Audience members from ‘American Bandstand’ react to The Beatles’ psychedelic promo films for “Strawberry Fields Forever” & “Penny Lane” back in 1967.
A Short Film About Vinyl – You Need To Hear This
In the last of Noisey’s trilogy of short films ‘You Need To Hear This’ looks back at the rich history of vinyl. 6Music presenter, Tom Ravenscroft, explores the vinyl bunker at The British Library and takes a trip to vinyl’s very own annual celebration, Record Store Day. Meanwhile, DJ Thristian Richards explains how he fell in love with a format music junkies still obsess over in the digital age.
My Next Read: “Knock! Knock! Knock! on Wood: My Life in Soul” by Eddie Floyd, with Tony Fletcher
Known for the classics “Knock on Wood,” “634-5789,” “Raise Your Hand,” “Big Bird,” and “I’ve Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do),” among others, Eddie Floyd’s career as a soul legend spans over sixty years. His professional singing career began in Detroit in the 1950s as a founding member of the Falcons, considered “The First Soul Group.” A solo artist and songwriter for Memphis’s famed Stax Records from 1966 until 1975, Floyd has subsequently been the singer for the Blues Brothers Band and for Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, while continuing to perform and record solo.
In Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood, Floyd recounts how a three-year stint in an Alabama reform school shaped his young life; recalls the early years of R&B in Detroit alongside future Motown and Stax legends; discusses the songwriting sessions with Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones that produced his biggest hits; addresses his complicated life-long relationship with the often-unpredictable Wilson Pickett; shares his memories of friend Otis Redding; reveals his unlikely involvement in the rise of southern rock darlings Lynyrd Skynyrd; and offers an insider perspective on the tragic downfall of Stax Records.
With input from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Wyman, Paul Young, William Bell, Steve Cropper, and others, Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood captures Eddie’s tireless work ethic and warm personality for an engrossing first-hand account of one of the last true soul survivors.
GRAMMY Winning Singer/Songwriter/Producer RICH JACQUES Finds Meaning on ‘Joy Follows Like A Shadow That Never Leaves’
Breathe in, revel, and let go; it’s with this mantra GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter and producer Rich Jacques leans into his newest body of work, “Joy Follows Like a Shadow That Never Leaves” — the title track from his forthcoming album — available now.
With a sonic style that is powerful, yet simple and direct, Jacques makes clear within the album’s 10 tracks that the joy we all seek is found within the very peaks and valleys of our own journey.
Available September 4th, 2020, the album is an arch of an experience from beginning to end; from riding on the surface of life to allowing the depths of a true experience, opening track (“Edge of the Sun”) starts with the reservation and fear of jumping into the deeper pool of life, before moving its way through Love (“Oblivion”), Confusion (“Where is Home”), Heartaches (“How Long”), Hope (“Clear Blue Skies”), Down time (“Cafe by the sea”), Gratitude (“Home is Wherever We Are”, “Leave A Light”), Acceptance (“Once You Love) and ends in Grace (“Joy Follows Like a Shadow That Never Leaves”).
Jacques’ intimate, meditative vocals mixed with the lush soundscape has earned him an esteemed reputation. From previous releases under his name and his band project, Right The Stars, his songs have been heard in major commercials such as Honda and XBOX, and in TV shows and major motion pictures like Grey’s Anatomy and The Breakup.
As a music producer and songwriter, he collaborated with artists such as Gold Kimono, Colin Hay, Glen Phillips, Maya Rudolph, and Peter Katz. In 2017, Jacques won a GRAMMY Award for his collaboration with Lisa Loeb on her album Feel What U Feel. However these are merely pieces of a puzzle that have granted him access to pull from such a universal tapestry and deliver the sentimental artistry that he embodies today, making Rich Jacques someone to keep an ear out for.
“Joy Follows Like a Shadow That Never Leaves” is available now.
Toronto Country/Folkster DAVID MCLACHLAN Checks into ‘Heartache Motel’ with the Release of 8th Album
Canadian country folk-rock artist David McLachlan is checking into the Heartache Motel with the release of his new album — available now.
“I had the title floating around in my head for a long time,” McLachlan says of Heartache Motel and its origins. “When I wrote the song, it became the album title, too. From there, it was easy to fill in which songs I wanted on the album.”
The album features the likes of Julian Taylor, who was in Nashville at the time to perform at Americana Fest, as well as 13-time CCMA-nominated vocalist Lisa Brokop, and fourth place contestant on The Voice, Adam Cunningham.
Of track “What The Heart Wouldn’t Let Go” — co-written with Harpin Norm Lucien — Steeldrivers fiddler Tammy King cements its must-hear status, saying, “wow, this has a Jimmy Webb feel to it.”
“The inspiration for ‘Where My Heart Will Go’ was born out of a long-distance romance,” McLachlan shares. “It’s uncertain at the start, you know, so you’re wondering ‘is there something here.’ By the end of the song, I’ve decided there was.
“This album was recorded in Nashville nearly a year ago,” the Toronto-based singer/songwriter continues, noting the undeniable epicentre of music he finds himself in often. “It’s incredible to think of how much has changed since then; for example, I played the last show at The Bluebird before it was closed for the pandemic.
“Nashville feels like home-away-from-home for me. I have looked at property there, and am toying with the idea of a place to call mine. I have made so many wonderful contacts in Nashville, and there are just songs floating around in the air. I find it a very creative environment, and the talent pool is beyond belief.
“It’s the first time I’ve had cello and sax on my Nashville albums,” he continues, referencing the album’s title track “Heartache Motel” and “Let It Flow,” respectively. Across his discography, McLachlan has seen eight tracks chart through extensive International radio play across his eight albums releases: Can’t Close A Blind Eye (2003), Not A Through Street (2015), Travelling Truthfully (2016), out of love (2017), Reaching For The Sun (2018), ALIVE… at Winterfolk (2019), In The Heart Of Now (2019), and Heartache Motel (2020).
“Where My Heart Will Go” and Heartache Motel are available now.
Alt-Electro Rockers RAMSHACKLE RODEO Go Full ‘Dystopian Crescendo’ & More in Sophomore EP, Mad Dog 2020 — Available Now
The electro-rock swagger of Irish duo Ramshackle Rodeo is back with some classic, heavyweight riffs and howling harmonics courtesy of this, their sophomore EP, Mad Dog 2020 — available now!
A driving follow-up to 2019’s breakthrough debut, Back from the East, the alt-indie electro-rock duo that is Stephen Cassidy and producer Nial O’Doherty once again showcase their inimitable sonic soundscape within Mad Dog 2020’s stellar tracks.
Where to start, but for the top with the smouldering, groove-laden album opener that is “City Strut.”
“Here we revel in classic sounds with a contemporary ear,” O’Doherty says of the track that wields scorched riffs and blistered drums.
Title track “Mad Dog 2020” uses flaming harmonics to fill the jet streams left by overdriven guitar, while “Lockdown Jam” showcases the Ireland-based duo’s loose and dangerously cool electro-rock prowess.
Deft keys and subtle brushes tip toe over each other in “Imperfect,” a remastered and outro-outdo-less version of “Imperfect Bliss” first heard on Back from the East. “Halfway to Nowhere” sees the band go full ‘Saturday night’ as the moody floor-filler beguiles with shoe gaze gone wild.
“It’s like a dystopian crescendo,” Cassidy says. “Just like 2020.”
Saint John, NB’s Alt.Folkster KYLIE FOX Pens Letter to a Friend Journeying into Motherhood in New Single, “Avocado”
Alt-folk Canadiana artist Kylie Fox celebrates the launch of her newest single “Avocado,” a heartfelt, tongue-in-cheek letter-in-song to her friend (and first time mothers everywhere) — available now!
“There is a trend in millennial pregnancies where the process is tracked through an app that describes the mother’s weekly progress,” Fox explains of the song’s context and inspiration. “Usually the videos make an effort to compare the size of the fetus to that of a fruit or vegetable.
“I was lucky enough to catch the screening of the 16-week video which told us that my friend’s child was about the size of an avocado,” she continues. “This song is a letter to a mom-to-be facing the uncertainties and excitements of expecting a first child.”
That “Avocado” would become a personal ode to her friend and those who can relate is par for the course for the New Brunswick-based artist; this year’s earlier release, “Cool Feet” was initially penned as a wedding gift to friends.
“I wanted to write a song for my friend’s wedding,” Fox shares of the track’s origins. “I didn’t want to write ‘just another’ love song, I wanted to write their love song.
“I called the groom and gave him an interview,” she continues. “I was seeking some strange, obscure sentimentality in his answers, and I got it: he’s a fisherman, so I asked ‘when you are tired and uncomfortable at work, what do you miss about my friend?’
“He said ‘her cold feet.’
“So… I set out to write a song about my friend’s feet, but changed his answer to ‘cool’ because,” she laughs, quite rightly pointing out, “you shouldn’t sing about ‘cold feet’ at a wedding.”
These two anecdotes — her friend’s wedding and another’s journey into new motherhood — succinctly sum up Fox’s unique brand of song-based storytelling; “Cool Feet” and “Avocado” are a fitting examples of her sentimental soft-spot effortless intertwining with quick wit, signature sarcasm, and inherent empathy. In addition, the video for “Avocado” is Fox’s first foray into stop motion and uses sentimental items near and dear to her and her family. “I had no previous experience with even cameras, and I made this video in two weeks using items my mom saved from my growing up,” she says. “I also borrowed toys from my nephew and other ‘avocados’ in my community.”
The third available off her forthcoming LP, Green — available September 18th — “Avocado” sets the tone for what’s to come following her 2017 breakout EP, BalconyEP. The results teem with unmistakable genuineness and endearing charm, traits that have earned Fox an attentive audience coast to coast, and features on CBC, charting on earshot!, festival stage spots, and more.
“I recorded with Dale in his remote Nova Scotian farm house,” Fox recalls of laying Green with East Coast Music Award-winning producer Dale Murray. “I would drive over from Saint John and stay for a night or two at a time throughout the summer to work on it.
“Dale’s wife (and fellow ECMA-winning artist) Christina Martin is an insane cook. I would relish in the opportunity to ask them about bizarre touring stories and professional advice while we shared meals and a bottle of wine at the end of a work day. Christina even bought fireworks for the session drummer’s birthday…
“The process was a dream.”
“Avocado” is available now. Green is available September 18, 2020.
Macon, Georgia Rapper & Producer MIDAS WRIGHT Captures Life Best Lived in New Track, “Otherside”
“If you’re listening to this, there’s only one thing I want you to do: I want you to believe in yourself,” rapper and producer Midas Wright insists in reference to his new single, “Otherside” — available now.
“Be yourself, man. Nobody can do that better than you,” he continues.“You have the power in your hands to be the absolute best you can be, and live your life the way you want to. Nobody can stop you, except you!”
Wright’s stunning and enormously inspirational insistence that people make the most of every moment in life comes by him in the most personal way possible; the call to create “Otherside” was drawn from a brush with near-death he experienced eight years ago at the age of 19. “I’m now loving life at the ripe old age of 27,” he smiles. “Don’t pass me any white lighters.”
His perspective on the value of a life best lived goes even further; soon after moving from rural Georgia to attend college in Macon, Midas Wright founded the rap group Fresh Valley Kings in 2015, has performed with Riff Raff at the Cox (now Hargray) Capitol Theater, and released two 8-track EPs, The Psychotic Erotic and Satellites, to name a few accomplishments. Wrangling the deaths of close personal friends and coping with depression, however, he took a three-year hiatus before re-releasing and re-mastering his prior EPs — as well as 14 previously unreleased tracks — in 2020 as the Lost Tapes series.
While all eras of his performances are united by an intense honesty to the lyrics, even when coping with potentially edgy or dark subject matter, “Otherside” reflects the enlightenment of perspective granted by the time off, and showcases an insightful rapper and producer who is here to stay. Composed, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Wright and his partner Sarah — artistically known as Ourglass — in the basement studio of their home, the two knew they were onto something thanks to their biggest, and furriest, fan. “Our dog Dany chilled in the studio with us for the entire process of cutting ‘Otherside.’ Sarah always knows when a song is going to turn out extra good because the dog gets excited during the recording. Sometimes when we’re recording something that’s maybe not as great, the dog whines to be let out!
“Some listeners have interpreted the lyrics to be about the rejection of an afterlife. While that is one valid interpretation of the song, the main idea I was focused on while I recorded ‘Otherside’ was the concept that, whether there’s an afterlife or not, we are never given a second chance at this moment, the one right now, that we are living.”
There’s other inspiration layered within the song’s folds, including the struggle with addiction that has deeply affected Wright’s life. “My mother is presently in a rehabilitation facility in South Florida receiving treatment,” he shares. “And in the lyrics, I use the line ‘I got sober’ but the truth is, I’ve partied since recording this song.
“I think the important thing in life is to find a balance that you can accept and that you’re comfortable with. Nobody is perfect, and if you’re struggling or you know someone who is, total or a period of total sobriety may save your or their life. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone you trust if you need help.
“The track shares a title with several of my favourite songs, namely Macklemore’s ‘Otherside,’ which shares similar themes, as well as tracks by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Post Malone. These songs helped me get through the dark times, and inspired me to want to do the same thing for someone else.”
That said, there was an alternate cut of this track recorded, he says, and one with a very different message. “Rather than focusing on being uplifting and getting through the struggle, the alternate cut describes giving into despair and letting your demons win, so-to-speak.
“Ultimately, positivity and light won our hearts. We decided the happier cut would do more good in the world today.”
That essence radiates through even the album’s artwork. “I made the artwork myself, and it includes lots of circles, bridges, and rainbows. These are all images that inspire hope in me, and remind me that there’s always a way and something to look forward to. Even when suffering repeats itself, we always have a way forward into the light.
“The main recording ‘Otherside’ is a single-take freestyle I laid down the fourth time or so after I listened to the beat. The lyrics just sort of spilled out onto the track, and later my notebook! I started writing poetry at a very early age, long before I ever discovered music; I won an award for a poem I wrote once at Fernbank Museum. So in that, I prefer to freestyle all of my songs, it usually takes way longer to do it that way, normally.
“I think ‘Otherside’ came together in just a few takes because the message is so close to my heart. So if you took the time to listen to ‘Otherside,’ I deeply appreciate it.”
“Otherside” is available now.
Step aside! Let 4-Decade RnB Stars CRACK OF DAWN Show You How To Groove in New Single “Tiempo” Featuring Melba Moore
Canadian funk legends Crack of Dawn note the meaning of ‘time’ with “Tiempo,” their latest single featuring the incomparable Melba Moore — available now.
Featuring the same signature velvet-funk tones that have made them Canada’s most celebrated soul act for 40 years and running, Crack of Dawn refresh and reimagine a song written years ago by lead singer Michael Dunston and Dennis Nieves.
“It’s about lovers needing time to find themselves again after a tumultuous breakup,” the band says about the track. “Fast forward to 2020, and things happened in Michael’s life where the meaning of the lyrics really hit home; his wife was battling a few serious medical issues.”
It’s under these renewed circumstances — along with the addition of Tony Award-winning, four-time GRAMMY nominee, TV star, first black actress to play ‘Fantine’ in Les Misérables on Broadway, and 11-time Billboard Top 10 charting artist, Melba Moore — that takes “Tiempo” to an unprecedented, out-of-this-world level. “It’s filled with an emotional interpretation that’s difficult to explain with words alone.”
Crack of Dawn were the first black band to be signed to a major label, CBS, after being discovered by Otis Redding’s producer. Their most recent album, Spotlight, features a breathtaking combination of grindingly feel funk a la “Booby Ruby,” guitar and horn-led sunshine soul thanks to the eponymous “Crack of Dawn,” the wah-wah drenched glory of “Somebody’s Watching You,” and their hugely popular and Internationally critically acclaimed single, “Ol’ Skool.”
“Tiempo” is available now.
Canadian / British alt-rock popsters DEAD ROMANTIC are “All Talk” in Breakthrough Debut Single
Canadian / British alt-rock popsters Dead Romantic serve up their hook-heavy slab of modern sonic goodness with the release of their newly minted single, “All Talk”.
Nothing short of well-seasoned with the same powerful riffs, crushing grooves, and anthemic vocals the breakthrough crew are quickly growing known for, the single just entered rotation on Kerrang! Radio, and lands ahead of Dead Romantic’s debut album release City of Thieves — set for release early 2021.
The trio consists of Toronto-born/raised producer and lead guitarist Mike Krompass — formerly of or have worked with Nelly Furtado, Natasha Beddingfield, Steven Tyler, Theory of a Deadman, and co-wrote and produced the recent Honeymoon Suite record — plus Benjamin Owen on lead vocals and guitar, Scott Westervelt on keyboards, and features drummer Eddy Thrower (Lower Than Atlantis).
“We wrote this track and this record with absolutely no filter,” Owen sets down. “We wrote with just the pure experience of playing music around the world.”
“The single came really easily,” Krompass adds. “The three of us were sat in a room with my great friend and co-writer, award winning songwriter Steve Diamond. It felt like the song pretty much wrote itself. The melody came quickly, the lyrics flowed and the title just popped. The chemistry was amazing.
“We met through rock n’ roll, and that is the language we’re projecting in this project,” he continues. “Lyrically, we hope to inspire those in doubt and join those who reap.
“It’s a new world… A new fight.”
“All Talk” is available now.
https://youtu.be/4XjZAUceGMw