Tree Machines relocates from hometown of Lawrence, Kansas to Los Angeles, releases three pop-focused singles while prepping first LP.

Critically praised duo’s first Daytrotter session streaming now.  Work on debut album with producer Mikel Giffin to commence next month.

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Tree Machines (L-R): Douglas Wooldridge & Patrick Aubry. Photo by Phil Peterson.

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Tree Machines – In The Press

“Emotionally staggering.” – Diffuser

“Best new rock song of the year so far.” – BULLETT

“This is the best thing I’ve heard all week. So amazing.” – Daytrotter

“I’ve been unable to stop listening.” – Gold Flake Paint (UK)

“Grips you in such a beautifully brutal way.” – Innocent Words

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Hear the latest singles from Tree Machines via Performer, Exclaim!, Groundsounds or at the links below!

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Tree Machines – “Summer Night”

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/treemachines/summer-night-1

[MP3]: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/treemachines-singles/mp3/treemachines-summernight.mp3

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Tree Machines – “At Arms Length”

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/treemachines/at-arms-length

[MP3]: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/treemachines-singles/mp3/treemachines-atarmslength.mp3

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Tree Machines – “To Be Alive”

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/treemachines/to-be-alive

[MP3]: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/treemachines-singles/mp3/treemachines-tobealive.mp3

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Hear the debut Daytrotter session by Tree Machines now!

“This is an exciting time for us as people and as artists,” explains Douglas Wooldridge of Tree Machines referring to the duo’s decision to relocate from its hometown of Lawrence, Kansas to Los Angeles this past summer. “This city is vastly different from the one where we grew up, but here we are staring blankly into the sun, trying to get our feet under us.”

Following up Wooldridge and bandmate Patrick Aubry’s critically praised debut EP as Tree Machines which was released early 2015, the duo dropped three standalone singles during the summer that show off the pop side of the Tree Machines sound.

“Summer Night” is the happy-go-lucky part of new love,” Wooldridge explains of the trilogy of tunes that documents the stages of a relationship. “‘To Be Alive’ is more of a ‘we’ve seen some shit together, but we love each other more for it’ type of attitude, and ‘At Arms Length’ is the ‘we’re barely keeping our heads above water and we’re drifting apart quickly’ thing.”

Even with three new tracks out, Tree Machines hasn’t slowed in fleshing out a debut album.

“The immediate plan for the future is to partner up with our producer Mikel Giffin, who has now become a true member of Tree Machines, and get started on an album that amasses to the enormity of our move to the coast,” says Wooldridge. “We’ve got 20 or so songs in different stages of the writing process and we’re looking to start tracking at the beginning of October.” More news of album progress and release date to come.

Douglas Wooldridge and Patrick Aubry of Tree Machines are available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Tree Machines Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : TUMBLR : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : LAST.FM : BLOG : E-MAIL

Sister-brother band Charlie Belle releases second EP of 2015. Hear the title track “I Don’t Want To Be Alone” via NPR Music now.

17-year-old songwriter Jendayi Bonds says the Austin-based duo’s song “isn’t about being hung up on someone that treats you like crap.”

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Charlie Belle (L-R): Gyasi Bonds, Jendayi Bonds. Photo Credit: Barclay Ice & Coal.

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Charlie Belle – In The Press

“Charlie Belle is outstanding.” – NPR

“Wanna feel good? Press play.” – Noisey

“These are some of the raddest kids around.” – NYLON

“The most infectious kind of power-pop.” – Wired

“Super-melodic, toe-tapping guitar-pop.” – ROOKIE

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Hear the title track from the new Charlie Belle EP “I Don’t Want To Be Alone” via NPR Music or the link below now!!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/charlie-belle-i-dont-want-to-be-alone

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Atlanta! See Charlie Belle as part of the Deep Roots Festival next month with JR JR, Bronze Radio Return and more!

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“It’s pretty R&B inspired,” Jendayi Bonds, the 17-year-old singer-songwriter of Charlie Belle explains about “I Don’t Want To Be Alone,” the duo’s new EP, out now.  “I’ve really been feeling the groove and trying to figure out a way to put that into Charlie Belle without taking away from who we are.”

This time, once again complemented by Jendayi’s 14-year-old brother Gyasi on drums and the agile bass playing of studio vet David Andersen, the songs jump in a way that gets in your face, under your skin, and into your heart and mind.  The groove Jendayi is feeling hits home and is immediate on the EP’s title track, recently premiered by NPR Music.

The Bonds siblings, who began playing together as a duo in 2011 (promptly landing in USA Today with a cover of “Strange Powers” by Magnetic Fields), made a splash earlier this year with the breezy debut EP “Get To Know,” which recalled the English “alternapop” sound of the 90’s in a succinct and memorable handful of songs that reflected Jendayi’s mature-beyond-her-years songwriting.

Displaying a style that Jendayi began to hone starting with her first songwriting attempts at only 10-years-old (brother Gyasi started on drums at four!), the “Get To Know” EP earned Jendayi’s songs their first bit of national attention.  The new collection shows off a major step forward in the young lyricist’s songwriting and abilities with a hook.

“Nobody knows me like I do / But everyone is telling me what I’m supposed to do / And nobody knows what goes on in my head / But everyone is acting like all my thoughts can be read,” Jendayi sings on “Petting Zoo,” the song most reminiscent of the band’s previous EP, bearing a distinct UK sound that doesn’t quit.

“I Don’t Want To Be Alone,” the latest EP from Charlie Belle, is out now. Jendayi and Gyasi Bonds are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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See the video for “Petting Zoo” from the new Charlie Belle EP via Popmatters and grab the MP3 via Noisey!

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPnjpcGYuc

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Charlie Belle

“I Don’t Want To Be Alone” EP

(Fanatic Records)

Out Now

  

Track Listing:

01. I Don’t Want To Be Alone  (STREAM)

02. Petting Zoo (STREAM | DOWNLOAD | MP3 | VIDEO)

03. Speak Your Mind

04. You Don’t Know Me

05. Find You

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Charlie Belle Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : TUMBLR : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : LAST.FM : BLOG : E-MAIL

Five Eight reissues 1994’s “Weirdo” as originally intended, New film documenting previous “record company meddling” streaming now.

Athens-based foursome announces tour dates to celebrate, Releases personal new song “The Flood” to honor New Orleans, Katrina victims.

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Five Eight (L-R): Dan Horowitz, Mike Mantione, Patrick Ferguson, Sean Dunn. Photo credit: Courtney McDermott.

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Hear the remixed, remastered version of “Behead Myself” from the Weirdo reissue via Brooklyn Vegan or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/five-eight-behead-myself

[DOWNLOAD]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/five-eight-behead-myself/download

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/five-eight/mp3/five-eight-behead-myself.mp3   

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Watch the documentary “Weirdo Reborn” about how Weirdo was originally “sonically damaged by record company meddling” here.

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In 1994, Athens, GA-based band Five Eight released Weirdo, the album that should have been a breakthrough for the relentlessly hard working and touring band that formed in the late 80s.  Twenty one years later, Weirdo gets the deluxe re-release treatment courtesy of Austin-based label Chicken Ranch Records.  The Weirdo reissue, remixed from the master tapes by original producer David Barbe (Sugar), remastered by Jim Wilson, and featuring new artwork along with five unreleased bonus tracks, is now available as a 180 gram 2XLP and digital download.

A short documentary film “Weirdo Reborn” by filmmaker Marc Pilvinsky has also been released to coincide with the reissue of Weirdo.  The film documents what is described as the “record company meddling” that took the album from the band’s original intentions.

“Hardly anyone knows the tortured story of why Weirdo didn’t come out sonically the way the band and producer David Barbe wanted,” Pilvinsky comments.  “But this documentary lays it all out on the line. It’s been an honor to work with these guys, telling this amazing story."

Barbe also comments on how he has returned Weirdo to the way it was first envisioned, saying, “When I turned in the finished mixes to the A&R man, he listened, called me and said, ‘You have made a great record.’ His opinion would change.  I believed that the hyped, over-processed records of the early 90’s were going to sound hopelessly dated in time. He wanted Five Eight to give him his own Nevermind, and this was not it.”

Fans of Five Eight can hear songs from Weirdo live as the band plays a pair of date in September, October, and November.  See below for details.  Concertgoers may also be treated to a new song “The Flood,” that Five Eight recently issued on the 10^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  As the band’s Mike Mantione explains, the song has personal resonance for Five Eight.

“At the time that Hurricane Katrina hit, I was trying to find Sean Dunn to ask him rejoin the band. The Dunn family was from New Orleans, and Five Eight was always deeply linked to the city.  When I finally located Sean, he told me that he still hadn't found his brother. It was crushing to say the least.”

Mantione continues, “Fast forward to today and Sean and I are both sober, and his brother, whom was eventually located, also got sober and has remarried and started anew. Sean and I write together, and one particularly dark song he brought not long ago really moved me. I asked him what it was about, and he says it’s called ‘The Flood.’ I instantly remembered thinking back about how Sean and his brother were both likely dead, if not from the storm then from their addictions, and I turned to Sean and said, ‘Wow you really want to write about Katrina?”

 Five Eight is now releasing the track in its present and rawest form, as a tribute to the great city of New Orleans, as its citizens continue to remember their loss.  The reissue of Weirdo by Five Eight is available now via Chicken Ranch Records here.  Members of Five Eight are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Five Eight Live

09/18 Atlanta, GA @ Smith’s Olde Bar

09/19 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge

10/16 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s

10/17 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo

11/20 Augusta, GA @ Soul Bar

11/21 Valdosta, GA @ Ashley Street Station

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Five Eight honors New Orleans and Katrina victims with personal new song, The Flood.

[STREAM]: http://fiveeight.bandcamp.com/track/the-flood

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Five Eight

Weirdo

(Chicken Ranch Records)

Out Now

  

Track Listing:

01. Mystery James

02. Karaoke

03. Behead Myself (STREAM | DOWNLOAD | MP3)

04. Fall Asleep

05. What They Did

06. You Never Look In My Eyes

07. Stars

08. Tense It Up

09. Hurt You

10. Weirdo

11. Shouldn’t Be Here

12. Drummer Divorce (Bonus Track)

13. Nowhere In A Circle (Bonus Track)

14. Strings (Bonus Track)

15. The Only One (Bonus Track)

16. Ghost In This Town (Bonus Track)

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Five Eight Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : TUMBLR : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : LAST.FM : BLOG : E-MAIL

Houston-based The Wheel Workers releases music video for controversial “Whole Other World” single via Birth. Movies. Death.

Band’s socially conscious pop tunes earn praise for “Citizens” album as work continues on follow-up. New live dates announced.

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The Wheel Workers (L-R): Craig Wilkins, Steven Higginbotham, Allison Wilkins McPhail, Jason Williams, Tyson Sheth. Photo Credit: Patrick Bertolino.

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The Wheel Workers – In The Press

“Painfully catchy.” – MAGNET

“Houston’s brightest hope. Damn. Seriously righteous.” – BLURT

“Sincerely progressive and catchy as hell.” – Space City Rock

“Sociopolitical consciousness with a memorable hook.” – The Big Takeover

“New Wave synth stylings meet sharp lyrics.” – PopMatters

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See the premiere of the music video for “Whole Other World” via Birth. Movies. Death. or at the link below!

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The Wheel Workers – Live

09/18 Austin, TX @ Cheer Up Charlies

09/19 Houston, TX @ Yes Indeed! Music Festival

10/03 Houston, TX @ Khon’s

10/09 Victoria, TX @ Downtown Bar and Grill

10/17 Houston, TX @ East End Fest

10/23 Houston, TX @ Continental Club

11/13 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar

11/27 Houston, TX @ Walter’s

12/11 Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s Saloon

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Learn more about The Wheel Workers and the CITIZENS album via this album mini-documentary!

Houston-based sociopolitical pop act, The Wheel Workers has released the music video for “Whole Other World,” the latest single from its critically praised 2015 album CITIZENS. The video comes on the heels of eight nominations for the band’s unique brand of sociopolitical pop songs at the recent Houston Press Music Awards.  “Whole Other World” is a perfect example of the band’s special style.

“‘Whole Other World’ is one of the older songs on the record,” says the band’s leader and lyricist, Steven Higginbotham.  “It was written ten years ago and reflects my frustration with how the Iraq War began and the media system that enabled it. The post 9/11 media landscape silenced dissent and allowed the Bush administration to confuse and scare the American people. The media’s role should have been to expose the lies, but instead they enabled them,” Higginbotham concludes.

The song’s lyrics go on to express the hope of seeing through the charade and “opening a whole other world.” The concept for the song’s music video, directed by Jerry Ochoa, won Higginbotham over instantly.

“He pitched an idea about a guy who is increasingly disillusioned with the world and decides to leave in a spaceship,” Higginbotham explains.  “I loved his vision, and I couldn’t wait to put all those years of watching sci-fi shows to good use in pretending I knew how to operate my very own spaceship.  I didn’t want the shoot to end, which is saying something considering all of the hours walking around in parking lots, swamps, and sand in the summer Texas heat!”

With all that’s going on for The Wheel Workers and CITIZENS, the band is already looking towards the future, and is back in the studio recording its next full-length.

“While the vinyl press cools off from printing album number three, we’re already in the studio working on number four,” says band member and producer, Dan Workman. “We’re all pretty amazed with the number of great songs and sounds we are collecting. I think that we’re hitting our stride!”

Members of The Wheel Workers are available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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The Wheel Workers

CITIZENS

(S/R – Out Now)

Track Listing:

01. Yodel (STREAM | DOWNLOAD | MP3 | VIDEO)

02. Burglar (STREAM | DOWNLOAD | MP3 | VIDEO)

03. Whole Other World (VIDEO)

04. Smokescreen

05. Wage Slaves

06. Run Away

07. Dream

08. Citizen Incorporated

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The Wheel Workers Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : TUMBLR : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : LAST.FM : BLOG : E-MAIL