NYC-raised band leader Oliver Kennan is songwriter, guitarist, vocalist behind one of city’s most exciting soul ensembles.

Debut album “Oh Boy” arriving via Hornblow Recordings, May 10^th. See high-wattage music video for “Waiting” single now.

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Oliver Kennan as photographed by Shervin Lainez

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PLAY, POST & SHARE

Oliver Kennan

“Waiting” Single

Out Now

Hornblow Recordings

[STREAM | MP3]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/OliverKennan-Waiting

[YOUTUBE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtNriSatH-o

“‘Waiting’ is a modern take on the rock and soul of the past,” says Oliver Kennan. “It’s the classic story of a young man searching for love in the loneliest big city in the world, NYC.”

The music calls back the up-tempo funk of Tower of Power circa “What is Hip” with a contemporary swagger and Oliver plays the part of the lonely loverboy with equal parts conviction and good humor.  The band channeled the vintage sounds of their favorite records by recording live to tape at The Bunker Studios and Thump Studios in Brooklyn. The track was produced by Graham Stone and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

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More about Oliver Kennan

“Some people have an internal monologue,” explains NYC-based bandleader, Oliver Kennan, “I have an internal jukebox and I want to show people what it sounds like.”

Beneath Kennan’s youthful appearance lies an old soul. A first listen to “Waiting,” the second cut on his debut album Oh Boy (May 10^th, Hornblow Recordings) makes it clear that his internal jukebox is stocked with classic 45s from the golden age of soul and funk. It’s the vintage kind, where you can see the inner workings behind the glowing glass dropping your current bop into play. On Oh Boy, Kennan is spinning bits and pieces of those records into something entirely his own.

The jukebox is stocked with modern hits, too: Kennan’s stated influences range from Otis Redding to Arcade Fire, Dr. John to Radiohead, and Wilson Pickett to Amy Winehouse. Kennan’s vocals, songwriting, and guitar playing skills honor all of his heroes, classic and contemporary, but his greatest talent may be in leading his band. The ensemble is comprised of accomplished performers in their own right, and together they are one of the city’s most exciting soul ensembles.

Kennan’s pushed himself when it came time to record Oh Boy.

“I was inspired to record everything live to tape just like my favorite classic records,” he explains. “Recording live gives the music an organic feeling, full of idiosyncrasies, which shows what a band can really do without modern studio techniques.”  The recording setup also made for a fun feeling that permeates the grooves and makes these tunes jump up and out.

“My goal was to show who I am and what I believe in,” Kennan confides. “I want people to feel like they’re reading my journal on the dance floor at my party.” Oh Boy by Oliver Kennan arrives May 10^th via Hornblow Recordings.

Oliver Kennan is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Oliver Kennan

Oh Boy

May 10^th, 2019

(Hornblow Recordings)

Pre-Save Link:

PRE-SAVE FULL LP

Track Listing:

01. Which Way Is Up

02. Waiting (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)

03. The One (PRE-SAVE)

04. Quiet

05. Interlude

06. The Tinkerer

07. Unsubscribe

08. The Last Laugh

09. Yes Ma’am

10. Around the Corner

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Oliver Kennan - Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : HORNBLOW RECORDINGS

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL

BVRTH’s Derek Virta, a former member of Dreamend, tourmate of Black Moth Super Rainbow, makes his own “psych-sludge” on debut, out April 19th.

St. Paul-based musician brings Aphex Twin, AIR, Stereolab influences, along with knowledge of jazz, hip-hop in equal doses, to precise, intricate production.

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Derek Virta of BVRTH as photographed by Margeaux Claude

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“A soundscape similar to early AIR or even a less deranged version of Black Moth Super Rainbow. It’s quite beautiful,” Treble Zine in its coverage of “Oblivian,” the first single from the upcoming debut album by BVRTH, the solo project of musician, Derek Virta. Listen here or at the link below!

[STREAM | MP3]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/BVRTH-Oblivian

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About – BVRTH

While living in Italy in his late 20’s, Derek Virta of BVRTH wasn’t playing or listening to any music, he was just riding his bike all over Tuscany. By the time he moved back to Chicago six months later, he was an amateur bike racer, later winning three Minnesota (he is now based in St. Paul) state championships.

Virta refers to BVRTH music as “psych sludge,” which is not a total misnomer, but is likely overly influenced by Virta’s history playing in Graveface Records “house band” Dreamend and touring with Black Moth Super Rainbow. In actuality, Virta’s music takes that rich goo of a sound and bathes it in precise production values that make it not just rich, but wealthy.

Virta also counts Aphex Twin, Grails, Air, Stereolab, Suicide, and Low as influences on BVRTH.

The music on Virta’s self-titled debut BVRTH album (out April 19^th) is immediately impressive, especially for a guy who only jumped back into writing and recording in late 2018, handling all of the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and programming himself.

So what put Virta off of music and onto a bike in the first place? Before escaping to Tuscany, Virta was on another fast track, when after quickly forming a new band, he even more quickly started attracting the attention of the music industry.

“We got an entertainment lawyer and all of a sudden we were talking about our clothing and image and ‘average age,’ and I didn’t want any part of that,” he explains. “This is about the time I went to Italy. I didn’t have the intention of ever playing music again.”

It’s a story that drives some musicians in their late 20’s to an early grave, but it literally drove Virta (via his bike) all over the world. Eventually the path led him back to music, but at a pace he would now set himself.

“The love for music didn’t come back in a flash, it was slow,” he says. “Hundreds of unfinished musical snippets recorded here and there, lots more travel and biking all over the world. I recorded a little bit with friends, and it was like pulling teeth to get me to record, but if you asked me 99 times, on the 100th, I’d say ‘okay.’”

Growing up, Virta discovered Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Unwound in high school, and also found himself getting into jazz at the same time. His love of hip-hop can be heard on BVRTH, too, especially on the upcoming single, “Warden,” inspired by Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digital Underground.

“I was pretty much a sponge,” he says.

Everything Virta soaked up gets wrung out on the eight-track BVRTH album, contributing to the instantly familiar, but intensely layered, quality of these instrumental (save for “You Walk Alone,” which features vocals by The Nurse) tracks.

Even Virta loses his place sometimes.

“My writing process is all over the map, it’s a challenge working with myself,” he jokes. “In the past, I’d be able to use my jazz knowledge to figure out what to play over something that was already written. But there’s a freedom and weird internal struggle that comes with working alone, that when it goes right, is worth it.”

Sounds like a different kind of ride.

BVRTH is the self-titled debut album by BVRTH aka Derek Virta, out via the musician’s Virtageaux Records label on April 19^th. Virta is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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BVRTH

ST

April 19^th, 2019

(Virtageaux Records)

Track Listing:

01. Oblivian (STREAM | MP3)

02. Warden

03. You Walk Alone (feat. The Nurse)

04. Stonesend

05. Iljo

06. Geauxst

07. BRBDB

08. Eye Gouger

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BVRTH - Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL

Loose Wing, fronted by vet of Seattle scene, Claire Tucker, featured in Rolling Stone’s “Real Life Rock Top Ten;” Debut out March 22nd.

Like a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., hear the upbeat fuzzy jangle pop of latest single “Moving Blankets” via The Big Takeover now.

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Loose Wing (L-R): Bill Patton, Jack Peters, Claire Tucker, Rusty Willoughby. Photo credit: Doug Arney.

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Loose Wing is featured in this month’s “Real Life Rock Top Ten” in Rolling Stone! Scroll to entry #10 here.

“There’s a thinking-it-all-over feeling that calls up “Angel of the Morning” by Merilee Rush and the Turnabouts — another Seattle band, from 50 years ago. They walked the same streets, and maybe some of the same dirt rubbed off. ” — Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone

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“Nine songs that fearlessly explore themes of anxiety, isolation, intimacy, and teen angst that has yet to be outgrown,” says The Big Takeover. Check out the premiere of the latest Loose Wing single “Moving Blankets” here or at the link below.

[STREAM | MP3]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/LooseWing-MovingBlankets

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Loose Wing – Live

03/22/2019: Vashon, WA @ Red Bicycle Bistro (w/ Society of The Silver Cross)

03/23/2019: Seattle, WA @ Blue Moon Tavern (w/ Black Nite Crash)

04/05/2019: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Hideaway (w/ Hollow Sidewalks, nine:forty:pm)

04/13/2019: Bend, OR @ LOGE

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About – Loose Wing

Loose Wing is a new Seattle-based band fronted by songwriter Claire Tucker, who is also a member of local favorites, Black Nite Crash. The four-piece group will issue its self-titled debut album on March 22^nd. Along with Tucker (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Loose Wing features Jack Peters (Bass), Rusty Willoughby (Drums, Percussion), and Bill Patton (Guitar, Pedal Steel.)

Despite weighty subject matter, Tucker’s tunes maintain an easy confidence throughout the album, with melodies that often remind of a Neko Case or PJ Harvey-fronted R.E.M., which despite that band’s origins in the furthest continental corner (Athens, GA) from the home of grunge, has always maintained a spiritual tie to Seattle. Other contemporary influences on Loose Wing include Kate Bush and Guided by Voices.

Throughout the album, Loose Wing’s elegant incorporation of string accompaniment pops up at just the right moments to deepen the drama of Tucker’s lyrics, while also providing counterpoint to the band’s Peter Buck-ish guitar sound. Speaking of, R.E.M. and Nirvana used similar surprising string techniques that helped elevate both bands as examples of rock groups that ultimately prioritized the service of their songs over everything else.

Guitars, or more accurately, an obsessive relationship with guitars, feature prominently on Loose Wing.

“It’s a mix of guitar styles,” Tucker says of the album. “All my playing before Loose Wing was very fussy, intricate fingerpicking. I had never really done much with effects pedals, but I forced myself to learn new techniques, and focus on playing guitar and branching out stylistically.” Tucker has since amassed two pedal boards full of effects. “I also started listening to a lot of music that I had forgotten about: Slowdive, The Church, and Echo and The Bunnymen.”

Loose Wing’s self-titled debut album is out March 22^nd, preceded by the singles “Beverly,” “Moving Blankets,” and “Heather Army.” Claire Tucker of Loose Wing is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Loose Wing

S/T

March 22^nd, 2019

(S/R)

  

Track Listing:

01. Heather Army

02. Beverly (STREAM | MP3)
03. Moving Blankets (STREAM | MP3)
04. Blanket Skin

05. Rainclouds

06. Wear Me Out

07. Clover

08. Learn Your Lines

09. Sails

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Loose Wing – Links

ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM

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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion

WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL