Dec 27 : "Envy Smile" - The Extensions (Asbury Park)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (September)

photo from The Extensions' Facebook page

ANGULAR AND TIGHT

The Extensions did a great show at New Brunswick's Barca City. I caught them a couple weeks ago; it was my first time seeing them. First impressions as I first started to watch centered a lot around the keys! It was unusual to see the keys right up in front on the stage, right under the spotlight. The keys were also weaving in and out of the front of the arrangements, providing a foundation, yet being versatile to meet the stylistic demands of each song. Power of the keys was much more evident in the show than what we hear on the Bandcamp page.

The strong melodic lines also stood out, the way they travel with some surprising twists and turns followed by chords that come along unexpectedly.

A third aspect that stood out in both the show as well as the online music is how tightly the work is written. The band itself calls it "angular". Their self-description says Angular indie rock with lyrics sharper than a box cutter, and hooks as sweet as grape soda. The Extensions prove themselves to be the estranged powerpop love child of Spoon and Elvis Costello.

The Extensions are a four-piece band, featuring Brian Erickson, Kevin Newcomb, Lisa LoVell, and Pete Stern. They recently released their debut EP, "Bellicose", back in September. Here is "Envy Smile", which is the last track on the album and encompasses several of the features I like about the band's sound.

Here is the click to The Extensions' Facebook page where you can find out more about the band and any upcoming shows they'll have in the future ::: The Extensions on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

p.s. ... Excellent evening was put together by "Embrace DIY Productions".

Dec 17 : "Millennials Are Going Gray" - Amanda Rose Riley (Lincoln Park)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Summer 2019)

Last week my travels took me through the Secaucus Junction Station, where I saw "NJ DIY acoustic girl-with-guitar rock" Amanda Rose Riley do a solo show. She was performing as part of New Jersey Transit's "Music In Motion" program.

Generations are not static.

Generational transitions and reflections are a central theme of Amanda's recently released album "Millennials Are Going Gray". It's also the title of the third track on the album.

The song points out that Millennials are no longer the kids in the generational scheme of things and are fast moving into the next older status at the same time as a younger new generation is moving up. She's old enough to remember nine-eleven, and, at this point, that event is now DECADES in the past! She points out that, looking in the mirror, she's seen the first two gray hairs on her own head. As the song says, Millennials are going gray, We're just another generation trying to make our way. The song reflects on the past and into the future.

And in terms of "making our way", there is definitely an upbeat tone to the album. The album talks in big brushstrokes, and, in the opening song, "We Are Pioneers", she points out Every day is a potential new beginning.

She captures the cyclic attributes of generational movement!

Looks like the next advance show that Amanda has booked right now is on April 25 at the Glen Ridge Singer Songwriter Series event (btw it's also in a train station). In the meantime you can check out her Bandcamp where you can find more music. ::: Amanda Rose Riley on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE).

Dec 11 : "Familial" - Quiet Luke (New York)

News
Quiet Luke Releases New Video

A couple weeks ago New York artist Quiet Luke released a new video, "Familial". As with his other recent videos, Familial expresses some starkly contrasting emotions, dramatically separated from each other in the visual part of the presentation, but sometimes less so in the audio. Even our conflicting emotions are sometimes integrated!

In one of the previous videos, "Interference", we start with a feeling of hope, but then end dramatically with despair. In "Familial" we do a little bit of the reverse. We start out in uncertainty but end in peace. Quiet Luke is a master at conveying the intensity of emotions in part by his use of these contrasts. As much is said with the camera as with the lyrics and instrumentals.

Quiet Luke just released his first full-length album, "21st Century Blue", last week. "Familial" is the 6th track on the album. "Interference" as well as "Something to Lose" (which I've written about previously) are also on the album.

While Quiet Luke doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, here is the click to his Facebook page. ::: Quiet Luke on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Dec 05 : "Hi Sam, It's Nan: Robby's Birthday" - Sam Seeger (New York)

News
Sam Seeger Releases New Video

NAN JUST LEFT A COUPLE MORE VOICEMAILS. Here is a new video from Sam Seeger; it's another piece based on voicemail messages from Nan, his grandmother. This time it's about Robby's birthday. The title is: "Hi Sam, It's Nan: Robby's Birthday"

Sam doesn't have any other shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to his Facebook page where you can keep watching what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Dec 02 : "Mary Song (Shady Grove)" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

A couple weeks ago week my friend, Iam, (or as musician & noise artist "185668232" when performing), did a very unique show at Wonderville in Bushwick. The bar is a destination in itself! When you walk into Wonderville, it looks like many bars, but, off to a separate room to the left is an arcade game room with a stage up in the front. This was where 185668232 did a show.

I have to admit that this was a first for me. It was the first time I had ever been to a show in a game arcade, as well as a first time I had been to a show in a venue where there were other activities or objects competing for my attention at the same time that the show was going on. What to do? That was my dilemma. Should I play some of the exciting and innovative games, talk with people milling about, watch the performance on the stage (with even a moving video in the background), go out to the other room and get a beer? Yikes! So much to do!

I was very intrigued by the games. They aren't of the mass-produced variety you might see elsewhere. I asked Iam about them, and he told me : all of the WONDERVILLE games are really unique artisan designed including a line of them by WONDERVILLE themselves. Some topics for games are so human it makes you question whether you are just part of a gaming parameter. Worth a trip to Wonderville just for the games!

In the Spring of 2018, 185668232 did a new album "Existure". Here is the description of the album on Bandcamp : eXiSTuRe is 185668232's 12th consecutive annual album. It was released in beta/scratch/demo-mode on May 30, 2018. This album is an improvised expression hold-me-over for easier times. It is a practice of vapid melodies and casual beats with heavy hooks, organized noise into a definitive glitch concept of #PowerPop as a more accessible gateway entry for the standard 185668232 content. The album has 19 or 20 tracks, depending on which version of the album you get. I see a trend towards more spoken words in the new album. Here is track #7 (either version) on the album, "Mary Song (Shady Grove) :::

Right now 185668232 is on its first European tour, but will be back mid-month. I'm hoping to get to their next show at Wonderville, which will be on Thursday, Dec. 26th ::: 185668232's Experimental Ecliptic Experiential Eco Echo. Here is the click to the band's Facebook page ::: 185668232's Facebook page (CLICK HERE).

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12/20/19 UPDATE ::: Iam admonished me that I should include a photo with EVERY writeup, so I looked through my files and found this picture of us from earlier this year.

Nov 20 : "About Money" - Wombo (Louisville)

WILD SYNTAX

It hits you directly right away: the overpowering drums, the abrasive stylings in the vocals, and the loud disjointed instrumentals. ... Then a few minutes later they'll be smooth and mellow.

This versatile band is Louisville band Wombo. I saw them do a show, opening up Underground Arts one evening a couple weeks ago. But then they'd just as quickly snap back to the loud staccato drums and the wild vocals. This was much more than what we hear on their Bandcamp page. On November 1 the drums ruled the show.

Wombo is Sydney Chadwick, Joel Taylor, and Cameron Lowe. Here is the second track from their 2017 album, "Staring at Trees". The song is titled "About Money", and it features some of the band's unsettling lyrics:

So Wombo is still on tour, and it doesn't look like they'll be heading back east soon. But here is the click to their Facebook page: Wombo on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Nov 03 : "Chevrolet Van" - The Nude Party (Boone + Catskills)

NOT NEEDING A PLAN B

My second time actually seeing "The Nude Party". They did a great show in Philly last Friday at a packed Underground Arts. The Boone NC (originally from Boone, more recently in The Catskills) band is on tour right now hitting a bunch of major cities. I had seen them a couple years ago in Brooklyn doing a middle-of-the-night show at Baby's Alright. They were a seven-piece band this time around; pretty sure six-piece when I saw them before.

They played new work including one of their most recent songs, "Chevrolet Van" which was the climax that closed out their show. The song is about advice that they, as young musicians, receive from older, well-meaning people ::: that they've gotta have a "plan B" in life (a job), because they'll never be able to make it past 21 trying to live off their music. ::: So here's the video version of the song that includes their clever visual response to those nay-sayers :::

If you're interested in seeing them live, they'll be doing a show on Tuesday night at The Bowery Ballroom on November 5. Otherwise, you can check out their Facebook page where you can watch for their next tour and read their very unique bio. ::: The Nude Party on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

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p.s. ... Nov 10 ::: At the beginning of the post I mentioned that this was the second time I "actually" saw the band. There was another time in between where I actually showed up to hear them play; but I freaked out not liking the venue where they wound up (my first time there), and, after staying a little while, left before they started their show.

Oct 27 : "Punk Rock" - The Holy Wow (New York)

Their name says it all. "The Holy Wow" did an extremely intense show at Bowery Electric a couple weeks ago. Way more intense than anything I've seen in a while. Dark underpinnings and a slow bass sometimes played largely by the keys with guitars seemingly going all over the map, but the music still created the impression of being very tight in composition.

From the band's website: HOLY WOW! is an adrenalin shot of gothic electro garage rock, filtered through the deeply personal lens of Russian born, New York raised, California grown Dmitry Wild. An immigrant from Eastern Europe, Dmitry fell hard for the madness and fast paced NYC lifestyle. He found an outlet by playing music and quickly developed a prodigious list of bands to collaborate with by his late teens. ... In 2016 he formed HOLY WOW, positioning himself for the first time as the sole creative spearhead. ... And the band came out with their debut album, "Modern Ancient Man" earlier this year. One of the songs on the album is "Punk Rock" :::

While I like their recorded music, what I hear on Soundcloud is not on the same level of intensity as what I heard at their live show. Here's the click to their Facebook page where you can find out about their next show, as well as the full story of the band's background. ::: The Holy Wow on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Oct 14 : "Faith" - Samonik (Brooklyn)

A couple weeks ago I went to Bowery Electric and saw Brooklyn electronic outfit "Samonik" do a good show. It was the first time I had seen them. They are a duo consisting of namesake Jason Samonik and Shaye Troha. Here's an excerpt from their web page ::: SAMONIK combines the sweat inspired dance floor with influences of Depeche Mode, New Order & Nitzer Ebb. An emotional and raw electronic new wave duo.

Here is "Faith", which was released a couple years ago :::

Samonik doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is the click where you can keep an eye on what they're doing ::: Samonik on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Oct 06 : "Interference" - Quiet Luke (New York)

News
Quiet Luke Releases New Video

Last Week (Sep 25) New York artist Quiet Luke came out with a new video "Interference". I love his instrumentals, especially some of the chords after 1.30.

But this is a mysterious story.

There's "Interference" occurring on different levels in this video. There's the technical interference in the form of static and pixelated shots towards the beginning, and then there's the interference in the story line itself. Is his music career interfering with the relationship? Everything seems to be going fine with the mystery woman, and then >>>

Boom! The screen goes dark, and what happens next? Yikes, check it out.

If you want to hear more, you're in luck. Quiet Luke has a show coming up at Brooklyn Bazaar. And here is the click to his Facebook page. ::: Quiet Luke on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Sep 28 : "Live NYC Laundromat Beats" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

News
185668232 Releases New Video

Today is Saturday, and it's time to do laundry. Luckily we have a sound backup from Brooklyn noise artist 185668232, as he does a live recording of laundromat sounds and works and reworks them into a piece.

Here is the artist description of the video. 85668232 samples a Brooklyn, NY laundromat while waiting for corporate audio engineering clothing to be cleaned. This 365.25 process directly incorporates the world around using battery powered field recorders, microphones, samplers and cameras to build sound scape based songs to recharge the energy of any sentience's ambiance.

"Live NYC Laundromat Beats" was released just this past Wednesday, Sep 25 :::

185668232 has a show coming up soon on Nov 14 at Wonderville. And 185668232 has a new Facebook page. Here's the link ::: 185668232's new page on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Sep 25 : "Tripping Out" - Sam Seeger (New York)

News
Sam Seeger Releases New Video

About a month ago Sam Seeger released a new video, "Tripping Out". It's a song where he's let go of everything as he's singing while lying on the floor first indoors, then outside.

The instrumentals in this song are moving along in Sam's recent direction of incorporating a little more fuzz than what we heard a couple years ago.

Sam Seeger doesn't have any other shows scheduled for the next few weeks, but here's his Facebook page where you can keep an eye on what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

As sometimes is the case, beneath the carefree surface of a music video we come up with some :::

DEEP QUESTIONS
Suppose his whole band did the lying down thing with him at a show, would the entire audience be lying down as well? Would we get carpets? Do we bring our own cats? :)

Sep 22 : "Checkin' Out Late" - Max Pain and The Groovies (Brooklyn)

Last month I got to see Brooklyn band "Max Pain and The Groovies" for a second time; this was at Mercury Lounge. The first time was about a year ago at a middle-of-the-night show at Baby's Alright. I've attempted to see them a few more times, including another show a couple weeks ago, but something always comes up, a work schedule change or bad days of train cancellations.

Max Pain's music differs from that of some of the other bands I've written about recently in that Max Pain's instrumentals are looser, not as tight as what we've recently heard. True garage rock.

Max Pain's self description on their Bandcamp page is Max Pain and the Groovies is a psychedelic high energy garage rock and roll group from Salt Lake City but currently is based out of Brooklyn. Max Pain and the Groovies established their roots skateboarding together and jamming since adolescence. Drop outta school and smoke bud.

We're traveling across the country, riding in an rv, stopping at a few insane motels, partying, then checkin' out late and moving on the next day. ... Legend has the band going in their rv bus from their home in Salt Lake City across the country and then winding up in Brooklyn.

A year ago last week the band came out with an ep "Music From the Hole". Here is the first track from the album, "Checkin' Out Late" :::

Max Pain doesn't have any other shows coming up in our area soon, they're headed back to Salt Lake City to do a show, but here is the click to their Facebook page in the meantime ::: Max Pain and The Groovies on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Sep 15 : "Meet Me In Morristown" + Vail Mansion

The last week in August I went over to Morristown one evening after work and went to the final "Meet Me In Morristown" event of the season. This takes place every last Thursday of the summer months and is a time when all the restaurants and shops are open late, and people come to the center of town to "meet" and socialize. Part of each of the last Thursday nights is a featured local band.

On the evening of August 29 it was native Morristown band "Mama D and the Vexations" that was featured. They portray themselves as a cover band. While they do some concerts like other bands, their main efforts seem to be directed towards doing private events and parties. Mama D mentioned that right now she has bookings into 2020 and even 2021 for private events. Here is the click to their web page where you can see their huge repertoire. Mama D and The Vexations (CLICK HERE).

The concert itself took place on the lawn at the Vail Mansion, which was once a private residence of a local industrialist. It later became a government building and today has been reimagined into condos. Here is an interesting background story. Vail Mansion, some background. (CLICK HERE).

I was less than happy with the way this concert was set up. Vail Mansion is in the center of town along South Street, and the concert stage was set up near the street. There were desks and booths of vendors and organizations too close to the music, lots of people milling about and talking. A real distraction from trying to listen to the band. (It reminded me of the old Grape Street in Philly, where everybody talking loud at the bar sometimes drowned out the bands playing only 20 feet away!) ... The bad logistics for this event were just the opposite from the great evening I previously had at a "Meet Me" show at Morristown Green.

So, yes, I will be checking out the "Meet Me In Morristown" events in 2020, with an eye toward only going to those that are held at Morristown Green, not Vail Mansion. While Morristown Green is also in the center of town, it is large enough so that the music is in the center of the square and away from distractions and any noise on the street. Also, the tall trees were great for a summer evening. That was a wonderful experience; will try for that one again.

Sep 08 : "Zoo" - goodfight (New York)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (July 2019)

A few weeks ago I went to Pianos one evening after work and saw New York band "goodfight". They just released an album in July and played a lot of the new work at the show.

The album is titled "Dac Mcmicken, the Legend Of". A lot of the tracks deal with relationships. We're never completely sure whether the relationships are in a state of flux, just having a couple bumps in the road, or whether the main characters are doing some deep introspection and self-examination. In the first song of the album, "Zoo", we start to get the feel that the main character is at first saying that the relationship might have run its course. This is emphasized by the fact that the two of them are at the "zoo" where they first met, and maybe there's been too little growth in the intervening time. Is it time to move on? Maybe. But there are too many things that keep the main character from driving down the "off-ramp".

While the songs do deal with relationships that are in a state of flux, there's still a sense that all this questioning and self-examination is very natural and does not have the gravity that we feel in songs of other bands. We come to feel that, even if the couple were to break up, it would not be a major upheaval, but just two individuals deciding to casually move off on different paths.

It's not only the lyrics that give us that casual and easy feel, but the instrumentals as well. The song structure is a little choppy and uncertain, but the melodic lines are more light and breezy. ... And at 2:27 on the clock, it's like we are turning off on a different road with a change in feel and change in tempo. Maybe that could be the symbolic off-ramp. .... Or not.

The band describe themselves as: we are power pop, super sultry motley jazz, and made up shoegaze, violent and vulnerable trap, with flowers and indie punk

Here is "Zoo", the first track on the new album, "Dac Mcmicken, the Legend Of" :::

If you want to read the lyrics to "Zoo", here they are ::: "Zoo" lyrics.

goodfight doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is the click to their Facebook page where you can read more about them::: goodfight on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Aug 31 : "Something to Lose" - Quiet Luke (New York)

News
Quiet Luke Releases New Video

It's been a year and a half since I saw Quiet Luke do a show at Bushwick's Alphaville. When I first heard him on line, I was drawn in by the instrumentals. But after listening to a few more tracks I realized that I've probably never heard any other singer who uses such a wide vocal range through most of his work. It was especially evident in "The Shortest Distance" which I wrote about in a previous post.

That same range is evident in his new video, "Something to Lose". When Quiet Luke released this video just a couple weeks ago (August 13), I was interested to know more, so I asked him to tell us about the video's background. He gave us the story :::

The video was heavily influenced by David Lynch’s work as well as classic American stories like Grease and West Side Story.

There’s an odd decade lineage running through it
50s —> 70s —> 90s

and through all my work if you look closely

We were trying to access the past in a way that’s futuristic

This song has a few different moods. The piece starts off with an uncharacteristically slow beat for the artist. But around 2:20 to 2:32 on the clock, the tempo and feel of the song start to change.

So here is the new video from Quiet Luke: "Something to Lose" :::

Quiet Luke writes in a variety of styles and vibes which you can hear on his Soundcloud page. You can also check out this and some other videos On YouTube. And, while he doesn't have any shows coming up soon, here is the link to his Facebook page where you'll be able to watch his calendar and see what he's doing ::: Quiet Luke on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

And I've gotta again mention "The Shortest Distance". Still like that track.

Aug 28 : "365 25 NYC DMV" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

News
185668232 Releases New Video

Last week Trash Boy took us to Whole Foods. Today, Brooklyn noise artist, "185668232", is taking us to the New York City DMV! Yikes! We hope it's just in reference to his own account. Watch as he takes the background sounds of the room as individual threads and builds them into a piece. In this video we can see him actually doing some of the work, while in the previous Fire Betty's Barcade we were a little off at a distance and couldn't see what he was doing with the machine.

185668232 is noise artist Iam S. Mick, or, since his revival after being banned by Facebook, "William Mick". Here are the notes from his video page. 185668232 field record sample loops a NYC DMV to build a mid-fidelityi, drone, ambient, boom bap, power pop, synth-beat with poeticalogic inspired by the lively yet censored crowd of people waiting in line for hours and the ticketing to teller automation system.

"365.25 - NYC DMV (Wednesday, August 14, 2019)

Waiting at the DMV this is probably illegal to be documenting but they have you on camera all ready making your docket numbers if you don’t know what you’re doing then it’s fine to identify your consumer mind Commodify your purpose signs it’s all in the wordsplay on edge of going curve"

Photographer Mary Curran also makes a cameo appearance.

185668232 has a show coming up soon on Sep 11 at Rose Gold. 185668232 has been having a rough time with Facebook, but here is their new page as it stands now ::: 185668232's new page on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Aug 09 : "Good Times" - Sam Seeger (New York)

News
Sam Seeger Releases New Video

When I turned on my computer and took the ride down this road in the convertible with the top down: Wow! Just what I needed as a short diversion from the horrific news cycle that we're now in. Wish the video could have lasted all day! :)

That being said, when we look beneath the surface of this carefree video, we find some :::

DEEP QUESTIONS
(1)How fast are we actually going? 90?
(2)Are the cops chasing us?
(3)How can Sam be driving in the front seat and also be in the back facing the opposite direction at the same time?
(4)How can Sam and Max maintain balance standing on top of the car going at 90?

Hmm. Questions to ponder. For a deeper look, check out the video. It's new; just released on August 4. Enjoy the ride! :::

Sam doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the link to his Facebook page where you can keep up with what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Aug 04 : "Sails" - Mesmeric Haze (Philly)

Philly Music!

I guess I'm not fully in sync with Ortlieb's rhythm (the time between "doors" and show time). Last week I thought I'd be safe if I got to the venue about 30 minutes after "doors", but it turned out that the opener, Philly band Mesmeric Haze, was doing their last song. Just about to finish up. I liked what I did hear, although it was too short a time for me to become fully "Mesmerized". :) ... I'm listening to their music back here and am catching up.

Exactly a year ago this week (Aug 3, 2018), the band came out with an album "The Spacement Tapes: Volume 1". (Recorded in Port Richmond). Here is "Sails", the second track on the album:

Here is the click to Mesmeric Haze's Bandcamp page, with more information about "Spacement Tapes" and everybody who's been a part of the band's efforts ::: Mesmeric Haze on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE), and here is the click to their Facebook page ::: Mesmeric Haze on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jul 27 : "365.25 Fire Betty's Barcade (Tallahassee, FL) 2018 preFX #" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

News
185668232 Releases New Video

PROCESS: Start off with the sound of change clinking in a cup, work with that, modify that, build it into a piece, and bring in some other background noises as part of the whole work.

While this work actually got its start in 2018, it was formally posted and released through YouTube last week on July 19.

Here's an artist comment from the video page: 185668232's 365.25 live noise glitch vapor activist music video at Fire Betty's bArcade in Tallahassee, Florida on December 27, 2018 encompasses live sampling of game machines, coins and incidental human background sounds, processed via a Zoom Q8 camera, H6 field recorder, Akai MPC Live, Shure BRH440m microphone with assistance credits to MaryCurranMedia.com.

Here is "365.25 Fire Betty's Barcade (Tallahassee, FL) 2018 preFX #" by noise artist, 185668232 :

Interested in seeing more? 185668232 will be doing a show tonight at Wonderville in Bushwick"

And here is the Facebook link to the artist page ::: 185668232 on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jul 24 : "Melancholy, MA" - The Sheila Divine (Boston)

BABY'S NOT ALRIGHT

... ... ... ... if Baby's stuck in a "baby prison" at the border. Baby prisons and the rigged system are two of the topics that Boston band "The Sheila Divine" takes a swing at in their 2018 song "Melancholy MA". "Enemies is like a new religion". This song was released right before the 2018 election, and it called for people to call for change. The song laments various bad trends occurring in our country and says the electorate is fed up. And the diagnosis that's behind all this dysfunction and that keeps appearing in the lyrics is that "We're out of love".

Unfortunately almost a year later in 2019 we've still got the baby prisons, and the band still has to sing this, and we're coming up on November 2020 sooner than we think. I did get a chance to hear the band do this live a couple weeks ago at their show at >>>>>>>>> (are you ready for this irony?) >>>>>>> "Baby's Alright" in Williamsburg. They were on tour and they actually did hit Philly also, but Thursday is my music night, so I saw them in Brooklyn. Good show at Baby's Alright!

As to the instrumentals there were some dramatic differences in the way guitars were used in the show. One song with a mellow feel had guitars as a steady smooth carpet underneath the melody; another had the guitars joining in with the drums to do a rapid-fire. Very versatile writing.

Here is "Melancholy MA", by The Sheila Divine, released on November 1, 2018.

The Sheila Divine doesn't have any more visits to us planned soon, but here is the click to their Facebook page where you can check them out ... The Sheila Divine on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Hopefully this song that mentions baby prisons will one day be obsolete and the band won't have to sing it any more, but, until we get to that point, the current operative diagnosis is still: "We're out of love".

Jul 19 : "The Next Level Of Art" - Sam Seeger (New York)

News
Sam Seeger Releases New Video

BE CAREFUL what you say in voicemails, because Sam Seeger takes voicemails and turns them into songs. Here is "The Next Level Of Art", based on a voicemail from his brother, Ben. :::

Sam doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here's a click to his Facebook page where you can watch what he's doing: Sam Seeger on Facebook.

p.s.... (Here's another voicemail-based video.)

Jul 07 : "LIme" - The Mary Veils (Philly)

Philly Music!

I think it was the spaced out fuzz that first drew me in. Only at the last minute did I find out about the Clark Park Music and Art Festival last Saturday. I had a little bit of free time that morning and early afternoon, so I checked out who would be playing, and then I saw on The Mary Veils' Soundcloud page The Mary Veils are a solo project created by Brian Von Uff. Hailing from Suburbs of Philadelphia, The Mary Veils are a surf rock, fuzz rock, and lo-fi psychedelic bathed in cool. That was good enough for me. With my limited amount of time, this was definitely the one band to see.

So I headed off to Clark Park.

As an outdoor show, there was room to walk around and to watch the band from different vantage points. And one thing I noticed at this show was an interesting effect with the speakers. At many shows you can hear most of the band through each of the speakers, but here it seemed almost like individual instruments were plugged into individual speakers.

This was my first time seeing the The Mary Veils, so I wanted to find out some more about them. I spoke with Brian Von Uff, mastermind of the band, for a few minutes after the show. He said that the outfit started out as a solo project, but it was only last year that it evolved into an actual multi-member band. The band has already played in a number of Philly's well-known venues, and they plan to release an album in the Fall, hopefully by Halloween.

The band played a lot of music that is also on their Soundcloud page. And they teased us with a few new songs that are going to be included on that new album coming this Fall. While the music on the Soundcloud page is spaced out fuzz, the instrumental stylings in the live show were slightly more clear-cut, and there was a little more force in the presentation. Great they did a long set. A rad show; want to hear them again.

It's interesting the way the band blends noise elements as part of the total mix. A lot of the songs have some noise at the intro, in varying degrees, and then the noise recedes back as the first verse of the song comes in, but, in many songs, still remains as an integral part of the background. So here's a good music sample from the band. This is the sixth track on their 2017 album, "Slacker Paint". The song is titled "Lime". :::

p.s... I've tweaked this writeup a few times. I think I've completed it now.

The Mary Veils doesn't have any shows coming up soon, but here is the click to their Facebook page where you can find out when they do! The Mary Veils on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jun 30 : "Save That Number" - Benjamin Cartel (Brooklyn)

When I was planning out my music a couple weeks ago, I came across Benjamin Cartel's Soundcloud page and was immediately pulled in by his instrumental arrangements. I had to hear more and decided do head over to Bowery Electric to see him and his band perform live. Even deeper texture in the instrumentals at the live show.

I love the chord progressions and the feel of some of the songs where the bass plays slow beats with the guitar speeding away. I like some of the haunting instrumental lines.

A song that particularly caught my attention was "Save That Number". The song is from his "Flickering Light" album, released a year ago. Listen to the awesome guitar interlude at 2:30 to 3:15 on the clock! :::

Benjamin Cartel doesn't have any other shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here's the click to his Facebook page when you can keep an eye on what's happening: ::: Benjamin Cartel on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jun 28 : "Lazy Bones" - Wooden Shjips (San Francisco)

Garage Psych came to Philly.

I saw San Franisco band "Wooden Shjips" do a show at Boot & Saddle a few weeks ago.

Here is "Lazy Bones" :::

Wooden Shjips doesn't seem to be coming back East any time soon, but here is the click to their web page where you can keep an eye on them: Wooden Shjips on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Jun 19 : Mesen Around (West Chester); Juniper Douglas (Minneapolis); The Mysteries (Philly)

Recommended
But no music samples

Mesen Around (West Chester)

OMG I'm still writing about April 26. Also playing at that great basement house show at The Wormhole on April 26 was the band "Mesen Around", named after its mastermind, Brandon Mesen. While Petty Vandal was the band whose live show sounded most like their work on the web, Mesen Around was just the opposite, and maybe an opposite to the extreme. Mesen Around could even be the poster Childs for "two different bands". ... However, to me that was good, because I really liked the live show way better than what's on line. The music at the live show was a little more full-bodied, a little looser in the construction, and THEY HAD A SAX! Wow, that was a surprise. So, while I can't show you a representative sample of what you would hear in a live show, you'll just have to take my word for it: Go see them! Mesen Around on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Juniper Douglas (Minneapolis)

OMG I'm still writing about April 26. Juniper Douglas is one of the most unusual acts I've ever seen. The band does a concert, but it's in a narrative form; it's a story. Autobiographical I think, part true, part fantasy. Sounds like part rock and part whatever pops into their heads while they play.... So this is another band where I can't show you a sample, but, this time, for different reasons. DON'T LOOK AT THEIR STUFF ON LINE: IT WILL BE A SPOILER! First, any song would mean little if taken out of context of their whole story. Secondly, while there are some samples of their narratives floating around the internets, they probably would be spoilers (If you watch them it will take the surprises out of the show when you see them live) and thirdly the camera in the online videos focuses on only a couple singers / actors at a time, while in the live show, there's a lot going on among multiple people all at once. There's more impact and interest to the live show. So, the next time this band heads east, definitely check them out. A very unique experience. Go see them! Juniper Douglas on Songkick (CLICK HERE)

The Mysteries (Philly)

Moving into May! On May 9 I went to see Trash Boy play at Milkboy. One of the supporting bands was Philly band "The Mysteries". I liked The Mysteries: hard-hitting with classic rock vibes. I don't have any music samples to show because I don't even know wtf if there are any! While there don't seem to be any music links from their Facebook page itself, a secondary Google search approach basically turns up nothing definitive. There seem to be a zillion other bands named "The Mysteries" and who knows which link is from which band in which city. Why people establish bands that use the same name that a zillion other people have used is a "mystery" (Maybe that was the source of their name : haha.lol) Anyway, they're a band worth seeing. You'll just have to keep watch on their Facebook page. Go check them out: The Mysteries on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Jun 12 : "Speak My Mind" - Rue Snider (Williamsburg)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (May 15)

NEWS! RUE SNIDER RELEASES NEW VIDEO ::: ::: Rue Snider just released a new video version of his song "Speak My Mind". The re-release is prompted by the recent events in Alabama.

What happened in Alabama shook the nation, maybe the world. It certainly instigated Rue Snider to re-release his song, "Speak My Mind". I asked Rue about the song's background. I wrote that song the day after the election in 2016 distraught about seeing my hometown in Pennsylvania be the county that swung the state for that climate change denying misogynist. It became my mantra on the tour that year. It's been performed at almost every show since it was written.

Here's the new video, released just a few weeks ago, on May 15 (Link to the original is at the bottom of the page) :::

Here are the lyrics, printed out :::

This isn’t where I thought we would be
Half a decade deep celebrating white supremacy
Fear is an easy sell, like reality TV
Evangelicals chose the candidate of bigotry, the hypocrisy

Privilege is ignition
It burns in the alt-right
These are people who think women should be in kitchens
These are people still against miscegenation who think white men are maligned
And they speak their minds
So I’ll speak mine

When you politicize reproductive rights
You threaten the lives of people that I love
When your immigration line is that it’s deportation time
You threaten to destroy families that I love

Dr. King dreamed about equality this morning I woke up and I felt like that dream died
The successor to my county’s first black president
Is a KKK supported climate change denying misogynist who lies
Seventy two percent of the time
It still makes me cry

What do you say to the kids that wake up today
Who aren’t Christian, white, able-bodied, and straight
It’s hard to teach them to love even in dissent
When ridicule is embraced by the president

So now we’re standing in the present naval gazing at the past
Depending on where you’re standing it might not look that bad,
If that’s the case you’ve been had
We can never go back

This isn’t where I thought we would be
Half a decade deep celebrating white supremacy

=================================================================

Rue doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to his Facebook page where you can keep an eye on what he's doing. He hopes to be coming out with a new single on June 21! Rue Snider on Facebook (CLICK HERE). ... And check out the link to the ORIGINAL VIDEO "Speak My Mind" ::: Original video "Speak My Mind".

Jun 07 : "Take Me With You" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (last Thursday)

NEWS! SAM SEEGER RELEASES NEW VIDEO ::: ::: Sam Seeger just released a new video last week, "Take Me With You". More fuzz in Sam's guitar this year? Check it out:

Sam doesn't have any concerts coming up soon, but here's a click to his Facebook page where you can keep watch: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jun 02 : "Summer Daze" - Georgey V (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

Philly Music!

OMG! I'm still writing about April 26! ... On April 26 I went to a basement house show at The Wormhole. It was an exceptional night in that every act did a great show and I want to see all of them again (even the impromptu guy who wasn't previously scheduled).

Of all the local acts that performed that night, Georgey V was by far the best showman; he had the best stage presence. Really smooooooth banter with the audience. His music is somewhere near the juncture of indie and pop.

Last November he came out with a new album, "car parked radio vol. 1". Here is the third track from that album, "Summer Daze" :::

Go see Georgey V. Georgey V doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is the click to his Facebook page; keep an eye open for the next show. Georgey V on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

May 29 : "40s and Blunts" - Trash Boy (Philly)

Philly Music!

I tried my best to get there on time, but transit from work made me wind up seeing only half of Philly's trashy punk rock Trash Boy's recent show at Milkboy. It was almost a year to the day since I had seen the band for the first time. And this was the first time I saw them in a venue as compared to a basement house show.

So what's new? What's changed over the past year or even since I saw them last, a few months ago? The biggest change is that they've expanded from a 3 person team to a 4 person team with the addition of Davey. And, along with that change has come some new arrangements of their standards, with some increased texture in the process.

I asked Chris Fortunato about what was going on and what their future plans are. He told me: And yes we’ve got an album in the works! ...

Regarding the lineup changes: we had been talking about getting a dedicated bassist for a while, mostly because we had more ideas for riffs than we had hands. We knew Davey for a while, and played with his old band, Hand Me Downs. and when we ran into him at a show (the final show of legendary Kensington DIY venue Hazzard Hall as a matter of fact) he told me that he wasn’t playing with anyone and didn’t do anything besides work, so after a very brief discussion with my band mates we invited him to come practice with us. We rewrote the whole album to be oriented around 2 guitars very quickly, and Davey surprised us with a more or less fully written song based on his bike getting stolen, You Stole My Bikeage (an homage to an older punk song called Bikeage), which should be the 2nd track on the album (if the track order doesn’t change). So yeah, we think we’ve finally arrived at a sound that we can stick with and take with us both in recording sessions and in live shows. It took a lot of trial and error, but it was a very organic process, and very DIY. Unplanned. Based on spontaneous need and instinct.

The music that the band has on line right now is "pre-Davey", from when the band was still a three-piece. I'm highlighting "40s and Blunts" which is the second track on their 2017 album, "The Future Is Trash".

I don't know of any other band where economic issues and social structures weave their way into so much of the lyrics. And maybe almost equalling the sentiment on the economy in "40s and Blunts" is an extremely strong undercurrent for people to be genuine and authentic and not artificial.

At first glance I wondered why the band puts down a society's being a meritocracy if indeed that is what we are. It's a term I don't see used in many other places. It seems that a meritocracy might be what they would want. But we learn through the lyrics of their song "40s and Blunts" a lot of meritocracy can refer to one's position, but not what one does with that position when they have it, or whether they even achieved their position by merit in the first place. And, for those who do achieve success, they don't always use it to the advantage of society but squander it away. " all the smart boys in silicon valley think they'll save the world but they wont ".

We learn how society marginalizes people so they can't reach their full potential, that society does what it can to keep people down. And status is not really based on merit. Throughout their work they make it clear that society doesn't give everyone equal access and opportunity to make those achievements, so, in some ways that nullifies the very definition of meritocracy. It becomes bogus.

And also appearing in their work in several songs is the concept that a person'a place in life is not determined by merit but by chance or lottery or who their mother and father are.

So the band rejects and calls out the inequality in society and the inauthentic means that people use to get where they are. The character in the song would rather not have it all than use a bad means to an end. He doesn't want to play the game so he makes do with what he has. There is no hope for the future. Everything including a family is unaffordable. The only thing on the horizon is 40s and blunts.

At first the title might almost sound like that of a party song, but, in the end, we have to acknowledge the bleak and tragic scenario that this song paints, and, not addressed in the song itself, wtf how we got here, where do we go beyond this?

Here is "40s and Blunts" by Philly punk rock band Trash Boy :::

If you'd like to read the lyrics to the song, here they are ::: 40s and Blunts - Lyrics (CLICK HERE).

Trash Boy is about to go on tour, but they do have a show in Philly next week on June 6. Here is the click to their Facebook page where you can find out more ::: Trash Boy on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

May 11 : "Coffee" - Petty Vandal (Philly)

Philly Music!

When I turn the volume up and blast away, this track sounds very close to what I heard at the Petty Vandal live show at The Wormhole a couple weeks ago. Of the bands that played that night, Petty Vandal's web music was closest to the live performance.

One of the songs they played at the show was "Coffee". The song enveloped me at the beginning with the mellow instrumental vibe and the lyrics about having coffee "in my favorite mug". But it's only a few lines later when we start to sense some underlying relationship tensions.

Here is "Coffee", which they played at the show.

This was my first time seeing Petty Vandal. I liked their show and am hoping to see them again. Here's the click to their Facebook page ::: Petty Vandal on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

May 03 : "Electribe Jam to Tape" and "Electribe Jam to Tape II" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Videos / Recently Released (April 11 and 22)

NEWS! SAM SEEGER RELEASES DUAL VIDEOS ::: ::: Over the last few weeks Sam Seeger has done two video releases. The first video especially is a break from what we see in his other video work. First, it's entirely instrumental, no lyrics, and, secondly, the camera is focused almost entirely on the equipment, very few shots of Sam himself. The second video does have lyrics and it does focus on Sam a little more, but it all seems to be in the context of highlighting the instruments and the equipment. Both videos feature Electribes, which he has used for years in his recordings.

Nice music; nice beats. I asked Sam to tell us more about how he created these videos and what they're all about.

Hey Bob, Hope your holidays were great as well!

I got introduced to Electribes when I was in middle school. My father had gotten the ER-1 and the EA-1 because he wanted to make beats during his karate class. His DJ Sensei phase was short lived though, and I’ve been using them ever since—and accumulated two of the newer generation models along the way. I use them on pretty much all my recordings, but usually in a disjointed fashion, tracking parts individually and mixing everything in Pro Tools. I was curious to hook them all up together and capture more a “performance” with them. I also thought it would be cool to record to tape for the texture, but also to be locked to what I got. I’ve released two of these performance videos so far, and I have a third one in the works.

Another project I’ve been doing with these machines is making songs out of voicemails from my family members. So far I’ve done my grandmother and my brother Ben. Not yet sure who’ll be next. In the meantime I’m heading to LA to compete in the Shred For Your Life guitar battle on May 11th at Zebulon!

Good luck in the competition. And thanks, Sam, for the stories!

So here's the first of the Electribe performance videos :::

Electribe Jam to Tape (with Slide Guitar and Bass) ER-1, EMX and ES2 "Electric Tape"

And here's the second :::

Electribe Jam to Tape II (with Slide Guitar and Bass) "Apple Z"

Sam has been on a roll and has put out several videos over the last few months. Am looking forward to seeing what's next. ... He says there's a third "performance" by the Electribes coming soon!

Here's a click to Sam's Facebook page where you can watch what's going on ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Apr 30 : "Your Photography Sucks And You're Not Special" - The Vegan Eaters (Philly)

Philly Music!

Whew! Lucky for me I didn't boast as I posted pics on Facebook; otherwise I might have found myself in the crosshairs of "The Vegan Eaters", who have done a scathing rebuke of a photographer in their song "Your Photography Sucks And You're Not Special".

"The Vegan Eaters" is the solo project of Philly musician Doug Trachtman. He did a surprise and unexpected show at The Wormhole on Friday night. The Vegan Eaters wasn't even on the bill, but he was in the audience and was asked at the last minute to get up and sing a few songs as the first scheduled band was getting ready to play. Very smooth performance.

So he opened up his show (as well as the whole evening) with this song. It was a great move. Lots of humor in the lyrics and the instrumentals are also fine. Straddles the line between words spoken and words sung. Interesting. I like the sparkling little interludes between the verses. Listen at about 0.35 on the clock and 1.03. So here is "Your Photography Sucks And You're Not Special", which is on The Vegan Eaters' album "Post-Modern Closet Star" :::

Unfortunately The Vegan Eaters don't have any shows coming up. But the next best thing is to listen on line. He's got a yuge amount of work in some exciting stylings on his Soundcloud page ::: The Vegan Eaters on Soundcloud (CLICK HERE).

(p.s. I guess I'm also safe since I didn't spend $700 on my camera.)

Apr 27 : "Museum" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Video / Recently Released (March)

NEWS! SAM SEEGER RELEASES NEW VIDEO ::: ::: Over the last few months Sam Seeger has been more prolific than ever. (I've got a lot of catching up to do after being busy with tax season for a few months.) This video is titled "Museum", and it was released on March 10th. The video includes both Sam and Rosie Slater on vocals. Sam did the animations.

Sam does not have any concerts coming up soon, but here's a click to his Facebook page where you can keep watch: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Apr 24 : "NYC Metro: Train Core" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Dec 2018)

Catching up on posts. A few weeks ago I went to see Brooklyn musician and noise artist 185668232 do a show at Goldsounds. 185668232 is the solo project of my friend, Iam S. Mick. He just came out with a new album, "Existure" which can be found and purchased on Bandcamp.

The Goldsounds show started off well but some unexpected electrical drama came along and threw him a curve ball. While a little flustered for a few seconds, he managed to figure a way to work around the issue and move the show forward.

Iam's song structures are a little similar to those of jazz musicians, where he starts off by stating a theme, and then, for the rest of the piece, plays around with that theme, builds upon it and does variations.

An example of that method can be found in his recent video, "NYC Metro: Train Core", where he begins the piece with the familiar closing door chimes and the also familiar "Please stand clear of the closing doors". He splices those and intertwines them into an interesting piece where they become a playful backdrop to the staccato rumbling and churning sounds of the trains.

Here is "NYC Metro: Train Core" released just this past December :::

NYC Metro - Train Core from 185668232 on Vimeo.

185668232 has a big show coming up on May 30 at the House of Yes ::: 185668232 at House of Yes. And here is the click to 185's Facebook page ::: 185668232 on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Apr 20 : "Psycho Pat" - Psycho Pat (Queens)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (12/5/18)

So here's another roots in NJ post. My previous post was about a band that had their roots in South Jersey and wound up in Philly. This is about a band that had its roots in North Jersey and wound up in Queens! ...

... The band is "Psycho Pat", and I saw them in Brooklyn a few weeks ago at Goldsounds. I liked their show; it was my first time seeing the band. Here's an excerpt from their page: Spawned in Northern New Jersey, in the outskirts of NYC, Psycho Pat uses sound to express the reality of living in proletariat density.

The band released an album titled "Art Rat" back in December, and this is the final track, with the track title being the band's namesake, "Psycho Pat":::

Psycho Pat does have a concert coming up next Wednesday in Elizabeth. Here's the click to the band's Facebook page where you can find out more about them and their show next week ::: Psycho Pat on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Mar 31 : "Clique Bait" - Pine Barons (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Jan 30)

Philly Music!

Thursday night March 14 I saw Philly band "Pine Barons" do an excellent show, opening up the evening at Everybody Hits. While they're a Philly band now, they trace their roots back to NJ. Here's an excerpt from their web page: "Born among the pitch pines of southern New Jersey, Pine Barons is a super team of ultra-pals who write songs for everyday thinkers, movers, magicians, friends, animals, and legends. With a satchels-worth of musical influences, these four heroes devote themselves to the mission of spreading rock n roll, good times, high fives and hot sauce to friends around the world."

I like the band's harmonies and some of their oddball song structures. The music in the show was a little more freeform than what we hear on their web page. They played around a little more with tempo changes as well as stops and starts.

The band released two new singles just back in January. One of them is "Clique Bait" :::

Pine Barons doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is the click to their Facebook page where you can keep an eye on what they're doing ::: Pine Barons on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Mar 22 : "Strongest Son" - Madam West (East Village) ::: PART 2

New Video / Freshly Produced (March 8)

APOCALYPSE PARTY

What is or was an "apocalypse party"? Were you part of one? Maybe only know it now when you look back?

Back on March 7 I went to see New York band Madam West do a show at Rockwood Music Hall. It was my second time seeing them. Rockwood Stage 1 is a small stage, yet it still gave Sophie Chernin, lead of the band, more room to move around than she had had when I saw her the first time. That was at a packed basement show at a house in Philly.

The band played all the favorites from their 2018 album "Warm Bodies", including their disturbing song, "Strongest Son", which I wrote about last year. The song is about nuclear war, the possible destruction of the planet. When I first heard that they did a video of this song, and before I watched it I thought wtf are they doing a video about this? But after I watched this "apocalypse party" I realized what the message is. And I asked Sophie to tell us about the video, its creation and its background. Here's her response:

Hi Bob- Thanks so much! Really appreciate that. Here’s some background: I wrote the lyrics right after Trump was elected in 2016. They speak to the la-di-da, “he’s never going to win” attitude of the left in the months leading up to his election. It also predicts some kind of nuclear event with Trump at the helm. The last lyric, “mother of all shows of strength” refers to Trump’s boast that he planned to drop “the mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan. (Which he did.)

For the video, we imagined the months leading up to his election as a party of sorts—picnics, cocktail parties, dancing. The revelers ignore the atomic war footage (and “Apocalypse Now” fanblade shots) being projected onto the wall behind them, failing to see the signs of their imminent destruction. The party transforms into the dark and disturbing scene of a nuclear bunker. Our director Ian Wexler played with several different lighting setups for each phase of the end of the world, from bright yellows to jarring white and finally, red, the color of emergencies. We played a lot with projections on the bathroom tile, and used some smoke effects for an apocalyptic touch. The bird masks were added to our costume arsenal late in the game, but I love the way that they are both comical and sinister, like the Trump administration itself.

So here is the video "Strongest Son" released just two weeks ago :::

Madam West doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is their Facebook click where you can follow what they're doing ::: Madam West on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Mar 20 : "Howl" - New Myths (Brooklyn)

Drummer extraordinaire, Rosie Slater, has been performing in New Myths for years, and, in more recent years, with her boyfriend, Sam Seeger, which I wrote about in the previous post. I heard her play in both bands a few weeks ago when the two bands did back-to-back shows at Pianos.

New Myths has been around for a while. In fact they've built up quite a story. (From their website) NEW MYTHS has performed at music festivals such as SXSW, Pop Montreal, CMJ, Northside and Destination Moon. The band members have been spotted backing up acts like Kristin Kontrol and Frankie Rose, and singing in an SNL Digital Short with Paul Rudd. A favorite at Steve Madden Music, they have been tapped as direct support for major acts like Metric and Warpaint. In the fall of 2017, NEW MYTHS hit the road as direct support on tour with Cindy Wilson, (of The B-52s) and in the spring of 2019 toured with The Joy Formidable. Currently, they are gearing up for the release of their hard-hitting sophomore album.

In 2014 New Myths produced a full-length album, "Give Me Noise", and on their own record label. The first track on that album is "Howl".

OOPS! New Myths doesn't allow their Soundcloud music to be reposted, so I can't give a sample! I can only give a link.

New Myths has another show coming up in a couple weeks, this one on April 4th at Brooklyn Bazaar. New Myths on April 4th (CLICK HERE).

Mar 07 : "Hi Sam It's Nan" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Feb 2019)

I have not yet met "Nan", but I did meet even more of Sam Seeger's family members and friends when I went to see his show at Pianos a couple weeks ago. His music productions are truly a family event.

A nice show, with sound even more full bodied than last time.

It was two days after the Pianos show that Sam posted this video of his song, "Hi Sam It's Nan" which is based on actual voicemails he received from his grandmother.

Sam doesn't have any other shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to his Facebook page where you can keep watching what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Feb 27 : "So This Is Life" - Francie Moon (Montague NJ)

On my visit to Newark's Index Art Center a couple weeks ago the headliner for the evening was Francie Moon and her band. Excellent show! It was actually a music release party; she was releasing a 7" vinyl, "New Morning Light".

Over the last week I listened to both her new music and her other tracks from the past couple years. To highlight a music sample for this post I decided on a song from 2016. It was from her "So This Is Life" album. The song itself is also titled "So This Is Life". Interesting guitar work. Lyrics showing an acceptance and resignation to the regularities of life, but still wondering if there's more.

Francie Moon doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is the click to her Facebook page where you can keep an eye on her :::: Francie Moon on Facebook (CLICK HERE). And to hear more of her music, here is the click to her Bandcamp page where you can also read the lyrics! ::: Francie Moon on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE).

Feb 21 : "TORn" - Shinner (New Jersey)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Oct 2018)

PSYCHO GARAGE

I like garage rock, and I was happy to come across New Jersey band "Shinner" about a month ago. I was doing one of my weekly explorations of who next to go see live, cross-checking venue and band pages. After hearing Shinner's stylings and melodic lines, I knew I wanted to see them live. The only trouble was, when I first saw them listed, it was in connection with a show they they were going to be doing at The Meatlocker in Montclair. It was a late-starting show, and there's no way out of Montclair as late as they were going to be finishing: no trains or buses. So I decided I'd just have to keep an eye out for one of their future shows when they'd either be playing earlier or someplace else.

And that night came along this past week when they played at Newark's Index Art Center; went there after work. Shinner opened up and pumped up the evening with what they themselves tag as "psycho garage". The band is a two-piece, guitar and drums. They did a great show, and this was definitely the first time I EVER heard "psycho garage". Wow!

I also like the Index Art Center. I had a good time; it's a good venue; a good match for the band.

I spoke with the band afterwards and they told me that they're new; Shinner is about a year old. When I visit their Bandcamp page, I see a lot of work there, not only music but interesting graphics. Lots of distinctive melodic lines from song to song. An interesting collection for just a year!

From October, here is a new Shinner song, "TORn" :::

A little oddly, Shinner doesn't seem to have any presence on Facebook, so, to keep up with what they're doing / where they're playing, check out their Songkick page ::: Shinner on Songkick (CLICK HERE). (although this did not list The Meatlocker show). And, to check out some more of their great music, here is the click to their world on Bandcamp ::: Shinner on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE).

Feb 17 : "Sam Seeger - West Coast (Coconut Records cover) feat. Rosie Slater" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Video / Recently Released (DEC 2018)

NEWS! SAM SEEGER RELEASES NEW VIDEO ::: ::: So here's even another new video by prolific Sam Seeger. This is a cover of Jason Schwartzman's / Coconut Records' song, "West Coast". It features Rosie Slater also on the guitar along with Sam. They put their own instrumental stylings into the mix and come out with something that's even better than the original!

If you like what you're hearing and want to see Sam and Rosie live, you're in luck! They will be doing a show this coming Thursday at Pianos. Here is the click ::: Sam Seeger at Pianos (CLICK HERE).

Feb 09 : "That Kind of Lonely" - Wild Manes (New York)

Three women vocalists with a band! A few weeks ago I saw New York band "Wild Manes" for the first time. They were headlining at Mercury Lounge. When I first came across them on line, my impression was that they seemed almost like an a cappella group with the instrumentals off in the background.

But when I heard them live, it all changed. I felt the instrumentals were almost equal to the vocals in intensity. They now seemed to provide the foundations for the songs, rather than the other way around. The sound mixing at the show especially brought the percussion out to the forefront.

While I enjoyed their show, I was sorry I couldn't stay for the whole thing, as I had too much drama with the trains last month. But hope to see the band again.

While there is not that much of a resemblance between the online music and what I heard at the show, I'm featuring this track with this post because I like the interesting changes in textures. Here is a track from their 2016 album, "A Late Spring". This is "That Kind Of Lonely" :::

Wild Manes doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, but here is a click to their Facebook page, where you can keep an eye on what they're doing ::: Wild Manes on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jan 30 : "My Room" - Shower Thoughts (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (July 2018)

DAMAGED BUT SAFE

A couple weeks ago I went to Mercury Lounge and saw Brooklyn band "Shower Thoughts" do a show. It was the first time I had seen them.I liked the show a lot.

The music is eclectic with jazz stylings, very smooth when I listened to them on line, but with more sharpness in the mixing when I heard them live. Also the components come together in a very nice cohesive blend on the recorded music on line, but when I heard them live, each of the instruments and the vocals were more assertive on their own and I was more aware of the artists as individuals. On their Bandcamp page, they define themselves as: "Shower Thoughts is a five-piece, Brooklyn-based band that draws influence from hip hop, jazz, and indie music to synthesize fresh sounds for the modern age.".

The song talks about one's room as a place to retreat, a safe place where you can be yourself and not have to prove anything to anybody, a place where you can let your guard down.

While we don't know for sure, it seems that the song's character may be retreating into his room after a rocky road in a relationship. At first he seems aggravated, but the solace in his room helps him to mellow out. Lots of precision in the lyrics. Look at the nuances in the changes of emotions as the song's character reflects on the relationship:

I don’t need you

I don’t think I need you

I don’t wanna need you

I think I’ll be fine

Inside My room

Here is "My Room" from the 2018 "Shower Thoughts EP" :::

But then the door opens! What happens after the door is opened and peace is disrupted? .. After the show I commented a little jokingly to the band about not knowing the final outcome. They said it was "open to interpretation".

While Shower Thoughts doesn't have any other shows coming up soon, I strongly recommend you check out their Facebook page, where you can keep an eye on what they'll be doing next. ::: Shower Thoughts on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jan 27 : "Delay Hey Hey" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Video / Recently Released (Jan 2019)

NEWS! SAM SEEGER RELEASES NEW VIDEO ::: ::: I guess the segue from the previous post to this is that both artists are known for including all their family members in their musical productions. Sam did just that earlier this month in this newly released video. Max and Rosie are in the video itself, with David and Ben doing photography and animation.

The song is "Delay Hey Hey". When I first saw the title I wondered about its meaning, but, in listening to the song, it's about someone telling his lover not to leave so soon, that they're the perfect couple. The lyrics express a passion couched in some good melodic lines. I think anyone would like to have a partner sing them this song and anyone would want to have someone to sing this song to.

Sam Seeger doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to his Facebook page where you can keep up with what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

eyes


eyes



eyes

But what about those eyes! I would have seen this as a straight-forward very good love song if it were't for the eyes. While the lyrics and melodic lines are smooth, the visual of the eye in the sharp-edged squares creates a strong contrast in feel. Is this out of place in this song or what? The series of tiled eyes in the squares form the "head" of a figure. What does this mean?

I asked Sam about this, but he was uncharacteristically not talkative. So I'm trying to figure out what this could be. Sam uses metaphors and symbols in his work. And he's used plenty of eyes, but when they have been used, it's in connection with something more sinister or threatening. He also uses contradictions between the lyrics and the artwork. In "It's Alright", the lyrics keep saying "It's alright", but the the visuals, i.e., the artwork, show a hand reaching up from a grave. In "Delay Hey Hey" the eyes appear for only a few seconds in the main body of the song, but then show up for a prolonged view at the end. So, in this song, are these serious looking eyes juxtaposed against the laid-back lyrics, saying, "Hey, Hey, please stay, but you were trying to leave me so I'm gonna be watching you every dam minute from now on"?

Am I making too much out of this? Well, maybe, but, considering the rest of Sam's work, it's hard to believe that the eyes weren't in there for a cautionary reason. We may never know for sure!

Jan 02 : "Reverberate" - Laura Cheadle (Philly)

New Video / Recently Released (Fall 2018)

Philly Music!

THE BIG HOOKUP

NEWS! ::: LAURA CHEADLE RELEASES "REVERBERATE" VIDEO. ... I've been on a little bit of a hiatus over the past couple months, with family stuff and a short term work project taking up a lot of my attention. ... So here's a catchup. Earlier this Fall, Laura Cheadle came out with a new video. It's titled "Reverberate", and it features some cool animation.

I've been watching and listening to Laura Cheadle for several years. I first saw Laura perform live back in 2006. It was a Battle of the Bands competition at North Star. Over the years I've seen her perform as a solo act, I've seen her perform with her band (a unique combination of family members), and I've seen her shows at all different types of venues, from small coffee houses to large stages. She has been quite prolific and has released a number of albums over these years.

Stylistically, she's created her own niche or juncture where rock, funk, and blues all come together. Sometimes her songs sound like they're from one genre; other times they could be from that combination!

And one new feature and surprise that has come along this past season is some intriguing animation that appears in the "Reverberate" video. The video features her singing on stage, with two animated characters in the audience who first meet and wind up hooking up.

When I first watched the video, I thought the main character who was singing might represent the character in the animation. But after watching it a few more times, I started thinking they were two separate people. Lots going on here. ... I asked Laura about that, and also about how she came up with the idea to do an animation in the first place. And was this something that we should expect more of in the future!

Here was her response:

Hi bob!

The video is by KBM studios in Philadelphia. I wanted to have the entire video animated except me on stage . The animated woman in the video is not me, it is a separate couple that met at my performance. They are essentially acting out my song ‘Reverberate’ which is about that moment before right before you hook up with someone and you meet them for the first time . It’s a very sexy nightclub feel.

I honestly used animation because I met this company and thought it would be a real cool change. I don’t know if I’ll use more in the future but I loved this experience and hope to get this video seen all over the world! This is off my new album, ‘Chill’ now available!

So here is the new video, "Reverberate" :::

"Reverberate" is the lead track on Laura's new album, "Chill". If you would like to hear the full album, here is the click to her Bandcamp page where you can listen or purchase the album ::: "Chill", album by Laura Cheadle, on Bandcamp. To visit Laura on Facebook, here is the click ::: Laura Cheadle on Facebook (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to her Soundcloud page where she's got not only the newest songs but some of her work from previous years: ::: Laura Cheadle on Soundcloud (CLICK HERE).