Home Blog Page 1525

Alt-Rockers SOUL FILTER Say “The City Knows” with New Single

Eric Alper
-
0
Alt-Rockers SOUL FILTER Say “The City Knows” with New Single

Award-nominated Canadian alt-rock outfit Soul Filter unveil their new song exploring the unforgiving nature of big cities, all from the perspective of a small-town girl, with this, their fiery new single, “The City Knows.”

Produced by John Angus MacDonald of The Trews and dripping with ‘90s nostalgia, “The City Knows” is a page torn from a diarist’s letter to the era of cassette walkmans and no smartphones. Lending itself to be more of a dark fairy tale, the song reflects the artists that have heavily inspired Soul Filter — in this track’s case, think the introspective, confessional vibe or Fleetwood Mac coupled with the ethereal, high-energy flair of Florence & The Machine.

“The City Knows” is based on the true story of a small-town girl who finally makes it to the big city and quickly realizes it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. “Though I was in a city surrounded by people, I never felt so alone,” lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Karen Penton shares. “It’s forever seared in my memory…

“Writing about it years later, I was able to see it from a new perspective.”

The emotional complexity of discovering oneself in a new place is explored through beautifully laid literary devices embedded in the lyrics. The lonesome journey in a big city is captured in “The City Knows” to emphasize the internal struggle of navigating the path less travelled.

“There’s a pretty fantasy
An emerald buried somewhere in the city
If it glitters then it’s gold
My ruby shoes are gonna save my soul
Milk and honey, wait for me
At the end of a fairy tale street
Got no reason to disbelieve
Sometimes I feel like it wants me to leave”

Once a rough version of “The City Knows” came together, a demo was sent to John Angus MacDonald of The Trews for production. Colin MacDonald of The Trews and Halifax singer/songwriter/producer Chris Kirby were then brought in to help lyrically flesh out the rest of the song.

Fast forward to a recording session in Prince Edward Island with John Angus himself, and the result speaks for itself.

After meeting in 2001 and falling musically in love, husband and wife songwriting duo Karen and Mike Penton decided to take their talent and create something original. With several ‘90s cover bands under their belt, they began their new musical adventure in 2017 and founded Soul Filter. They have since released their debut album, A Minor Conspiracy, which garnered a 2020 Music PEI nomination for Rock Recording of the Year.

Songwriter & Producer JOHN TOMAINO Captures the “Freeze Frame” with Release of New Single

Eric Alper
-
0
Songwriter & Producer JOHN TOMAINO Captures the “Freeze Frame” with Release of New Single

Fresh from a forthcoming genre-bending album brimming with catchy, yet profound, songs, award-nominated songwriter and producer John Tomaino ushers audiences between the stills with a hypnotic new single, “Freeze Frame.”

Tomaino’s core musical DNA is on full display throughout the track, allowing “Freeze Frame” to serve as a prime preview for the Australian artist’s new album, People Will Talk — due out this Summer 2022 via Epictronic Records.

This is Tomaino’s debut album release, and it showcases not only his genre-bending productions that span EDM, electronic, pop, rock, indie, folk, hip hop, adult contemporary, and more, but also his multiple talents as the release’s writer, arranger, and producer. Despite the astonishing diversity of tunes, however, this is not a compilation album — but rather a cohesive body of work with a strong identity.

Nowhere is this more on display than in “Freeze Frame” which joins the LP’s 12 original tracks by embodying Tomaino’s main motto — to “serve the song” — as he blissfully ignores genres and lets the track, like all his others, dictate what it wants to be. Creating unique and engaging sonic landscapes that stand the test of time, it’s music “with an extended warranty,” as he puts it.

Critically acclaimed, industry peers, icons, and audiences alike have taken notice; Tomaino’s original music first caught the attention of famed US multi-platinum Music Producer, Scott Mathews, who said it’s “the most important sound to come out of Australia since Midnight Oil,” adding that Tomaino’s music has “a cool Van vibe with an aria of optimism that distinguishes JT in a whole other class than Mr. Morrison.”

DamnGoodTunes Magazine in the US agreed, declaring Tomaino “a fine, fine talent reclaiming a lost art” and, along the way, Sir Paul McCartney’s publishing house in New York spotted a great songwriter in Tomaino, adding his song “Emergency” to their prestigious catalog.

Ahead of his upcoming debut album release for People Will Talk, John Tomaino continues to be recognized in multiple songwriting awards — including as a Finalist in the Australian Music Awards and the Great American Song Contest.

Durham County Poets Are “Back at the Groove Shack,” Leading the Soulful Way ‘Out of the Woods’ with New Album & Single

Eric Alper
-
0
Durham County Poets Are “Back at the Groove Shack,” Leading the Soulful Way ‘Out of the Woods’ with New Album & Single

There’s no stopping anyone with the right attitude and some ambition and, for Canadian powerhouse blues band Durham County Poets, the drive to get “Back at the Groove Shack” after our pandemic pause is creatively evident with this, their soulful new single and album, Out of the Woods.

While we all hunkered down for the long haul of COVID, DCP lead vocalist and songwriter Kevin Harvey knew that the time was right to get working on new music that could have the power to uplift and inspire just when we all perhaps need it the most.

“The idea was for it to be a positive, uplifting experience for all involved — creators and listeners,” notes Harvey.

The result of this experience? The band’s fifth album, Out of the Woods, produced by Bill Garrett; the smooth, funky, and smile-worthy title track is the lead single that introduces the new collection in both style and substance.

From the one-word vocal intro of “alright”, the album’s title track, “Out of the Woods,” takes us down a path heading straight for the light at the end of the tunnel. Along the way, there’s continuous, rhythmic reassurance that everything is indeed going to be alright.

“The number one inspiration for the single ‘Out of the Woods’ was my mother,” says Harvey. “She has always been a rock and the kind of mom that has the ability to set you straight! Get me off my high horse and or kick my behind if I start feeling sorry for myself, and always with love.”

We ain’t home yet but we’re out of the woods
Come on now, take a look at this world and start acting like we know we should

DCP has a lot to live up to and surpass after scoring a 2020 JUNO nomination for Best Blues Album of the Year for their fourth record, Hand Me Down Blues, and watching it stay on Roots Music Report’s Top 50 chart in Canada for more than 12 months. The album also received two Maple Blues Awards nominations and a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Kevin Harvey.

While Harvey is the voice out front, Durham County Poets are a “band in the truest sense of the word,” they share.

“Every member writes and arranges and brings something unique to the table,” says Harvey. “You’ll hear a variety of genres and a broad range of styles.” Those DCP members are David Whyte on guitar and backing vocals, Neil Elsmore on guitar and backing vocals, Carl Rufh on bass and backing vocals, and Rob Couture on drums.

“The guys in the band wrote songs that bolster that positive uplifting vibe, it’s peppered all over the album,” he continues. “Even when the content is somewhat sobering and can be a tad weighty, the end result is relevance and beauty, and a bit of humour never hurt nobody either.”

Positivity, forward-thinking, and passion are the key drivers for bandleader Kevin Harvey, who has been in a wheelchair since 1981 after what he calls a “stupid accident.“ He sees it as just one experience among many in his life and will not allow it to define or confine him. With the grace of God, the collective power of the band, and the slowly changing views of society towards the disabled, DCP has been able to realize some of the hopes and aspirations they all have as musicians. Harvey sums it up with his personal motto, “Music is a precious gift too important not to be shared.”

The belief in and celebration of that precious gift has been palpable when the band has fired up at key festivals such as Ottawa Blues, Rochester Jazz, Montréal Folk, Deep Roots Nova Scotia, Wintergrass Seattle, Port Credit, Ontario’s Southside Blues Shuffle, and the Pop-up “Superfolk” in Morin Heights, QC.

The positive power that a DCP show can have was observed by Bill Hurley of Extended Play Sessions when he wrote, “There’s something about the Durham County Poets that leaves you feeling that everything might be OK in the world after all. There’s a human spirit that lives in these people and their music is the medium that allows that spirit to roam free.”

In the coming months, the Durham County Poets will be sharing that spirit with enthralling performances increasing their usual five members to seven with a horn section. They’ll be hitting stages throughout Québec and Ontario and in the U.S. in New England and New York State in support of their fifth album Out of the Woods. Visit durhamcountypoets.com for dates.

Pop Songstress Zula Palmer Instills Thoughtful Disquietude with Dark, Synth-y New Single, “Wife”

Eric Alper
-
0
Pop Songstress Zula Palmer Instills Thoughtful Disquietude with Dark, Synth-y New Single, “Wife”

If you want to shrug off all naivete, become a waitress. This simple truth is inherent in Philadelphia/London pop chanteuse Zula Palmer’s understatedly searing new single “Wife” – available now – about all the ways middle-aged men can be awful, harassing and cringey… Particularly in the company of young women who are, literally, a captive audience.

Dark and synth-y with syncopated beats, “Wife” is magnetic and compelling specifically because of what it doesn’t say as much as what it does. Many of the lyrical stanzas cut off before the end of certain thoughts and phrases, only to begin with what seems like a new thought or scenario. Taken together, however, feelings of anger emerge, as well as incredulity.

“’Wife’ is a tale of wacky flirtation, suspicious intentions, and, well – harassment,” Palmer says. “I had just started working at a local pub in London when I noticed how courageous some middle-aged fathers and husbands can get. The more they drink, the more they talk, and compliment, and imply (and still never tip).

“I rarely felt helpless; it was frankly entertaining to watch them embarrass themselves like that.”

The entire experience struck her as thought-provoking fodder for a narrative. “I thought it would be a fun story to pen,” she says, adding that the lyrics are just as hungry as the male gaze — especially in the chorus, which embraces food-related language. It’s “translating all kinds of hunger into an instruction of how not to approach your female server.”

At first, she approached the song like a diss track, but then she decided to make it a bit more complex. “As I kept writing, it kept turning more and more eloquent, and at some point I realized I wanted the song to feel like an anecdote, narrated more than sung, which I’d never done before,” she said. “I kept the production minimal partly because I wanted to let the lyrics shine through.”

The “pretty word play,” as she refers to the twisting and turning of the song’s phrases and stanzas, was very purposeful. As you listen, you can picture a woman who’s roiling with rage on the inside, yet who appears plastic and compliant, and maybe even flirty, on the outside.

“I really wanted to make it lyrically so attractive that nobody would even see past it to recognize ‘Wife’s merit,” Palmer says. “It’s almost as if the song was a woman.”

Zula Palmer is an emerging London-based artist who takes on the role of the 21st century storyteller. With an observant eye and an ear for compelling narrative, Palmer proves social norms to be arbitrary and redefines what it means to have an attitude. Though her empowering messages are delivered in a package of catchy melodies and snappy beats, her lyricism haunts and lingers on, inviting listeners to revisit the most obscure and unwelcome ideas, driving them into bittersweet discomfort.

She is an experienced live performer – from working as a classical pianist at the National Philharmonics in Warsaw, Poland, to pop debuts in London, and to basement shows in Philadelphia, where she currently resides.

My Next Read: “Looking for the Magic: New York City, the ’70s and the Rise of Arista Records” by Mitchell Cohen

Eric Alper
-
0
My Next Read: “Looking for the Magic: New York City, the ’70s and the Rise of Arista Records” by Mitchell Cohen

Looking for the Magic is a cultural-historical remix, a fresh perspective on how Arista Records reflected its place and time, New York in the 1970s and early 1980s. Through interviews with dozens of artists and executives, music journalist Mitchell Cohen goes inside the business of making and marketing music during this vibrant and diverse period. Under Clive Davis, rock, pop, punk, jazz, R&B, disco, cabaret and Broadway were all represented on Arista. The label sounded like the city it was at the geographical center of.

From its inception as a new entity built on the pop and soul foundation of Bell Records, to groundbreaking artists like Gil Scott-Heron and Patti Smith, to revitalized legends like the Kinks and Aretha Franklin, up to its launching of its biggest star, Whitney Houston, Arista Records’ story has never been told like this. Looking for the Magic covers the wide scope of the label’s roster: its giant pop successes (Barry Manilow), its dedication to cutting-edge jazz (Anthony Braxton) and its embrace of rock royalty (Lou Reed, the Grateful Dead).
Looking for the Magic (named after a song by Arista group the Dwight Twilley Band) takes the reader behind the scenes, to the Kinks’ backstage fights, Lou Reed’s on-stage diatribes, and to CBGB’s, Kenny’s Castaways and the Continental Baths. We find out how “Because the Night” made its way from Bruce Springsteen to Patti Smith; how Barry Manilow went from obscurity to stardom; how MTV ushered in a second British Invasion for bands like the Thompson Twins and Haircut One Hundred; and how Arista formed alliances with adventurous labels like Stiff and Ze Records.

Grammy-nominated scribe Mitchell Cohen has written about music and film for publications such as Creem, High Fidelity, Film Comment, the Village Voice, Musician and Phonograph Record. He began working at Arista Records in the late ‘70s, as a publicity and advertising copywriter, and then as one of the label’s A&R executives, until leaving the label in 1993. He has won a Clio Award and is the co-author of the books All These Things That I’ve Done (with Matt Pinfield) and The White Label Promo Preservation Society (with Sal Maida).

Richard Reed Parry And Susie Ibarra Announce “Heart And Breath: Rhythm And Tone Fields (Offair)” Album

Eric Alper
-
0
Richard Reed Parry And Susie Ibarra Announce “Heart And Breath: Rhythm And Tone Fields (Offair)” Album

Today, multi instrumentalist and composer Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire) and notable percussionist and composer Susie Ibarra are announcing the release of Heart and Breath: Rhythm and Tone Fields (OFFAIR) alongside a gleaming focus track and visualizer “Field II: Slow Drift”.

The project started as a sound pack for creator platform Splice, Ibarra and Parry collaborated remotely using the rhythm of their heartbeats to create each track.

The compositions that emerged are hypnotic fields of sound that seem to float suspended in time and space, unfolding gently in a manner that is at once intimate and expansive, and which connects the listener to their own most primal, internal body rhythms.

Of the recording process Reed Parry said, “This doesn’t sound like any record I’ve ever heard. There’s a sensibility to it that was enabled by remote recording, and the fact that we made our breath into music and then into samples and then we built on that to make an album. I think it’s a great new step to make a record that can exist as component pieces.”

Of “Field II: Slow Drift”, Ibarra said, “these tunings meet in an otherworldly place greeting sound from the southern Philippines with a western cadence that gently surprises us as it seems unending and continually drifts slowly along.”

Composer/performer/sound artists Richard Reed Parry and Susie Ibarra started their musical journey together after being approached by Splice to create a body of new musical work together as a first-time, long-distance music collaboration. The two decided to expand and explore an idea used in Parry’s prior composition work – using the rhythms of their heart rates and breathing patterns as the basis for rhythmic tempos and musical dynamics, paired with Ibarra’s extended rhythmic and melodic percussion language and her ongoing interpretive practice of Philippine gong music.

OFFAIR Records is a joint venture between Universal Music Canada (UMC) and Versus Creative globally distributed by UMC and Virgin Music Label + Artist Services. With a community of established artists exploring beyond their familiar sonic territories, OFFAIR’s series of releases will bring instrumental and experimental soundtracks to listener-specific environments, mental spaces and shared universal moments. The mission of OFFAIR co-founders Rishi Shah and Nate Auerbach is to create deeper experiences through music. OFFAIR is building a brand, community, and distribution system together with their partners at UMC and Virgin Music to drive intentional listening, supported by special events, partnerships and more.

Tracklisting
1. Field I: After C
2. Field II: Slow Drift
3. Field III: Even
4. Field IV: Gong
5. Field V: Sarunay Shifting
6. Field V: Sarunay Shifting
7. Field VII: Overtone Heartbeats
8. Field VIII: Hands
9. Field IX: Simple Breath

Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 The Official Box Set Announced

Eric Alper
-
0
Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 The Official Box Set Announced

In what has become another major year for Blondie, the New York legends mark a career milestone with the release of the first ever authorised and in-depth archive in their history, a rarity for a band almost 50 years into their career with 40 million records sold. Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 will be released on August 26th via UMe and The Numero Group, and is available to pre-order now.

See the unboxing of the Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition below.

Remastered from the original analog tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios, this expansive box set is available on four formats (Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition, Deluxe 4LP, Deluxe 8CD and 3CD editions). Housed in a foil-wrapped carton, Against The Odds includes extensive liner notes by Erin Osmon, track by track commentary from Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison, Frank Infante, and Gary Valentine, essays by producers Mike Chapman, Richard Gottehrer, and Ken Shipley, a 120-page illustrated discography, and hundreds of period photographs.

Blondie has transcended the realms of mere bands, evolving out of pop and punk to become a vital strand of American music’s core DNA. What the seven members of Blondie, made up of iconic frontwoman/songwriter Debbie Harry, guitarist/conceptual mastermind Chris Stein, powerhouse drummer Clem Burke, keyboardist Jimmy Destri, bassist Gary Valentine, guitarist Frank Infante and bassist Nigel Harrison, set to tape over those first eight years remains among the most timeless music of its era.

This archive box set—the first band-authorised collection in their 50-year history—is a collective moment to celebrate their legacy and be immersed into Blondie’s genre-bending sonic universe, including their first six studio albums recorded for Chrysalis; Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, The Hunter, and in turn their catalogue of era-defining hits “Heart Of Glass,” “Atomic,” “Tide Is High,” “Sunday Girl,” “Rapture,” and “Call Me.” These six groundbreaking albums have been expanded to include over four dozen demos (including the group’s first-ever recording session), alternate versions, and studio outtakes, creating a near-complete document of Blondie’s studio sessions prior to their 1982 hiatus.

Debbie Harry said, “It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70’s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60’s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”

“I am hopeful that this project will provide a glimpse into the ‘process’ and some of the journey that the songs took from idea to final form,” guitarist Chris Stein said. “Some of this stuff is like early sketches; the old tape machines are like primitive notebooks. The trickiest thing for me was always about getting the melodies out of my head into reality and the changes that would happen along the way.”

“It is amazing that after all this time, and against the odds, our Blondie archival box set will finally be released. It’s been a long time coming and we are all very happy and excited with the final results,” drummer Clem Burke added.

“From the moment I walked into Chris Stein’s barn and saw a wall of tapes I knew we were on the precipice of something extraordinary,” producer Ken Shipley said. “Against The Odds is a treasure chest disguised as a box set.”

“Blondie is a group of extraordinary artists,” producer Steve Rosenthal said. “Years of searching, months of mixing, mastering and restoration, days of decisions went into this box set to highlight the unique path they travelled —from CBGB’s to MSG.”

Against The Odds has an unusual beginning; for nearly two decades, the bulk of Blondie’s audio and visual archive sat inside in Chris Stein’s unassuming barn just outside Woodstock, New York. One hundred reel-to-reel tapes, half a dozen cassettes, a few storage tubs crammed with records, bits of promotional flotsam, flyers, a stray Warhol print, and mirrored dressing room signage from four sold-out January 1980 nights at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. All of it lay in wait through twenty humid summers, twenty frigid winters.
Undeniably one of the most trailblazing and influential bands of our time, Blondie is pioneering frontwoman/songwriter Debbie Harry, guitarist/conceptual mastermind Chris Stein and powerhouse drummer Clem Burke, along with now long standing band mates bassist Leigh Foxx, guitarist Tommy Kessler and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen.

Among their hits is the groundbreaking rock-disco hybrid “Heart of Glass” the equally influential hip-hop fantasia “Rapture” the stalker-love song “One Way Or Another” and the lilting calypso “The Tide Is High.” It’s a thrilling journey back to when Blondie pushed punk onto the dance floor and introduced a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, all the while building a catalogue of enduring hits along the way.

For the last four decades, Blondie has become and still remains a true global icon; one whose influence both shaped and continues to inform the worlds of music, fashion and art. From an irreverent Lower East Side punk outfit to bona fide international ambassadors of New York cool, Blondie will forever be synonymous with that punk spirit that lives somewhere in all of us. Their chart-topping success, fearless spirit and rare longevity led to an induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and more than 40 million albums sold worldwide to date. As we look back at the band’s storied career, it makes Blondie’s current vibrancy that much more stunning after 40 years of entertaining all of us.

Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 Box Set is released on August 26th via UMe and The Numero Group.

Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition

The studio albums:
Blondie
Side A
1. X Offender
2. Little Girl Lies
3. In The Flesh
4. Look Good In Blue
5. In The Sun
6. A Shark In Jets Clothing
Side B
1. Man Overboard
2. Rip Her To Shreds
3. Rifle Range
4. Kung Fu Girl
5. The Attack Of The Giant Ants

Plastic Letters
Side A
1. Fan Mail
2. Denis
3. Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)
4. Youth Nabbed As Sniper
5. Contact In Red Square
6. (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
7. I’m On E
Side B
1. I Didn’t Have The Nerve To Say No
2. Love At The Pier
3. No Imagination
4. Kidnapper
5. Detroit 442
6. Cautious Lip

Parallel Lines
Side A
1. Hanging On The Telephone
2. One Way Or Another
3. Picture This
4. Fade Away And Radiate
5. Pretty Baby
6. I Know But I Don’t Know
Side B
1. 11:59
2. Will Anything Happen
3. Sunday Girl
4. Heart Of Glass
5. I’m Gonna Love You Too
6. Just Go Away

Eat To The Beat
Side A
1. Dreaming
2. The Hardest Part
3. Union City Blue
4. Shayla
5. Eat To The Beat
6. Accidents Never Happen
Side B
1. Die Young Stay Pretty
2. Slow Motion
3. Atomic
4. Sound-A-Sleep
5. Victor
6. Living In The Real World

Autoamerican
Side A
1. Europa
2. Live It Up
3. Here’s Looking At You
4. The Tide Is High
5. Angels On The Balcony
6. Go Through It
Side B
1. Do The Dark
2. Rapture
3. Faces
4. T-Birds
5. Walk Like Me
6. Follow Me

The Hunter
Side A
1. Orchid Club
2. Island Of Lost Souls
3. Dragonfly
4. For Your Eyes Only
5. The Beast
Side B
1. War Child
2. Little Caesar
3. Danceway
4. (Can I) Find The Right Words (To Say)
5. English Boys
6. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game

BONUS TRACKS

7″ 45 rpm
1. Moonlight Drive
2. Mr. Sightseer

10″ LP Out-takes & rarities (‘Out In The Streets’)
Side A (1974 Session)
1. Out In The Streets (1974)
2. The Disco Song
3. Sexy Ida
Side B (Betrock Demo)
1. Platinum Blonde
2. The Thin Line
3. Puerto Rico
4. Once I Had A Love (1975)
5. Out In The Streets (1975)

LP 1 Out-takes & rarities (‘Plaza Sound’)
Side A
1. X Offender (Intro)
2. X Offender (Private Stock Single)
3. In The Sun (Private Stock Single)
4. Little Girl Lies (Private Stock Mix)
5. In The Flesh (Extended Intro)
6. A Shark In Jets Clothing (Take 2)
7. Kung Fu Girls (Take 8)
8. Scenery
Side B
1. Denis (Terry Ellis Mix)
2. Bermuda Triangle Blues – Flight 45 (Take 1)
3. I Didn’t Have The Nerve To Say No (Take 1)
4. I’m On E (Take 2)
5. Kidnapper (Take 2)
6. Detroit 442 (Take 2)
7. Poets Problem

LP 2 Out-takes & rarities (‘Parallel Beats’)
Side A
1. Once I Had A Love (Mike Chapman Demo)
2. Sunday Girl (French Version)
3. I’ll Never Break Away From This Heart Of Mine (Pretty Baby)
4. Hanging On The Telephone (Mike Chapman Demo)
5. Will Anything Happen (Instrumental)
6. Underground Girl
Side B
1. Call Me
2. Spaghetti Song (Atomic Part 2)
3. Die Young Stay Pretty (Take 1)
4. Union City Blue (Instrumental)
5. Llámame

LP 3 Out-takes & rarities (‘Coca Cola’)
Side A
1. I Love You Honey, Give Me A Beer (Go Through It)
2. Live It Up (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
3. Angels on the Balcony (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
4. Tide Is High (Demo)
5. Susie & Jeffrey
Side B
1. Rapture (Disco Version)
2. Autoamerican Ad
3. Yuletide Throwdown

LP 4 Out-takes & rarities (‘Home Tapes’)
Side A
1. Nameless (Home Tape)
2. Sunday Girl (Home Tape)
3. Theme From Topkapi (Home Tape)
4. The Hardest Part (Home Tape)
5. Ring of Fire (Home Tape)
Side B
1. War Child (Chris Stein Mix)
2. Call Me (Chris Stein Mix)
3. Heart of Glass (Chris Stein Mix)

Motown & Colors Announce Exclusive Performance & Content Series To Celebrate Black Music Month

Eric Alper
-
0
Motown & Colors Announce Exclusive Performance & Content Series To Celebrate Black Music Month

Motown Records and COLORSxSTUDIOS proudly present a first-of-its-kind performance and content series in honor of Black Music Month.

Motown x COLORS will showcase exclusive new shows on the iconic COLORS stage from some of the label’s biggest artists, as well as editorial content to contextualise the superstars of today within the rich history of Black Music culture in the US.

Kicking off with a performance from global rap icons Quavo & Takeoff on Friday June 17, the series will then continue next week with new episodes of A COLORS SHOW dropping Monday June 20, and Wednesday June 22, before concluding on Friday June 24 with a performance by a generational icon, marking the announcement of their signing to Motown; tune in to COLORS at 9am PT to discover their identity.

Regarding the partnership, Motown Records C.E.O. and Chairwoman Ethiopia Habtemariam commented, “Colors is one of the most culturally relevant worldwide platforms across all genres and I’m excited about our partnership which is the first of its kind. Motown is a place where black dreams are manifested and we are proud to showcase our incredible stars. Colors is credited as one of the biggest live music channels and we are eager to present the stars of Motown today.”

COLORSxSTUDIOS US Curation & Partnerships Lead Brandon Payano agreed; We’re really excited to launch a series that amplifies the stories of the artists and creatives who’ve impacted Black music and its undeniable shaping of American culture. Given Motown’s rich history in Black music, this partnership allowed us to showcase multi-generational talents on a global stage and empower a team of young Black creators to produce a project of real significance for our curation team at COLORS.”

COLORS sets the pace for music discovery with its unforgettable online performances, providing a stage for creative expression and amplifying the voices of some of the world’s most distinctive artists. Having emerged as one of the most trusted platforms in music, it is now continuing its mission through this partnership with Motown. Beyond the performances, Motown x COLORS will also feature several exclusive interviews with important “behind-the-scenes” voices in the music industry, including C.E.O.s, creative directors, and leading choreographers who have facilitated, fostered, and fuelled the progression of Black music. These interviews will offer an invaluable perspective and insight from behind the curtain.

There has never been a partnership quite like this, uniting one of the most influential record labels in history with a tastemaker platform to amplify groundbreaking talent.

New Frank Zappa Boxed Set, Zappa/Erie, Collects Together Concerts Between 1974-76

Eric Alper
-
0
New Frank Zappa Boxed Set, Zappa/Erie, Collects Together Concerts Between 1974-76

The latest audio treasure to be excavated from Frank Zappa’s vast and legendary vault, Zappa/Erie, brings together an exciting trio of shows that the Maestro performed in Erie, Pa. and the surrounding area between 1974-76. Available now via Zappa Records/UMe/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company, the new six-disc boxed set/digital collection contains more than seven hours of unreleased, electrifying live performances from Zappa and three different lineups of incredible musicians from this peak period. Of the 71 tracks, only 10 minutes have been released before, on Zappa’s classic 1974 live album, Roxy & Elsewhere, outside of the bootleg recordings that have been passed around on the bootleg/tape trading circuit.

Zappa/Erie is available with a limited edition poster illustrated and designed by Fantoons that features various Easter eggs from Zappa’s unparalleled and uncompromising career exclusively via Zappa.com or without the poster at your favorite local or online music retailer. Stream or purchase Zappa/Erie here: http://frankzappa.lnk.to/zappaerie

Overseen by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, Zappa/Erie boasts detailed liner notes about the shows and recordings from Travers, along with Erie, Pa. journalist, Dan Schell, author of the encyclopedic book, “9 Years Of Rock: The Story Of The Concerts At The Erie County Fieldhouse,” who provides some illuminating, behind-the scenes insight into the shows and venues. The package features front and back cover photos of Zappa by David Rountree Smith, images of the original tapes, and include original concert fliers, a newspaper review of one of the shows, and a scathing rebuttal to the review from a passionate fan. The audio, which was professionally recorded on 4-track tape by Zappa’s team of engineers Bill Hennigh, Brian Krokus, Davey Moire and Claus Weideman, was newly mixed from the original tapes by longtime Zappa Trust associate Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Ct. Studios and mastered by John Polito at Audio Mechanics, who both also aided in restoring the audio as needed, to present these historical concerts as cleaned up as sonically possible.

The three complete shows included on Zappa/Erie are presented in chronological order and trace Zappa’s history with the Pennsylvanian lakeside suburb. The set kicks off with a concert at Edinboro State College, a local university outside of Erie, on May 8, 1974, and is followed by Zappa’s first proper concert in Erie at the Gannon Auditorium at the private, Catholic, Gannon University on November 12, 1974; and concludes with what would be his last Erie show, held at the Erie County Fieldhouse on November 12, 1976. In addition to the full shows, several performances from South Bend, Ind.; Toledo, Ohio; and Montreal, QC, taken from the same time period, are included as bonus tracks.

The Edinboro concert in ‘74 was part of a small, month-long run of shows celebrating the 10th anniversary of Zappa’s ever-evolving seminal band, The Mothers, as well as his just-released album, Apostrophe (‘). Zappa’s formidable band for the tour was made up of Bruce Fowler on trombone and vocals; Chester Thompson on drums and percussion; Don Preston on synthesizer; George Duke on keyboards, synthesizer, and vocals; Jeff Simmons on guitar and vocals; Napoleon Murphy Brock on tenor sax, flute and lead vocals; Ralph Humphrey on drums; Tom Fowler on bass; and Walt Fowler on trumpet. As Travers writes in the liners, “The addition of Walt Fowler on trumpet and Don Preston on keys really helped to expand the instrumentation of the band. Another major factor, by this time, Frank had purchased two Ludwig Octa-Plus drum sets. This large drum set configuration was becoming extremely popular and it provided Chester Thompson and Ralph Humphrey a new wide range of tom-tom sizes to play on. The new sounds were cleverly integrated into Zappa’s compositions.”

Part of the song repertoire for the tour was a medley of songs that Zappa constructed from the Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut album, Freak Out, and 1968’s We’re Only In It For The Money, but with significantly altered arrangements. Zappa/Erie marks the first time these renditions, as well as a full concert from the 10th anniversary tour, will be released. Spread across disc 1 and 2 of the collection, some of the concert’s many highlights include “Cosmik Debris,” a great, funky arrangement of “Pygmy Twylyte,” “Montana,” “Cheepnis,” “Inca Roads,” with a strong cowbell motif throughout, and the radically reconfigured versions of early Mothers tracks like “Hungry Freaks, Daddy,” “Wowie Zowie,” “How Could I Be Such A Fool,” “Harry, You’re A Beast,” and “The Idiot Bastard Son.” Although never officially released, the show has grown in stature thanks to a board cassette that leaked from Zappa’s inner circle and has been available in the bootleg world for many years. It’s from this show that Zappa used segments from “Son Of Orange County” and “More Trouble Every Day,” for his beloved Roxy & Elsewhere album. Now, finally, nearly five decades later, the full concert mixed from the master tape is being made available.

When Zappa rolled into the Gannon Auditorium in Erie later that fall, he was backed by the slimmed down lineup of Thompson, Duke, Brock, and Fowler, with the venerable Ruth Underwood rejoining the group on percussion. Despite Zappa suffering from the flu, he soldiered through like the professional he was and delivered a strong performance with an equally strong band. The setlist varied greatly from the previous show a few months earlier and highlights, found on discs 3 and 4, include the 1974 live arrangement of “Dinah-Moe Humm,” with Zappa singing the extra line that normally didn’t get sung, the constantly in flux “Inca Roads,” “Penguin In Bondage,” “Uncle Meat,” and “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow.” Zappa’s guitar improvisation during “Dupree’s Paradise” provides a glimpse of compositions to come, mainly “Zoot Allures,” and “Any Downers” Aside from battling illness, Zappa also grappled with an unruly audience who were clashing amongst themselves because the audience in the back were upset the people in the front wouldn’t sit down so they could see, which caused a lot of tension. Because of this, Zappa stopped the show several times to get the crowd under control and fans get to hear how he handled the situation. Zappa himself released incidents like this such as “Geneva Farewell” on You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5. so it continues the tradition. The bonus tracks on disc 3, “Montana” and “Get Down,” taken from South Bend, Ind. in ‘74 were hand-picked and mixed by Zappa but never released.

By November 12, 1976, when Zappa next came to Erie for what would ultimately be the last time, he was more popular than ever and had graduated to the Erie County Fieldhouse where the major touring acts played in town during the ‘70s. Armed with a completely different line-up, the band consisted of Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin; Patrick O’Hearn on bass and vocals; Ray White on guitar and vocals; Terry Bozzio on drums and vocals; and Lady Bianca on keyboards and vocals, who would leave the band a week later after only touring for a month. Although Zappa and the band put on a great performance, the show wasn’t without drama as a sudden blizzard threw a wrench into things, resulting in the light and sound equipment not making the show in time. At the last minute, rented systems were acquired by the venue and it caused certain fans to complain to the box office that they “didn’t get their money’s worth.” Featured on discs 5 and 6, the setlist is mostly culled from tracks from the albums Apostrophe (‘), Over-Nite Sensation, and Zappa’s newest LP at the time, 1976’s Zoot Allures. Songs like “The Torture Never Stops” and “Black Napkins” showcase extraordinary, extended guitar workouts from Zappa on the then-brand new compositions. An extra bonus performance of “Black Napkins,” from the Toledo, Ohio show the following night ends the set and exemplifies how Zappa would perform songs differently from show to show.

Assembling this new set, Zappa/Erie, was something of a passion project for Joe Travers who grew up in Erie. Although he had seen the tapes marked “Erie” in the Vault in his 27 years as the Vaultmeister, it wasn’t until the pandemic that he finally gave these shows a listen and realized they were too good to not release. “When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, I found myself, like so many others, with a lot of extra time on my hands,” Travers reveals in the liners. “Because of this, I threw myself even more deeply into archiving the fabulous vault of Mr. Frank Zappa. During this time, it dawned on me that in all my years being the Vaultmeister for Zappa, I had never prioritized documenting the concerts FZ played in my hometown of Erie, Pa.” The Erie booklet includes an autographed polaroid of Zappa that Travers’ mother excitedly picked up for him at a local Erie garage sale sometime in the ‘90s. For years it’s been tucked away for safe keeping, and only recently when working on this release, did Travers reexamine it only to realize it was most likely taken at the Erie County Fieldhouse in 1976. So now, more than 46 years after it was snapped and two decades after Travers mother gifted it to her son, it has made its way into the packaging chronicling Zappa’s Erie shows, bringing everything full circle.

Erie Track Listing

CD 1: LIVE FROM EDINBORO, PA – MAY 8, 1974
1. “Someone Has Just Asked Me…”
2. Cosmik Debris
3. Pygmy Twylyte
4. The Idiot Bastard Son
5. Cheepnis
6. Inca Roads
7. Montana
8. Dupree’s Paradise (Intro)

CD 2: LIVE FROM EDINBORO, PA – MAY 8, 1974 (Cont’d)
1. Dupree’s Paradise
2. It Can’t Happen Here
3. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
4. You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here
5. How Could I Be Such A Fool
6. I Ain’t Got No Heart
7. I’m Not Satisfied
8. Wowie Zowie
9. Let’s Make The Water Turn Black
10. Harry, You’re A Beast
11. The Orange County Lumber Truck
12. Oh No
13. Son Of Orange County
14. More Trouble Every Day
15. Camarillo Brillo

CD 3: BONUS TRACKS: LIVE FROM SOUTH BEND, IN – MAY 12, 1974 (1-2)
LIVE FROM ERIE, PA – NOVEMBER 12, 1974 (3-14)
1. Montana
2. Get Down
3. Tush Tush Tush (A Token Of My Extreme)
4. Stink-Foot
5. RDZNL
6. Village Of The Sun
7. Echindna’s Arf (Of You)
8. Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?
9. Penguin In Bondage
10. T’Mershi Duween
11. The Dog Breath Variations
12. Uncle Meat
13. Building A Girl
14. Dinah-Moe Humm

CD 4: LIVE FROM ERIE, PA – NOVEMBER 12, 1974 (cont’d)
1. I’m Not Satisfied
2. Montana
3. Dupree’s Paradise (Intro)
4. Dupree’s Paradise
5. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
6. Tush Tush Tush (End Vamp)
7. Oh No
8. Son Of Orange County
9. More Trouble Every Day

CD 5: LIVE FROM ERIE, PA – NOVEMBER 12, 1976 (1-7)
LIVE FROM TOLEDO, OH – NOVEMBER 13, 1976 (8)
LIVE FROM ERIE, PA – NOVEMBER 12, 1976 (9-12)
1. The Purple Lagoon
2. Stink-Foot
3. The Poodle Lecture
4. Dirty Love
5. Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station
6. Tryin’ To Grow A Chin
7. The Torture Never Stops
8. City Of Tiny Lites
9. Pound For A Brown
10. You Didn’t Try To Call Me
11. Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink
12. Would You Go All The Way?

CD 6: LIVE FROM ERIE, PA – NOVEMBER 12, 1976 (cont’d) (1-11)
BONUS TRACKS: LIVE FROM MONTREAL, QC, CANADA – NOVEMBER 10, 1976 (12)
LIVE FROM TOLEDO, OH – NOVEMBER 13, 1976 (13-14)
1. Black Napkins
2. Terry’s Erie ’76 Solo
3. Patrick’s Erie ’76 Solo
4. Wonderful Wino
5. The Purple Lagoon (Outro)
6. Stranded In The Jungle
7. Dinah-Moe Humm
8. The Purple Lagoon (Outro)
9. Camarillo Brillo
10. Muffin Man
11. The Purple Lagoon (Outro)
12. You Didn’t Try To Call Me
13. Black Napkins
14. The Purple Lagoon (Outro)

Guy Makes An Electric Guitar Made Out of French Fries

Eric Alper
-
0
Guy Makes An Electric Guitar Made Out of French Fries

Artem Mayer of Copper Guitars in Moscow bought enough McDonald’s french fries to create his own Les Paul-style electric guitar.

1...1,5241,5251,526...3,037Page 1,525 of 3,037

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper