Packed with bold, groovy drum and bass, captivating synths and silky-smooth, evocative vocals, Down For You is downright gripping from start to finish. Produced by LOTITS and 3XPO, the track showcases a signature sensual prowess that is prevalent in Sheer’s repertoire.
“I made friends with a fellow songwriter that I met sharing a gig in a seaside town. We kept in touch over a few years, and I saw him at his best and at his worst. I made an offer to help him when I saw him on the rocks and ‘knee deep in need’. The way I figure it, when you’ve faced your own challenges, your own desperation in one form or another and you’ve had the good fortune of coming through it, you have the ability, or possibly even a duty to share your experience, strength, and hope in a completely non-judgmental way,” says the dutiful and soulful Kurt Deemer about his latest track “Weeds” off his soon to be released new album Reclaim the Night out May 6th.
Glide is premiering this potent track that combines an east coast veracity reminiscent of Springsteen, Craig Finn and Steve Earle where stories ring true and you can visualize the sweat of the song’s protagonists through the hardworking songs.
Listen to this week’s State of the Art Spotify playlist featuring:
BELA – Venus in Cancer
Bonobo, Jamila Woods – Tides
Farees – Uranus / Head Above Water
Jean Dawson – Porn Acting*
SeepeopleS – Two Silhouettes
Sunflower Bean – Roll The Dice
Simona Smirnova – Volcano Dreams
Pom Pom Squad, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf – Popular
Andrew Yarovenko – Explaining The Joke
Soul Glo, Mother Maryrose – Driponomics
B.Knox – Messy
Carissa Johnson – Wasting Dreams
Under the Rug – As Long as You’re Here
Manuel The Band – Without Me
Matthew Check – The Last Song
Boris Pelekh – Stereo
William Russell Wallace – Fire Season
ALL BITE – Tear Myself Apart
Mimi Oz – Hate
Georgia Feroce – Must Be Nice
Brian Michael Henry – Vampires’ First Date
Lazerbeak – Gentle Potential
Lesibu Grand – Friends with My Friends
Seratones – Two of a Kind
Gully Boys – Russian Doll
NOBRO – Better Each Day
Rata Negra – El Escarmiento
Silicone Prairie – Dance to the Beat
Spread Joy – Mystery Curtain
Dropper – Memoirs of Working in a Bowling Alley
Coyle Girelli – Do You Wanna Dance?
Tuareg neo-funk producer, multi-instrumentalist, activist, and singer/songwriter Farees has had a prolific few years, releasing his twin LPs, Border Patrol and Both Sides of the Border, in 2020. After the guitar-heavy spoken-word protest anthems of those records, Farees is continuing that prolific streak with another pair of new records, Blindsight and Galactic Africa, both set to release on June 3rd of this year. The latter sees Farees exploring Afrobeat and dance music, while the former continues the evolution of his groove-centric neo-funk and spoken word.
Portland, Maine punk trio theWorst are sharing their new video, “Monomania,” and it’s premiering at New Noise. The band initially formed back in 2016 and gained a quick reputation in the Northeast for their energetic live shows and raw sound, combining qualities of ’90s alt-rock, driving indie punk, and shades of hardcore. READ MORE…
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James Kahn – By the Risin’ of the Sea
SoCal singer/songwriter, Emmy-nominated TV writer-producer & novelist James Kahn’s seventh album, By the Risin’ of the Sea, turns our expectations of traditional sea shanties on their heads by confronting our modern environmental struggles. The album was a finalist in the International Acoustic Music Awards, and the music video of the title song has won several film festival awards including Best Music Video at the Global Film and Music Festival, and an humanitarian award honorable mention at the Accolade Global Film Competition.
As an ER doctor, Kahn was recruited by Steven Spielberg to be a med tech advisor/writer on ET: The Extraterrestrial, leading him to write the novelizations of many great films, including Return of the Jedi, Poltergeist, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Goonies. From there he segued into writing for many series including Star Trek: The Next Generation & Xena:Warrior Princess, and writing-producing Melrose Place and Star Trek: Voyager.
Kahn has entertained us for years as a writer & producer of Star Trek, bringing us stories of a utopian future, but on By the Risin’ of the Sea, he now shows us apocalyptic visions of our actual future of climate change induced rising sea levels, Covid-19, refugee crises and extinction, all with a charming delivery. These gentle songs make our impending doom feel cozy and warm as we all huddle together and let it wash over us.
“Climate change is the biggest existential crisis facing us,” says Kahn, “resulting in drought, fires, floods, species die-offs, crop failures, and of course, rising seas. Maybe we can still mitigate some of the ruin. ‘The Risin’ of the Seas’ is the core song on the album, and lays the problem out in a plaintive, melancholy shanty that comes from – and speaks to – the heart.”
Album opener and title track “The Risin’ of the Sea” is a testament to the power of the human voice in its five part harmonies and the melancholy brought by Brian Mann’s poignant accordion accompaniment. It’s followed by the foot-stomping, dance-with-death pub ballad “In the Covid Times,” where Kahn’s response to the pandemic, unemployment, police violence, social isolation, floods, drought and immigration issues is to raise a glass and hope we can all just make it through the mayhem. But there’s still this contingent of pandemic deniers, mask deniers, vaccine deniers, climate deniers, racism deniers and science deniers that he addresses in “2020: Ship of Fools,” who are all doing their best to sink the ship that we all have to live on.
Not all doom and gloom, By the Risin’ of the Seas’ more lighthearted offerings still touch on the macabre. “No More a’ Whalin’” is a gorgeous and loving anti-whaling tale in the style of traditional whaling folk songs. “We never stopped to listen to the beauty of their tune / We was so wrapped up in the romance of the sail and the harpoon.” The parody song “Bucket o’ Bones” puts a 17th century pirate to work on a modern day cruise ship, with fiddle from Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers, Paul Simon). In the context of the album, one is reminded of the many quarantined cruise ships at the start of the pandemic. “We caught a touch of plague / but all the medicine we had was cabernet / We got no Wifi bars / we were belayed by our cell phones / The days were dark / and chilly with unknowns / But the day we started coughin’ / well I knew we’d all end up / Just a bucket o’ bones.” The tongue-in-cheek “Island of Dreams” speaks of treasure while actually referring to the five-mile trash island of plastic debris permanently floating in the Pacific Ocean.
“O the Ocean Rolls” tackles the refugee crisis. “The Vast Infinity,” played with actual bones by Sharon Turmondt, is about coming to terms with the “final come what may.” “On the Other Side” follows suit as the narrator waxes nostalgic in his twilight years with only a guitar, mugs, stomps, silverware, hoots and claps as instruments. “Cast on the Water” finds album producer David West on hammer dulcimer as Kahn sings the tale of a lost soul finding his way through the world.
Album closer “Sundown” bookends By the Risin’ of the Sea with a final five-part a cappella lament inspired by Kahn’s eco-biologist friend who said, “You know, people talk about rising temperatures globally, but it’s happening so gradually, we just keep adjusting, which lets us ignore the realities. The reality is, different species have different inflection points, so one day we’ll wake up, and – no more bees.” Kahn ends the song with a note of hope, “If we’re wise / ‘twill be fine.” Getting wise is the challenge for all of us.
The antidote to all of this may be in his four part a cappella track “Landfall,” about finding stability in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Building on the recent revival of interest, By the Risin’ of the Sea brings sea shanties into the modern age, addressing contemporary themes with classic folk musical strains. It’s alternately moving and poignant, funny yet angry, while remaining hopeful throughout.
“We’re all looking for landfall,” says Kahn, “the place we feel whole and at home, where we can rest.”