Fanatic is a music marketing company established by Josh Bloom in 1997 to build fan-to-fan connections between artists and the media. For 25 years, Fanatic has continued to help launch careers through the strategic advocacy of creative talent.
Years of worldwide touring with father Neil, brother
Liam, Wild Nothing, Connan
Mockasin leads to an inspired, understated collection of songs. +++
Elroy as photographed by Jimmy Metherell +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Elroy | “Worth The Wait”
Hear“Worth The Wait” from the upcoming
debut self-titled album by Elroy at It’s
Psychedelic Baby Magazine or at the link below and watch a live performance
of the song shot at Neck of The Woods
in Auckland, New Zealand. Elroy says, “‘Worth The Wait’
represents where I’m at musically nowadays. I wrote it in Los Angeles at my
friends Madeleine and Pip of Ladyhawke’s house during down time between tours with Wild Nothing. It’s an ambiguous love
song of sorts, an ode to relationships.” [STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/Elroy-WorthTheWait [LIVE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPy-zlYvjSk +++ Elroy Elroy Aug. 13th, 2021 (Grand Phony
Records)
Track Listing: 01. The Whole Thing 02. Worth The Wait (STREAM | LIVE) 03. Lost Our Mystery (SINGLE
EDIT | ALBUM
VERSION) 04. The Highest Tree 05. Frogs 06. Excite Me Much (VIDEO | STREAM | LIVE) 07. Life Is At Home 08. Way Down Above Below 09. Doesn’t It Bother You 10. Bye For Now +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Elroy | “Excite Me Much”
Check out “Excite
Me Much” from the upcoming debut self-titled album by Elroy. Listen at FLOOD
Magazine, see the video at Glide
Magazine, and watch
a live performance shot at Neck of
The Woods in Auckland, New Zealand.
“Laying down a sultry and dreamy guitar solo right out
of the gate, the song is a quiet and meditative morsel of indie pop,” says Glide Magazinein
its premiere coverage of the video for Elroy’s
“Excite Me Much” single. Elroy adds, “(Director) Jon Baxter was kind enough to let me
commandeer some lasers he had, some smoke, and his cameras and eye.” Pancakes and Whiskeyadds,
“The video is as atmospheric as the song. The two work together perfectly. Refreshing,
chilled out, and leaves you wanting more.” [VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHjrkhAPLO0 [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/Elroy-ExciteMeMuch [LIVE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obpddhqKL6w +++
Elroy | About After years of touring
and collaborating as a drummer and multi-instrumentalist in various groups (Wild Nothing, Connan Mockasin), as well as with his family (extensive worldwide
touring with his brother, Liam Finn
and as part of Crowded House with
his father, Neil Finn), Elroy Finn (going simply by Elroy) will release his debut
self-titled album on Aug. 13th,
2021. A talented multi-instrumentalist – “I was obviously surrounded
by instruments a lot growing up thanks to my Dad, so I was very fortunate in
that way,” he says – Elroy was written, produced,
recorded, and mixed by Elroy
himself. A brief self-release of the record in his native New
Zealand earned attention right away for the hazy, coaxing sound that Elroy says he hopes will “evoke the
weightless feeling you get just before you fall asleep.” It does. New Zealand’s national newspaper Sunday Star Times describes the album as “acquiring layers of
sounds and textures and falsetto vocal harmonies” that “gradually transforms
into a sturdy wee slab of lo-fi psychedelia.” The paper goes on to highlight the upcoming single “Worth The Wait,” describing Elroy’s performance as “a tentative
romantic assessing a new relationship, his voice sweet and airy, like a
Brazilian bossa nova singer parachuted into the middle of an indie pop song.” Elroy says the tune is only a “non-specific, ambiguous love
song,” which feels like he is speaking from a place of humility that could only
be developed by growing up surrounded by legendary songwriting talent. The tune is actually a fine example of Elroy’s ability throughout the album to
hit that sweet spot where the songs are “gentle and catchy,” but “deceptively
difficult to write,” as noted in the Sunday
Star-Times. Similarly, New Zealand’s Listener Magazine, calling the record “bold and assured,”
recognizes Elroy’s modesty, saying
he “has done well to avoid the pitfalls of emulation or rebellion.” With this
record, he takes “the tropes of the catchy, melodic music he was raised around
and deliberately drapes them in a shimmering, beguiling gauze.” In regard to his lyrics, Elroy is equally humble. “As far as lyrics go, I tend not to over explain
meanings as I think it’s really important for people to mis-hear and interpret
them however they want,” he explains, adding slyly, “It’s also better, because
it means I don’t have to admit if the song isn’t really about anything.” Perhaps this notion is just Elroy’s humility shining through yet again, or maybe it is a
defining characteristic of the deceptive simplicity of his music. Elroy
arrives Aug. 13th, 2021
on the Grand Phony label, preceded
by the singles “Excite Me Much,”“Life Is At Home,” and “Worth The Wait.” Elroy is available
for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information. +++ Elroy | Links ASSETS : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP : GRAND PHONY RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Latest tune “Trick”
arrives Aug. 27th via emerging Red Zeppelin Records label; Band
plays label showcase tomorrow at Dallas venue Double Wide! +++
Abbreviations (L-R): Chad Walls, Ashley Leer, Tony Wann, Matt Leer. Photo Credit: Leyton Cheek. +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Abbreviations | “Turn On You”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYBeEjLPj4s [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/Abbreviations-TurnOnYou +++ “Haunting melodies, rich spaced-out guitar tones and
somber lyrical themes...,” says MXDWN,
describing Abbreviations in its
premiere coverage of the band’s debut single “Turn On You,” out now, “merges psychedelia and dream pop into
their sound, pulling from each member’s rich history in the local music scene.” The Big Takeover’s own premiere
coverage, this time of the “Turn On
You”video,
proclaims that it “Radiates an understated power,” and is “deeper than most
dreampop songs will go.” Dallas-based music discovery website Central Track interviewed the band on
the day of the release of “Turn On You”.Read
the story here. +++ Abbreviations | Live
07/30/2021: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide Red Zeppelin Records Night w/ God of
Love, Bayleigh Cheek Tickets: https://bit.ly/RZR-073021
+++
Abbreviations | About
Abbreviations is a rock band from Dallas. Also a pop band, an alternative band, and a supergroup
(of sorts) i.e. members Ashley Leer
(Guitar / Vox), Matt Leer (Guitar), Chad Walls (Bass), and Tony Wann (Drums) have played in many
of the city’s most active bands over the years. Staying active makes you strong, makes you super. “Turn On You,” the upcoming debut
single from Abbreviations (Red Zeppelin Records, Out Now) radiates
understated power. No wonder that producer Stuart Sikes (himself a Grammy®-winning superpower for his
work on Loretta Lynn’s Van
Lear Rose, in addition to his credits with The White Stripes, Modest
Mouse, Phosphorescent, Cat Power, and many more) signed on to
helm “Turn On You.” The oomph of Walls’
concise bass playing, the interplay of the Leer’s
melancholy guitar lines, the subtle crack of Wann’s snare, and Ashley’s
hypnotic vocals all come together to leave you wanting more and wondering when. “It’s about that moment where you realize you have
feelings for someone other than the one you’re with,” Ashley says of the tune. “Are these feelings real? ‘Turn On You’ feels like a love song,
and it is, but it’s also about the guilt for having those feelings.” The song is deeper than most dream pop songs will go,
typically awash in too much dream to be this lucid. Ashley naturally comes from a place of authenticity when it comes
to lyricism, but it was not always that way. “I had previously only written lyrics when I was
forced to do so, usually the day before we recorded,” she explains. However, in 2016, when she found out that her father
(a professional bassist who taught her the guitar) only had a year to live,
writing became the way to cope. “I needed to write songs about all these thoughts
exploding in my head. I had never really thought about death, and it made me
take a step back and reflect on my life, the people I hurt, and the people I
loved. Suddenly, I had plenty to write about.” With lyrics no longer forced, Ashley’s candor in her writing and performance makes the first
effort by this supergenre supergroup (stated influences range from The Jesus Lizard to Drake, Fugazi to Joni Mitchell,
Sonic Youth to Broadcast, The Police to
The Beatles) more memorable. Abbreviations is clearly more than just a rock band from Dallas. “Turn On
You,” the first single by Abbreviations, is out now via the female-owned and operated
McKinney, Texas-based label Red Zeppelin
Records, a recent outgrowth of the beloved local record store. Members of Abbreviations are available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information. +++ Abbreviations | Links ASSETS : FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: RED ZEPPELIN RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Song is latest release taken from upcoming sophomore
album “Still Waiting Still,” out Sept 17th. Hear both tunes now via
Folk Radio UK, American Songwriter. +++
Gregory Ackerman as photographed by Nell
T Sherman +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Gregory Ackerman | “Good Song” + “Losing
Sense”
+++ Check
out “Good Song” by Gregory Ackerman at Folk
Radio UK or Americana
Highways and listen
to the B-side “Losing Sense” (feat. Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties) at American
Songwriter or click the links above! +++ Folk
Radio UK
describes Gregory Ackerman’s latest single “Good Song” as “an
infectious laid-back hazy number, lyrically sincere and couched in more than a
little ray of that west coast sunshine.” The song is the latest single taken
from Ackerman’s upcoming sophomore full-length Still Waiting Still, arriving Sept. 17th. American
Songwriter comments on the single’s non-album B-side “Losing Sense” (which
features backing vocals from Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties),
“Ackerman’s deep, throaty tenor reverberates across the drum kit, as he
recounts his crash course in love during a pandemic,” describing Tudzin’s
contribution as, “peeking out in haunted whispers to counterbalance Ackerman’s
swarthier tone.” Ackerman says, “I wrote ‘Good Song’ out of this
feeling of desperation that I just wanted my music to be heard. I began to
think about how one creates a ‘good’ song, and the lyrics just started to come
together about the notion of pouring yourself into a song in hopes to even get
considered as a ‘good’ songwriter. “The writing process can be
so painful sometimes (‘dredging up feelings of the past’), and no matter how
much heart and soul you put into a song, there’s always the chance that it can
be ultimately overlooked. I guess that’s similar to life in general, and music
truly echoes life in all its ups and downs, joys and sorrows.” About the single’s non-album
B-side “Losing Sense,”Ackerman reveals a story of personal
heartbreak, saying, “I wrote it after the abrupt end to an abrupt start of a
beautiful thing with a beautiful neighbor. It started strong and intensely, and
burned out just as quickly. Crashed and burned, perhaps. You can’t put too much
pressure on yourself or on the other person in these scenarios, and I did both. “I asked Sarah Tudzin
of Illuminati Hotties to work on this track with me. She provided backing
vocals, and I am very grateful that she did. Since I thought the song was more
along the lines of ‘rock n roll’ than some of my previous tunes, I thought that
Sarah’s ‘tenderpunk’-ness would lend itself perfectly.” +++ Gregory Ackerman Still
Waiting Still Sept. 17th, 2021 (S/R)
Track Listing: 01. Intro 02. Think Straight (STREAM
| WAV) 03. Full Grown (VIDEO | STREAM) 04. Peace of Mind 05. Good Song (STREAM) 06. Seasonal Living 07. Happy Phase 08. 2023 09. Mr. Moon 10. For Rob 11. Right Again 12. My Heart Goeth
13. All This Thinking +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Gregory Ackerman | “Full Grown”
“I used to feel like I
was the only one that should have a say in my process,” says Los Angeles-based
multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Gregory Ackerman of his music. “I’ve
since discovered that both life and music get better the more people you share
them with.” The latest work that Ackerman
is sharing with the world is Still Waiting Still (out Sept.
17th, 2021), the follow-up to 2019’s “Stresslove EP”
(V2/Munich Records), and Ackerman’s first full-length since his
debut album And Friends in 2018. Still Waiting
Still was produced by Pierre
de Reeder of Rilo Kiley who adds touches of hypnotic mysticism on
top of the California summer sunset melodies, which beautifully combine with Ackerman’s
plainspoken philosophical lyrics and twisty, dexterous guitar to create what is
now Ackerman’s signature sound. The title of Still
Waiting Still’s first single seems to reference the evolution in Ackerman’s
thinking. “Full Grown,” originally a spare song written when he was only
20-years-old (Ackerman is
now 28), is given a full production makeover for inclusion on Still
Waiting Still. “For the rendition of ‘Full
Grown’ on Still Waiting Still, I had violinist Gabriel
Wheaton update it with a beautiful string arrangement. His contribution
resulted in an amazingly thematicversion of what I now consider to be
an ‘old classic’ from my catalog.” In addition to Wheaton,
new friends that Ackerman has invited to participate in creating Still
Waiting Still include other Los Angeles-area talents such as Grant
Milliken, Eva B. Ross,Shelby Gogreve, and Theo and
Mark Federonic. “These are all great
musicians that I met playing shows in Los Angeles,” Ackerman says. “This
new personnel, combined with my trusty foundation (Ackerman’s brother Eric,
close friend Keenan McDaniel, and friend and producer, de Reeder), helped Still
Waiting Still become a lively collection of brand-new material mixed
with songs that I’d written years ago.” Ackerman guesses that half of Still Waiting Still’s
13 songs were written while he was in college, shortly after he had begun to
write and record in earnest. His posts of the results on Soundcloud revealed
that listeners liked what they heard, and Ackerman was later signed on
an unsolicited demo to V2 –affiliated singer-songwriter offshoot, Munich
Records. “For this album I
wanted my past self and current self to align again as one fluid artist. All of
the songs on Still Waiting Still have an inherent grit or humor
to them, and were written with a youthful ironic moodiness which I relate to
once again as a 28-year-old.” “I wanted to bring
back the states of mind that I used to feel,” Ackerman continues, going
on to reference the album’s second upcoming single, the aptly titled, “Good
Song,” in which he sings about “dredging up feelings from the past,” while
trying to write a song about writing songs. “‘Good Song’ came
out of my frustration in feeling the pressure to make ‘likeable’ music,” Ackerman
confesses. “I was constantly feeling mostly self- imposed pressure to write
a ‘hit song,’ and I remember being able to finally take a step back from that
mindset and look at it humorously. Why not write a song about trying to write a
good song?” Still Waiting
Still contains 13 of ‘em
actually, and Ackerman is proud. “It’s not perfect,
just as nothing with a heartbeat ever is, but I hope that it represents some
part of me that perhaps I could not express any other way.” Still Waiting
Still, the second album by Gregory
Ackerman, arrives on Sept. 17th, 2021 preceded by the singles “Full
Grown” (out now), “Good
Song” (July 23rd), and “Mr.
Moon” (Aug 20th).Gregory
Ackerman is available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information. +++ Gregory Ackerman | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SPOTIFY
: APPLE : BANDCAMP +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Swirling “Release Me” single reflects influences
including Patti Smith, Bjork, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey; Cheek plays label showcase this Friday. +++
Bayleigh
Cheek as photographed by Wyldcosmia +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Bayleigh Cheek | “Release Me”
[STREAM]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mo0JajssVs +++ Listen to “Release Me” from “Immortals”
by Bayleigh Cheek at Central
Track or at the link above. “She hones her pop-rock and psychedelic influences
into a seamless shiver-inducing meld of harmonies,” says Central
Track in its “Song of The Day” coverage of Bayleigh Cheek’s “Release
Me,” from her recently released “Immortals”
EP. Cheek says, “This song is about what it means to realize you’ve believed a
lie or false identity of yourself and the process of becoming free from it and
knowing the truth. The music portrays that experience. It seems to be one thing
on the outside, fun and cheerful, but something else and deeper on the inside.” +++ Bayleigh Cheek “Immortals” EP Out Now (Red Zeppelin Records) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL EP
Track Listing: 01. Machine Dream 02. Tale of an Immortal 03. Release Me (STREAM) 04. Visage 05. Illume +++ Bayleigh Cheek | Live
07/30/2021: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide Red Zeppelin Records Night w/ God of
Love, Abbreviations, Bayleigh Cheek Tickets: https://bit.ly/RZR-073021 +++ Bayleigh Cheek | About It was only natural for native Dallas-based musician Bayleigh Cheek to become a songwriter
and performer. She began her love affair with music at an early age thanks to
her immersive upbringing. Both parents were in the music scene, exposing her to
a variety of sounds ranging from psychedelic and folk to progressive rock and
new wave. Cheek’s own influences, including Patti Smith, Bjork, Joni Mitchell, and PJ Harvey, can be detected on her “Immortals” EP, out now. Originally a self-release that brought Cheek two 2020 Dallas Observer Music Awards nominations for “Best New Artist” and “Best
EP,” the five-song set is available now on the newly-formed women
owned-and-operated label Red Zeppelin
Records, an outgrowth of the popular McKinney, Texas record store. “She hones her pop-rock and psychedelic influences
into a seamless shiver-inducing meld of harmonies throughout the track,” says
music discovery website Central Track
of the “Immortals” single “Release Me” (produced by local legend John Dufilho of The Deathray Davies.) Cheek comments, “This song is about what it means to
realize you’ve believed a lie or false identity of yourself and the process of
becoming free from it and knowing the truth. The music portrays that
experience. It seems to be one thing on the outside, fun and cheerful, but
something else and deeper on the inside.” She continues, “For a few years now I have been
writing this concept album around this idea. The thing in the back of your head
that feeds you lies about yourself and how easily it is to fall into false
concepts of yourself and believe them. “Whether it was caused by an incident in your life or
society, sometimes we just end up believing those lies. When I started writing ‘Release Me,’ it was almost begging to
be the first song I released, almost like a foreshadowing saying, ‘Hey, we’re
about to talk about some dark things, but I promise you’ll see the other side
of it.’ I want people to see the victory before the chaos.” About the “Immortals”
EP, Cheek gets right to it, saying, “In
the moments where you feel lost or confused, when you can’t peel yourself up
off the ground, there’s a sort of strength that you manifest when you decide to
get back up, wipe the dirt off your face, and find the truth within yourself.
That truth becomes immortal.” The “Immortals”
EP by Bayleigh Cheek is out now via Red Zeppelin Records. A full-length
album is in the works for 2022. Bayleigh Cheek is available for
interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information. +++ Bayleigh
Cheek | Links FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SPOTIFY : APPLE : RED ZEPPELIN RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Offered no answers on how to stop a good guy with a gun, Norwood hopes to encourage dialogue; Listen
at The Bluegrass Situation. +++
Chris
J Norwood as photographed by
Alyssa Leigh Cates +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Chris J Norwood | “Good Guy With A Gun”
[STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/ChrisJNorwood-GoodGuyWithAGun +++ Listen to “Good Guy With A Gun” from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood at The
Bluegrass Stuation or at the link above. “I struggled with whether or not to include this song
on the album,” Chris J Norwood says
of his latest single “Good Guy With A
Gun,” from the upcoming I Am Not Cool (Aug. 20th, State
Fair Records), but I realized that losing a parent at a young age is always
going to be a part of me, it’s part of my story, and it’s good for me to keep
singing about it. “As a country, we need to talk more openly about
suicide,” he continues. “Especially as it relates to the gun debate and gun
culture. I feel like suicide is often overlooked in the debate about guns here
in America. We’ve been given fruitless answers about how to stop a bad guy with
a gun, but little in the way of how to stop a good guy with a gun. “I don't have any solutions to offer,” he concludes, “but
my hope is to encourage dialogue, and my hope is also that anyone who needs help
will feel the courage to seek it out. Please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.” Norwood points out the song's lyric, “Daddy was a good guy,
and always did the best he could. He’d do anything to protect the ones he loved.
That's how I chose to remember my father.” +++ Chris J Norwood I
Am Not Cool Aug. 20th, 2021 (State Fair Records)
Track Listing: 01. I Am Not Cool (Prologue) 02. The Final Girl (VIDEO) 03. Good Guy With A Gun (STREAM) 04. Creature of Bad Habits 05. Leaving Louisiana Behind 06. I Am Not Cool (STREAM
| VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO) 07. 85 Feet 08. Grandpa Was A Farmer 09. I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart) (STREAM
| VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO) 10. Home Is You And Me 11. Love And Mercy 12. I Wrote You A Song +++ Chris J Norwood | Live
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VpibyXuq-s [LYRIC VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejVboc8Uj50 [STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/ChrisJNorwood-IAmNotCool-Single +++ Check out the video for the title track
from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood
at The Boot
or listen at Americana
Highways or at the links above. “This
video was so much fun to make,” says Chris
J Norwood of the clip for “I Am Not
Cool,” the title track from his new album (Aug. 20th, State
Fair Records). “Getting to wear fancy clothes, getting to pretend I have
fans, and win awards. It’s a pretty perfect picture of my life and pretty
perfectly captures the sentiment of the lyrics.” Norwood’s wife and bandmate Carrie Norwood agrees, “Preparing for this video wasn’t too
different from performing with the band. I lined up a babysitter, put on the
only make up and dress I’ve worn all week, had a great time singing with Chris, and came back home to kids who
will be waking up early needing breakfast.” +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Chris J Norwood | “I Need You (To Quit
Breaking My Heart)”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=652HDyRNsFI [LYRIC VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfFLWwKWihI [STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/ChrisJNorwood-INeedYouToQuitBreakingMyHeart +++ See
the video for Chris J Norwood’s “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart)” at
Twangville.
Listen at
Americana UK or at the links above. “‘I Need You (To Quit Breaking My
Heart),’ a duet with his wife Carrie, captures the back and forth of
a bickering couple,” says
Twangville in its premiere
coverage of the latest single from Chris
J Norwood’s upcoming I Am Not Cool. “Yet Norwood sets the quarrel against a happy-go-lucky
melody, making the song more charming than exasperating.” Norwood adds, “Carrie
and I thought it would be fun to tell the story of the song in a
tongue-in-cheek modern day context. We thought, “What would it look like if you
got to see the couple in the song’s intimate heated exchange play out over
their Instagram stories,’ and we really cracked ourselves up trying out
different filters for the video. Singing hot dogs will always be funny! Best
viewed on a mobile device.” About the song, Americana UK says, “It’s a sassy
take on the form, with great lyrical hooks – who could resist listening on
after hearing ‘I hope this letter finds you well but I need some time to
myself… PS: here are my regrets’?”Having reeled you in the Dallas based singer-songwriter makes the stay
more than worth the while.” +++ Chris J Norwood | About
Chris
Norwood isn’t cool. Or Chris J
Norwood, as the Dallas-based singer-songwriter bills himself, is not cool. So “not cool” that when searching for a synonym for “uncool”
that starts with “J” in order to complete a lame joke, this writer could not
find one. Pretty damn uncool. Norwoodis honest,
however, and in a world that becomes more cynical by the moment, the kind of
honesty that he conjures and delivers so eloquently and elegantly on his new,
very uncool, album I Am Not Cool (Aug. 20th,
State Fair Records), well, that kind of uncool is... cool? The album is the follow-up to Norwood’s much-praised 2017 debut record Longshot. In addition to Norwood’s
genial ability to say things you may not want to hear and leave you
appreciating the experience, he is also masterful at a kind of tongue-in-cheek
levity that is sorely missing from this genre. There’s only two kinds of music / What’s true and what
ain’t / It only takes three chords to set the record straight Norwood sings these lyrics on the “I Am Not Cool” title cut, a perfect example of how his economy of
words is quizzical, meta, and puts a smile on your face all at the same time. But, wait, there’s more. Norwood really gets going on the album’s second single “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart),”
which is such a plainly evocative song title that other songwriters should be
shaking a fist in Norwood’s general
direction for thinking of it first. A universal sentiment succinctly stated. “It’s a 10-year marriage kind of love song,” he says
of the tune, and as if to hammer that description home, Norwood’s wife Carrie
joins him on vocals, which adds a whole new level of “what is going on here?!”
to the proceedings. Further on, “Good
Guy With A Gun” will remind listeners of the political rhetoric it
references, but is more tragically tied to the songs from Norwood’s debut album, which dove head-first into his very personal
story of growing up as a child of a father who died by his own hand. “This song is about that,” he explains, “But more than
that it’s about the ridiculous theory that the NRA likes to tout. The only way
to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? My dad was a good guy
with a gun, so how were we supposed to stop him from killing himself?” Once again, it is astounding how Norwood is able to take such personal matters, write about them
with conviction and clarity, make it catchy and memorable, and make you feel
like you challenged yourself and had a chuckle all at once. Uncool? Hmm. Frankly, Norwood
says that claiming himself “uncool” may be an awful career move. “I’ll either
make it or break it as uncool Chris J
Norwood,” he opines on the topic. But, the thing is, Norwood’s work is righteous no matter how it is perceived by anyone
who makes judgments about “career moves.” This brand of vulnerable,
self-effacing songwriting, salted with a bit of required brainpower... it’s
unique. And it’s here to stay. Maybe the J stands for “justified?” I Am Not Cool, the second album by Chris J
Norwood arrives via State Fair
Records on Aug. 20th,
preceded by the singles “I Am Not Cool”
(May 21st), “I Need You
(To Quit Breaking My Heart)” (June 18th), and “Good Guy With A Gun” (July 23rd). Chris J Norwood is
available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information. +++ Chris J
Norwood | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: STATE FAIR RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
