If you’re anything like me, you love love — especially the kind that lingers in your chest long after it’s gone. The kind that sets your thoughts spinning with what-ifs and slow-motion memories. The kind that feels like a movie — all butterflies, glances, and a thousand unsent messages.
My name is Raphaela. I’m a Canadian-Lebanese singer-songwriter who’s always been a little obsessed with stories that tug at the heart. I grew up in Beirut, in a home filled with music — my mom, an opera singer; my dad, always playing the classics. I wrote my first songs as a teenager, chasing melodies that felt like letters I didn’t know how to send.
Now, I write music that feels like falling — sometimes in love with someone else, sometimes with yourself. Romantic, cinematic, a little bittersweet. It’s for the ones who feel everything deeply and don’t apologize for it.
My upcoming debut EP is a collection of songs about the people, moments, and feelings that stay with us — the ones that show up in our dreams or in the pages of letters we never send. The title track, Muse, just released on July 4, and it’s the first glimpse into that world: a story about longing, inspiration, and the way certain connections never quite leave you.
Beloved Canadian folk singer-songwriter Connie Kaldor returns with her brand-new album Wide Open Spaces available now on all streaming platforms. Arriving alongside the release is the record’s second official single/video, “This Car” – a nostalgic ode to the vehicles that carry us through our lives, loves, and careers.
A three-time JUNO Award winner and a trailblazing voice in Canadian roots music, Kaldor has always written with honesty, humour, and deep connection to place. With Wide Open Spaces, she turns her focus homeward, crafting a collection of songs rooted in the vast prairies of Western Canada.
“I wanted to do a recording about the prairies – stories, characters, landscape, pedal steel, country roots. Basically, songs that would mean home to me in some way,” said Kaldor. “It is an extraordinary landscape in that western part of Canada, and it is often overlooked. Some of the songs are sentimental, some are funny, some are personal, and some I could perform at a prairie wedding.”
Written and released during a time of heightened Canadian pride and political reflection, Wide Open Spaces blends grit, humour, and heart with Kaldor’s signature warmth. From the spirited opener “Outlaw (Revisited)”, which reclaims prairie myth through a woman’s lens, to tender reflections like “Crane Valley Road” and “For Those Who Say”, the album embraces both the joy and challenges of prairie life. Songs like “Hitched Together” and “Raining on the Farm” delve into the struggles of small farmers, climate change, and rural displacement, while celebrating resilience, love, and community – themes that resonate deeply with Kaldor, who spends nearly half the year on her family farm in Southern Saskatchewan.
Across two stages at The Echo, this community-spirited fest brings together some of indie and emo’s most exciting voices.
This year’s lineup includes power-pop punks Prince Daddy & the Hyena, who began working with No Earbuds for their 2019 masterpiece, Cosmic Thrill Seekers. They followed it up with a self-titled LP in 2022 that proved their range goes far beyond what anyone expected––like Green Day and Weezer meet an upstate NY winter. No Earbuds Fest will be their only headline performance in Los Angeles this year.
From there, the spotlight shines onto the boundary-crushing ska visionary, JER, whose latest album, Death Of The Heart, dropped just last month. It’s a genre-blasting roller coaster ride through alt-rock and punk, with Jer Hunter’s (they/them) ska mastery firmly in the driver’s seat.
South-East London new-wave artist Master Peace is taking his sound international this October, announcing his headline tour, ‘No More Underground’, with confirmed dates in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and select cities across the UK. General sale begins on Friday, September 8th at 9AM local time.
Pre-sale access is available to those who sign up to Master Peace’s mailing list at 5PM tomorrow. Access here: https://masterpeace.ffm.to/signup.OPR
The tour announcement follows the official release of his latest single, ‘There’s No More Underground’, which dropped last Friday. Originally available exclusively as a free download on his website, the release reflects Master Peace’s commitment to making music accessible to all, regardless of financial means.
Renowned for his electrifying live shows, Master Peace continues to build on his reputation as one of the most compelling performers in the UK’s alternative scene. These new dates mark an exciting expansion of his live presence, reaching fans across America, Canada and introducing his bold sound to new audiences.
Richmond, VA alt-rock band The Barons announce their explosive debut album Le Château due out November 7. Alongside the new music, the band shares optimistic tune “Way Out” out now. The forthcoming guitar-driven project, one that is both raw and refined, proudly introduces the five-piece band as they teeter out on the edge of something greater–pulsing with urgency and restless ambition. The group will hit the road this fall across North Carolina and Virginia, including a single release show tonight at The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville–see a full list of dates below.
With Le Château, a humorous nod to the band’s broken high school French, the group playfully and gracefully processes the difficulties of human connection in an increasingly digital world, the inevitability of aging and makes peace with change. Over ten tight tracks, the group harnesses their chaos into meaningful messages that strike a balance between light-hearted and serious tone as they effortlessly find their own groove. Produced by Jacob Sommerio (English Oak Recording) over a few weeks in Richmond, Virginia, the group captured the band’s raucous live energy through analog recording.
“Way Out,” out today, opens as a bubbly, melodic tune that glistens with streaks of optimism and sticky guitar riffs. The track, which runs over 5 minutes, finds a darker groove over half way in with a roaring guitar solo. Through analog guitar modulations and a creative driving rhythm, ‘Way Out’ is a primitive pop journey that stares at the dying breed of empathy in the age of intelligence. As Robert Frost once said, “The best way out is always through.” Describing the track, Peyton Alley (The Barons frontman/writer) says:
“I began writing Way Out on my acoustic overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains on my fiancé’s apartment porch in Charlottesville last spring. I had just seen a friend post some videos from The Sphere in Las Vegas and thought about how impressive that build was. Though the all-sensory innovation was exciting to see, I looked up at the sky and thought about our sphere (the Earth). Everything that all living things need to survive is provided here, yet it’s never been enough to satisfy our senses as a species. Now more than ever, instead of seeking nature and one another with our deep questions, we now seek them from a simulation we justify because we have ‘created’ it. This hyper-efficient cat is out of the bag; there is no turning back. I believe human relationships and virtues are now on the fringe of extinction, and I think that’s what ultimately inspired Way Out. We’re in a new era that is supposed to be the new normal. I think the real way out is embracing our physical relationships authentically and loving each other every chance we have in a world that’s become more difficult to do so.”
Satellite Touring expands its roster with the addition of A.D.A.M. Music Project (AMP), one of music’s fastest-rising rock bands. The alternative/hard rock outfit, which has gained significant momentum in the US music scene, has signed with the agency for worldwide representation.
After an exhilarating Midwest and East Coast tour where they shared the spotlight with Oklahoma rock duo Aranda (fellow signees of Satellite Touring) and former Hinder frontman Austin Winkler’s new solo project the Founder, AMP is solidifying their reputation for bold, unforgettable live performances. Adding to their momentum, their smash single “Punch Out” featuring Aranda has garnered nationwide airplay with over 30 stations adding the track to their daily rotation. The single is currently on the rise at #34, after debuting at #38 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart, further cementing their rise.
Satellite Touring is a leading independent music agency with over 30 years of combined experience in the industry. Known for its diverse and impressive roster, especially within the rock genre – including artists such as Blacktop Mojo, Raven, Truckfighters, Green Jelly and AMP collaborators Aranda – the agency is thrilled to introduce AMP’s dynamic sound to new audiences. As part of this partnership, Satellite Touring will expand AMP’s reach by adding additional North American tour dates this Fall and Winter, with plans for an overseas expansion set for 2026.
“A.D.A.M. Music Project has a fun sound that the rock community would greatly enjoy,” Seth Lipocky from Satellite Touring said in a statement. “If you are a fan of early 2000’s and 80’s hard rock, you have to give them a listen!” Seth will represent the band at the agency.
Country Girl is like my personal theme song as an artist. Celebrating the pink-loving, rhinestone-wearing, girly-girl that I am while proudly being a Country artist from the UK. – Stella Lain
[9th September 2025] Stella Lain is back on the country music scene, releasing her latest single ‘Country Girl’. ‘Country Girl’ is a wonderfully uplifting track and its main purpose is about celebration – a celebration of identity and being true to who you are. Stella Lain has found confidence through unapologetically being herself, and the freedom that comes with being comfortable in your own skin is contagious.
With classic country music sounds – a beautiful blend of electric guitar, banjo and fiddle playing catchy riffs – ‘Country Girl’ is insightful whilst also being a pop hit. The production is perfection, not over done and not under done, it only adds to Lain’s vocals and performance.
‘Country Girl’ is not only brilliant sonically, Lain also showcases great lyricism, singing about abstract ideas about identity and femininity in a beautiful, concise and clear way. ‘Country Girl’ is an infectious tune that encourages breaking of boundaries and thinking outside the box. It’s such an upbeat track about lifting one another up, celebrating being unique and all the quirks that can come with that.
Stella Lain may be a brand new, upcoming artist on the music scene but she already has a powerful aesthetic. It is clear Lain knows what music she wants to make and the way she wants to showcase herself as an artist.
About the song, Stella says: “The hook ‘Maybe from a different part of the world / But I’m still a Country Girl’ was the first part of the song I wrote. It was inspired by feeling like an outsider in the genre, being from the UK, but knowing that I still belong. After someone told me I was ‘too Barbie’ to like Country music, I decided to fully lean in and embrace being a Country Barbie! This song is about celebrating unapologetic femininity. It’s all about having fun, being yourself and being confident. To not allow others to tell you what you can or can’t do, break outside the box and show the world what you’ve got.”
The Dave Palmer Trio is a meeting of three world-class musicians with roots stretching from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Pianist and composer Dave Palmer is joined by renowned bassist Reggie Hamilton and acclaimed drummer Joey Waronker, uniting decades of collective experience into a singular vision of swing-oriented, composition-driven jazz. In June 2024, Palmer reached out to the players he most wanted for the project, and within a month they were in Hollywood’s Boulevard Recording, tracking on a vintage Bechstein piano that set the tone for their debut. The sessions were produced by CMG partners Niko Bolas and David Resnik.
Their forthcoming album presents an elegant and deeply considered collection of original jazz trio compositions, written specifically for this lineup. Inspired by the craftsmanship of Duke Ellington and Ahmad Jamal, Palmer emphasizes songs as much as performance, prioritizing swing, structure, and refinement over flash. The project is meant as both a statement of purpose and a starting point, “the beginning of an evolution of sound,” as Palmer describes it, laying the groundwork for what promises to be an enduring collaboration.
“You may not have heard of Jean Caffeine but you’d be a lot cooler if you had”-Dallas Observer.
Jean Caffeine made a zine and made the punk scene in San Francisco in the late 70’s. She drummed for all female bands in San Francisco and NYC, most notably Pulsallama who opened shows for the Clash and toured England and New England. Pulsallama was sampled by hip hop artist, Danny Brown and a posthumous live release came out on Modern Harmonics in 2020.
In the late 90’s Jean moved to Austin and rebranded as a front person songwriter in the raucous, cow-punk outfit, Jean Caffeine’s All-Nite Truckstop. The Truckstop shared stages with Townes Van Zant, Southern Culture on the Skids, Mojo Nixon, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. When the truck stopped, Jean continued making solo records and started a career as an art educator.
She has a cameo in the Richard Linklater film, Slacker and a few notes of her song, “Jesus is Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You can be heard if you listen carefully. Also a visual artist and educator, Jean worked as an animator on the film, “Waking Life”.
Slowed but unstoppable, Jean plays live in Austin with (Jean Caffeine and) Male Order Brides (Zack Humphrey, Jon Notarthomas and Shannon Rierson) who all show up on the album along with occasional Bride and Invincible Czar, Josh Robins. This spring Jean toured in a mini van with the Dallas punk band, Thyroids who are half her age. Thyroids did double duty, backing Jean and then played their own set which culminated in live sets on the Big Daddy of free form radio, WFMU.
Jean releases “Generation Jean” on the Austin-based Flak Records on Sept 5 with the new wave art-rock single “You’re Fine ” as the focus track. Not breaking with tradition, Possibly slowed but unstoppable, Jean toured this spring with a Dallas based punk band called Thyroids up to New Jersey where they each performed sets on WFMU.
Electronic music visionaries and industry icons Seth Troxler and Bill Patrick have announced the official launch of Flirting With Friendship, a new video-first, hour-long podcast. Episode 1, featuring Seth and Bill, is now available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Presented and produced by StrataSonic, the podcast reflects the label’s vision of becoming a collaborative creative hub for ideas and innovation.”
Filmed in a living room in Ibiza—Seth’s parents’ living room, to be precise—Flirting With Friendship invites audiences into an intimate late-night setting where stories unfold, connections spark, and the unexpected takes center stage. Each week, Troxler and Patrick welcome eclectic guests for free-flowing conversations that blur the line between profound and absurd, scored with music and punctuated by spontaneous audience interactions. The result is part existential afterparty, part cultural salon—an experiment in vulnerability, humor, and human connection.
Friendships are funny, our life is based on connections. In many ways those connections determine who we are. At some point meeting new friends or opening up to existing friends becomes more rare the older you get. Flirting with Friendship is about breaking down that barrier. Bill and I have been friends for nearly 20 years. We love each other but also drive each other crazy. Real friends are people that no matter their flaws you’re still interested and invested. I hope our relationship is something other people enjoy as much as we do. We’re flawed and we love each other, but chance is you are too.. and maybe just maybe you’ll come to love us as well.. — Seth Troxler
https://www.youtube.com/@flirtingwithfriendship
Building their own bizarre universe out of Portland, Oregon, The Macks today announce their new album Bonanza will be released on September 25 via DevilDuck Records / Monotone, Inc. The news of the album rolls out in the form of two new singles and videos: “Dually of Man” and “The Modern Grape.” Described by the band as “a collection of miscellaneous rock that could only have been crafted by this dedicated and bull-headedly sincere troupe of desperate artists,” The Macks are coming unglued but are fully in their pocket.
“Dually of Man” is hard-driving yet psychedelic while vocalist Sam Fulwiler rattles off the doldrums of the middle class like a laundry list. Antsy kids are told to keep the volume down to maintain the suburban peace. But as we all know, monotony breeds delinquents and musicians as the band cries, “Old drunks and fake punks take back the West Coast.”
The Macks share, “We grew up in the Portland suburbs in a deeply safe, family-oriented town that loved to ostracize and criticize. We have also seen most of the country through the lens of our van windows. While the white picket fence is easy to make fun of, the fuck-you-I-got-mine attitude that runs so much of America is hurdling us towards fascism and environmental collapse and there’s no better symbol for that than a shiny new Dually that’s never hauled anything.”
And out of those doldrums comes the urgency to be someone great in “The Modern Grape.” The song cycles through impatience and apathy, hitting every stage in between. When searching for the fruit of fame, The Macks can’t help but wonder if they are the grapes or the raisins.
The band continues, “Being in The Macks is like being naked on stage at a Bingo. It’s near shameful to give so much of ourselves to the crowd for some to care so little. ‘The Modern Grape’ touches on that feeling of us pressing along, inch-by-inch, in the pursuit of making something that needs to be heard.”
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
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