Friday, December 20, 2019

The March Divide confirms tour dates into spring 2020 supporting five “Distractions” series singles, current “Anticipation Pops” full-length.

See lyric video for “Secrets” by “impressively hooky” (American Songwriter), “infectiously poppy” (Glide Magazine) songwriter now.

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Jared Putnam of The March Divide as photographed by Josh Huskin

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“The honesty, long roads, different-venue-each-night honesty that bleeds through, yet without strain or cynicism gives The March Divide a different level of genuine.” Check out the lyric video for “Secrets” from “Distractions, Vol. 5” by The March Divide at Nanobot Rock or Central Track or the link below now!


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The March Divide | In The Press

“Impressively hooky.” — American Songwriter

Putnam’s vocals pop.” — PopMatters

“Ingenious.” — Cowboys & Indians

“Hits the mark again and again.” — The Big Takeover

“The melodies are as catchy as ever.” — Twangville

“Strummy acoustic reverie.” — BLURT

Putnam is skillful.” — Nashville Scene

“A serious set of pipes.” — The Aquarian

“Infectiously poppy.” — Glide Magazine

“Quality pop at its best.” — Popdose

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The March Divide | Live

12/20/2019: Corpus Christi, TX @ BUS (w/ Ryan Traster)
12/21/2019: Brownwood, TX @ Pioneer Tap House (w/ Ryan Traster)
12/27/2019: Wichita Falls, TX @ GypsyUncorked
12/28/2019: San Antonio, TX @ The Point
01/05/2020: Oklahoma City, OK @ Sauced on Paseo
01/16/2020: New Orleans, LA @ Neutral Ground
01/17/2020: Ocean Springs, MS @ Greenhouse on Porter
01/18/2020: Athens, GA @ Vega Studios
01/19/2020: Atlanta, GA @ Tin Roof
01/20/2020: Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof
01/21/2020: Asheville, NC @ The Double Crown
01/22/2020: Lexington, KY @ Best Friend Bar
01/23/2020: Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR
01/25/2020: West Plains, MO @ Wages Brewery
01/26/2020: Norman, OK @ Red Brick Bar
02/06/2020: Harlingen, TX @ Hop Shop
02/07/2020: San Antonio, TX @ Southtown 101
02/08/2020: Del Rio, TX @ Lone Star Vitality
02/15/2020: Wichita Falls, TX @ GypsyUncorked
02/16/2020: Dallas, TX @ Adair's Saloon
02/21/2020: San Antonio, TX @ The Point
02/22/2020: Seabrook, TX @ Midnite Slice
03/10/2020: Fort Worth, TX @ Magnolia Motor Lounge
03/15/2020: Denver, CO @ Lion's Lair
03/16/2020: Boulder, CO @ The Laughing Goat
03/19/2020: Provo, UT @ Third Space Studios
03/20/2020: Fallon, NV @ Telegragh
03/21/2020: Reno, NV @ Foxy Olive (w/ BLUNDERBUSST)
03/24/2020: Sacramento, CA @ Café Colonial (w/BLUNDERBUSST [Jen Scaffidi solo])
03/27/2020: Salem, OR @ The Space (w/BLUNDERBUSST [Jen Scaffidi solo])
03/28/2020: Portland, OR @ No Fun Bar (w/BLUNDERBUSST [Jen Scaffidi solo])
04/01/2020: San Diego, CA @ The Merrow (w/Roger!)
04/03/2020: Tempe, AZ @ Time Out Lounge

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See the premiere of the “Crowded Room” lyric video by The March Divide at Bad Copy now!

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The March Divide | About

“This will be the last in my series of distractions.”

Jared Putnam of The March Divide has been releasing two and three-song singles throughout 2019 as real-time follow-ups to his most recent full-length album, Anticipation Pops, released in the summer of 2018. “Distractions, Vol. 5” is out today.

“Something I started as an outlet to release songs I was working on between releases has slowly evolved into more of a personal songwriting challenge,” Putnam explains. “I knew that I wanted to push myself to finish the series before the year was over, so I really dove into a lot of new releases from 2019 that I’ve found inspiring.”

Putnam lists Pete Yorn’s collaboration with Jackson Phillips of Day Wave as a stand-out.

“He brought a whole new vision to what he was already doing, flawlessly, in my opinion. I also found myself obsessed with the new Julia Jacklin album Crushing and American Football’s LP3, which made me wanna get that Fender sound back into my songs.”

Putnam was also inspired to collaborate in more of a band setting than he has in quite some time.

“I tapped my friend Bobby Rivas, a crazy-talented writer and player, to help me with the overall direction of the songs. He also helped bring a focus to the production that I often can’t find on my own. I also had my friends Ernie Garcia on bass and Jason West on drums.”

One of the resulting songs, “Crowded Room,” is one of the catchiest The March Divide songs to date, and its in-your-face, youthful quality really does call back to Putnam’s younger years spent recording and touring with his then-band, The Conversation. Hear “Crowded Room” now.

 Distractions, Vol. 5” is just the latest representation of Putnam’s evolved state of mind and work ethic since that time. A mere three-song collection in a catalog comprised of dozens of songs that Putnam has recorded and released in only the last five years.

The new three-song single “Distractions, Vol. 5” by The March Divide is out today. The first four releases in the series are also out now, along with Anticipation Pops, the fourth full-length album by The March Divide. All are available via Slow Start Records.

Look for The March Divide out on the road throughout the rest of 2019 and into 2020. Jared Putnam of The March Divide is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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The March Divide | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Samantha Sidley named one of 2019’s best by Los Angeles Times; Reveals noir video for “I Can’t Listen,” written by Inara George, via Billboard.

 “Sweet, funny, tastefully arranged vocal-jazz disc about same-sex romance,” out now; Sidley plays L.A on Jan. 20th, three-night NYC stand Feb. 6th-8th.

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Samantha Sidley as photographed by Logan White

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 Samantha Sidley | “I Can’t Listen”

Samantha Sidley’s “I Can’t Listen,” written by Inara George, is about struggling with depression. But the Los Angeles-based jazz singer is positively ebullient about the black-and-white, noir-styled video.

“I love that video,” Sidley gushes to Billboard. The clip was directed by Nigel DeFriez, a friend who also helmed the clip for “I Like Girls,” another track from Sidley’s debut album Interior Person. “It feels like a movie, an old French film, this woman riding in a car, gonna get the fuck out of town, she can’t look at herself anymore...

“(DeFriez) said, ‘Can I just film you singing the song with a handheld camera?’ I said, ‘Sure, of course!’ We did it two days later. Barbara (Gruska, Sidley’s wife and album producer) did all the lighting, just switching things on and off. It was a real DIY thing, but I think it came off beautifully and it tells a really beautiful story.”


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Samantha Sidley | Live


01/20/2020: Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (w/ Alex Lilly, RSVP)

02/06/2020: New York, NY @ The Green Room 42 (TIX)

02/07/2020: New York, NY @ The Green Room 42 (TIX)

02/08/2020: New York, NY @ The Green Room 42 (TIX)

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Los Angeles Times | Best Albums and Songs of 2019

See the video for “I Like Girls” and read an in-depth interview with the Los Angeles Times here.

Sidley’s quietly radical debut album, Interior Person, is premised on the idea that a listener in 2019 shouldn’t have to decode a love song to hear herself in it.”

 “Something you might not have realized you needed (though this L.A. native certainly knew she did): a sweet, funny, tastefully arranged vocal-jazz disc about same-sex romance.”


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Samantha Sidley
Interior Person
Out Now
(Release Me Records)
  

Track Listing:

01. I Like Girls (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)
02. Only You Can Break My Heart
03. Naked To Love
04. Butterfly In My Ass (STREAM)
05. I Can’t Listen (VIDEO)
06. Listen!! (STREAM | MP3)
07. Rose Without Thorns
08. Busy Doin’ Nothin’ (STREAM | MP3)
09. Easy To Be True
10. Interior Person

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Samantha Sidley | In The Press

“Ms. Sidley has a sweet, girlish voice, so light that at times it almost disappears. But that vocal weightlessness is somewhat deceptive. She holds in reserve an airier version of the wail deployed by Rickie Lee Jones and Laura Nyro, which injects blushes of emotional color into her mostly playful singing.” The New York Times

Samantha Sidley turns ‘Singing In The Rain’ into a pro-lesbian anthem. It’s her take on the black and white era of catchy songs from movie musicals but updated to be inclusive and reflect her take on the world.” Refinery29

“Feels like a breath of fresh air. But it is also its meticulously crafted sound, which blends vintage jazz with more modern pop elements, that makes it such an outstanding debut.” JAZZIZ

“It takes us back to the speakeasies of the 20s, with flirtatious saxophones and crisp, expressive vocals. The song (‘I Like Girls’) is a sophisticated and delicious ice-breaker, serving anthemic lyrical content for an evolving culture.” Grimy Goods

Sidley’s voice in ‘I Like Girls’ is playful and velvety, a perfect mood-setter for a cocktail hour. This song does not disappoint.” AfterEllen

“Puts plenty of pop into the jazz world’s ears... Offering a shot in the arm to the genre, the song (‘I Like Girls’) will be in your head for days after just hearing it once.” Closed Captioned

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Samantha Sidley | About

Samantha Sidley is a jazz vocalist, born-and-raised in Los Angeles, and she likes girls.

The words “I like girls” are the first thing you’ll hear when Sidley’s debut album Interior Person (Out Now, Release Me Records) opens. The song is an unassuming anthem, a future standard for an evolving culture. It’s also a fun and funny ice-breaker that you’ll sing along with.

“I Like Girls” is a peek into what plays out as a meticulously crafted debut album featuring Sidley’s beautifully trained voice taking confident ownership of songs written for her to sing by some of the most important women in her life.

These other “girls” include fellow musicians Inara George, Alex Lilly, and Sidley’s “Top One” favorite musician of all-time, her wife, Barbara Gruska.

Inara and Alex and Barbara wrote songs that are all very personal to my story – they literally are my story – and from my lesbian perspective, which I appreciate so much,” Sidley says. In addition to co-writing many of the songs here, and playing drums (masterfully) on many of the tracks, Gruska also produced Interior Person in a studio constructed in Sidley’s childhood bedroom.

“My whole life was a song,” Sidley says of her childhood. “If I looked at a tree, it was a song. If I felt happy, sad, joy, it was a song. When I first heard Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ I remember thinking: ‘I understand.’ I’ve always considered myself an interpreter, which is sort of and undervalued art form. I like to take a song and make the story true for me.”

Sidley soon discovered Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, soul music in general, and her own personal “soulfulness” itself. You know, like all seven-year-olds do. Later, considering how annoyed 11-year-old Sidley was when her vocal instructor wouldn’t allow her to sing Holiday’s “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)” at her first recital, it all made perfect sense.

A decade later, Sidley got to sing whatever she wanted, performing at NYC’s legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, where she lived in Dorothy Parker’s room, listened to a lot of Anita O’Day and Ella Fitzgerald, and landed a rave review in The New York Times.

“She knows exactly how I express myself and what my intentions are,” Sidley says of her working relationship with Gruska. “Collaborating on this record has actually been a much longer collaboration of us getting to know each other.”

Interior Person, the debut album from Samantha Sidley is out now featuring the single “I Like Girls”.  Samantha Sidley is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Samantha Sidley | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Los Angeles by way of Chicago producer Josiah Mazzaschi follows-up 20 years of Light FM w/ all-new EP feat. Brett Anderson of The Donnas.

Visit MXDWN to see psychedelic new music video for “Horrible Friend,” shot in L.A.’s Echo Park Neighborhood by Zoey Taylor and Lauren Rocket.

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Josiah Mazzaschi of Light FM as photographed by Jim Newberry

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MXDWN calls “Horrible Friend” by Light FM “a brilliant piece of laid-back psych-pop with lilting acoustic guitars in the chorus and a droning, tremelo guitar lines blending with twinkling arpeggios in the chorus.”

“I wrote ‘Horrible Friend’ shortly after getting sober,” says Light FM’s Josiah Mazzaschi. It’s been the best thing that I’ve done for myself and for the people that I love.”

MXDWN continues, “the video is shot around Echo Park in Los Angeles and then ends in a cemetery. There are views of the park’s iconic lotus, structures and views of the surrounding hillsides and the colorful visual effects further adds to psychedelic tones of the track.”

See “Horrible Friend” by Light FM at MXDWN here or at the link below.


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You’ve likely heard Josiah Mazzaschi’s music — if not from his passion project Light FM, then from his work producing Built to Spill and The Jesus and Mary Chain. The former artistic outlet is celebrating twenty years of existence in 2019, sharing the joy by dropping a new EP. Before Mazzaschi shares the full project with the world, though, he’s giving us a second sneak preview with the buzzing three-minute single ‘Dreamerz,’ which notably features Donnas vocalist Brett Anderson.” Hear it now at FLOOD or the link below.


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Cars-meets-Weezer-meets-Rentals crunch and fuzzed-out pop hooks... Alternately buzzing and shimmering, the title track comes to life in the video.” – Kevin Bronson of Buzzbands.la

“With buzzing guitars, angelic vocals and choruses that rise to majestic heights… Speaking to contemporary frustrations about gentrification and becoming an alien in the place you've long called home.” – Jedd Beaudoin of PopMatters


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Light FM
“Tourist” EP
Out Now
(Moonboot Records)
  

Track Listing:

01. Tourist (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)
02. Dreamerz (feat. Brett Anderson of The Donnas) (STREAM | MP3)
03. Marzipan Summer
04. Horrible Friend (VIDEO)

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Light FM | About

Los Angeles-based record producer and engineer Josiah Mazzaschi (Jesus and Mary Chain, Built To Spill) celebrates the 20-year anniversary of his bedroom dream pop project Light FM this year with the release of the new EP “Tourist,” out now.

The four-song non-stop bop is the first new Light FM music in five years and features the EP’s title track as its first single and video, premiered recently via Buzzbands.la, along with the single “Dreamerz,” a collaboration with Brett Anderson of The Donnas, which can be heard via FLOOD, and “Horrible Friend” (see the video now at MXDWN.)

Light FM was most recently seen on tour in the US and UK as a trio while supporting its previous EP, 2015’s “Pointless,” sharing stages with Smashing Pumpkins, The National, and Ra Ra Riot along the way.

Even though Mazzaschi is back to recording solo now, the “Tourist” EP represents a new, collaborative approach to his songwriting, with half of the EP comprised of co-writes.

“This was the first time I have ever collaborated with other songwriters for Light FM,” Mazzaschi says of the “Dreamerz” single written with Anderson and the title track with Pittsburgh-based songwriter, Alex Aleco.

When Mazzaschi started Light FM while living in Chicago, the aim was to shroud what he calls his “pretty depressing lyrics” in upbeat music and melodies. After relocating to the west coast in 2005, and releasing several albums, Mazzaschi perfected that style, so much so that other artists began to seek out his production touches.

As Mazzaschi became an in-demand producer – recent clients at his The Cave Studio include Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder’s new project Night Dreamer, Deap Vally collaborations with The Flaming Lips, Jamie Hince of The Kills, and Andy Rourke of The Smiths’ new project Blitz Vega – his Light FM recordings slowed, but the “luxurious, atmospheric textures” (The Big Takeover) of those songs were still in demand.

Mazzaschi never met a pop hook he couldn’t dirty up a little bit,” said L.A.’s most important music discovery website Buzzbands, and Mazzaschi continues to prove that on the “Tourist” EP.

In addition to the latest EP, new fans of Light FM can be “tourists” through the band’s catalog: a 14-song compilation “Turn On The Light FM,” culled from five albums and two EPs released throughout the band’s 20-year career, is also out now.

Josiah Mazzaschi of Light FM is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Light FM
Turn On The Light FM
Out Now
(Moonboot Records)

Streaming Link:


Track Listing:

01. Turn On The Light FM
02. 16 Below
03. Save The Drama
04. The High
05. Black Magic Marker
06. IJWUTBM
07. Friends Aren’t Friends (VIDEO)
08. Problems of Our Own
09. Thrift Store Clothes
10. Mercy (VIDEO)
11. Voices In My Head
12. Let Go
13. PTSD
14. Pointless

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Light FM | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Belgian composer Thomas Jean Henri teams with Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy), Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas) as Cabane.

 Debut album of “chamber pop wonderment” (UNCUT) follows-up previous critically-praised single releases. “Grande est La Maison” arrives Feb. 28th.

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Thomas Jean Henri of Cabane as photographed by Jean Van Cottom.

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Grande est La Maison will contain an updated version of Cabane’s 2015 single “Sangokaku”

“An incredibly melancholic number of layered vocals built upon a tangle of guitar and strings. The video sees the singer’s loved ones react to hearing the track for the first time. It’s emotional, humbling and, just like the track, there is more there than meets the eye.”The Line of Best Fit

“The track swoops between swathes of vocal harmonies, simple acoustic finger-picking, and string arrangements. For the video, Henri and director Jerome Guiot recorded the reactions of his loved ones listening to the song for the first time.”Stereogum

“The song plays out like a faint but cherished memory, perhaps of loved ones who provided a bit of warmth during a particularly cold time.”Pitchfork


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Cabane
Grande est La Maison
Feb. 28th, 2020
(Cabane Records)


Track Listing:

01. Tu ne Joueras Plus Ă  L’amour (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy)
02. Now, Winter Comes (feat. Kate Stables)
03. Easily, We’ll See (feat. Kate Stables)
04. ĂŽlot (Part II)
05. By The Sea (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
06. Take Me Home (Part I) (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
07. Sangokaku (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
08. ĂŽlot (Part III)
09. Cabane - Take Me Home (Part II) (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy)
10. Until The Summer Comes (feat. Kate Stables)

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Cabane | About

Cabane’s first album is the outcome of Belgian composer Thomas Jean Henri bringing together the American Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and English musician Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), to perform some songs arranged by Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas); a dream line-up for this collection of tunes, bordering on both folk and orchestral pop. Far from the maddening sounds, Grande est La Maison will be a warm shelter for lovers of Nick Drake or Vashti Bunyan.

Cabane is the latest project of musician and photographer Thomas Jean Henri, ex drummer of the Belgian group, Venus, with whom he released two albums, Welcome to the Modern Dancehall (1999) and The Man Who Was Already Dead (2000), before taking a more personal direction, which resulted in the solo album Soy Un Caballo, Les heures de raison (2007)

In 2015 Thomas Jean Henri laid the foundations for his Cabane, a multi-faceted project, blending music, photography and video. After two singles, (“Sangokaku” / “La Gomera”) released in 2015 and ”Wooden Home / Here in the Wind” in 2017, a dream collaboration started taking shape: Will Oldham (alias Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) on vocals, Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas) looking after the string arrangements of the songs composed by Henri. Lyrics were written with Caroline Gabard and Sam Genders (Tunng, The Diagrams). Ash Workman (Metronomy, Baxter Dury) was responsible for the mixing

And today, this splendid casting is to be found on Cabane’s first album release, Grande est La Maison. A collection of ten songs whose echoes of folk and delicate orchestral pop, swing from a rhythmic section, wrapped comfortably in the voices of Will Oldham and Kate Stables, an acoustic guitar, a string quartet, a vibes and some choral sections, managed by an ensemble of five singers, Bost Gehio. These sections function as would a Greek choir

“During the work process a vibrant image of Will and Kate treading through the river waters, passing each other like ships in the night, never left me. Each one setting out from the opposing river bank, slightly uncomfortable and their meeting in the middle. The choir is on the river side, keeping their distance,” explains Henri. “Time and the slowness of oblivion are at the heart of the Cabane project. An essential question is asked : ‘What do we do with what we have in our hands?’

Grande est La Maison is an album that slowly, but surely seduces, whose beauty is revealed more and more, as each day goes by. Melodies, vocals, arrangements, each element is at once elegant and moving, retained, but generous.  It’s a large, welcoming home, as were those shelters built by Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Sufjan Stevens, or Cardinal

It is also a refuge for Henri, who offers up a profoundly personal, yet eminently collaborative album. It is signs of friendship put to music, a warm embrace with Caroline Gabard and Englishman Sam Genders (Tuung), who co-wrote the texts. Tu ne joueras plus Ă  l’amour and By The Sea were composed with Sean O’Hagan

This sense of friendship is also expressed visually – in motion and pictures. Firstly, a 26-minute documentary, directed by JĂ©rĂ´me Guiot and Thomas Jean Henri, in which 20 or so artists, close friends and family open up and discuss the issues of creation, an artist’s expectations, letting go, and the importance of releasing records in 2020. Amongst them - Kate Stables, Elise Peroi, Victoire de Changy, Veence Hanao, Vincent ThĂ©val, Charles Berberian, Nicolas Michaux, Sylvain Chauveau, Myriam Pruvot and François Atlas

And two series of candid photos, taken by Thomas, which will be part of the Cabane album: “Qu’as-tu gardĂ© de notre amour?” was presented in February 2018 at the 10/12 Gallery in Brussels; J’ai toujours cherchĂ© Ă  fuir ceux que j’aimais,” will be presented in April 2020, also in Brussels. Text by Vincent ThĂ©val

Thomas Jean Henri of Cabane is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Cabane | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact