Los Angeles noise-punks Molly Horses today announce themselves in vibrantly seething fashion with their debut single “Beatty”. The track arrives as a punishing and jagged four-on-the-floor march sandwiched between walls of harsh noise jumpscares. Vignettes of auto maintenance mishaps, teen labor, frozen treats, and the discomfort of aging come together to illustrate an anxiety that the future might be a little too certain.
While “Beatty” carries the influential echoes of Molly Horses’ beloved post-punk forebearers, it also channels the raw urgency and chaos of four people transplanted from small town living and into the beating heart of the City of Angels.
Molly Horses formed earlier this year when members of east coast bands FonFon Ru and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists converged in L.A as day jobs drew them to the land of film. “Beatty” is an uncompromising and fitting first outing for the troupe; replete with a raw sonic attack and wry lyrics taking aim at vocalist/guitarist Harry James’ claustrophobic Maine life left in the dust on their trail west. A sentiment encapsulated in their delivery of the lines “This town is eating me it’s eaten you and it’s eaten him and I think it’s starting to get to the bottom of me. Maybe I’ll get a job at the Dairy Queen. There will always be a job at the dairy queen.”
A DIY mindset runs central to the band’s process and allows them to take complete creative control of their destiny. “Beatty”, and the album that will follow it, was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered at home. If it sounds like a surprisingly polished debut, we can thank the band-member’s backgrounds in film audio engineering for that. Work continues behind-the-scenes on Molly Horses first full-length release, but fans of “Beatty” should stay tuned for another single early next year, and more news on that debut album too!
RZA has announced the digital release of the Bobby Digital track “Fashionable,” featuring The Reverend Willy Burke and Earth via 36 Chambers ALC/MNRK Music Group. Executive produced by RZA, the track was featured on the physical-only release of Digital Potions in November 2022. The track is now available at all digital service providers for the first time.
RZA introduced his alter ego, Bobby Digital, with his first solo album, the RIAA-Gold certified Bobby Digital In Stereo, in 1998.
The digital release of “Fashionable” comes on the heels of Wu-Tang Clan’s 30th anniversary, as the group’s groundbreaking debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was released on November 9, 1993. The album has become one of the most highly acclaimed albums in Hip-Hop history, reached platinum status within a year of its release, and is now triple-platinum.
RZA celebrated the 30th anniversary of Wu-Tang by performing three shows with a live orchestra at NYC’s Gramercy Theater last week. He and Wu-Tang Clan also just wrapped the NY State of Mind Tour, along with Nas and De La Soul, which hit several continents before wrapping in the U.S.
On November 9th, New York City celebrated RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan with the lighting of the Empire State Building in Wu’s iconic black and yellow colors to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their debut album. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also marked the occasion by declaring November 9th “Wu-Tang Day” in New York City.
Iconic one-day multi-venue festival – RITUAL UNION – is back for 2024 and announces its line-up today.
With a variety of top-notch live acts now confirmed, on Saturday 23rd March music fans will be able discover the next wave of upcoming talent, alongside performances from some old favourites and international guests, across multiple venues in one of the UK’s most vital musical cities.
With co-headline performances from Dream Wife and Liz Lawrence, they will be amply supported by leading names on the bill including Do Nothing, Widowspeak, Cheekface, William Doyle and Das Koolies. Elsewhere, mouthwatering exclusives include a very special opening set from the legendary Martin Newell AKA The Cleaners From Venus, plus a reunion show set for the recently reformed Brooklyn band Cende.
Participating venues include familiar Nelson Street favourites, SWX, Rough Trade and Strange Brew, with the exciting addition of The Island joining for the first time in 2024.
Across these stages, fans can expect to see sets from other confirmed acts including Katie Malco, Mary In The Junkyard, Holiday Ghosts, Japanese Television, The Itch, Chalk, Masca, Welly, The New Eves, Febueder, Ebbb, pencil, Van Houten, Ellur, Amy May Ellis, Half Happy, Callinsick, Slate, Handcuff, Oslo Twins, Mould, Bob Pearson, Eva May and many more. With plenty more names to be added, the festival will also see the return of Knives and Maruja, following rapturous sets at the 2023 edition.
Local tastemakers Spinny Nights also return for 2024, delivering a curated platter of avant-garde leaning, genre-blending artists that range across electronic, industrial, slow-core and straight-up pop. First wave names include their latest signing BUFFEE, plus Damefrisør, Pearling, ThisisDA, JÆD, Arcadia Planitia Five-a-Side Football Team and Dead Space Chamber Music.
Super Early Bird tickets for the 2024 instalment of the festival sold out in less than two hours, followed by a quickly snapped-up second wave of Early Bird tickets. Third release tickets are on sale now here, and are moving fast.
As Beans on Toast readies the release of his imminent new album, ‘The Toothpaste And The Tube’, today, he is pleased to present its moving centrepiece: “Send Me A Bird”.
STREAM “SEND ME A BIRD” ON ALL SERVICES HERE
“When you are gone send a message to me, wherever you are, wherever that might be. Send me a message from eternity…” he sings into the ether here.
“Send Me A Bird” is a ruminative folk ballad whose words will strike a resonant chord with anyone who has experienced the emptiness of loss, and all of the complex, soul-searching emotions that come with it. As Beans explains:
“Send Me A Bird is a song about friends and family that we’ve lost along the way. It’s a song about death, about grief. It feels to me like quite a powerful song, I only say that because every time I play it live, I get people messaging me about the song, telling me about a friend, or family member who passed away and how the song made them feel. I’ve had more messages about this song than any other song I’ve written. So it feels good to get the song out into the world properly.”
From its poignant, painterly words to its hymnal hammond-organ guided arrangements, in “Send Me A Bird” Beans summons a song of pure class that will evoke the stripped-back sentimentalism of classic songwriters like Cat Stevens or Dylan. It will appear alongside previous singles “AI”, “The Dragicorn”, “Back Out On The Road” and “The Golden Lion” on Beans’ highly anticipated new studio album: ‘The Toothpaste And The Tube’, when it arrives on 1st December 2023.
Epic pop pioneers – MY LIFE STORY – have announced the release of a brand-new album entitled ‘Loving You Is Killing Me’ on 9th February, via Exilophone Records/Republic Of Music. Pre-order here.
The new record arrives ahead of a UK tour in 2024, with dates in Brighton, London, Birmingham, Bristol and beyond – find tickets and details here.
The band’s fifth studio album, ‘Loving You Is Killing Me’, follows the release of MLS’ last critically acclaimed album ‘World Citizen’, which was released in 2019. The new album discusses themes of empathy, profaneness, vaingloriousness, coercive behaviour and naturism. Speaking about the record, frontman Jake Shillingford says:
“Loving You is Killing Me is a lyric taken from the album’s opening track ‘Running Out of Heartbeats’. Despite its pessimistic inference, I like to think that it’s more generally about investment in relationships. Is there a price to pay for unconditional love?”
The record, published by Mute Song, has been written and produced by Jake alongside Nick Evans and mixed by Ben Hillier who produced two Depeche Mode albums as well as working with Blur, Patrick Wolf, Nadine Shah and Peter Perrett. The record features recent singles: “Numb Numb Numb”, “Tits & Attitude” and “I’m A God” alongside seven brand new tracks.
“Natural”is a song that’s simply about good love, a positive relationship. When something comes naturally, effortlessly, it feels meant to be. The opening lyric says so much about the essence of the track, “time flies by, with you by my side, it’s easy for you and me”
Listen to “Natural” on streaming platforms everywhere.
I wanted to write this song as a gift for someone close to my heart. I invited my friend and amazing songwriter Tea Petrovic(whom I worked on “Hands Up” with), as well as Nat Jay, they were wonderful collaborators in crafting the song and conveying my message.
For this EP, Lovable, the message and core theme is love, the ups, the downs, the desperation at times, and at other times the ease. It’s an ever-evolving, ever-changing dynamic that pulls at our emotions.
Love is not perfect, we as people are not perfect, but there is magic in that. Life can be messy, but we can still love and be loved through our imperfections.
Thanks for listening,
ROKI
I wrote this song in late 2021, in my bedroom-turned-studio during a cold snap. I remember looking at the painting on my wall, by the artist Louise Gill, of a woman lying alone on a bed in a dark room and thinking, “That Is Me” right now. I was feeling cozy and nothing could induce me to go out at that point. I remembered the times I’d gone out despite not feeling like it and ended up disappointed. “That Is Me” reimagines myself the way I wish I’d been in my 20s: not wasting my time trying to please other people and instead doing what feels good to me.
This song is about one other thing: rest. I’m trying to get better at it, taking breaks and naps. The music video was shot on Super 8 by Montreal filmmaker Dominique Montesano and choreographed by my sister Kalliane Brémault. It features me coming home and getting up the stairs, undressing, and getting into bed.
I started putting out music with this project in 2019. Those songs were the result of a tumultuous time, so they have an intense kind of energy to me. The pandemic gave me a breather and what I wrote in that period feels a bit more relaxed and less fraught. “That Is Me” is from my forthcoming EP which showcases a lot of bedroom imagery, since it was written and partially produced in that space.
🫶Thank you for listening.
Aloysius Bell (a·lo·wish·us bell)Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Sim, the bandleader of Action Forever, grew up in Brantford, Ontario. His obsession with music began at age five and, for the next two decades, his natural talents were fostered by a musical family upbringing and constant exposure to a unique and eclectic mix of influences ranging namely from 80’s pop, to progressive rock, to Jazz and Indie.
He studied business as well as applied music, while gigging as a lead singer & guitarist in many bands including a Police cover band (Blue Turtle) and a progressive-rock tribute act (Bypass Off). Sim won Hamilton’s Brian Lee Griffith Guitar contest for an original composition and a live performance.
With guitar and voice as his primary instruments, he learned drums and bass as well and now plays most of the instruments on his own original work.
He’d been working for years on a body of original fringe-pop music for a 4-piece band, now to be released under the name Action Forever. The music, while lively, electric, melodic and danceable, explores darker themes such as loneliness in a digital age, abusive relationships, loss of identity, and mental health.
Change and perspective expand quickly in tight quarters—and no one knows that as well as married couple Solange Igoa and Andrea Walker. It’s true of each of their time as queer kids in need of an escape from conservative towns; of their years living together in a van, traveling the country to play music and busk; of settling down in a studio apartment just prior to the pandemic. And now, partnered with a rhythm section and produced by Chris Funk of The Decemberists, they’re harnessing the lessons from this closeness and cracking them wide open into awhole new world with their band Glitterfox.
The duo first met at a coffee house open mic in Long Beach, California, where Walker had recently relocated after growing up in North Carolina and Virginia. She quickly fell in love with Igoa’s voice, knowing that if their vocals and her guitar came together that would only flourish—and it did, the two now married and having spent more than a decade as a pair. Musically, channeling Walker’s Southern warmth through Southern California indie shine, Glitterfox carves out lithe, nostalgia-fueled anthems powered by the intimacy of their relationship.
“A lot of our songs are about serious challenges in our lives,” Walker says. “All the struggles in my life get poured into the music, but always with this silver lining of hope, this drive not to quit before the miracle happens. Making a living as an independent musician is hard, but we’ve always had each other and always made it work.”
Igoa and Walker quickly found new roots when they moved out of their van and settled down in Portland, Oregon, in 2018, quickly cementing a reputation for their boundless energy and positivity. Soon they were joined by Eric Stalker, a singer-songwriter who got along with the couple so well that he volunteered to learn bass as a way to join their band. Drummer Blaine Heinonen followed, the quartet now capable of producing grander leaps of musical gravity to crash through the couple’s golden-hued compositions.
The group’s soaring intimacy quickly won over Pacific Northwest fans and heroes in addition to Funk, with Kill Rock Stars label head Slim Moon who jumped at the opportunity to sign them. Despite that rapid growth, the beating heart of Glitterfox will always be Walker and Igoa’s love. “Having a band that’s built around a healthy marriage is cool because it has longevity. We’re a very stable unit and we’re a family,” Walker says.
“We’ve learned how to trust each other’s instincts. When Solange and I play together, it’s so second nature—their voice and my guitar are so intimately bound.”
The earth speaks to us in a myriad of ways — through ice cores, through uplift and erosion, through tree rings — languages we have the potential to restore our literacy in. Reconnecting with these quiet messages has set Seth Glier, an avid mushroom forager and a Grammy-nominated artist from Western Massachusetts, on a path of channeling nature’s longing for communion with humanity into song. His new album Everything is a collection of eight songs inviting us to imagine a future in which humans and the planet are re-aligned into mutual restoration.
Each song presents a practical climate solution with concrete optimism.“What if this is the beginning, not the beginning of the end,” the album opens with bristling energy and hope on “Rise,” an anthem about rewilding. “Finally Home” is a celebration of regenerative farming with driving doo wop vocal harmony. “Mammoth,” written from the perspective of a wooly mammoth being brought back to life from frozen DNA, invites us to consider the blip of human history against billions of years of evolution. The album’s guest stars Crys Matthews, Hayley Reardon, and Windborne elevate the record with surprise from the stark choir arrangement of “Birches” recorded a capella in an old church to “My Body Remembers,” a flowing meditation on the transmission of healing, EMDR & The Language of Trees. The album’s title track was inspired by an experience Seth had while foraging. “When I picked up the chantarelle mushroom and brought it towards my nose I first smelled sweet apricot and then my spine straightened suddenly. The feeling was like déjà vu. It was a first time, yet somewhere inside of me I had done this once before. I was reconnecting to a knowledge I had already known.” The album is an acknowledgement of the sacred connections that exist between all living things and is an active questioning of what might be possible collectively. Everything is a reminder that the future is something we always have an influence over.
Seth’s gifts are an innate curiosity and a fierce desire to connect with other people. His musical acumen provides him with a vehicle for both. He was worked as a cultural diplomat for the US State Department and collaborated with musicians in Ukraine, Mongolia, China, and Mexico. Seth has shared the bill with a diverse list of artists ranging from the likes of Ronnie Spector, James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, & Glen Campbell. As a producer, music director, or studio musician he has collaborated with Sophie B. Hawkins, Tom Rush, Antje Duvekot, Richard Shindell, Doctora Qingona, Dar Williams, Nick Carter, & Cyndi Lauper. Seth is a five-time Independent Music Award winner and received a Grammy nomination for his album The Next Right Thing. With a commitment to using songwriting as a tool for positive change, he has written with the students in Parkland, FL for the “Parkland Project,” cowritten with soldiers at Walter Reed, and is an advocate for autism awareness citing his autistic brother Jamie as his greatest non-musical-musical influence.
Directed by Conor Murr, the “scared.” video follows a central protagonist at his wits’ end. As he faces up to reality, framed against the backdrop of a brooding black-and-white seascape; the video’s cinematic stylistics bring to mind the cathartic closing sequences of Quadrophenia.
Aptly mirroring the track’s raw emotion and high drama, Louis says of the video:
“The song feels very cinematic and this ties in well with the music video too. I was keen to channel this Kendall from ‘Succession’ type character, and there are bits where we really leant on that character and story model. You can’t really tell but it was extremely hot that day, so it was a bad day to wear two layers. Diving into the sea for the final few shots really helped!”
With its simmering guitars and sweeping strings, “scared.” is the climactic new single from Louis and the Shakes. Evoking the slow burning masterclasses of Suede or The Verve, it sees the band create a climactic soundscape unlike any of their previous work to date and embarking in a new direction.
Andy Thorn is thrilled to share his new Christmas album High Country Holiday.
Andy has spent over a decade touring with the legendary jam band Leftover Salmon, but, thanks to a viral video, he’s now best known as that guy who plays banjo to a wild fox. Fans of Andy’s videos also know he loves subjecting his banjos to snowstorms in his high-altitude backyard. Every winter, Andy’s followers also learn that he is very, very into Christmas. On social media, he pushes the boundaries: How much Christmas music is too much? How early can you start playing it? (Like, October?) His followers have not merely tolerated this — they’ve requested more. In response, Andy recorded High Country Holiday. The album was engineered and mixed by Jay Elliott at IntroVertigo Studios and mastered by Anna Frick at Ally Sound and features 11 instrumental tunes: 10 classic carols, plus one original, recorded with some of his favorite musician friends.
The incredible fiddle playing was contributed by Allie Kral, Andy Reiner, and Bobby Britt (of Town Mountain). Dr. Joy Adams (of Big Richard) adds stunning cello to two songs, and Erik Deutsch (of the Black Crowes) adds his gorgeous piano to four tracks. And Andy’s longtime bandmate, Dr. Greg Garrison, adds the bass. The result is a highly listenable Christmas album that twinkles like holiday lights and goes down like eggnog. Both of which will be in heavy rotation at Andy’s house — along with this album, the perfect backdrop for sparkling festive memories.
Hailing from Toronto, The Effens deliver a dark, razor-sharp grunge-glam sound, channelling the raw energy of ’90s grunge and the defiant spirit of early-aughts indie-rock. Infusing their music with honeyed pop melodics and contemporary post-punk creativity, they craft a gripping and wild musical experience.
Their commitment to a DIY ethos drives The Effens to elevate their sound to new heights with the single “Someone’s Gonna Get You,” an imposing anthem of rebellion and paranoia.
Beyond their recorded tracks, The Effens bring their passion for pushing boundaries and defying conventions to the stage. Their electrifying energy and enigmatic presence draw the audience into an unforgettable live experience. In the studio or on stage, The Effens’ fearless pursuit of their creative vision leaves an indelible mark on the music landscape. They prove that their grunge-glam spirit is an unstoppable force in the music scene.
Canadian singer-songwriter J8KE (Jake Robertson) pulls his artistic skills from a genuine love for music. “Music has saved my life over and over again,” explains J8KE. “It’s the one thing that keeps me going forward and making each day count.” His early musical beginnings trace back to a chance encounter learning chords from his aunt during a summer vacation. From that point on, he learned how to channel his hyperactive energy into music and discovered his passion.
J8KE’s unique blend of acoustic, roots, and pop has led him onto the biggest stages around North America, touring both independently and with his former band, Cardinal Chase. From opening for the likes of The Beach Boys, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Sublime with Rome to scoring radio play around Canada and coverage in Billboard magazine, J8KE’s distinctive sound is demanding near constant attention. His artistry weaves together the noises of off-beat reggae, laid-back acoustic roots, and an observant pop ear to create dynamically engaging recordings and unbelievably energetic live performances. Inspired by artists like Sublime, Jack Johnson, and Justin Timberlake, J8KE’s songwriting ranges in topics from life lessons to personal growth to heartbreak, resulting in a mixture of blissful and nihilistic songs.
Amassing over 30 billion streams to date, multi-platinum hip-hop heavyweight, Trippie Redd delivers the second part of his surprise new EP Saint Michael. Named after his newly born son, the project comes with 10 new tracks including “Snail Shells” feat. YTB Fatt.
Get Saint Michael V2 HEREvia 10K Projects.
The new version arrives one week after the original, which brought 7 electrifying solo tracks and zoomed to over 17 million streams receiving praise from the likes of Billboard, XXL, HotNewHipHop, UPROXX and more.
Led by single “Van Cleef Island,” which had previously leaked on Soundcloud zooming to over 500,000 streams within its first week and hitting #7 on Soundcloud’s Top 50 chart, the project also features stand out “Yo Pi’erre Slime,” which taps GRAMMY-Award winning producer Pierre Bourne.
Continuing a non-stop year, the Ohio-born rapper presents his third project release of 2023 after dropping his mixtape Mansion Musik and, most recently, A Love Letter To You 5 – amassing over 600M combined streams to date. The two projects saw Trippie collaborating with the likes of hip-hop powerhouses Roddy Rich, Travis Scott, Future, JuiceWRLD and more. Named one of Spotify’s ‘Top 50 Most Streamed Rappers,’ he also separately leant his vocals to the tracks of Skrillex, PinkPantheress, EKKSTACY and Odetari this year.
THE SLEEPING SOULS – release their exhilarating debut album ‘Just Before The World Starts Burning’ on Xtra Mile Recordings.
12 Brand new songs, the album features standout track “Scared Of Living”, also released today.
STREAM “SCARED OF LIVING” HERE || STREAM THE FULL ALBUM HERE
Laced with spiralling riffs and highly charged vocals, “Scared Of Living” is a punk-rock firecracker which illuminates the vibrant, vital quality of the album from which it is taken. A song about this Orwellian world we find ourselves living in, it finds a band dwelling on how the age of the internet is directly impacting who we are. As The Sleeping Souls explain:
““Living your life through cameras and apps isn’t living. Everyone is trying to live up to a version of themselves that doesn’t really exist in the real world, and you can’t have your own opinions for fear of being lambasted publicly. Even though we’ve moved forward technologically, old institutions still inform everything we do. We need to break free, but at what cost”
“Scared Of Living” sits alongside totemic tracks including lead single “Liar/Lover”, the highly charged polito-punk follow-up “Caught Up In The Scrape”, explosively antagonistic “Rivals” as well as most recent offering “Weathering The Storm”; all of which can be found on ‘Just Before The World Starts Burning’.
Streaming everywhere now (via Xtra Mile Recordings), ‘Just Before The World Starts Burning’ was recorded over the last 3 years between Frank Turner’s rehearsal space in Oxford and Badlands studios in Ireland. Its 12 varied tracks take their cues from a wild array of influences, from the explorative post/rock sounds of Radiohead or Death Cab For Cutie, to the tempestuous punk thrashings of Plosivs and Hot Snakes, to the introspective alt/folk of the Elliot Smith and Ryan Adams canons. Speaking about the process of making the album, Cahir of The Sleeping Souls says:
“It’s been a very collaborative experience with everyone bringing ideas and throwing them into the mixing pot… Lyrically the album touches on a few different subjects – lost love, frustration, escapism and obsession – but at its core it’s about my relationship with my family. The process of writing and recording this album has been cathartic and helped me survive.”
Receiving early praise from Devolution Magazine, the album was praised for “its timeless quality, at once futuristic and familiar, it seems to emanate from some otherworldly dimension”; whereas The Soundboard championed The Sleeping Souls debut as “rollocking, windswept…an incredibly well put-together body of work”.
marks the highly anticipated release of Eden Rain’s second EP ‘But I’m Alright Now’– a gleaming 5 track project that invites you into the vibrant, thought-provoking, creative mind of this budding London based singer-songwriter.
Listen to ‘But I’m Alright Now’ below
As of late, Eden has excelled in the live space, having sold out her headline show at The Lower Third in London on the 14th November and having played Oporto in Leeds last night. In true Eden Rain fashion, she put on a show packed with amusing, engaging anecdotes, DIY animations and visuals and of course, an intimate display of her signature spellbinding vocals. Her London show was praised by The New Age Magazine, as journalist, Jessica Blissitt wrote: “The unique voice I’d come to love, truly bloomed in a live setting where she could fully explore new riffs and tremolos.”
Speaking on the the makeup of the EP, Eden shares:
“There is a joke that my dad always makes about a parrot. It’s a stupid joke that doesn’t make sense but the joke is -’I used to be a parrot but I’m alright now’. And you repeat that over and over … just like a parrot repeating that phrase ..?. Growing up I never actually understood the joke but I went along with it. I remember being in a session earlier this year and suddenly understanding it and calling my dad so excited to tell him.”
“I think a lot about that phrase ‘but I’m alright now’ a lot. It reminds me of faking it until you make it and trying to convince everyone that you’re doing better and in a different place. I called the EP ‘but I’m alright now’ because it’s about making peace with the past. Most of the songs on the were written about chaotic events, difficult situations and times where I’ve felt out of control. Part of the EP is me making peace with these things and trying to show others and myself that I’m different and moved on. That I’m not just defined by a combination of bad things that have happened to me. Proud and pleased to say that on a good day, I think I actually am ‘alright now’. The parrot joke is still a really bad joke though.”
seasoned producers Kenny Summit and Roberto Rodriguez come together for ‘Body Shine’ out now via Dirtybird Records.
Both legends in their own right, Kenny Summit and Roberto Rogriguez have made their Dirtybird debut with an entrancing track. Starting with a continuous heavy beat, ‘Body Shine’ swerves through carefully curated basslines, a bouncy countermelody, and electrifying breakdowns. A hypnotizing, non-stop heater, ‘Body Shine’ is guaranteed to be played in clubs and festivals around the globe.
“Working with Roberto has been incredibly satisfying. He has a unique ability to source sounds that compliment my vocals while keeping things tastefully underground. Being able to write and perform my own songs is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time now and I’m excited to see this jam roll out on the mighty Dirtybird imprint.” – Kenny Summit
“Working with Kenny is super easy and inspiring, as I think we share very similar tastes, sensibilities and optimism regarding music. We’re roughly the same age so I think there’s a shared love of the music that came before. When Kenny sent me the early demo of ‘Body Shine’, I instantly recognized what the track was all about. Everything after that came naturally and effortlessly. I’ve been a big fan of Dirtybird for ages. I’m super excited to see the track come out on the label.” – Roberto Rodriguez
self-produced singer-songwriter Ashlie Skye returns with a stunning new single titled ‘Laundry’, which finds her pouring her heart out as she attempts to navigate the treacherous maze that is finding love and subsequently losing yourself.
Listen to ‘Laundry’ now via your streaming service of choice:
https://apollodistro.lnk.to/ashlieskye
“Laundry is a twisted vow to a lover, to do or say anything to keep them close”, explains Ashlie. She wrote this song about self-destruction. It is about stopping herself from poisoning a great love out of the fear of losing it. She writes it as a reminder that good people can lie and cheat instead of facing a dying love.
Growing up biracial all over the world she used music as her one constant. In her intimate, confessional songwriting, Ashlie promotes growth and healing not only within herself but to all listening.
As Native Americans, we pride ourselves on being land protectors and social rights activists. But on this one, we just wanted to create a mood that could lift people from their problems.
I decided to self-produce this new single, “The Wild,” and get back to the hip-hop basics that my fans appreciate. It has an optimistic upbeat tempo that empowers me and propels me towards my goals. I consider myself to be a genre-bending artist and the song delivers a hard-hitting hip-hop anthem with a catchy, easy to sing along hook.
Check out “The Wild” now on all streaming platforms!
🙏🏼🫀✝️🦅⚡️
This song needed a video and that video needed to be created with Aurelien Offner. We work well together and have had notable successes with projects such as the Native American Music Award winning video for the collaboration with Northern Cree “Indian Girl Driving Me Crazy.”
Watch the official music video for “The Wild” on YOUTUBE!
I gotta say that the old cliche “keepin’ it real” has served me well in my career.
I write for my God, myself, my family and my fans. Anything else would feel dishonest.
🪶 JOEY STYLEZ 🪶
Canadian singer/songwriter Tara MacLean has been an internationally renowned and award-winning recording and touring artist for over 25 years. She’s written and recorded six solo albums and two with her JUNO-nominated band Shaye. In 2008, Tara took a hiatus to focus on being a full-time mother, but she never stopped writing music. Her memoir, Song of the Sparrow, and accompanying soundtrack, the Sparrow LP, was released earlier in 2023.
The new song “Kiss In December” is a rare collaboration between Tara and her fellow singer-songwriter, Catherine MacLellan, who co-wrote and produced it. It’s about a winter love, a real life kiss in December that changed Tara’s life many winters ago. The song originated as a poem. It paints a picture of warmth and of cold at once, but in the end it’s a bit of a sad song.
ADMT (Adam Taylor) returns with a flawless rework of the 50 Cent track ‘Best Friend’.
Already garnering colossal attention, ADMT’s cover of Best Friend is nothing new to his loyal fanbase. As a result of their unwavering campaigns for him to release it, it’s finally here!
With ADMT’s unmistakable vocal talent to the front, it’s easy to see why this track made the impact it has, not to mention that it is also approved by 50 Cent himself!
Best Friend arrives hot on the heels of ‘Wish You Loved You’, which was released last month. The tender offering was born from the pain of watching someone that loves you, disregard themself and came as yet another example of ADMT’s impressive songwriting talent.
Never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, ADMT’s songwriting has a refreshing transparency when it comes to navigating matters of the heart and head. He’s worked tirelessly to normalize the conversation around mental health and wellness, something that’s been essential to tackle, particularly amongst men. His courageous vulnerability has connected with many and in recent months, it’s seen his fanbase multiply at breakneck speed!
ADMT is a grafter. Despite launching his music career in the midst of a global pandemic, he has never stopped moving. Whilst touring was off the table he took to the streets, and through busking he found a way to give people a taste of their much missed live music. By taking matters into his own hands, he captivated thousands of new fans in the process and even bagged a feature on Apple Tv’s Ted Lasso. “Busking was my saving grace throughout the pandemic. It’s been my fresh air. It’s allowed me to be me.. And without it I’m not sure I’d have made it through it as easily.”ADMT added.
Following up on the incendiary lead single from their brand new EP, Pages, Big Wreck is now sharing their latest collection of music in full. Pages rewrites the code for rock music, featuring rich colour and artistry which finds the band exploring new sonic territories.
Pages features “Summerlong,” a towering and dynamic number which incorporates synths and lush guitarwork to ask existential questions, grappling with past pain: “I still feel the freeze and burn, I was there all summer long. Day by day trying to wash it off from me.”
At the outset of 2023, Ian Thornley (guitar/vocals) began workshopping songs for Big Wreck’s eighth studio effort. After sharing the music with longtime friend and producer Nick Raskulinecz, it became clear that he was not only excited about the direction, but that he was the only choice to lead the production charge on this effort. In May 2023, the band began pre-production with Nick, and entered the studio with Chris Holmes at the desk, and Nick directing the sessions. Over the span of two weeks, the band tracked 18 songs.
Longtime mixing engineer Eric Ratz was the natural fit for this first EP, and rekindled the ‘dream team’ of Eric, Ian, and Nick. (Fans will remember the magic that was created when Albatross was born in 2012 — an album that has delivered multiple chart-topping singles, and is now Gold-certified.)
The Moving Stills are your friendly neighbourhood Indie Pop band from the Central Coast NSW (Darkinjung Country). Wading through vibrant melodies and nostalgic sounds, with pop hooks that glide through a dance floor full of heart and warmth. The Moving Stills have established a reputation of danceable Alt-Indie Pop tracks that float through the coastal air.
Now unveiling their sophomore album, Wabi Sabi, The Moving Stills showcase a collection of songs that capture the last few years for the band in their personal lives, as well as life as a touring band. Partnering up with Izaac Wilson on production, they hone in on that Indie Pop sound as well as explore new grooves on a few of the album tracks. The album themes cover a range of things, with everything from heartbreak to upbeat tracks that talk about love and being around your favourite people. In tracks like “Westside”, there’s mention of being on the road, which has made up a big part of the last few years for the band. They share, “We wanted to keep the honesty there on this album, and write about our experiences and so we’ve been very open in expressing our feelings in these songs.”
Speaking of their growth from their debut album, the band explains, “We wanted to introduce new feelings and vibes, to those on our first record Sunshine Corner. Whilst maintaining a lot of the key elements of our previous tunes, we delved into making a spread of new flavours. With songs like “Drive Home”, “In Your City” and the title-track “Wabi Sabi”, we leaned into a more groove based feel. Songs that you can immediately vibe out to. On the other hand, we had songs like “Volcano” and “Best Friend”, which showcases a more upbeat side to our sound. Definitely works well at gigs and on the dancefloor.”
Two years ago The Moving Stills bought a tour van to run around Australia in, it’s had its fair share of problems, but it’s made up for those in memories. “In Your City” touches on some of those special moments, with Mikey sharing, “In your City tells the tale of long drives in the tour van and playing shows which lead to late nights catching up with friends… then getting in the car and doing it the next night in the next city.”
In Feb 2022, the band became a viral hit on Tiktok with their cover of Tears For Fears ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’. Collating over 79k video uses and a bunch of views and likes of the cover. Even getting a nod from Tears For Fears themselves. The Moving Stills have recently ticked off another milestone that is triple j’s Like A Version. Injecting some of that fun and wholesome energy into covering Ladyhawke’s ‘My Delirium’. The much lauded feel-good four piece continue to establish themselves in the live circuit. Having supported Spacey Jane, Nothing But Thieves and Lime Cordiale, as well as performing on festival stages including Party In The Paddock, The Big Pineapple, BIGSOUND and Woodford Folk Festival. The Moving Stills have been on the road so much lately, their van has a residency at the local mechanic. They’ve sold out their own headline shows around the country, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and their hometown of the Central Coast
Play On Shakespeare, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to exploring the world of Shakespeare in performance through translation and adaptation, today announces their Winter/Spring 2024 Season.
Winter/Spring 2024 Season:
Building upon Play On Shakespeare’s mission to enhance the understanding of Shakespeare’s plays in performance, Play On Podcasts bring timeless tales directly to modern audiences. The series – presented by Next Chapter Podcasts in partnership with Play On Shakespeare – has released Macbeth, Pericles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Coriolanus amongst various other titles over the last three years.
Play On Podcasts recently won two Signal Awards – for Best Original Music/Score (Gold) and for Best Scripted Fiction (Silver).
On December 18, Play On Podcasts will release episode 1 of Romeo & Juliet. The NAATCO / Two River Theater production is translated by Hansol Jung and directed by Dustin Wills – with radio play by Catherine Eaton.
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Measure for Measure
Portland State University
March 1 – 9 (preview on February 29)
Translation: Aditi Brennan Kapil
Direction: Karin Magaldi
Location: Lincoln Performance Hall [Portland, OR]
Portland State University’s Professor Karin Magaldi directs Aditi Brennan Kapil’s translation of William Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure, which explores the corrupting influence of power, even for the most virtuous of individuals.
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Hamlet
Portland Shakespeare Project in collaboration with the Actors Conservatory
April 12 – 21 (previews on April 10 & 11)
Translation: Lisa Peterson
Direction: Michael Mendelson
Location: 21ten Theatre [Portland, OR]
Portland Shakespeare Project in collaboration with the Actors Conservatory will produce Lisa Peterson’s translation of Hamlet. Tormented by his father’s death and brimming with revenge, Hamlet seeks to avenge his father. As he plots to expose the truth, the lives of Hamlet’s friends and family unravel around him with tragedy on the horizon.
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Coriolanus
Presented by Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Portland Center Stage
Produced in association with upstart crow collective and Play On Shakespeare
[Portland Center Stage production]
April 20 – May 19
Translation: Sean San José
Adaption and Direction: Rosa Joshi
Location: U.S. Bank Main Stage [Portland, OR]
Famine threatens Rome and hunger fuels the tensions between the country’s elite and the deprived masses. As civil unrest stirs political upheaval, the war hero Coriolanus is driven to defend and then destroy his own country. Shakespeare’s rare and unique tragedy will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble, and a muscular, movement-focused staging. In partnership with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and upstart crow collective.
“Coriolanus” will continue with an Oregon Shakespeare Festival production in the summer and fall at Thomas Theatre in Ashland, OR. Further details will be available shortly.
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ACMRS Press [Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies] continues releasing Play On Shakespeare’s translations in print. All 39 titles will be published by early 2024.
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Play On Shakespeare’s DEMOS project is now available on YouTube. The DEMOS project is a series of vibrant, short films that demonstrate side-by-side performances of Shakespeare’s original text and the modern translations featuring extraordinarily talented actors with a wealth of experience performing Shakespeare.
Isaac Mizrahi returns to Café Carlyle with his show, “Mizrahi on Ice,” from February 6-17, 2024. His previous residencies in the room were sellouts, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Accompanied by his band of jazz musicians led by Ben Waltzer, Mizrahi will perform a range of tunes from Arthur Freed to Grace Jones. The New York Times noted, “he qualifies as a founding father of a genre that fuses performance art, music and stand-up comedy.”
Isaac Mizrahi has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as a performer, host, writer, designer and producer for over 30 years. Along with his annual residency at Café Carlyle, Isaac has performed at various venues across the country such as Joe’s Pub, The Regency Ballroom, several City Winery locations nationwide and comes to the Carlyle fresh from a United States tour and his run as Amos Hart in the Broadway production of CHICAGO. He is the subject and co-creator of Unzipped, a documentary following the making of his Fall 1994 collection which received an award at the Sundance Film Festival. He hosted his own television talk show, “The Isaac Mizrahi Show” for seven years, has written three books, and has made countless appearances in movies and on television. He served as a judge on Project Runway: All-Stars for the series’ entire seven-season run and. is just completing his first season of his record breaking podcast, HELLO ISAAC. The series can be streamed on iHeart radio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Tickets are available online via Tock. General Seating: $140 per person / Premium Seating: $190 per person / Bar Seating: $110 per person.
Café Carlyle is located in The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (35 East 76th Street, at Madison Avenue).
For more information and updates on these exciting events, follow Café Carlyle on Instagram @cafecarlyle and Facebook.
Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neillfrazer
