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.
Follow-up to “Stresslove
EP” (V2/Munich Records) is taken from upcoming “Still Waiting Still,” produced
by Pierre de Reeder of Rilo Kiley. +++
Gregory Ackerman as photographed by Nell
T Sherman
+++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Gregory Ackerman | “Full Grown”
[STREAM] | https://Fanatic.lnk.to/GregoryAckerman-FullGrown +++ “Indie folk gem... a phenomenal wave of emotions full
of lush harmonies and poignant lyrics.” Hear“Full Grown” by Gregory Ackermannow
via music discovery website Last Day
Deaf! “I wrote ‘Full
Grown’ when I was twenty-years-old back home on break from college,” says Gregory Ackerman of the first official
single from his upcoming second album Still Waiting Still (Sept. 17th), “But for this
record’s rendition, I had Gabriel
Wheaton update it with a beautiful string arrangement, which brought about
an amazingly thematic rendition of an old classic (to me.) “I was literally feeling, as the lyric goes, ‘lost and
lonely, but all my friends are home,’ feeling as though I was floating and
struggling to find my place in life, yet all my friends were back home from
school and we were all together again. “Together, yet still alone in our own lives, worries,
joys, ups, and downs. This notion seemed to hit especially close to home again
when the pandemic hit – everyone being lost and lonely confined within their
homes.” +++ Gregory
Ackerman | In The Press “Bathed in Californian moonlight.” — PopMatters “Going around my head since I first heard it.” — Folk Radio UK “Giving hope to those who are lovestruck.” — Atwood Magazine “Laid-back vibe of Southern California.” — For Folk’s Sake “Hard to resist.” — Adobe and Teardrops +++ Gregory Ackerman Still
Waiting Still Sept. 17th, 2021 (S/R)
Track Listing: 01. Intro 02. Think Straight (STREAM) 03. Full Grown (STREAM) 04. Peace of Mind 05. Good Song 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
+++ Gregory Ackerman | About
“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
Stuart Sikes (The White
Stripes, Modest Mouse, Phosphorescent)-produced cut merges “psychedelia, dream
pop, haunting melodies, rich spaced-out guitar tones.” +++
Abbreviations (L-R): Chad Walls,
Ashley Leer, Tony Wann, Matt Leer. Photo Credit: Leyton Cheek.
+++
PLAY, POST & SHARE Abbreviations | “Turn On You”
“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.” Dallas-based music discovery website Central Track interviewed the band on
the day of the release of “Turn On You,”
and concludes that Abbreviations
“isn't taking any shortcuts.” Read
the story here. [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/Abbreviations-TurnOnYou +++ Abbreviations | Live
07/30/2021: Dallas, TX @ Double Wide
(Red Zeppelin Records Night w/ God of Love, Bayleigh Cheek) +++ 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, June 18th)
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,
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 FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: RED ZEPPELIN RECORDS +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
“Like a junkyard DaVinci,” says Stereo Embers, calling
new album “an aching collection of dark and dreamy doo-wop, street soul and
urban R&B.” +++
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo +++ J Hacha De Zola | “Lost Space”
Stereo Embers does a deep dive with J Hacha De Zola on the latest
episode of the podcast, describing the artist as “A feral blend of David
Johansen, Screaming Lord Sutch and Nick Cave. Like a
junkyard DaVinci, Hacha De Zola has demonstrated that he
knows how to take rusty horns, scrap metal saxophones, guttered guitars and battered drums and turn them into pure gold.”
J Hacha De Zolachats
with American Songwriter about
his powerful new single “Which Way,”
taken from his fifth album East of Eden, out nowvia Caballo Negro. “Never before have I felt such a departure from
reality as I have during the lockdown—people dying, family, friends, and their
family, dying,” reveals Hacha De Zola,
discussing the deep feelings behind his new single “Which Way,” out now. He tells
American Songwriter, “Never
before was there this blatant defiance of all rational thought being
demonstrated by those in positions of power, pure fear, pure hype, [and] the
population at large seemingly trapped in this dogmatic, dualistic fatalistic
slow decay.” [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/JHachaDeZola-WhichWay +++ J Hacha De Zola East
of Eden Out Now (Caballo
Negro) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01. Faded 02. Lost Space (STREAM | VIDEO) 03. Which Way (STREAM) 04. East of Eden 05. A Viral Spring 06. Shadows On Glass 07. That Pleading Tone 08. Sad Song 09. Green and Golden 10. Meet Me +++ J Hacha De Zola | In The Press
“A wild man.” — Paste “Alluring and unsettling.” — NJ.com “The kind of alluring character found in old
children’s books.” — UTNE “Dangerously delightful.” — The Big Takeover “Bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion
of imitators.” — PopMatters “Beckoning listeners somewhere exciting.” — BTRtoday “Possessed and cacophonic.” — Atwood Magazine +++
“As enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET “Sits at his own, most likely oddly shaped table.” — Pancakes and Whiskey “No one around left to hit him with any sort of
healthy competition.” — Ghettoblaster “One of the most important and singular artists making
music today.” — Stereo Embers “A challenging, at times daunting, listen.” — BLURT “Mutant blues rock.” — Treble “A modern day Frank
Zappa.” — Adam’s World +++ J Hacha De Zola | About
For his fifth album, East of Eden (Caballo Negro, Out Now), J Hacha De Zola
has left the “urban junkyard” of his previous albums and slipped into a natty
white suit. His look is more accessible this time around – see the
dignified vibes of his latest single and album art – and his sound matches. “This record is unlike any other I have made
previously,” the Jersey City-based artist acknowledges. “I stayed focused on
what was truly best for each song, keeping it somewhat simple – at least for me
– rather than allowing myself to become overly self-indulgent in terms of
running away on tangents.” The result is an album that exemplifies the universe
that Hacha De Zola has built over
his four previous albums (as well as EPs that cover ground from the all-Spanish
“Syn Illusión” to his versions of
hits by female pop stars on “UnPOPular”),
while also charting new territory. East of Eden is some kind of place where Jim
Morrison did downers instead of acid in the control room during the recording
of Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In The Sky.” As Hacha De
Zola tells it, the creation of this record was actually less frenetic than
all that. “I came into the studio with a developed concept, and
the songs written already,” he says. “This time, I had a clear cut direction
ready to go. I have to be honest, I have never really been comfortable with my
singing voice, and I wanted to do something that would be more challenging.” The push pays off, as Hacha De Zola’s vocals are the focus here. Where previous records
saw him vocalizing in a way that complimented the music, this time the music
compliments the man. “A big inspiration for me on East of Eden was the
vocal group tradition from the 1950s and 60s,” he says. “Especially those from
New Jersey, New York, and Detroit. Doo-wop groups like Sha Na Na, The Temptations,
The Four Seasons, and others. Being
a Jersey boy, I couldn’t help but be influenced in the rich vocal singing group
tradition and history in this area.” Digging into the roots of his musical soul, literally
and figuratively, sounds pure in context throughout the new album, and
especially on its pre-release singles “Lost
Space” and “Which Way,” showing
off a level of maturity and thoughtfulness that can only come from the
development that years of album-making brings. “Even with all of its imperfections, it was very
important for me to bring the nuances of the vocal components of this record
right to the front. I truly feel that I have found my own voice,” Hacha De Zola says. With that, he may never return to the “urban junkyard”
and his method of rendering records via his “reductive synthesis” method (read
about it here) ever again. It is a position that is congruent with the
state of the world that longed to “return to normal,” but may never be able to
find the way back to exactly that. “The title of the record reflects that,” Hacha De Zola explains. “East
of Eden, a sense of being left behind or abandoned, banished from the
‘garden.’ Off to the Land of Nod where Cain was banished for murdering his
brother, Abel. “It’s a bit of a biblical reference that I found was
quite apt,” he continues. “Especially during this moment of divisiveness among
so many people over so many things. Lyrically, I couldn’t help but infuse many
of these feelings into the songs.” Hacha De
Zola’s “Which Way” single is one that best reflects his hard-won ability
to infuse these real emotions into what has become known as somewhat esoteric
work. “That song was a way of taking inventory of the chaos
and confusion of the moment. It’s a somber song, and it wasn’t an easy one to
write. At the time, it was very difficult to focus on anything other than
trying to protect the vulnerable members of my family and not getting sick. I
had to push myself pretty hard to work through the fear.” His new strength and resolve fits Hacha De Zola well, just like the natty new clothes on his back. East of Eden, the fifth album by J Hacha De
Zola, is out now. +++ Also Out Now | J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
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 J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits Out Now (Caballo
Negro) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01. Blue Sky (STREAM
| VIDEO) 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 | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE
