Detroit R&B artist Sam Austins has been completely killing the game since his 2017 release, Angst, and he shows no signs of slowing down. After his recent ode to queen Rhi Rhi’s cosmetic empire, Fenty, he’s gearing up for another mixtape release later this year. But he plans to tie fans over with an upcoming double single release, ROTY, and to tease the single Austins has gifted us with this painfully adorable and nostalgic 1-800-BALL-SAM ad.
The video is a spoof on the iconic Detroit ads for infamous lawyer Sam Bernstein, a Detroit staple in the ‘90s and early 2000s that anyone who grew up in or around the city would immediately recognize. This clever mix of nostalgia and authenticity is part of what has made Austins such an instant local favorite, earning him the nickname “Star Boy” from other Detroit artists and members of his team at Assemble Sound.
A born and raised Detroiter, Austins is all about encouraging the youth in the community here, and he’s hinted that his next release is one “for the kids”. “I just wanted to give something to my fans that they can hold onto while we finish up another very special project that I’ve been working on,” says Austins. “ROTY will be a soundtrack to the kids’ summer days and nights.”
We’re ready for it. ROTY will be on all streaming platforms on July 20th.
So we lost Cardi B, who got replaced by Lil Wayne, due to her pregnancy, but Panorama Festivalis still packed with some amazing women in music. Janet Jackson, who is making a long awaited come back, Sza, who has had an amazing year since her release of album Ctrl, and indie star favorite St. Vincent, will all be performing at this year’s Panorama festival in NYC on Randall’s Island. Surprisingly, the musical arena in which women are really thriving, is electronic. Here are some of our favorite ladies bringing you tunes from house hits, to avant garde ambient, keeping the dance floors of Panorama Festival alive with some female frequencies.
Yaeji
From playing music for her friends over bowls of curry to getting booked at Coachella in just under a year Yaeji is killing it in the world of “underground” club music. When Yaeji first moved to New York after college her focus was on painting and graphic design, but she found herself in the club and music scene of the New York underground. Yaeji quickly found that the best way to be a part of this world was, of course, to add to the musical soundscape.
At first glance Yaeji’s music is light and fun, bouncing with an addictive bass. However, on further inspection her music is the open expression of an exposed artist expressing her personal path through anxiety, and finding her own identity as a Korean-American.
Bearcat
DJ, producer, radio show host, affiliated with the badass girl squad DISCWOMAN, and scoring a fashion film for her friends at clothing brand Chromat, DJ Bearcat has her hands in every musical facet the industry will present to her.
The Fader described Bearcat’s music as “not just mind-body-soul medicine, but the best pep talk money can’t buy.” DJ Bearcat became known for her political mixes which featured sound clips from women speaking to gender and racial violence, layered over her produced music. “Charged Up – Sandy Speaks” mix is one of her most well known renditions of political activism in her electronic music.
Jlin
Jlin has an obvious love affair with sound. Her tracks are composed of all original material which she conjures in her small hometown of Gary, Indiana. Genre defying, Jlin has devoted her life to her music, and is reaping the rewards of her dedication. In 2017 Jlin’s 2nd album Black Origami made it onto Rolling Stone’s 20 best EDM and electronic albums of the year. Known for her abstract sounds that revolve around silence and noise, Jlin was originally inspired by the sounds of Chicago’s electronic style known as footwork.
Jlin is bringing her own unique perspective to footwork. Her songs are a melding pot that have been called avante garde as an attempt to describe her random, yet methodic approach to music production. She’s got a glitchy style that makes you think she’s stalling you out on the dancefloor, until she let’s the bass line sink into your feet.
Laurel Halo
American electronic artists based in Berlin, Germany – where all good electronic artists seem to be stemming from these days – has been producing music since 2006. Laurel Halo is known for her much more abstract style in the electronic music realm. Releasing her latest album last June for label Hyperdub. She’s had a packed year traveling and touring constantly across Europe. Halo will be returning to her home soil for Panorama festival.
Described in an interview with Pitchfork as “abstract patterns, orbiting loosely like weightless space debris”, her minimalist approach to electronic music brings the most minute sounds into the forefront. No sound is left behind in her latest musical album Dust, released last year to critical acclaim. Layering her own distant voice of vacancy to add an element of humanoid behavior to the far off electronics of her music.
As the dusk of May began to fall on Ohio, I discovered fireflies. The first time I saw them, flickering across my cobbled neighborhood street, my overjoyed reaction made my roommate laugh: pointing and squealing like a kid, I couldn’t get over the shock of them, the way that they zipped through the air, appearing as their lights turned on, and disappearing as they turned off. In California, I had dreamed of fireflies as a string of lanterns–as lazy, hazed orbs. But these fireflies were not like that at all; instead, it felt as though the air had gifted me with a thousand miniature spontaneous combustions.
Listening to Galen Tipton’s Nightbath feels like finding fireflies – the same rush of surprise comes to me as I listen to Tipton manipulate sounds, pushing and pulling elements so that, like the fireflies’ lights, they appear and disappear with heady energy. Tipton produced the entire album electronically, and I struggle to describe what they’ve produced with enough detail to match their accomplishment. Each sound used seems to be intimately crafted, as though in the making of the album, Tipton has blown thousands of glass balls, only to set them loose to smash against each other. The crafted quality, while difficult to describe, is also what makes the album compelling–each sequence of sounds brings with it the imprint of human design along with otherworldly effect. On Nightbath, Tipton has set up a carefully designed Rube Goldberg machine. One musical movement triggers another, and doubles of familiar sounds are tweaked to make them slightly new again. They walk a tricky line: if the sounds ring too close to home, they’ll come off as uncanny; too far, and they’ll lose any human context.
The record’s opening track, “endless black,” pours out in a rush of twinkling notes and scuttling, lurching beats. “I just feel everything, all the time,” a distorted voice says, about 2/3rds through the track. I feel that too–but on “endless black,” information overload, in the form of overlapping sounds, feels sorted. Likewise, on the album’s title track, Tipton builds an initially simple melody with layer upon layer of newly introduced sounds, recklessly changing the rhythm, tone, and octave throughout. But the song never feels like an onslaught. Moments of oasis, when layers peel back to reveal quiet, melodic beauty, serve as stepping stones throughout the track, leading the listener forward through the spinning sound elements.
Other songs, like “mutant,” featuring Atlas Moe, Tripp Fontane, T5UMUT5UMU, and Junior Astronaut, make me giddy. The song starts off with a syncopated, squealing beat, before a sound like the patter of footsteps on tin ushers the listener into a sequence of escalating pulses. After the pulses drop, shined, xylophone-like sounds spill into melody; it feels, only forty-six seconds in, as though while listening to the song I’ve parted the curtain into an alternate, brightly washed universe, where sounds as disparate as spooky Halloween effects and eating fruit on a beach make sense in tandem.
With Nightbath, Tipton has revealed the multi-modality of their talents: along with mixing and mastering the entire album, Tipton created all of the project’s artwork. But they are, above all else, a master conductor. Nightbath juggles fifteen collaborations throughout, mixing voices from Columbus’ electronic community, artists from Tipton’s label, DESKPOP, and featured artists and producers from around the world. It’s a testament to Tipton’s talent for composition that the album was even puzzled together. Yet Nightbath is an album invested both in small-scale craft and large-scale coherence, and, despite the number, each collaboration truly brings something new and needed.
The collaborations, too, reveal Tipton’s apparent interest in music as community; nine of the featured artists are, like Tipton, queer and non-binary. These partnerships have paid off: Nightbath succeeds as a multi-faceted sound project because each facet works in harmony. If handled poorly, I imagine that this album might have exhausted itself by introducing too many combative elements. But, while the project is clearly grounded in Tipton’s engineering, Nightbath treats each collaborative sequence as integral to the overall vision. As a result, the listener is not barraged by fighting sounds; rather, the sensation of listening to Tipton’s music feels much like taking in an elaborately woven tapestry. It’s a sensation representative of the lineage Nightbath comes from: experimental albums made by trans artists who specialize in manipulating sound.
Photo courtesy of Galen Tipton
Most remarkable, I think, is that you don’t need to forget about the crafting of Nightbath for it to be fun. Listening to the release for the first time, part of my glee came from marveling at the largeness of the music, at its unrelenting dips, inclines, and switchback. But the album also just makes me want to dance. It’s hard to listen without squirming in your seat, itching to realize the possibilities for movement folded into each beating sequence. There is something to be said, too, about what expansive music can do to a body: how it can unlock new ways to move, to travel, to understand oneself.
Summer in Ohio has been a surprise in many ways: I didn’t expect the rot, or the thunderstorms; the thickly humid air, or the sparkle of anticipation that comes before lightning. I didn’t expect surprise to feel good, either. But it does–I’m treasuring the shock of new seasons, and of new plants and bugs. There is freeness in feeling that any corner could bring wonder.
Back when I first saw fireflies, my roommate and I chased them in the cool evening air. He tried to show me how to catch one, fitting one cupped hand against the other. I failed each time I tried. This is what I’m learning in these high summer days: things don’t need to be contained to be felt. Surprise, when left expansive, can be difficult to share. But I am energized by the joy I hold secretly inside myself. Listening to Nightbath, I am struck by the way that it, too, resists my cupped hands. This resistance, the difficulty I have fitting my feelings about the album into words, is what will keep me going back to it.
Nightbath Is available via DESKPOP records. Stream the full album here:
For disclosure purposes: Kaiya Gordon’s poem “Roleplay as a Body” will be included in a zine released by DESKPOP to accompany Nightbath.
Today LA’s Smokescreens release their debut record Used to Yesterday via Slumberland Records. They released this single “The Lost Song,” which was actually a lost demo from the band’s beginnings, earlier this week. Its galloping rhythm, melodic bass, and jangling guitars perfectly combine to create this kiwi-pop influenced upbeat earmworm you won’t be able to resist singing along to. Smokescreens’ record release is tonight at Monty Bar in Los Angeles with The Moloches and D.A! More info here.
Check out the rest of the track of the week playlist…
Armed with leather straps and anime references, Jasmine Justo (a.k.a DJ Lil’ Waifu) creates mixtapes that heal souls and unequivocally embrace all the emotions. In this interview, catch Lil’ Waifu’s realness in the way she talks about her sadness, sexuality, and sending soundwaves to outerspace, as well as her experiences navigating the music industry among male musicians.
This is one small step for womankind in the Bay Area and one large step for Global Thotties™ – a community she started with her cohort DJ Arumi for women to celebrate their womanhood in whatever type of way they want to express it.
Check out interview below to hear more about what Lil Waifu is up to.
Davey Jones, the prolific mastermind behind experimental bedroom pop project Lost Boy ?, put out my favorite new summer jam this week! Listening to “96” after scrolling through too many friends’ family vacation photos and recovering from an ice cream binge stomach ache succeeded in making me feel less like an apathetic beach sloth. Its “I’ve only got time for love” hook lies on top of a Violent Femmes-y bass line and bright acoustic guitar, immediately sticking in my sun-fried brain and turning it into a more hopeful warm place. Thanks Davey!
Lost Boy ?’s next NYC show is July 29th at Riis Park Beach Bazaar with THICK, Big Huge & Gobbin Jr. RSVP here.
Check out the rest of our Track of the Week playlist below…
Henry Johns and Nick Sapounas represent a new Detroit psych-rock band stepping out on the scene, Dr. Wolf. Though the two longtime friends and collaborators come from different musical backgrounds – Sapounas previously in the acoustic-folk group gray/bliss and Johns from Warehouse – they come together in an amalgamation of musical knowledge that explodes into medicine for the ears.
The duo is starting off strong with their release of two singles, “Came So Easy” and “Acceptance.” “Came So Easy” is a cascading and dark meditation that showcases the band’s ability to seamlessly combine psych guitars with warbly synths. The unexpected mix results in a trance-like reflection that takes the listener on a six-minute journey into the mind of its creators. The most intelligible lyrics, “Wasting all my time,” may be a nod to an unsuccessful love affair, shitty job, or stranger who won’t stop talking to you at the grocery store. It doesn’t really matter; by the song’s soaring guitar outro, time feels like an illusion rather than something that can be wasted at all.
“Acceptance” continues that otherworldly vibe, and shows a completely different side of the band. With aqueous synths and a deep drum-machine heartbeat, the song feels like tapping into a satellite and hearing an interstellar exchange. The implications within the song title – a certain resignation, perhaps – play out in the melody’s stoic, gradually oscillating pace. With such a divergent pair of singles, it’s hard to tell what musical direction Dr. Wolf will take as the project grows. But it’s obvious Dr. Wolf is going places.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, left, with Discwoman co-founders Emma Burgess-Olson and Christine McCharen-Tran. Courtesy Tyler Jones Photography.
One of San Francisco’s most popular and long running clubs, 1015 Folsom, surrendered to an East Coast takeover hosted by Discwoman in honor of Pride Month. This was truly a tale of two cities. The exclusive lineup featured Bearcat (Philadelphia), who will also be performing at NYC’s Panorama Music festival hosted by Goldenvoice); Shyboi (NYC); DJ Haram (NYC); Umfang (NYC); and many others. including a Bay Area local collective Club Chai (SF/East Bay). The event was rare, jaw dropping, empowering, and deep.
In 2014, going against the grain, Discwoman, took off as a record label solely featuring cis-female, trans, and genderqueer artists. Given how uncommon it is to find a record label that specifically showcase EDM femme artists, their work over the last four years has felt extremely important. The collective itself has curated over 250 artists and continues to perform in cities across the globe. Discwoman truly defines the turn of the male-dominated music industry by giving a voice and creative outlet for underrepresented femme, queer, artists. Behind the magic of it all, we find Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, co-founder of Discwoman. Just in after a flight from NYC, I had an opportunity to share a quick conversation about Discwoman (past, present, and future), her astrological sign, mental health and awareness, and touch on advice for femme artists in the music industry.
AF: First things first. What’s your astrological sign?
Frankie: I am a Gemini. Why are you laughing? Why do I always get the craziest responses?
AF: Three out of the four interviews we’ve had have been with Geminis. I love them. There’s nothing quite like Discwoman out there. How did Discwoman start, what made you want to start it, and what was the process like?
FDC: We basically started in 2014, in response to seeing a lot of women artists who were producing music and really talented, but weren’t being put on for many events. So, we made our own events. From there, we started to think about what could be a more sustainable way to help women and more non-binary artists in our own community. Well, we were like, they need more representation. We figured that artists probably get taken advantage of in the industry. We felt like we could be negotiators for those people. Basically, that’s what made us want to start that agency.
AF: I think that’s really amazing and very inspirational, as someone who is an aspiring artist who feels like they don’t have a place or voice in an industry mostly ran by men. What advice do you have for aspiring femme DJs and/or music artists, or people who want to get involved in the industry?
FDC: Word. I would say, don’t compete. Try and focus on yourself. People are always going to look like they’re doing cooler shit than you. It’s really just a big distraction and I see that a lot. I know we all experience jealousy and these kinds of feelings. You know what I mean? But I think it would be very good to tailor those feelings and put them into what you want to produce. And make sure you are focusing on what you want to produce and what you want to do, not what everyone else is trying to do. And don’t compare yourself to other people. I often see that very talented artists have setbacks which is themselves. I think if I could encourage one thing, it is to continue to keep putting out because even if one person won’t like it, other people will. It is so subjective. There are even people who are going to be mad about it. There are people who even put shit out there and good stuff out there. People who are making loads of money and nothing.
AF: What are your plans for this summer?
FDC: We have a bunch of stuff going on in Europe actually. A bunch of artists are actually touring in Berlin, Amsterdam, London. We’re trying to go to Asia. It really depends on funding. It’s always about the money.
AF: Last question, how do you find peace of mind?
FDC: Wow, that’s a really important question actually. I feel like people don’t ask enough questions about other people’s mental health. Especially in the industry. It can be really damaging to people, pretty isolating. I’ve definitely had my moments. I used to suffer from really bad anxiety. Boxing has really helped me a lot. I started boxing last August. I do it three times a week. It’s like meditation – punching a bag. It’s been really, really helpful. I strongly suggest exercise. Not even for superficial reasons. I think it’s just a good tool to being mentally healthy. It really changes your mental well-being. What often happens to me, is that I become very isolated and close myself from the world. Then, I go outside experience the world and wallow, then you connect, then I’m like fine.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]British-Portuguese musician Nessi Gomes had an artistic awakening after living in Central America; could her work contain thinly veiled references to ayahuasca?
According to traditional belief, ayahuasca is not just a powerful psychogenic substance – it’s a spirit. When you ingest the Amazonian plant, “Mother Ayahuasca” scans your body and soul for places that need healing. And after the ceremony, she lingers in you, guiding you to implement her lessons in your life.
After I developed an illness that prevented me from drinking ayahuasca, my therapist told me, “This is your ceremony. You can contact ayahuasca whenever you want.” She suggested I play music that made me think of ayahuasca while calling on the spirit, and I thought back to the songs played by Maria Johanna during ceremonies at her house in the Netherlands. I began searching for them on Youtube; the site’s recommendations led me down a rabbit hole of ayahuasca-reminiscent songs. Before I knew it, I had a playlist that altered my state of mind, almost as if I were actually on ayahuasca.
Sometimes, when I play these songs, I’m transported back to those ceremonies and the lessons I learned. And I remember that I’m still learning them every day. This is my ceremony. And this is its soundtrack.
“Machi” by Peia
This is an ode to the machi, a shaman in Chile and Argentina’s Mapuche culture, and everything she represents. Peia’s soaring voice transports the listener to a higher plane of existence, so they can absorb the shaman’s healing power wherever they are.
“Mother I Feel You” by Windsong Dianne Martin
Ayahuasca connects us to the earth and reminds us we’re part of nature, and this song describes that connection. It could, in fact, be addressed to mother ayahuasca herself. We can always feel her under our feet.
“Pacha Mama” by Nessi Gomes
Pachamama is mother earth to the Andes’ indigenous people, and this gorgeous ode to her could also be an ode to ayahuasca. The lyrics translate to: “In the sky and on the earth / The little moon and the stars / I feel the fire inside / I feel the fire here and I find you / Pachamama in this fire.”
“Medicine” by Rising Appalachia
This incredibly catchy song is about the power of plants and shamans to heal us — and our power to heal ourselves. Ayahuasca is often called “the medicine,” and this song’s lyrics reflect what ayahuasca teaches us: “Wise men say that rushing is violence / And so is your silence / When its rooted in compliance / To stand firm in loving defiance / Make art your alliance / Give voice to the fire.”
“Wonderful Life” by Katie Melua
This song’s sound may not mimic traditional Amazonian chants, but its lyrics encapsulate ayahuasca’s message. Ayahuasca reminds us of the wonderful life we’ve been given — and makes us painfully aware of how our minds make it seem less than wonderful. Though the song was originally released by Black in 1987, Katie Melua’s voice captures its sad yet celebratory mood. I’d cry each time I heard it at Maria Johanna’s ceremonies, thinking of all the ways I “run and hide” from what would be a “wonderful life” if I would only live in it.
“Wise in Her Ways” by Luna Deva & Tombaba
Ayahuasca is considered a feminine spirit, and this song (which I also first heard at Maria Johanna’s), celebrates and empowers the feminine within all of us, reminding us to sing, dance, and “speak the truth” of who we are. I’ll never forget the ceremony where all the women got up and danced to this song, and then a man entered the circle and said, “I want to be a woman now.” Ayahuasca affirms the woman in all of us.
“How Could Anyone?” by Shaina Noll
I have to credit Maria Johanna for finding this one as well — and for approaching me during one ceremony and saying, “This song’s for you.” The lyrics — “how could anyone ever tell you you were anything less than beautiful? / How could anyone ever tell you you were less than whole? / How could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle? / How deeply you’re connected to my soul” — encapsulate the theme of many of my (and, I’d venture to say, others’) ceremonies. Who can’t relate to those words? Ayahuasca shows us all that we are no less than beautiful or whole. And many of us keep returning to ayahuasca, in and outside ceremony, to live life as our true, whole, beautiful selves, to experience the miracle of our love.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The moon controls the tides of our oceans, and since humans are about 60% water, it makes sense that the moon could possibly be influencing the tides of our minds. According to some astrologists, the full moon’s influence on your life can last plus or minus five days. It can signify the culmination of a project or relationship, or inspire you to manifest your best self. In honor of June’s most recent full moon, Asbury Park psych rockers LYONS released a video for their new single “Strawberry Moon.” Soaked in sage and singing bowls, LYONS conduct their strawberry séance in the magical forests of Central Jersey. LYONS’ shoegazey punk is the perfect soundtrack for reflecting on your intentions and moving forward, letting go of what does not serve you, in the shadow of this full moon. LYONS are currently recording their new album to be released on Little Dickman Records and will be playing at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 13th.
New York City – well, to be specific, Long Island City – is getting a new venue next year. The Arc will have a capacity of about 2,000 and is set to open early next year. Former Webster Hall COO, Rich Pawelczyk, has just joined the venture.
Childish Gambino Teams Up with Rashida Jones
Maybe Childish Gambino will help the #MeToo movement cross over from Hollywood to music? His real-life actor persona, Donald Glover, just lent his voice to an “anti-harassment” video directed by Rashida Jones. The short animated film covers the topic of appropriate behavior in the workplace.
A Grammy Update
In an effort to address the lack of diversity and female nominees at last year’s Grammys, The Recording Academy has announced that they will expand some of the major categories. There will now be eight instead of five nominees for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, and best new artist.
Protection for Songwriters
The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted in favor of The Music Modernization act, a bill that aims to establish a licensing system that would be controlled by songwriters and publishers and paid for by digital services like Spotify.
Joe Jackson
Michael Jackson’s father and longtime manager, Joe Jackson, died yesterday at the age of 89.
The New New
Three heavy hitters from very different genres dropped new releases today. Only a year after the last Gorillaz album, Damon Albarn is back with a new one. The Now Now follows last spring’s release of Humanz. Some of the beauty of Gorillaz has always been held in the band’s animated appearance – cartoon facades allow for new collaborators to become characters on each album. In contrast, The Now Now allows Albarn to play the many parts himself. His sixth Gorillaz album features fewer collaborations than his usual offerings – some might even consider it to be more of a solo session. Longtime fans will hear lyrics that reference melancholy days on tour and draw comparisons to 2010’s The Fall, which was also released in a short span after a collab-heavy star-studded drop Plastic Beach.
In contrast to Albarn’s lightening up of collaborators, Florence Welch grabbed a couple of A-list partners for the brand new Florence + The Machine album, High As Hope. As executive producer for the album (her first time in the position), Welch tapped Kamasi Washington, Sampha, and Jamie XX for contributions. For Hope, Welch dials down her bombastic vocals for tracks that delve into the personal, including her battles with alcohol addiction. Of the album she reportedly told an LA crowd, “It’s just I’m less drunk, and there is less glitter.”
Drake’s new 25-track double album, Scorpion, is out today. It features collaborations with big names, including Jay-Z and Michael Jackson.
The album touches on his very publicized feud with Pusha-T; in a bit of self deprecation, it even goes so far as to reference Pusha’s insults in the editor notes for Apple Music. Some of Drake’s new tracks have the internet ablaze with lyrics that seem to confirm the existence of the Canadian rapper’s son with Sophie Brussaux.
Gabrielle Marlena is young and earnest, character traits that describe many NYC transplants. Her second EP explores love in, around, and for the city. Brooklyn in particular is a character in Marlena’s music, the new boyfriend who remains steady, unlike the ones who often disappoint.
“Easier Love” is the title track and first single off Marlena’s follow-up to last year’s debut Good Music for You. On first listen, the catchy refrain brings to mind pop singer-songwriters like Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles: “It’s ok that you’ve found an easier love / and it’s ok that you didn’t try hard enough / and I will learn what I’m really made of.” Marlena’s voice stands out from the pack with its gritty underbelly, a throaty warmth that comes off as genuinely road-weary. In the video, Marlena scrolls through photos, texts, memories of her ex, as time speeds up all around her; the ache is there and so is the motivation to move on.
We caught up with Gabrielle to talk classical music, the Montreal folk scene, and what Brooklyn hotspot is her #goals performance space.
Watch “Easier Love” below:
AF: As a girl, you studied the clarinet and classical piano, as well as the glockenspiel. Not gonna lie: I had to look up what a glockenspiel was. What drew you initially to classical music?
GM: Wow… I’m trying to remember. I totally wasn’t drawn into it! I think it felt like the standard for my parents to provide their children with well-rounded educations that involved trying a little bit of everything. I definitely preferred music class in school over sports, so we started with piano lessons. I think the only reason I chose clarinet for the elementary school band was because my older brother played it! And for the glockenspiel… I think it was seriously only because my middle school band instructor needed a player, and I was the only one who was willing and able.
AF: You moved to Montreal to study Economics, but ended up getting involved in the electronic scene there. Draw the lines for us. How did that happen?
GM: The phrase “moved to Montreal to study economics” is weird to me actually (even though I’ve probably said that before). I moved to Montreal because it was MONTREAL. College was sort of my excuse to try out that amazing city, and I chose economics because for some weird reason I was really good at it. It wasn’t at all what I was really interested in, so I gravitated toward the music scene in Montreal. I actually wasn’t so much involved in the electronic scene as much as the folk scene. I definitely enjoyed the electronic scene (Montreal has a lot to offer in that arena), but in terms of involvement, the hippie folk circles in apartment basements were more my thing.
AF: I was about to ask what the folk scene in Montreal looked like… Is it all coffee and apartments and friendly Canadians?
GM: My second year of college, I started performing at this place called the Yellow Door Coffeehouse right near my apartment. It was sort of like a local YMCA type thing; they had these open mic nights where they had self serve tea and coffee in the basement of an old apartment building (obviously pay by donation). There would be a featured performer every night who played a full set, and a hat was passed around at the end for tips (there were banjos and it was weird and awesome and I felt right at home).
AF: Brooklyn is your home base now. I love the line from “Sorry I Ever Fucked You” that talks about using the G train as an excuse. Highly relatable content from a former Bushwick girl’s perspective.
GM: Lol. 2% of the time when that guy actually agreed to come to my apartment, it would feel like he was crossing oceans to see me and I would get all giddy.
AF: Taking the G train is a kind of dedication. Has the landscape of the city affected you musically?
GM: Well I think there is a very unique New York culture. Everyone is working so hard all the time, and anyone who’s lived here knows that it’s easy to feel lonely even with a million people around you. FOMO is a serious issue and feelings of loneliness often creep into my writing (or they’re actually the main subject sometimes). NYC makes you reflect a lot. At least once a week, I need to step back and be like “I can’t believe I live here!” It makes you think about life a lot and what could be elsewhere, and that makes for good writing material.
My newest EP is actually about emotions I was experiencing while I was out of New York on tour. When I had even more time to reflect on what my life in NYC looked like compared to what it could be like in a million other places. Tour made me feel very grateful to live in Brooklyn actually, and I was inspired to turn all my thoughts into songs when I got back.
AF: Absence makes the heart grow fonder?
GM: Yes!
AF: You’ve spoken glowingly about working with producer Katie Buchanan. Can you give us a glimpse into the production process?
GM: I honestly can’t imagine working with anyone else at this point. I’m stuck. Any other studio wouldn’t have enough tea. No, really, her studio is in her apartment and it’s awesome. The way our production process has worked is: I send her demos, we get together, talk about my vision and hers (most of the time we agree and feed off of each other’s ideas); then we start tracking the basic instrumentation. The sound will evolve bit by bit. Sometimes we will start by tracking a guitar part that I used to write the song… and then that guitar part doesn’t even make it onto the record, so it’s very piecemeal. Also, I want to say I am very grateful to have found a female producer and I’m never going back!!!
AF: I’ve also been digging the accompanying artwork by Sarah Myers. How did ya’ll come to collaborate?
GM: Sarah is soooo talented. We met at an art fair in Brooklyn where I was singing and she was selling her work. Turns out she is also an awesome violinist so we jammed a bit and she played a few house concerts with me. Our musical collab kind of faded (maybe we should get back into it!) but I’m forever a fan of her art. I saw one of her “shadowboxes” that she posted on Instagram and thought “I need that of me and it needs to be my album artwork!” Ended up choosing a portrait taken on an iPhone (lol) but her artwork has been totally amazing to have on merch.
AF: Tell us a bit about the video for “Easier Love.” It has a lovely, melancholy feel to it.
GM: Shooting this video was a totally new experience for me; it’s all filmed in one shot, so we had to do it like 30 times. My initial idea for the video was pretty different from how it turned out, but I’m excited about how it evolved. My idea from the start was to somehow incorporate photos on an iPhone that matched with the lyrics of the song from the time that I wrote it. I had strong visual associations with the lines. It’s very literal. It tells a story, and I would be thinking of certain images in my head when I sang it so I wanted to bring that to life.
AF: What music do you have on rotation right now?
GM: Today I was listening to Yoke Lore, Glassio, and Soren Bryce (who I’m proud to call a friend). All Brooklyn based!
AF: Do you write music in solitude? Or are you someone writing down lyrics on the subway?
GM: Both! I write down lyrics on the subway all the time, but I would never write a song with my guitar if there are people in ear shot.
AF: Where do you see yourself performing in five years? What’s the dream venue?
AF: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given (in regards to creating music)?
GM: Write about what you know.
Keep an ear out for Gabrielle Marlena’s debut EP Easier Love, set to release this month![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Mitski has been on a rocketing career path over the past few years, and is set to release her sophomore album Be The Cowboy on August 17th. We’ve only seen a few glimpses into this record so far – via videos for her singles “Geyser” and now, “Nobody” – but it seems as though Mitski’s been thinking deeply about the affect of critical acclaim on her work as an artist and her well-being as an individual.
While the video’s bright colors and cartoonish surrealism make for a playful characterization of Mitski’s introspective lyrics, the underlining theme here is being alone. “Nobody” dramatically outlines that sensation of reaching for something that you might never find outside of the confines of your desires, yet somehow still entertains with a singular sense of kitsch.
Though Paramour released their fifth studio album After Laughter in 2017, they’ve just released a video for “Caught In The Middle.” The visuals are an aesthetic counterpart to their new wave musical style, full of ’80s-inspired graphics and throwbacks to the days of lo-fi digital art.
Through her work as a filmmaker and performer, LaToya Jane aims to inspire youth to give up gang violence in favor of pursuing the arts. In 2014, LaToya won the award for Best Director at the Commffest Film Festival for Creature, a documentary about her time as a gang member in Toronto. She’s back with a poignant video for her single “Everything,” which mirrors her childhood growing up in Toronto’s infamous Jane and Finch neighborhood, from which she takes her stage name. The single comes from her debut EP GROWN, released last fall.
Sylvan Esso has just announced their summer tour. Alongside the announcement comes a candid video made up of moments from their previous tours, set to their single “Signal.”
Young sisters Chloe and Halle have shown their broad range of musical motion on stunning debut The Kids Are Alright. “Happy Without Me” – featuring another rising hip-hop star, Joey Bada$$ – is a slow R&B tune which the two grade with their ethereal poetics.
One of my favorite descriptions of summer, particularly its languid, melancholy months, comes from Don DeLillo’s first novel, Americana: “Summer unfolds slowly,” DeLillo writes, “a carpeted silence rolling out across expanding steel, and the days begin to rhyme, distance swelling with the bridges, heat bending the air, small breaks in the pavement, those days when nothing seems to live on the earth but butterflies, the tranquilized mantis, the spider scaling the length of the mudcaked broken rake inside the dark garage.”
This of course is not the summer of your childhood, spent racing to the river, camping out on the trampoline, and picking salmon berries in the woods. It’s a slower summer; the passage of time stifled by heat and concrete, and the knowledge that as an adult, the only distinguishing aspect of the season is its boiling sun and—if you’re lucky—an abbreviated Friday at the office. During these months I tend to favor tunes that match the heat in grime and delirium, rather than turn up to the tempo of summer jamz (who really needs to cue those up anyway, when they’re blaring from every idling car come August?). For me, summer is a season of slower music, mimicking the sluggish pace of trudging through the sweltering city, and dreaming of a place with more trees—or at least cheaper booze. For all the like-minded, hot weather sloths, here are five records to get lost in this summer.
Van Morrison, Astral Weeks, 1968
For me this record is synonymous with waking early up in a sun-filled room and shaping a slow and quiet day; making a pot of coffee, scrambling some eggs, and lazing about. Van Morrison’s 1968 freeform masterpiece blooms with verdant imagery so beautiful it is agonizing, and while I’ve probably listened to it in full more than any other record, its transportative nature always manages to take me to a place I’ve never been before. The meandering phrases of flute, saxophone, guitar, and bass make you feel like you’ve wandered an unknown region of the world without so much as stirring from your couch. Perfect for the days when it’s too hot to venture outside.
Astral Weeks feels as much a part of the sky as and stars as it does the earth. On its centerpiece “Cyprus Avenue,” spare bass roots the song into the dirt, while plinks of harpsichord and fluttering woodwind lift it skyward. It is an aching portrayal of love so painful that its narrator endures multiple bouts of complete paralysis: “And I’m conquered in a car seat/Not a thing that I can do,” Morrison sings. “Cyprus Avenue” is one of the most precise depictions of new love—something that summer can rot just as easily as ripen. The title track, which opens the eight-song cycle, is a (slightly) less heartbreaking soundscape, arranging strings, celestial flute, and brushes of guitar into a solar system of sound, at the center of which is Morrison’s voice, beaming like the sun.
Townes Van Zandt, Our Mother the Mountain, 1969
Maybe I’m so drawn to this record in the sunny months because that’s when it first came to me. Townes Van Zandt’s second album Our Mother the Mountain is filled with tales of gambling saints, witchy women, and enough booze to power a dam. Van Zandt’s lyrical mysticism made his songs sound as if they were born in an era when folklore was taken at face value—and yet his interpretation of country music was completely original. Perhaps he was so ahead of his time that he sounded ancient.
Our Mother dances between deep, undeniable melancholy, and slightly sad songs that merely sound chipper. Opening ditty “Be Here to Love Me,” falls into the latter category, in which a drunkard entreats his woman to stay. Van Zandt paints summertime depictions of a small town with his distinct twang: “The children are dancing, the gamblers are chancin’ their all/The window’s accusin’ the door of abusin’ the wall,” he drawls, depicting a bawdy saloon scene. Cowboy ballad “Like a Summer Thursday,” meanwhile, is a sombre tale of love lost, in which Van Zandt recounts the stunning traits of a long gone lady. “Her face was crystal, fair and fine,” he sings, before revealing her cold disposition. “If only she could feel my pain,” he continues. “But feeling is a burden she can’t sustain/So like a summer Thursday, I cry for rain/To come and turn the ground to green again.” It is one of the most aching summer love songs, Van Zandt blaming the heat as much as the heart for all of his grief. If anything, Townes Van Zandt might just be the best summer companion for the sweaty and miserable.
Smog, A River Ain’t Too Much to Love, 2005
Bill Callahan’s final offering under his Smog moniker turned out to be his masterpiece. A River Ain’t Too Much to Love is an hour of slow simmering folk songs brimming with naturalistic poetry. It’s hard not to associate this album with summertime, simply for the fact that its descriptions of woods and rivers and horses and valleys are so colorful and numerous. “Drinking at the Dam” recalls a particular kind of smalltown summer, where adults are absent and the brambles are the place to hang out and flip through “skin backs.” The sun is as much a part of this record as broken hearts and booze are to Our Mother the Mountain, and its rays fall upon rivers, bedrooms, and forests of pine, adding a waking melancholy to Callahan’s pensive lyrics. It is a record so stifled by heat, all there is to do within it is lie around and think. “It’s summer now, and it’s hot/And the sweat pours out,” Callahan sings on “Running the Loping.” “And the air is the same as my body/And I breathe my body inside out.” A River is replete with this kind of imagery, and that’s exactly what makes it a pleasant companion for the sweltering season.
Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline, 1969
Along with Astral Weeks, I’ve listened to Dylan’s country delight Nashville Skyline so many times in my life, it automatically qualifies as a “Desert Island Disc,” god forbid I ever have to pack that suitcase. Aside from its beatific album cover, featuring Dylan tilting is hat like a southern gentleman against a blushing sunset, Nashville Skyline is bursting with the stuff of rural summer: Bluegrass fingerpicking, lazy lovers, and backwoods euphemisms involving every type of pie you can name. Opener “Girl From the North Country” (a duet with Johnny Cash that reimagines the original version from 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan) features the lone mention of cold weather and winter coats before the record bursts into the jubilant guitar duel, “Nashville Skyline Rag.” This album is a lively companion for cooking summer meals and drinking beer on the front porch. Heck, it’s so homey and warm, it can even make you feel like you have a porch.
Amen Dunes, Freedom, 2018
Damon McMahon’s fifth studio album as Amen Dunes may have been released in the dead of winter, but the 11-song suite is radiant and lush—far more suited to aimless summer strolls than March hibernation. The entirety of Freedom is rendered with production details that place you seaside, on a boardwalk in shirt-wilting temperatures. The bright riffs of guitar, the breezy reverb, and McMahon’s languid delivery all move with the pace of light waves bending on hot air. While the previous albums I’ve mentioned might lend themselves best to lounging around light-filled rooms or dank taverns, Freedom begs you to walk around town and project its sun-faded imagery before you. Whether it’s the nostalgic twang of “Skipping School” or the beachy bent of “Miki Dora,” this is a record that can weave silvery summer blues into tapestries of hope.
Musicians lead many lives throughout their career, music calling them to take on different personas along the way. As a former member of Balthrop, Alabama, the Bandana Splits, and the solo project Dear Georgiana, Lauren Balthrop explored collaboration, genre, and characters. It’s only now, performing under her given name, that her unique voice shines in the spotlight.
“Don’t Ever Forget” is the dreamy first single from Balthrop’s debut album This Time Around. The song’s official video is a collage of found footage Balthrop compiled herself. “The song is about living in nostalgia and rose colored memories. I loved this old footage of lovers and dancing to serve as imagery for beautiful faded memories of perfect days and passed love,” she explains.
“Look to the sinking sun / as we go ’round this carousel again / we’re laughing and we’re having fun / I know that I’ll never be the same,” Balthrop croons, her delicate voice fluttering against reverberating ahhhs. The song perfectly captures the bittersweet sensation of a person, a moment, a time in your life disappearing; it brings to mind a last kiss with a high school sweetheart, your hometown fading away as you drive to a new city.
We spoke with Lauren about why she went solo, what Nashville’s music scene is like, and what advice she has for a young musician right out of the gate.
Listen to “Don’t Ever Forget” below:
AF: You’re originally from Alabama. What artists did you grow up listening to?
LB: With my parents, there was a lot of Everly Brothers, the Andrews Sisters, and Van Morrison. With my siblings, I got R.E.M., The Doors, Nirvana, Elliott Smith and Neil Young but also fun rock like Steve Miller Band. I also loved classic country voices like Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. I also grew up doing musical theatre so there was a lot of musical soundtracks like Cabaret and West Side Story and Sondheim etc.
AF: You’ve just settled into Nashville now, after spending some years in NYC. What is the music scene there like?
LB: Most of my friends are in the Americana, folk and bluegrass scene which is a departure for me. I’m kind of falling in love with that music though and the culture surrounding it. The love is big for that stuff. I don’t feel as much of that jaded, cynical NY vibe here in Nashville, though everyone is still hustling their music here! I’m still building relationships with venues and radio stations and trying to get my name out here so we’ll see what comes!
AF: For the last few years, you’ve served as a backing vocalist for the likes of Bob Weir, Kevin Morby, Benjamin Booker and Elizabeth & The Catapult. What is like working with a big artist like Bob Weir?
LB: He was really sweet, though I actually only got to meet him briefly while singing back up at his 69th Birthday show at the Capitol Theatre just out of NYC a couple a years ago. Josh Kaufman, my dear pal who produced my record, has been playing with Bob Weir and produced his solo album Blue Mountain. He asked my girl group, The Bandana Splits, to sing on the album. We contributed our vocals to 5 or 6 songs after the record was mostly done so I actually didn’t meet Bob until that show!
AF: Why was it important for you to break out and record under your own name after playing with two bands and releasing solo work as Dear Georgina?
LB: This was a decision that took a long time to make. Georgiana was the young dreamer persona that I played in the band Balthrop, Alabama. We all had these characters that we developed over the years as a band and the names came from towns in Alabama. I was Georgiana Starlingon and when I wrote the first batch of solo songs – they sort of fit that persona. This record feels way more personal, more my own story, and Josh persuaded me to put it out under my own name, so here we go!
AF: Tell us about the themes on this record. You’ve said that much of it speaks to this turbulent time we’re all living in.
LB: The first track started off as a protest song in the wake of Trump’s inauguration and the Women’s March on DC and morphed into a sort of broken love song with America starring as the lost love. From there, it’s sort of these themes about feeling like you’re spinning out of orbit and losing control. It’s about broken hopes and dreams; the culture that I grew up in learning about the “American Dream” and then losing some of that idealism as your reality shifts and things don’t work out quite as you’d dreamed. Even the song about the maple tree on the record has themes of pollution, over fantasizing and over idealizing. “Don’t Ever Forget” is a song about living in nostalgia and faded memories and realizing there’s still so much more to come. And then the closing track is about finally sort of being ready for what’s to come and just being open!
AF: I’m so glad it ends on such a positive note! It’s easy to get bogged down with everything and forget to move forward, make change.
LB: Right?! It’s funny. When you meet me, I’m sort of this antics fun-time instigator but I can write some sad songs!
AF: Can you give us an inside look into your writing process? Let’s take your new single “Don’t Ever Forget” – did that start with a melody or an opening lyric?
LB: It started out as a clunky, plodding piano song with the melody in place and some placeholder lyrics. I took it to my producer Josh and he helped come up with a groove and we worked on the lyrics together. But songs a lot of times start out when I’m walking along and I’ll just sing a lyric or melody into my phone.
AF: The video for “Don’t Ever Forget” is a series of sweet, somewhat surreal scenes from old films. Where did the inspiration for this come from and how did you find the right content?
LB: Because the song is about nostalgia and days that you can’t forget, I wanted to use vintage footage of lovers dancing and happy memories. I loved all the footage I found and one video is even from an old toothpaste commercial.
AF: But seriously: how did you find a clip from an old toothpaste commercial?
LB: I used this site archive.org and this amazing archive called the Prelinger Archives that have all these amazing public domain videos.
AF: What current artists do you have on rotation?
LB: I’m loving Elizabeth & the Catapult‘s new album and Caroline Rose was on rotation for a while. My good friends The Stray Birds have a new record coming out that I’m really excited for as well as does my friend Dawn Landes and funny enough they’re both coming out on Yep Roc.
AF: If you could have any (living) artist sing backup for you on a record, who would it be?
LB: Probably the TRIO: Dolly Parden, Emmylou Harris and Linda Rondstadt!
AF: What advice would you give a young musician just picking up their first instrument?
LB: Learn the things that excite you and that draw you to the instrument! In time, you’ll devote more to all the mechanical technique based stuff. Learn the songs you love!
Lauren’s debut album, This Time Around, is set to release Sept 21. [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
This week, Detroit’s own Flint Eastwood – Jax Anderson – released “Real Love,” a powerful song detailing her broken relationship with the Christian church, and how breaking away from it finally gave her the chance to find love and truth. Like many people in the LGBTQ community, Anderson says she felt ostracized by the church because of her sexuality. After years of being told that there was something wrong with her, she decided to cut ties altogether with the church and free herself from what she felt were the judgmental confines of Christianity.
Anderson didn’t take this decision lightly. As someone who comes from a long line of preachers and grew up in the Christian church, separating from it meant much more than not saying her prayers on Sunday. “It was an extremely hard decision,” says Anderson. “I knew that I would be losing a community of people that I’d loved for a very long time and I had a huge fear that it would cause a division in my family, but thank god it didn’t.” She says although she made the split a while ago, this is her first time talking about it and also her first time openly singing about her sexuality. And the timing wasn’t a coincidence.
A few weeks before the song was released, Anderson’s older brother – who is also a preacher – sent her a link to a video of her family’s ex-pastor receiving an award for a “gay conversion therapy workshop” that he hosted for young women who are questioning their sexuality and gender identity. “We were both like, ‘this is ridiculous and it’s terrible that he’s doing this,’” says Anderson. “Especially because it was targeting girls aged 11-13 and that really hit home with me. That was exactly where I was when I was 11.” Understandably outraged, Anderson felt the best way to express her anger was to write a song about it.
She pulled up a bunch of instrumentals sent over by her brother Seth Anderson, a producer who goes by SYBLYNG, and settled on a piano loop that sounded like it came straight from a hymnal. “I sat down and wrote the song in about thirty minutes,” J. Anderson says. “I basically went through all of the ‘fruits of the holy spirit’ – which in Christianity are love, joy, patience, kindness – and said I found all of those in ways outside of the church, not by being a Christian but by being who I am.”
Anderson starts off “Real Love” by singing, “Can I be honest for a minute? Found peace when I lost religion / Found love when I thought I couldn’t.” Her opening lines set the stage for her description of her life after the church – one full of acceptance, love, and freedom. At one point in the song, a male voice says “Love without truth is not love,” exactly imitating the words of the conversion pastor’s acceptance speech, twisting his ill-meaning words back on him to create something positive.
With the help of strong choral voices consisting of Detroit divas Bevlove and Vespre, Anderson manages to orchestrate a reformed gospel song in which the world is her church, love is her God, and truth is her bible. Released just in time for June’s Pride celebrations, “Real Love” serves as a reminder that no one in the LGBTQ community should ever feel alone.
“I just want people to know that they’re not alone and it’s okay to be who they are,” says Anderson. “It’s not as scary as you think.”
Flint Eastwood will play her first Detroit show in over a year this Friday, June 29th with Princess Nokia at MOCAD. Doors at 7pm, tickets $25.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Ivy Jeanne wears many hats. Political femme activist, lead singer of Black Rainbow, muralist, and longtime San Francisco resident, are just a few ways to describe her momentum and dedication to our local community. We chat on Clarion Alley, in front of her very own mural (influenced by the controversial Dropbox soccer field incident in 2014).
Jeanne talks about her experiences touring and organizing activist work around a central ideal that “THIS CITY IS NOT FOR SALE.” Much like the message of her mural, Ivy Jeanne’s art fights for folks who stand up against gentrification. In recent years, Jeanne has also participated as an artist and coordinator in collaboration with Rebecca Solnit, Erick Lyle, Sarah Schulman and more to release Streetopia, an anthology detailing a vision for the future of San Francisco.
Check out our interview with her below to hear more about her.
Matt Elkin is a super sweet dude and super nasty guitar virtuoso. You may know him as a longtime member of Brooklyn’s favorite pop punkers The So So Glos, though now he’s moved on to solo work and gigging with a multitude of Brooklyn-based bands like Snakeskin and Bueno. But there is one little guy that takes priority above it all: a little pup named Rocky. Rocky is a rescue chihuahua (and maybe part werewolf) that makes up for his small size with a big attitude. Matt loves playing Bill Withers records for his poochie pal (when they’re not going on road trips together) and has continued to raise money on behalf of BARC Shelter for those pups still seeking forever homes. Read on to find out more about Matt’s musical history and his best pal Rocky.
AF: Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to be a musician?
ME: No singular moment per se, just a total onslaught of music of every persuasion permeating my household from day one. My dad was forever bumping Steely Dan and Neil Young and Stevie Nicks cassettes in our old Clark Griswold-style station wagon. My mom was most keen on Motown and the like and would have me dancing around the living room with her to Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross before I could even really stand up on my own. They had this extensive, eclectic record collection from their high school and college years. They were also hyped on the advent of MTV and keen on so much of the new stuff coming through on the radio. My dad was the one that brought home Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, the “new alternative” stuff. They were just feeding my eager little ears nonstop.
Music equated to joy in our house; it was the constant I could count on in a situation that was otherwise generally rife with turmoil. But an enthusiasm for exploring music, that’s the big thing my parents bestowed upon me. I was a total sponge, utterly transfixed by everything I was exposed to. I had to listen to everything over and over again and then eventually determined I could go try and decipher what went into making this magic. My mom was a really proficient pianist and I have fond memories of sitting with her on the piano bench as she would perform these beautiful sonatas for me and let me tinker on the keys alongside her. I would try to mimic her playing and have my dad videotape these little recitals I’d put on for them, just endlessly fiddling around with whatever notes sounded good together to me.
And there was my childhood babysitter, Beth (insert the emoji with hearts for eyes here, lol). She gave me my first in-depth exposure to hip-hop, R&B, all the rad dance/house/techno stuff that was coming out in the early nineties. She was a high school cheerleader and she showed me how to make mixtapes. In doing so she effectively laid the foundation for my learning how to DJ as well. I’d sit there with her as she’d dub sections of songs onto cassette, pause the tape at a particular moment, go digging for another tune in the same tempo to swap in, play back the results. Flawless transitions every single time, blew my freaking mind. These were the megamixes for her squad’s dance routines. Everything But The Girl, La Bouche, Naughty by Nature, Monica, all the goodies. Still can’t believe her coach let it fly for her to pop that track “Short Dick Man” into the mix. Haaa. Oh shit! I just remembered that my dad took me to a Raffi concert when I was four and we waited outside his bus after the show so I could meet him. That was major. How’s about we call that THE moment.
AF: How long have you been playing guitar? Do you play any other instruments?
ME: There’s overlap here re: first question but I began taking piano lessons when I was three, from my babysitter’s mom, Mrs. Newton. She was the music teacher at the elementary schools. They lived right next door to us. My mom is Japanese (by way of Chicago) and although she wasn’t necessarily, like, the archetypal strict Asian parent, I’m pretty sure it was foretold long in advance of my exiting the womb that I was going to be subject to some sort of Suzuki method-ing. So I learned my scales and how to read sheet music and whatnot but mostly just kept on tinkering around on my own with what I thought sounded good, writing my own little ditties.
Then I was made to take up trumpet in elementary school. By that point I think I’d been resolved on playing guitar for years. My favorite band when I was really little was Guns N’ Roses. I loved Izzy and I don’t know why. He was just so chill and didn’t grandstand like Slash, just held it down, kept that cigarette dangling out of his mouth. I had all of their records by the time I was eight. I even had a Guns N’ Roses birthday cake one year. I remember learning to use the VCR and recording the “In Bloom” video off MTV and watching that one over and over and over again. I remember first hearing the Toadies song “Possum Kingdom” when I was nine or so. That song really did a number on me, made me feel weird feelings. It felt so sexual and uncomfortable and only in recent years did I find out that it’s about vampires and necrophilia? Yeah, that one really warped my little nine-year-old brain. And then there was Weezer.
I nagged my parents for a guitar. My parents got me my own stereo when I was five and they took me to the mall every weekend to buy a new CD at Record Town as my chores allowance. My first CDs were Funky Divas by En Vogue and Three Dog Night. I loved Michael Jackson and Metallica and TLC. My first crush was Left Eye. I wanted TLC albums so bad but I was all timid and awkward and embarrassed that my parents would somehow know about my crush! It took ages for me to build up the courage to approach the “Waterfalls” cassingle at the record store. Then I would put on these little lip sync concerts for my parents and friends and whoever else was around where I would try to do Mike’s lean from the “Smooth Criminal” video or headbang to “Sad But True” until I threw up.
Okay, anyway, a lot of begging and pleading and increasing opposition to my weekly piano lessons finally wore down my parents enough that my mom brought me after school one day to this music shop in New London Connecticut, my hometown, called Caruso’s. I believe I had just started the sixth grade. I was dead set on a Fender Stratocaster. We got to that shop and I picked out a Strat and there was no way my mom was going to spend $500 on the name brand when there were perfectly acceptable knockoffs so I came home that day with a Peavey copycat and a little 8″ amp. I was ecstatic. I never put the damn thing down. I took like six weeks of guitar lessons with this kooky dude who lived in his Volkswagen by the beach. He taught me the pentatonic scale and “More Than a Feeling” by Boston and we started getting through “Mood for a Day” by Yes when I decided that proper guitar lessons sucked versus my just sitting by the stereo or in front of MTV/VH1 and playing along to the shit I was really into.
I still have that Peavey. Matter of fact, I never went on to collect many guitars, and just recently that guitar has come back to being my mainstay. I mean, I learned absolutely everything on that guitar. Nothing else has ever felt quite as natural to play. My friend Amy Mills is this amazing luthier who lives a few blocks from me and a couple months ago she gave it a full tuneup. She sanded down the neck, fixed some spots where the frets had gotten banged up, replaced the whammy bar that I had long since lost, installed a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup in the bridge(!). I wanted a Hot Rails pickup my whole life. Those Musician’s Friend catalogs made them look so appealing. No buzz, sounds great! I highly advise getting your gear souped up by Amy. Like anything though, my interest in guitar kind of ebbs and flows. Piano was square one for me and I still usually find myself way more inclined to begin the songwriting process on one of my little Yamaha toy synths as opposed to on the guitar. Other instruments besides that? I’ve taken stabs at mandolin and banjo before and got somewhat okay at those. My friend and former bandmate Jesse Rifkin let me bum around on his accordion for a while during college and I’d really like to more formally learn how to play that one of these days. I want to get my hands on a trumpet again and see if I can still play all the ska songs I learned in middle school.
AF: Can you give us a rundown of the projects you have played in and currently play in as well your role in each band?
ME: I play guitar and keyboard and sing really high falsetto harmonies and occasionally play bass and other stuff in the band Snakeskin, the brainchild of Shanna Polley, my friend who just happens to be my favorite songwriter in the universe. I play guitar in the band Bueno too. I also just recently started playing bass in my buddy Paul’s new band Substitute. Paul plays in Big Eyes. They rule. The So So Glos was my main baby for the past decade, but I unfortunately had to make the decision to step away for a number of reasons, primarily personal mental health stuff that was simply not manageable in the midst of the band’s perpetual touring regimen. I got increasingly burnt out and desperately needed to tend to my own shit. But we (Glos) got to do some really incredible stuff over the years, definitely far exceeded anything we expected we could make of our little group. I’m so grateful for all the experiences. We got to travel all over Europe. We made our last record (Kamikaze) out in San Diego with John Reis (from Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt)! He’s forever been one of my biggest influences, and it’s so crazy that now he’s like this musical father figure (cool dad) to me. We played on Chris Gethard’s show and did a filmed thing for Carson Daly and got to play a Lollapalooza and we even played on freaking David Letterman right before he retired. I think we all blacked out during that performance… I have very little recollection of that entire day. I do remember Jon Hamm’s hands were very clammy and that he and his partner were super nice. Hmm, what else. Right as I was finishing college I played in a band called Le Rug. I also do this solo thing sometimes where I sing over these tinny songs I made on Fruity Loops. Recently I’ve been learning how to make new tracks the same way on Ableton because I can’t figure out how to install Fruity Loops on my Mac. Someone please help me. That program is the best. So I’m spread all over the place with making music right now and I love it like this, getting so many opportunities to write and play in so many different ways and shapes and forms with all these supremely remarkable genius people, having so many transcendent mind melds on the regular. Collaboratively creating things is just like the most confounding thing there is. So the main focus this summer for basically every project I’m involved with is to write all new stuff and record, and that’s the shit I like doing the most. I have plans for some other stuff too. I have a lot of stuff written that I will one day soon, time permitting (life with a steady day gig/as a single pup pop makes for limitations), commit to tape and put a band together to record with and play out live. That “band” is probably going to be called either Credence or Sabbath because I am a dweeb. Or maybe Herbs, hard pronunciation (like, “hard”). I just remembered how people used to call each other that in middle school and still think it is the most hilarious diss.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Matt shredding with The So So Glos
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Matt rocking out in Bueno at Union Hall for a Cinco de Mayo celebration (Photo Credit: Natalie Kirch)
AF: Did you have pets growing up?
ME: No! And it sucked! Well, we had fish. That hardly qualifies. I remember one of our fish, Shaq, cannibalized another one of our fishes overnight. That was so gruesome. My dad was severely allergic to cats and dogs and I was pretty sensitive to them too. Fast forward to present day, my dad’s remarried and my stepmom is a retired veterinarian and at the house we’ve got two dogs, two cats, and they even adopted two horses! Our older Weshie’s named Twizzler, she’s eight now I believe, and she never leaves my dad’s side. She won’t let anyone else snuggle with her. It’s adorable how betrothed she is to him. Regular immersion and the occasional Benadryl totally helped my dad defeat his allergies. Same went for me I guess.
AF: Please introduce us to your furry friend!
ME: Rocco Noah Katz Cacciatore (Rocky for short) is my long-haired Chihuahua/werewolf who is presently approximately five years old. Me and my partner of the time adopted him a little over two years ago. Took him home on March 11th, 2016. So that’s when we celebrate his birthday, which technically makes him a Pisces. Oy, what can(’t) I say about my little doofus? He’s a bit of a troubleman. He can go from being the sweetest, bubbliest, belly rub-loving Furby to a nasty curmudgeon with an axe to grind in a matter of seconds. He is such a fierce guardian of what he deems his territory, which at this point is like six blocks in every direction from my house. Gets a little frustrating sometimes, like he’ll go lunging out of the blue at a stranger’s ankles without warning, but all in all I have learned to manage him and we’ve really made strides in keeping his aggression in check (no one that knows him/me will fully agree with that, heh). But I appreciate this mercurial nature of his. He is my child and I only wish for him to express himself however he feels fit to! Just, he was in a really awful situation for the first part of his life, which I don’t want to get into the specifics of or I will not be able to continue on this interview, so fucked. Thankfully he was surrendered by whomever was (not) caring for him and I just try my darn best to make a life for him that is the awesomest he can possibly have. Maybe someday we will live out in the country and he will have acres upon acres to claim as his own. That’s the dream. He goes nuts for an open field of tall grass. He is keen on soft surfaces and squeaky toys, aggressively befriending dogs four times his size or more (not so much interested in dogs his own size/breed), sleeping with his butt pressed firmly up against your (my) butt, sharing mushy bananas and string cheese with me (you), nosediving into bird poop and dead worms, and watching skate videos. He hates rain but loves getting the hairdryer treatment. He always smells so goddamn good (save for the Chihuahua breath, of course). He is going dress up as Sid Vicious this coming Halloween. I call him Walter when he acts distinguished. He has pretty intense dietary limitations, kind of a bubble boy. He is allergic to, among various other things, beef, pork, fish, wheat, potatoes. Craziest thing is that he’s allergic to COTTON. Took a really comprehensive allergy panel to determine all this and my vet in Queens was even kind of baffled about the cotton thing. Like, he’s gotten pretty bad dermatitis by sitting on cotton sheets just for a brief period of time. But we manage! I’ve got to say, polyester bedding gets a bad rap. It is actually quite soft and breathable. Me and Rocky are both incredibly comfy at night thank you very much.
AF: Can you recommend some shelters for future pet parents?
ME:BARC Shelter all the way. Nonprofit, no-kill, angel-managed creature haven set right in the heart of Williamsburg. Miracle workers. Shoutout to my man Rop. They have taken in hordes of pups and kits from near and far. They brought in 30-odd dogs after Harvey hit Houston, same with Puerto Rico, and on a too-common basis take in animals left at their front door. Desperate shitheads abandon their pets under the cover of darkness. BARC scooped Rocky from the ACC in Harlem, and I met him two days after he arrived. I was there visiting other pups the day I saw this blur of black and white fur wearing a cone of shame getting swept through the door. I had to go back immediately to see about this strange little demonic vision I so briefly got a glimpse of. Rop warned me that he was temperamental but as soon as he came out of the kennel he ran like 50 feet straight to me and we just clicked! For my last eight or so birthdays I have tried to raise funds for BARC. This is the first year I have used the Facebook donation feature. It’s cool, but I think BARC’s own website makes it really easy to donate to and the money gets to them faster. You can even sponsor a specific animal if you so desire, you can get them specific supplies they need off Amazon… I’d forever recommend going that route over the Facebook thing. But my fundraiser link will still be up in my Instagram bio until July 11th. They have public pup-walking hours! Get your fix! Check their site!
AF: If Rocky could be in a band, what genre would be and what instrument would he play?
ME: This is a digression from the question but there’s this interesting thing I’ve noticed which is that Rocky seems to find gravelly singing voices really appealing. I’ll put on Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Bill Withers, Nirvana, and Rocky’s interest is fully piqued. He gets into this unique mode where he seems at once very soothed and relaxed but still super attentive. It’s so bizarre! I see his ears perk up and then his eyelids get droopy. He’s entranced. Similar thing happens when my roommate is playing bass in her room. And maybe the gravelly voice thing doesn’t so much apply to her stuff but he also is really engaged whenever we’re listening to Scout Niblett. Also, my dear friend and longtime So So Glos bandmate Alex (Levine) recently sent me his first solo record which he JUST put the finishing touches on (and is getting really close to releasing! Keep an eye out for Alexander Orange Drink) and Rocky really loves that one too. He’s heard Alex singing in my house before and I can tell that he recognizes Alex’s voice. I cannot emphasize how great this album is. It’s brilliant, frenetic. So much of what I love about Alex’s songwriting and all that I know that he loves about being both a creator and complete consumer/absorber of music is in there. It’s wild.
AF: Favorite non-human animal-themed song?
ME: “Little Bird” by Annie Lennox. How incredible is that song? Sheesh. “The Bat’s Mouth” by Bat for Lashes is another gorgeous one, absolutely perfect. Oh and “The Puppy Song” by Harry Nilsson! “Dolphins” by Billy Bragg.
AF: Favorite daddy-doggy outings or parks?
ME: Irving Square Park is right by our apartment and that is where me and Rocky go every morning so he can have his meeting of the minds with the other neighborhood pups. They’re permitted go off their leashes before 9am or after 9pm. I haven’t gotten penalized yet for ignoring those parameters, but you gotta stay vigilant in the rare event that some asshole comes through to write tickets because it’s like $200! Sucks. I am aware that there are folks in the area that have been petitioning for quite a while to establish a designated enclosure/run at Irving Square like the one that was created at Maria Hernandez. I don’t know who these people are but if anyone out there reading this can connect me with them I would love to get involved in whatever capacity. Rocky also loves the open road. He’s content riding alone shotgun but prefers to be sprawled out in my girlfriend’s lap. We went upstate a couple weekends ago, about three hours north of the city for our friends’ wedding. He alternates between sleeping and perching by the window, taking in all the smells. He could drive forever. We listen to a lot of Bill Callahan in the car. I hope Rocky and I can travel across the country together someday. Reluctant to fly with him because of his skittishness. I wanted to find a way to transition into talking about how Rocky is certified as my ESA (emotional support animal) but I don’t really know what to say about it besides that I am happy to answer questions anyone has about what exactly that means and what the process of getting that designation entails because I had to do a ton of research on it.
AF: Name the first word that comes to mind when you think of Rocky.
ME: Dingleberry.
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]All photos of Rocky courtesy of Doggy Dad Matt
Florida rapper, XXXTentacion, was killed on Monday in his home state when a drive by shooter open fired on him outside of a motorcycle dealer. Born Jahseh Onfroy, the twenty-year-old music rose to hip-hop prominence, thanks in part to his popularity on streaming platforms..
His death leaves a wake of divided opinions and online debates. Facing accusations of repeatedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, XXX was one of the only musicians to be removed from Spotify’s playlists and other promotional content as a result of their recently rolled out and since repealed, “Hateful Content and Conduct” policy.
Immediately following his death news outlets such as Rollingstone began publishing articles that seemed to package XXX’s violent actions as just a controversial facet of a complicated personality while referring to his short-lived career as a “legacy.”Similarly, tributes poured in from music heavyweights such as Kanye West, Questlove, J. Cole, and Diplo. Understandably, their praise was matched by the dissent of those disappointed that such public figures would choose to honor someone with a storied history of violence against women.
XXX’s recent streaming numbers are indicative of the music industry’s complicated relationship with the #MeToo movement and pop culture’s fascination with celebrity deaths. Since the beginning of the week his single, “SAD!” broke Taylor Swift’s global single-day steaming record on Spotify with 10.4 million plays.
Celebrate Pride at Ladyland!
In much, much, happier news – New York City celebrates Pride this weekend! Kicking off the festivities is legendary party host, LadyFag. She’s throwing her first music festival, LadyLand at Brooklyn Mirage on Friday. The massive celebration of queerness features a killer lineup including Eve, SOPHIE, Cupcakke, and more.
For more Pride events, check out Brooklyn Vegan’s rundown.
That New New
This week musicians delivered on tunes worthy of the rainbow celebrations, starting with St. Vincent who transformed Brooklyn bar, St. Vitus, into a club full of gyrating leather daddies for her video, “Slow Fast Disco.”
Leon Bridges joined Dej Loaf for a celebration of self expression and happiness in Dej’s new single and clip, “Liberated.” The rapper started the love fest last weekend by paying for marriage license for gay couples. This week she also debuted the mini documentary, “Stories of Liberated People.”
Nile Rodgers & Chic picked perfect timing to release the debut single off of their upcoming album, It’s About Time. “Till the World Falls” features a bevy of collaborators including Mura Masa, NAO, and Anderson .Paak.
We don’t need to tell you this but Beyoncé and Jay-Z also celebrated love this week. They dropped the album, Everything Is Love, under the moniker, The Carters.
End Notes
After playing the same setlist almost 150 times at his NYC residency, Bruce Springsteen deviated from his usual routine to voice his dismay about the Trump administration’s separation of migrant families crossing into the United States. He also expressed hope that the good would prevail and played the song “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
Trent Reznor also talked politics this week, telling the New York Times that “It feels like a country that celebrates stupidity is really taking it up a notch.”
The No Wave scene of 1970’s New York City was altogether bowel borne, the sickened spasm of a nihilist made nervous by the violent void of the Lower East Side. It was a pocket of time and space that knew no law nor order. Rather, it was poverty-ridden and putrid, little more than a decaying plane of filth and illness occupied by scum-soaking bums.
Enter Lydia Lunch – No Wave’s mainstay and New York’s bristling brat among rats. A runaway at 16, Lunch fled her family home in Rochester, New York, in favor of the gurgling gutter of NYC, licking the lyrical coattails of Jean Genet, Hubert Selby Jr, Marquis de Sade, and Henry Miller. In an interview for the Women of Rock Oral History Project, Lunch explains that the works of these writers stoked her drive to confront the trials of her own riotous reality, meaning mundanity was no longer a viable existence. Finally, the filth supplied by a sour mouth would be flavored female (although she’d likely contest the confinement of gendered categories).
Unsurprisingly, Lunch’s confrontational energy was highly anomalous among the saluted dudes of the local underground music scene at the time. In fact, many of her younger comrades thought her to be a “teenage terrorist,” with the exception of a few “weird old men,” including guitarist Robert Quine, who collaborated with the likes of Lou Reed, Richard Hell, and Brian Eno.
Thankfully, Lunch would go on to terrorize the masses through many mediums, including spoken word performance, literature, film, and music. A self-described “musical schizophrenic,” she incited delicious din in the ever-seminal No Wave group Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and proceeded to rasp her way through a number of bands over the course of her career: Beirut Slump, 8-Eyed Spy, Harry Crews, Big Sexy Noise, and finally, the live and writhing Retrovirus.
Retrovirus is Lunch’s current outfit, along with drummer Bob Bert, bassist Tim Dahl, and guitarist Weasel Walter (also of Cellular Chaos). The self-described “sonic brutarians” recently took the stage at San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop. As Lunch rarely makes her rounds in the United States, I was eager to secure a ticket. My excitement was not misplaced.
Shortly after her stealthy entry, Miss Lunch greeted the audience with her special cocktail of snarl and stoicism, oozing authority and anti-appeasement. What occurred next could only be described as an all-out aural confrontation. Whilst Bert maintained a steady tremble on drums, the fingerwork of Dahl and Walter was at once phlegmatic and panic-ridden. Lunch punctuated their sonic thunder with fierce ease, a seeming conductor to the cauldron of clamor.
Towards the close of their all too short-lived set (“Snakepit Breakdown,” “Afraid of Your Company,” and “Mechanical Flattery” among the highlights), Lunch did not pussyfoot the expectation for an encore. “This is our last song, trust me. You can beg all you want. We’re not doing another one. We have one song, we’re doing that.” And so it was over. Quick and dirty, like a racy romp in one of her Richard Kern features. Despite my desire for another dose of din, the nonchalance of her dismissal proved startlingly refreshing in this age of social masquerade and appeasement sleaze. Don’t waste your cheerleading on this one.
Detroit-based three-piece AM People released their debut LP Songs for the Mourning on June 15th, and it’s the perfect soundtrack to accompany the woozy heat daze of summer. The record is a seamless collection of apathetic punk songs, running into each other like strangers at a crowded bar and eventually landing on an unmade bed, room spinning.
The band — Kyle Akey (drums), Niobe Marasigan (bass), and Ryan Gumbleton (guitar) — describe themselves as “punk goths who go to the beach,” and Songs clearly reflects that. Marasigan and Akey’s vocals are delivered sans any trace of emotion, seemingly detached from the words they carry. However, genius lies in simplicity when it comes to the songs’ lyricism. Instead of clouding their music with hidden metaphors or pretentious vocabulary, AM People just say what they really mean. What a concept.
The subject matter ranges from unrequited love to budding friendships. The band injects “Friend Request” with playful, melodic guitar as Gumbleton and Akey exchange vocals like a musical game of catch. As simple a concept as making a new friend is, it seems novel in a world full of heads-down-screen-stares and constant paranoia. “Friend Request” makes human interaction cool again and recalls the warm fuzzy feelings that come with making a new friend. “I have been learning more about you,” sings Gumbleton. “What I have learned so far is pretty cool.”
“Back and Forth” epitomizes the many stages of unrequited love – infatuation, rejection, spite, acceptance. It also suggests that maybe, sometimes, what we mistake for love is just another attempt at filling the void. The lyrics, “I was searching for a meaning / I was holding on to a feeling,” suggest that love can be used as a distraction or temporary band-aid for whatever is lacking in our lives. Then, when it doesn’t work out, it’s back to the numb merry-go-round of self-discovery that often plagues the mind. The band mirrors this cycle musically, with a recurring guitar riff and hypnotizing vocal melody.
By intertwining monotone, self-aware statements with sunshine-y guitar riffs and ironically cliche couplets, AM People accomplish the approachably cool sound of their matter-of-fact indie brethren like Parquet Courts or fellow Detroit troupe, Deadbeat Beat. And like any good record, Songs for the Mourning lulls the listener into a trance, pulling us farther away from reality and making our daydreams as clear as water.
Solo efforts can often result in tense, unfocused attempts to create something altogether new. But when it all works out, fans get an exciting glimpse into what makes individual members of their favorite bands tick. Taleen Kali’s debut EP Soul Songs has the garage rock vibe of her previous band TÜLIPS, but don’t fool yourself: this one’s all Kali.
Where TÜLIPS’ songs were more straightforward DIY affairs, Kali adds layers of drone and vocal effects you often hear in a more produced sound. Songs like “Half Lie” feature slick guitar riffs and soaring vocals; “Evil Eye II” creeps into the psychedelic with Kali’s voice reverberating against the walls. Sunset strip is only a short drive away when you’re listening to Soul Songs; it conjures up empty alleyways and crowded music venues where the cool kids hang out til the traffic dies down.
We sat down with Taleen to talk about going solo, life as an LA native, and how her many passions interact with one another.
AF: You’re an LA Native. What was the music scene like growing up? Were you one of those cool city kids who got to sneak out to shows in middle school?
TK: I am indeed! I don’t know how cool I was in middle school in the era of KROQ SoCal bands… Our moms would take us to see Green Day, Bush, and No Doubt. In high school, The Smell was always getting shut down so we’d sneak out all the time to The Roxy and Whiskey to see local valley bands. So I guess somewhat cooler? Haha.
AF: I grew up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, so that sounds very cool indeed. When did you first start to take an interest in creating music yourself?
TK: I remember writing songs on the piano when I was really young, like 7 or 8, but I didn’t realize it was “a thing” until I was 15 and I got a guitar. And then it took a few more years after that, during art school, for them to become fully fleshed out songs.
AF: You co-fronted Echo Park band TÜLIPS before striking out on your own. What was the catalyst for going solo?
TK: After TÜLIPS I spent a whole summer sitting in silence and just listening. I began to hear more parts within the songs I’d been writing, and different, newer parts for instrumentation were coming to me. I was beginning to think in more diverse musical arrangements that gave me the confidence to go solo and conduct my own solo musical project.
AF: Synths are a new edition to your music. How did you get into them?
TK: I was getting deeper into yoga and sound healing instruments, and I think my brain space and capacity for sound was growing in a whole new way and synths felt like an extension of that… to add to the drone, but also to manipulate it digitally. Plus my background is in piano and it was easy to pick up and start learning.
AF: My husband has actually gotten into building them. The underground movement is really interesting. Have they changed the process in which you construct a song?
TK: Oh that’s an awesome question! Not so far. I’d imagine they might down the line though, since the process is pretty amorphous/intuitive.
AF: You’ve also started performing soundscapes in addition to your more traditional punk rock shows. When did you first start exploring this concept?
TK: I first experienced sound healing in 2012 when I took a Yoga & Sound class at my home studio Yoga Blend in Burbank. I became enamored by certain frequencies and tones an started including them in punk rock playlists I’d post on my blog. I bought a few little instruments of my own shortly after that, and then I learned how to play a wider range at a sound practitioner training last year. Then finally I came into some large crystal singing bowls of my own this year. They’re pure tones so I can sample them in recordings too. Right now I have a D, F, and A bowl, a perfect chord triad.
AF: You are Editor-in-Chief of DUM DUM Zineand you also teach Punk Rock Yoga. You’re an inspiration for those who feel bogged down with too many interests. How do you balance such a wide array of projects?
TK: I try to remind myself that it’s all coming from the same source, that spark of creativity and inspiration. I try to find balance by giving love to each project according to what it needs or what events are going on around that time. I do writing rituals, yoga, and breathwork in order to stay in tune with my inner desire and outer focus.
AF: Your record release show is June 26th and we’re very intrigued by the lineup! Can you give us the inside scoop on what a concert-goer can expect?
TK: Of course! We’re going to have flowers, rituals, and punk rock…you’ll have to come to see what it’s all about! My BFFs Wasi are DJing the night, and we’re having a specialty flower vendor. As far as bands, I tapped my favorite female-identifying punk bands in L.A. to come be part of this night. Object As Subject is playing their punk ritual set with the amazing Paris Hurley, Emilia Ponysweat, Gina Genius, and Patty Schemel on drums. Blood Candy is bringing their angel goth shoegaze vibes.
I’ll be playing the Soul Songs EP in full joined by the Taleen Kali boys. We have some fun surprises planned during the set.
Preorder Taleen Kali’s new EP Soul Songs HERE. Check out her tour schedule below to see where you can see her LIVE this summer!
Taleen Kali Tour Dates
06.26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Resident (Record Release show)
07.01 – New York, NY @ Pianos
07.13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lot 1 Cafe (punk covers)
08.24 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick and Mortar[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The EP’s title track boasts a surprising maturity. Part of that comes from the seductive vocal interplay between Rentz and singer-songwriter Tyke James, who lends a verse or two to the single. Despite her youth, Rentz’s eloquent lyrics show a deep yearning and nostalgia; when she sings “Your smile feels so cold / Cold as snow that burns my nose / Why can’t we go back? / Back to laughing in the wind” you’ll want to return to the arms of the one that got away, too.
We chatted with Rentz about where a 16-year-old draws inspiration from (hint: boys are sometimes an element) and the making of the Colors EP below.
AF: You’re from San Clemente, California. Tell us about life in Orange County. How does the landscape of where you live influence your music?
JR: I really love to go outside and go on adventures. I think that is represented in my music and influences the vibe.
AF: At 16, I was listening exclusively to Weezer, No Doubt, and oldies radio. What music are you currently into?
JR: I love to listen to Pinegrove, Car Seat Headrest, and always Supertramp.
AF: Tell us about the genesis of this EP. Your single “Colors” has such a mature sound to it. What was the writing / production process like?
JR: None of these songs took long to write because I was not forcing [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][it]; they just sort of came to me. When I went to the studio to record, it just shaped itself and as it built up I got new ideas.
AF: At what age did you start writing music?
JR: I remember when I was twelve I would sit in my room, writing in my notebook silly songs. Of course they never went anywhere. I sung them to my cat. When I was fifteen I started to develop them more.
AF: Do you draw inspiration from personal experience or do you play with characters as basis for lyrics?
JR: I get inspiration from personal experiences for my lyrics. Music is the easiest way for me to communicate my feelings or tell my story.
AF: Can you give us a little insight into the background of the track “Colors”?
JR: Yes, but you can’t tell my parents! It is about a boy. We liked each other in the fall time, then in the winter, one of my best friends went for him and I kind of lost them as friends.
AF: My heart! Definitely reminds me of some of my own high school memories. With these songs being so personal, have you performed them live?
JR: I have not performed them live in front of huge audiences just because I have not had the opportunity to, but I definitely would if I did.
AF: Do you have a music venue that’s your #goals performance space?
JR: I would looove to perform in Red Rocks Amphitheater in my home, Colorado.
Jaicee Rentz’s debut EP Colors is out June 22.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
On a sun-kissed afternoon in San Francisco’s Mission district, we met up with Michelle Zhu at Clarion Alley. As we sat along the stretch of “socially engaged and aesthetically innovative public art” painted by local artists, we chatted about her current projects and plans for the future. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Zhu packed her bags in January and booked a one-way flight to San Francisco. The 15 hour flight from Brisbane, Australia meant there was no turning back. Only four months since her arrival, she has already made waves in her local community as a multi-disciplinary femme artist of color, organizing an art and music showcase, Femme and Them, to benefit TGI Justice Project in support of current and formerly incarcerated trans women. Check out our interview with her below to hear more about her forthcoming cassette from Take Care Tapes.
