Bad Bad Hats
Bad Bad Hats are an indie rock trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Known for bringing a joyful, exuberant presence to their live shows, touring with The Beths, Margaret Glaspy, The Front Bottoms, Hippo Campus, and Third Eye Blind, the group took specific care to bring their fun-loving spirit to their third LP, Walkman. Kerry (guitar/vocals), Chris (bass), and Con (drums) let their collective hair down on Walkman, bringing raucous and explosive riffs alongside witty lyrics. Though you might not notice from their indie rock exterior, Bad Bad Hats draws a heavy influence from classic pop songwriting that shines through in their hooky choruses and strong melodic sensibilities. For this release the band set out to push their capabilities as a trio. Subtle changes in process helped the band achieve this goal, such as shifting Chris from a wider multi-instrumental role to allow him to prioritize his bass playing, having Kerry record the bulk of the guitars instead. “You can hear all of our musical voices a lot better on this record.”A carefully crafted studio sound brings the record to life, injecting it with an energetic voice that is unique to Bad Bad Hats. Walkman is the group’s fourth time working with producer Brett Bullion, including their previous two LPs, Psychic Reader and Lightning Round, and the Wide Right EP. Bullion and the band use the studio as an instrument, resulting in their most polished work to date.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Tyler Ramsey
As the naturalist John Muir wrote, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” It is for this reason that musician Tyler Ramsey goes into the woods when he is writing, and why he and his wife have settled on a plot of land many miles outside of the nearest city of Asheville, North Carolina, to raise their young daughter.For Ramsey, living deliberately and with a little space, removed from distractions and the allure of needless consumption, is how he feels most creative and at ease. Ramsey grew up absorbing the country-blues guitar players who used to roam the mountainous region of his Carolina home, including Mance Lipscomb, Mississippi John Hurt and renowned pickers like John Fahey and Leo Kottke. Equally adept at playing guitar, keyboards, bass and percussion, he has distinguished himself as a gifted songwriter, a sublime vocalist and an inventive, influential musician. While Ramsey’s writing has been compared to Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, his songs smartly blends elements of rock, Americana and folk, taking the listener on their own meditative, soulful and rewarding journey. But for as much as he prefers to spend his time at home, his past decade was spent largely away from it. As guitarist for and co-writer with the rock group Band of Horses, Ramsey found himself on the road constantly, making temporary shelters inside of hotel rooms and bus bunks. After ten years with the band it was time for a change, and Ramsey seized the opportunity to pour all of his creative energy into his solo work. It became natural, then, for some of his new material to explore that dynamic of being away and creating a respite wherever possible.Writing his acclaimed 2019 album For the Morning, his first album since 2011’s The Valley Wind and debut for Fantasy Records, Ramsey tapped into that insulated world where imagination flourishes and sounds for mining are plentiful to create his most realized and regal work yet. Following his exit from the band and free to follow his own music full-time, Ramsey took an album’s worth of demo songs to La La Land studios in Louisville, Kentucky, where he, studio engineer Kevin Ratterman, and Ramsey’s longtime friend Seth Kauffman, set out to record. The trio fulfilled the majority of all sonic duties during this tracking phase, with Ramsey’s demos serving as blueprints as they pieced songs together during the first weeklong session. Ramsey, Ratterman, and Kauffman would return to the studio again for another shorter period to flesh out those recordings, and one final day in friend and former Band of Horses bandmate Bill Reynolds’s Nashville studio finished the job.The process was complemented by spots from several guest musicians, including Joan Shelley, Thad Cockrell, and Molly Parden singing harmony on various songs, the pedal steel player Russ Paul contributing several solos, and Gareth Liddiard from The Drones on guitar.The new EP, Found A Picture Of You, is a continuation of Ramsey’s evolution as a solo artist, giving fans a glimpse into another side of his masterful artistry while he sets an eye towards better times ahead and new music in 2021.Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud
Melvins
The Melvins are one of modern music’s most influential bands. Having formed in 1983 Montesano, Washington, the group founded by singer/guitar player Buzz Osborne (with stalwart drummer Dale Crover joining the following year), has been credited with merging the worlds of punk rock and heavy music, forming a new subgenre all its own. Over the band’s nearly 40-year history, they’ve released over 30 original albums, numerous live full-lengths and far too many to count singles and rarities. Most recently they released the 36-track acoustic collection Five Legged Dog, featuring reinterpretations of some of their heaviest songs as well as covers from their favorite artists. In the course of their discography, they’ve partnered with Jello Biafra, Mudhoney, and Fantômas for individual releases and toured the world many times over. In fact, the band had the misfortune to be in both Christchurch and Tokyo for their 2011 earthquakes. In 2012, the Melvins completed the “51 States in 51 Days” (50 states +DC) tour, which was chronicled in the film “Across The USA in 51 Days.” The current incarnation of the band is Osborne, Crover, and Steven McDonald (Redd Kross/OFF!). Previous line-ups include a pairing of Osborne and Crover with Big Business band members Jared Warren and Coady Willis, a four-piece featuring the current trio plus Butthole Surfers’ Jeff Pinkus, as well as Melvins Lite, which partners Osborne and Crover with Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn. Sometimes, if you’re extra lucky, one version of the Melvins will open for the Melvins.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
The King Khan & BBQ Show
Since about 2003, these two maniacs have been subverting culture, using a tried and true reverence for the holy spirit of real rock’n’roll, mixed with Grade-A songwriting sensibilities, and a penchant for sexually-charged and challenging live hijinks of the first order. Arish ‘King’ Khan: guitar, vocals. His voice is mostly the ‘snottier’ one. His guitar is the ‘lead’ one.Mark ‘BBQ’ Sultan: drums, guitar, vocals. His voice is mostly the ‘smooth’ one. His guitar is the ‘rhythmic’ one. The drums are played live with his feet.Together, they are an entity outside of their own control:The King Khan & BBQ Show Khan and Sultan have always done things exactly how they choose, mostly to their detriment, but with a sincere, deep-rooted understanding that fecal chickens do indeed roost. Their timeless anthems have stayed alive through the decades (!), and seem to always get picked up again by the next generation, organically. This time around, social media has run HARD with the Sultan-penned ‘Love You So’, from their eponymous LP (In The Red – 2005). A legit and unlikely HIT in a world of prefab dreck, currently banking 100s of millions of views, downloads, video soundtracks… Misguided trend or not, the song proves the timeless resonance and magic these warlocks wield. And is a testament to the power of alcohol and mushrooms.The Pandemic, and its collateral mental health damage dealt quite a blow to the boys, as it did many others. The King Khan & BBQ Show was a perennial and stalwart touring favorite. While their catalog is very impressive, it’s always been the live show that shone brightest, and allowed them to share their ribald humor and chaotic, surrealist energy to an appreciative and varied cult of underground fanatics. A live show whose ritualistic primitivism opens portals to parallel worlds, to invoke spirits and ghosts using magick, using their raw soul – for good or for bad – to evoke the smells and feelings that confuse and delight.It took some time, but they have finally decided to continue the healing process by touring the USA this Fall, and to spread whatever joy they can to a broken world, starving for authenticity and fun. To help usher in this new chapter, The King Khan & BBQ Show have been recording in Berlin. The first ear-worm to make an appearance in time to whet whistles is ‘Going Down’, which recalls vague childhood memories of great Coasters anthems, while never losing sight of the band’s punk rock ethos. A doomsday tale of capitulation and crawling back into the womb, disguised as a fun, springtime ode to cunnilingus and carefree sex, it is the first in a string of songs expected to come out before their 2022 Fall tour, as a precursor to their long-overdue 5th LP. An album that promises to be their best yet. No joke.The King Khan & BBQ Show have been impossibly fortunate over the years, all while remaining fiercely independent. Labels like Goner, In The Red, Fat Possum, Crypt and Norton have proudly minted their records. Tours of the Americas, Middle East, Asia, Australia, Europe were many. One of Lou Reed’s favorite bands, and it makes sense. You can easily hear their influences: Velvet Underground, 60s punk, LSD, The Falcons, damaged art, Real Kids, Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, Z-grade horror movies, raga, hi-brow literature, farts… This is rock’n’roll. This is punk. This is early r&b. This is psych. This is doo-wop. This is garage. It’s all this and more, without trying to be anything.Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
Brick + Mortar
It’s not quite a punk band or completely polished pop act: B+M are organic. Their shows are ridiculous, but their songs have a message. Brandon Asraf is the man behind the music, drawing inspiration from his youth filled with anxiety, depression, and the social complexities of being the son of a con man, smuggler & international fugitive. He has lived a life stranger than most, his songs painting a picture of his journey through every lyric. Brick + Mortar was born on Brandon’s little brother’s couch, with his buddy John Tacon; a big experiment with small expectations. In 2012, the duo signed to Mad Dragon Record Label at Drexel University with the opportunity to be featured on the record Making Moves; a 7inch record produced by Motion City Soundtrack. Three records, multiple festival appearances, and countless tours later (Including runs with The Front Bottoms, Yoke Lore, The Unlikely Candidates, and Anthony Green), Brick + Mortar have perfected the art of blending the authenticity and emotion of a one on one living room performance with an over the top, The Flaming Lips-esque visual performance. Throughout the years, their goal has stayed the same: to make the music their hearts and minds lead them to make. They’re just glad that you listen.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
Ballyhoo!
A rock band with punk energy and pop reggae grooves, Baltimore’s BALLYHOO! are a fun, fan-loving powerhouse. These road dogs have tirelessly toured coast-to-coast taking their music to the people. Between the road and the studio, BALLYHOO! have crafted a sound distinctly their own; fresh, fun, and embodied by the soul of the party lifestyle. Lead singer and guitarist, Howi Spangler, has a reputation for mixing slick lyrics with his smooth but powerful voice. Drummer Donald Spangler lays out the hard-hitting beats. Scott Vandrey layers in the finishing touches to the band’s signature sound on keys. The guys recently welcomed Nick Lucera as their new bass player.BALLYHOO! released their 5th studio album Pineapple Grenade on June 25th 2013. It broke through the Billboard Top 200 at #189 as well as reaching #4 Billboard Heatseekers and #5 at iTunes Alternative charts.The album features “No Good,” produced by Rome Ramirez (Sublime with Rome) and mixed by Paul Leary (U2, Sublime); while the first single “Run” saw an early radio add from KRAB Bakersfield and early radio spins by KROQ Los Angeles, WHFS Baltimore, KTCL Denver, and KCXX Riverside among others. Alongside the album release, BALLYHOO! co-headlined the 2013 Summer Sickness Tour with Authority Zero and special guests Versus The World. Pineapple Grenade is the band’s follow-up to the 2011 LAW Records release of “Daydreams,” which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Reggae Charts and #4 on Amazon.BALLYHOO!’s unique yet melodic blend of genres, along with their hardcore devotion to the road and their fans have pitched them into snowballing success. The band has performed with a myriad of national touring acts; 311, Slightly Stoopid, SOJA, The Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, and more. Tour highlights include the 2011 311 Pow Wow Festival, the 2012 and 2013 311 Caribbean Cruise, Bamboozle 2012, 2012 Charm City Music Festival, 2013 Cali Roots Festival & the entire 2012 Vans Warped Tour. In 2011, after concluding the Last Calls and Liabilities tour with respected contemporaries, Pepper, they were honored with being included on the ever-popular Hollister Holiday Playlist. They were listed on MTV’s Top 100 Bands to Watch and even featured 2 downloadable songs on the popular video game ROCK BAND.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Elf Power
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The Legendary Pink Dots
The Legendary Pink Dots (LPD) are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. In 1984, the band moved to Amsterdam, playing with rotating musicians and having, as core members, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Edward Ka-Spel and keyboardist Phil Knight. As of 2012, the group is composed of Edward Ka-Spel (vocals, keyboards, songwriter), Phil Knight (keyboards, electronics), Erik Drost (guitars) and Joep Hendrickx (live sound engineer). Although outside the mainstream, LPD have released more than 40 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently. Links: Website | Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook
Ibeyi
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Betcha / Savannah Conley
Nashville-based alternative rock band Betcha made up of four college best friends, Ben Booth (lead guitar), Taylor Dubray (bass, keys), Chase Wofford (drums) and Charlie Greene (vocals, guitar). What started as casual late night jams, has turned into tours all over the country with acts like The Band CAMINO, KALEO & Matt Maeson. After spending most of 2021 hunkered down in their basement studio, the band is preparing to follow up their first independent releases “GREY SKIES” “5AM” & “ON TRACK” with multiple nation- wide co-headline tours alongside Arlie and Savannah Conley with a year full of new music in 2022.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTubeRaised in Nashville by a background singer mother and session guitarist father, Savannah Conley’s musical education was deeply ingrained from a young age. She started performing at the age of seven and by nineteen she was taking home the John Lennon Songwriting award. Her debut EP, Twenty Twenty, was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, John Prine) and released in 2018 to critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, NPR, Ones To Watch, and Refinery29. Rolling Stone praised the EP as an “emotionally rich collection of tracks full of moody instrumentation and whip-smart lines” and named Conley as one of their ‘Artists You Need To Know.’If you’ve ever wondered what the sonic lovechild of Oasis and Dolly Parton would sound like, look no further than Savannah Conley. Combining nostalgic musicality, unavoidable Southern charm, and a healthy dose of cross-genre inspiration, Conley has carved out a sound that feels both fresh and timeless. Her ability to transcend genre boundaries has led to an impressive resume of gigs supporting Ben Folds, Brandi Carlile, The Head and the Heart, Willie Nelson, and Ruston Kelly, just to name a few. As NKD Magazine once aptly put it, Conley’s music “sounds how a worn-in vintage jacket feels.”Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
