Describing Rick Hornyak as purely an “Austin heartland rocker” falls short of doing him proper justice. There is a lot of rock on this album, and full-on it is too but what leaves a far more lasting impression is Hornyak’s softer, more melodious side. Here, a slower tempo offers more space for his sensitive treatment of some complex themes.
Bonnie Ramone has lived quite a few lives, and that comes to bear on her brand of country music. The tattoo artist and metal guitarist returned to her West Virginia roots on her EP Tennessee. Now, on Live & Unplugged (out August 4), Bonnie Ramone & The Mere Mortals showcase their chops — particularly Ramone’s bourbon-smooth singing voice that is equal parts Cash and Robert Smith. On “Evaline,” Ramone delivers a sweet reverse-“Jolene.”
Oh Oh Oh is a lively number, with finger-picking guitar and jumpy percussion aplenty. The vocals harmonies give a wonderful sense of texture and emotion while its storytelling, autobiographic lyrics paint a vivid picture. As part of the album, the song chronicles the journey the pair have made from Minnesota obscurity to their current location in Music City, USA. Production comes from Brandon Bell who has worked with the likes of Brandi Carlile, The Highwaywomen and Alison Krauss.
Austin heartland rocker Rick Hornyak’s new album Dandelion (out July 21) meshes jangly, ringing guitars with introspective and honest lyrics. He challenges notions of toxic masculinity while purging his childhood trauma through the love of his wife and child. His raw and emotive vocals have the familiarity of Tom Petty, the urgency of The Replacements and the alt-country gravitas of Alejandro Escovedo.
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Gwen Levey and The Breakdown – Not the Girl Next Door
Nashville country rocker Gwen Levey and the Breakdown’s new album, Not the Girl Next Door (out Nov. 3), finds Levey breaking free and reclaiming her voice. This album is a chronicle of her triumph over toxic times, being silenced and enduring abuse. With newfound strength, she fearlessly shares her wisdom and reveals her true self.
Levey brought in an elite cast of players for this album, starting with co-writers Will Rambeaux and Sherrie Austin, and utilizing the talents of acoustic guitarist Ilya Toshinskiy (Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift), lead guitarist Sol Littlefield (Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Luke Combs), bassist Mark Hill (Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire), drummer Chris McHugh (LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood) and keys player Jeff Roach (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Darius Rucker).
“Toxic City” kicks the record off with a heavy electric guitar riff and classic rock organ that tells us that Levey isn’t here to mess around. This song is about recognizing when there’s nothing good going on around you and it’s time to get out of a hard situation. “My ex is an alcoholic,” Levey sings in a style that’s half Loretta Lynn and half Joan Jett, “my roommate is insane / my best friend from college / is dancin’ at Club Bombay / one’s not talkin’ to me / the other one talks too much / one just won’t stop cryin’ / she’s all outta drugs.”
A story writer might call this song the inciting incident, the moment when Levey knows that it’s time for a change and nothing will ever be the same. “Everything is autobiographical,” says Levey. “I was surrounded by the most toxic people. I was breaking up with my ex. My roommate situation made it so I couldn’t even go home. People were leaning on me and I wasn’t getting anything back. I kept attracting them. That says a lot about who I was. I was a people pleaser who got walked over. I’m not that anymore. I’m a goddess now.”
After a lifetime of unhealthy relationships, Levey’s “Man for the Job” is about finding that special person who will treat us with the respect and compassion we all deserve. Levey’s rich, sexy vocals are reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac meets Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.” The song’s bluesy composition has a propulsion to it that emphasizes Levey’s transition to an empowered woman who knows what she wants.
The bittersweet “The Next Lifetime” is about seeing the best in people even when they’re being the worst. It’s about leaving, but still hoping for the best. It’s a beautiful break up song that feels like a timeless classic that you’ve heard a million times, even on the first listen. Levey crafts a compelling narrative with this hopeful blues rock ballad that uses reincarnation as both a literal and metaphorical idea for forgiveness.
The anthemic women’s rights hoedown “Barefoot and Pregnant” comes in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Its tongue-in-cheek lyrics tackle a difficult subject with satiric wit and charm. Its drums propel the song forward like a freight train, as Levey’s clever lyrics challenge outdated social conventions. “What does she do with her college degree?” Levey sings,
“Throw it out the window with her IUD.” It’s a rowdy, honky tonk banger that sounds happy, but you can almost hear the tears behind the smiles.
“That was such a dark day,” says Levey. “It’s a very personal issue for me and most women. I was a child who was sexually assaulted. So, everything that’s been happening hit me really hard, especially here in Tennessee, which has the strictest abortion ban. That even if you’re a child, you can’t get help for anything like that. The song has a serious social commentary, but I wanted it to still be fun so it’s more accessible. You have to be brave to sing that in the south.”
The over-the-top “Barefoot and Pregnant” video finds Gwen Levey and the Breakdown on a set that was constructed and hand-painted by her parents. The band performs as a gospel choir, intercut with a pregnant woman performing household chores, and crescendos in a party of drunk good ole boys line dancing alongside pregnant women in maternity party dresses. “Barefoot and Pregnant” emphasizes the ideal of feminist icon Emma Goldman’s paraphrased quote, “A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.” The song’s sentiment struck a chord and went viral on TikTok from Levey’s live versions before she even made it to the studio.
With the vocal power of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” and the raw blues rock of the Black Keys, the EP’s title track, “Not the Girl Next Door,” is a power anthem of big guitars and heavy drums. This is the type of song that’s meant to blow away tens of thousands of screaming fans in sold-out stadiums. “I’m not the girl next door / I’m a goddess” sings Levey, “The total package if you can find my address / Might have been born on Main Street / But I don’t live there anymore / I’m not the girl next door.”
“My whole life I felt like the girl next door,” says Levey. “I went through my blonde phase, wanting to fit in. I broke out of ‘Toxic City.’ Now I’m more than that.”
Levey has gotten through the toxic time in her life. She’s had her voice taken away. She’s been silenced. She’s been in abusive relationships and abusive friendships. This record is her processing what she’s been through, and giving us the wisdom that she’s learned. Now, she’s found a support system and remains hopeful as she unabashedly tells us who she is, where she’s going and what she wants with Not the Girl Next Door.
“Person after person in my life was toxic in some way,” says Levey. “I was clearly attracting them for some reason. But through the healing process, I’ve empowered myself by realizing my worth and finally setting boundaries. I made this record for the younger generation of Gen Z-ers to the older hippie crowd, like my dad. It’s for people who believe in justice, who are standing up for what they believe in, and want to see the world change for the better.”
“A boot-stomping country ode to the power of unconditional love.” – American Songwriter
Belabela Forever Foundation – Instagram – Spotify – Apple
Other music under the name BELA: Spotify – Apple Music
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“Mesmerizing.” – Rockdafuqout
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belabela – “Blood” (out now) b/w “Lilith” (out Aug. 24)
The late Los Angeles electro-shoegaze maven Bella Isabelle Catherine Jhun (aka belabela) unexpectedly passed away on July 5th. She conjures two new carnal singles with her upcoming “Blood” (out July 27) b/w “Lilith” (out Aug. 24). These songs invoke a gothic atmosphere of demons reflected in puddles as belabela walks down dark, neon-lit L.A. corridors beneath a full moon. Belabela now walks with the angels, speaks to us via her beloved creatures, greets us with each full moon and continues to bless us with her music.
The provocative “Blood” opens with 808s rumbling your body and chirping crickets inviting us to nighttime activities. It evokes a visceral sexuality with its pulsing bass line and sensual vocals. Belabela creates a world for us to be surrounded by her sanguine embrace. “You held me tight,” belabela sings, “legs open wide / I’m drowning in the water / but you don’t look / you just watch / it’s in my head / you’re in my head / blood red on my hands / blood red on my lips for you.”
“My partner left me and I was upset,” says belabela. “I needed to wear blood-red lipstick around this person. He never saw me without it. I was having intrusive thoughts about sex and I wanted him out of my brain. I would go to this church across the street from my school and take naps underneath the Virgin Mary. I just kept imagining having sex with this person. I felt evil.”
Belabela’s “Lilith” is a mellow, psychedelic, ritualistic love song and biblical reference to Adam’s first wife. It’s a hymn of empowerment that taps into the darker side of feminine energy; it’s a song of seduction and temptation. Belabela summons forth the potency of this otherworldly entity, entwined with her creative inspiration, power and spiritual liberation. It’s a love song that projects a meaningful symbol of rebellion against the patriarchal status quo.
“There is a system in place,” says belabela. “It’s about making a choice to live more in the Lilith archetype of femininity. Every bad thing I believe about myself was said by a man. I don’t want to sound like a man-hater, because I’m not. I’m a total masochist and I hate it. But I’m working on that.”
Belabela grew up in Los Angeles and attended an arts high school focusing on visual art. She didn’t start music until she dated Richard. Richard who’d obnoxiously bring his guitar to every party. Richard who’d have belabela sing along. Richard who sparked belabela’s love of singing.
But before Richard, there was heroin and halfway homes for sober women. Since she was teenager, belabela has spent a decade fighting mental health issues, panic attacks, and has survived nearly a dozen overdoses. “When I’m sad,” says belabela, “it’s way more than what other people think of as ‘being sad.’ I’d go back [to drugs] whenever I’d have a panic attack. I’ve grown out of that cycle now, and I’m still here. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
In the L.A. of it all, belabela’s aunt Samantha Bennington was once married to a singer of a famous turn-of-the-century nu-metal band Linkin Park. Belabela stayed with her for a summer and received advice from some of the greats from a generation before her, including Steph Carpenter of the Deftones teaching her how to properly string a guitar. Belabela eventually met guitarist Dave Sender, and had him play on these two songs. And then she met mixer/engineer Claire Morison.
“Claire was in there when she was a brand new audio student, and I was in there just starting out with my acoustic guitar. Now, ten years later she’s full-blown doin’ it, and mixing my song!”
Belabela went to school for audio engineering, and had been honing her craft by assisting with studio recordings at Savannah Studios and with live sound at the Whiskey a Go Go while she was recording her next batch of songs.
“I enjoy the Pro Tools / Logic side more than guitar because I like to get my nails done with my mama,” says belabela. “I always start with bass. That’s my favorite part. Bass is like your solar plexus chakra, a very sexual energy to me. I can’t stress how much I love bass, tuned down, distorted. It can make you dance. It’s sexy.”
Belabela weaves the haunting with the hypnotic in her immersively, evocative songwriting. “Blood” and “Liltih” charm with their hyper-sexual dreamscapes, like cinematic, slow-motion kisses in soft focus. There’s a primal urge buried deep in all of us that belabela seems to effortlessly bring to the surface in her songs.
As fate may have it – at the time of this release the universe has unexpectedly had belabela return to heaven or another dimension. Belabela now walks with the angels, speaks to us via her beloved creatures, greets us with each full moon and continues to bless us with her music.
There has been a foundation set up in her memory to support causes she would believe in. Please see www.belabelaforever.org for more information.