Sibling duo, Phil and Lu, releases debut album “Mood Rock” today; Brother-sister band has been playing music together since childhood.

“Poignant, highly-relatable, and beautiful. The album is absolutely alluring,” says Impose. Monthly Los Angeles residency announced.

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Phil and Lu (L-R): Phil Stancil, Laura Stancil. Photo by Greer K. Bratschie.

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Hear “Oh, My My” from Mood Rock by Phil and Lu via The Line of Best Fit or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/phil-and-lu-oh-my-my

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/philandlu/mp3/philandlu-ohmymy.mp3

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“Lead single ‘Oh, My My’ is testament to the true emotion and reminiscence that goes into their songwriting.” – The Line of Best Fit

​Phil and Lu is Phil and Laura Stancil, siblings based in Venice Beach, California who have been playing music together their entire lives. The duo releases its debut album Mood Rock today, streaming now via Impose.

The album release follows the recent premiere of the single “Oh, My My,” the album’s opener and first glimpse into a sound well-defined by the album’s title. Los Angeles area fans can hear “Oh, My My” now via The Line of Best Fit, and then see Phil and Lu live when they launch a monthly residency at The Escondite (410 Boyd St.) starting on Friday, Oct. 21^st. See below for full itinerary.

“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” Phil explains. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jose Feliciano, and Sergio Mendez by digging through his record collection.”

Phil and Laura also idolized The Beach Boys and pretty much everything “California” growing up, and Mood Rock listeners will hear those influences immediately, as well as the Stancil’s passion for Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, set to more modern instrumentation and production techniques. All of this combines to make Mood Rock a stand-out first record.

Speaking of California, there’s a distinct Sea Change-era Beck tone to Phil’s reedy, mournful vocal on “Oh, My My” that helps the track feel instantly familiar.

“‘Oh, My My’ was one of the first songs we finished, and it set the tone for the entire record,” he explains. “It’s our personal favorite, and illustrates the vibe we have here in Venice Beach. It’s haunting, sad, and nostalgic.”

Mood Rock was written and recorded in a one-month period, and because Phil and Laura play all of the instruments on the record, in addition to writing and recording together, they were able to create on-the-fly, an essential part of what makes these songs feel so easy. 

“We write in a quick, free-flowing setting, and the songs constantly change until we find the right recipe,” Phil explains. Indeed, every track on Mood Rock reaches in a different direction, but ultimately arrives at a satisfying destination.

Mood Rock, the debut album by Phil and Lu is out now, and the the brother-sister duo is already working on a follow-up. Phil and Laura Stancil are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Phil and Lu – Live

10/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

10/27 Los Angeles, CA @ TRiP 930PM

11/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe 7PM

11/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

12/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

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Phil and Lu

Mood Rock

Out Now

  

Track Listing:

01. Oh, My My (STREAM | MP3)

02. Stranger

03. Until You’re Mine

04. Believe Me

05. Behave

06. Run Away

07. Sad Eyed Boy

08. Sea Lies

09. Follow Me Into The Sun

10. I’m Already Gone

11. Brother

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Phil and Lu Links

ASSETS : 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

Brooklyn-based improvisatory jazz --slash-- electro-classical --slash-- psychedelic rock ensemble, Loop 2.4.3, takes its “Time-Machine_music” on the road.

Upcoming dates led by percussionist Thomas Kozumplik, a collaborator with Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Sufjan Stevens, The National.

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Thomas Kozumplik of Loop 2.4.3 as photographed by Jamal Ahmed

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Hear the studio version of “Out to War” from Time-Machine_music by Loop 2.4.3 and see a live performance via the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/loop-243-out-to-war

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/loop243/mp3/loop243-outtowar.mp3

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[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzM9MzeTTqE

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Loop 2.4.3 – Live

09/17 Marshall, VA @ Stillwaters 8PM

09/19 Arlington, VA @ Galaxy Hut 9PM

10/11 Tacoma, WA @ Slavonian Hall 7PM

10/13 Seattle, WA @ Wayward Music Series 8PM

10/20 Oakland, CA @ Studio Grand w/ Alex Vittum, 9PM

10/25 Geneva, NY @ Hobart and William Smith Colleges 8PM

10/26 Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo

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“It all sounds like part of a well-thought-out tradition. Only the tradition has never existed until now.” – NPR

Loop 2.4.3 creates original music steeped in percussion and electronics, with sounds both experimental and familiar at its core. Rooted in the classical chamber music tradition, the music still has an undeniable psychedelic edge with improvisatory jazz and rock foundations.

Loop 2.4.3’s founder, percussionist, and composer, Thomas Kozumplik (also a member of Clogs along with The National’s Bryce Dessner and Padma Newsome), leads a flexible ensemble that rotates players and varies in size, but the powerful sense of exploration and freedom is constant.

Kozumplik’s latest iteration of Loop 2.4.3 has expanded the integration of electronic sounds, samples, and “ghost musicians” that Kozumplik creates via waves of delay. Kozumplik literally brought this music into new terrain by touring this latest “group” throughout the US, creating hour-long structured improvisations, and later harnessing these performances to create Time-Machine_music, the fourth Loop 2.4.3 album, released last year.

Composed solely by Kozumplik, the album explores literal and figurative manipulations of time, probing the experience from a personal and social perspective. With the album now available, Kozumplik is bringing Time-Machine_music out on the road again this fall for a handful of dates on the East and West coasts. See above for full itinerary.

“Time-Machine_music explores the spaces, or the connections between points in time,” Kozumplik explains. “It acknowledges that brilliance and sagacity may come from a place that is entangled with conflict, controversy, emotional instability, and the surreal, hyperreal, hallucinatory receptors of the mind.”

The album’s lead track is “Out to War,” which Kozumplik says is “as much about being treated with disrespect as it is about world conflict, and the seemingly unending need for humans to resolve conflict through violence.”

A sampling of the instruments heard on Time-Machine_music include an electro-acoustic percussion set of Chinese tom-toms, Indian bells, crotales, log drums, tambourim, marimba, vibraphone, Thai gongs, piano, Wurlitzer, steel drum, and kalimba. Kozumplik also brings voices, strings, and found sounds into the mix, embracing a notion of journeyed story-telling, and ultimately creating an alternate universe and immersive experience best brought to life in Loop 2.4.3’s acclaimed live show.

Thomas Kozumplik of Loop 2.4.3 is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Loop 2.4.3

Time-Machine_music

(Music Starts From Silence)

Out Now

  

Track Listing:

01. Out to War (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

02. MK Ultra

03. Time-Machine_music

04. Song of the Eldar

05. The Moving Finger of Time

06. Prelude (for Sophia)

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Loop 2.4.3 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

Brother-sister duo, Phil and Lu, playing music together in their family band since childhood, to release debut album “Mood Rock” on Sept. 30th.

Venice, California-based siblings’ single “Oh, My My” is “testament to the true emotion and reminiscence that goes into their songwriting.”

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Phil and Lu (L-R): Phil Stancil, Laura Stancil. Photo by Greer K. Bratschie.

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Hear "Oh, My My" from Mood Rock by Phil and Lu via The Line of Best Fit or at the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/phil-and-lu-oh-my-my

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/philandlu/mp3/philandlu-ohmymy.mp3

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“Impeccably layered in such a way that allows the listener to hear a different element of the track with every play.” – The Line of Best Fit

​Phil and Lu is Phil and Laura Stancil, siblings based in Venice Beach, California who have been playing music together their entire lives.  The duo will release its debut album Mood Rock on Sept. 30^th, 2016, preceded by the single “Oh, My My,” the album’s opener and first glimpse into a sound well-defined by the album’s title. Hear “Oh, My My” now via The Line of Best Fit.

“We grew up in a family band, playing roots-rock and folk music at festivals and local watering holes throughout Michigan, where we’re originally from,” Phil explains. “Our Dad taught us everything we know about music, and we fell in love with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jose Feliciano, and Sergio Mendes by digging through his record collection.”

Phil and Laura also idolized The Beach Boys and pretty much everything “California” growing up, and Mood Rock listeners will hear those influences immediately, as well as the Stancil’s passion for Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, set to more modern instrumentation and production techniques. All of this combines to make Mood Rock a stand-out first record.

Speaking of California, there’s a distinct Sea Change-era Beck tone to Phil’s reedy, mournful vocal on “Oh, My My” that helps the track feel instantly familiar.

“‘Oh, My My’ was one of the first songs we finished, and it set the tone for the entire record,” he explains. “It’s our personal favorite, and illustrates the vibe we have here in Venice Beach. It’s haunting, sad, and nostalgic.”

Mood Rock was written and recorded in a one-month period, and because Phil and Laura play all of the instruments on the record, in addition to writing and recording together, they were able to create on-the-fly, an essential part of what makes these songs feel so easy. 

“We write in a quick, free-flowing setting, and the songs constantly change until we find the right recipe,” Phil explains. Indeed, every track on Mood Rock reaches in a different direction, but ultimately arrives at a satisfying destination.

Mood Rock, the debut album by Phil and Lu is scheduled for release on Sept. 30^th, 2016. The album’s first single “Oh, My My” is streaming now. The brother-sister duo is currently working its second album, and will be performing live in around Los Angeles throughout the rest of 2016.​ See below for full itinerary.

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Phil and Lu – Live

09/22 Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint 8PM

10/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

10/27 Los Angeles, CA @ TRiP 930PM

11/05 Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe 7PM

11/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

12/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Escondite (Hideout) 9PM

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Phil and Lu

Mood Rock

Sept. 30^th, 2016

Track Listing:

01. Oh, My My (STREAM | MP3)

02. Stranger

03. Until You’re Mine

04. Believe Me

05. Behave

06. Run Away

07. Sad Eyed Boy

08. Sea Lies

09. Follow Me Into The Sun

10. I’m Already Gone

11. Brother

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Phil and Lu Links

ASSETS : 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

The March Divide launches fall tour, including trio of dates with Texas Is The Reason’s, Garrett Klahn. All-new EP, “Bribing Jace” out Nov. 4th.

Three, Three, Three: Upcoming EP marks San Antonio-based Jared Putnam’s first release following three full-length, three-EP releases over three years.

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Jared Putnam of The March Divide as photographed by Greg Gabrisch

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The March Divide – In The Press

“Catchy hooks and memorable lines.” – Innocent Words

“A lovely surprise.” – Independent Clauses

“Big Star-informed, strummy acoustic reverie.” – BLURT

“Completely clever.” – Performer

“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter

“Gifted with a serious set of pipes.” – The Aquarian

“Quality pop at its best.” – Popdose

“All about lyrics and melodies.” – Babysue

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“I love horror movies,” says Jared Putnam of The March Divide. “From the great old ones, to the new super-cheesy, I find my thrills in them.”

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/the-march-divide-go-to-sleep

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/the-march-divide-saturdays/mp3/themarchdivide-gotosleep.mp3

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BbK0lK6jXc

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Jared Putnam, the main man that is the San Antonio-based band, The March Divide, has launched a fall tour (see itinerary below) in support of Saturdays, his most recent album. The run of dates will take Putnam throughout Texas (including shows with Texas Is The Reason’s, Garrett Klahn) and out west to California in November where Putnam will be supporting the upcoming all-new EP, “Bribing Jace,” which marks the artist’s first release following three full-length, and three EP releases, in just three years.

While “Bribing Jace” is being readied, Putnam has offered up the music video for the latest Saturdays single “Go To Sleep,” a Grindhouse-style clip with production values rivaling current studio-produced horror films.

“I love horror movies,” Putnam says about the video. “I can't explain why, but from the really great old ones, to the new super cheesy, I find my thrills, comedy, drama, and romance in them.”  When director Daniel E. Martin came to Putnam with the concept for “Go To Sleep,” Putnam initially thought it was too ambitious, but after falling in love with it, concluded that anything less would be settling.

Martin explains, "'Go To Sleep' is unique among March Divide songs in that it has a darker feel. Themes of secrecy, duplicity, vitriol, and a nocturnal setting, all playing to an upbeat, almost punk-rock jangle. It really led us to extrapolate the villainy of it all.”

Saturdays, the latest album from The March Divide is out now. An all-new EP, “Bribing Jace,” arrives on Nov. 4^th.  Jared Putnam is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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The March Divide – On Tour

09/09 Austin, TX @ Cherrywood Coffeehouse Solo acoustic, 730PM

09/10 Fort Stockton, TX @ The Garage Solo acoustic, 7PM

09/11 Hobbs, NM @ Center For The Arts Solo acoustic, 7PM

09/12 Amarillo, TX @ The 806 Solo acoustic, 8PM

09/13 Clovis, NM @ House Show E-mail info@themarchdivide.com for info

09/14 Norman, OK @ Red Brick Bar Solo acoustic, 9PM

09/15 Wichita Falls, TX @ The Office Tavern Solo acoustic, 9PM

10/08 San Antonio, TX @ The Park Point & Eats Solo acoustic, 6PM

11/04 Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall Full band, 8PM

11/05 Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar Full band, 8PM

11/06 San Antonio, TX @ Limelight w/ Garrett Klahn (Texas Is The Reason)

11/07 El Paso, TX @ Bowie Feathers w/ Garrett Klahn (Texas Is The Reason)

11/08 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar w/ Garrett Klahn (Texas Is The Reason)

11/09 San Diego, CA @ The Merrow Solo acoustic, 8PM

11/10 Anaheim, CA @ World Famous Doll Hut Solo acoustic, 7PM
11/11 Roswell, NM @ Stellar Coffee Co. 3PM

11/12 Long Beach, CA @ The Prospector

11/13 Reno, NV @ Spectre Records

11/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Dawg Pound 8PM

11/15 Wichita Falls, TX @ Fre Mar Valley Space

11/17 Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits

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The March Divide – Saturdays

(S/R – Out Now)

  

Track Listing:

1. Exit Signs (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

2. What Will I Do

3. Take Me Out

4. Take Your Chances

5. Who Are You (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

6. I Give Up

7. Kathrine Loves The Fall

8. Go To Sleep (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

9. I Don’t Recall

10. Because I Wanted To

11. This Infatuation

12. Over and Over

13. Stacey

14. This Argument

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The March Divide Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : TUMBLR

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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

Although “Ebb” single from Steel Cranes is “expression of being flatlined,” band maintains quirky sense of humor during making of its solemn video.

To avoid nudity in clip’s bathtub footage, director Adrienne Calo acted as “nipple police,” says vocalist Tracy Shapiro; Band’s 40-date tour continues.

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Steel Cranes (L-R): Amanda Schukle, Tracy Shapiro. Photo credit: Lisa Gilligan.

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Check out “Ebb” by Steel Cranes courtesy of Impose or via the links below!

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/steel-cranes-ebb

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/steelcranes-tango/mp3/steelcranes-ebb.mp3

[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwST25OGeIE

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Steel Cranes – In The Press

“Rollicking drums and bass collide with salacious guitar licks.” – SF Weekly

“Absolutely stunning.” – Impose

“One of the year’s most compelling albums.” – Popmatters

 “Tango is a struggle between two forces. And it is worth every step.” – Innocent Words

“Raw, relentless power.” – Bitch

“Fiery, and impassioned” – MAGNET

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See the music video for “Ebb” by Steel Cranes here

“This is our second album but I like to think of it as our debut comedy album,” says Tracy Shapiro of Steel Cranes. While the Oakland-based band doesn’t expect Tango to be filed next to Steve Martin, Shapiro says that “humor was largely my barometer” when she and band mate Amanda Schukle started working on the record.

But the album’s latest single “Ebb” carries very little, if any, humor, in fact.

“It’s an expression of being flatlined,” Shapiro says. “I wrote it at a time when I had lost my capacity to feel anything other than disconnected. But for many of the other songs on Tango, it felt compelling to bring to life the vulgarity of heavier emotions, which often landed us in comedic territory.”

The video for “Ebb”, as sad and solemn as it is, was “an incredibly fun experience to make,” Shapiro remembers. And once again returning to the land of funny, Shapiro explains that director Adrienne Calo also had to act as what Shapiro describes as the “nipple police” during the shoot.

“The milk bath we created mostly hid my skin beneath the water, but Adrienne, who had a video monitor in my living room, kept shouting ‘Nipples!’ every few minutes, at which point I would concave my body to sink my breasts while maintaining a forlorn wistful look on my face.”

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Steel Cranes

Tango

(Mister White Tights Records)

Out Now

Track Listing:

1. Ebb (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

2. Pretty (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

3. Today Is The Day (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

4. Her

5. Sandglass

6. Happy

7. Take Me Down

8. What Am I Doing Here

9. The Poet

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More about Steel Cranes and Tango

Described by MTV as possessing “the slo-mo heaviness of a 2,000-pound pendulum” upon the release of the debut Steel Cranes album in 2013, Schukle and Shapiro offer an evolution of that sound on the new album Tango, available now, and being supported by a 40-date tour that launched on August 4^th, and continues into September. See below for full itinerary.

With a vision for the sound of ​Tango that was more expansive than the band’s debut, Schukle and Shapiro were initially stalled when considering the logistics of accomplishing these time-consuming sonic refinements in a studio environment. It soon became clear that the best option was to record and mix the record themselves.

“Amanda has been recording her own music for years, and she began obsessively learning more about recording and mixing,” Shapiro remembers.  “As soon as we decided to do everything ourselves, the control freaks in us were unleashed!”

This education ultimately yielded the more passionate and layered version of the Steel Cranes sound that is heard on Tango.  Once freed from the confines of creative deadlines and traditional studio environments, Shapiro and Schukle took full advantage of their new work paradigm.

“We wanted time and space to let ourselves stretch in new ways,” Shapiro says. “In ways that don’t come easy when you’re aware of how much it costs to spend three hours experimenting with the fucked-up tones on your old Casio keyboard.”

Most of all, a year spent recording, versus the five days allocated for the previous album, meant more of everything that made the first Steel Cranes album special.

“More texture. More nuance. More melody. More guitar tones,” Schukle explains. “It is also more beautiful.”

Tango by Steel Cranes is out now. Amanda Schukle and Tracy Shapiro are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Steel Cranes – Tango Tour

Upcoming:

09/06 Milwaukee, WI @ Linneman’s

09/07 Chicago, IL @ Township

09/08 Bloomington, IN @ The Back Door

09/09 Evansville, IN @ PG

09/10 St. Louis, MO @ Schlafly’s Tap Room

09/11 Columbia, MO @ Cafe Berlin

09/12 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon

09/14 Wichita, KS @ Kirby’s Beer Store

09/15 Norman, OK @ Red Brick Bar

09/16 Albuquerque, NM @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge

09/17 Santa Fe, NM @ Boxcar

Past:

08/04 Tucson, AZ @ Flycatcher
08/05 Phoenix, AZ @ Rips Bar
08/06 Los Angeles, CA @ Redwood Bar & Grill
08/07 San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar
08/09 San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Donut Co.

08/10 Fresno, CA @ Dynamite Vinyl

08/12 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place

08/13 Oakland, CA @ The Golden Bull

08/14 Pacifica, CA @ Winters Tavern

08/16 Medford, OR @ Bamboo Room at King Wah’s

08/17 Eugene, OR @ The Boreal

08/18 Portland, OR @ World Famous Kenton Club

08/19 Seattle, WA @ Blue Moon Tavern

08/20 Olympia, WA @ McCoy’s Tavern

08/21 Tacoma, WA @ Real Art Tacoma

08/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

08/26 Denver, CO @ Lion’s Lair

08/27 Omaha, NE @ Barley Street Tavern

08/28 Lincoln, NE @ Vega

08/29 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews

08/30 Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s

08/31 Minneapolis, MN @ Amsterdam Bar

09/02 La Crosse, WI @ Root Note

09/03 Madison, WI @ BOS Meadery

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Steel Cranes Links

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

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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

J Hacha De Zola turns Ariana Grande’s “Bad Decisions” into a “Tom Waits-esq barroom roar” on just-released cover version.

“Boozegaze” sound of Rahway-based artist’s “Picaro Obscuro” album features Waits collaborators Ralph Carney, David Coulter.

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J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Miguel Peralta

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

J Hacha De Zola turns Ariana Grande’s “Bad Decisions” into a “Tom Waits-Esq Barroom Roar,” says Cover Me in its track premiere.

[STREAM]: https://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/j-hacha-de-zola-bad-decisions-ariana-grande-cover

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/jhachadezola-picaroobscuro/mp3/jhachadezola-baddecisions-arianagrandecover.mp3

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J Hacha De Zola – In The Press

 “The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books.” – UTNE

“The main influence is that of Tom Waits. But if Zola has influences, he also has talent.” – VOIR

“To say that De Zola’s creative process and musical style are unique is an understatement.” – SLUG

“Cranks and curdles and clomps around his slithery croon tunes.” – CMJ

“A twisted, dystopian narrative straight from the mind of John Carpenter.” – ELMORE

“Visionary.” – BLURT

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“Recording this cover, I realized how truly amazing of a singer Ariana Grande is,” says Rahway, New Jersey-based musician J Hacha De Zola. “She can sing her butt off.” Of course, Hacha De Zola brings a decidedly unique take to the tune, premiered via cover song website, Cover Me. “I’m not much of a singer, I’m probably more of a crooner,” he says.

His style has been called “baroque pop,” “avant indie,” “boozegaze,” and “urban junkyard” –  imaginative descriptions that turn out to be pretty on point. “I really wanted to see if I could cover, or more accurately, ‘re-make’ a pop tune and have it sound like me,” Hacha De Zola says “I connected with the slightly dark connotations that could be drawn from it. It’s also in the “dark” key of E minor.”

Ultimately, the song is pretty unrecognizable from its original version until it hits the chorus. “At that point, I hope the listener says, ‘Holy shit, this is an Ariana Grande cover?!’”

J Hacha De Zola’s latest full length (and second of 2016), Picaro Obscuro was released last month.

“He’s like a codeine cough syrup dream on the train to Zurich,” is how legendary sax man Ralph Carney describes Hacha De Zola. Carney, who made his bones with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The B-52s, They Might Be Giants, and Frank Black (and who is also the uncle of The Black Keys co-founder, Patrick Carney), makes his tenor and baritone horns an omnipresent force on Hacha De Zola’s latest album (and second of 2016) Picaro Obscuro.

Multi-instrumentalist David Coulter is heard throughout the album as well.  Coulter, who has recorded, performed and toured with artists as diverse as Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet, Yoko Ono, and Beck among many other notables, shares a common compatriot with Carney in Waits, as both men performed on the Waits album The Black Rider, a collection of the songs from the theater piece of the same name for which Coulter served as Associate Musical Director.

Other influences on the sound of Picaro Obscuro according to Hacha De Zola include: Perez Prado, Captain Beefheart, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Danil Kharms, Arthur Rimbaud, Frank Zappa, Nick Cave, and Syd Barrett.

Picaro Obscuro, the second album by J Hacha De Zola is out now. His cover of the Ariana Grande song “Bad Decisions” is also streaming now. Hacha De Zola is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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J Hacha De Zola

Picaro Obscuro

Out Now

  

Track Listing:

01. A Curious Thing (STREAM | MP3)

02. Bad Fiction

03. Bubble Gum (STREAM | MP3)

04. In Curtains (STREAM | MP3)

05. Falling Out of Chairs

06. Picaro Obscuro

07. Black Water

08. Taking Names

09. On Your Own

10. Dead End Street

11. Tears of Summer

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J Hacha De Zola Links

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

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

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