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Something very special happened when a collective of imaginative musicians got together to complete a batch of demos. As the ramshackle posse morphed into a polished band intriguingly dubbed Lese Majesty, and finished music began to waft out into the surrounding music scene, people began to talk about this alt-rock quartet bursting with edgy hooks and provocative ideals.
An air of mystique surrounded the band as the promising EP was quietly released, but no shows were on the docket. Now, the Sydney, Australia-based four-piece band pulls back the curtains to reveal a calendar of performance dates and a new dark and dignified EP, Cold Reason For Change produced by Dead Letter Circus’s Luke Palmer. Lese Majesty is a world-class alt-rock band with an incisive and incendiary perspective. “There is a theme running through what we do that is exemplified by the band’s name,” bassist Joel Henderson details. “And that’s self-sovereignty. Freedom of choice, freedom to put what you want into your body, and freedom to travel unrestricted.” Adds vocalist Jodie Lee Gibson: “When we sit down at dinner, or for a few beers, that is what we talk about, it gets real—we write about our beliefs and empowerment.” Lese Majesty is Jodie Lee Gibson, vocals, Joel Henderson, bass, Jake Tuffin, lead guitar, and Ben Moore, rhythm guitar. The quartet has garnered favorable comparisons to rousing alt-rock artists such as The 1975, Paramore, Nothing But Thieves, and artful tunesmiths such as Letlive, The War On Drugs, and Dead Letter Circus. Lese Majesty balances pop-rock hooks against dramatic loud and soft dynamics, atmospheric passages, and emotive female vocals that encompass scrubbed raw urgency, sassy contempt, and pure soaring melodicism. Prior to the Cold Reason For Change EP, Lese Majesty released a self-produced EP in November 2015. Members of the Lese Majesty previously lived together in a 10-person share-house where they wrote their foundational demos. They also creatively circled each other for a decade. Previously Lese Majesty members played in different musical configurations. The four musicians found themselves drawn to each other in this incarnation by a shared love of songcraft and heartfelt, and often controversial, beliefs. The group’s moniker is derived from the French term “lèse-majesté” which translates to mean committing an offense against a ruling power. The name holds many shades of appeal for the band. It conjures femininity, grandeur, and it exudes a flippant cool in tune with the band’s impassioned streak of irreverence. The four-song EP Crown Land is a profound leap in growth for the band in terms of songwriting, sweeping sonics, and nuanced band interplay. The title track is burly alt-rock with textured edges and skyward hooks. “Seeking Escape” vacillates between pent-up emotionality and climatic refrains. This feeling of tension and release in the music is perfectly in line with the lyric narrative which compassionately examines the addict’s need for release to escape his or her reality. “Seeking Escape” is neither a pro drug song nor a nihilistic anthem—it’s simply a fresh perspective on an epidemic. The EP closes with the stirring modern rock track “Monster,” a sage and sensitive look at parental sacrifices from a grown child’s vantage point. Members of Lese Majesty have been fans of producer Luke Palmer’s band Dead Letter Circus for years. The two parties connected serendipitously online. Turns out Palmer was also of fan of the upstart band and volunteered his production services to Lese Majesty, enabling the group to achieve a more mature, multi-faceted, and emotionally rich aesthetic. Up next, Lese Majesty will be sharing their high-energy and passionate rock show with audiences locally before jumping into international touring, In conclusion, vocalist Jodie Lee Gibson says: “It’s been so rewarding seeing this music and this band come to life. I never thought I would be a part of something so special, and we are bursting at the seams to share this music with everyone.”
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A hobby band? A side project? Hardly. In fact, it’s been 32 years and, with the release of Let Me Fly on April 7th, eight albums since Mike Rutherford formed Mike + The Mechanics, to complement rather than replace Genesis.
“In 1985 we were having the best time in Genesis,” he remembers. “But after 28 years, myself Phil and Tony wanted variety, so we ran our band and our solo careers side by side happily for many years. To be honest, it saved Genesis. The fact I’m still doing it with the Mechanics just makes me smile.” Mike Rutherford has much to smile about right now and Let Me Fly distils everything that’s right about Mike + The Mechanics: the songwriting, the life-affirming uplift and the undercurrent of quirk. Let Me Fly began to take off as the band toured 2011’s The Road, the first album featuring the current line-up: Rutherford himself (guitar/bass), Luke Juby (keyboards), Gary Wallis (drums), Anthony Drennan (guitar), plus vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar. “The Mechanics hadn’t played live much, so we started to do what I’d done 40 years ago and build a name. We did Euro festivals, UK tours and small places and, yes, I really did wonder at my age if it was OK to be at Portsmouth Guildhall, but we got to be a great live band. The chemistry works because we’re all very different people, who’re fun and quirky - if there were any personality problems I couldn’t deal with that, I really couldn’t. We needed new songs though.” Mike’s friend Brian Rawling, producer of David Bowie, Tina Turner, Cher’s Believe and the Mike + The Mechanics’ hit Now That You’ve Gone played the role of Let Me Fly’s sounding board. Rawling introduced Mike to former Johnny Hates Jazz singer Clark Datchler and, in December 2015 a new songwriting partnership was born. “We sat down together and from day one it worked. Clark’s a proper writer and he brought something new. I’d send him lines and he’d bring them to life. We never had a slow day.” Along the way, Mike also collaborated with old friend Fraser T. Smith (Kano, Kaiser Chiefs, Adele, Sam Smith) and Ed Drewett (One Direction, Professor Green), while both Mechanics singers collaborated too. Big studios were out. Instead, Mike and one of the singers would make a demo which would be passed around for the others to embellish and layer by layer, the songs evolved into something special. “You don’t go into studios any more: doing it this way feels like you’re working on the good bits all the time, but the songs really have to deliver.” The results pleased even the chief Mechanic himself. “The Road didn’t move anyone’s world as we made it just after we’d met. We’ve learned to play together now. For me, it’s about proving I can write a good song, but the older you get, the less you let yourself off with ‘it’s not bad’, the less you pretend and the tougher you are on yourself. The hardest part of the whole process is staying relevant, but anyone who says success doesn’t matter is a liar: what you really want is people to like it. Then you feel it’s all been worth it. It’s as simple as that. Oh and my wife loves it, more than she’s loved an album of mine for a while! Trust me, that’s a really good sign.” The title track, Let Me Fly, performed by Andrew Roachford provided the album’s title and its emotional centre. “For the sleeve, we used a base jumper leaping around on a trampoline. He had to shave his head for the shoot. The phrase has a lovely, aspirational feel, but the song isn’t just about love, it’s about life. It’s got a great Roach vocal, a choir and it sounds fantastic. I imagine a guy on a hill just letting go and seeing what happens. If you don't try things, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.” Elsewhere, Let Me Fly overflows with the sense of joy that’s defined the band’s entire existence and, as ever, there’s a host of characters, not all of them upstanding citizens, such as the hapless philanderer of Don’t Know What Came Over Me. “Here’s this guy who’s happily married, loves his lady and everything’s wonderful. Then, one night, he goes AWOL and loses everything by having a one-night-stand. It was a moment of madness and he’s beyond remorseful. Was he forgiven? The song just leaves him hanging. And no, it’s not autobiographical!” The Letter is based on the Sliding Doors principle. “Someone finds a letter in a drawer. It’s from his wife and it says things about him she’s never said to his face. His whole life turns around. If he hadn't opened the drawer everything would have carried on the same. Once he’s done it, it's too late. He's left hanging too by the way.” In contrast, Save My Soul could have slipped into mawkishness. “The chords and melody were great, but I couldn’t find a setting to it take away from sounding like a corny Michael Bolton ballad. I asked Fraser T Smith’s beats guy, Zak Kemp to have a little mess around. He used a couple of R&B loop ideas and it came to life. Its whole feel and texture changed and it has space now. It’s about people who ride roughshod over others because they can. Believe me, they never get away with it. Are You Ready is the most uptempo song of a mostly uptempo album. “It works on two levels: are you ready to stand up and say we’re a couple? But also are you ready to be who you are, to admit what you are and what you do?” It’s been a long and fruitful journey. Not bad for a band who were formed to offer its leader “variety”. “I never imagined Mike + The Mechanics would last. Then again as a 15-year-old I never imagined Genesis would last.” And there’s The Living Years, the song of loss and joy for which Mike Rutherford will always be remembered. “I know I’ll never write another song as far-reaching. It’s part of people’s lives, but I never feel weighed down by it, especially when I see the response it gets. I massively appreciate everything it’s done.” What next? “I’ve never had a long-term plan, even with Genesis. I’ll put Let My Fly out and I’ll see where it goes. What happens this year will tell me what to do next. I like that!” Halo Circus is a bilingual alternative rock band that crafts "anthems for introverts.” Just last June, Halo Circus released their debut full-length album Bunny to critical acclaim and their single Band-Aid (Music by Halo Circus / Lyrics by Paul Williams) was named #1 Song of 2016 by Popdust. To celebrate, Halo Circus teamed up with Duran Duran's John Taylor to create a special remix of the track. The track is currently streaming on Popdust HERE. Halo Circus is also pleased to announce their new EP “The East Lansing Sessions," which will be released on May 5. The Band-Aid Remix is available as a FREE immediate download to anyone who pre-orders the new EP.
In the pre-order trailer Iraheta explains, "Last year, when we were on the road, we recorded a brand new EP. Yup, while we were on the road. Initially, it was going to be something for our fans and everyone that got us on the road but, as fate would have it, it turned out better than expected." Check out the full trailer below.
TenFiveSixty make music. Let them draw you into their world. They want to make broken hearted people dance. They recently released four new tracks on E.P. including "You Say" and "Wolves" The UK duo's music has been described as "pure sonic goodness."
Amy Allen, is gearing up to release her full-length album Get Me Outta Here! full of pop gold tunes you can rock out to. The title track is evidence of this. Not only is Allen prepping for a NYC EP release show on 5/6, but will also be performing at this year's Canadian Music Week, not to be missed.
Sickick, the Toronto-based pop x dance music artist just released his new track "No Games." Pretty well-known as far as indie artists go, Sickick opened for Drake last year and is making waves with 15M+ views on YouTube.
The thing about Sickick is that he always wears a mask -- every show, every performance, every public appearance. A decision he attributes to his laser-focused commitment to the music, rather than the need to promote an identity based on physicality, ethnicity, race or culture. His masked appearance makes a powerful statement about stereotypes and music genres. PIPSY announces their highly anticipated debut single and video ‘Why Can’t I Get What I Want, For Once?’ is released today via Melbourne (AUS) label Warhammer Kid.
Originally from Dunedin (NZ), PIPSY is the latest project by Melbourne based artist and producer Paul Pouwels. Named after the local nickname for the Dunedin New Zealand native, PIPSY follows up Paul’s work with critically acclaimed jangle-pop bands Males and blues-luchadors Julian Temple Band. Pouwels steps out from behind the drum kit as a frontman for the new band – offering up visceral, upbeat punk songs, with a soft and gooey pop-caramel core, written during his years as a sideman for other bands in the Dunedin music scene. Written as a reflection on past mistakes revisiting him time and again, ‘Why Can’t I Get What I Want, For Once?’ is a surprisingly upbeat, tongue-in-cheek musing on bad relationships, bad choices, and that silly desperation that we all feel from time to time – that little voice that says ‘Why me?’, and the other that answers ‘Because you never seem to learn.’ The track was produced by Pipsy’s longtime collaborator Tex Houston, famous for his work with the historically significant Dunedin Sound bands The Clean, The 3ds, and The Verlaines. Musically, PIPSY explores new psychedelic and soul-pop territories on ‘Why Can’t I Get What I Want, For Once?’ while further stretching his musical muscles by writing, producing, singing and playing guitars and drums on the new track. ‘I felt that it was pretty personal music, so I liked doing as much as I could – plus I still love bashing the drums, so I thought, if Dave (Grohl) can do it, maybe so can I!’ said Pouwels of his turn to songwriting and being a frontman. The band is rounded out by Paul’s brother Cameron on bass, longtime collaborator and hip-hop producer Josiah Cowan on guitars, and new member and childhood friend William Powell on drums for live shows. PIPSY’S debut EP will be released later in 2017! George talks with Rolling Stone about Mardi Gras Madness tour, recent collab with Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube, and 2017 plans for new Brainfeeder LP with Flying Lotus and Thundercat n 2014, the legendary artist released a new Funkadelic triple album, First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate – "Thirty-three [songs] was overboard, but I don't regret it," he tells Rolling Stone – and the autobiography; last year, Clinton appeared on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. He has also kept an eye on his legacy: The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened this past September, includes a 1,200-pound Nineties replica of the famed Parliament-Funkadelic Mothership. AVAILABLE FOR SELECT AND ROUTED DATES
Current itinerary below: Thu, Apr 27, 2017 - Charlotte, NC - The Filmore Fri, Apr 28, 2017 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues Sat, Apr 29, 2017 - Durham, NC - Carolina Theater Thu, May 25, 2017 - Detroit, MI - Soundboard at Motor City Casino Fri, May 26, 2017 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center Sat, May 27, 2017 - Cedar Rapids, IA - McGrath Amphitheater Sun, May 28, 2017 - Mankato, MN - Better Stone Amphitheater Thu, Jun 8, 2017 - Ardmore, PA - The Ardmore Music Hall Fri, Jun 9, 2017 - Rochester, NY - Funk 'N Waffles Sat, Jun 10, 2017 - Beverly, MA - The Cabot Theater Sun, Jun 11, 2017 - Queens, NY - Flushing Meadows Parks Fri, Jun 16, 2017 - Kansas City, MO - Boulevardia Sat, Jun 17, 2017 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Street Sun, Jun 18, 2017 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater Fri, Jun 23, 2017 - State College, PA - The State Theater Sat, Jun 24, 2017 - Akron, OH - Lock 3 Fri, Jul 7, 2017 - Hamden, CT - Town Center Park Sat, Jul 8, 2017 - Lynchburg, VA - Riverfront Concert Series Sun, Jul 9, 2017 - Norfolk, VA - The Norvo Thu, Jul 13, 2017 - Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Place Theater Sat, Jul 15, 2017 - Chicago, IL - Union Park Fri, Jul 28, 2017 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune Sat, Jul 29, 2017 - Seattle, WA - The Neptune Sun, Jul 30, 2017 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Wed, Aug 3, 2017 - Berkley, CA - Cornerstone Berkley Sat, Aug 5, 2017 - Long Beach, CA - Queen Mary Event Center Fri, Aug 11, 2017 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Jazz Festival Mainstage Mon, Aug 26, 2017 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair Tue, Aug 27, 2017 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair Fri, Sep 1, 2017 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues Thu, Sep 7, 2017 - Tempe, AZ- The Marquee Fri, Oct 13, 2017 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot SLC Sat, Oct 14, 2017 - Las Vegas, NV - Silverton Casino Hotel Las Vegas Sun, Oct 15, 2017 - San Fransico, CA - The Independent Fri, Oct 27, 2017 - Hammond, IN - Venue at Horseshoe Casino Knitting Factory Presents (KFP) announced today that they have finalized a multi-year partnership with Big Sky Brewing Company (BSBC), the locally owned and operated brewery based in Missoula with distribution in twenty-four states. With this announcement comes the news that KFP and BSBC have broken ground on several key infrastructure improvements after more than a year of in-depth planning. The venue will now feature an engineered amphitheater bowl, improving sight lines for all concert goers and allowing for multiple mixed configurations, including general admission and reserved seated options. The new stage house will provide artists with a state of the art performance space and upgraded production capabilities. The venue offers scenic views of Lolo Peak and beautiful big sky country sunsets. "Big Sky Brewing Company has had a great time hosting concerts such as Bob Dylan, Pretty Lights, Wilco, The Decemberists, Chris Young, Lindsey Stirling and more in our backyard over the past six summer seasons,” said Neal Leathers, president and co-founder of BSBC. “These concerts have allowed us to contribute nearly $500,000 to local non-profit organizations serving the Missoula community at large. Now, after nine months of designing the site improvements, obtaining construction permits and hiring contractors, we finally broke ground on our new and improved venue. We can't wait to show it off to concertgoers and for the 2017 concert season to begin!" To date, KFP and BSBC have hosted over sixty concerts at the brewery’s current home in Missoula and the 2017 Summer Concert Series is off to a running start with 8 shows announced, to date. The Trey Anastasio Band will serve as the headliner for the grand-reopening of the venue on Saturday, June 3rd, and other performers include Rebelution June 23rd, Sublime with Rome July 4th, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals July 18th, UB40 Legends Ali, Astro and Mickey July 19th, Michael Franti & Spearhead September 11th and the debut of Travelers’ Rest August 12th and 13th, a new weekend festival presented by The Decemberists. A full slate of events will be announced over the next few weeks giving BSBC its biggest season yet! After landing over one million plays on Spotify, performing at the Beale Street Music Festival, and placing on the Spotify VIRAL 50 USA chart, The Band CAMINO is quickly gaining traction in Memphis and worldwide. Heaven, the band’s second EP, will be released on June 2, 2017. Influenced by the soaring sounds of The 1975 and Kings of Leon, The Band CAMINO’s music is equally anthemic and emotive. Their music truly captures the sound of youth while also tackling the complex emotions that come with it. They hope to bring the sound of Memphis into the 21st Century and inspire a new generation of young people to create. |
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