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.
“Deliciously catchy hooks,” proclaims American Songwriter
of tune taken from former Pete Yorn bassist’s debut solo album “Think Like
Spring,” out now. +++
Terry Borden of Blesson Roy as photographed by Ankhurr Chawaak +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Blesson Roy | “Should’ve
Known Better”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHB3XhFITaI [LYRIC VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrnUAnNrcmM [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/BlessonRor-ShouldveKnownBetter +++ Hear “Should’ve
Known Better” by Blesson Roy via
American
Songwriter and see the video at Under
The Radar or at the links below. Calling back to the bright tones and sweet melodies of
Britpop. Amidst a jangly guitar-led instrumental and sharp vocal hook, Terry Borden of Blesson Roy takes listeners on another trip back through his record
collection, showing his ability to incorporate and synthesize styles as both a
creator and a fan. “It’s basically the designed cinematic and aural
engaged focus, rhythm, and pacing of a real ‘climactic’ human moment,” says
director Tom Gorai aka Sweeten, the Grammy® and Emmy®-nominated
producer who has also produced videos for Pearl
Jam (“Jeremy”), Nine Inch Nails, and A Tribe Called Quest tells Under
The Radarof his clip for the Blesson
Roy single “Should’ve Known Better,”
which depicts a masked Los Angeles, courtesy of a cyclist who biffs it, and a
liquor store parking lot dancer who clearly does not. The “Should’ve
Known Better,” video captures the “happy-sad emotional connection” that Borden – a veteran of slowcore pioneers
Idaho and world-wide tours as part
of Pete Yorn’s band – recently told American
Songwriter he was working towards when writing the song. “I like the
energy, the guitars, and the contrasting bittersweet light and dark tones of
the words and music. The chord progression was persistently coming out when I
picked up the guitar over a long period of time. It required a permanent home!” Influenced by The
Smiths, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, David Bowie, New Order, Lou Reed, Punk and Post-Punk from the
80s and 90s, as well as the roots of those movements from the 60s and 70s, Borden brings these and more to his
debut album, Think Like Spring, out now via Slow Start Records. +++ Blesson Roy Think
Like Spring Out Now (Slow Start Records) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01. Soothe (STREAM) 02. Fingerprints Of Love 03. Undertow (STREAM | VIDEO) 04. Should’ve Known Better (VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO | REMIX) 05. Ana Left Spain 06. Stays With You (STREAM | VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO) 07. The Loving Sea 08. Waterfall Drops 09. Maria Rain 10. Thousand (STREAM | VIDEO) 11. Near 12. I Can See You 13. Falling 14. The Gaps +++ Blesson Roy | In The Press “Articulate songwriting... deliciously catchy hooks.”
— American Songwriter “A new sound in a new decade.” — PopMatters “Dreamy and earthy. — The Big Takeover “Intricately-arranged pop.” — MXDWN “One of the catchiest numbers of the year.” — Stereo Embers “Hypnotic.” — Treble “Sunny, Beach
Boys-esque.” — Glide Magazine “Beach Boys
with Big Star’s vibrant melodies.” —
Beats Per Minute “Will expand your mind.” — BTRtoday +++
Blesson Roy | “Should’ve
Known Better” (Ryeland Allison Remix) [STREAM]:
https://fanatic.lnk.to/BlessonRoy-ShouldveKnownBetter-RyelandAllisonRemix Hear the
Ryeland Allison remix of “Should’ve Known Better” by Blesson Roy now at the
link above! Ryeland
Allison is a multi-faceted composer, producer, sound designer, remixer
and instrumentalist whose work is known worldwide through his contributions to
numerous films (such as "Inception,"
"The Dark Knight," and "The
Lion King"), records (Hybrid,
BT, Armin van Buuren, Crystal Method, Spice Girls and Christina Aguilera)
and sound libraries (Roland, Korg
and Spectrasonics.) +++
Blesson Roy | About Think Like Spring is the debut album from life-long “music lover and
music doer,” Terry Borden, the man
behind Blesson Roy, and follows-up Borden’s
twin 2020 EPs “Time Is A Crime”
and “Time Is A Crime (Almost Acoustic).” The album is the 14-song dreamy pop
reflection of a child of 1970’s California whose early love of AM radio and his
brother’s record collection led to membership in slowcore pioneers Idaho and Pete Yorn’s band Dirty Bird.
Living in the UK during the explosion of subculture labels 4AD, Creation, Factory, and Rough Trade has also heavily influenced the Blesson Roy sound. Think Like Spring was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown. “I was alone in the studio adjacent to my home and had
no distractions other than the feeling of being truly alone in the recording
space, for days and weeks on end,” Borden
explains. “The positive effect of the pandemic isolation in the studio was the
time and ability to focus on the musical details in the songs, and extend the
searches for the right chemical reactions that manifested in each track.” “Think Like Spring is a suggestion for a train of thought, which is
focused on positivity and renewal,” Borden
continues, discussing the album’s overall concept. “This is an especially
important time for all of us to embrace the new positive and negative paradigm
shifts with a sense of creativity and invention.” About the album’s upcoming singles, Borden says, “‘Undertow’ took on a darker and lusher soundscape than I had
originally imagined, having written that one as a Leonard Cohen or Nick Drake-influenced
acoustic guitar song. As the recording unfolded, however, I realized that ‘Undertow’ needed a dark ambient
soundscape rather than a stripped-down acoustic production.” Borden explains that “Stays
With You” was “a journey into dynamics with the chorus exploding out of the
verses. It was a lot of fun and very satisfying to create the verse and chorus
as almost two different bits of music that tied together emotionally but
remained separate dynamically.” “I ventured into some new areas musically,” he says of
‘Thousand,’ which “became more of an
emotional, anthemic recording; a bit of a departure. It was thrilling to
construct ‘Thousand’ and draw on
unbridled emotion for that one.” “I am pleased that a song with the characteristics of ‘Undertow’ sits next to an indie rocker
like ‘Should’ve Known Better,’Borden says of the album’s final
planned single. “I have always loved records that have different types of songs
with a fearless approach to production that serves the song not the style of
music. The Beatles’ ‘White Album’ is the pinnacle of this
type of approach.” Ultimately, Borden
says that he tried to give each song a separate identity with a unique
personality. “I can’t say if I succeeded in this, but it was the
way I recorded and structured the sound of each track. Writing and recording Think
Like Spring was pure joy with patches of frustration that happen in any
creative process. The songs and the creation of the recordings felt like a warm
place in a cold and dangerous world.” Think Like Spring by Blesson Roy
is out now via Slow Start Records. Terry Borden is available for
interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information. +++ Blesson Roy | Links ASSETS : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
See Jersey City native own downtown NYC in “Faded”
lyric video. “I’ve always been in New York City’s shadow,” he says of clip for
“East of Eden” opener. +++
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo +++ J Hacha De Zola | Live
Sat., Aug. 7th, 2021: Jersey
City, NJ @ The Historic JC & Harsimus Cemetery (435 Newark Avenue, 420PM) Goatchella 2021 : The Return of The Goats : A
Fundraiser for The Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery RSVP | TICKETS +++ J Hacha De Zola | “Faded”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaBfI9JWgsg +++ “Having grown up in Jersey City, where I still reside
and will likely die, I have always been in New York City’s long and tall shadow,”
says J Hacha De Zola, chatting about
his stroll through lower
Manhattan in his “Faded” lyric
video. “It’s a complicated and strange feeling. You can run down the street in
New York naked while on fire and no one will notice. There’s a freedom to that
in the sense that no matter how weird you are, no one cares. That’s real
freedom. Despite my complex feelings about the place, there is no other city
that I would rather ‘fade away’ into.” Writer J. Poetcomments
on the song for Rock
& Roll Globe, saying, “On ‘Faded,’
street corner harmonies wash over Hacha De
Zola’s voice as he croons his devotion to a love that’s dissolving in the
mist.” Read more about the heavy influence of New York on Hacha De Zola’s new album in the full Rock & Roll Globe interview here. Hacha De Zola also chatted
withAmerican Songwriter
recently, touching on that theme of freedom from judgment, including when it
comes to criticizing himself. “I’ve never really been comfortable with my
singing voice. I don’t consider myself a singer or much of a musician, to be
honest. I’m more of a conceptual artist,” he says. “To get an understanding of
where I’m going, I have to look back at what I’ve done previously, and I always
challenge myself to do something that makes me uncomfortable.” It’s a technique and an approach to
his artistry that dates back to Hacha De
Zola’s formative years of first being exposed to world music as a child. In
a wide-ranging recent
discussion with Ghettoblaster
Magazine, he vividly remembers, “My first love was Latin music,
particularly Perez Prado. It’s
funny, that’s the first thing I ever heard when my dad was drinking his wine in
the evening. That and a lot of Afro-Cuban music. That was my introduction to
it.” +++ J Hacha De Zola East
of Eden Out Now (Caballo
Negro) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01. Faded (LYRIC VIDEO) 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
Reminds of a “reckless, mayhem-filled Replacements
B-side,” Pellington says; Single taken from Hootie lead guitarist’s “Midlife
Priceless.” +++
Mark Bryan as photographed by Kirk
Robert +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Mark Bryan | “Gotta Get
Outta Town”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EThH7slvZJM +++ “Making ‘Gotta
Get Outta Town’ was an absolute joy. Reminded me of when I first heard an old,
reckless, mayhem-filled Replacements B-side.”— Mark Pellington Mark
Pellington: “Mark Bryan is an amazing artist - just such a creative, positive,
and uncompromising guy. He was nothing but soulful, encouraging, and
optimistic. I found this energy to be infectious and his whole open-hearted
worldview to be incredibly bright and positive. “Making ‘Gotta
Get Outta Town’ was an absolute joy, it. Reminded me when I first heard an
old, reckless, mayhem-filled Replacements
B-side. Loose, fun, uninhibited... The song was that spirit of what we're trying
to do on this video... something free, fun, loose and cool.” Mark Bryan: “Mark
(Pellington) heard the song, and immediately knew how he wanted to make the
video, which is the exact same spirit the song was written in, so we were fired
up. Pellington is intense, and the
shoot was full of energy. He and his crew knew some of the shots they were
going for, but several more happened in the moment, and we were having a blast
hanging out. The cast was full of talented, vibrant individuals that have become
new friends.”
+++ Mark Bryan Midlife
Priceless Out Now (Stone Point Records) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing: 01. Gotta Get Outta Town (2:49) (STREAM
| VIDEO | 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 | VIDEO | INTERVIEW) 05. Takin’ A Ride (feat. Wyatt Durrette) (2:46) (VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO) 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) +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Mark Bryan | “Let Your
Soul Light Shine”
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg9enTiRyQM +++ See the “Let Your Soul Light Shine” video,
a tribute to frontline workers, now via Charleston City Paper which
says, “Singer-songwriter and Hootie & the Blowfish lead guitarist MarkBryan’s new single, ’Let Your Soul Light Shine,’ features a special music video
filmed at MUSC (Medical University of South
Carolina) as a tribute to its frontline healthcare workers. Bryan felt
that MUSC
hospital workers are a ‘gleaming example’ of grit and determination.” Bryan comments, “So much gratitude to Charleston City Paper for
launching the video premiere of ‘Let
Your Soul Light Shine.’ It is a tribute to first
responders everywhere and features MUSC
Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. Thank you for all that
you do!”
+++ Mark Bryan | “Takin’ A
Ride (feat. Wyatt Durrette)”
[OFFICIAL VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJDekbJ_MVM [LYRIC VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6hxqmI7WXc +++ See the “Takin’ A Ride (feat.
Wyatt Durrette)” video now via
The Boot, which says, “Mark Bryan and Wyatt
Durrette headed to paradise for their new ‘Takin’ A Ride’ music video. The Hootie & the Blowfish co-founder and hit country songwriter are
using the clip, premiering
exclusively on The Boot, to
spotlight hurricane rebuilding efforts in the Bahamas. “Shot in Elbow Cay, Bryan and
Durrette’s video finds them hanging
at beach bars, napping in hammocks and enjoying the stunning ocean views. The
small island was devastated by Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 hurricane, in
September of 2019, and while the ‘Takin’
A Ride’ music video shows off some truly gorgeous scenery, it ends with a
focus on the continuing storm recovery efforts, via the Elbow Cay Restoration Association. +++
Order Midlife Priceless by Mark Bryan as a deluxe LP or CD at Bandcamp here. +++ 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, is out now. +++ Mark Bryan | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: BANDCAMP +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
