On November 9th, LA-based dream-folk duo Rainstorm Brother will release its debut EP Pt. 1. The duo consists of John Isaac Watters and Tyler Chester and brings together Watters’ folk-country background with producer/keyboardist Chester’s deep, dreamy soundscapes. Today, we premiere the new song, “Mountain Heart”, which features guest vocals from gospel artist Madison Cunningham. READ MORE…
Illinois folk trio The Deep Hollow are releasing their latest LP ‘Weary Traveler’ next month and they’ve shared the track ‘Real Life’ from it this morning, a dark and brooding folk tune led by acoustic guitars and intricately-layered vocal harmonies. The band’s Micah Walk told AUK: “This song is simply about unabashedly living life knowing who you are and pursuing what you know you are meant to do. I’m a big fan of Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Shovels & Rope. I think all of those artists influenced this song in some way, especially in terms of harmonies and production style. I know our producer was trying to channel some Rolling Stones, too, which I didn’t mind at all! Personal life experience definitely inspired this song, though, as well. It isn’t always literal for me, but in this case, it is.”…..READ MORE
When Ben Lee was in second grade, he stood among a throng of trembling classmates waiting to audition for their school’s production of Uncle Moishy and The Mitzvah Men. When the teacher called his name, Lee stepped forward and launched into a rendition of that old chestnut, “Happy Birthday,” the required audition song.
He had never really thought of his singing voice before, but as the notes poured out of him — on key! — he felt good. He watched as the teacher wrote something next to his name on the list of auditionees and, all of a sudden, he knew that he could sing.
“In that moment, the connection between what felt good, what music did to me and to my body and my organism — and getting validation — were intimately connected,” Lee tells TIDAL. “I ended up playing Uncle Moishy, with the hit song, ‘Ain’t Gonna Work on Saturday.’”
Decades later, the acclaimed singer-songwriter is primed to enter the world of musical theater once more, this time as one set of brains behind a musical adaptation of author Tom Robbins’ 2009 satirical children’s book for adults, B is for Beer (out October 12). It’s a definite evolution for the lifelong musician, one that’s in perfect concert with his new role as composer for HBO’s upcoming show Camping (October 14). Lee is no longer the tortured front man; he’s now a master collaborator.
A quick primer on Ben Lee: he’s an Australian musician who first broke out at age 14 in the band Noise Addict, a group that had some major fans in the form of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and the Beastie Boys, the latter of whom released Noise Addict’s work on their label, Grand Royal Records. His solo career kicked off when he was 16, and, ever since, he has been churning out ever-more ambitious work — ……READ MORE
Denver’s Bud Bronson & the Good Timers have a reputation as one of the Mile High City’s hardest working, most fun loving, relentlessly positive rock & roll bands. Their debut LP Fantasy Machine was released in 2015 and contained twelve tracks of upbeat, dual-guitar-driven pop/punk that poked fun at everything from quarter life crises (“I’m living in a beer commercial, minus all the beaches and girls. It’s a cold and shallow world and I’m drowning in it”) to the then-newly popular vaping trend (“That’s the way it always goes when you’re growing up, you’ve got to say goodbye to the things you love. Dude, is anyone still rolling blunts?”) with a carefree wit and nostalgic haze. The band’s energetic live shows and unpretentious, all-are-welcome mentality earned them spots supporting some of modern rocks underground heroes including Parquet Courts, The Menzingers, Twin Peaks and fellow melodic punk shredders Diarrhea Planet. READ MORE…
With over 8 million streams and counting of his debut LP Marbled, Abhi the Nomad, has only begun his journey as an artist, but he’s already something of a world traveller. Born in Madras, India, the emerging rapper lived in 8 cities before he was 18 years old, due to his father’s job. Although the constant movement allowed him to experience life in cultural hotbeds like Hong Kong and Beijing, it wasn’t until he secured a student visa to attend Cal Lutheran University in California that he found the stability he needed to begin pursuing his craft in earnest. READ MORE…
Illiterates is a lo-fi, punk band that draw their inspiration from various different places. In their music, you will find pieces of garage-rock, Devo-era new wave, and even some 90’s skate punk. The band’s debut album, Makeout Mountain — released back on September 7 via Baby Robot Records — showcases all of these different attributes. READ MORE…