Los Angeles-based visual artist, producer, vocalist Rae Okino announces upcoming release of “sex positive” debut album “Valentine’s Day.”

 Hear “dreamy, synth-drenched banger” single “Game Changer” (featuring Bassnectar, Beats Antique collaborator Lafa Taylor) via Buzzbands.la.

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Rae Okino as photographed by Machete Bang Bang

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“Game Changer” (feat. Lafa Taylor) is the first single from the debut album Valentine’s Day by Rae Okino

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/raeokino/gamechanger-feat-lafataylor

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Every day is Valentine’s Day! Rae Okino shares her Valentine’s Day Top 5 via YouTube

“Game Changer,” the lead single from Los Angeles-based Rae Okino’s upcoming debut album Valentine’s Day (announced on last Sunday’s holiday by ear-to-the-ground website Buzzbands.la), is about that “difficult stripping back of the layers” that we experience in relationships, Okino says.

The track, featuring rapper Lafa Taylor (Bassnectar, Beats Antique), and described by writer Kevin Bronson as a “dreamy, synth-drenched banger,” is just one cut that comprises an overall effort by Okino to create what she calls a “sex positive” album.

“Valentine’s Day not only touches on love, lust, and the general ins and outs of relationships,” she explains, “but also on the relationship between togetherness and separateness as a means to achieve oneness.”  Okino goes on to sum up the concept of the album by saying that “every day is Valentine’s Day,” and reminding us to “show the people you love why you love them, any chance you get. Why wait for Hallmark to bank on your love for each other?”

In a time where society focuses so much on “followers” and “brands,” Rae Okino aims to build a different kind of utopia. Her belief in true freedom of speech, sexuality, and artistic expression is felt throughout her debut album Valentine’s Day.  Already a seasoned vocalist, Okino is now fully producing her own music and visuals, and is keenly focused on joining like-minded individuals together through art and experience.

Valentine’s Day, the debut album by visual artist, producer, and vocalist Rae Okino arrives on March 23^rd, 2016.  The album’s lead single “Game Changer” (feat. Lafa Taylor) is streaming now.  Purchase “Game Changer” and pre-order Valentine’s Day here.

Rae Okino is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Rae Okino

Valentine’s Day

(S/R – March 23^th, 2016)

Track Listing:

01. Game Changer (feat. Lafa Taylor) (STREAM)

02. 100

03. Come Over

04. Not a Transaction

05. Walk Away (feat. Releece)

06. Nights & Mornings

07. Good

08. Kiss You

09. Means Nothing

10. Crushin’

11. Moving On

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Rae Okino Links

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

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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

Dan Hubbard turns troubadour on new album produced in Nashville by Uncle Tupelo, Wilco co-founder, Ken Coomer.

Tour continues tonight in Chicago. Hear latest tracks from just-released solo album now via Paste, Elmore, Performer.

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Dan Hubbard as photographed by Karen Bridges (Beyond The Well)

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Hear “Johnny” at Paste, “Straw Hat” at Elmore, and “Tired of Loving You” at Performer or click the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/dan-hubbard-johnny

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/dan-hubbard-straw-hat

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/dan-hubbard-tired-of-loving-you

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“Ranks alongside the likes of Ryan Adams as one of the finest contemporary country-rock front men.” – R2 Magazine (UK)

While Dan Hubbard’s just-released album is a solo singer-songwriter effort, over the past decade he had built a devoted following in the Midwest as the leader of a rock band. But following 2011’s The Love Show with his group, The Humadors, Hubbard felt the urge to change things up.  And when he did, he had to make some big choices.

“Everyone had their reasons for wanting to end the band, but changing my sound, which was something I never cared about before, was my reason,” Hubbard says.  It was a precarious move for an artist who had already built a small, but loyal fan base. The risk has paid off, however, and Hubbard’s new album is all the proof that’s needed. Where the Humadors rocked and rocked well, Hubbard’s new songs, and his performance of them, sound less rave-up and more settled in – real, relatable, roots-driven music that sticks.

The record came about when, armed with a batch of some of the best songs he’d written in his life, Hubbard headed to Nashville to work with producer Ken Coomer, a co-founder of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco and a three-time Grammy nominee.

“Ken played drums on Wilco’s Being There and Summerteeth albums – two of my favorite records of all time,” Hubbard exclaims of this dream-come-true scenario.  Coomer brought in a who’s who of local talent to round out Hubbard’s studio band, including Dave Roe (long-time bassist with Johnny Cash), Adam Ollendorff (guitarist with Kacey Musgraves), and Tyson Rogers (pianist with Don Williams.)  Of course, Coomer himself joined in behind the drums.

 “I was a little nervous about becoming a ‘solo artist,’” Hubbard says. “It was a little like starting over, but all of these great experiences helped me feel that I’d made the right decision. I know it’s the best thing I’ve done.”

Hubbard is currently on tour supporting the new album, with a second leg in the planning stages that will take him through the rest of 2016. See below for current dates. Dan Hubbard’s self-titled solo album is out now. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Dan Hubbard – On Tour

02/11 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
02/12 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
02/19 Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room
02/20 Cedar Rapids, IA @ Artisans Sanctuary
02/26 LaSalle, IL @ Ninth Street Pub
02/27 Champaign, IL @ Cowboy Monkey
03/03 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
03/04 Louisville, KY @ Third Street Dive
03/05 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
03/11 Fort Myers, FL @ Yabo
03/26 Emporia, KS @ Emporia Granada Theater
04/15 St. Charles, IL @ Old Towne Pub
04/16 Milwaukee, WI @ Art Bar

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Dan Hubbard

S/T

(S/R – Out Now)

  

Track Listing:

01. February (STREAM | MP3)

02. More I Live, Less I Know

03. Johnny (STREAM | MP3)

04. Straw Hat (STREAM | MP3)

05. And The Music

06. She Gives It Everything

07. All Night, Alright

08. Tired of Loving You (STREAM | MP3)

09. Come Tomorrow

10. The Turning Point

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Dan Hubbard 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

Los Angeles-based pop band the black watch has been making music for more than 27 years, its 13th full-length is out now.

Band leader John Andrew Fredrick to tour west coast with solo show starting tonight, full-band L.A. residency set for March.

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the black watch (L-R): Tyson Cornell, Chris Rackard, John Andrew Fredrick, Rick Woodard.  Photo Credit: Steve Keros.

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“Pershing/Harvard Square” is the first song to reference Chrissie Hynde by name. Hear it now via PopMatters or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/the-black-watch-pershing-harvard-square

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/theblackwatch-hal/mp3/theblackwatch-pershing-harvardsquare.mp3

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the black watch – In The Press

“Should’ve become a household name a long time ago.” – USA Today

“A prime example of Fredrick’s knack for clever and extremely catchy songs.” – Popmatters

“On record, the black watch rarely dips in quality, but the most amazing thing is that it keeps topping itself.” – Blurt

“Salutes the great DIY pop canon and trophy hallways of heroes with an illustrious array of pepped up jangle pop.” – Impose

“Shows off the confidence and panache of a band with 27 years of creating music.” –  MAGNET

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Kevin Bronson documents the “quixotic adventures of John Andrew Fredrick” in this piece for Buzzbands.la

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the black watch – Live

(*=John Andrew Fredrick Solo/Acoustic)

02/05 San Francisco, CA @ The Velo Rouge Cafe *

02/09 Portland, OR @ Ash Street Saloon *

02/10 Seattle, WA @ Lucky Liquor Tavern *

02/11 Boise, ID @ Liquid Lounge *

02/13 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Hat Lounge *

03/02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room (1538 Sunset Blvd.)

03/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room (1538 Sunset Blvd.)

03/16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room (1538 Sunset Blvd.)

03/23 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room (1538 Sunset Blvd.)

03/30 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room (1538 Sunset Blvd.)

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“L.A. has not produced a band as capable of both My Bloody Valentine miasma and Nick Drake quietness.” — Andy Gill, Gang of Four

John Andrew Fredrick, a prolific songwriter and author – he has published three comic-literary novels and is about to release a book on the early films of Wes Anderson –  is also the front man of the Los Angeles-based pop band, the black watch.

Over a 27-year-long career, the black watch has been praised up and down Sunset Boulevard for its skill at tongue-in-cheek turns of phrase wrapped around decadent pop hooks.  The band’s 13^th full-length album Highs & Lows was released late last year, and following up a series of solo acoustic shows on the east coast, Fredrick will embark on a handful of west coast solo dates this evening.

The full band version of the black watch will play five hometown shows in March as part of a residency at The Lost Room in Los Angeles, on where else, Sunset Boulevard. Will more praise be forthcoming?

Produced by Rob Campanella of Brian Jonestown Massacre, the first single from Highs & Lows is “Pershing/Harvard Square,” which Frederick believes to be the only song to ever mention Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde by name.

“I jotted down the whole thing early one morning after coffee,” he says.” I often think about the sort of person you meet in Los Angeles who, as the line in the song goes, thinks they’re Chrissie Hynde or something just because they ‘say strange things’ to people, at parties or wherever.”  Perhaps Hynde will sit in when the black watch performs the tune live.

Highs & Lows, the latest album from the black watch, is out now via Pop Culture Press Records.  John Andrew Fredrick is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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the black watch

Highs & Lows

(Pop Culture Press Records)

Out Now

Track Listing:

01. Beautiful Sleeper (VIDEO)

02. Quondam Redhead (STREAM | MP3)

03. Pershing/Harvard Square (STREAM | MP3)

04. There’s No Fucking Way

05. A Sort of An Overture

06. Love’s Fever Dreams (STREAM | MP3)

07. She’s A Mess

08. If Upon A Time That Never Happened

09. He Must Needs Go That The Devil Drives

10. Eleanor’s Not Hiding

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the black watch Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : POP CULTURE PRESS RECORDS

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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

Robert Harrison resurrects Cotton Mather for massive 64-song project, with each tune devoted to one of the I Ching's 64 hexagrams.

“The songs are my responses to the readings, happening in real time,” Harrison says. Hear “Child Bride” now via Austin’s NPR, KUTX.

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Robert Harrison of Cotton Mather. Photo Credit: Valerie Fremin.

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Check out the premiere of “Child Bride” by Cotton Mather via Austin’s NPR-affiliate KUTX or listen at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/cotton-mather-child-bride

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/cottonmather/cottonmather-childbride.mp3  

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Cotton Mather’s much revered album Kontiki – originally issued in 1997, and then again as a deluxe edition in 2012 – was heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, and the band’s mastermind, Robert Harrison is mining that subject matter again with his ambitious new project Songs From The I Ching which represents the first all-new Cotton Mather music in more than a decade.

“I’ve always been spiritually curious,” Harrison says of the subject matter.  “I studied the I Ching in college but didn’t delve deep until later.”  Delving is putting it mildly as Harrison intends to record one song for each of the ancient book of Chinese wisdom and advice’s 64 hexagrams, eventually packaging the tracks into several vinyl releases, but making them available digitally along the way.  The first album is scheduled for a May, 2016 release.

The project’s first track, “The Book of Too Late Changes,” was premiered by Texas Monthly late last year as part of a larger feature about the project, and is now followed up with track two, “Child Bride,” streaming now via Austin’s NPR-affiliate, KUTX.  Harrison says the I Ching book that “Child Bride” is based on is “seldom a favorite reading to receive and typically a reminder that my life is an ongoing exhibit of lessons unlearned.” Referring to a real-life event, Harrison says, “I can tell you that if you're ever going to jump over a fence on Halloween night in an effort to rescue a drunk driver, you'd better remove your nun costume first, unless you want to spend the next two months on crutches.”

Harrison goes on to explain that he consults the I Ching “at the beginning of most days,” but it wasn’t until recently that he decided to let it motivate his songwriting and birth this massive project.

“I wrote a song titled ‘Call Me The Witch’ for Nicole Atkins,” Harrison tells Texas Monthly. “I got the idea for the song after consulting the I Ching.  I began to ask myself, ‘Should I do a project based around the I Ching?’ I’d get a gentle ‘No,’ but this spring I was in Europe and realized it was burning in me to do the whole cycle, because I’d already written a dozen or so songs in this method.  I realized attempting all 64 at once wouldn’t be true. So the songs are my responses to the readings as I receive them, happening in real time and real weather.”

This thinking explains Harrison’s choice to release the tracks one by one, sharing the material in an organic way.  18 of the 64 songs have already been written, and the process of recording them is ongoing.  Robert Harrison of Cotton Mather is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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More about Cotton Mather:

Cotton Mather was founded by Robert Harrison in Austin, Texas in the early 1990’s with an experimental sound that soon evolved into guitar driven pop defined by accessible melodies, strong vocal harmonies and lyrical wit. The group released its debut album Cotton Is King in 1994, but it was the follow-up album Kontiki, famously recorded on four-track cassette, that drew praise from critics and rock-stars alike.

Uncut Magazine gave the album five stars calling the record “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality,” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called Kontiki “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” It wasn’t just the press either.  Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher fell in love with Kontiki soon after discovering it. When Noel was asked “What are you listening to these days?” in the pages of Mojo, he answered: “Cotton Mather, Kontiki,” and went on to say, “I thought if that isn’t the best record I’ve heard in ten years, then I don’t know what is.” Brother Liam left his praise for the record in the pages of GQ, admitting “I fucking wish it was ours! I play it all day at home.”

On our shores, the bounce back of influence from across the pond was finally felt with Britt Daniel of Spoon being just one artist to say “Kontiki gave me something to shoot for.” In addition to the deluxe reissue of Kontiki on Valentine’s Day, 2012, Cotton Mather reunited that year for a special performance of full album at South By Southwest, marking the first time in a decade since the band last performed together.

In the years since Cotton Mather went on hiatus, Harrison stayed busy producing other artists, in addition to forming and fronting a new band, Future Clouds and Radar which was acknowledged for its “sprawling orchestral pop” by The New Yorker and named “Debut Artist of The Year” by Harp Magazine.  Harrison expects that with so many I Ching songs to record, Future Clouds and Radar will also be making an appearance on the project.

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Check out the premiere of “The Book of Too Late Changes” by Cotton Mather via Texas Monthly or listen at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/cotton-mather-the-book-of-too-late-changes

[MP3]: https://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/cottonmather/cottonmather-thebookoftoolatechanges.mp3

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Cotton Mather Links

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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

Polecat brings bluegrass, country, Celtic, reggae, rock sounds together on new album. Hear “In The Cold” via Relix.

Upcoming tour dates supporting Yonder Mountain String Band in March also revealed, headlining tour in April to follow.

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Polecat (L-R): Aaron Guest, Richard Reeves, Cayley Schmid, Karl Olson, Jeremy Elliott. Photo credit: Kenneth Kearney.

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Hear “In The Cold” by Polecat now via Relix or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/polecat-in-the-cold  

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/polecat/mp3/polecat-inthecold.mp3

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Polecat will hit the road supporting Yonder Mountain String Band in March.  See below for current dates!

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The members of Bellingham, Washington-based five-piece bluegrass band Polecat arrived at their first rehearsal from very different musical backgrounds.

“Some of us shook hands for the first time that day,” says band leader and vocalist Aaron Guest of the initial meeting in early 2010.  Incorporating genres that not only include bluegrass, but also world, country, Celtic, reggae and rock into a cohesive sound might have been impossible if each member of Polecat hadn’t learned the rules before breaking them.  The group is well-seasoned, having performed nearly 100 shows a year since its inception, but at that first meeting, Polecat didn’t even have a name.

The following five years saw Polecat release two full-length albums along with steady growth throughout the Northwest as each band member's musical diversity allowed them to chameleon through an incredible variety of gigs and audiences.  Now Polecat will hit the road for two weeks in March as direct support with Yonder Mountain String Band behind the release of a new Polecat album Into The Wind on March 11^th. Polecat will then embark on a headlining tour supporting Into The Wind in April.

Listen to the first single from the new album “In The Cold,” premiered this week via Relix.  “In The Cold,” a great mix of what Polecat can do, incorporating polyrhythmic grooves, big rock breaks, and guitar lines that range from percussive hi-life feels to soaring rock triplets.

“The lyrics ponder how we have lost sight of what's around us, and nature in general, something far bigger than our own emotions and thoughts,” says Guest.

Into The Wind by Polecat arrives on March 11^th, 2016. Members of Polecat are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Polecat – On Tour

(* w/ Yonder Mountain String Band)

03/11 Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo w/ Baby Cakes

03/15 Jackson Hole, WY @ Pink Garter Theatre *

03/16 Missoula, MT @ The Wilma *

03/17 Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre *

03/18 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *

03/19 Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre *

03/22 Arcata, CA @ Van Duzer Theatre *

03/23 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Club *

03/24 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *

03/25 Stateline, NV @ Crystal Bay Casino *

03/26 San Diego, CA @ Belly Up *

04/08 Conway, WA @ Conway Muse w/ The Sky Colony

04/21 Chelan, WA @ The Vogue 8PM, All Ages

04/22 Spokane, WA @ The Big Dipper 8PM, All Ages

04/23 Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theatre Pub w/ Popcorn, 9PM, All Ages

04/24 Astoria, OR @ Fort George Brewery 8PM, All Ages

04/30 Prosser, WA @ In This Together Festival

05/28 Eastsound, Orcas Island, WA @ Random Howse 8PM, All Ages

05/29 Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA @ Rumor Mill 8PM, All Ages

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Polecat – Into The Wind

(S/R – March 11^th, 2016)

  

Track Listing:

01. Can't Run Can't Hide

02. In The Cold (STREAM | MP3)

03. After The Night Falls

04. Icarus

05. Christine

06. Back To You

07. Marmot

08. You're The One

09. Lochs of Dread

10. Four Leaf Clover

11. Devil On My Shoulder

12. Siroco

13. Fly On The Wall

14. Hold On

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Polecat Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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