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.
“‘Pregnancy Choir’ is a beautiful, literate
window into a parent’s soul,” says musician Brennen Leigh, songwriter for legends
Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell.
+++
Jenny
Parrott self-portrait
with baby Juno
+++
Jenny Parrott | In The Press “A soaring solo effort...” — KUTX, Austin (NPR) “There is nothing to not like about Jenny Parrott.” — Folk Radio UK “As if the singer-songwriter scribed the lyrics while sitting on a cloud.” — Austin Chronicle “Potent songs with a smoldering drowsy flow.” — Americana Highways “A wonderfully rich amalgam of American roots music styles.” — Rock N Reel (UK) +++
“I tried using my usual gear and instruments,” Jenny Parrott says about her attempts
to record while pregnant with baby Juno.
“I gave up and said, ‘Let’s see what I can do with only vocals.’”
The resulting eight-minute “Pregnancy Choir,” spread over seven tracks, is out Nov. 4.
Musician Brennen
Leigh — known as a timeless songwriter for herself and others (including
legends Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, and many more) is an
early fan of the piece, saying, “‘Pregnancy
Choir’ is a beautiful, literate window into a parent’s soul.”
Hear “Runnin’
To You” from “Pregnancy Choir” by
Jenny Parrott at the links above.
Track Listing: 01. Tree Funeral 02. In 6 Rows 03. Runnin’ To You (YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD) 04. Origin 05. Rain 06. Sharp Sound 07. Make Me Love
+++
Jenny Parrott | Live
09/30/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Residency)
10/07/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Residency)
10/14/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Residency)
10/21/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Residency)
10/28/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Residency)
11/04/2022: Austin, TX @ Hole In The Wall (Record Release)
+++
Jenny Parrott | About
Austin-based artist, songwriter, and new parent, Jenny Parrott will release “Pregnancy Choir,” an eight-minute
musical poem presented over seven tracks on Nov. 4, 2022. Centered mainly around her layered vocals (recorded
while pregnant with baby Juno), Parrott says, “‘Pregnancy Choir’ explores what it’s like to be in a pregnant body
and to hear many voices: Ancestors, doctors, lovers, friends and relations all
talking to and at you. “Literally ‘Joe Everyone’ tries to give advice,” she
jokes. The voice we hear the most through Parrott on “Pregnancy Choir” is the one she describes last: “Your own brain’s ‘Lil
Greek Chorus.’” The piece is a surprising change from the twang of Parrott’s 2021 album The
Fire I Saw, but no less deeply felt. It’s her ability to effectively
channel emotion that has brought attention to Parrott’s work over the years, regardless of style. This time, “Pregnancy
Choir” piece came out of necessity. “I tried to record using my usual gear and
instruments,” Parrott remembers. “I
just gave up one night and was like, ‘Let’s see what I can do with just vocals.
No bending, no lifting! Also, I’ve been obsessed with Bernice Johnson Reagon, Grouper,
and Björk for a while.” While “Pregnancy
Choir” is deep in concept, it’s also a joy. The circumstances surrounding
its creation, and the cover art featuring the duo of Jenny and Juno, may
subtly remind of the Talking Heads
baby-based hit, “Stay Up Late.” Still, Parrott
reminds of the reality that sometimes the “Lil Greek Chorus” is “at odds with
itself, experiencing the thrill of life, fear of death, excitement, and
foreboding all at once. It rejects the ‘Earth Mama’ ‘Pinterest-y’ branding of
pregnancy in favor of an honest dive in the conscious, sub-conscious, and
general cacophony they create in a mind.” Parrott is also acutely aware of what experiencing pregnancy
and becoming a new parent means at this moment in our society. “Being able to create and sustain life is a magical
thing,” she confides, “But the magic is dimmed by living in a culture that
seeks to control bodies. It can feel like a pregnant person’s body is a public
commodity. Some of the dissonance in the album is meant to reflect that.” When it’s done, Parrott
hopes to leave a listener without “the barrage of opinions and messaging you
receive living in a pregnant body in Texas in 2022,” and more with the ability
of the “Lil Greek Chorus” to support, transform, and uplift. “Pregnancy
Choir” by Jenny Parrott is scheduled for release on Nov. 4, 2022 via Rachel
Rachel Records. +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE More by Jenny Parrott | “I Thought” | From 2021’s
The Fire I Saw
[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKqZPwOoCLk +++ “A soaring solo effort... Turns the heat way up with
intricate synth-work and some of her finest vocal performances to date,” says NPR member station KUTX, Austinin
its “Song of The Day” coverage of
the title track from Jenny Parrott’s The Fire I Saw, out now. Hear “The Fire I Saw (Is There Anyone To Meet
Me?)”here. “Queer artist Jenny
Parrott doesn’t need a seat at your table,” says
Adobe & Teardrops, a
publication committed to representing voices in the Americana world that are
too-often overlooked: Women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+individuals, in its “I Thought”video
premiere coverage and wide-ranging interview with Parrott. Check it out here. +++ The bathroom at the Hole In The Wall club in Austin, Texas is the setting for the
self-directed “I Thought”video by Jenny Parrott. “The bathroom there is like a character,” Parrott says. “A place where women,
femmes and non-binary people go to hang out, to fool around and party, and to
get away from men for a second.” Parrott
says that the video also shows “how violence and love can be all around, and
how it can be very hard for many of us to know where the safe spaces are, or
who is a safe loved one.” “I Thought” also stars dancer Terrance Carson of Ballet
Afrique, Ally Means on Viola,
and Carrie Jane Fink as Parrott’s partner in the clip. +++ Jenny
Parrott | Links ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE +++ Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
17-year span from start to finish of “‘05/‘22” reconnected Schwartz with his younger
self, “a man trying to find his way in a world he’s not familiar with.”
+++
Split-screen
of Pacifico’s Matthew Schwartz illustrates the “how it started / how it’s
going” story behind Pacifico’s “‘05/‘22” EP.
Photographs from 2005 (L) and 2022 (R) by
Daniel Stabler
Track Listing: 01. The Time Has Come My Lover / Alone (STREAM) 02. Suddenly / Back At The Start (STREAM) 03. The Red Eye / We Won’t Go Back Here (STREAM) 04. Needing And Waiting / Carnival 05. Move On / V2 +++ Pacifico | About
17 years is a long time to make an EP. Pacifico’s upcoming “‘05/’22”
EP – the title being a literal nod to the how it started / how it’s going
nature of the record –arrives June 3,
2022 on the Atlanta-based artist’s own Pacifirecords. What was the artist-in-charge, Matthew Schwartz doing during the 17 years since beginning this Pacifico release in 2005 and completing
it in 2022? He was doing Pacifico. Huh? Indeed, this is the story of a lost hard drive.
Musicians don’t do back-ups, after all. Teamed with Jeremiah
Edmond, Schwartz’s musical
cohort in 2005 just prior to Edmond
joining Manchester Orchestra, the
recordings that have now been realized as the “‘05/’22” EP were initially intended to become the debut Pacifico album. Schwartz was undeterred when the project was derailed. Quite
the opposite, he went on to release three full-length Pacifico albums and eight EPs, along with a handful of standalone
singles and compilation appearances. These high intensity, high production value recordings
were made with many of Schwartz’s
heroes, including Jason Martin of Starflyer 59, Ronnie Martin of Joy
Electric, Peter Randall (bassist
with The Kooks and Adele), and many more. Compelling
artwork during this time was beautifully rendered by Adult Swim’s Trey Wadsworth. Inspired by rock influences as beloved, popular, and
revered as Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Weezer to songwriting powerhouses such as Jeff Buckley, Jeremy Enigk,
and Elliott Smith, it’s not
surprising that Pacifico songs found
their way into films, television, and video games. Unlike the “‘05/’22”
EP, these recordings were backed up! But it’s okay, because in 2020, while everyone was
working on sourdough starter during lockdown, Schwartz’s collaborator from the beginning of this story, Jeremiah Edmond, found that missing
hard drive. Unintentionally, the “‘05/’22” EP embodies the same conceit as the Richard Linklater film “Boyhood,”
in which the director got together with his actors every few years to shoot
more footage, resulting in a final film where we see the actual and realistic
aging and maturing of the characters within the story. Similarly, once Schwartz
was reunited with his technology, he wasted no time bringing in his current
band members, C Jason Mask (Guitar,
Vocals) and Wes Clifton (Bass,
Vocals) to pick up right where the previous recordings left off. The result is
a unique document where youthful exuberance and experienced professionalism
meet. The songs are melodic, addictive toe-tappers that say things that only
adults can say. As a visual representation that perfectly suits the
story, the two images comprising the photo collage of Schwartz that accompanies the release were both shot by
photographer Daniel Stabler, one in
2005 and the other in 2022. Even the song titles support the theme, each being
named for the placeholder title it was given in 2005 and the final title given
in 2022. “Suddenly /
Back At The Start” is the first
single taken from the “‘05/’22” EP,
in which Schwartz sings, “All these
nothings they meant more than me than a million somethings ever could be.” “The song was lost for many years and only found
towards the beginning of the pandemic,” Schwartz
reminds us, true to form. Fortunately, what was apparently nothing for the last
17 years is very much something now. “‘05/’22,” the new EP by Pacifico
is out now via Pacifirecords. Matthew
Schwartz of Pacifico is available for interviews. Contact Josh
Bloom at Fanatic for
more information. +++ Pacifico | Links
“During the early pandemic days when I lost all my
work, I started composing jingles and theme songs for people,” explains Alex Lilly of how “Melinda,” from her upcoming new album Repetition Is A Sin (Oct. 21, Release Me Records) came to be.
“Melinda
Sullivan is an incredible tap dancer living in Los Angeles with whom I’d
performed a handful of times at a little jazz club called The Gardenia. Melinda’s hubby
contacted me about writing a jingle in her honor and I was delighted as I’ve
always been slightly (healthily) obsessed with Melinda.
“I wanted a laidback feel for this song,” Lilly continues. “Almost like a bar
band. James King from Fitz and The Tantrums is on sax going
for that Bowie‘Win’ effect, and my best friend and favorite drummer, Barbara Gruska from Belle Brigade is on drums. Gabe Noel is nailing that vibe on bass.
“And of course Melinda’s
spirit of talent and hotness is all over the song. At first I was worried that
the lyrics came on too strong but when you’re inspired, you’ve got to go for it!”
+++
Alex Lilly | Live
Fri., Oct.
21, 2022: Los Angeles, CA @ Gold-Diggers
Repetition Is A Sin (Record Release Show) |On
Sale Now
w/ Special Guests: The Living Sisters
(feat. Inara
George, Eleni Mandell, Alex Lilly, and Becky Stark of Lavender
Diamond)
According to The New York Public Library, since 1982, libraries across the United States have observed Banned Books Week, a time to highlight titles that were targeted for removal from schools and libraries. In 2022, there has been a particularly aggressive wave of bans and challenges across America.
The American Library Association, which pioneered Banned Books Week, has reported a record amount of books banned in recent years—many of which center people of color and LGBTQ+ voices.
Alex Lilly’s current single “Pure Drivel,” taken from her upcoming album Repetition Is A Sin (Oct. 21, Release Me Records) addresses the subject in song, in which she sings “I know you canceled all your plans, so come over, let’s read some books that got banned.”
The choreographed video for the tune, filmed in and around a Berlin library, is streaming now.
+++
Alex Lilly|About
Repetition is a sin — is it a mantra? A judgment? A
fact? Repetition Is A Sin is the title of the upcoming second album by Alex Lilly. Repetition Is A Sin is also a cliffhanger! Will Lilly live up to the challenge she’s issued to herself following
the hearty praise for her 2019 debut 2% Milk? “Everything about this debut album by Alex Lilly is spellbinding,” said L.A. Weekly. “Pretty freaking awesome”
and “the genuine article” wrote The
FADER and FLOOD. NPR’s Los Angeles affiliate KCRW called 2% Milk “a pleasure” and Jon Pareles wrote in The New York Times that Lilly’s songs deliver “structural and
emotional complexity with deceptive nonchalance.” Lilly’s talents are on point for other artists, as well.
Her co-write of “I Like Girls” for
jazz vocalist Samantha Sidley (“Now
she’s gluing garden gnomes to geodesic domes, people call it junk, I call it
art”) spring boarded that record to a “Top
10 Album of The Year” nod from the Los
Angeles Times. Spoiler alert! Lilly’s latest fulfills the promises she made with her
first album and much more. First, Repetition Is A Sin is funny!
Conversational and free, it is the sound of self-actualization. Lilly’s thoughtful and intelligent
wordplay, unexpected and exhilarating production touches, and emotional
vulnerability are pure joy. Contrasting this with Lilly’s awesome sense of humor, it is also pure power! And so, with the album opener and first single “Pure Drivel,”Lilly issues an anthem and rebel yell for...librarians! Because, of course. “I know you canceled all your plans So come over let’s read some books that got banned
mama” “I wanted to write a
stay-in date night about reading — a nerdy booty call,” shesays. “I was in a book club over the
pandemic, which was interesting as we mostly just drank and smoked and never
finished a single book.” Lilly then
quickly adds, “I’m not proud of this!” Lilly spent part of her pre-solo career touring as part of Beck’s band and he attended Lilly’s book club to read the first
chapter of “Moby Dick.” “Because we never finished it, I can only confirm that
the first half of ‘Moby Dick’ is
great,” shejokes. What Lilly
can confirm absolutely is that Repetition Is A Sin “feels
emotionally brighter and more jewel-toned than 2% Milk.” The trifecta of tunes that open Repetition Is A Sin
include “Frank,” in which Lilly mentions her closest friends by
name while questioning if she will get to party with them in the afterlife. “I don’t wanna go to heaven Cuz none of my friends will be there No one will be Getting plastered with me In the air” “These are all real people mentioned in the song
except for Frank,” Lilly explains.
“I don’t know who he is. Maybe I will someday.” The many character-driven songs on the album were
partially inspired by the pandemic. “Being isolated from people for a bit spurred me on,” Lilly says. “I had a hobby for a while
where I was commissioned to write theme songs for humans, including this spectacularly talented and cute tap dancer
living in Los Angeles.” That project inspired the album’s “Melinda.” “Well if I ever turn gay, let’s go, If you ever stop
being straight, Well let me know,” Lilly
sings. “It was a lot of fun and I continued the idea of song
portraits for several other tracks on this record, almost like creating my own
company that includes friends (“Frank”),
movie stars (“Rosalind”), a cartoon
character’s alter ego (“Bugs Bunny”),
my grandma (“Spirit”), and Frank,
the made-up drunk.” The album’s most moving tune is next, a love song like
no other. It is an all or nothing moment for Lilly. “I’m Getting Better
At Falling In Love” is confessional, vulnerable, optimistic, and hopeful. And of course, hilarious: “I’m getting better at falling in love I’m getting so good, gotta mind to do it full-time Love muscles getting buff Now it’s all that I can do” “I’m Getting
Better at Falling in Love” is a happy
love song,” Lilly says. “It’s an
anomaly for me.” It’s a tune destined to become some couple’s “our
song.” So lovey-dovey, but the humor of it all is still just within arm’s
reach. Lilly invokes “Seinfeld”
character George Costanza to make a
point about where she’s coming from on this record, asking, “Do you know the
episode where George decides to do
the opposite of everything he usually does just to see what difference it makes
in his life? I could keep making mistakes, but they had to be new ones.
Musically and personally. Repetition is a sin.” On the musical tip, Lilly says, “My recording mindset was very different than it had
been in the past. This time, the sounds are dialed in so well, but the feeling
is loose.” To make this happen, on the recommendation of friend
and fellow musical risk-taker, John
Vanderslice, Lilly worked
extensively with engineer James Riotto
to create Repetition Is A Sin. “We went deep into harnessing the sounds of old
oscillators and drum machines, and then syncing them up using an interface.
This was the kind of wizardry I was after! “It sounded so good off the bat that it didn’t need to
be perfect, which is a pretty swift departure from my normal process.
Previously, I felt like I had been an actor in a movie, where I could rely more
on editing. Now, I was actor in a play, and had to commit to the emotional arc
of an entire take.” Lilly’s movie vs. play analogy is about the best
description of this record yet. Unlike a film that you’ve already seen, each
listen to Repetition Is A Sin contains the tension of a unique
performance. It’s a cliffhanger! Repetition Is A Sin, the second solo album by Alex Lilly, arrives October
21, 2022 via Release Me Records,
preceded by the single “Pure Drivel,” out now. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information. +++ Alex Lilly | 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
