Jake La Botz Melds a Colorful Lifetime Into Gritty, Grooving Early Rock 'n Roll Gold on New Album "Sunnyside"

DRIFTER, ACTOR, BUSKER, FORMER PUNK, DEEP WELLED AMERICANA ARTIST JAKE LA BOTZ READIES FIRST ALBUM IN FOUR YEARS
 

PRODUCER JIMMY SUTTON (POKEY LAFARGE, JD MCPHERSON) HELMED NEW ALBUM 'SUNNYSIDE', OUT MAY 12 ON HI-STYLE RECORDS

 

FROM TATTOO TOURS TO ‘TRUE DETECTIVE’ PART, NASHVILLE-VIA-LA-FROM-CHICAGO ARTIST MELDS COLORFUL LIFETIME INTO GRITTY, GROOVING EARLY ROCK 'N ROLL GOLD

 

"From the first time I heard him playing guitar and singing his songs in a smoky bar on La Brea and Sunset, I became a devoted fan of Jake La Botz. Effortlessly blending authentic blues, rock, country, and gospel, he's created a sound and style that is original and yet instantly familiar. Soulful, personal, painfully funny and sad, he's a true American classic, a gift, and a musical resource that is a joy to be discovered time and time again.”  - Steve Buscemi

 

Cats have nine lives, they say. If that’s true, Jake La Botz must be a cat. A teenage punk, a juvenile delinquent, an actor ( including a part in the classic ‘Ghost World’), a drifter, an apprentice to blues elders growing up in Chicago, self-educated reader, an addict in Los Angeles, a musician in a gospel church, a Buddhist, a meditation teacher, a songwriter touring a circuit of tattoo parlors nationwide. Now, he’s taken all of those experiences and synthesized them with producer Jimmy Sutton (Pokey LaFarge, JD McPherson) for ‘Sunnyside,’ coming May 12 on Hi-Style Records. It’s his first album in four years and finds the new Nashville transplant recounting his past and present atop an irresistible, driving groove. Jimmy Sutton recorded La Botz in his original hometown of Chicago at an all-analog studio, teasing dynamite performances out of the heavily tattoo’d artist.

 

A master storyteller from time spent at the feet of his grandfather and other elders, La Botz infuses his songs with gritty, deeply imagined characters. The album runs along an axis of spirituality on one side and materialism on the other, with La Botz spinning metaphors and subtle dual meanings throughout. Stories include the absurdity of filling one's life with"positivity" (the title track), a portrait of a decrepit hotel with addicts seeking fixes (“The Hotel [Fix Me Now]”), a prisoner searching for a way out (“The Trees in Cali”), a mystical hobo’s description of freedom (“Hobo On a Passenger Train”), a street musician trading art for spare change in the subway (“For Nickels & Dimes”), and the carefree feeling that comes with the arrival of summer (“Feel No Pain”). La Botz has opened for greats like Ray Charles, Dr. John, Mavis Staples, JD McPherson, Etta James, The Blasters, and Tony Joe White.

 

Let some of his peers and media tell it:

 

"Jake La Botz is a creator of dark poetry and haunting song, the kind of music that gets in your bones and rides you for days, a sound and vision only those who've been to the bottom and clawed their way back up can generate. Not everybody will get this music - because not everybody is ready for the truth." -Jerry Stahl (author of Permanent Midnight)

 

“Music from a deep well, a blues with country, folk and sharply observed lyrics... as affecting as a shot of overproof rum on a hot day." -Tattoo Magazine

 

LA Weekly said, “Jake La Botz came up the right-proper, fucking hard way: a teen renegade on the streets of Chicago, dabbling in a mixture of antisocial activities (from car theft to jabbing up his own rudimentary tattoos) and exploring the rich, deep blues tradition as a street singer (with Chi-town legend Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis) and beside Delta-blues originator “Honeyboy” Edwards. That lovely, lurid background forged a musical power that… demonstrates not only an innate mastery of the blues, but also displays what he calls a ‘condensed rock & roll mythology.’

PETUNIA & THE VIPERS LAUNCH WEST COAST TOUR ON MAY 20 RELEASE DATE OF WILD NEW ALBUM ‘DEAD BIRD ON THE HIGHWAY’

FOUR LA SHOWS CONFIRMED

Petunia & The Vipers will launch a west coast US tour around their new album ‘Dead Bird on the Highway’ (May 20 / Samo Media). What can one say about Petunia & The Vipers? Imagine Hank Williams on acid… Tom Waits meets Elvis at Woody Guthrie's Hobo junction… Avant-Country night club scene music out of a David Lynch movie… hillbilly-flavored-swing inflected-ragtime-goodtime-

thunderously rolling-one-of-a-kind-you-don’t-want-to-miss-this-sort-of-a-show… Phil Alvin says, "One of the best bands in the world today, of any kind…" A new music that springboards off of music of the past and jumps into the present day, left with only echoes of the past.

If one wished to talk about the birth of the blues, one would need to dig into the influences that preceded its birth. The same is true about Petunia & the Vipers. If they followed a recipe and added musical styles as ingredients, it would start by simply adding country and blues. Bring to boil while stirring in a dose of ragtime, some Dixieland jazz, a hint of bebop, some western swing and old time cowboy music, a bit of jug band & string band music. Flavor with a significant dose of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, and a bit of Blind Willie McTell and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Bake on high with the dotted rhythms of Cuban, Mexican, Peruvian, Romanian and African folk music. Ice the whole thing with some punk rock hot sauce and you’ve got a delectable musical concoction…part old-time, part new times, part no time at all, part all-of-the-time…

Petunia himself is more than an entertainer, he's a modern musical enigma. He’s an adventure seeker, a poker player, and a mysterious stranger.  He’s been referred to as “The Savior of Country Music,” and a man who exists in a different era, bringing the past forth as something new to be celebrated and not forgotten.

Petunia grew up in rural Quebec, in exactly the sort of surroundings that a country musician would find idyllic, with old dilapidated barns, secret forts, and acres of unspoiled land.  As an adult, the wandering spirit took a firm hold on his life, so he set out on the road, playing every major street corner across Canada and throughout the NYC subway system, before graduating to full fledged touring musician. When he’s not on the road playing shows, Petunia is also involved in the theatre world; building side projects, writing scores, acting, or collaborating with theatre artists. He currently resides in Vancouver BC.

Petunia & The Vipers Tour Dates

May 20 - Shanty Tavern - Seattle, WA
May 22 - Old St. Nick's - Eugene, OR
May 23 - Arcata Playhouse - Arcata, CA
May 25 - Don The Beachcomber - Los Angeles, CA
May 26 - El Cid - Los Angeles, CA
May 27 - Alex's - Los Angeles, CA
May 28 - Don The Beachcomber - Los Angeles, CA (w/ Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys)
May 31 - Riverwood Inn - Phillipsville, CA
June 1 - Johnny B's - Medford, OR
June 2 - Axe and Fiddle - Cottage Grove, OR
June 3 - Skyway Bar & Grill - Zigzag, OR
June 4 - Bubba's - Sultan, WA
June 24 - Boundary Bay - Bellingham, WA
July 1 - Conor Muse - Conway, WA
July 2 – Voiceworks - Port Townsend, WA

"ALLURING, EMOTIONAL, AND INFECTIOUS" (NPR) JOHN MURRY TO PERFORM AT DILETTANTE STUDIOS JULY 20

"I DON’T EXPECT TO HEAR A BETTER ALBUM THIS YEAR… 5 STARS." – THE GUARDIAN

John Murry -- the Bay Area-based second cousin of William Faulkner's who makes incredible Southern indie-noir music -- will perform at Dilettante Studios in Los Angeles on July 20. Roger Manning, Jr (Beck), Joe Goldring (Hope Sandoval, Sun Kil Moon), Michael Mullen, and David Baerwald (Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson) will perform with Murry. Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) and Carlos Forster (M. Ward) will open the show with their own sets.

US and UK outlets are raving. Most recently, MOJO gave 'The Graceless Age' 5 stars and called it "unique [and] formidable." The Guardian also gave it 5 stars, writing, "I don't expect to hear a better album this year."

NPR World Café called 'The Graceless Age' "alluring, emotional, and infectious" while the Wall Street Journal called it "arresting." Black Book said, "With an arresting sense of honesty and human insight, Murry is man that you should certainly get to know." MTV Hive said, "The guy's got gravitas [with] widescreen imagery and a soulful moan."

WHO: John Murry

WHAT: First Los Angeles Concert

WHEN: July 20, 2013, 8pm

WHERE: Dilletante Studios, 120 N Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA

TICKETS: $5, here

Now based in Oakland, CA, John Murry has lived many lives. He grew up in Elvis' hometown of Tupelo, MS and there's a photo of Elvis in concert that shows his mother reaching out to touch his hand. He was a junkie after he left Memphis to go to that den of iniquity, California. He wrote for the Village Voice for a time. He is William Faulkner's second cousin and friends have described him as lost in the worlds of southern literature. He has seen death in an alley and managed to stumble back from it. These identities come together in 'The Graceless Age.'

NYC INDIE ROCKERS SWEET SOUBRETTE KICK OFF LITTLE BROOKLYN BRIDGE FESTIVAL ON MAY 11, BRINGING BROOKLYN PARLOR ROCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR MULTI-VENUE CONCERT SERIES

Sweet Soubrette, a "sensational" (Phildaelphia Inquirer), "enchanting" (Metro NY) ukulele-powered indie rock band based in NYC, make their West Coast debut on May 11, performing a set of their signature dark love songs at The Roxy.  Sweet Soubrette's cabaret-influenced indie rock has been described as “one part circus…one part poet…third part rockstar” (CultureMob).  Time Out New York says "Sweet Soubrette's style comes with a pinch of Regina Spektor quirk and a spoonful of old-timey burlesque.” The Deli Magazine praises front woman Ellia Bisker’s “rock star command and intelligently crafted music."

Check out the music video for the dark and passionate “What’s My Desire?” inspired by the literary love letters of Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller ("a compelling bitter-sweet pop song of the highest order" -The 405).

Photos.

This show kicks off the Little Brooklyn Bridge Festival, which brings together three Brooklyn-based bands and two L.A./Brooklyn hybrid bands for a series of L.A. concerts from May 11-14.  Brooklyn's Kotorino, Sweet Soubrette, and Charming Disaster join with L.A./Brooklyn hybrid Peach & Knife to offer Los Angeles a taste of New York City’s best “parlor rock” along with epic instrumental soundscapes courtesy of L.A.'s Whale Fall. Showcasing the best parlor rock that Brooklyn has to offer and the influence of Brooklyn on L.A. bands, each group offers a unique musical experience, united by a common thread: intimate yet theatrical songs with dark, expressive lyrics, intense harmonies, and a hint of gypsy wildness (also, ukuleles)

SWEET SOUBRETTE
Sat 5/11, 10pm, $10 cover
The Roxy, 9009 West Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood

LITTLE BROOKLYN BRIDGE FESTIVAL
Sat 5/11:     Sweet Soubrette at The Roxy, West Hollywood (10pm)
Sun 5/12:    Charming Disaster (6:30pm), Peach & Knife (7:15pm), Kotorino (8pm), Whale Fall (9pm) at Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
Mon 5/13:   Charming Disaster at Skinny’s Lounge, North Hollywood (11pm)
Tue 5/14:    Peach & Knife (9pm), Kotorino (10pm) at Villains Tavern, Downtown L.A.

ABOUT THE BANDS
Whale Fall: An L.A.-based instrumental collective whose history dates back to previous incarnations in Brooklyn in the early 2000s, Jared Matt Greenberg (keyboards and trumpet), David Pomeranz (guitar), Ali Vazin (guitar), Erik Tokle (bass), and fresh-off-the-boat Brooklyn transplant Aaron Farinelli (drums) navigate the heights and depths of creating live cinematic musical environments, complete with accompanying visual delights.

Kotorino: Jeff Morris leads Kotorino in darkly elegant, gypsy-flavored chamber pop with carnivalesque touches. Vocal harmonies are haunting and lyrics flirt with adventure, unease and triumph. WNYC says: "Kotorino has one of the most unique and unusual sounds of any band, ever…quite pretty, and downright haunting."

Peach and Knife: Recent Brooklyn transplant and L.A. native Molly White joins Italian-born Elena Degl’Innocenti in this duo project on guitar and ukulele for acoustic living room music that captures two side of life: dark psychological moods and the wholesome goodness of a tree bearing fruit. The music is lucid, unsettling, and always inspiring.

Charming Disaster: Jeff Morris and Ellia Bisker team up in this supergroup, performing duets about murder, auto theft, paranormal romance, carnival performers, con artists, and more, exploring through song the different kinds of trouble a couple of people can get into.  New York Music Daily describes Charming Disaster as "dangerously torchy noir cabaret and gypsy rock."

Sweet Soubrette: Indie rock meets cabaret: Time Out New York says "Sweet Soubrette's style comes with a pinch of Regina Spektor quirk and a spoonful of old-timey burlesque.” The Deli Magazine praises front woman Ellia Bisker’s “rock star command and intelligently crafted music."

ONE OF THE "NEXT BIG THINGS" (SPIN) LA DREAM-POP BAND CORREATOWN PLAYING THE SMELL FEB 17

Correatown – the dream-pop project of Angela Correa, which has been called one of the "next big things" by SPIN – will perform February 17 at the Smell. The all-ages show comes as the LA band prepares for a March tour of Germany. LA Weekly said, "We… fell in love with her hooky balladry… You read it here first: Angela Correa… is going to be a much loved L.A. artist in about 10 minutes."

"Turn On Turn Up" postable mp3.

"Further" music video of sun-kissed southern California landscapes.

Photos are here.

Her music is carefully assembled via drum machines, thrift store synthesizers, a reverb-soaked semi-hollowbodied guitar, and most of all, utterly gorgeous vocals, Correatown makes an airy, sound caught in late afternoon August moments. Earning comparisons to Beach House, Galaxie 500, and Spiritualized, her sweeping scope and warm sheen belie a dreamy and alluringly hypnotic soundscape.

Correatown's music video for "Play," which is chock full of silly string, crayons, face-paint, balloons, bubbles, and the band playing a DIY house show, was filmed  in conjunction with OMG! Cameras Everywhere!, a non-profit organization that hosts arts and filmmaking workshops for kids.

"Valparaiso" postable mp3.

Her songs have appeared on television in Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, and How I Met Your Mother and in the film "The Lucky One." Her voice was featured in the Sony Pictures' "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and she wrote and recorded the score for the film "Sassy Pants."

WHO: Correatown on a bill with Christy & Emily
WHAT: Dream-pop concert
WHEN: 7:30pm, Sunday, February 17, 2013
WHERE: The Smell, 247 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA
TICKETS: TBA

Correatown bio

Originally from the small town of Yuba City in Northern California, Correatown (aka Angela Correa) has lived and traveled over much of the world. Those explorations stay close to her, one of the reasons why the music skirts genres; it is an amalgam of fuzzed out lo-fi indie rock, early American folk and the darker tones of classic rock. Influenced as much by Elisabeth Cotton and Jack Elliot as PJ Harvey and Neil Young, Correatown brings subtle stories to life with fluid melodies and distinctive arrangements. Haunting, genuine, beautiful and sparse are words often used to describe the music of Correatown.

A much beloved fixture of L.A’s eastside music scene, Angela Correa spent the last few years gaining recognition for her shows, whether performing solo or with a full band, after relocating from her home town. Los Angeles Weekly declared “You read it here first: Angela Correa is going to be a much-loved L.A. artist.” Angela’s approach as an artist only begins with storytelling – texture, color, patterns, and design are woven into the music and the art of her albums, which she often arranges, designs and assembles by hand. Over the course of her career she has released three full-length albums, two EPs, and licensed songs to many hit TV shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Without A Trace,” and “The OC,” as well as several indie films. In 2007, Angela Correa’s voice was featured as the singing voice of Jenna Fischer’s character Darlene in the Sony Pictures film “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” on the songs “Let’s Duet,” “Darling,” and “Beautiful Ride.” She has toured the West Coast extensively, as well as parts of the Midwest and East Coast. In Fall 2009, she toured Europe accompanying Tom Brosseau. Most recently, Correatown released the full length album “Spark. Burn. Fade.” on limited edition 180 gram clear vinyl in August 2009 (as well as digitally in May 2009). Correatown is published by Chrysalis Music Group.

Angela Correa toured with her side project, Les Shelleys in 2010. A collaboration with FatCat recording artist Tom Brosseau, their debut album was released November 8th, 2010 by FatCat Records in the United Kingdom.

“Correa could sing the horoscopes and draw you in…”-Popmatters.com

“…she’s become one of our favorites, quietly building a following of slo-folk enthusiasts, murder ballad aficionados, and people who just love a purty voice. And since we fall under all those categories, it was perhaps destiny that we would fall madly in love with Angela Correa. “ -LA Underground

“There’s an inescapably seductive quality to Angela Correa’s songs…” -Splendid Ezine

“If she’s a folk singer then she’s the darkest folk singer you’ll have heard for a while and if she’s a country artist then she mines depths that even three chords and a truth rarely manage. But whichever genre you choose to place her in, one thing is certain, you’ll never have heard anything quite like her before.”-Americana UK

“We just got Angela Correa’s mysterious self-released CD, Correatown, in the mail and fell in love with her hooky balladry and vulnerable, slightly twangy vocals. You read it here first: Angela Correa, who just moved here from San Diego, is going to be a much loved L.A. artist in about 10 minutes.”-LA Weekly

“An unwavering commitment to artistic integrity and independence has helped Correa generate a thoughtful, intuitive catalog of songs that appeals to virtually anyone with an ear for subtle beauty.”- Salt Lake City Weekly

“…decidedly heartfelt take on human interaction… Her vocals (a girl-next-door Regina Spektor) and storytelling (lyrically twining but never elliptical) suit her subject matter.”- Los Angeles Times Buzz Bands