“Our family is a Brooklyn family;” The Chapin Sisters carry forward famed family’s folk music legacy with “Bergen Street,” out March 31.

Sibling duo’s first new music in six years spotlights powerful blood harmonies, making you long to return to a place you’ve never been before.

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The Chapin Sisters (L-R): Lily Chapin, Abigail Chapin. Photo credit: Adam Goldberg.

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The Chapin Sisters | “Bergen Street” | Video Teaser | Single Release Date: March 31, 2023

[TEASER]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-hy9PloV0k
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The Chapin Sisters | In The Press
“Compelling, lovely and stirring” — The New York Times
“Sisters who know from heart-tugging lyrics.” — Rolling Stone
“Ethereal harmonies.” — No Depression
“Striking blood harmonies.” — Folk Radio (UK)
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The Chapin Sisters | About

The Chapin Sisters make you long to return to a place you may have never been before.

“Bergen Street” is the new single (March 31, Lake Bottom Records) from Abigail and Lily Chapin, the sibling members of what looks like a folk music dynasty, but in reality, is a proud family that has been making music for decades in the most humble of traditions.

Father Tom Chapin is a Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter, late uncle Harry Chapin is a legendary artist and social justice activist (his #1 hit “Cat’s In The Cradle” is a timeless classic), and grandfather Jim Chapin was an esteemed jazz drummer.

The sisters’ first new music since 2017’s Ferry Boat, “Bergen Street,” which describes a stretch of Brooklyn road with its everyday “soot in the window ruts” and “air that smells of the tire dust” is an example of this humble and expertly crafted music-making.

It is voiced with stirring sisterly “blood harmony” in a way that only a family band – especially one with such a long history – can do.

“Lily wrote ‘Bergen Street’ as she was leaving Brooklyn to move back to the Hudson Valley village that we grew up in,” Abigail explains. “It’s a bittersweet ode. Not a sad moment, exactly, but wistful.

“We thought we’d be city people forever, but during the pandemic, I eventually did the same thing. We packed up our little families and moved back to the woods and the grass and the driveways.”

“I always write songs about places I leave,” Lily confides. “When I was first writing ‘Bergen Street,’ I was still feeling the sting of leaving the city behind. I think it never goes away. The first time I played it for my daughter, she cried.

“It’s hard to process feelings of loss and leaving things behind that you love. This song allowed me to remember what was unique and to allow the memories to become more vivid.”

Brooklyn memories that The Chapin Sisters have built over a lifetime, and for their family, many lifetimes.

“Our family is a Brooklyn family,” Abigail says. “Our Manhattan-born grandmother claimed she had never been to Brooklyn until she moved there at age 30, but her kids adopted a strong identity and connection to Brooklyn Heights.

“The six boys played their first concerts there as The Chapin Brothers in the early 60s and even though the brothers eventually drifted out of the neighborhood, Brooklyn Heights has remained our family touchstone.”

Lily adds, “The history of Brooklyn is steeped in our childhoods. Our Dad’s childhood, his brothers, Grace Church choirboys... Our Uncle Steve and family friend Phil Forbes pushing a piano up and down the street in Red Hook to play tunes at Fort Defiance.”

Even though the sisters are now building their memories outside of Brooklyn, the familial togetherness continues, and not just in front of the microphone.

“We recorded ‘Bergen Street’ at Lily’s house,” Abigail says, “This was surprisingly challenging in ways.

“We’ve got four young children between us, and with our husbands involved in the recording process as well, we needed to rope in grandparents to take turns watching babies, cooking meals, doing dishes, and swinging on swings in the yard.”

This style of working is giving the new recordings by The Chapin Sisters an even more intimate sound, and though it may slow down the process, the process benefits.

“We are slowly making our way through our recordings, one song at a time,” Abigail says. “It’s been interesting to approach it this way, focusing on one thing until it’s done, instead of flitting around from song to song.

“I guess leaving the city is a theme in our lives right now, and it is showing up heavily in this batch of songs that will become our next album.”

Like the brothers who drifted, it is hard to imagine the sisters leaving Brooklyn behind for good.

When I come back

Will the streets recognize my feet?

Will the wind recognize

The air that I breathe?

This thoughtful tribute to Bergen Street – the place The Chapin Sisters left – assures that it will never leave them.

“Bergen Street” is the upcoming single and video by The Chapin Sisters, out March 31 via Lake Bottom Records.

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The Chapin Sisters | Links

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“Fernando’s deep knowledge of Soul was key in getting the sound we wanted,” says J Hacha De Zola of collaborating with Fernando Vélez of Dap-Kings.

On upcoming “Without A Tribe,” out June 9, “We’re borrowing heavily from my love of R&B, Soul, and Doo-wop vocal harmonies and arrangements.”

 

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J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Adrian Buckmaster

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J Hacha De Zola | “Stay Away”

 

[STREAM]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGuA2Byma6Y
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“The spookiest make-out record of 2023 or any other other year.” - Jedd Beaudoin, Strange Currency (KMUW/NPR)
“The title speaks for itself,” says J Hacha De Zola about “Stay Away,” taken from his just-announced sixth studio album Without A Tribe, scheduled for release on June 9. “The song is a response to the personally, politically, and existentially overwhelming nature of the  irrational and desperate times we’re living in. A snapshot of just wanting all the noise to stop!”
Hacha De Zola and his tribe (despite the album’s title, his crew is growing) — including the contributions of original member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Fernando Velez and the return of producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Waxahatchee, Horsegirl) behind the mixing desk — have taken the sentiments of today and mixed with the sounds yesterday.
“We’re doubling-down on what began with the last album by borrowing heavily from my love of R&B, Soul, and Doo-wop vocal harmonies and arrangements,” Hacha De Zola explains. “‘Stay Away’ is heavily influenced by 70s funk grooves and R&B-stylized vocal harmonies. Fernando is on percussion and was truly instrumental in helping us lock in the groove and overall vibe.”
J Hacha De Zola is available for interviews. Please contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more info.
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J Hacha De ZolaWithout A TribeJune 9, 2023(Caballo Negro) 

Track Listing:

01. A Day In Secaucus, New Jersey

02. Do You?

03. I’m High

04. Stay Away (STREAM)

05. Drunk Again

06. Without A Tribe

07. Running Out Of Time

08. Blood On Gold

09. Carry On

10. Drag Me Under

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J Hacha De Zola | About

“Let’s just say I live in a very different Jersey than Springsteen’s Jersey.”

J Hacha De Zola speaks with authority about the reality that he knows better than anyone who may mythologize his home state through the songs of The Boss.

“With this album, I want to anchor myself as being from ‘Dirty Jerzee,’ he jokes. “It’s a badge of honor, really, because this place isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Hacha De Zola was born in Secaucus, the subject of “A Day in Secaucus, New Jersey,” the opening track of Without A Tribe, his sixth album, scheduled for release on June 9, 2023 via the artist’s own Caballo Negro label. Former New Jersey-ian John Agnello, known for his long career working with Dinosaur Jr., Son Volt, and more recently Waxahatchee and Horsegirl mixed Without A Tribe.

Hacha De Zola was described early on in his career as “a wild man” (Paste), “unsettling” (NJ.com), and “distant and strange” (MAGNET), with creative genre labels applied such as “Urban Junkyard,” “Baroque Pop,” “Avant-Indie,” “Downtown Goth,” and “Boozegaze.” Comparisons to singers and front men ranging from Jim Morrison to Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Captain Beefheart followed.

On Without A Tribe, Hacha De Zola strips that hyperbole back a touch and expands on the vocal delivery that he made a centerpiece of East of Eden, his 2021 full-length.

“We’re doubling-down on what began with the last album by borrowing heavily from my love of R&B, Soul, and Doo-wop vocal harmonies and arrangements,” he explains.

To help accomplish this goal, Hacha De Zola reached out to Fernando Velez, an original member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.

“Fernando’s deep knowledge of Soul music was the key in getting the sound we wanted on this record,” Hacha De Zola says. “We are very inspired by the New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey vocal group styles from the 60s and we hope that we have re-imagined these sounds in a way that feels fresh.”

With the sonic styling of the record more focused than ever, Hacha De Zola’s darkness becomes less “wild,” “unsettling,” or “strange.” Now it lurks, with a kind of menace and torment that emerges from his vulnerability and pain.

“It’s a place of subtle dread, kinda like some oddball Stephen King story,” Hacha De Zola says, returning to the album’s jump-off about his home, “A Day in Secaucus, New Jersey.”

As a PhD candidate who works in a lab by day, Hacha De Zola can’t help but apply science to this assessment.

“A cloud of hydrogen sulfide — very toxic — settles across Secaucus. The source is metabolic waste product from the bacteria put out by the slaughterhouses in the area. If your car breaks down on those roads, the gas can easily overcome you. That’s my Jersey.

“The song came to me very early on in my writing, but I was only able to make it work for this album. It’s a piece of ear candy. Raucous and noisy.”

Other singles expected from Without A Tribe include the intriguingly titled “I’m High” and “Do You?”

“Lyrically and thematically, I am revealing much more of myself than ever before by facing some of the ‘meat hook realities’ of life, such as becoming older, watching loved ones pass, and struggling with addiction and recovery,” Hacha De Zola says.

“Despite one thinking of ‘getting high’ as a euphoric experience, as any true addict will tell you, it soon stops being fun and becomes a sickening, nauseating need. ‘I’m High’ isn’t necessarily about intoxicating substances, but instead about experiences, people, places, or things that start out positive but unravel into something different altogether.”

Asked to describe “Do You?,” Hacha De Zola is blunt.

“If you’re looking for a heart-warming love song, then you’ve come to the wrong place. This one is a straightforward Motown-ish tune with all of the amorous feelings of wanting to be loved and desired, but also being thoroughly clueless and disconnected from the actual dance.”

The album’s closer “Drag Me Under” is something cinematic, with minimal lyrical content, but heavy on the production. Big horns, baritone saxes, trumpets, Balkan folk instruments, and banjos conspire to embrace a certain level of absurdity.

It leaves little doubt that Hacha De Zola’s New Jersey is indeed different from Springsteen’s, but is still something Bruce would love.

Without A Tribe, the sixth album by J Hacha De Zola, arrives on June 9, 2023 via Caballo Negro (distributed by Slow Start Records / Burnside / The Orchard) and preceded by the singles “A Day In Secaucus, New Jersey” (April 7), “I’m High” (April 28), and “Do You?” (May 19.)

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J Hacha De Zola | Links

 
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact
 
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Karl Blau — “one of America’s great indie heroes” (NME) — teams with members of The War On Drugs, Later Fortune to form Opal Eskar; EP out May 19.

Hear “dreamy” tune “Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out,” called “a reflection of the languid heat wave energy” (WXPN / NPR); Blau announces UK tour dates for April.

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Opal Eskar (L-R): Chet Delcampo, Karl Blau, Heyward Howkins. Photo credit: Mecky Elvita Madl.

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[YOUTUBE]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRBeB1YX2AI

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“Dreamy... a reflection of the languid heat wave energy while a solid means of keeping sonically cool.” — WXPN (NPR), Philadelphia

Karl Blau describes “Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out” by Opal Eskar as “feel good summer vibes bottled up in a song.” The song – originally a one-off – will be followed up by a six-song Opal Eskar EP on May 19 via Spiral Valley Records.

After releasing “Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out” as a trio comprised of Blau (vocals), Heyward Howkins (vocals, guitar), and Chet Delcampo (vocals, guitar, bass, keys) last summer, Opal Eskar is now a five-piece featuring two more members of the Philly fabric: Charlie Hall and Robbie Bennett of The War on Drugs.

Blau met Howkins and Delcampo after relocating to Philly following a highly prolific period in the Olympia, Washington area where he released dozens of records and helped nurture the scene that brought the K Records label and influential artists such as Laura Veirs, The Microphones, and Earth — many of which Blau recorded and performed with — to prominence.

More recently, Veirs, along with My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, appeared with Blau on a cover of Link Wray’s ten-minute epic “Fallin’ Rain,” a cut from Introducing Karl Blau, a covers collection of overlooked country songs by Blau, released by legendary UK record label Bella Union.

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Opal Eskar
Self-Titled EP
(Spiral Valley Records)
May 19, 2023

Track Listing:
01. And Yet Love Rules02. Open Mind03. The Woodsman04. Soft Exchange05. All I Wanna Do06. Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out (STREAM)
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Karl Blau & Country Gravel | UK Tour
04/21/2023 Wendover @ Real Magic Books (Afternoon Show)04/22/2023 Liverpool @ Futureyard (w/ Beija Flo)04/23/2023 Margate @ Where Else?04/24/2023 Hull @ New Adelphi Club (w/ Bloody Bastards)04/25/2023 Glasgow @ Hug N Pint04/27/2023 Brighton @ Rosi Bar04/30/2023 Hastings @ Marina Fountain
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Opal Eskar | About

Opal Eskar is the latest convergence of some of Philadelphia’s busiest indie musicians.

After releasing a one-off single “Sunlight Is Breakin’ Out” (“Dreamy,” said NPR-affiliate WXPN) as a trio comprised of Karl Blau (vocals), Heyward Howkins (vocals, guitar), and Chet Delcampo (vocals, guitar, bass, keys) last summer, Opal Eskar is now a five-piece featuring two more members of the Philly fabric: Charlie Hall and Robbie Bennett of The War on Drugs.

Opal Eskar will release its debut self-titled EP on May 19, 2023 via Spiral Valley Records.

To get an idea of the band’s sound beyond “dreamy” (which it is!), look no further than the comprehensive careers of the members of Opal Eskar and the company they keep.

Blau met Howkins and Delcampo after relocating to Philly following a highly prolific period in the Olympia, Washington area where he released dozens of records and helped nurture the scene that brought the K Records label and influential artists such as Laura Veirs, The Microphones, and Earth — many of which Blau recorded and performed with — to prominence.

More recently, Veirs, along with My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, appeared with Blau on a cover of Link Wray’s ten-minute epic “Fallin’ Rain,” a cut from Introducing Karl Blau, a covers collection of overlooked country songs by Blau, released by legendary UK record label Bella Union.

Delcampo has two earlier album releases to his name, as well as another pair as Hong Kong Stingray. His list of current and former collaborators is long, including Kid Congo Powers, Joel RL Phelps, and Dave Lovering of Pixies. Last year he released a single with Howkins as Later Fortune, called “lush, sophisticated art pop” by Brooklyn Vegan.

Howkins has released two full-length albums of his own, and is a founding member of the choral group The Silver Ages with members of Dr. Dog and The War on Drugs, the Grammy®-winning rock band that features Hall on drums and Bennett on keys, the same instruments they contribute to Opal Eskar.

Like Howkins and Delcampo’s Later Fortune project, which covered David Bowie’s soul-noir classic “Win” (from the Young Americans album, which was recorded in Philly), Opal Eskar cannot help but be influenced by the man.

Delcampo says, “A few years after Bowie’s death, I was reflecting upon his methodology of assembling an interesting cast of characters into the right room at the right time. Tony Visconti, Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Mick Ronson, and many others.”

Inspired to assemble his own group of collaborators this way, Delcampo reached out to Blau (whose work he had long admired) and Howkins brought Hall and Bennett to the band.

Opal Eskar’s own song about modern love is the EP opener and first single, “And Yet Love Rules.” Blau says the song asks us to “let love be the governing force in exchanges with other humans. Let the innocence of our inner child — the curiosity that permeates life — help lead our actions and interactions.”

That sentiment permeates the entire EP — the blissful sound of a group of musicians with their own thing going on, but whose mutual respect for each other’s work inspires a creative curiosity that makes it to tape (yes, the EP is an analog recording!)

The debut EP by Opal Eskar arrives on May 19 via Spiral Valley Records and preceded by the singles “And Yet Love Rules” (March 17), “The Woodsman” (April 7) and “Open Mind” (April 28.)

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Opal Eskar | Links

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