KYSHONA UNVEILS NEW SINGLE & VIDEO "LISTEN”

“Wherever she plants her feet, she does so with righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice” - NPR Music

“…a soulful, Southern groove” - Rolling Stone

“With an ambition ‘to bring the light of music into places of darkness,’ it’s clear that ‘Fear’ and the other nine tracks from her upcoming LP unapologetically and convincingly do just that.” - American Songwriter

“Electrifying” - The Boot 

Photo credit: Hannah Miller

Today, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Kyshona has released her new single "Listen," the title track from her forthcoming album due out on February 28. "Like spoken word poetry put to music, the song presents a series of questions that lead to the main point in the chorus that repeats, 'Why won’t you listen?'" Audiofemme said in its premiere. "She opens the song with a powerful question: 'Why you gotta interrupt/when I’m not done talkin’?’ before proclaiming 'Yeah, I know you want to help/but you’re deaf to the mission.” The song conveys Kyshona's frustration with those who are more interested in the “gory pieces” of her work – with such organizations as the Oasis Center, which supports at-risk youth, or teaching songwriting to women who are incarcerated at the Tennessee Prison for Women – than they are with the meaning behind it.“'Deaf to the mission’ to me means you’re not even hearing the purpose behind what I’m doing,” Kyshona told Audiofemme. “My mission is to be a voice and a vessel for those that feel lost, forgotten and silenced.

LISTEN: "LISTEN"

For the music video, Kyshona called on friends and family, pairing them up to have playful, yet effective arguments with each other. "They could feel that hum underneath while they were acting,” Kyshona recalls of the scene, "Listen" playing in the background to create the tension needed to illustrate the track's meaning. “This is what the song feels like," she told Audiofemme. "It’s just this tense moment. It’s about people and feelings...I hope people take a moment to really think about how can they listen more – or better.” 

WATCH:  "LISTEN”

"Listen" follows the release of "Fallen People," a reminder that we can all find commonality in our humanity, and recently unveiled single “Fear,” which explores the impact of fear-driven self-isolation. “The song trudges along with swampy acoustic and electric guitars, Hammond organ swells and tight drums that sit right in the pocket. Mixing soul, R&B, blues and folk, ‘Fear’ fits in perfectly with the sounds of retro roots contemporaries like Leon Bridges and Anderson East,” said American Songwriter of the soulful empowerment anthem. In uplifting lead single "Too Much,” a Mavis-Staples-style organ-laced gospel-tinged groove, Kyshona sings about finding hope in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. 

WATCH:  "FALLEN PEOPLE”

LISTEN: "FEAR"

LISTEN: "TOO MUCH" 

Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients – the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, an endeavor that led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and its collaborative songwriting culture. Kyshona has successfully melded her music career with her passion to heal the hurting; audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and finding hope in her work.

Her new LP Listen was co-produced with Andrija Tokic (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff) and recorded mostly at his famed Nashville studio The Bomb Shelter. In each of the album's 10 tracks, Kyshona blends roots, rock, R&B, gospel, and folk with lyrical prowess to uplift the marginalized and bring awareness to the masses. It's for every silent scream, every heavy load, every fearful thought, and a simmering sense of anger that the repressed, the lost, and the forgotten try to hide from the world. "I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose," she says. "When I write and when I perform I am often thinking of what my point is. What is my purpose? What is my mission? At this particular moment in these particular times, my mission is to be a voice and a vessel for those who feel silenced and forgotten." After her powerful performances, concertgoers often ask, "What can I do?" Her response? “Listen."

TOUR DATES:

1/22-1/26 - Folk Alliance International - New Orleans, LA

1/28 - AmericanaFest-UK [official showcasing artist] - London, UK

1/31 - Cafe #9 - Sheffield, UK

2/1 - The Royal Oak, Eccleshall - Stafford, UK

2/8 - Walt Disney Concert Hall - Los Angeles, CA

2/14 - New Spire Arts - Frederick, MD

2/15 - Bedford Public Library Concert Series - Bedford, VA

2/26 - Analog - Nashville, TN [ALBUM RELEASE SHOW]

3/5 - 20 Front Street - Lake Orion, MI

3/6 - The Robin Theatre - Lansing, MI

3/26 - Agnes Scott College - Decatur, GA

3/29 - White Gull Inn - Fish Creek, WI

5/7 - WUWF Radio Live - Pensacola, FL

411 MUSIC GROUP ANNOUNCES CREATIVE COLLABORATION WITH GLASS MUSIC AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC DENMARK

International Songwriting Collaboration Series to Take Place in Los Angeles 

Jan 26-Feb 2 and Feb 17- March 1

Los Angeles based music house 411 Music Group is excited to announce an international creative collaboration series with Glass Music and Universal Music Denmark.  The series will bring together writers, artists and producers from around the world to Los Angeles Jan 26-Feb 2 and then Feb 17- March 1. 

411 Music Group CEO Kristen Agee, whose company provides synchronization licensing, custom score, publishing and administration, has her eyes set on the global marketplace as part of the company’s business development and creative strategy.  “I along with our writers at 411 recognize that international collaboration gives us the ability to connect with new and emerging talent and find new ways of monetizing our music, “ says Agee. “We are interested in establishing and growing relationships throughout the world and in gaining new perspectives when it comes to style and diversity in each music scene. I'm very happy our writers will have the opportunity to create something new with the Danish artists and producers at Glass Music Denmark.”

 Konrad Jahn, General Manager at Universal Music Denmark is equally enthusiastic about the collaborative series.  “At Universal Music Denmark, we focus our efforts on improving our roster’s international potential,” says Jahn. “Our milestones include breaking our Danish artists in markets outside of Scandinavia, and we know that this is achieved by having songs compete at the same level as the best songs in the world. With our artist’s participation in this series, together with songwriters that have experienced international success, we hope the outcome will be just this. We are happy to be able to give our artists this opportunity through our collaboration with Glass Music and 411 Music Group. “

These collaborations will take place in a number of locations around Los Angeles. Writing and recording will be done at a number of  studios around Los Angeles, from intimate home studios, including the studio at Agee’s home to stand alone professional studios. Glass Music will also be setting up the “Glass Music House,”  where studios will be built in each room of the home specifically for this project. The talent partaking in the series includes a diverse group of hip hop, pop and electronic producers, writers, composers and artists from all over the globe from countries spanning from the US, UK and Denmark to Brazil.  "I got my musical commercial breakthrough in Denmark, writing and singing in Danish,” says participating artist Malte Ebert (former Gulddreng). “Now, when I wanna make my music available to the world by singing in English, I experience that the best music is definitely made in sessions with American or English-native songwriters. It both amplifies the authenticity of and brings a new perspective to the music. That's the best part - working across borders and mixing cultures while making music makes a track interesting on a whole other level."

Participating artists include 411 producer and DJ FTampa (Brazil), Glass Music producers and artist duo Rob X Jenne (Copenhagen), Universal Music Denmark and Glass Music artist Malte Ebert (Copenhagen), Glass Music producers and artist duo Littgloss ( Copenhagen), vocalists and songwriters Rebecca Perl, Lauren Vogel  and Cara Hart (Los Angeles), songwriter and producer Louis Ryan (London), songwriter and producer Ben Cassorla (Los Angeles), songwriter and artist FarrahFawx (Los Angeles), Glass Music artist RoseeLu, 411 artist and songwriter Nikki Hayes, producer  Kurisu (London), artist and songwriter Luke Burr (London) and Los Angeles artist mai.la, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. 

“At Glass, the producers and writers have international potential and their talent is undeniable,”  says Glass Music CEO Christian Skjølstrup. “We also recognize that international success within songwriting is achieved by collaborating with compatible international writers. By joining forces with 411 our producers, writers, and artists will be able to expand their network and benefit from new, inspiring relationships in sunny California, as well as get a short escape from the cold North.”

ABOUT 411 MUSIC

411 Music Group is a creative music house specializing in music solutions for visual media. 411 provides synchronization licensing, custom music, score, publishing, administration and digital distribution for music rights holders. With offices in Los Angeles, London, and Zurich, the team focuses on global partnerships with clients in the visual media space, publishers, writers, composers, and producers. The company’s Founder, Kristen Agee, started her career in music as a writer/composer. She continues to make music and executive produce a number of the scores and custom music the company creates in the film, television, and visual media space.  https://411musicgroup.com/

GLASS MUSIC                                                                                                                                

At Glass Music we believe that the best way to advance music is through creative dialogue and cooperation. We love that the music industry is constantly evolving and we have developed a special talent for bringing people together, who can challenge and improve the music scene.Our office is not just business-as-usual; it is a vibrant hub of music as well as home to a creative family, where everyone is committed to sharing their talents and helping each other grow. Glass Music is a management and publishing company representing artists, producers and songwriters. Our team is a composition of creative-minded people with various experience in and different approaches to the music industry. This makes us well-equipped and competent advisors within all aspects of our profession – from logistics to strategic and creative idea development. https://glassmgmt.com/

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP                                                                                                               

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalogue of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalogue is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division. Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.  https://www.universal.dk/

ZOOLUXX RELEASE "JUST A LITTLE BIT" SINGLE

"This band knows how to craft a funky jam that gets a crowd dancing like they’re spinning inside invisible, electrified hula-hoops." - Buzzbands LA 

LISTEN TO JUST A LITTLE BIT:  HERE

“These days, we should find our similarities with strangers rather than focus on our differences. What better way to bridge the divide than with raw, unadulterated funk?”  - Grimy Goods

Los Angeles band Zooluxx have released their latest single  “Just A Little Bit,” from their eponymous forthcoming EP due out on January 31st  via Blind Owl.  The Just A Little Bit EP, produced by Howlin Rain guitarist and Blind Owl owner Dan Cervantes and Jordan Andreen, will be released digitally and as the A-Side of a vinyl package that features the band’s debut EP The Ghetto Starship. The band will be playing a hometown release show at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on Friday 1/31 (show details HERE). 

The dark fuzzed-out guitar intro of “Just a Little Bit” eases into a steady funk groove setting the stage for a danceable, yet mind-bending musical exploration on the insatiability of our culture and how people, Americans, in particular, seem to want what they don’t have and want more of what they already have emphasized by lyrics that chant "People want what they don’t got, they ask and they say. I wanna go home right now, I wanna get paid right now. People want what they don’t got it, they ask and they say. I wanna get saved right now, I wanna get laid right now. “ 

“It’s about trading lies for the truth that frontman Troy Vincent masterfully executes with his unmatched vocals on the “jazzadelic space grove”. Listen to the well-made record below. It has everything you’d want to hear in a song of this caliber.” - GrungeCake

This new EP is the follow up to the band's debut, The Ghetto Starship, an EP released digitally this last summer produced by renowned saxophonist  Karl Denson (The Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe). The band found a champion in Denson after opening for him in LA. Denson charged the stage and raved into the mic about how Zooluxx was his absolute favorite band. He then took them under his wing to produce The Ghetto Starship recording to analog tape on Lynyrd Skynyrd's old API console in San Diego. This collaboration and the sheer creative force of the band caught the eye of Blind Owl owner Dan Cervantes, who signed them immediately and came on board to co-produce Just a Little Bit. “We loved the words,” says producer and label head Dan Cervantes about the single. “The groove and the hooks in the song the boys laid down initially. It was Jordan's idea for the background vocals which I heard right away as well, we had started working with the singers Brittany Wallace and Tina White who instantly got it and did the thing. We took a 90's hip hop approach, a mix of G Funk with Marvin Gaye and somewhere skirting James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. Troy's got such a vibey guitar tone, the band grooves together in such a unique way and once we added Jody Bagley from Mrs. Henry on organ, the track was popping more than ever.”

"US outfit take their cues from Jimi Hendrix with this bold and bluesy psych-rock gem.” - Mystic Sons

Zooluxx frontman Troy Vincent describes the band’s sound as a 'jazzadelic space groove.”  The band's influences range from 1960s rock & roll, electric blues, Parliament-Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, and Afrobeat. It’s spontaneous dance music rooted in grooves and guitars, both modern in its explosively eclectic approach and proudly old-school in its reverence for analog sound. The band honed in on their sound and perfecting their electric live show with a Monday night residency at Good Times at Davey Wayne's. The 70's themed club was an oddly fitting home for Zooluxx, whose songs mixed vintage cool with a contemporary kick. Every Monday night for five years, Troy and Ned would hit the stage, piecing together their band's unique sonic stomp — as well as their ideal lineup — while members of the Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Paul McCartney, and U2 circulated throughout the audience. It was a proper scene, with Zooluxx's co-founders serving as the ringleaders.

Just a Little Bit / The Ghetto Starship  vinyl is available for Pre-Order HERE

KEEP UP WITH ZOOLUXX

PR Materials | https://smarturl.it/ZooluxxPR 

Website | http://zooluxx.com/

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ZOOLUXXmusic/ 

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zooluxx/ 

Twitter | https://twitter.com/zooluxx

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZxzV5Ft140ITv71zWaC8w

MISS TESS RELEASES DREAMY NEW VIDEO “THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY”

“A voice that recalls artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Patsy Cline and Lindi Ortega” - The Boot  

“Rooted in a retro groove that’s equal parts blues, mid-century rock & roll and Booker T-worthy R&B” - Rolling Stone  

“Soulful “- Wide Open Country

Nashville’s Miss Tess released the dreamy new video for “The Moon Is An Ashtray,” the title track to her forthcoming album due out February 7th. “Miss Tess blends country, jazz, blues and folk on the captivating ‘The Moon is an Ashtray,’” Billboard said in its premiere of the video. “With a distinct old timey flair, the singer transports the listener to another time period with the throwback number.” "Things are not always what they seem,” Miss Tess told Billboard. “Reality can be a harsh mistress when we find ourselves trapped in an idea of childlike romanticism that doesn't quite measure up to our hopes and dreams.” The video was directed by Tom Krueger, who has directed videos for Bruce Springsteen, U2, David Bowie, and more. For the video’s concept, Miss Tess was inspired by a 1930s-era photo of a woman on a paper moon. “I had been inspired by an old picture I came across…where the woman sitting on the moon looked pissed off. I loved that attitude captured as a juxtaposition against the classic romanticized 'woman on moon' image, and wanted to recreate that sentiment,” she explained. “Tom…really took the idea and ran with it, expanding the idea to involve a whole meta plot where an evil villain is luring in souls for his wonderland vignettes.”

WATCH: “THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY”

To help capture and shape her own unique sound, Miss Tess enlisted not only her trusty 1930s Weymann archtop, but also heavy input from co-producers Andrija Tokic (Margo Price, Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) and Thomas Bryan Eaton, her full-time bandmate and musical partner. Combining Eaton's' arranging ideas and skilled instrumental work with Tokic's studio full of vintage mics, tube amps, keyboards, and tape machines, the resulting record has a rich, buttery warmth well-suited to Miss Tess' voice and authentic, retro-contemporary songwriting style.

LISTEN: “GAMBLIN’ MAN”

LISTEN: "IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME"

LISTEN: "THE MOON IS AN ASHTRAY"

LISTEN: "TRUE FLOOD (ft. Rachael Price)"

When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry unless you're talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more on The Moon Is An Ashtray. Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she has employed all of her influences and talents on a tour-de-force, while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas - like the definition of a love song - to task.

From soulful swagger to jazz, blues, a little old school country, and even a touch of psychedelia, Miss Tess shows both the pluck and poise to fold a multitude of styles into her own. 

Lauren LoGrasso Releases the Music Video for "Road To Glory"

PRODUCER, ARTIST AND SERIAL CREATIVE LAUREN LOGRASSO BRINGS THE STORY OF HER CREATIVE JOURNEY TO LIFE WITH THE RELEASE OF THE STUNNING  MUSIC VIDEO FOR “ROAD TO GLORY”

"This song is an anthem for every woman and every man who strives to live their truth with passion and integrity in a world where easy victories seem to go to the hustlers and those so twisted by the game that they are eager to sell what little soul they have left."- Afterbuzz TV

“The soul of Gospel. The look of Rock. The attitude of a pop diva. This track incorporates it all and distills it down to a single smooth as top shelf whiskey.”  - LA on Lock

“Lauren LoGrasso  is nothing short of a modern day Renaissance woman.”  - Cliche Magazine

Los Angeles artist and ambassador of creativity, Lauren LoGrasso, has released her music video for her debut single, “Road to Glory” today.  LoGrasso is a multi-faceted creative. She is a podcast host and producer, Singer/Songwriter, creativity/media expert, public speaker and an actress. She is currently the Executive Producer of Female Content for Cadence13 where she produces the shows such as Lauren Conrad: Asking for a Friend, Girlboss Radio, The Goop Podcast, Meaningful Conversations with Maria Shriver and Yoga Girl: Conversations from the Heart. In addition to her work with Cadence 13, she independently produces and hosts her own podcast, Unleash Your Inner Creative, that has been featured on Apple Podcasts’ New and Noteworthy section over 37 times, is frequently in the top 200 charts in Arts and Self-Improvement, has a solid 5-star review and is one of Anchor.FM’s featured podcasts. On Unleash Your Inner Creative Lauren partakes in powerful and meaningful conversations about life, creativity and redefining your relationship with fear, with noted guests such as Bando Co-Founder and CCO Jen Gotch, famed astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo, Summer House Star & noted podcaster, Hannah Berner, bestselling author and manifestation expert Gala Darling, The Buried Life’s Ben Nemtin, relationship expert Rachel DeAlto and multi-platinum selling artist and songwriter Greg Holden. 

“Every now and then I come across people whom I truly walk out of a conversation with and feel smarter, richer in knowledge and overall happiness. One such person is Lauren LoGrasso, a sharp and talented media maven that truly understands and is in tune with your typical media listener, reader and viewer.” - The Chic

LoGrasso has spent has spent the past few years creating content that empowers listeners through telling other people’s stories and this year decided to take that brave step to tell her own story with the release of her debut single  "Road to Glory.” The video, like the song, is a metaphorical representation of Lauren’s journey into living a creative life. She moved to Los Angeles, unsuspecting, open-hearted and pure with stars in her eyes, and end up getting pulled through a number of threatening obstacles and villains. The video sees LoGrasso, at times, getting knocked down by her opponents, but continuing to get back up, and move forward, toward her “Road to Glory.”  There was an immense amount of attention paid to every detail in the video, and there is a meaning behind every element. For example, the vibrant colors used in the video each represent a different chakra (aka energy center) of the body. White is neutral/innocence, blue is communication/self-expression, green is heart/self-love, yellow is self-power and self-confidence and orange is creativity/healthy boundaries.

“If you’re a Phoenix, then this is the video for you,” says LoGrasso. “If you’re a dreamer, then this is the video for you. If you’re a human, living with an open, beating heart, despite the darkness, then this is the video for you. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!”

LISTEN TO “ROAD TO GLORY” : HERE 

TUNE IN TO UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVE : HERE

ZAYDE WØLF RELEASES NEW SINGLE “STILL FIGHTING FOR IT”

“Scrawling a poetic lyric on a massive pop-rock wall of sound--hinting at Imagine Dragons and Bastille influence--the creative (whose real name is Dustin Burnett) is owning this moment, with the release of his first full-length as a ferocious WØLF.” 

 - POP DUST 

LISTEN TO “STILL FIGHTING FOR IT”: HERE 

ZAYDE WØLF is rounding out  2019 with his final release of the year, the powerful single, “Still Fighting For It.”  “Working toward a vision of a song can be such a battle to get it right, “ says ZAYDE WØLF mastermind Dustin Burnett,  “but I fight for each one of them. I feel so lucky to get to do this every day. It’s all about the struggle.‬”  

“Oblivion’ is a beautifully layered and theatrical slow-burn that builds with stirring harmonies and intense instrumentals. It has all the makings of a sci-fi or superhero blockbuster movie soundtrack.” –Forbes Magazine (on the last single “Oblivion”) 

The idea of the struggle and overcoming obstacles is a common theme woven through all of ZAYDE WØLF’s music and a topic close to home for Burnett, who grew up in Metropolis, a small town in Illinois best known for its fictional son, Clark Kent. The riverfront factory town is a shell of what it used to be, and the level of success Burnett has achieved, both personally and professionally, is beyond what anything he ever imagined growing up.  

 “Anthemic and heroic, ‘Cold Blooded’ is a single that inspires and brings out the animalistic rebel in anyone who listens.” - COME HERE FLOYD (on “Cold-Blooded)  

“Rule the World” contains ZAYDE WØLF’s signature anthemic chorus’ and powerful cinematic drums.  - ALTERNATIVE ADDICTION (on “Rule the World” single) 

With ZAYDE WØLF, Burnett has built a reputation for music that inspires, motivates and most importantly connects. His latest full-length album Modern Alchemy charted in over 25 countries on the iTunes overall charts and debuted in the top ten Alternative charts here in the U.S. Since he started releasing music just a few short years ago,  ZAYDE WØLF has gained 188K YouTube subscribers, 55 million views, and his music has been streamed over 237 million times. His musical success has lead placements in hundreds of films, TV shows, trailers, commercials, and video games. The list includes Shameless, Skyscraper movie, Love-Simon movie, the Jack Reacher 2, The Maze Runner 3, Pride Prejudice & Zombies, spots for UFC, MLB, NFL, Dodge, Jeep, WWE, Xbox, NBA, and more. Burnett has also creatively expanded his reach by cultivating relationships with partners such as Dude Perfect, one of the top YouTube sports channels with over 40 Million subscribers and 7 Billion views. "I get all these emails, sometimes one a week,” Burnett told Billboard, “with all these stories about how the music has moved people in some way. I wanted to continue to make music for people to be inspired by." Fans have gravitated to his music in the millions showing their devotion on social media with comments like, “ I love your music. It seriously gets me pumped up to face the day! So thank you! I hope one day I can see you live” (Steph K Mullins via Instagram), to “Thank you Mr. Wolf for creating music that has motivated, made me cry and joyous, the songs for my universe and so much more,” (Sage Asher via Instagram) and  “I listen to your music every day and my life is so much richer and happier because of it.” (Hannah Mae Hathway via Instagram).  

Burnett will be spending the rest of the year gearing up to releasing more music including new singles and EPs in 2020.  

411 MUSIC GROUP RELEASES NEW ALBUM 'THE LIGHT & DARK: LONDON'

411 MUSIC GROUP RELEASES THE COLLABORATIVE CONCEPT PROJECT 

THE LIGHT & DARK: LONDON 

LISTEN TO THE LIGHT & DARK: LONDON: HERE 

 411 Music Group has released the epic collaborative project The Light & Dark : London out worldwide today on all major digital services. The project is a 17 track collection of collaborative works based on the concept of “light” and “dark” and how the two ideas can co-exist. The project was conceptualized by 411 Music Group’s CEO, Kristen Agee, who in addition to producing the project, wrote and collaborated on several of the tracks. There were some obvious choices when choosing a theme that could have been catered to sync, but Agee decided to make this album about art, as opposed to focusing on its marketing potential.  “The concept came to me after I was almost in a plane crash coming back from Canada earlier this year,” says Agee. “I eventually made it home to Los Angeles, slept for 3 days, and woke up with this idea in my head. Good and bad things happen simultaneously all the time. It’s taken me over 30 years to understand that life is not black and white. Light and darkness move together, and without one, you don’t have the other. It’s possible to have a good and bad day, positive and negative experiences and a full spectrum of emotions throughout every step. That’s part of being human, and it’s okay. It’s a difficult concept to unpack, which brought me to the studio to write and record this album.”  

 Agee was very interested in what would emerge when pairing composers who have never worked together. Agee recruited an incredibly talented and diverse group that included composers Brian Carr (Family Guy, American Dad, Chrisley Knows Best, etc), Stephen Edwards (Glow, Dallas Buyers Club, South Paw etc.),  Benji Merrison (Dynasties, Victoria, London Olympics, MTV Music Awards, etc.) and Hospital Records Drum & Bass DJ, Keeno. Each composer was asked to contribute original pieces based on the concepts of “dark” and “light.” Ideas and tracks were traded back and forth for months. The group reconvened in August at AIR studios and with the help of arranger Andrew Skeet, the compositions were arranged and recorded by a live orchestra. The result is an impressive and diverse, yet cohesive body of work.   

“The process of making this album allowed me the headspace to work through internal struggles I've experienced this year and put them into something tangible that now exists in a physical space,” says Agee. “It was challenging to get everyone on the same page creatively, but I'm happy we stuck with it.  It's one chapter that is now closed, and a new one has already opened. I'm excited about the next project and the collaborations I already have planned for the coming years.”  

WATCH THE ALBUM TRAILER (filmed at Air Studios) : HERE 

MARGAUX RELEASES 'MORE BRILLIANT IS THE HAND THAT THROWS THE COIN' EP

MARGAUX RELEASES HER STUNNING DEBUT EP 

MORE BRILLIANT IS THE HAND THAT THROWS THE COIN OUT NOVEMBER 15th

VIA MASSIF RECORDS

“...despite the richness of the arrangements and the often poetic and nuanced lyrics, the songs feel remarkably simple, brewed from evenings spent journaling by candlelight, sifting through memories as the snowfalls.”  - POP DUST 

 “Even in its nascent stage, Margaux’s songwriting internalizes Mitchell’s touch for bluesy naturalism….” - THE WILD HONEY PIE 

LISTEN TO : MORE BRILLIANT IS THE HAND THAT THROWS THE COIN : HERE  

Brooklyn newcomer Margaux Bouchegnies, who writes and records simply as Margaux has released her brilliant debut EP  More Brilliant Is The Hand that Throws the Coin out today on Massif Records.  

At only 20 years old, Margaux, who on the EP plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, upright bass, piano, keyboards, bottlecap, handbells, glockenspiel, and mellotron,  writes with a maturity far beyond her years drawing influence from  70's folk-rock storytellers such as Joni Mitchell, multi-faceted musical impresario Lyle Brewer, and the incomparable David Byrne. More Brilliant is the Hand that Throws the Coin was produced by Sahil Ansari (Slow Dakota, JW Francis), with the help of friends and friends of friends (Reid Jenkins of Morningsiders, and Willem DeKoch of The Westerlies).  

The EP, in a sense, is a coming of age story. Pop Dust said,  “the closer you listen, the more its depth, texture, and contradictions reveal themselves. This contrast—between simplicity and complexity, and between restraint and wild release—is a central theme on the EP, which is ultimately a reflection on the universal yet unavoidably complex matter that is growing up.” 

Margaux released two singles leading into the release of More Brilliant is the Hand that Throws the Coin. The first single “Palm” was met with overwhelming praise and comparison to artists such as Stella Donnelly, Snail Mail and Courtney Barnett.  The second single “Cave In”  inspired by the late ’80s and early 90’s indie rock scene is a stunning guitar-driven song about feeling stuck inside someone’s perception of a younger version of yourself and the seemingly futile effort to change their view. The Wild Honey Pie said “Cave In,”  “quickly jumps between jarring fuzziness and melodic resolution. Snail Mail and Car Seat Headrest come to mind: both artists write incredibly mature and lush arrangements that, primarily, originate from the guitar,” and For the Rabbits said the song is  “a fascinating game of two halves, starting life all airy and intricate, like those lo-fi early Angel Olsen recordings, before suddenly exploding into life at the fifty-second mark when a rumble of claustrophobic bass slams into view.” 

The EP is rounded out by three additional tracks, five in total that includes “Hot Faced,”  Margaux’s take on a feminist anthem, written form a place of anger, realizing that as a young woman she has been conditioned to act  submissive and small.” “Faced with Fire,” is about longing for that feeling of being hopelessly in love and “Smaller Home,” about those growing pains one experiences when returning home, after having a transforming experience, such as college and being a completely different person in a that feels so familiar.  

Margaux will be pursuing her work at the New School where she studies upright bass and plans to continue writing, recording and honing her craft. 

LETTERS TO CLEO RELEASE THEIR 'OK CHRISTMAS' EP

Ok Christmas (Out November 15th) 

Letters to Cleo are ushering in fall leading into the Holiday season with the announcement of their Holiday EP Ok Christmas out November 15th and available for vinyl pre-order HERE.  

 Ok Christmas  includes three covers of Holiday classics and cult favorites made famous by the Kinks ("Father Christmas"), Elvis ("If I Get Home On Christmas Day") and the Dogmatics (“X Mas Time - Sure Don’t Feel Like It”) and one original, “Miss You This Christmas.”  The band made a unanimous decision to take a subtle yet powerful stand against gun violence with this EP release changing the “machine gun” lyrics in "Father Christmas” to “Can you meltdown all the machine guns / so kids are safe on the streets." “The lyric change in Father Christmas was initially brought up by Greg, after the mass shooting in El Paso,”  says Kay Hanley. “ I decided to turn to Twitter to ask the Kinks if they had any suggestions, which encouraged fans to chime in with ideas of their own. One twitter follower, Eric Reiberg (@Eric_time) came up with the idea that I ultimately used to construct the new lyric.” 

 “Song selection for Ok Christmas was an interesting experience,” says Michael Eisenstein. “We knew we were going to try to write an original, but we wanted to agree on 3-4 covers as well. Before we even decided to make a Holiday EP, our manager Michael Creamer suggested we do a single of The Dogmatics’ ‘X-mas Time.’ He was more or less like, ‘it mentions Filene’s Basement and Kenmore Square, you gotta do it!’ It’s a gift to our Boston fans. The Kinks “Father Christmas” which has been covered many times but remains largely unknown was on all of our lists from thes start.  Greg found Elvis Presley’s “If I Get Home On Christmas Day” and no one was too crazy about it as first. Then he made an acoustic demo of his arrangement idea and we all got it. Stacy laid down the drum track in one take. “ 

 Letters to Cleo formed in 1990 in Boston, lead by guitarist Greg Mckenna and singer Kay Hanley. The band came onto the national spotlight with the release of their first hit single "Here & Now,” released by Giant Records (a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Records). The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart. The band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990’s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film.  The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from the production, writing, performance, musical directing etc.  

The band reunited in 2016 to put out new music for the first time in 17 years, an EP called Back to Nebraska that ABC News said 

Since then the band has been touring regularly every fall right before Thanksgiving, ending the tour in their home town of Boston. In addition to Back to Nebraska, new music came last fall when Letters to Cleo released their first three albums Aurora Gory Alice, Wholesale Meats and Fish and Go! on vinyl for the very first time through a limited edition pressing. Copies of all three albums along with the vinyl version of Back to Nebraska are available on LettersToCleo.net  

Letters to Cleo will be playing songs from the EP on the road this fall closing the year with their annual homecoming shows in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club. 

TOUR DATES 

11/16  The Hi Hat   - Los Angeles, CA 

11/19  Union Stage  - Washington, DC ** 

11/ 21 The Met - Pawtucket, RI  ** 

11/22 Paradise Rock Club  - Boston, MA  ** 

11/23 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA ** 

** Supported by Speedy Oritz 

KYSHONA RELEASES NEW SINGLE "FEAR"

NEW SINGLE "FEAR" FROM KYSHONA PREMIERES AT THE BOOT

"FEAR" AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOVEMBER 8

NEW LP LISTEN OUT FEBRUARY 28

Wherever she plants her feet, she does so with righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice. - NPR Music

On Friday, November 8th, Kyshona released "Fear," a swampy new track from her forthcoming album Listen, out February 28, 2020. The song, written with her brother and fellow artist Kelvin Armstrong, premiered exclusively at The Boot. "In an age in which we all have a digital platform to express ourselves, we seldom feel heard. Kyshona, the electrifying Nashville-based singer-songwriter, knows that better than anyone," said The Boot. "Kyshona effortlessly grooves between roots, R&B and folk music. On 'Fear'...she digs deep into a swampy hook that dredges the depths of our subconscious. While the song explores all of the ways we tell ourselves what we can't do, Kyshona imbues it with the determination needed to free ourselves from our doubts.”

LISTEN TO "FEAR"

"Fear is that boogieman that sits quietly in the corner of our minds that can paralyze us the moment confidence enters the picture,” Kyshona told The Boot. “Rather than listen to that voice that’s telling you why change isn’t possible, call it out. Recognize the fear and move past it. It’s just another wall to be knocked down. We can’t let fear rule our every move. Fear is what has kept us so divided." "Fear" follows the release of "Fallen People," a reflection on finding commonality in the fact that we all struggle and that we all fight something on a daily basis, and lead single "Too Much," a Mavis-Staples-style organ-laced gospel-tinged groove about finding hope in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.

LISTEN TO "FALLEN PEOPLE" 

LISTEN TO "TOO MUCH" 

Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients--the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, an endeavor that led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and its collaborative songwriting culture. 

Since then, she has learned how to balance her music career with her passion to heal the hurting--writing, recording, and touring while remaining active with organizations like Music For Seniors, for which she was recently highlighted at PBS NewsHour Live (click HERE to watch the interview).  Audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and finding hope in her work. In February, Kyshona will release her new LP Listen, co-produced with Andrija Tokic (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff) and recorded mostly at his famed Nashville studio The Bomb Shelter. 

In each of the album's 10 tracks, Kyshona blends roots, rock, R&B, gospel, and folk with lyrical prowess to uplift the marginalized and bring awareness to the masses. It's for every silent scream, every heavy load, every fearful thought, and a simmering sense of anger that the repressed, the lost, and the forgotten try to hide from the world. "I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose," she says. "When I write and when I perform I am often thinking of what my point is. What is my purpose? What is my mission? At this particular moment in these particular times, my mission is to be a voice and a vessel for those who feel silenced and forgotten." After her powerful performances, concertgoers often ask, "What can I do?" Her response? "Listen."

TOUR DATES:

11/16 - Square In The Circle - Takoma Park, MD

11/17 - Sevaried House Concerts - Alexandria, VA

11/21 - The Olde Glory Theatre - Seward, NE

11/22 - Rehmsworld Concert Series - Holdrege, NE

11/23 - Progressive Voices Concert @ First Unitarian Church - Des Moines, IA

11/24 - Dyck Arboretum of the Plains - Hesston, KS

12/16 - Club Jaeb at the Straz Center - Tampa, FL

1/28-1/30/2020 - AmericanaFest UK [Official Showcasing Artist] - London, UK

CONNECT WITH KYSHONA:

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || YouTube || Spotify || SoundCloud || Bandcamp

LIZ VICE RELEASES "REFUGEE KING" + PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT IMM SCHOOLS

LIZ VICE RELEASES

“REFUGEE KING” SINGLE

PROCEEDS FROM THE SONG TO BENEFIT IMM SCHOOLS

LISTEN TO “Refugee King” : HERE

“Chance the Rapper and Kanye West may use gospel elements to give their music a reverent lilt, but the genre hasn’t had many crossover evangelists since Kirk Franklin’s hip-hop bombast brought it to the pop charts in the 1990s. Enter Ms. Vice, whose version of gospel is more rootsy than radio. She has a rich voice that fits easily into her groovy yet understated arrangements; the result recalls the gentle revival of artists like Leon Bridges. “ - The New York Times

Just in time for the Holidays New York based artist Liz Vice has released a new single “Refugee King.” The song, which is derived from the classic Holiday hymn “Away in the Manger,” is a song about our shared human desire for a sense of home, and an invitation to love those who might find themselves far from it. Proceeds from the song will go to  IMM Schools,  an immigrant-run nonprofit that works to ensure that immigrant and undocumented students have the ability to excel in the K-12 education system.

“Liz Vice walks the stony road to redemption, delivering tunes that celebrate the victory over the illusions that hold us down while acknowledging the heavyweight of self-doubt and missed opportunities for loving others that we bear.” - No Depression

Liz Vice  is somewhat of an accidental artist. "Artist" is a label the Brooklyn resident by way of Portland, Oregon has been pretty resistant to most of her career up until now. At age 19 Liz was put on hemodialysis due to failing health. Her life was saved by a kidney transplant she received in 2005. After college Liz set out to pursue a career in film production, but when she joined up with a new church and began to sing with a worship team on Sundays everything changed. She got the call, a call she knows was from God to share the gift of her voice with anyone who would listen.

“The mindfulness she brings to the stories she tells on Save Me proves essential, and powerful.” - NPR

 Liz Vice’s sound is a fusion of Gospel and R&B, with dynamic and soulful vocals, and lyrics, deeply rooted in spirituality, that gives her work a  timeless feel. Her latest release, Save Me, her sophomore album, debuted in the top 25 on the Billboard Gospel charts, was featured in NPR’s  First Listen program and received praise from the New York Times, No Depression, American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, Bitch Magazine  and more.   For the past four years, Vice’s music and live performances have put her on the map as an artist to watch. She has shared the stage with artists such as Lake Street Dive, Rodriguez, Joss Stone, The Wood Brothers, Lecrae, Blind Boys of Alabama and performed at Mavis Staple’s 80th Birthday at the Apollo alongside David Byrne, Norah Jones, Jon Batiste, Warren Haynes and more.

“Liz Vice is unpretentious and uncomplicated on Save Me, a gospel album that aims straight for the spirit. Vice’s faith-based music, influenced by legends Mavis Staples and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is lifting.” 

- Bitch Magazine

KEEP UP WITH LIZ VICE

 Bio, Photos etc.: http://smarturl.it/LizVicePR

https://www.lizvice.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lizvice/

https://www.facebook.com/LizViceMusic/

https://twitter.com/LizViceOFFICIAL

For More Information contact:

Nicole Poulos | Nicole@sideways-media.com

LAUREN LOGRASSO RELEASES "ROAD TO GLORY" SINGLE

MULTI-FACETED CREATIVE AND TOP PODCAST PRODUCER LAUREN LOGRASSO

DOCUMENTS HER CREATIVE JOURNEY

WITH THE RELEASE OF HER DEBUT SINGLE

 “ROAD TO GLORY”

LISTEN TO “ROAD TO GLORY” : HERE

Los Angeles artist and ambassador of creativity Lauren LoGrasso has released her debut single “Road to Glory” out today.  LoGrasso us a multi-faceted creative. She is a podcast host and producer, Singer/Songwriter, Media/podcasting expert, and an actress. She is currently the Executive Producer of Female Content for Cadence13 where she produces the shows Lauren Conrad: Asking for a Friend, Girlboss Radio, The Goop Podcast, Meaningful Conversations with Maria Shriver and Yoga Girl: Conversations from the Heart, who have over 70 million collective downloads. In addition to her work with Cadence 13, she independently produces and hosts her own podcast, Unleash Your Inner Creative, that has been featured on the iTunes New and Noteworthy section over 37 times, is frequently in the top 200 charts in Arts, has a solid 5-star review and is one of Anchor.FM’s featured podcasts. On Unleash Your Inner Creative Lauren partakes in powerful and meaningful conversations about life and creativity with noted guests such as Bando CCO Jen Gotch, famed astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo, Summer House Star & noted podcaster, Hannah Berner, bestselling author and manifestation expert Darling Gala, relationship expert Rachel DeAlto and multi-platinum selling artist and songwriter Greg Holden.

Despite the many hats she wears, music and songwriting have always been the thing that has fed LoGrasso’s soul, and  “Road to Glory” is about that twisted journey to realizing your passion that every artist experiences. When first starting out, LoGrasso, like many young and naive artists, thought that it would only be a matter of months (or maybe even days) that she would have her career and life together. This, of course, is never the case, and for her, it’s been a slow and painful, yet joyful ongoing journey marked by its fair share of heroes and villains, but she wouldn’t trade a single moment. LoGrasso believes that every up, every down, every twist, and every turn has made her the person she is today. This song is about the realization that there is no endpoint to your journey as a creative and a human being. We are all constantly growing and learning, and it will continue throughout our lifetime.

KEEP UP WITH LAUREN

PR Materials | https://smarturl.it/LaurenLoGrassoPR

Website | http://laurenlograsso.com/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/laurenlograsso/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/laurenlograsso

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/laurenlograsso/

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_a_G54T99F2zxuO31Xtbcw

MORE ON LAUREN

Lauren received her BFA in Acting, and a BA in Communication from Michigan State University. She traveled to Los Angeles to complete her last three credits with an internship on The Ellen Show and decided to stay to pursue acting. Within weeks of her pursuit, she got her first acting role and joined SAG-AFTRA, but soon after, with the constant rejection and less than fulfilling co-star roles, acting started breaking her heart. As is so often the case, that pain turned into purpose when Lauren picked up a guitar and wrote her first song. Within nine months of writing that song, she had played House of Blues Sunset, The Viper Room and The Hard Rock Cafe. While continuing to pursue music, she also started to follow her love of talk radio and got a position as a host on AfterBuzz TV, which lead to becoming the EP of Maria Menounos’ SiriusXM Show, Conversations with Maria Menounos and a host and producer on The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro. She is currently an Executive Producer at Cadence 13, continues to host and contribute to AfterBuzz TV,  hosts and produces her own podcast Unleash Your Inner Creative, all while continuing to write, record and pursue music.

For More Information contact:

Nicole Poulos | Nicole@sideways-media.com

KEZAR RELEASES "BORN"

KEZAR RELEASES “BORN”

Indie pop band Kezar has released their latest single “Born” out everywhere today. Big vocal harmonies, string samples and 808s are all present in the song, making it a sultry, slow-burning homage to ‘90s R&B. “You’ll hear in this song all the elements that made me fall in love with Blackstreet, Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and Aaliyah. But you’ll also hear modern electro-pop elements that really make Kezar’s sound,” says the band’s frontman Jack Mosbacher. 

“Punchy bass-heavy beats head up the charge on the track. A rumble of techno presence, rumbles intermittently, crackling like a neon flare shooting up into the sky. By far the biggest achievement, Jack Mosbacher gives us with this track is that it is a triple threat, being something catchy on the ear, memorable on the mind and a splash of hotness for the dance floor.” –EQ Music

The band’s previous single “Don’t Touch the Queen” is an incredible display of the ferocity of women and its video (now at over 1 million views) acts as a vehicle to celebrate the lives and stories of seven amazing queens. Directed by Sarah Wilson Thacker, the video features women from all walks of life, including the Director of the Multicultural Engagement and Inclusion Initiative at Google, a plus-size fashion model and designer, film director, cancer survivor, stay-at-home mother, sexual assault survivor, and a transgender activist. Alongside Thacker’s stunning visuals, each of these stories beautifully captures the essence of the song, painting a striking portrait of women and their superhuman capabilities.

San Francisco-based Kezar is the project of seasoned musician Jack Mosbacher. He comes from a strong soul background, and the more you listen to each cleverly crafted beat and infectious hook, the more you recognize it as the backbone of his signature pop style. When choosing a name for this project, Mosbacher wanted to stay true to his hometown by naming it after Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, the original home of the 49ers and a music venue that played host to legends like Led Zeppelin, Santana, Bob Dylan, and The Grateful Dead. It was a name that captured this phase in Mosbacher’s musical trajectory: a new chapter, but true to his roots. The band’s debut single “(Tell Me) It’s Not Love,” was produced by K-Kov (Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake), has been streamed over 845K times and was included in Spotify’s official Love Pop and Young & Free playlists. The track’s video was inspired by the beautiful aesthetic of the classic tale Pride & Prejudice and has been received 1.1 million views. The band also released a five song EP this summer that has received over 635K streams.

“If you’re looking for new pop with the nostalgia of early 2000s Justin Timberlake, lend your ears to Kezar. Jack Mosbacher, the head of the project, blends his influences with high energy pop music to craft empowering anthems.”  –The Young Folks

KEEP UP WITH KEZAR:

PR Materials | https://smarturl.it/KezarPR 

Twitter | https://twitter.com/kezarofficial 

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/kezarofficial/ 

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/kezarofficial/ 

Soundcloud | https://soundcloud.com/kezarofficial 

Website | https://www.kezarofficial.com/ 

JAMIE MCDELL RELEASES 'THE BOTOX EP'

JAMIE MCDELL RELEASES THE BOTOX EP  

"The New Zealander enchants with airy vocals and confessional lyrics on the title track and its intriguing follow-up “Worst Crime” featuring Robert Ellis. All the while, her storytelling is at the forefront of each song.”  - BILLBOARD

New Zealand Music award recipient Jamie McDell has released The Botox EP, a stunning three-song collection out worldwide today.

The songs for this EP came naturally and with ease for McDell. “I’d just moved to Toronto, I’d come from a summer of surfing on the coast of New Zealand every single day, the kind of activity I find so therapeutic,” McDells tells Billboard of the EP’s title track. “Then I found myself sitting on the floor in my apartment thousands of miles away and it all came to the surface. From boys at school saying I was too tall or explaining that if I got breast implants I would be ‘perfect,' to the loving relationship I’m in now with a man whose values go so far beyond physical appearance.”

The second song, “Worst Crime” that the Boot called “a poignant moment of self-awareness…” is a duet with Robert Ellis, inspired by a conversation surrounding the idea that some of the worst crimes a person can commit are actually the legal ones.  The writing session started with ideas about how the simple mistakes that we make can really hurt people, like forgetting a loved one’s birthday. After the demo was recorded McDell thought it would be an interesting duet and reached out to Roebrt Ellis who she has been a fan of for years. She struck up a relationship the way people do nowadays, she messaged him on Instagram. He replied that he was up for it and recorded his vocals in Forth Worth, TX. “I think Jamie is super rad,” Ellis told the Bluegrass Situation (link needed). “Her voice is unbelievable and I love the song. I was really psyched to get to try and keep up!” 

The third song “Goodbye Ohio,” “is half fact, half imaginary,” McDell told Billboard. “I guess I didn’t have enough time with this woman to get the entire picture so I created the rest, and it was a really enjoyable thing to do...as a passionate roots music fan in this current climate, I’m feeling a longing for truth and authenticity in a genre that for the last decade has just felt a little polite. I am so excited to see other female artists opening doors and breaking down barriers not only in regard to career opportunities but encouraging a wider range of perspectives in our lyrical content.”

“ The song has McDell examining her flaws with sweet melodic vocal twirls and jangly guitars."

- Parade Magazine

"It doesn’t take long to realize that McDell has a way with words. Not only that, but she manages to sing acid-tongued lyrics in a very sweet voice that almost makes it sound complimentary – to a point." - Americana Highways

The Botox EP is McDell’s follow up to her first independently released album Extraordinary Girl, that came out earlier this year and was nominated for Best Country Music Album at RMNZ (Recorded Music New Zealand), and for Best Country Music Song for “Paint On A Sign” at the APRA AMCOS New Zealand. The album came together between Auckland, New Zealand and Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded the tracks with Australian award-winner producer Nash Chambers. It also features a hearty cast of country music legends including Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers and Tami Neilson.  

“Ringing guitar chords are backed by atmospheric layers of keyboards, but the true stunner is McDell’s unforced voice, which has already led the Americana artist to gold certifications and award nominations in her native New Zealand.” - Rolling Stone

Although she is young, Jamie has veteran status as a musician and songwriter. It was at age 7, while living aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean that McDell wrote her first song. On that yacht lived a small collection of her parents’ favorite tapes, including albums by Jimmy Buffett, John Denver and James Taylor, which the young McDell formed a particularly strong bond with. She fondly remembers watching her parents perform Jimmy Buffett duets - and occasionally chiming in, learning how to harmonize vocally with her mother. An eager learner, McDell picked up the guitar after studying her fathers’ John Denver chord book collection and has never looked back. She was signed to EMI at age 16 and embarked on a musical journey that would see her become a household name in New Zealand, achieving Gold Album sales with the release of her debut album Six Strings and a Sailboat, receiving multiple NZ Music Award nominations, and winnning Best Pop Album of 2013. After hitting a creative wall, due to frustration with being pushed further and further away from her artistic core, she threw in the towel and decided to release independently in exchange for artistic freedom.

This material marks a new era for McDell. She has started to peel away layers and take a raw dive into issues like domestic abuse, and self-worth, resulting in stunningly honest and relative material. 

ZOOLUXX RELEASES “DIFFERENT PLANETS” VIDEO + ANNOUNCE VINYL RELEASE OF GHETTO STARSHIP AND A NEW EP JUST A LITTLE BIT DUE OUT JAN. 31

ZOOLUXX RELEASES “DIFFERENT PLANETS” VIDEO + ANNOUNCE VINYL RELEASE OF GHETTO STARSHIP AND A NEW EP JUST A LITTLE BIT DUE OUT JANUARY 31

WATCH “DIFFERENT PLANETS” HERE

“These days, we should find our similarities with strangers rather than focus on our differences. What better way to bridge the divide than with raw, unadulterated funk?”

 - Grimy Goods

Los Angeles’ psychedelic genre-crossing space groovers Zooluxx are excited to share their new video for their track “Different Planets.” The song is from the band's debut EP Ghetto Starship, released this summer, produced by lauded sax player and multi-instrumentalist Karl Denson, who tours with the Rolling Stones, and his known for his work with Lenny Kravitz, his own Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and Greyboy Allstars. “Different Planets”  is about unity through music and all the power to all of the people. In the video, the band is an omnipresent ‘life-light’ superseding space and time with a message of love. Proclaiming “jus cuz we’re from different Planets, doesn’t mean we’re not the same!" Directed by Dr. Jackie Linn, who told Grimy Goods she sees “‘Different Planets'’ as a modern version of ‘Come Together’ by the Beatles,”  and that the Beatles anthem of peace and togetherness was the inspiration for the video. “I hope by showcasing parallels from the 1960’s and today,” says Dr. Jackie Linn, “that it would inspire kindness in the world so filled with hatred.”

Years before making their debut with the Karl Denson-produced EP Ghetto Starship, cousins Troy and Ned grew up together in southern California, bound together by their mutual love for music, art and skateboarding. Troy began playing blues guitar in elementary school, teaching himself from listening to his dad's old records. He eventually started customizing his old guitars with unique hand-wiring, unlikely electronic combinations and signature hand-cut headstocks. These instruments help to create the "heavy warmth" that now runs throughout most Zooluxx songs. Joined by Ned on bass (originally on drums), Troy began playing gigs... The band's lineup was cemented with the additions of jazz-inspired drummer, fellow Los Angeles native Princess Frank and Bertie Paradise, who relocated to LA via El Salvador as a young teenager. 

Frontman Troy V describes the band’s sound as a 'jazzedelic space groove.”  The band's influences range from electric blues, 1960's rock n roll, latin rhythm & Afrobeat. It’s spontaneous dance music rooted in grooves and guitars, both modern in its explosively eclectic approach and proudly old-school in its reverence for analog sound. The band honed in on their sound and perfected their otherworldly live show with a Monday night residency at Good Times at Davey Wayne's. The 70’s themed club was an oddly fitting home for Zooluxx, whose songs mixed vintage cool with a contemporary kick. Every Monday night for five years, Troy and Ned would hit the stage, piecing together their band's unique sonic stomp — as well as their ideal lineup — while members of the Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Paul McCartney, and U2 circulated throughout the audience. "Playing those Hollywood clubs helped spark our onstage creativity," says bassist Ned Casual. "People would show up wanting to dance, and they weren't afraid to express themselves. It helped push our music away from the backbeat tempos of our blues roots, and closer to the wild shit that we do now."

Zooluxx found a fan in multi-instrumentalist Karl Denson who came on board to produce the band’s debut EP Ghetto Starship, released in June that was recorded to analog tape on Lynyrd Skynyrd's old API console in San Diego. While recording, the band was introduced to the guitar player and Blind Owl label owner Dan Cervantes (Howlin Rain, Ms. Henry), who along with Jordan Andreen recorded what will be the band’s second EP, Just a Little Bit coming out January 31st on Blind Owl. Just a Little Bit will be released digitally and on vinyl, with Ghetto Starship as the B-Side on the vinyl release.

Just a Little Bit / Ghetto Starship vinyl is available for Pre-Order HERE

411 MUSIC GROUP RELEASES “DEEP PULSE EXTRACTION” BY COMPOSER BENJI MERRISON + ANNOUNCES THE COLLABORATIVE ALBUM 'THE LIGHT & DARK: LONDON' OUT 11/15

411 MUSIC GROUP RELEASES  “DEEP PULSE EXTRACTION” SINGLE BY COMPOSER BENJI MERRISON + ANNOUNCES THE COLLABORATIVE ALBUM THE LIGHT & DARK: LONDON OUT 11/15

Los Angeles’ 411 Music Group has released the single “Deep Pulse Extraction” by UK based producer Benji Merrison. This single follows “Troopers Hill”  from Hospital Records artist Keeno released earlier this month. Both songs are off of the forthcoming collaborative album The Light & Dark: London due out November 15th.

The project was conceptualized and produced by 411 Music Group’s CEO, Kristen Agee. “The concept came to me after I was almost in a plane crash coming back from Canada earlier this year,” says Agee. “I eventually made it home to Los Angeles, slept for 3 days, and woke up with this idea in my head. Good and bad things happen simultaneously all the time. It’s taken me over 30 years to understand that life is not black and white. Light and darkness move together, and without one, you don’t have the other. It’s possible to have a good and bad day, positive and negative experiences and a full spectrum of emotions throughout every step. That’s part of being human, and it’s okay. It’s a difficult concept to unpack, which brought me to the studio to write and record this album.”

The idea of putting together a project that brought together composers with different backgrounds and talents had been stirring in Agee's mind for a while, with the vision of recording with an orchestra at Air Studios in London. There were some obvious choices when choosing a theme that could have been catered to sync, but Kristen decided to make this album about the music versus allowing sync and marketing dictate direction. Agee called two Los Angeles based composers, Brian Carr and Steve Edwards, with whom 411 collaborates with often,  as well as UK composer Benji Merrison, and Drum and Bass Hospital Records producer and DJ, Keeno, to but a twist on the concept of the standard orchestral sound. Each composer was asked to contribute original pieces based on the concepts of “dark” and “light.” Ideas and tracks were traded back and forth for months. The group went into Air Studios in August and came out with a stunning collection of 17 compositions. In addition to recording live strings, the entire process was documented on video, the footage of which will be released over the next few weeks. 

BOOTSTRAPS RELEASES 'DEMO LOVE' ALBUM

BOOTSTRAPS RELEASES DEMO LOVE ALBUM

“Demo Love is the perfect fall album full of songs to listen to that will make you feel at ease. Bootstraps is quickly making a name for himself and you definitely don’t want to miss out on the amazing journey and everything that Jordan Beckett has to offer!”  -Melodic Magazine

Los Angeles based artist Bootstraps has released his third full-length album Demo Love, out today via HyperExtension. When starting the process of working on what would be Demo Love, Jordan Beckett, the mastermind behind Bootstraps, was fascinated by the dichotomy of the word “Demo,” which can mean to demonstrate or to demolish. Getting ‘demo love’ is also a music expression where you can’t let go of a song’s original version ‘the demo’ and you love it so much you can’t see or hear a new take. These contrasting ideas are all thematically woven throughout the album Demo Love.

Leading into the release Beckett released two singles. The first single “Evergreen” was called “an astral but oh-so-lovelorn meditation on the seemingly futile pursuit of stability,” by Buzzbands. “An emotive, sublime track,” by Born Music and a “captivating cut…”  by Variance Magazine.  The second “Whenever You’re Around”  was written very quickly after a night out with an old friend. It’s about time and connection, and those relationships that become distant, but when you are together it is like no time has gone by at all. LA on Lock called it “A sensual love song, delivered with a raspy smoothness that showcases the emotion of the lyrics very well. This is the kind of song played as the first dance at weddings, or repeatedly by those falling in love,” and Ear to the Ground Music said “There’s a haunting humanity to the sound that Bootstraps produces on this track. The rasp in the vocal just fits the mood of the track perfectly. It kind of reminds me of what I first loved about William Fitzsimmons and Iron and Wine. That’s rare company, but deserved in the case of Bootstraps.”

“He sings with a beautifully hollowed out purpose, seemingly reminding, or taunting us, that there really might not be a tomorrow, but you've got a fat sack of yesterdays that you could spend all of your time on -- contemplating, dealing with, processing until they're worn soft.” –Paste Magazine 

The album is rounded out by eleven addition songs and interludes including the ethereal acoustic-driven track “I’d Rather Be Blue,” that was written about Beckett’s reluctance to be social after a break-up, solely to save himself from cliché break advice and the “you’ll get through it” eyes, to the atmospheric track “Falling” with stadium-filling sonics a la U2, that was written in response to Beckett being told that he is an expert at ending relationships, and the thought-provoking “Desolation of Whatever the F*ck,” that personifies that grey area between demolishing and demonstrating love, is an audio recording of Jim Jones from the night of the Jonestown Massacre, set over a sweet and gorgeous melody. 

Beckett grew up in the fertile Portland music scene, spending his teen years going to Elliott Smith, Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse shows - which resonates throughout his music. A friend gave him Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which changed the way he thought about songwriting and is an album he still credits as being a heavy influence on his writing style. Music was not always Beckett’s true calling. He was a college baseball star, but an injury sidelined him, and any future he had in sports. He refocused that time and energy from sports into learning guitar and honing in on his songwriting, using the rich musical and geographical landscape of the Pacific Northwest as a jumping-off point.  

His music gained attention quickly from numerous placements in film and TV that include shows like Suits, Supergirl, Parenthood, MacGyver, Grey's Anatomy, Elementary, and films such as Power Rangers, as well as features in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Beckett also wrote the entire soundtrack to the film Take Me Home, which won ‘Best Music’ at the Nashville Film Festival. His music has been streamed over 25 million times and Shazamed over 1 Million times. Bootstraps also found a fan in Taylor Swift. His song “Replica” is featured on the Songs Taylor Loves Spotify Playlist. The success and power of his songwriting led to touring with Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett on the Communion Tour. 

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TtheRCVR RELEASES DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM

TtheRCVR RELEASES DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM

TtheRCVR has released his debut self-titled album out everywhere today. This collection of songs is a finely tuned and cohesive work.

Filled with explosive numbers like “Fine” and “What is Love,” the very first of his solo ventures is packed with an unrelenting collection of songs that sound fresh, yet instantly familiar. It ranges from the bracing pop of the opening track “Keep Waiting” to the deceivingly sunny bubblegum “Not Alone.” Rounding out the collection is the mid-tempo “Spun Out” and “Keep Waiting” that cruises on a meaty riff that could fit into the Soundgarden canon. Tom Polce (TtheRCVR) has a natural affinity for catchy melodies and an exceptional gift for presenting sonics. On top of these infectious beats, careful listening also reveals sharp and funny lyrics layered perfectly within the sonic scape like some of the most celebrated songwriting heroes of all time. 

TtheRCVR is a brand new project from a seasoned musician and exceptionally talented producer Tom Polce. Informed by a musical journey that spans from origins on bedroom stereos in Connecticut, over Boston’s brick-paved byway and ultimately to the golden gilded promise of Los Angeles, those who have followed Polce have known him best for his abilities as a musician, producer and A&R that saw him work with Boston alt. Rock heroes Buffalo Tom and Letters to Cleo. His incredible career has also included composing for the hit TV shows Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, NCIS and developing up and coming artists such as Will Dailey and Keaton Simmons. His cleverness, heart and incredible sense of humor make him a gifted songwriter while his abilities as a musician and producer expand his solo ventures to completely new heights. 

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BOOTSTRAPS RELEASES "WHENEVER YOU'RE AROUND" FROM HIS FORTHCOMING ALBUM 'DEMO LOVE' OUT 10/18

BOOTSTRAPS RELEASES “WHENEVER YOU’RE AROUND” FROM HIS FORTHCOMING ALBUM DEMO LOVE OUT 10/18

“He sings with a beautifully hollowed out purpose, seemingly reminding, or taunting us, that there really might not be a tomorrow, but you've got a fat sack of yesterdays that you could spend all of your time on -- contemplating, dealing with, processing until they're worn soft.” –Paste Magazine 

Los Angeles based artist Bootstraps has released “Whenever You’re Around” the second single from his third full-length album Demo Love out October 18th via HyperExtension and available for pre-order HERE. 

This is the follow up single to “Evergreen,” a song that  Buzzbands called “an astral but oh-so-lovelorn meditation on the seemingly futile pursuit of stability,”  and Melodic Magazine said, “is a haunting tune that will give you chills when you listen to it, much like most of his stellar music.”

“Evergreen’ is an emotive, sublime track. We’ve been big fans of Bootstraps work, some of which you’ve probably definitely heard.”  - Born Music

 “Whenever You’re Around”  was written very quickly after a night out with an old friend. It’s about time and connection, and those relationships that become distant, but when you are together it is like no time has gone by at all. “A lot of distance, time and things unspoken made the song come very quickly,” says Jordan Beckett who writes and records as Bootstraps. The fact it was so easy for Beckett to write, his initial reaction was that the song was terrible. But sitting with it more it started to really resonate, so much so that he decided it should be a single.

When working on writing the rest of the album, Jordan Beckett, who writes and records as Bootstraps, was fascinated by the dichotomy of the word Demo,” which can mean to demonstrate or to demolish. Getting ‘demo love’ is also a music expression where you can’t let go of a song’s original version ‘the demo’ and you love it so much you can’t see or hear a new take. These contrasting ideas are all thematically woven throughout the album Demo Love.

Beckett grew up in the fertile Portland music scene, spending his teen years going to Elliott Smith, Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse shows - which resonates throughout his music. A friend gave him Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which changed the way he thought about songwriting and is an album he still credits as being a heavy influence on his writing style. Music was not always Beckett’s true calling. He was a college baseball star, but an injury sidelined him, and any future he had in sports. He refocused that time and energy from sports into learning guitar and honing in on his songwriting, using the rich musical and geographical landscape of the Pacific Northwest as a jumping-off point.  

His music gained attention quickly from numerous placements in film and TV that include shows like Suits, Supergirl, Parenthood, MacGyver, Grey's Anatomy, Elementary, and films such as Power Rangers, as well as features in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Beckett also wrote the entire soundtrack to the film Take Me Home, which won ‘Best Music’ at the Nashville Film Festival. His music has been streamed over 25 million times and Shazamed over 1 Million times. Bootstraps also found a fan in Taylor Swift. His song “Replica” is featured on the Songs Taylor Loves Spotify Playlist. The success and power of his songwriting led to touring with Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett on the Communion Tour. 

“Demo Love is the perfect fall album full of songs to listen to that will make you feel at ease. Bootstraps is quickly making a name for himself and you definitely don’t want to miss out on the amazing journey and everything that Jordan Beckett has to offer!”  - Melodic Magazine

KEEP UP WITH BOOTSTRAPS

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LETTS TO CLEO ANNOUNCE THEIR 'OK CHRISTMAS' EP OUT NOV. 15

LETTERS TO CLEO ANNOUNCE THEIR OK CHRISTMAS EP OUT NOVEMBER 15TH

Letters to Cleo are ushering in fall leading into the Holiday season with the announcement of their Holiday EP Ok Christmas out November 15th and available for vinyl pre-order HERE. 

Ok Christmas  includes three covers of Holiday classics and cult favorites made famous by the Kinks ("Father Christmas"), Elvis ("If I Get Home On Christmas Day") and the Dogmatics (“X Mas Time - Sure Don’t Feel Like It”) and one original, “Miss You This Christmas.”  The band made a unanimous decision to take a subtle yet powerful stand against gun violence with this EP release changing the “machine gun” lyrics in "Father Christmas” to “Can you meltdown all the machine guns / so kids are safe on the streets." “The lyric change in Father Christmas was initially brought up by Greg, after the mass shooting in El Paso,”  says Kay Hanley. “ I decided to turn to Twitter to ask the Kinks if they had any suggestions, which encouraged fans to chime in with ideas of their own. One twitter follower, Eric Reiberg (@Eric_time) came up with the idea that I ultimately used to construct the new lyric.”

“Song selection for Ok Christmas was an interesting experience,” says Michael Eisenstein. “We knew we were going to try to write an original, but we wanted to agree on 3-4 covers as well. Before we even decided to make a Holiday EP, our manager Michael Creamer suggested we do a single of The Dogmatics’ ‘X-mas Time.’ He was more or less like, ‘it mentions Filene’s Basement and Kenmore Square, you gotta do it!’ It’s a gift to our Boston fans. The Kinks “Father Christmas” which has been covered many times but remains largely unknown was on all of our lists from thes start.  Greg found Elvis Presley’s “If I Get Home On Christmas Day” and no one was too crazy about it as first. Then he made an acoustic demo of his arrangement idea and we all got it. Stacy laid down the drum track in one take. “

Letters to Cleo formed in 1990 in Boston, lead by guitarist Greg Mckenna and singer Kay Hanley. The band came onto the national spotlight with the release of their first hit single "Here & Now,” released by Giant Records (a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Records). The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart. The band’s music could be heard on many of the top TV shows and films throughout the 1990’s, including the cult classic 10 Things I Hate About You, where the band contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack and were featured in the film.  The band played their last show in 2000 and each of the members went on to have successful careers working in different areas of music from the production, writing, performance, musical directing etc. 

The band reunited in 2016 to put out new music for the first time in 17 years, an EP called Back to Nebraska that was met with wildly positive reviews from fans and media alike. Since then the band has been touring regularly every fall right before Thanksgiving, ending the tour in their home town of Boston. In addition to Back to Nebraska, new music came last fall when Letters to Cleo released their first three albums Aurora Gory Alice, Wholesale Meats and Fish and Go! on vinyl for the very first time through a limited edition pressing. Copies of all three albums along with the vinyl version of Back to Nebraska are available on LettersToCleo.net 

Letters to Cleo will be playing songs from the EP on the road this fall closing the year with their annual homecoming shows in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club.

TOUR DATES

11/16  The Hi Hat - Los Angeles, CA

11/19  Union Stage  - Washington, DC **

11/ 21 The Met - Pawtucket, RI  **

11/22 Paradise Rock Club  - Boston, MA **

11/23 Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA **

** Supported by Speedy Oritz

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