Fanatic is a music marketing company established by Josh Bloom in 1997 to build fan-to-fan connections between artists and the media. For nearly 30 years, Fanatic has continued to help launch careers through the strategic advocacy of creative talent.
Upcoming all-new album “East of Eden” (June 11th)
is heavily inspired by Doo-wop, Motown, Sha Na Na, Temptations, Four Seasons. +++
J Hacha De Zola as John Denver as
photographed by Christopher Welby +++ J Hacha De Zola | In The Press “Enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET “Deftly merges baroque pop, anti-folk and other
explosive elements... alluring and unsettling.” — NJ.com “A wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists
like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.” — Paste “The kind of alluring character found in old
children’s books.” — UTNE “Bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion
of imitators.” — PopMatters +++
Obviously, as a songwriter, J Hacha De Zola and John
Denver come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas… As
for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable, definitely fun tribute that is
the J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits album cover, a dead-on approximation of
singer-songwriter John Denver’s own
eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album
image… Hacha De Zola focuses in on,
and connects with what they have deeply in common, saying, “I loved this idea
of being exactly what you are. Whatever you are, be it.” +++ J Hacha De Zola | “Strange”
One of the featured greatest hits on J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
is “Strange,” which award-winning
Buenos Aires, Argentina-based filmmakers Sebastián
Alberto Juiz (as Bastian-a) and Rocío Ray recently offered their own short film interpretation of. The creators commented, “It could be a silent film and
return, even more, to the sources. Everything else is pure imagination and
subjectivity. You will decide what to believe, dear viewer. Isn’t that what
cinema is about?” For his part, Hacha
De Zola says, “I have always wanted my music to have this cinematic quality
to it, and I think these two have really captured that.” [STREAM]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnUjvj9B2Pw +++ J Hacha De Zola J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits Out Now (Caballo
Negro) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01.Blue Sky (STREAM) 02.Strange (STREAM
| VIDEO) 03.El Desgraciado 04.No Situation 05.El Chucho 06.On A Saturday 07.Lightning Rod Salesman 08.Bubble Gum 09.Black Sparrow 10.Anarchy 11.A Fools Moon 12.Syn Illusión +++ J Hacha De Zola | About “A big inspiration for me was the vocal group
tradition from the 50s and 60s, especially those from New Jersey, New York and
Detroit,” Jersey City-based J Hacha De
Zola explains about his upcoming all-new album East of Eden (Caballo Negro, June 11th.) “Doo-wop groups like Sha Na Na, The Temptations,
The Four Seasons, Flamingos, and others. Heavy Motown vibes on this new record.” He continues, “Being a Jersey boy, right across the
river from New York City, I couldn’t help but be influenced in the rich vocal
singing group tradition. With East of Eden I didn't want to hide
behind a wall of instruments and sound as I have done in the past. It was
important for me to bring the vocal component of this record right up front.” As for his just-released retrospective, J comments, “It’s
a gas, looking back at what we have done,” considering the music that comprises
J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits, a re-mastered 12-song collection of
tunes culled from the four albums and various EPs that the eclectic “Urban
Junkyard” artist has released over the past five years. “I never really thought of myself as a recording
artist when I started out, but I guess that’s what I do now,” he realizes,
concluding, “Sometimes you find yourself so far down the road that there’s only
one option: to keep on going.” Sequenced as its own stand-alone album, J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is dense with awesome. The record stands
as a proclamation of identity for Hacha
De Zola as a tightwire-walking artist that has defied early comparisons to
everyone from Tom Waits to Captain Beefheart to Jim Morrison to becomes his own thang
(with an “a!”) “Sometimes to get an idea of where you are going, ya
have to take a look at where ya been,” he says. “I’m taking a moment to reflect
upon the previous work, while also keeping my thoughts on the first-time
listener who may happen upon my music with this compilation release. “I thought to myself, ‘what songs are most
representative of J Hacha De Zola’s
voice and spirit? What would you want a first time listener to hear? This
compelled me to make sure that listening to the ‘greatest hits’ was a fun,
captivating and immersive experience, and a strong introduction to what I do as
a recording artist. “I picked what I felt were some of my best moments and
crafted it into what feels like a new record. Hopefully some will delve a bit
deeper, but I wanted this to be a fun collection of my proudest, and maybe most
accessible moments.” As for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable,
definitely fun tribute that is the album’s cover, a dead-on approximation of
singer-songwriter John Denver’s own
eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album
image, Hacha De Zola explains, “John Denver was one of the greatest singer-songwriters
of the 70s, and there definitely was no shortage of those during that time.” Drawing the connection, Hacha De Zola continues, saying, “He wrote authentic tunes that
came directly from his heart, soul, and experience. There was a certain purity
about him and what he did. My introduction to his music was through his John
Denver’s Greatest Hits record, and everything about it, including the
album cover, was a perfect representation of his music and overall vibe. I
would like to think that I have done something similar with my own record,
except that John Denver actually had
hits!” Obviously, as a songwriter, Hacha De Zola and Denver
come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas, but Hacha De Zola focuses in on, and
connects with what they have deeply in common. “I loved this idea of being exactly what you are.
Whatever you are, be it.” J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is out April 2nd,
2021. His albums Escape From Fat Kat City, Antipatico,Picaro
Obscuro, and Icaro Nouveau are all streaming now.
Look also for the Spanish-language EP “Syn
Illusión” and Hacha De Zola’s EP
of covers of songs by female pop stars, “UnPOPular.”
The all-new J Hacha De Zola album East
of Eden arrives on June 11th,
2021. +++ J Hacha De Zola | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
“Road Angel Project: Volume 5” | Cover
art by Alice Lin based on a photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons of artist Terry’s
Allen’s installation “Road Angel.” +++ PLAY,
POST & SHARE
The fifth volume of The Bird and The Bee
vocalist Inara George’s charity initiative with Sweet Relief’s COVID-19 Relief Fund features three tracks
including a version of the Allen
Tousaint classic “Southern Nights,”
by Michael Andrews (aka Elgin Park of The Greyboy Allstars) featuring vocals by George herself. Hear
it now at Brooklyn Vegan or at
the link below. The
latest edition of the series also includes a 20-minute plus meditative piece “Stringbath 6” by Gabe Noel, and an unreleased track “Brightest Star Tonight” by renowned producer Daedelus (streaming now at UK blog York Callinghere.)
Stream all of the “Road Angel Project” releases to date
here. [STREAM]:
https://Fanatic.lnk.to/MichaelAndrewsInaraGeorge-SouthernNights +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE
Road Angel Project Presents: Dev
Marvelous X The Bird and The Bee | “La La La”
[STREAM]:https://Fanatic.lnk.to/devmarvelous-lalala +++ “It is always so incredibly flattering to have someone
play or record a cover of a song I wrote, no matter what,” says Inara George of The Bird and The Bee. When Louisville, Kentucky-based producer,
singer-songwriter, and pianist, Devon
Moore aka Dev Marvelous, sent George an album’s worth of
reinterpretations of The Bird and The
Bee songs, George immediately
asked if she could put them out. “Road Angel
Project Presents: Dev Marvelous X The Bird and The Bee” is now scheduled for release on April 16th as the sixth volume in George’s ongoing
charity series in partnership with, and benefitting, the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund’s COVID-19 fund. A single release
of the Dev Marvelous cover of the
duo’s “La La La”is out now. Read
an interview with Inara George
at Atwood Magazine including a track
premiere and commentary from Dev
Marvelous about “La La La,” his “mesmerizing,
colorful immersion of upbeat melodies and hot funk sounds” that comprise his “compelling
spin on The Bird and The Bee’s
original, first released on their self-titled debut album in 2007.” Road Angel Project Presents: “Dev
Marvelous X The Bird and The Bee” is
out everywhere on April 16thvia Release Me Records. +++ Various Artists “Road Angel Project: Volume 5” Out Now (Release Me Records) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL EP
Track Listing: 01.Daedelus - Brightest Star Tonight 02.Michael Andrews (ft. Inara George) - Southern Nights
(Allen Tousaint) (STREAM) 03.Gabe Noel - Stringbath 6 (Live on Zoom, October 26,
2020) +++ Road Angel Project Presents: “Dev Marvelous X The Bird and The Bee” April 16th (Release Me Records)
Track Listing: 01. Polite Dance Song (The Bird and The Bee) 02. What’s In The Middle (The Bird and The Bee) 03. La La La (The Bird and The Bee) (STREAM) 04. Gamera (Greg Kurstin) 05. Take Me To Paris (Inara George) 06. Lovey Dovey (The Bird and The Bee) 07. Birthday (The Bird and The Bee) +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE
Inara George (feat. Dave Grohl of Foo
Fighters) | “Sex In Cars” [STREAM]:https://Fanatic.lnk.to/InaraGeorgeFeatDaveGrohl-SexInCarsRoadAngelProject +++ The Bird and
The Bee vocalist Inara George has teamed with Dave
Grohl of Foo Fighters for a new
single “Sex In Cars: Road Angel
Project,” a duet version of the track “Sex
In Cars” from George’s latest
release “The Youth of Angst”. The
song is available
now on all streaming platforms and can also be heard via
Rolling Stone here. “Having been such a massive fan of Inara for years, it’s always such an
incredible honor to work with her, whether on Foo Fighters music or for The
Bird and The Bee,” says Dave Grohl
of Foo Fighters about his contribution to the first “Road Angel Project” release. “Her voice is timeless, so pure and
real. So I jumped at the chance to duet with her on this song. It was a dream
come true! And for a great cause: Musicians coming together to support each
other in difficult times, working to keep the music alive.” “I always knew I wanted this version of ‘Sex In Cars’ with Dave to benefit some amazing non-profit,” George says. +++ About | Road
Angel Project
Click to listen to a playlist of all
five volumes of the “Road Angel Project” here “I reached out to some of my musician friends to see
if anyone had a track that they’d like to donate to the cause,” George says. “As the pandemic hit and
it became very clear that live music would not resume for many, many months, I
immediately thought of Sweet Relief,
not only because they help so many musicians, but also because they help
everyone in the music industry. All of those people who work at venues booking
shows, stage managing, bartending, lighting, mixing sound, and on and on... Sweet Relief is set up to help all of
these workers during this crisis and also any other crisis that might come.” The name “Road
Angel Project” is a Terry Allen-authorized
nod back to the visual artist’s piece that inspired George’s song “Sex In Cars,”
the first “Road Angel Project”
release (see below), and the cover image for the series by Alice Lin is based on a Brian
Fitzsimmons photograph of Allen’s
actual installation. Sweet Relief’s Aric
Steinberg says, “Sweet Relief is
so grateful to be a part of the ‘Road
Angel Project.’ It’s been incredible to see the music community come
together during this pandemic, and this is another example of good people doing
good things. The funds raised will allow us to help even more music industry
professionals in desperate need and we are truly thankful for Inara’s support.” For more information about the Sweet Relief COVID-19 Relief Fund, visit: https://www.sweetrelief.org/covid-19-fund.html +++ Road Angel Project | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : RELEASE ME RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
Track appears on artist’s upcoming new solo album
“Midlife Priceless,” out April 2nd. Read more about it via an interview
w/ American Songwriter.
+++
Mark Bryan as photographed by Kirk
Robert. +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE
About | “A Little
More Rock N Roll” [LYRIC VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdKwcGVKe5U [OFFICIAL VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rF7cE0YOdw [STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/MarkBryan-ALittleMoreRockNRoll +++ “A Little
More Rock N Roll” is taken from the
upcoming Mark Bryan solo album Midlife
Priceless, out April 2, 2021
on Stone Point Records. The lyric
video for the song was directed by John
Barnhardt, and features VHS footage from 1993 of a pre-fame Hootie & The Blowfish on a road
trip to Buffalo, NY for a gig opening for Dread
Zeppelin.See
the premiere and read more about it at Parade
here. It was the first time we ever played Buffalo,” Bryan remembers. “We were opening for Dread Zeppelin, and I’m thinking it was
’93. I know we stopped at the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on the way there. Apparently I was
dipping Gold River chewing tobacco at the time, and spitting into an empty milk
carton. I remember Dread Zeppelin
doing a song that was like, ‘She's a brick... house-es of the holy,’ which I thought
was particularly clever, and they did a really cool reggae / Elvis version of ‘Immigrant Song.’” About the song, Bryan says, “It was May of 2019, Hootie was about to embark on our first
U.S. tour in over ten years, and we had just made our first full-length album
in over ten years. Capitol Nashville
decided a single for country radio would give us the best shot at getting
played. “I immediately thought of my ridiculously talented
friend, Steven Fiore from the band Young Mister. I’m a huge fan of the
tunes that he writes for his band, but he also has this stealth ability to
craft a perfect pop-country song. So I told him about the situation with Hootie, and Capitol, and he sent me the demo for ‘A Little More Rock N Roll.’ “I felt an immediate, nostalgic warmth when I heard
it. Capitol sent us some other
songs, including a gem Chris Stapleton
had written, ‘Hold On,’ and there
was no denying it was a solid choice, but I couldn’t get Steven’s song out of my head. “In March of 2020, I started tracking for Midlife
Priceless.I laid a couple of
12-string guitar tracks down for ‘A
Little More Rock N Roll,’ and it was already special. “I had my friends Tim
Nielsen (Bass), and Matt Zutell
(Drums) come over, and I played lead, electric guitar as we tracked along with
the 12-strings. I felt like I should add lap-steel to the track, to try and mix
a little twang in with the rock ’n’ roll we were creating. “We put it through a Leslie speaker cabinet, and it
just put this sweet icing on everything. It started to sound like a single!” +++ Mark Bryan Midlife
Priceless April 2, 2021 (Stone Point Records)
Track Listing: 01. Gotta Get Outta Town (2:49) (STREAM
| INTERVIEW) 02. A Little More Rock N Roll (3:33) (STREAM | VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO | INTERVIEW) 03. Wanna Feel Something (3:16) (STREAM
| VIDEO | INTERVIEW) 04. Let Your Soul Light Shine (3:26) (STREAM | INTERVIEW) 05. Takin’ A Ride (feat. Wyatt Durrette) (2:46) 06. Madelynn Claire (2:51) 07. I Like Your Everything (2:43) 08. Explain That To A Heart (3:23) (STREAM) 09. Like Make Believe (3:14) 10. Growing Wild (3:10) 11. Open Up Lucille (2:25) 12. Wishing (Acoustic) (2:46) (STREAM) +++
Order Midlife Priceless by Mark Bryan as a deluxe LP or CD at Bandcamp here. Use code
MIDLIFEPRICELESS at checkout for 15% off. PLAY, POST & SHARE
“Out of the ether,” Mark Bryan says of “Wanna
Feel Something,” the first single from his upcoming new solo album Midlife
Priceless (Stone Point Records,
April 2nd, 2021), “I
wrote the first line of the song, ‘Tonight we ride again, just like we did back
when we were best friends and it would never end.’ I wasn’t doing it
intentionally but I liked the way it sang. When I read it back I thought, ‘Holy
shit!’ We were getting ready to go back on tour – maybe that’s what I was
writing about.” Read
the full interview with Mark Bryan
now at American Songwriter and
stream the “Wanna Feel Something”
single and video at the link below! [STREAM]: https://fanatic.lnk.to/MarkBryan-WannaFeelSomething [VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET-mfO1v2YY +++ Mark Bryan | About Midlife Priceless is the title of Hootie
& The Blowfish guitarist Mark
Bryan’s fourth solo album. It’s also how he rolls. Three years since the release of Bryan’s previous record, a lot has happened: His 20
million-selling, two-time Grammy®-winning band got back together
for a sold-out arena tour that meant as much to Bryan as it did to the fans that came out by the tens of thousands. “Wanna Feel
Something” is the new album’s first
single for a reason. Tonight we ride again Just like we did back when We were best friends, and it would never end It’s right there. Mark Bryan is about feeling something and making you feel
something. The energy in the buildings around the country that rocked again
with the songs that made Hootie one
of the biggest-selling acts in music history, is all here on Midlife
Priceless. When Bryan
gets to the guitar solo on “Wanna Feel
Something,” it’s a done deal. The album’s title draws a deep parallel,
metaphorically, with a lyric from another of the record’s standout tunes, “Takin’ A Ride,” a duet with Wyatt Durrette, writer of many of the Zac Brown Band’s hits. “Die young as late as you can” It’s a beautiful statement. It’s a mission statement. “That line speaks to the point I am in my life and why
I’m still making music,” Bryan says. Even before Hootie
got back together to be met with love-filled venues as if it were the 1990’s
again, Bryan was living this way.
Through good and bad – especially bad – he was connecting with his youth,
wonder, curiosity, and joy. As defined, “priceless” is something so precious that
its value cannot be determined. A record album has to provide value though, right? One of the reasons that Bryan chose to lead up to the release of Midlife Priceless with a long
string of singles is because so many moods and styles are represented. He
thought to give ‘em a chance to shine on their own, in a different way than
they do as a collection. This might not be an auspicious plan for some artists,
but Bryan’s track record dictates
that he knows his way around a single, and this approach is another example of
how Bryan is living midlife
priceless. Midlife Priceless, the fourth solo album by Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan arrives on April
2, 2021. +++ Mark Bryan | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: BANDCAMP +++
