Tuesday, April 26, 2011

“Song-seeker” John Shannon to release album of mystic acoustics, “Songs of The Desert River.”


Ethereal finger-picked guitars, hushed vocals draw comparisons to Iron & Wine, Jose Gonzalez.

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John Shannon as photographed by Michael Weintrob.

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“Hurricane” from “Songs of The Desert River by John Shannon & Wings of Sound

 

Live at Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn):

Meet John Shannon (EPK):

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John Shannon In The Press

“Somewhere between John Martyn and Nick Drake… …hypnotic and timeless…” – Le Monde (France)

“…John Shannon offers a sumptuous disk of uncluttered folk…” – Les Inrockuptibles (France)

“Songs as pure and unfiltered were only known long ago from American folk-heroes like Pete Seeger.” – WOM (Germany)

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About John Shannon & Wings of Sound

Many musicians say that music is their life. For Pittsburgh-born singer-songwriter, John Shannon, music is life itself. Identifying himself as a “song seeker,” Shannon’s spirituality guides his songwriting with results that play as if they are as much a part of nature as the man himself.

Shannon has sought and discovered eleven new songs comprising his second album of delicate guitars and hushed vocals, Songs of The Desert River (June 14th, Creek Valley/ObliqSound), a collection that envelops the listener with its own sense of time and space. On songs such as the album’s first single “Hurricane” (STREAM), Shannon and his band Wings of Sound float weightlessly above Shannon’s delicately finger-picked acoustic guitar, a term deemed “too crude… to do justice to his technique” by the UK’s Sunday Times.

Drawing comparisons to Iron & Wine and Jose Gonzalez, Shannon views his work as less a part of contemporary tradition. He describes himself as a “song-seeker,” explaining, “There are songs in the winds and sunrise that, if perceived openly, will synthesize inside you. There is a spiritual quality in a song that comes from looking for it through the beauty of nature. Honoring this process for me keeps the music connected to the spirit.”

Now, with Songs of The Desert River completed both physically and metaphysically, Shannon is ready to give it to the world, especially through his live performance, a near-shamanistic experience which he hopes will be as spiritually cleansing for his audience as he has come to know it to be for himself. See below for live performance dates.

John Shannon is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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John Shannon & Wings of Sound | Upcoming NYC Shows

04/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Kula Yoga
05/08 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
05/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Wellness Fair
05/24 New York, NY @ DROM w/ Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze
05/26 Paris, France @ l'International
06/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Temple Beth Emeth of Flatbush/The Sanctuary
07/11 New York, NY @ The Living Room 9PM
07/20 Columbus, OH @ Skully's
07/22 Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Café

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John Shannon & Wings of Sound
Songs of The Desert River
(Creek Valley/ObliqSound – 6/14/2011)


Track Listing:

01. Darkness
02. Wave To The River
03. Desert River
04. Hurricane (STREAM | VIDEO)
05. Forever Is When
06. Spirits
07. Dawn Breaks
08. Days Gone By
09. Tell The Morning
10. New Winter
11. Into The Unknown

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John Shannon Links


Monday, April 25, 2011

Jeff Beam plays NYC with his Preservation Society. Grab MP3 of “Venus Flying Trapeze” title track now.


 Hear a live version of the track from young psych-pop songwriter that reminds of Elvis Costello, Flaming Lips.

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Jeff Beam as photographed by Nathan Marchard.

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“Venus Flying Trapeze” is the title track from the latest album by Jeff Beam




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Jeff Beam and The Preservation Society | Upcoming NYC Shows

04/26 New York, NY @ Pianos w/ Billy Libby
05/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

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About Jeff Beam

The music of 23-year-old Jeff Beam has drawn comparisons to the studio musings and melodic flourishes of Elliott Smith and Harry Nilsson and also brings to mind the vigor of a young Elvis Costello, the unconventionality of Beck and the psyche-pop perfection of The Flaming Lips.

At such a young age, Beam already boasts a broad discography with several albums. His latest work is the upcoming Venus Flying Trapeze, a 12-song psychedelic affair featuring melodies that are warped and catchy, clever chord changes and existential, surrealistic lyrical content. Check out the title track HERE as well as a recent live version HERE.

Before landing in New York, Beam was raised in a small town in the woods of Maine on a constant barrage of “The White Album,” Electric Light Orchestra, The Who’s Tommy, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “To me, this is the best kind of music,” Beam says, “And I once heard a tip that you should try to make the kind of music that you want to hear.”

Jeff Beam is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Jeff Beam
Venus Flying Trapeze
(S/R, Out Now)


Track Listing:

01. Fly Trap
02. People Places (MP3)
03. Portraits of Poor Traits
04. Wake Jolk
05. Northern Floor
06. Currently, A Currency Urgency!
07. Loudspeaker Wallpaper
08. Venus Flying Trapeze (MP3)
09 .Problem of Other Minds
10. Mere Mirror
11. Mister Sister
12. Can’t You Feel The Curve of The Earth?

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Jeff Beam Links

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Seattle’s Aileen Paron to release album of dark torch songs as Scarlet Season, May 24th.

“The Taxidermist” debut RIYL: Bjork, Tori Amos, Goldfrapp, Bat For Lashes, Depeche Mode.

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Aileen Paron of Scarlet Season as photographed by Guy Haycock.

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“Horse Fury” is the first single from The Taxidermist by Scarlet Season



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Scarlet Season | Upcoming Seattle Shows

05/03 Seattle, WA @ Skylark
05/20
Seattle, WA @ White Rabbit Record Release Show

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About Scarlet Season

Swirling synths, pretty pianos, nasty bass, and moody electronic elements combine with vocal textures that run the gamut from howling and angry to sweet and seductive on The Taxidermist, the debut album by Seattle’s Scarlet Season.

Scarlet Season is the stage name of Aileen Paron, a self-taught pianist whose desire for autonomy and passion for learning all things musical inspired her to take the DIY approach to recording, programming, and composing. Paron produced The Taxidermist herself with co-production by Matt Frickelton of The Fading Collection.

The resulting sound is a natural for fans of Bjork, Tori Amos, Goldfrapp, Bat For Lashes and Depeche Mode with songs that chronicle themes of anger, loss, betrayal and loneliness. It is material that is admittedly personal and at times uncomfortably so, but Paron believes that pop music needn’t be fluffy.

This song-centric pop-rock approach, infused with dark, cinematic, neo-synth edges and gothic roots is at the core of The Taxidermist and its lead single, “Horse Fury” (MP3). The Taxidermist album art carries this theme as well, with haunting illustrations by Matt Strieby inspired by an actual Parisian taxidermy shop.

Scarlet Season can currently be found performing in Seattle, with plans for a West Coast tour in the works for Fall, 2011. The Taxidermist will be released nationwide on May 24th, 2011.

Aileen Paron of Scarlet Season is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Scarlet Season – The Taxidermist
(Self-Released – 5/24/2011)


Track Listing:

01. Almost But Not Quite
02. Counting Days
03. History of Violence
04. Horse Fury (STREAM | MP3)
05. Suicide Pilot
06. B&D
07. The Taxidermist
08. Something I Can Feel
09. Rewind
10. Ashes

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Scarlet Season Links


Monday, April 18, 2011

Maceo Parker tour mate Grand Pianoramax caps Euro run, Preps NYC debut of “Smooth Danger.”

“Intensely kinetic.” – Billboard “…carefree and elegant.” – XLR8R “…future funk machine.” – Time Out

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(L-R) Leo Tardin and Dom Burkhalter of Grand Pianoramax. Photograph by Mali Lazell.

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“Roulette” (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale) from Smooth Danger by Grand Pianoramax




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Grand Pianoramax w/ (L-R) Black Cracker & Mike Ladd live in NYC!

May 11th, 2011 at Drom (85 Ave. A btw. 5th and 6th). Click for more info.

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About Grand Pianoramax

Grand Pianoramax is the musical project of Montreux Jazz Festival piano solo competition winner, Leo Tardin. Following a major tour with jazz-funk legend Maceo Parker in support of the second Grand Pianoramax record, Tardin has partnered with drum modernist Dom Burkhalter and guests such as internationally reknowned tabla player Karsh Kale, and spoken-word artists Black Cracker (Cocorosie) and Mike Ladd, to complete the most ambitious Grand Pianoramax album to date. Created in Mumbai, Switzerland, Paris, Bristol and the band’s home base of Berlin, Smooth Danger with be released May 3rd, 2011 by the ObliqSound label.

Grand Pianoramax recently appeared at SXSW 2011 where this interview and live performance was shot before heading out on a European tour that has taken Tardin, Burkhalter and Black Cracker to Switzerland, Germany, France and The Netherlands.  Joining up with acclaimed rapper and poet Mike Ladd, Grand Pianoramax will return to the States for a special performance on May 11th at Drom in NYC. A southern gig at CafĂ© Apache in Atlanta follows on May 14th.  

Leo Tardin of Grand Pianoramax is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Grand Pianoramax
Smooth Danger
(ObliqSound – 5/3/2011)


Track Listing:

01. Infidel
02. Sleepwalk (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale)
03. Smooth Danger
04. The Queen
05. Revolver
06. Roulette (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale) (MP3 | VIDEO)
07. Clairvoyance
08. Domestic Bliss (feat. Mike Ladd)
09. Midnight Morning
10. Diaspora

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Grand Pianoramax Links

Friday, April 15, 2011

Moonlight Towers announce tour in support of third album, “Day Is The New Night.”


 “Heat Lightning,” the latest single from “Austin’s favorite three-minute heroes” available now.

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Clockwise From Upper Left: James Stevens, Richard Galloway, Jacob Shulze, Jason Daniels. Photo by Carol He.

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“Heat Lightning” is the first single from “Day Is The New Night” by Moonlight Towers



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About Moonlight Towers

Proclaimed “amazing” by Performing Songwriter for creating what the Chicago Reader calls “perfectly molded power-pop,” Moonlight Towers is “Austin’s favorite three-minute heroes” according to the Austin American-Statesman and the renowned music city’s “finest power pop export” (Pop Culture Press).

Moonlight Towers is celebrating the recent release of its third album Day Is The New Night, out now on Austin’s Chicken Ranch label, with a hometown Austin show at famed venue, Antone’s on April 30th.  The band will then be heading out on a two-week tour that will take it around the Eastern half of the US with shows in Chicago, New York and down south to Mississippi and Alabama.

Moonlight Towers (taking its name from the tall vintage streetlights that illuminated Austin’s nights of yore) is a genuine band that does what comes naturally: writing, recording and playing real rock n’ roll (with a hearty pop kick!) It’s really that simple.

On Day Is The New Night, the band’s third long-player, the foursome delivers its finest and richest offering yet. Such superlatives become viscerally tangible the moment the band steamrolls into “Heat Lightning,” (MP3) the disc’s aptly named lead track. The timeless potency of two mighty guitars and muscular bass and drums bring the urgency, buoying vocals that alternately sear and soar.

Moonlight Towers is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Moonlight Towers Live

04/29 San Antonio, TX @ Boneshakers w/ Snowbyrd
04/30 Austin, TX @ Antone's Austin CD Release Show
05/12 Houston, TX @ Continental Club w/ Electric Heights
05/13 Lake Charles, LA @ Luna Bar & Grill
05/14 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry's
05/15 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
05/16 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
05/17 Knoxville, TN @ Longbranch Saloon
05/18 Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave
05/19 Raleigh, NC @ Slim's Downtown Distillery
05/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Southpaw
05/23 New York, NY @ Pianos w/ Battle Circus
05/25 Lafayette, IN @ Black Sparrow Pub
05/26 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern w/ Mother Hips
05/28 Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar

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Moonlight Towers
Day Is The New Night
(Chicken Ranch, Out Now)


Track Listing:

1. Heat Lightning (MP3)
2. Can’t Shake This Feelin’
3. Distant Wheels
4. The Easy Way Out
5. Comes A Time
6. What Else Can I Say
7. Baby Don’t Slow Me Down
8. Not A Kid Anymore
9. Black River

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Moonlight Towers Links

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Dylan Champagne’s unconventional composition combines Math Rock, Punk, Folk and Pop on new CD.

Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 follows-up 2008’s “New Equation.” “California Song” out now.
 
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Dylan Champagne as photographed by Michael Rauner.

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California Song” is the first single from Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1 by Dylan Champagne



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About Dylan Champagne

Dylan Champagne (his real name) will release Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1, the follow-up to his 2008 album New Equation on May 17th.  Champagne’s music puts a strong emphasis on lyrics and unconventional composition. His latest endeavor Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 mixes Math Rock, Punk, Folk, and Pop to create a syncopated rock tincture with narrative underpinnings.

Of the content on new album, Champagne says, “I suppose the reoccurring apocalyptic dreams began when I was about nine-years-old. It was the 80’s and Reagan was the king, and everywhere you looked was nuclear this, that and the other. Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 is a shout-out to all the ghosts haunting the mid-sized semi-urban dystopia in my head. The characters are real but some of the details get squishy.”

Currently residing in Oakland, California with his partner, the poet Alexandra Teague, Champagne recorded most of Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 in town at New Improved Recording with Eli Crews. The rest was tracked in Champagne’s basement studio and in an old soup warehouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas during Champagne’s short residence there.

Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 will be released on May 17th, 2011.  Champagne hopes to make a Volume 2 and a Volume 5 and a Volume 20 before the world spontaneously combusts. Those with an eagle eye will notice that the album’s cover art is a riff on that of this Johnny Mathis classic.

Dylan Champagne is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Dylan Champagne
Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1
(Broke In Oakland, 5/17/2011)


Track Listing:

01. Baby In A Bear Suit
02. Dealt
03. The Daily Albatross
04. California Song (MP3)
05. Finally Ready
06. Empty Notebooks
07. The Ballad of J. Flato
08. Forester Pass In Chinatown Slippers
09. Row Homes In The Desert
10. Greenfield Manifesto
11. The Short Goodbye

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Dylan Champagne Links

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sleepy Vikings announce tour dates in support of upcoming debut album due May 10th.

“Calm” single available now, “Song after song of rich southern shoe-gazy goodness.” – Paste

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Sleepy Vikings is (L-R): Sandi Streppone, Julian Conner, Tessa McKenna,
Ryann Slauson, Nicole Schleif, Sandra Covin. Photo by Kelley Jackson.

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“Calm” is the first single from “They Will Find You Here” by Sleepy Vikings


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About Sleepy Vikings

Tampa, Florida’s Sleepy Vikings has announced two weeks of tour dates (with more to come) in support of its upcoming debut album They Will Find You Here, scheduled for release on May 10th via the New Granada record label. “Calm,” the first single from They Will Find You Here is available for download now.  See below for tour dates.

Sleepy Vikings has previously and dubiously described its sound as “southern shoegaze,” but this tag is really just window dressing for hick towns and beer plus Pavement and Sonic Youth. This is a band that accepted an invitation to play its first show before it even had a set of music to play, so fitting into a genre is not a top priority.

What really is tops is the band's music. The songs on They Will Find You Here are filled with dreams and nightmares that have already caused the local press in
Florida to call Sleepy Vikings “...a swooning squall” (Orlando Sentinel) and note that the band is “...king-hell committed on blazing a trail” (Miami New Times).

Members of Sleepy Vikings are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Sleepy Vikings Live

04/30 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
05/06 Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub
05/13 Gainesville, FL @ Club 1982
06/08 Tampa, FL @ Cappy's Pizza Acoustic
06/10 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge w/ Casper & The Cookies
06/11 Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof w/ Sleepy Eye Giant
06/13 Richmond, VA @ Sprout
06/14 Charlottesville, VA @ The Box
06/15 Chapel Hill, NC @ Night Light
06/16 Newark, DE @ Mojo Main w/ The Sky Drops, Troubled Hips
06/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery w/ The Sky Drops, Thrushes, Young Jaguars
06/18 Washington, DC @ Axum's Level X Lounge w/ Thrushes, Mittenfields, Forevsner
06/19 Philadelphia, PA @ King Fu Neck Tie
06/20 Somerville, MA @ The Rosebud
06/22 New York, NY @ Piano's
06/25 Nashville, TN @ Foobar 2 w/ The Winter Sounds
06/26 Atlanta, GA @ Club 529 w/ Today The Moon Tomorrow the Sun

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Sleepy Vikings
They Will Find You Here
(New Granada, 5/10/2011)


Track Listing:

1. These Days
2. Calm (MP3)
3. Hunters
4. Flashlight Tag
5. A Backyard Funeral
6. Twin Peaks
7. Corson Park
8. Dear Long Distance
9. White Wolves

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Sleepy Vikings Links