The writer, producer, engineer and main performer on the album is Riley Cameron, the son of the late guitarist Bruce Cameron, who tragically passed away in 1999 shortly after releasing his debut LP titled “Midnight Daydream”. An album that featured a plethora of rock legends. Inspired by his father’s work, the only viable option was to carry the musical legacy that his father left behind.
The self-titled album features a blend of hard rock, electronic, hip-hop and various other musical styles that create a modern sound that captures a spectrum of influences.
The “Midnight Daydream” LP is set to release on July 5th, 2023 and will be available on all mainstream platforms, including Itunes, Spotify and Youtube. Physical Copies and merchandise will also be available through their merchandise store via BandCamp.
Having been a session musician for over 20 years, playing, writing, and arranging on other artist’s albums, pianist/composer Larry Kutcher decided it was time to release his own music. His debut album for solo piano entitled “Kindred Souls” was released on March 1st. Each of the album’s 10 tracks tells a personal story, an audio diary of the highly personal journey that led to this debut release.
Says Larry, “This debut album has been nine years in the making. I first intended to release it in 2014, but then life took me on an unexpected roller coaster ride of one serious health crisis after another. As a result, I had to put it on hold for long periods of time. Each piece on the album expresses a unique emotional and spiritual aspect of my nine-year odyssey. Written, recorded, and produced by me in my home studio, much of this music came through me instantaneously and was captured as such. My best work happens when I get out of the way and just let the music flow through me!”
Larry Kutcher began his musical odyssey with the study of classical violin at the age of six. He moved on from there to the drums and guitar, eventually settling on the piano, with which he could more fully realize and express all the music flowing through him.
Influenced by Surrealism, The Beat Poets, The Firesign Theatre, and Frank Zappa, in particular, Larry also developed theatrical and comedic skills. This led him to recording and performing with Zappa alumni, guitarist Steve Vai. You can hear Larry’s stream of consciousness performance art piece “Little Pieces Of Seaweed” on Steve Vai’s CD/EP “Flex-Able Leftovers”.
An aficionado of Prog Rock as well, Larry helped co-write “The Emperor’s Clothes” with Alan and Neal Morse of Spock’s Beard, for their 2010 CD release of Spock’s Beard “X”.
Larry’s extensive musical explorations throughout the years have helped him become very well versed in a variety of genres including classical, jazz, progressive rock, ambient soundscapes, musical theater, and film scores. He is best known for his powerful and intensely personal solo piano work, balancing technical virtuosity with raw emotional expression.
Plans to release a couple videos and to set up some gigs in the Los Angeles area are in the works and will be announced as they happen!
“Kindred Souls” Tracklist:
01 Joyous 02 I Still Remember 03 Haunted 04 Within Her Tears 05 Renewal 06 Ocean Raga 07 Barcelona 08 The Weary Sojourner 09 The Hidden Path 10 To Dance Once More
Nature has always been spiritually grounding for singer-songwriter and guitarist Griff Peters. A few years ago, when the San Diego, California-based roots rock artist was mired in a heart-wrenching personal struggle, he went out to the beach and sat down on a rock formation. There, Griff asked himself this question: if he was told he had a year to live, what would he do?
The answer was simple—make his solo debut, Canyons and Waves (Impropriety Records), a deep and sincere body of work crafted by a skilled and experienced artist with a worthy message of hope within darkness. That very rock formation graces the cover of the album, and from that fateful day on, Griff’s life has been powerfully transformed. Griff says “This is the long-awaited showing-up for my own life as an artist. The music paints a picture of an inner-knowing and the rekindling of hope when we feel lost. Canyons and Waves is a musical journey illuminating the Healing Path from darkness and pain back to gratitude and presence. Imagine the “Canyon” as the mysterious and intricate groove on a vinyl record. The “Wave” is the transformative sound energy coming forth… amplified, multiplied… leading lost souls homeward.”
Griff’s signature musical voice is best described as “artistic roots-rock,” an amalgamation of rural Americana, blues, folk, elements of avant-garde, prog, and album-side rock. Besides being a sage and sensitive songwriter, and soulful vocalist, Griff is a subtly virtuosic guitarist and a tone poet. He can coax a bevy of soundscapes with just his hands, from dirty Delta-blues, to stinging and firey rock, to pastoral folk, to sensual and lyrical slide playing, to sweet country filigree, and beyond.
Griff is a musician’s musician who as a sideman guitarist has performed, recorded and toured internationally with artists such as John Mayer, Billie Myers, Bryan Beller (Joe Satriani, The Aristocrats, Dethklok), Nina Storey, and the Mike Keneally Band (Frank Zappa, Andy Partridge, Steve Vai). Griff is the founder of Hilltop Frog Recording Studios, and the indie label Impropriety Records.
“Griff Peters plays gorgeous guitar” - Mike Keneally
Born into a musical family in Southern California, Griff started playing piano when he was very young. He quickly infuriated his piano teacher by neglecting beginner’s classical studies in favor of learning intricate ragtime and boogie-woogie songs by ear.
After discovering his grandfather’s old electric guitar at age 14, Griff discovered his passion and innate abilities to play Chicago electric blues and more modern blues rock. By his senior year in high school, he was sneaking out early to study music at the local college. Soon, Griff was a teen professional musician with a full schedule. He attended college classes in the morning; gave guitar lessons in the evening; and gigged in smoky bars late at night. Eventually, he graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music.
Griff would go on to have an impressive career in music, but the need to create his own solo album was always present. “I finally dispensed with all the excuses, purged my calendar and focused my mind towards creating a serious artistic statement. Immediately, musical ideas just flooded in,” Griff reveals. Canyons and Waves is the result of this all-consuming outpouring of songs. “The songwriting and recording stage was a prolific period of happy insanity. I wrote, recorded and produced all the music at my own facility, Hilltop Frog Studios in California. From the very beginning, I envisioned the Canyons and Waves album as a vinyl release. Vinyl enjoys undeniable appeal and clout, especially in modern times. The proven combination of both sonic excellence and time-tested longevity remains the artistic high-water mark of the recorded music medium. I’m very blessed to see my vision of this album fulfilled as a deluxe double-vinyl album with exceptional artwork and quality, like my favorite records from the past.”
Outside of music Griff enjoys exploring the deep spiritual aspects of nature, art, photography, and the Zen practice of rock balancing. Griff’s photography is intrinsically linked to the Canyons and Waves experience, with his 24-page liner notes of breathtaking images featured as a visual compendium to the music on the deluxe 45-RPM 180-gram double-vinyl available at griffpeters.com. “I wanted to compliment the auditory experience of the songs with striking visuals of peace, hope, and joy from different stages of my life,” Griff shares.
Griff will be promoting Canyons and Waves with shows and videos of the songs being performed live in the studio, onstage, and in breathtaking natural expanses. He will also be performing and releasing more new songs in the months ahead. Reflecting back on his epiphanic journey, Griff says: “Music says things that cannot be said otherwise. It reaches people’s hearts in places that cannot be reached by any other way. I’m using music this time around to transcend barriers and gently say ‘Hey - I’ve been there, too, but now I’ve found a better way.’”
The Great Reset encompasses eclectic sounds spanning multiple musical genres, with the overriding theme of consciousness, and raising the intellectual bar to a higher frequency. The album was inspired by the impact of lockdowns, changes in lifestyle and the need for intelligent conversation in a musical panorama.
This is an album that originally began as magnificent poetical works beautifully crafted by Natural Vybez and metamorphosised into an epic soundscape of intellectual, socio-political commentary offering a powerful riposte to the zeitgeist of fear and unquestioning conformity.
An album of oceanic vastness, embroidered by the fusion of rock, reggae, funk, jazz and blues into a sonic landscape of beauty, courtesy of the production values of Mesh Music UK, with all lyrics written by Natural Vybez.
The end result is poetry which is transformed into an epic soundscape of intellectual, socio-political commentary offering a powerful riposte to the zeitgeist of fear and unquestioning conformity.
Natural Vybez said, “The Great Reset is a very poignant album for me. The first 8 tracks showcase a lion-esque roar of frustration and disapproval against various negative developments in our external that require a 'Great Reset', in terms of harnessing our collective power to refuse to unquestionably accept our loss of freedom and right to express dissent. The next 8 tracks express the internal warfare affecting us at a subconscious level, as the growing climate of fear threatens to destabilise our mental health and wellbeing world, thereby necessitating a "Great Reset" to reclaim control over our minds. I really hope that you enjoy the album!”
If you are attuned to learning and love a thought provoking, creative listening experience, then this is an album to appreciate.
Xanthan is a three piece experimental rock band from Houston Texas featuring Boz Miller (drums), Max Miller (guitars), and Corin Gatwood (6 string basses). The trio will be releasing their debut six-track EP “Succubus Swing” on May 24th which features half instrumentals and half songs with vocals.
Says Corin, “The album has a lot of moods. There is a lot of humor in it for us. Hence the titles, but also just how we've managed to compose the songs. It's all playful. We always try something different in each song. A lot of the lyrics were inspired by strange and unsettling experiences I have had with certain people. The music was written first; but while working on the instrumentals, it put me in the right mood to write about some dark stuff. Plus, it was during late 2020, early 2021. It was still the pandemic, and hell froze over in Texas. A surreal time can be a good time to be creative, I suppose.
When recording the album, the music came first, but the band would adjust things for vocals as needed. Recording was fast. Every track was the three members recording live in Corin’s living room / practice space with no click track. Corin relates, “The track ‘Ms. Haan’ was made from noisy stuff I made on a tape machine, and me banging on the side of my washing machine. My hope was for it to evoke the anxiety of being a child again; alone, in school, or a building with scary noises and machines humming away. And it made for a good segue.”
This E.P. features two of Xanthan’s early instrumental tracks (“1934” and “Colliskeions 23”). The trio wanted to include them on this release to demonstrate their early sound, but the opening track (“HYBYC”) and the last three are songs the band is most proud of.
In closing Corin has this to say, “Just give it a listen in your car stereo on a sweltering summer night, in a dark, small town alleyway.”
Track List: HYBYC 1934 Colliskeions: 23 Bump of Excellence Ms. Haan In Killeen
Joe Doblhofer is a Linz/Austrian based guitar player with musical roots in both European Classical and American Blues and Rock music, fused with a deep dedication to Jazz and other related forms of improvisational and interactive music. Working with German Jazz-Metal crossover band Panzerballett since 2010 he has now released his own trio's debut album with his trio FS3 titled “Cats ‘n’ Strats”, a well-balanced mix of composition and improvisation, stylistically drawing from both traditions in Jazz and Blues as well as conceptional approaches found in contemporary classical music.
The idea behind “Cats ‘n’ Strats” was to combine all the aspects of making music that matter the most to Joe into one project. He wanted to make music that would balance composed parts with space for interaction and improvisation, and satisfy his need for both sophistication and savageness.
Says Joe, “‘Cats ‘n’ Strats’ blends together my affection for the possibilities of expression that the electric guitar provides with my love for Blues and Rock as well as my interest for intellectually demanding approaches known from Jazz and Contemporary Classical Music. The tunes are supposed to work equally well live in a trio setting as well as produced tracks on the album.”
Being born into a musical family Joe experienced education in classical music from an early age on taking his first steps into making music with the violin. It was not until the age of 14 when he first discovered the electric guitar as his means of expression, and with it a musical culture diametrically opposed to the one he had been exposed to so far.
While first being fascinated by the rawness and power of guitar based music he later discovered the limitless possibilities of the guitar in terms of creating a distinct musical language by combining its dynamic and expressional abilities with the offerings that an academic approach to music theory and composition were able to contribute. It is this dialectic between savageness and sophistication that has been driving his musical journey ever since, resulting in his long time engagement with German Jazz-Metal act Panzerballett as well as his own trio project FS3. As a sideman he has worked with Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Randy Brecker, Mathias “IA” Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Trilok Gurtu and others.
Says Joe, “The music to this album was written over the course of several years. After being exposed to a lot of different approaches to composition during my studies of Jazz at the university and as a sideman for projects ranging from Jazz/Metal Crossover to classical Orchestra I had to figure out what in particular would work for the music I had in mind. The basic tracks were recorded live at a studio to get some musical interaction going. After that a lot of time went into developing parts around the original recordings as I love enhancing a track by creating little arranged details around obvious interactive parts. I want listeners to be aware though that this is a band record with real people interacting and taking musical risks. The music is supposed to be played live which was the reason to make the record in the first place.”
FS3 is: Florian Kasper - Drums Gerald Kiesewetter - Bass Joe Doblhofer – Guitars
The basic tracks were recorded Feb. 14th - 16th, 2020 at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz. Additional recordings March till May, November 2020.
Produced by FS3, engineered by Matthias Kronsteiner, mixed by Tobi Wöhrer, mastering by Michael Haider @AlphaMastering & Alphakustik.
Cover Design by Edith Gappmaier. Pics by Reinhard Winkler.
Prog ensemble Vast Conduit featuring keyboardist/vocalist Bill Jenkins, best known for his work with Enchant and Thought Chamber, will be releasing their debut album “Always Be There” on February 16, 2022.
This album is dedicated to the notion of doing whatever we can to build and cherish all parent/child relationships, regardless of circumstance. There are so many different ways these can suffer – death, divorce, illness, self-centeredness, etc. – yet they are so vital to our happiness and well-being. Every moment we have to support each other and make each other's lives better is precious.
Says Bill, “The songs ‘Always Be There’ and also ‘Early Eclipse’ convey the main message of the album. The release date is the 40th anniversary of my father’s passing, which set in motion a path through life and philosophy described by the songs on the album. I had the basic song ideas in place for almost all of these songs sitting around for years and it was simply time to finally make it all happen.”
The Fates conspired and a fortuitous set of circumstances created a vast conduit, galvanizing what might have otherwise been a run-of-the-mill progressive rock project with an abundance of musical talent and prowess. Keyboardist Bill Jenkins (Enchant, Thought Chamber), musing over some material near to heart, enlisted the talents of these amazing musicians to bring that material to light: Adding everything from scorching leads to subtle emoting is virtuosic guitarist Michael Harris (Arch Rival, Thought Chamber, Darkology, Michael Harris Tranz-Fusion). Laying the foundation with solid grooves and making odd time signatures seem effortless and feel natural is drummer Will Jenkins (Ghost and the City, Great Wall). The venerable Jeff Plant solidifies that foundation with electric and fretless bass (also from Thought Chamber and whose pedigree otherwise is too long to list here and whose amazing bass playing simply speaks for itself). Adding just the right amount of smoke and fire off his rosined bow is violinist Jim Hurley (who has performed with the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Ancient Future, and Queen Ida’s Grammy-winning Bon Temps Zydeco Band, among many others). Rounding out the list are the satiny vocals of Friel (a truly rare gem of vocal talent to have somehow, somewhere, out of the blue, been found for this project).
With the players in place, a cross-country recording project began, finishing with Vast Conduit’s initial studio album release “Always Be There” - a centrally themed album that explores several musical genres. Although progressive rock in nature, when pressed for a singular genre, Michael jokingly suggested “smooth prog.” After the requisite laughter, the recognition of how apropos of a description it was settled in, and laughter shifted to nods of approval as it was fully embraced by the band.
The album started as just an EP project, and recording of 3 of the songs with demo vocals started several years ago. Then covid happened and opened up the opportunity and availability to expand it to a full album.
Along with the core ensemble, the album features some guest artists. Having known the California Guitar Trio guys for some time, and loving their sound, Bill had always hoped to get them involved in a song. Bert Lams agreed to add his acoustic guitar to “Early Eclipse,” and helped in adjusting the arrangement to work even better with the addition of his parts.
Bill’s brother Tom Abraira plays the lead on trumpet on the track “Philly Etymology.” There were two spots for a female voice on this album. Says Bill, “I heard Manon’s singing in High Hopes Acapella, and invited her to sing the female part in ‘Barrier.’ Having worked with Betsy Walter previously, I already had an earlier demo of ‘Early Eclipse’ with her voice in it and used her part from under the solo in that song and it fit perfectly.”
Finally, there was an old recording of the instrumental idea that became “Wesley Save Us” that had Jessica Jenkins’ voice when they were a toddler. “With Jess’s voice being my association with that song for so many years, and given the theme of the album, working a few of those samples in just had to happen.”
Work has already begun on writing for the next album. After the release, the band will look into opportunities for live performances. In closing Bill has this to say, “If our listeners enjoy the music even half as much as we enjoyed creating it, that would be amazing!”
Watch the trailer for Vast Conduit’s “Always Be There”:
Track List: 1. Barrier 6:22 B. Jenkins, S. Spring (with lyrics) 2. Soul Tuck 5:10 B. Jenkins (instrumental) 3. Always Be There 5:49 B. Jenkins (with lyrics) 4. Endless Days 6:40 B. Jenkins, D. Ott (with lyrics) 5. Too Busy 5:45 B. Jenkins (instrumental) 6. Odessa 5:56 B. Jenkins (with lyrics) 7. 500 Miles 4:44 B. Jenkins, B. Walter (with lyrics) 8. Philly Etymology 5:39 B. Jenkins (instrumental) 9. Early Eclipse 6:59 B. Jenkins (with lyrics) 10. Of A Feather 5:01 B. Jenkins (instrumental) 11. Wesley Save Us 4:31 B. Jenkins (with lyrics)
Band Members: Friel: Vocals Bill Jenkins: Keys, backing vocals Will Jenkins: Drums Michael Harris: Guitars Jeff Plant: Bass Jim Hurley: Violin
Guest Artists: Tom Abraira - Trumpet on “Philly Etymology” Bert Lams - Acoustic Guitar on “Early Eclipse” Manon Roem -Vocals on “Barrier” Betsy Walter - Vocals on “Early Eclipse” Recorded at: The Zircon Cube, The Beige Area, and Psycho Sound East Mixed by: Bill Jenkins and Will Jenkins Produced by: Bill Jenkins and Will Jenkins Mastered by: Michael Romanowski at Coast Mastering, Berkeley CA Artwork by: Jessica Jenkins
Held By Trees is a new instrumental project featuring some of the most respected musicians in the British rock fraternity. Sitting between post-rock and prog, the outfit led by David Joseph announces their debut album, ‘Solace’, which will be released in April 2022.
Boasting seven veterans of the seminal latter Talk Talk and Mark Hollis solo albums, other contributors include Tim Renwick (Guitar - Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Eric Clapton), Mike Smith (Sax - Blur, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz), David Knopfler (Guitar - Dire Straits founding member), Gary Alesbrook (Trumpet - Noel Gallagher, Kasabian, Super Furry Animals) as well as parts from blues/roots legend, Eric Bibb, Dutch rising-star, Just, and ambient composer, Unknown Replica.
After establishing themselves with pop hits such as ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Life’s What You Make It’, Talk Talk, led by Mark Hollis and producer, Tim Friese-Greene, broke new musical ground, defining what would later be termed as ‘post-rock’ with their seminal album, ‘Spirit of Eden’ (1988). Three years later they returned with ‘Laughing Stock’. Part of that creative process was to invite musicians they respected in to improvise on their arrangements. Guitarist Robbie McIntosh (Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, John Mayer), drummer/percussionist Martin Ditcham (Chris Rea, The Waterboys, Nik Kershaw), bassist Simon Edwards (Michael Jackson, Billy Bragg, Fairground Attraction) all took part in those sessions, and have now contributed to ’Solace’. A solo record from Mark Hollis followed in 1998 which featured pianist Lawrence Pendrous, and flautist/Clarinettist Andy Panayi, both of whom have also now played for Held By Trees. Engineering all of these albums, as well as classics like John Martyn’s 'One World’, is Phill Brown, with Denis Blackham mastering them. Phill and Denis have kindly come out of retirement to mix and master this debut album from Held By Trees.
‘Solace’ was made using a similar approach to ‘Spirit of Eden’ and ‘Laughing Stock’, with David Joseph inviting musicians to improvise over his rhythm patterns and chord progressions. Blending in his own spontaneous compositions and field recordings made in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, the result is a unique album that carries the DNA of the seminal Talk Talk records, and yet stands in its own identity.
‘Solace’ is a work that revels in the natural world. At once both melancholic and hopeful, the album is purposefully full of space, tension and release, and music that demands patient listening. The project celebrates nature, not just through the music and artwork (including a motif from Talk Talk’s artistic partner, James Marsh), but by partnering with Play It Green, a real tree is planted for each album sold. Held By Trees thereby removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces.
All told, Held By Trees begins its career with an impressive first album project with unique claims and a tantalizing cast of contributors.
‘Solace’ is released on 22nd April 2022 on Tweed Jacket Music through Nova/Plastic Head Distribution
Released August 27, 2021 on Think Like A Key Music
With the genuine desire to create a continuation of the FABS early vibe, The Poppermost is the one-man mission of Glasgow multi-instrumentalist Joe Kane - whose attention to detail is impeccable; the structure and arrangements, the playing, the sentimentality is all there along with the in-jokes, creating songs that satisfy your innermost Fab Four desires.
The Poppermost finds Joe in his garage studio playing everything himself. Utilising an array of instruments, microphones and recording techniques, all glued together by bargain basement analogue junk that builds up to the very first Poppermost album, “Hits To Spare.”
Short, sweet and exactly as they used to make ‘em, “Hits To Spare” does exactly what it says on the sleeve. Kicking off with an enthusiastic “1-2-3-4,” the opening track “Egg And Chips,” with its solid back beat-driven Cavern Club stomp and ascending “ah-ah-ah’s” sets the scene for what follows. In just over half an hour, “Hits To Spare” packs in a multitude of double-tracked vocals, three-part harmonies and major sixth endings that’ll leave you giddy and dizzy, dizzy, dizzy Miss Lizzy.
Within these carefully considered grooves there are rockers galore like “Goodnight Georgia Peach” and “Laziest Fella In The Realm.” Then there is the chugging, chiming “Ticket To Ride” inspired “Park And Ride” alongside the romantic balladry of “Get It Down.” Whether it’s the Lennon-like “you wanted the werld and I gave you the werld” here, a woody McCartney bass-line there, a multitude of 12-string chiming George middle eight’s, with everything held in place by a perfect Ringo compressed backbeat, there’s a song for every occasion.
“Ultimately, this album was about making a very fresh, quick and positive pop record, utilising the recording aesthetics and sound of my favourite music,” says Kane, who is currently putting together a live version of the band that’ll be ready to get people twisting and shouting as soon as possible.
Based out of Glasgow, Scotland, Joe Kane stays a busy man and has a busy track record, having recorded under various aliases such as Dr. Cosmos’ Tape Lab (You Are The Cosmos) and Radiophonic Tuckshop (Last Night From Glasgow) while working with countless artists including the late, great Neil Innes (The Rutles), Joey Molland (Badfinger), Alan White (Plastic Ono Band), BMX Bandits and Ette. He can also be heard kick starting the recent Ex Norwegian & Friends tribute album to Liverpool singer-songwriter Jimmy Campbell, Sing Jimmy Campbell with a fantastic take of his classic Rockin’ Horse track “Yes It Is.”
This latest project, The Poppermost, exists to remind us of a time when the world shook to the giddy monophonic thunk of Merseybeat, to a time of Dansettes and desert boots, when R&B didn’t mean Rhianna and Beyonce and an MP3 was Harold Wilson and a couple of his Westminster mates out on the razz down Carnaby Street.
First single “I Called You Rose” received critical acclaim and dominated the charts!
New York, NY — Over the last quarter century, Long Island Singer/Songwriter Chris St. John has truly led a diverse and successful professional career in the field of law as a prosecutor, judge and practicing attorney.
Now, his dream of lateral success in the music business is starting to become a reality, as his LP, “I’m Dreaming,” is now available on www.chrisstjohn.com, Soundcloud and all the major services. His instantly satisfying first single from the record “I Called You Rose,” hit Number #3 on the Euro Indie Music Charts and #8 on the World Indie Music Charts - with a second tune “I’d Send You My Heart” - hitting the airwaves now.
The album includes 13 original songs plus a cover of “Peggy O’” and a musical score that connects two compositions. Chris St John’s music draws from multiple genres, utilizing an array of instruments. Each song leaves the listener intently waiting for the next surprise. St John cuts his own path though, making the music uniquely his own.
The topics include the loss of love at a young age; the loss of his parents; the birth of his son John (now 18) and life with his wife of 27 years Elisabeth; a surprise DNA discovery; a serious illness where he was put in a medically induced coma, and a nurse sang him back to life; the loss of a young relative in a car accident and the subsequent climb out of depression; alcohol addiction and recovery; and a gift from his grandmother that he intends to return to her someday.
Says Chris, “My professional career is what I do. These songs are who I am. They are about my personal life. The songs have been written over about 30 years, with four new ones written in the last several months to finish up the album.”
Chris also worked in the State Department, participating in the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in 1987; and lived, studied, and taught in China later that year. He was also a Congressional Aide and is now a volunteer firefighter.
In 2015, he and his friend started a not-for-profit charity called HALO Missions, which provides medical care, clothing, food, farming equipment, and surgeries for AIDS orphans and the extreme poor throughout Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Chris remarks, “The title of the LP is ‘I’m Dreaming’ because some of these songs were dreamed in my sleep and written down when I awoke. Others came from daydreams. There are so many references to dreaming in the album. I guess I like to dream. People have told me I should write a book or make an album. This is both to me”.
Independent label Wildflow Records and Anthony Rogers announces the release of the wild debut album from babyflow. entitled “Oblivious.” The album is available on the full range of digital and stream services and is available again on limited edition vinyl, in keeping with all releases thus far on Wildflow. “Oblivious” marks the first time Rogers has released an album under another name, evidently, like everything else these days, a side effect of the Covid experience.
Rogers remarks “This is a wild one. We intended an even more collaborative album which got shut down 2 songs in March. After that, it wasn’t until August that we had the Lillers come back in separately to finish the vocals. Since there were a number of tracks with vocals other than mine, it was entirely appropriate to put this under another name. Blake significantly stepped up writing wise and the others-especially the Liller brothers left a big imprint on the final product. Then of course the craziness of the commercials and format. Made sense to me.”
Marketed as “an indie solution for the Covid/Trump hangover,” “Oblivious” is the fourth full length release (#3 on Wildflow) by Appalachian indie artist Anthony W Rogers. In addition to Rogers, babyflow features the usual contributions from Rogers’ children Blake (Audrey) and Joe Rogers as well as heavy contributions from brothers Aaron and Sean Liller, and musical contributions from local musicians/friends Pierce Miller and Bryson Bush. To complete the family circle, the iconic full on unforgettable sun cover art was painted by artist Lisa Rayden-Rogers, wife of Anthony/mother of Blake and Joe.
Most mischievous of all is that “Oblivious” features seven songs/six commercials weaving in and out of the album imitating the construct of the great classic late 60’s record, “The Who Sell Out.” But babyflow’s commercials all reference modern 2020 fictious products /places (Covid Beach, Invisible Mask, No Test Health Insurance). “The idea came from a discussion with my son, Joe about what funny products you could come up with.” Anthony says, “We landed on Invisible Mask and we were off to the races. I put the other planned tracks away and we finished it up like this. Fun to weave these in.”
The album itself is a journey from the dark caustic opener “Daddy Got Played” (a finger wagging at the collapse moral and ethical standards of the Southern Christian contingent) to the light-the hopeful optimistic promise of closer “Rain Cloud”, a ballad written for and first performed at the inaugural Mineral County (WV) Music Festival in summer 2019. The record also features the first recorded solo composition from Blake Rogers, a high school junior, in the form of the instrumental second side opener “William Burns” - a mature and subtly placid reminder honoring the victim of the last known lynching in the local Western Maryland region in 1907. The album liner notes remark of this track, “it is our duty to never forget.” “Blake also was the principal/genesis writer on ‘Substitute For Science,’ ‘3 for $12.99’ and ‘Karen for Hire.’” says Anthony.
Anthony recorded solo two of the album tracks, “Wrong” and “Wish Away.” “Wrong” is a poppy playlist ready remake/update of a track originally intended to be included on the 2015 solo album of the same name. He says, “Originally the first version of wrong referred to the existence of time. Now with the new version, I’ve come to agree with Chris Dedrick/Free Design… the wrong is outside us.” “Wish Away” concerns the personal desperation felt across the country from the early days of the pandemic. “Ok, so we know we can’t go back to how it was before” says Rogers, “so let’s dream and find the better way.” Other standout tracks include “Greaser” (a Brown Sugar-ish/Black Crowes style tribute to individualism) and “Listen (concerning BLM and the breakdown of civil discourse from an unrecognizable uninformed segment of society).
To many, the unique and most exciting part of the project will be the commercials-a humorous yet serious commentary of the state of America circa 2021. “Covid Beach” - a Dick Dale/Jan and Dean panache to a mask less paradise; “Substitute for Science” and “3 for $12.99” - with the “bleach tab “phenomena”; “Invisible Mask” - the dangers of being smart in dumdum culture; “NTHI” - a no test health insurance and “Karen for Hire,” a Sparks (Mael brothers) influenced tribute to the homemakers from hell club, who like to “fix things.” “I have no doubt that if these are heard they would be extremely useful and attractive form of comic relief for college stations across the country. The originals on sell out were used as bumpers everywhere. I think ours are just as funny.”
Anthony W Rogers is a veteran of both the local and DC music scenes, and has (many lifetimes ago in a different world) played to thousands over the years in his DC area bands Ten Below and The Now. Rogers has released three solo albums prior to “Oblivious”: 1993’s “Indentifiction”; “Wrong” in 2015; and “One Day (a Journal)” in 2018. “I’m always happy and satisfied to fly a bit below the radar. I know what we’re doing is good. Every record is just me dropping my pebble into the lake. I think my younger cohorts this time out are decidedly less apathetic as me so I hope for their sake more people hear this one.” “Oblivious” was recorded, produced and mixed at Anthony’s own Lakes Edge studio. The latest project was also the first to be mastered by DC area legend and multi-Grammy winner Greg Lukens at his Virginia facility.
Babyflow’s “Oblivion” album, following in the vein of the last two Wildflow releases - will be available on limited edition vinyl and is available currently for digital download worldwide and streaming services on the Wildflow imprint. Previous releases “Wrong” and “One Day” have previously garnered much critical praise from reviewers in the US and across Europe and are also available digitally and vinyl. Rogers first CD release in 1994, “Identifiction” remains currently out of print.
Tracks: 1. Daddy Got Played 2. Substitute for Science 3. Wrong 4. Covid Beach 5. Greaser 6. 3 for $12.99 7. William Blake 8. Invisible Mask 9. Wish Away 10. NTHI 11. Listen 12. Karen for Hire 13. Rain Cloud
The international progressive ensemble Eternal Return is a five-piece combining various duos/trios that have previously recorded and toured together. Notably, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, NoMan, O.R.k.) on bass with his frequent collaborator, Estonian guitarist Robert Jürjendal (Toyah Wilcox, Fripp’s Crafty Guitar School). At the heart of the band is Dogon, the duo of Miguel Noya, (Venezuelan electronic music pioneer, Phantom Limb Recordings) and Paul Godwin, (California-based composer/singer). Dogon have been widely celebrated and aired since the late ‘90s - “the best of progressive ambient”- WIRED Magazine. Holding down this aerial act is Miguel Toro, Venezuelan-born, Berlin-based drummer (Royal Dust). It seems like a distant past when five musicians from around the world could meet in a foreign city to record an album in-person, but that’s just what they did. They came from Venezuela, England, Estonia, California & Spain to meet in Berlin and form this band. The result is something flowing and hypnotic, mysterious yet comforting.
“Colin Edwin's tasteful fretless bass combined with atmospheric textures, and voice from ETERNAL RETURN unveils songs built on air. A special and sensitive offering.” - Bill Laswell, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, January 2021
“Once Only”
The debut album was recorded in Berlin in late 2019 by Bob Spencer at The Famous Gold Watch Studio (a former munitions factory and Stasi HQ) and mixed at Pete Townsend’s Grand Cru boat studio in London’s St. Katherine’s Docks by Jonathon Hucks. The album is concerned with “nomadism” in a time of lockdown inspired by Noya’s status as part of Venezuelan economic and political diaspora (currently living in Europe.) Musically siting progressive ambient and dream-pop influences such as Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden, David Sylvian’s solo work, or the mysterious and finely wrought 4AD project, This Mortal Coil - - the album is something fresh, darkly intimate and beguiling.
About NEWdOG Records NEWdOG Records releases fresh musical works by career ambient, progressive, post-rock, dream-pop and experimental artists from Europe, North and South America. Founded as a home for progressive ambient in the mid-‘90s in San Francisco, the label found critical acclaim and a distribution home with Dave Allen's World Domination Records (WEA). Now available through Burning Shed worldwide.
The international progressive ensemble Eternal Return is a five-piece combining various duos/trios that have previously recorded and toured together. Notably, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, NoMan, O.R.k.) on bass with his frequent collaborator, Estonian guitarist Robert Jürjendal (Toyah Wilcox, Fripp’s Crafty Guitar School). At the heart of the band is Dogon, the duo of Miguel Noya, (Venezuelan electronic music pioneer, Phantom Limb Recordings) and Paul Godwin, (California-based composer/singer). Dogon have been widely celebrated and aired since the late ‘90s - “the best of progressive ambient”- WIRED Magazine. Holding down this aerial act is Miguel Toro, Venezuelan-born, Berlin-based drummer (Royal Dust). It seems like a distant past when five musicians from around the world could meet in a foreign city to record an album in-person, but that’s just what they did. They came from Venezuela, England, Estonia, California & Spain to meet in Berlin and form this band. The result is something flowing and hypnotic, mysterious yet comforting.
“Colin Edwin's tasteful fretless bass combined with atmospheric textures, and voice from ETERNAL RETURN unveils songs built on air. A special and sensitive offering.” - Bill Laswell, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, January 2021
“Once Only”
The debut album was recorded in Berlin in late 2019 by Bob Spencer at The Famous Gold Watch Studio (a former munitions factory and Stasi HQ) and mixed at Pete Townsend’s Grand Cru boat studio in London’s St. Katherine’s Docks by Jonathon Hucks. The album is concerned with “nomadism” in a time of lockdown inspired by Noya’s status as part of Venezuelan economic and political diaspora (currently living in Europe.) Musically siting progressive ambient and dream-pop influences such as Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden, David Sylvian’s solo work, or the mysterious and finely wrought 4AD project, This Mortal Coil - - the album is something fresh, darkly intimate and beguiling.
About NEWdOG Records NEWdOG Records releases fresh musical works by career ambient, progressive, post-rock, dream-pop and experimental artists from Europe, North and South America. Founded as a home for progressive ambient in the mid-‘90s in San Francisco, the label found critical acclaim and a distribution home with Dave Allen's World Domination Records (WEA). Now available through Burning Shed worldwide.
Featuring special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera.
Immrama Records and Gonzo MultiMedia announce the release of “Dark Horizons,” the debut album from ILLUMINAE, the brand-new project from Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (Caamora). The album features special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera. The album was mixed by Joe Gibb, highly regarded as a world class mix engineer and who has worked with many prestigious artists including Massive Attack, The Cure and Leftfield.
ILLUMINAE will be releasing the single & video for “Blood On Your Hands” on November 27th.
From dark, twisted symphonies to sweet lullabies, the collective writing talents of Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (solo, Caamora) combine in their powerful new musical collaboration ILLUMINAE. Embracing symphonic, progressive and Celtic influences, bitter sweet melodies intertwine with lush harmonies to create a majestic towering cathedral of sound, songs which traverse the dividing line between darkness and light, life and death, solitude and hope. Shards of light piercing a subterranean labyrinth.
London based Welshman, Ian Jones, is a founder member, composer and multi-instrumentalist with British symphonic rock band Karnataka and Chasing The Monsoon. Karnataka have released several critically acclaimed and award-winning albums, including The Gathering Light and Secrets of Angels. Vocalist, pianist and composer Agnieszka Świta, hailing from Poland and living in London, released her self-penned debut solo album “Sleepless,” a modern symphonic rock album, to critical acclaim and has released several albums with Clive Nolan in their collaborative project Caamora.
TRACK LIST: The Lighthouse Blood On Your Hands Edge of Darkness Lullaby Twice Heretics and Prophecy Sanctuary Black Angel Sign of Infinity Dark Horizons
Featuring special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera.
Immrama Records and Gonzo MultiMedia announce the release of “Dark Horizons,” the debut album from ILLUMINAE, the brand-new project from Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (Caamora). The album features special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera. The album was mixed by Joe Gibb, highly regarded as a world class mix engineer and who has worked with many prestigious artists including Massive Attack, The Cure and Leftfield.
ILLUMINAE will be releasing the single & video for “Blood On Your Hands” on November 27th.
From dark, twisted symphonies to sweet lullabies, the collective writing talents of Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (solo, Caamora) combine in their powerful new musical collaboration ILLUMINAE. Embracing symphonic, progressive and Celtic influences, bitter sweet melodies intertwine with lush harmonies to create a majestic towering cathedral of sound, songs which traverse the dividing line between darkness and light, life and death, solitude and hope. Shards of light piercing a subterranean labyrinth.
London based Welshman, Ian Jones, is a founder member, composer and multi-instrumentalist with British symphonic rock band Karnataka and Chasing The Monsoon. Karnataka have released several critically acclaimed and award-winning albums, including The Gathering Light and Secrets of Angels. Vocalist, pianist and composer Agnieszka Świta, hailing from Poland and living in London, released her self-penned debut solo album “Sleepless,” a modern symphonic rock album, to critical acclaim and has released several albums with Clive Nolan in their collaborative project Caamora.
TRACK LIST: The Lighthouse Blood On Your Hands Edge of Darkness Lullaby Twice Heretics and Prophecy Sanctuary Black Angel Sign of Infinity Dark Horizons
Chicago, IL – Inspired by the interaction between a waitress and her customer, Home Cookin’ Band’s debut single, “Working For A Good Tip,” has been bringing audiences in Chicago out on the dance floor since the band started performing the song in live venues last year.
Lead-singer and co-writer, Anastasiya Protasevych, who sings the part of the waitress, relocated to Chicago from the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine in 2017. Her vocal style reflects her thorough knowledge of American Blues and Classic Rock music along with her love of Ukrainian folk music. Her vocal style also reminds the listener of her strong European influences such as The Cranberries. Anastasiya also plays rhythm guitar and piano for the band.
Co-written by lead guitarist, Michael Costelloe, the song has a classic rock feel. Michael’s guitar playing crosses genres from blues to rock to pop, jazz and country.
The band’s rhythm section features bassist, Kevin Lahvic and drummer, Jeff Gilbert, both formerly of Matthew Morgan & the Lost Brigade, a band that headlined in the Chicago clubs for nearly a decade. Home Cookin’ Band started performing in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago in 2018.
Asked about the song, Anastasiya says, “I know what it can be like for waitresses, but ‘Working For A Good Tip’ is meant to be a fun song that brings out a little truth as part of the story.”
San Francisco, CA – BEN LANG is a singer-songwriter from San Rafael, CA. His debut solo release MODERN MAN EP offers six finely crafted alternative-acoustic tracks written and performed entirely by BEN LANG, with expressive lyrics and a slight country feel akin to artists as varied as Violent Femmes, Paul Simon, or Willie Nelson. MODERN MAN EP is made available online everywhere music is streamed and sold on November 27, Black Friday 2020. There will also be a MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW broadcast online to coincide with the release the same day, giving fans the chance to see a live performance of each song.
After playing in bands for several years and putting out a few different albums, BEN LANG branched out on his own as a solo performer in 2017 and began playing an assortment of mellow covers and originals at local restaurants, weddings, parties, and open mics. As he crafted more original material, he began to make plans for MODERN MAN EP, his first solo release. MODERN MAN EP was then recorded, mixed, and mastered by his good friend Matt Cope in his home studio between 2018 and 2020.
To coincide with the release, BEN LANG partnered with Gabriel Lamb and Digital Lamb Productions to produce a MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW. The concert will broadcast online on Black Friday 2020, giving fans the chance to kick back and relax that evening with some Thanksgiving leftovers while enjoying a live BEN LANG performance of each new MODERN MAN EP song.
Originally from the southeast Texas town of Port Arthur, BEN LANG was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he still hangs his hat with his big dog Boone by his side. Like many, he fell in love with music as a teenager, and began learning everything he could about bass and guitar with dreams of rock stardom in his head every night. Together with Paggi (aka Dan Paggi), also a notable Pacific Northwest artist, BEN LANG was a founding member of the San Francisco cult classic band Biv and the Mnemonics (aka Roy G Biv & The Mnemonic Devices), whose albums The Blue Orange (2009) and The Pace (2013) were released to critical acclaim and still resonate today. Together they also founded the independent label Moo Moo Records, and continue to release and market new projects partnered with Independent Distribution Collective (IDC).
As a solo artist, BEN LANG performs every Friday at the Le Chalet Basque restaurant in San Rafael, or at the occasional show, party, wedding, or open mic around town. He also plays bass with the Bay Area’s best rockers Secret Lives (aka The Gene Immens Project), whose solid mix of hard-rocking originals and crowd-pleasing covers brings an electric charge to every show. Throughout the years BEN LANG has performed in other bands including Azalea Drive, Moblad, and The Devil’s Chord.
San Francisco, CA – An export from the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, EVAN WARDELL is a musician, producer, and audio engineer now based in San Francisco. Written, performed, produced, recorded, and mixed entirely by EVAN WARDELL (he even created the cover art), the new album IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT is a hook-laden indie rock masterpiece that illustrates the pain of addiction, heartbreak, and the all too common struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. Made available online everywhere music is streamed and sold on October 30, 2020, IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT is the debut solo full-length album from EVAN WARDELL.
EVAN WARDELL moved to San Francisco in 2009 to study audio engineering and immerse himself in city life. Since then, he has gone from recording in his bedroom to becoming the musical manager at Pianofight (the coolest indie venue in San Francisco), engineering at the historic and renowned Hyde Street Studios, and mixing front of house for audiences of hundreds of people. IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT represents at least seven years of songwriting and recording, and as a result offers a chronicle of how EVAN WARDELL has changed over that time as a person, as a songwriter, and even as an audio engineer. Evan says, “To me the album feels like the culmination of everything I've ever learned, and the beginning of something bigger and better.”
EVAN WARDELL produced, recorded, and mixed IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT entirely by himself, and offers these services to other artists and producers as well. With flexible rates, a home studio, a small demo studio, and access to Hyde Street Studios, he has the rates and environment to fit your recording needs! For more information please contact evan.wardell@gmail.com.
Evan was born and raised on a small rural island off the coast of Massachusetts where he learned how to play music. From the very beginning he wanted to write and record his own material, and everything he does musically has this entrepreneurial drive at its core. He’s played in a few different bands over the years, all the while developing his own voice and engineering abilities. His music blends vitriolic passion with meandering psychedelia into a soup of hook laden indie rock. Throughout 2020 he has been keeping busy, already at work in the studio again and recording some new songs. EVAN WARDELL also does sound design for theater, and as a composer is currently scoring a film, a video game, and even a dance video.
A fixture in the San Francisco music scene, you can find EVAN WARDELL rocking out with the psychedelic Western outfit The Green Door (new album Wolf In The Fold out now!), or in normal times playing his saddest tunes for his bi-weekly live show Sadurday Happy Hour at Pianofight, the city’s coolest hub for performing artists, where he also acts as Musical Technical Manager. EVAN WARDELL was also a member of the SF band Biv and the Mnemonics, whose album The Pace was released to critical acclaim in 2013.
Stephen Britt is a singer-songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina. His band, Ugly Runner, put out their debut EP, “Romanticizer,” with Cleopatra Records in January, 2020. It was aggressive and raw, with little room for sorrow or sentiment. The band parted ways during quarantine, and in late July of 2020, Stephen enrolled in school at Full Sail University to pursue a BFA in Creative Writing. Taking a break from music didn’t last long. He began working on what would become his debut solo album, “Bite A Lemon” on August 8th. He wanted to touch on all the aspects of rock and roll that have inspired him throughout his life as an aspiring songwriter. With ”Bite A Lemon,” you get the familiar raw, aggressive, unpolished rock and roll, but it doesn’t end there. The record is laden with acoustic guitar, vocal harmonies, and relaxation, but it never loses the soul of rock and roll. With that, Stephen Britt presents an album that from start-to-finish should have something for everyone.
“Bite A Lemon” was written and recorded at Stephen Britt’s home in Asheville, North Carolina, from August 8th to September 8th, 2020. The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Stephen himself, and while it might show at times, it’s exactly what he was going for. Stephen’s friend, roommate, and local musician, Garett Hatch, is featured on various tracks throughout the 38-minute album playing bass or guitar. Stephen also had his friend and local musician, Ben Survant (Natural Born Leaders), lay down a saxophone solo in the opening track, “Elevator Toe Jam” to kick off the album, and he shows up again in the upbeat soul track, “Left The Party.”
Says Stephen, “Going into the quarantine of 2020, I wanted to create an album with intent. No filler. Of course, that’s the plan with every release, but to really sit down and trim the fat is something I’ve never done. It’s also not something you were able to do in the pre-COVID days, where you go into a studio, record everything you’ve prepared and that’s what you put out. It was nice to be able to sit with the material as I made it, and really create an intentional collection of what I considered the most timeless 12 songs I could write at the moment. I believe the intent of ‘Bite A Lemon’ is to not only be an outlet for me to say some things I’ve wanted to say, but also to pay tribute to the history of rock and roll with an eclectic blend of (hopefully) timeless rock and roll songs.
“My friend and roommate, Garett Hatch, had just released a solo album in August, 2020 (‘A Place With No Name’). I really enjoyed it, and thought I would give it a shot. I didn’t want to use any of my older songs. I really just wanted to write and record an album within a month. At some point during this process, Garett heard a demo version of a song I wrote at the beginning of quarantine called ‘Bite A Lemon’ and demanded it go on the album. It’s the only song from the record not written between August 8th and September 8th, and it’s funny how I considered this track only a ‘throwaway’ back in March and now it’s the title track to the record.”
To support the new release Stephen is currently working on a video for the track “Imaginary World” which he aims to release by the middle of October. He’s still figuring out the live production of “Bite A Lemon,” but with the talent of his friends in the Asheville area, it will surely be a lot of fun!
In closing Stephen has this to impart, “I know there’s a message I want people to take away from ‘Bite A Lemon,’ but I think I’m still trying to figure out what it means to me. The one thing I know is that it’s as honest as I could be without being too on-the-nose. The entire process was a whirlwind of guitars on porches, too many cigarettes, and not enough sleeping. I hope by the end of the album people love rock and roll a little bit more than they did before.”
“Bite A Lemon” will be released online everywhere on September 25th, 2020.
