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).