Tuesday, April 6, 2021

J Hacha De Zola channels John Denver on “Greatest Hits;” See new noir video for “Strange” by award-winning Buenos Aires-based filmmakers.

 Upcoming all-new album “East of Eden” (June 11th) is heavily inspired by Doo-wop, Motown, Sha Na Na, Temptations, Four Seasons.
 
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J Hacha De Zola as John Denver as photographed by Christopher Welby
 
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J Hacha De Zola | In The Press
 
“Enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET
 
“Deftly merges baroque pop, anti-folk and other explosive elements... alluring and unsettling.” — NJ.com
 
“A wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.” — Paste
 
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books.” — UTNE
 
“Bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion of imitators.” — PopMatters
 
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Obviously, as a songwriter, J Hacha De Zola and John Denver come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas… As for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable, definitely fun tribute that is the J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits album cover, a dead-on approximation of singer-songwriter John Denver’s own eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album image… Hacha De Zola focuses in on, and connects with what they have deeply in common, saying, “I loved this idea of being exactly what you are. Whatever you are, be it.”
 
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J Hacha De Zola | “Strange”
 

One of the featured greatest hits on J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is “Strange,” which award-winning Buenos Aires, Argentina-based filmmakers Sebastián Alberto Juiz (as Bastian-a) and Rocío Ray recently offered their own short film interpretation of.
 
The creators commented, “It could be a silent film and return, even more, to the sources. Everything else is pure imagination and subjectivity. You will decide what to believe, dear viewer. Isn’t that what cinema is about?”
 
For his part, Hacha De Zola says, “I have always wanted my music to have this cinematic quality to it, and I think these two have really captured that.”
 
[STREAM]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnUjvj9B2Pw
 
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J Hacha De Zola
J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
Out Now
(Caballo Negro)
 
Streaming Link:
STREAM FULL LP
 

Track Listing:
01.  Blue Sky (STREAM)
02.  Strange (STREAM | VIDEO)
03.  El Desgraciado
04.  No Situation
05.  El Chucho
06.  On A Saturday
07.  Lightning Rod Salesman
08.  Bubble Gum
09.  Black Sparrow
10.  Anarchy
11.  A Fools Moon
12.  Syn Illusión
 
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J Hacha De Zola | About
 
“A big inspiration for me was the vocal group tradition from the 50s and 60s, especially those from New Jersey, New York and Detroit,” Jersey City-based J Hacha De Zola explains about his upcoming all-new album East of Eden (Caballo Negro, June 11th.) “Doo-wop groups like Sha Na Na, The Temptations, The Four Seasons, Flamingos, and others. Heavy Motown vibes on this new record.”
 
He continues, “Being a Jersey boy, right across the river from New York City, I couldn’t help but be influenced in the rich vocal singing group tradition. With East of Eden I didn't want to hide behind a wall of instruments and sound as I have done in the past. It was important for me to bring the vocal component of this record right up front.”
 
As for his just-released retrospective, J comments, “It’s a gas, looking back at what we have done,” considering the music that comprises J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits, a re-mastered 12-song collection of tunes culled from the four albums and various EPs that the eclectic “Urban Junkyard” artist has released over the past five years.
 
“I never really thought of myself as a recording artist when I started out, but I guess that’s what I do now,” he realizes, concluding, “Sometimes you find yourself so far down the road that there’s only one option: to keep on going.”
 
Sequenced as its own stand-alone album, J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is dense with awesome. The record stands as a proclamation of identity for Hacha De Zola as a tightwire-walking artist that has defied early comparisons to everyone from Tom Waits to Captain Beefheart to Jim Morrison to becomes his own thang (with an “a!”)
 
“Sometimes to get an idea of where you are going, ya have to take a look at where ya been,” he says. “I’m taking a moment to reflect upon the previous work, while also keeping my thoughts on the first-time listener who may happen upon my music with this compilation release.
 
“I thought to myself, ‘what songs are most representative of J Hacha De Zola’s voice and spirit? What would you want a first time listener to hear? This compelled me to make sure that listening to the ‘greatest hits’ was a fun, captivating and immersive experience, and a strong introduction to what I do as a recording artist.
 
“I picked what I felt were some of my best moments and crafted it into what feels like a new record. Hopefully some will delve a bit deeper, but I wanted this to be a fun collection of my proudest, and maybe most accessible moments.”
 
As for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable, definitely fun tribute that is the album’s cover, a dead-on approximation of singer-songwriter John Denver’s own eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album image, Hacha De Zola explains, “John Denver was one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 70s, and there definitely was no shortage of those during that time.”
 
Drawing the connection, Hacha De Zola continues, saying, “He wrote authentic tunes that came directly from his heart, soul, and experience. There was a certain purity about him and what he did. My introduction to his music was through his John Denver’s Greatest Hits record, and everything about it, including the album cover, was a perfect representation of his music and overall vibe. I would like to think that I have done something similar with my own record, except that John Denver actually had hits!”
 
Obviously, as a songwriter, Hacha De Zola and Denver come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas, but Hacha De Zola focuses in on, and connects with what they have deeply in common.
 
“I loved this idea of being exactly what you are. Whatever you are, be it.”
 
J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is out April 2nd, 2021. His albums Escape From Fat Kat City, Antipatico, Picaro Obscuro, and Icaro Nouveau are all streaming now. Look also for the Spanish-language EP “Syn Illusión” and Hacha De Zola’s EP of covers of songs by female pop stars, “UnPOPular.” The all-new J Hacha De Zola album East of Eden arrives on June 11th, 2021.
 
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J Hacha De Zola | Links
 
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP
 
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact
 
WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL

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