Wednesday, October 30, 2013

IT'S AN INDIE POP CHRISTMAS!

HIGHLINE RECORDS' 'FESTIVUS 2' COMPILATION, OUT NOVEMBER 26, TO FEATURE THE LILYS, WESTERN LOWS, GLAM CHOPS (EDDIE ARGOS), FRANCIS MCDONALD (OF TEENAGE FANCLUB), NPR FAVORITE PINEY GIR, AND LA DREAM-POP BREAKOUTS WESTERN LOWS

Indie pop Christmas compilation 'Festivus 2' will be release November 26 on Highline Records, featuring The Lilys, Glam Chops, Piney Gir, Western Lows, and members of Teenage Fanclub and Art Brut.

Paste and Philadelphia Inquirer' both featured "standout tracks" (Paste) from last year's 'Festivus' on its Christmas 2012 playlists. NME praised the "jingly-jangly label showcase" and Q said, "Highline is similarly opposed to breadhead solstice-mongering, and offer up 15 skiffly, lovelorn tunes with a Brian Wilson aesthetic adorned with both kinds of jangling (guitars and jingle bells)." Oklahoma Gazette said, "Give it to your favorite hipster."

'Festivus 2' may be the rare sequel that's better than the original. The album kicks off with the moody synth-pop version of "Silent Night" submitted by LA dream poppers Western Lows, who have been championed by Bob Harris and The Guardian ("a particularly enervated form of shoegaze"). Other highlights are Glam Chops (featuring Eddie Argos of Art Brut) with "Baby Jesus Was the First Glam Rocker" (with a wicked David Bowie impression); The Priscillas driving power-pop "One Christmas Wish"; Ulysses' overdriven-with-harmonies "I Wish You a Merry Christmas"; and Francis Macdonald (of Teenage Fanclub) with Anna Sheard "Silver Bells Sing Their Chime." Washington, D.C. indie rockers The Lilys' version of "Good King Wenceslas" delivers a rare slice of guitar-bending psychedelic delight from the indie veterans. The subject of two NPR segments in the past year, Kansan-via-London's Piney Gir serves reverb-soaked psych-pop.

'Festivus 2' is an eclectic mix of great holiday music from UK and US artists alike. 

'Festivus 2' Track Listing

1. Silent Night - Western Lows  
2. I Wish You A Merry Christmas - Ulysses  
3. In The Bleak Midwinter - Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou  
4. Ho Ho Hos Before Hos - Red Pony Clock  
5. One Christmas Wish - The Priscillas  
6. It's Christmas - Piney Gir  
7. Don't Freat Out On Me - Mi Mye  
8. Good King Winceslas - Lilys  
9. The Coldest Night - Left With Pictures  
10. Baby Jesus Was The First Glam Rocker - Glam Chops 
11. Silver Bells Sing Their Chime - Francis Macdonald and Anna Sheard 
12. Christmas at the Foodbank - Dodgy 
13. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlmen - Dennis Hopper Choppers  
14. Thank God It's Christmas - Darling BOY  
15. My Heart Is As Pure As The Snow - Antony Elvin  
16. Three Kings - Alexander's Festival Hall

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

NPR World Cafe, USA Today Tout Declan O'Rourke As Travel + Leisure Premieres Lush Music Video

NPR WORLD CAFÉ NEXT FEATURES DECLAN O'ROURKE AS ACCLAIM MOUNTS FROM USA TODAY & SPIN

TRAVEL + LEISURE PREMIERES NEW MUSIC VIDEO "TIME MACHINE" FILMED IN RURAL IRELAND

Declan O'Rourke – who made his US debut with the stunning new album 'Mag Pai Zai' (Rimecoat / Missing Piece) – was last week's featured Next artist on NPR World Café.

World Café host David Dye says, "It is definitely time for this music to cross the ocean... O'Rourke has a penchant for writing about love and history with equal amounts of ease and gravity."

Today, Travel + Leisure premiered the new video for "Time Machine," gorgeously filmed in rural Ireland and featuring O'Rourke's nephews as stand-ins for his younger self. In the piece, he talks about how a priest gifted him his first guitar in Melbourne, Australia.

Other acclaim has come in from a variety of critics, including USA Today, in which he was featured on a Playlist alongside major stars like Neko Case, Nine Inch Nails, Lorde, Drake, Lupe Fiasco, and Nirvana.

Acclaim for 'Mag Pai Zai'

"Compassion, romance, a sense of mortality, and a sense of history run through the songs of Declan O'Rourke… his calling is as a balladeer, proffering reassurance in the face of inevitable sorrow." – Jon Pareles, NY Times

"Declan O'Rourke is long overdue for a stateside breakthrough." – Luke McCormick, SPIN

"The Irish balladeer's storytelling skills shine." – Edna Gundersen, USA Today,

"Warm, enveloping voice." – Eric Danton, Wall Street Journal

"Classic crooing sound." – Nate Storey, Travel + Leisure

"Greatness... A listen to a song like 'Time Machine,' 'Caterpillar DNA' or 'Langley's Requiem' is to feel a biting wind blow right through you, and have you reaching for the first warmth available. Heaviness has never had a better home."– Bill Bentley, Morton Report

"Be warned: O’Rourke isn’t just another balladeer with an acoustic guitar. His voice, lyrics and arrangements have distinct impact." – Chuck Campbell, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Monday, October 21, 2013

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS' LEYLA MCCALLA PLANS SOLO DEBUT 'VARI-COLORED SONGS: A TRIBUTE TO LANGSTON HUGHES,' OUT FEBRUARY 4 ON MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION PEGGED TO HUGHES FEBRUARY 1 BIRTHDAY

MUSIC SET TO HUGHES' POETRY, TWO ORIGINAL SONGS, AND HAITIAN FOLK SONGS CAST "A CHARMING, RESONANT SPELL" (THE GUARDIAN)

"Haiti, land of blue sea and green hills… Nights full of stars, throbbing with Congo drums. At the capital lovely ladies ambergold, mulatto politicians, warehouse full of champagne, banks full of money. A surge of black peasants who live on the land, and the foam of the cultured elite in Port-au-Prince who live on the peasants."
- Langston Hughes, "I Wonder as I Wander," 1956

New Orleanian, cellist, and Carolina Chocolate Drop Leyla McCalla will release her solo debut 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes,' February 4 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. Hughes was born February 1, 1902. Bouncing cello, pulsing tenor banjo, and her rich voice accompany the original music set to Hughes' poetry; two original songs with original lyrics; and several Haitian folk songs, reflecting both McCalla's own heritage and Hughes' travels to Haiti.

See Leyla in performance.

There is already buzz in the UK, where she has played on three BBC programs and the Guardian made her subject of a profile and a four-star review, saying that the album casts "a charming, resonant spell."

Raised in the NYC area by Haitian-born parents, McCalla was inspired to become creative by reading Langston Hughes at a young age. She was classically trained in cello at NYU before moving to the Crescent City, where she began a creative rebirth. She would play Bach's Cello Suite #1 and Bach's Sarabande from Suite #3 on the streets of the French Quarter for tips and began to learn about the cultural relationships between Haiti and New Orleans. "The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continued to feel," she reflects.

'Vari-Colored Songs' was recorded in rural, southern Virginia with additional sessions in New Orleans, with special guests Rhiannon Giddens (also of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Hubby Jenkins (The Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Luke Winslow-King (now signed to Bloodshot Records).

Publicity photos.

McCalla is booked by Concerted Efforts and is presently touring Europe with Giddens.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013

Nick Loss-Eaton Media at CMJ Music Marathon 2013

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

11:30pm Tuesday – Joe Fletcher – Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St, Manhattan (at E Houston)

Fast-rising Americana songwriter Joe Fletcher has played Newport Folk Festival and Americana Festival. Fletcher, whose sound swirls blues, outlaw country, and gritty Americana influences, made his Newport debut last year. He has also opened for Jason Isbell, Deer Tick, The Low Anthem, John Doe, and Lucero and recorded with John McCauley (Deer Tick). Vanity Fair recently ran a Q&A with Fletcher and McCauley: http://vimeo.com/35865561

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

7pm – John Murry – Windish Showcase - Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston Street, Manhattan (at Essex)

John Murry -- the Bay Area-based second cousin of William Faulkner's who makes incredible Southern indie-noir music – is touring in October opening for Shuggie Otis. It cements his status as a national act in 2013: NPR "World Café Next" artist and a "breakout" (NPR Here & Now); sold out UK shows; 5-star reviews in the Guardian and MOJO; playing festivals in the UK and California; a Weir Here taping curated by Bob Weir; raves from MTV Hive, Black Book, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Daytrotter, American Songwriter, San Jose Mercury, and Baeble Music; and signing with Windish Agency. He will also tape NPR's Beale Street Caravan performance show during a headlining performance in his former hometown of Memphis, TN, October 5. It'll be his third NPR taping of the year: https://vimeo.com/62649246

10pm – John Murry – Official Showcase - Littlefield, 622 Degraw St, Brooklyn (between 3rd and 4th Aves)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

4:40pm – Kingsley Flood - BuzzChips/My Free Concert Showcase - the Living Room, 154 Ludlow St, Manhattan (at Stanton)

Kingsley Flood – the band whose Newport set grabbed the attention of NPR Music, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Paste – are having a breakout year. Drawing comparisons to The Replacements, Deer Tick, Lucero, Wilco, and the Clash, the band's six members tore up the stage in a misting rain, with lead singer Naseem Khuri ripping at his guitar while Jenée Morgan Force alternated between violin and saxophone, forming an impromptu horn section with keyboardist Chris Barrett picking up the trumpet. NPR Music streamed the set: http://www.npr.org/event/music/203664120/kingsley-flood-live-in-concert-newport-folk-2013

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

3pm – Kingsley Flood - RSL Outlaw Roadshow - Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery, Manhattan (between E 2nd and E 3rd Sts)

3pm – John Murry - Listen Dammit Blog / Nick Loss-Eaton Media / Highline Records CMJ Day Party at Skinny Dennis, 152 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn (at Berry). RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/648420281849904/?ref=br_tf

3:45pm – Wry Climate - Listen Dammit Blog / Nick Loss-Eaton Media / Highline Records CMJ Day Party at Skinny Dennis, 152 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn (at Berry)

NY indie rock/shoegave band Wry Climate has been compared to Sonic Youth, Lotus Plaza, Pavement, MBV, Dirty Projectors, Real Estate, and Deerhunter, combining jangly electric guitars with amp feedback and digital delay noise effects. Based in Brooklyn and Purchase, NY, Wry Climate is the project of Dan Nelson and friends: http://wryclimate.bandcamp.com/

5:15pm – Kingsley Flood - Listen Dammit Blog / Nick Loss-Eaton Media / Highline Records CMJ Day Party at Skinny Dennis, 152 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn (at Berry)

9pm – Kingsley Flood – Baeble Music CMJ Party - 186 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn (at N 7th)

For more information on Joe Fletcher, Kingsley Flood, John Murry, and Wry Climate, please contact Nick Loss-Eaton at nick.losseaton@gmail.com or 718.541.1130.

http://nicklosseaton.blogspot

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Listen Dammit Blog / Nick Loss-Eaton Media / Highline Records CMJ Day Party


LISTEN DAMMIT BLOG / NICK LOSS-EATON MEDIA / HIGHLINE RECORDS FREE CMJ DAY PARTY AT SKINNY DENNIS TO FEATURE KINGSLEY FLOOD, THE DEFIBULATORS, WRY CLIMATE, JOHN MURRY, JAY ARNER, SHELBY EARL, LELAND SUNDRIES, MODERN MERCHANT

Listen Dammit blog, Nick Loss-Eaton Media, and Highline Records will host a free CMJ day party at Skinny Dennis in Brooklyn, NY on October 19, 2013. Curated by Eric Danton of Listen Dammit and Loss-Eaton, here's the lineup:

12:30 Modern Merchant

The haunting melodies and pulse-like rhythms of Brooklyn-based quartet Modern Merchant will get you a bit dazed and glassy-eyed. Layered harmonies and dynamic shifts work to create a soundscape that's at once experimental yet grounded in pop sensibilities.

1 Leland Sundries

“Not only does Brooklyn singer-songwriter Nick Loss-Eaton write richly detailed, sepia-toned tunes that layer America then and now atop one another like a ghostly palimpsest, he’s just as handy at knocking out Johnny Cash-worthy trifles like ‘Giving Up Redheads.’ His quartet has been spending a lot of quality road time lately, so expect them to be well-marinated for this homecoming gig.” – The Village Voice

1:30 Shelby Earl

Named the "#1 Outstanding 2011 Album You Might Have Missed" by Amazon.com, Shelby Earl's debut solo album, Burn the Boats (produced by John Roderick of The Long Winters and released in November 2011 on Local 638 Records) inspired NPR/LA Times Ann Powers to dub Earl her "new favorite songwriter" (see below for full letter from Miss Powers). Collaborators on the album include members of The Long Winters, Telekinesis, (former) Fleet Foxes, The Head and the Heart, the Maldives and more. Earl has since shared stages with everyone from Benjamin Gibbard, Rhett Miller and Lavender Diamond to Loudon Wainwright III, Crooked Fingers and the White Buffalo. Earl's sophomore solo album Swift Arrows (produced by Damien Jurado), was released July 23, 2013 and is fast earning critical acclaim.

2:15 Jay Arner

Every sound you hear on his eponymous debut album — due out this summer through Mint Records — was self-recorded by Arner in his 72-square-foot practice space using a precariously perched desktop computer and his home recording gear. The sum of his many talents, these 10 songs sizzle with DIY energy and encompass the scope of the songwriter’s diverse resume. Opener “Midnight on South Granville” sets a dark tone with its coldly mechanical intro before flourishing into a lush post-punk synthscape that reflects Arner’s love of analogue electronics. Elsewhere, the bass-heavy pulse of “Broken Glass (In the Hall of Shattered Mirrors)” draws on ’70s pseudo-funk, while “Wildest One” is an abrasive surge of distortion and “Don’t Remind Me” is a soaring pop anthem that recalls classic Murderrecords songcraft. The lyrics are filled with self-doubt and wry cynicism, but don’t expect confessional heartbreak — these timeless melodies and intricately wrought arrangements are filled with noisy pop sweetness, and there’s not an acoustic guitar to be found.

3 John Murry

John Murry -- the Bay Area-based second cousin of William Faulkner's who makes incredible Southern indie-noir music – is touring in October opening for Shuggie Otis. It cements his status as a national act in 2013: NPR "World Café Next" artist and a "breakout" (NPR Here & Now); sold out UK shows; 5-star reviews in the Guardian and MOJO; playing festivals in the UK and California; a Weir Here taping curated by Bob Weir; raves from MTV Hive, Black Book, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Daytrotter, American Songwriter, San Jose Mercury, and Baeble Music; and signing with Windish Agency. He will also tape NPR's Beale Street Caravan performance show during a headlining performance in his former hometown of Memphis, TN, October 5. It'll be his third NPR taping of the year.

3:45 Wry Climate

NY indie rock/shoegave band Wry Climate has been compared to Sonic Youth, Lotus Plaza, Pavement, MBV, Dirty Projectors, Real Estate, and Deerhunter, combining jangly electric guitars with amp feedback and digital delay noise effects. Based in Brooklyn and Purchase, NY, Wry Climate is the project of Dan Nelson and friends.

4:30 Defibulators

The Defibulators, described alternately as "Hee-Haw on mescaline" and "CBGB-meets-Grand Ole Opry," released 'Debt'll Get'em,' the follow up to their acclaimed 2009 debut 'Corn Money,' on August 27th. Recorded in Woodstock with D. James Goodwin and Eli Walker and Brooklyn with co-producer Brian Bender (Langhorne Slim, Jose James), the album is an au courant, urban take on classic country, channeling the frenetic energy of their legendary live shows into tight, punchy hooks and foot-stomping sing-alongs.

5:15 Kingsley Flood

Kingsley Flood – the band whose Newport set grabbed the attention of NPR Music, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Paste – are having a breakout year. Drawing comparisons to The Replacements, Deer Tick, Lucero, Wilco, and the Clash, the band's six members tore up the stage in a misting rain, with lead singer Naseem Khuri ripping at his guitar while Jenée Morgan Force alternated between violin and saxophone, forming an impromptu horn section with keyboardist Chris Barrett picking up the trumpet. NPR Music streamed the set.

About Listen Dammit

Listen, Dammit was founded in 2009 by Eric R. Danton, who was rock critic at the Hartford Courant in Connecticut from 2002-2012. He also writes for RollingStone.com, Salon, The Wall Street Journal, and M Music & Musicians magazine.

About Nick Loss-Eaton Media

Nick Loss-Eaton has been a freelance music publicist since April, 2011 and previously, at Shore Fire Media since 2005, most recently as Director of Publicity.

About Highline Records

Highline Records started in London in 2011 by Heather Willensky, who wanted to return to her indie roots after working at EMI Music Publishing. With a roster focused on brilliant songwriters, Highline has released albums in the UK, Europe and North America by Correatown, Still Flyin', Piney Gir, Western Lows, Sweet Lights and Ralfe Band amongst others, and publishes The Ladybug Transistor, Tim Ten Yen, Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou and Dennis Hopper Choppers.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

THE BO-KEYS SONG "WRITING ON THE WALL" TO BE FEATURED ON SEASON PREMIERE OF "SCANDAL" (ABC)

The Bo-Keys song "Writing On the Wall" featuring Percy Wiggins on vocals will be featured in the season premier of the ABC series Scandal tonight.

The Memphis soul masters have two new singles in the works and details will be announced on those shortly.

Of The Bo-Keys, The Wall Street Journal said, "Funky… authentic groove… If the Bo-Keys sound like Memphis in the 1960s and early '70s, it's probably because most of the band's musicians were recording back then for the city's top labels."

The Associated Press said, "Strong… The Bo-Keys present a muscular yet spare sound that captures the grit and grease of classic, horn-driven R&B. Where many revivalists pale compared to the originals, the Bo-Keys would have fit right in next to legendary Memphis musical crews the Bar-Kays and Booker T. & the M.G.'s."

The LA Times reviewed a recent concert, calling it "a fiery set that unfolded like a classic soul revue."

Percy Wiggins cut classic soul sides in the 1960s for ATCO and RCA with a Nashville studio band including Billy Cox and Larry Lee who later went on to become members of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypies.

Wry Climate blogger photos






Wry Climate "Comfort Decay" embeddable mp3 stream


Leyla McCall Publicity Photos









Credit: Tim Duffy / Music Maker Relief Foundation

'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes' album cover

THE BO-KEYS SONG "WRITING ON THE WALL" TO BE FEATURED ON SEASON PREMIERE OF "SCANDAL" (ABC)

The Bo-Keys song "Writing On the Wall" featuring Percy Wiggins on vocals will be featured in the season premier of the ABC series Scandal tonight.

The Memphis soul masters have two new singles in the works and details will be announced on those shortly.

Of The Bo-Keys, The Wall Street Journal said, "Funky… authentic groove… If the Bo-Keys sound like Memphis in the 1960s and early '70s, it's probably because most of the band's musicians were recording back then for the city's top labels."

The Associated Press said, "Strong… The Bo-Keys present a muscular yet spare sound that captures the grit and grease of classic, horn-driven R&B. Where many revivalists pale compared to the originals, the Bo-Keys would have fit right in next to legendary Memphis musical crews the Bar-Kays and Booker T. & the M.G.'s."

The LA Times reviewed a recent concert, calling it "a fiery set that unfolded like a classic soul revue."

Percy Wiggins cut classic soul sides in the 1960s for ATCO and RCA with a Nashville studio band including Billy Cox and Larry Lee who later went on to become members of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypies.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Leyla McCalla bio

Leyla McCalla finds inspiration from a variety of sources, whether it is her Haitian heritage, living in New Orleans or dancing at Cajun Mardi Gras. Leyla, a multi-instrumentalist, is a cellist and singer whose distinctive sound is impossible to replicate.

Leyla’s music reflects her eclectic and diverse life experiences, projecting a respect for eloquent simplicity that is rarely achieved.  Born in New York City to Haitian emigrant parents, Leyla was raised in suburban New Jersey. As a teenager, she relocated to Accra, Ghana for two years. Upon her return, she attended Smith College for a year before transferring to New York University where she studied cello performance and chamber music. Armed with Bach’s Cello Suites, Leyla moved to New Orleans to play cello on the streets of the French Quarter.

It is the move to New Orleans that signaled a journey of musical and cultural discovery for Leyla. “New Orleans always felt like home to me,” she recalls. “The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continue to feel.” Most recently, Leyla has fallen in love with the late Louisiana Creole fiddlers Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carrière and has explored their fiddling styles on the cello.

Leyla’s move to New Orleans also signaled a new stage in her career. It was while playing on the street that she caught the attention of Tim Duffy, the founder and director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. He invited Leyla to join the Music Maker Relief Foundation family and introduced her to the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a renowned African-American string band. After appearing on the band’s GRAMMY-nominated album Leaving Eden and touring extensively with the group, she now focuses on her solo career.

Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, Leyla’s debut album, is set for a February 2014 release. The album, which has been years in the making for Leyla, was given a push after a successful Kickstarter campaign in which she surpassed her $5,000 goal by four times to ultimately raise over $20,000. Vari-Colored Songs consists of compositions she has written to Langston Hughes poetry, Haitian folk songs and original pieces. The album features musicians including Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins of the Carolina Chocolate Drops as well as New Orleans’ own Don Vappie on tenor banjo and Luke Winslow King on guitar.

Kingsley Flood publicity photo





by Eric Tsurumoto