray are on the road this Fall. They play the UK this weekend ahead of a Texas run which includes a performance at Levitation and dates with Panchiko. Other highlights include two release shows: one headlining The Roxy in LA and San Diego’s Voodoo Room. See all dates below and grab tickets here.
Chameleon is out today via Dais Records. trauma ray have also shared a lyric video for its title track. Watch below.
Listen / Share / Purchase Chameleon
Watch / Share “Spectre” (Official Music Video)
photo by Will McCarthy | hi res version here
Trauma Ray Live Dates:
Oct 26: Birmingham, UK - XOYO *
Oct 27: Manchester, UK - B.E.C. Arena (Outbreak Autumn)
Oct 28: London, UK - New Cross
Oct 31: Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
Nov 01: Levitation - Austin, TX
Nov 03: Oklahoma City, OK - Tower Theatre ~
Nov 04: Little Rock, AR - EJ’s
Nov 06: Kansas City, MO - The Truman ~
Nov 07: Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village #
Nov 08: Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe ~
Nov 09: Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation ~
Nov 10: Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre ~
Nov 12: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ~
Nov 13: Boston, MA - 4th Wall
Nov 14: New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place
Nov 15: New York, NY - TV Eye #
Nov 16: Washington, D.C. - Comet Ping Pong !
Nov 17: Richmond, VA - Cobra Cabana !
Nov 18: Raleigh, NC - Kings !
Nov 19: Atlanta, GA - Altar #
Nov 20: Birmingham, AL - Saturn #
Nov 21: New Orleans, LA - Siberia #
Nov 22: Houston, TX - TBD #
Nov 23: San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger #
Nov 29: Los Angeles - The Roxy (Record Release) ^
Nov 30: San Diego - Voodoo Room (Record Release) $
* w/ Citizen
~ w/ Panchiko
# w/ Leaving Time
! w/ Leaving Time and Full Body
^ w/ Toner, Lvster, Slumped
$ w/ Toner, Slumped, Sparkler
Trauma Ray | Instagram | X
Wet announces new album 'Two Lives' due Spring 2025 + shares new single
ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
TWO LIVES DUE SPRING OF 2025
CURRENTLY ON EUROPEAN TOUR
SHARES NEW SINGLE “SIGNS”
Wet by Brianna Capozzi
“Signs”
LISTEN: https://wet.ffm.to/signs
WATCH: https://youtu.be/--b1HqQuoY0
(October 25, 2024) - Wet announces the forthcoming album Two Lives due Spring of 2025, today. Alongside the announcement, Wet shares the new single “Signs,” which serves as the third offering from Kelly Zutrau this year following her previously released singles “Double” and “Rosy,” the latter of which was made in close collaboration with musical confidants Bussy Ross and inc.’s Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, and Rosalía) and Rob Akroyd (Florence And The Machine). “Signs,” “Double” and “Rosy” will all appear on Two Lives, ushering in a new era for Wet.
As of last week, Wet has been traveling across Europe to perform at headline shows in Barcelona, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki, with support from Night Slugs’ Jam City on select dates. Full tour routing below.
Wet first emerged onto the music scene in 2014 following the release of her self-titled debut EP via taste-making indie pop label Neon Gold. Wet later moved to Columbia Records where they released 2016's Don't You, which The New Yorker described as "a harbinger of a pop future that’s tantalizingly close," and 2018's Still Run, which Billboard called their "best project yet." In 2021, Wet’s third full-length album, the hauntingly beautiful Letter Blue was released via AWAL. In 2022, Wet featured on the Grammy award-winning Fred again.. album Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022) on the track “Kelly (end of a nightmare).” And in 2023, Wet made appearances on Ralphie Choo’s debut album SUPERNOVA on the song “METAVERSE” as well as on the opening track of Rod Wave’s album Nostalgia where Zutrau’s singing is the first thing listeners hear.
Check out "Signs" above, see full European tour routing below, and stay tuned for more from Wet coming soon.
"Signs" single artwork
EU tour poster
Upcoming Live Dates
*= w/ support from Jam City
10/22 - Barcelona, ES @ La Nau Locales de Ensayo
10/22 - London, UK @ The Garage*
10/25 - Paris, FR @ Trabendo*
10/26 - Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling
10/28 - Berlin, DE @ Hole 44
10/29 - Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
10/30 - Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
10/31 - Helsinki, FI @ Korjaamo
Connect with Wet:
October 24, 2024
MICHAEL KIWANUKA SHARES NEW SINGLE “REBEL SOUL”
MICHAEL KIWANUKA SHARES NEW SINGLE “REBEL SOUL” – LISTEN HERE
NEW ALBUM SMALL CHANGES OUT NOVEMBER 22, PREORDER / PRESAVE HERE
Michael Kiwanuka photo by Marco Grey
“First-rate songwriting, hypnotic beats and empathetic emotions” **** - Mojo
Michael Kiwanuka has just shared “Rebel Soul,” the fourth and final single from his fast-impending and hotly anticipated new album Small Changes (out November 22 via Geffen Records). “Rebel Soul” unveils the sublime soulfulness at the core of the album; a slow-build mood-setter that crescendos with Michael’s own vocal weaving in and out of focus.
Driving the conversations between producer Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and Michael about the direction of Small Changes was the desire to make an album that transcends any notion of what is or isn’t deemed “cool.” Kiwanuka recalls, “We were trying to shoot for something that might have made it onto a Bill Withers album or a Sadé album.”
On the heels of completing his acclaimed co-headline tour across the US with Brittany Howard and announcing an already nearly sold out UK/European tour for next Spring, Michael has revealed details of an intimate, stripped-back live run in support of UK record stores next month. The six dates will offer fans a chance to hear the new music in much closer confines ahead of the full electric tour next year. The new dates call at Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Nottingham, Kingston Upon Thames, concluding in Southampton. Tickets for these dates go on sale tomorrow (October 25) via the links listed below.
Pre-order Small Changes
https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/smallchanges
Stream “Rebel Soul”
https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/RebelSoul
Watch “The Rest of Me” live video
Watch the video for “Lowdown (part i)” & “Lowdown (part ii)”
http://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/Lowdownvisualiser
Watch the video for “Floating Parade”
https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/FloatingParadeVid
Michael Kiwanuka Tour Dates
Stripped-Back Tour:
November 23 – HMV, Birmingham Tickets
November 24 – Jacaranda Baltic, Liverpool (in association with Jacaranda) Tickets
November 25 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (in association with Crash) Tickets
November 27 – The Level, Nottingham (in association with Rough Trade) Tickets
November 28 – Pryzm, Kingston Upon Thames (in association with Banquet) Tickets
December 2 – The 1865, Southampton (in association with Vinilo) Tickets
Full Band:
February 25 – Sporthalle – Hamburg, DE
February 26 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL
February 28 – Le Zénith – Paris, FR
March 1– Forest National – Brussels, BE
March 3 – Alcatraz – Milan, IT
March 4 – Halle 622 – Zurich, CH
March 6 – Zenith – Munich, DE
March 7 – Jahrhunderthalle – Frankfurt, DE
March 9 – Civic Hall – Wolverhampton, UK
March 10 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK
March 12 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK
March 13 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK
FOLLOW MICHAEL KIWANUKA
RICKY MONTGOMERY ADDRESSES THE MODERN-DAY MUSIC INDUSTRY IN NEW SONG "SUPERFAN"
RICKY MONTGOMERY ADDRESSES
THE MODERN-DAY MUSIC INDUSTRY
IN NEW SONG "SUPERFAN" HERE
+ ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO HERE
CURRENTLY ON THE FINAL LEG OF THE RICK TOUR
Photo credit: Noah Tidmore
Today, the LA-native artist Ricky Montgomery releases his ode to his fans, as well as a comment on the modern-day music industry in “Superfan.” The song comes with a painstakingly gorgeous animated music video directed by Max Simonet (Adult Swim, etc) and Ricky, vividly covering all the salient points of his music industry journey.
Ricky sings:
bled my heart out pen to pad
I sang sad songs about my dad and
Turns out no one’s into that
Except for all my superfans
Born in St. Louis, the non-binary identifying artist is finishing the final leg of the North American tour aptly titled The Rick Tour: One Rick to Rule Them All, in honor of his Rick(y) album, ending on October 30th in Nashville, TN.
Ricky Montgomery says:“Superfan” is my case for fighting against the “TikTok-obsessive” culture that has held the music industry hostage since 2020. This is my first independent release since 2016, and even though the internet as we know it feels like it’s dying, we don’t have to go down with it.”
Ricky wears his music and heart on his sleeve. First, a devotee of the Vine underground, then — more than half a decade and several jobs later — an unexpected hitmaker, the Los Angeles native has spent the last few years trying to reconcile with his artist self. He has surpassed one billion global streams thanks to Platinum-selling indie-pop hits “Mr. Loverman” and “Line Without a Hook.” But those songs, written when he was a teenager, have come to feel like they were written by a whole different person—at least to Ricky.
“Superfan” is the follow-up single after releasing Rick(y) on May 10th, 2024, and his first full-length album Rick on Warner Records (September 2023).
Ricky Montgomery’s The Rick Tour: One Rick to Rule Them All
Tickets, details here
Fri 10.25 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music
Sat 10.26 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
Sun 10.27 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live
Tue 10.29 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
Wed 10.30 - Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music
https://www.rickymontgomery.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@rickymontgomery
http://instagram.com/rickymontgomery
YouTube
Spotify
Author Cary Baker w/ Chris Morris at Book Soup LA 11/14 to discuss new book on busking/street music
Book launch in Los Angeles:Thursday, November 14 at Book Soup, West Hollywood Cary Baker, author of Down on the Corner, to be interviewed by journalist and author Chris Morris. DOWN ON THE CORNER: ADVENTURES IN BUSKING AND STREET MUSIC
IS THE STORY OF MUSIC PERFORMED ON THE STREETS,
IN SUBWAYS, IN PARKS, IN SCHOOLYARDS,
ON THE BACK OF FLATBED TRUCKS, AND BEYOND,
FROM THE 1920s TO THE PRESENT DAY,
COMING NOVEMBER 12 FROM JAWBONE PRESS
First book by music industry veteran Cary Baker traces development of blues, doo-wop, folk and even jazz and classical music on the streets. Features interviews with Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, Violent Femmes, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Mary Lou Lord, Peter Case, Poi Dog Pondering, Madeleine Peyroux, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mojo Nixon, Satan & Adam, and more, plus eyewitnesses of busking through two centuries. LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Anyone who has lived in or travelled through a city has encountered street musicians. Singers, often accompanying themselves on guitar or other instruments, playing the sidewalks, parks and subway stations. Perhaps you’ve tossed a quarter, or a dollar bill, or even $5 into the tip jar or open guitar case. But did you ever wonder who these people are – why they opted to make the streets their stage, and whether if any of them had gone on to make it in the music industry? Some of the performers Cary Baker features – Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, the Violent Femmes – went on to become international stars; others settled into the curbs, sidewalks, and Tube stations as their workplace for the duration of their careers. Drawing on years of interviews and eyewitness accounts, Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music – due out November 12, 2024, from Jawbone Press – explores street singers in a myriad of musical genres, from folk to rock ’n’ roll, blues to bluegrass, doo-wop to indie rock. He also surveys busking hotspots – New Orleans’ French Quarter, Chicago’s Maxwell Street, New York’s Washington Square, San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and London’s Tube, to name a few. For the first time, veteran journalist and music industry publicist Cary Baker tells the complete history of these musicians and the music they play, from tin cups and toonies to QR codes and PayPal. Baker will commemorate the release of the book in his longtime home of Los Angeles in an interview and signing event set to take place at the world-famous Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, on Thursday, November 14 at 6 p.m. Baker will converse about busking and the genesis of the book with interviewer Chris Morris, himself an author (books about Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, X) and former writer for Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Reader and more. (November 14 doubles as Baker’s birthday.) Baker explains his longtime affinity for street music: “One day around 1970, my father said he’d like to take me to Maxwell Street Market, an open-air flea market adjacent to Downtown Chicago. He wanted to show me where his parents used to take him shopping as a child. When he parked his car in the University of Illinois lot, the first thing I heard, long before I could see where it was coming from, was the sound of a slide guitar – not just any guitar but a National steel resonator guitar. We followed the music and found ourselves standing on the west side of Halsted Street, midway between Roosevelt and Maxwell, where Blind Arvella Gray was playing the folk/blues song ‘John Henry’ – a song that seemed to have no beginning and no end. In that moment, I developed a lifelong affinity for the informality, spontaneity, and audience participation of busking.” The foreword was written by Dom Flemons, who as a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops won a Grammy Award for the album Genuine Negro Jig, and who has since been nominated for two of his own albums. He’s also received a Blues Music Award. Flemons has busked in New York City, the Carolinas, Europe, and his native Phoenix, where temperatures frequently soar north of 100. “If you are a good busker,” he writes, “you can bring the crowd, give them a thrill and finally disperse everyone in a timely manner with a few extra dollars in your hat.” Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music is available for pre-order at Amazon now:
https://www.amazon.com/Down-Corner-Adventures-Busking-Street/dp/1916829104/ About Cary Baker:Cary Baker is a writer based in the Southern California desert. Born on Chicago’s South Side, he began his writing career at age 16 with an on-spec feature about Chicago street singer Blind Arvella Gray for the Chicago Reader. His return to writing follows a 42-year hiatus during which Baker, by 1984 based in Los Angeles, directed publicity for six labels (including Capitol and I.R.S.) and two of his own companies,working with acclaimed artists and labels such as R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, the Smithereens, James McMurtry, the Mavericks, Bobby Rush, Willie Nile, and Omnivore Recordings. Prior to his PR years, Baker wrote for the Chicago Reader, Creem, Trouser Press, Bomp!, Goldmine, Billboard, Mix, Illinois Entertainer, and Record magazine. He has also produced and/or written liner notes for historical reissues from Universal, Capitol-EMI, Numero Group and Omnivore. He has been a voting member of the Recording Academy since 1979. About Jawbone Press:Jawbone Press is an independent publisher of books about music and popular culture based in London, England. Established in 2007, Jawbone has published intimate memoirs of and informed comment on a wide range of popular music, covering everything from the Adventures Of A Waterboy to the Confessions Of A Heretic . Key titles to date include books by XTC frontman Andy Partridge, Wild Swans founder Paul Simpson, Bauhaus bassist David J. Haskins, and metal legend Max Cavalera; intimate memoirs of life at the centre of Britpop and of working closely with Lee Hazlewood; band-approved oral histories of Swans andKing’s X; and works of focused analysis and criticism of everyone from David Bowie to Cheap Trick, Gary Moore to Faith No More, Cliff Burton to Albert Ayler. New titles for 2024 include the definitive biography of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, a book of thoughts and stories by legendary folksinger Pete Seeger, a deep dive into the music of Scottish post-punk band Josef K, and an illuminating memoir by Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate. A few words about Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music:“A brilliant and fascinating look into the world of street music. Take a chance and stand on the corner. You’ll be glad you did!” – Willie Nile, singer and songwriter “Cary vividly tells the stories of music on the streets across the world. Busking hasn’t been talked about as much, but it’s the beginning for a lot of notable musicians. Cary’s book is a deep dive into the music and stories from the streets.” – Bobby Rush, multi-Grammy Award-winning blues artist “Cary Baker has captured a most interesting take on street singing and playing in his new book Down on the Corner. From legends Blind Willie Johnson, Huddie Ledbetter, and Willie McTell to the not so famous and the infamous. Black, white, and Hispanic bards of the boulevard; playing and singing for the world to hear.” – Chris Hillman, The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Desert Rose Band “A lively, illuminating dive into a criminally overlooked pocket of American music history, a crepuscular realm where artists were ‘discovered,’ recorded, and vanished, all in a day’s time. You’ll never look at street performers the same.” – Jim White, musician and raconteur “Reading Cary Baker’s excellent book on busking brought back memories of when I was in The Blasters and how our band arguments usually ended one of two ways: either with fists and tears or with my brother Phil loudly proclaiming that he was the only guy in the group who could walk outside and make a living by singing on street corners. Cary’s exhaustive research and passionate reporting show not only why my brother was proud to have been a busker, but it also makes a solid case why busking is as much of a part of the history of American roots music as record labels, juke joints, and lost highways.” – Dave Alvin, singer, songwriter, guitarist “Special thanks to Cary Baker for giving a new voice to a music tradition that will continue to live on forever and will find new homes wherever the music takes it.” – Dom Flemons, Grammy Award-winning and nominated singer, author, educator and musicologist “Heartfelt and vivid!” – Marshall Crenshaw, singer and songwriter# # #
A Place To Bury Strangers Kickoff 'Synthesizer' US Tour This Week With "It's Too Much" Video
New from DedstrangeA Place To Bury Strangers launch US Tour launch with release of “It’s Too Much”, the fifth video/single from their album “Synthesizer” out this Friday October 25, 2024 on Vinyl, CD and CassetteLISTEN TO “IT’S TOO MUCH” HEREWATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “IT’S TOO MUCH” HERE PURCHASE “SYNTHESIZER” HERE A Place To Bury Strangers' 5th single, "It's Too Much," from their album Synthesizer, captures the euphoric chaos of love—for music, friends, and the thrill of performing. It's a story of losing oneself in the moment, where playing shows with 100% intensity feels like the ultimate high. The song reflects the raw passion of living loud, fueled by the support of those who share the journey. Sometimes, as the track reminds us, it’s essential to embrace the madness and go a little nuts.In the video for A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS "It's Too Much", Travis Stevens (Director of "A Wounded Faun" & "Jakob's Wife") uses the repeating pulse and hypnotic rhythm of the song to overload the viewer with imagery and possibility, a world where science and magic and chemistry have the power to transport our characters across great emotional distances....if they can make it there in one piece.
About SynthesizerSynthesizer is the title of A Place to Bury Strangers' seventh album. It is also a physical entity, a synthesizer made specifically for A Place to Bury Strangers’ seventh album. A synthesizer that you too, can own (in part), if you buy the record on vinyl. “It’s pretty messed up, chaotic,” says frontman Oliver Ackermann, “But it feels really human.” In an era of making music where so little is DIY and so much is left up to AI, to never setting foot in a practice room or a home studio, making something that feels deliberately chaotic, messy, and human, is entirely the point. Synthesizer is a record that celebrates sounds that are spontaneous and natural, the kind of music that can only come from collaboration and community. The writing sessions for Synthesizer started in 2022 in the band’s Queens studio, shortly after the release of See Through You. A Place to Bury Strangers re-formed with a new lineup, Ackermann still at the helm, now featuring friends John and Sandra Fedowitz. This new iteration of the band was inspiring for Ackermann, “It felt like a fresh new thing,” he says, “I wanted to write songs everyone was excited about playing.” Indeed, the sense of connectivity is everywhere on the record. Synthesizer very much feels like a record of reinvention, of taking a carefully honed aesthetic and sound and cracking it wide open, gutting it, reimagining it. And of course, to ever so slightly reinvent one’s sound, one must also build a new instrument, thus again the synth in question. The resulting record is one that is romantic, colorful, loud as hell. In practice, Synthesizer is a study on walls of noise and sound. It explores what it means to twist and bend gear to its limits, to search for what Ackermann jokingly and also not jokingly calls the “most epic sound journey.” Take “Fear of Transformation,” as one such offering, a snarling gothic techno punk track that feels like getting body slammed by a wave out at sea. Here, the synthesizer has an almost alien effect. It is sweaty and strident. Ackermann views the song as a conversation with the devil, to break out whatever cage of fear that you’re inhabiting and do something kind of artfully evil. Elsewhere, like on “Have You Ever Been in Love,” the vibe is hypnotic, easy to get swept away. The song was written by everyone in the band, born out of its tribal drum beat, its open spaces. It was written quickly, “In a moment, in an afternoon,” Ackermann says, “Maybe even in an hour.” It felt exciting to write, exciting to make. And it is beautiful to listen to, the spotlight on Sandra’s beautiful vocals. It is unsteady like new love is unsteady. Scary like taking a chance on someone is scary. Synthesizer, which is out digitally October 4 and physically October 25 via Ackermann’s Dedstrange label, is one of A Place to Bury Strangers’ most live sounding records to date. This is a band that is meant to be witnessed in a live setting, where the songs take on a new energy in the presence of a crowd. “Disgust,” the record’s lead single, captures that live essence perfectly. The song is all open strings, so that way Ackermann can perform it with his fist raised in the air, so he can play it live with one hand. It’s a tongue-in-cheek move, almost as tongue-in-cheek as the decision to start the song with a high-pitched battle cry from the guitars, which Ackermann jokes is to “turn people off from listening to the record.” That playful approach to making music and intentionality around live performance makes sense in the historical context of the band. Ackermann founded the storied DIY space (and now effects pedal factory) Death By Audio. DBA, as a venue, had a collaborative, creative spirit of chaos and collectivity. That essence appears all over the band’s work. “We’re artists,” Ackermann says, “Going to shows and bringing that imperfect and beautiful DIY ethos is important.” Imperfect and beautiful — that’s a good way to sum up Synthesizer. It is a raw collection of songs, wild and loud and fucked up just like the instrument itself. 
Synthesizer US Tour:US Tour:October 25, 2024 - Friday - Washington D.C., VA - Black Cat &October 26, 2024 - Saturday - Raleigh, NC - Kings &October 27, 2024 - Sunday - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle &October 28, 2024 - Monday - Atlanta, GA - The Earl &October 30, 2024 - Wednesday - Houston, TX - White Oak &October 31, 2024 - Thursday - Austin, TX - Levitation Fest &November 2, 2024 - Saturday - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar #November 3, 2024 - Sunday - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram with Oog Bogo #November 4, 2024 - Monday - San Francisco, CA - GAMH Psyched Fest #November 7, 2024 - Thursday - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios #November 8, 2024 - Friday - Seattle, WA - Freakout Festival ^November 9, 2024 - Saturday - Vancouver, BC - Pearl & With YHWH Nailgun# With Pop Music Fever Dream^ With The Black Angels, Martin Rev, The Black Lips & Shabazz Palaces 
About A Place To Bury StrangersFans all over the globe know: Oliver Ackermann always brings surprises. The singer and guitarist of New York City’s A Place To Bury Strangers has been delighting and astonishing his audience for close to two decades, combining post-punk, noise-rock, shoegaze, psychedelia, and avant-garde music in startling and unexpected ways. As the founder of Death By Audio, creator of signal-scrambling stomp boxes and visionary instrument effects, he’s exported that excitement and invention to other artists who plug into his gear and blow minds. In concert, A Place To Bury Strangers is nothing short of astounding — a shamanistic experience that bathes listeners in glorious sound, crazed left turns, transcendent vibrations, real-time experiments, brilliant breakthroughs. And just as many of his peers in the New York City underground seem to be slowing down and settling in, Ackermann’s creativity is accelerating. He’s launched a label of his own: Dedstrange, dedicated to advancing the work of sonic renegades worldwide. He’s also refreshed the group’s lineup, adding bassist John Fedowitz and drummer Sandra Fedowitz, and the band has never sounded more current, or more courageous, or more accessibly melodic. The Hologram EP is the first release from the new lineup — and the first on Dedstrange — and it’s no overstatement to say that the reaction has been ecstatic. Ghettoblaster wrote that the band’s racket outpaced everything to emerge from New York City in the past decade. Brooklyn Vegan praised Ackermann’s “terrific, emotive” singing, and lauded the group’s recent commitment to foregrounding its melodies and lyrics. Pitchfork, Flood, AllMusic: they’ve all lined up to call Hologram an example of the best work of a tireless band with a deep discography and an unquenchable drive to create challenging, unprecedented music. A Place To bury Strangers released their highly anticipated sixth album See Through You February 4, 2022 to on their newly formed label Dedstrange to critical acclaim and have been touring incessantly since then. 2024 brings the release of ‘The Sevens’: four 7”s featuring unreleased tracks from ‘See Through You’ released monthly starting in February with Album #7 due in the fall. 
Ece Era shares "Another One" video/single. Her debut album is out tomorrow on 2MR
Musician / Filmmaker Ece Era releases her debut album
Bedside Tunes tomorrow via 2MR
Shares new video for focus track, “Another One”
On her vibrant/expressive electronic debut, Ece Era challenges cultural ideologies, identity structures, and her difficult past with tracks crafted during introspective moments before sleep or upon waking.
Ece Era’s (pronounced “edge-uh air-uh”) debut Bedside Tunes is rich with emotion, blending hazy moments with vibrant beats, all while offering an unpretentious, unfiltered glimpse into her psyche. Ece seeks to reveal her inner self. Beyond the conditioning of her childhood and the culture of her home nation, Turkey, lies her “real persona.” Through Ece’s music, she expresses that abstract, authentic inner voice, speaking with honesty and truth.
On “Another One”, available today, Ece joins narrative vocals, adding uptempo breaks and a tender atmosphere. She transforms her vocals, wrapping them in warm layers of electronica that oscillate between melancholy and optimism. This vocal alteration signifies her attempt to reinvent herself–a sonic remodeling that brings her closer to her essence.
The accompanying self-directed music video is, “like a visual self-portrait,” Ece tells. “It was self-shot in Turkey and captures the essence of isolation and reflection in an abandoned house with views of flamingos. The setting complements the song’s exploration of life, aging, and the inevitable passage of time. The camera moves through spaces with crumbling walls, where life once thrived, juxtaposing them with peaceful flamingos to symbolize the delicate balance between life’s struggles and its quiet beauty. Shot with a combination of a DSLR and an old, small camcorder, the video’s visuals highlight the artist's contemplative and still movements set against decaying surroundings and tranquil nature.”
FLOOD debuted the video describing, "As the track’s somber tone and minimalist trance beat build upon the prior singles from Bedside Tunes, the artist’s self-directed music video for the track helps to build the project’s visual world with a series of black-and-white images that occasionally bring Andrei Tarkovsky’s early films to mind."
Watch / Share “Another One” Official Music Video
Developing a passion for both music and filmmaking, Ece Era has found these two creative avenues to offer contrasting yet equally enriching opportunities. The blank sonic canvas of her musical explorations allows for emotional articulation and the reinvention of her identity. Music-making can be spontaneous and unstructured, requiring little planning and providing freedom of expression. In contrast, filmmaking is a more rigid process, necessitating a team, planning, and scheduling. Music, often an uncomplicated solo endeavour, enables her to channel her “feral child”–a term she uses to describe the part of her that was left unsupervised during her youth. This “feral child” also serves as the inspiration for Bedside Tunes.
The title Bedside Tunes reflects the origin of most of Ece Era’s ideas, which came to her as she was about to sleep. She kept a laptop by her bedside to capture these raw inspirations immediately upon waking. Beyond her quest for self-discovery, Ece Era intentionally avoids strong influences or inspirations in her musicality. The album is driven by feeling rather than emulation or intellectualisation–less thinking, more expression. This approach is evident across all 9 tracks, which showcase a captivating depth and emotional resonance. Ece Era’s minimalist “studio” setup, consisting of only a laptop, a midi keyboard, and numerous plugins, further underscores the honest intention behind her album. This personal touch extends to the self-directed videos for her music, adding another layer of authenticity to her work.
Bedside Tunes follows her timeless 2022 debut EP, War On Innocence and is available at midnight tonight via 2MR.
Listen / Buy / Playlist Bedside Tunes
Watch / Share Bedside Tunes Official Music Videos
“You Know What Goes Down”
“Inner Feeling”
“Let Go”
Photo By Joselito Verschaeve
