Stereolab
With their hypnotic rhythms and mesmerizing vocals, Stereolab became one of indie’s most distinctive and influential bands when they emerged in the early ’90s. Led by Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, the group celebrated strands of pop music — bossa nova, lounge-pop, movie soundtracks — that were traditionally banished from rock’s lineage. On early singles and albums such as 1993’s Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, Stereolab combined ’60s pop melodies with an art rock aesthetic borrowed from Krautrock bands like Faust and Neu!; by the time of 1996’s Emperor Tomato Ketchup, their sound incorporated jazz, hip-hop, and dance music. Their work with John McEntire and Jim O’Rourke on 1997’s Dots and Loops and 2001’s Sound-Dust reflected an increasingly intricate, experimental approach, but following the 2002 death of member Mary Hansen, they eventually returned to a poppier style on albums like 2008’s Chemical Chords. Stereolab’s unmistakable sound had a lasting impact: Contemporaries like Pavement and Blur aped their style in the ’90s, while hip-hop artists such as J Dilla and Tyler the Creator sampled the band’s music or collaborated with its members in the 2000s and 2010s. Late in that decade and into the 2020s, Stereolab’s revival as a touring band and a steady stream of reissues underscored their reputation as innovators. Tim Gane (born July 12, 1964; guitar, keyboards) was the leader of McCarthy, a London-based band from the late ’80s that functioned as a prototype for Stereolab’s sound. Gane met Laetitia Sadier (born May 6, 1968; vocals, keyboards), a French-born vocalist, at one of McCarthy’s concerts. The pair began a romantic relationship that became a musical collaboration after McCarthy disbanded in 1990; Sadier sang on the final McCarthy album. The duo began recording as Stereolab, borrowing the name from Vanguard Records’ hi-fi effects division in the ’50s. Gane and Sadier also formed the label Duophonic Records with manager Martin Pike to release their singles. Stereolab’s first year of existence was prolific: The debut EP Super 45 arrived in May 1991, followed quickly by the Super-Electric EP that September and the Stunning Debut Album EP that November. At that point, the group were working with Th’ Faith Healers drummer Joe Dilworth and former Chills bassist Martin Kean; Gina Morris occasionally provided backup vocals. Too Pure released the band’s first full-length, Peng!, in May 1992, and the EP compilation Switched On in October. As with all of the group’s releases from this era, both albums featured the visual trademark of a maniacally grinning cartoon taken from a ’70s Swiss political comic (which the band named “Cliff”). That year, Stereolab also issued the Lo-Fi EP and added keyboardist/vocalist Mary Hansen and drummer Andy Ramsay to the fold. Released in early 1993, Stereolab’s The Groop Played “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music” EP featured the core group of Gane, Sadier, Hansen, and Ramsay, along with ex-Microdisney guitarist Sean O’Hagan and bassist Duncan Brown. One of the first ’90s alternative records to explicitly draw from the “Space Age” lounge-pop music of the ’50s, The Groop became an underground sensation, paving the way toward Stereolab’s first American record contract with Elektra Records. Their next album, and first American release, was Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements. Released in August 1993, it became an underground and college hit throughout the U.S. and U.K. They followed it that October with Crumb Duck, a split EP with Nurse with Wound. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Soundcloud
The Last Revel
The Last Revel is a four-piece folk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Utilizing their multi-instrumental abilities, members Lee Henke, Ryan Acker, Vincenzio Donatelle and Lauren Anderson bring a full spectrum of modern Americana to life with lush arrangements of four-part vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, and 5-string banjo to consistently support impassioned performances of their honest and heartfelt songwriting. Drawing influence from their salt of the earth Midwest ethos the band’s songs so naturally blend the genres of Folk, Old Time String-Band and Indie Rock to create a sound that echoes the current heartbeat of America. Their latest release, Dovetail, highlights each member’s strength as songwriters and collaborators, and further solidifies their musical foundation after a hiatus beginning in 2019. Self-produced and released under the bands own label, Sheep Sheep Records, Dovetail is the band’s fifth studio album. Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Peter Holsapple Album Release Show
Meet Peter Holsapple. You probably already know him, but if you don’t, it’s time to change that with his new album The Face of 68 on Label 51 Recordings. You may know him from The dB’s or Continental Drifters, two bands he co-helmed over the course of influential albums like Stands for deciBels and Vermilion. Or his duo records with Chris Stamey like Mavericks. You may know him from his work on the road and in the studio with R.E.M. and Hootie. Or via artists like Marti Jones, the Golden Palominos, the Troggs and Claire Lynch, who have all covered his songs. This is different, though: The Face of 68 is a fresh new sound for Peter. With a couple of years playing lead guitar with The Paranoid Style under his belt, he’s renewed his rock roots. The Face of 68 is a high performance album that accentuates Holsapple’s stylish guitar work alongside the established excellence of his songwriting. The solid muscular groove of the leadoff track “Anytime Soon” bridges the gap between a classic Holsapple pop song and something more intense and harder rocking, with a wicked retro guitar sound. Title track “The Face of 68” is the one recording that’s got Peter playing all the instruments. He’s brought an enthusiasm and engagement to the vocals on this bright birthday present to himself! “Larger Than Life” is the first single/focus track from The Face of 68. It’s got a heavy ‘70s rock vibe not dissimilar to Mountain, and lyrics that were grief therapy for Holsapple after the death of Continental Drifters’ founding member Carlo Nuccio in 2022. “My Idea #49” is a dystopian science project by Peter, powered by heavy guitars. (Not to be confused with “Funk 49” by esteemed midwestern rockers the James Gang.) The spirit of the aforementioned Continental Drifters rises in the sound of “High High Horse” which features a soulful organ solo by Mark Simonsen (Old Ceremony). Record collecting has a new national anthem. “That Kind of Guy” swings the story of someone you probably know if you are digging through crates yourself! A true story of theft and retribution, “One for the Book” has Peter back on acoustic guitar with a classic West Coast folk-rock vibe. “Fireflies” bridges progressive and punk with its searing lead guitar and mathematical arrangement. Peter mourns another friend, the legendary Winston-Salem guitarist Sam Moss, in “So Sad About Sam.” Moss was a mentor to Peter and a generation of musicians in the Camel City, and this song encapsulates the grief an entire community felt in a succinct rock song. If MTV still played pop rock videos, you could imagine “See About You” as a candidate with its late 70s pop vibe. The album ends with “She and Me” which is more familiar songwriting territory for fans of Holsapple’s power-pop catalog. Nobody writes a love song like Peter Holsapple, and this one belongs among his finest. Recording in the popular trio form like Cream and the Limelighters, Peter and his rhythm buddies Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) on bass and Rob Ladd (The Connells) on drums ran everything by producer Don Dixon (R.E.M., Smithereens) and through engineer Jason Richmond (Margaret Glaspy) in three and a half days. Eleven new songs that drolly weave through laughter and grief, all the while underpinned by Peter Holsapple’s confident electric guitar and the strongest singing heard from him yet. It’s a strong and intense record by a veteran songwriter still stretching his wings. Links
Tan & Sober Gentlemen, Driftwood
Born and raised in North Carolina, the Tan and Sober Gentlemen began taking the songs, stories, and tunes that make up their beloved state’s musical tradition before they could talk. The music of the Carolinas, (and Appalachia in general) stems from the marriage of the Irish fiddle and the African banjo, which first met in the American South before the Revolution. The Tan and Sober Gentlemen aim to bring these traditions full circle. They play Irish tunes, ballads, and pub songs right next to the Appalachian fiddle tunes of their youth, melding the two into what they call “Irish-American hillbilly music.” Meanwhile, they have earned a reputation as one of the South’s hardest-hitting live acts, playing at blazing tempos, and putting every last bit of energy they possess into the show. The result is a raucous celebration of the Carolinas’ Irish heritage, with drinking, dancing, and merriment galore. Since their formation in 2017, the six-piece band has toured the US and Ireland, headlining legendary Irish clubs such as Whelan’s and the Roisin Dubh. Stateside, their resume includes festivals such as Bristol Rhythm and Roots, Appaloosa Festival, Tartan Day South, and Shakori Hills. In January of 2023, in their home of Alamance County, they sold 800 tickets to their show at the Haw River Ballroom. They released their sophomore record, Regressive Folk Music, in June 2022, and their debut record, Veracity, was named by Shite’n’Onions as one of the five best Celtic punk records of 2019 and 2020. Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Music has guided Driftwood to hallowed ground many times since its founding members, Joe Kollar and Dan Forsyth, started making music as high schoolers in Joe’s parents’ basement. Whether the Upstate New York folk rock group—which today also includes violinist Claire Byrne, bassist Joey Arcuri, and drummer Sam Fishman—are converting new fans on a hardscrabble tour across the country or playing to a devoted crowd at hero Levon Helm’s Woodstock barn, the band’s shapeshifting approach to folk music continues to break new ground. And yet in many ways Driftwood’s latest work, the transformative December Last Call, finds the group coming home. Recorded in that very same basement where the Driftwood dream began, December Last Call lyrically reflects on the recent past, musing on the ways the group grew up, together and apart, through curveballs like new parenthood or pandemic shutdowns. But sonically, the band’s sixth album looks confidently to the future, experimenting with new sounds while staying true to the bluegrass roots that built them. Across the album’s nine tracks, the band often leans into hard-rocking electric guitars and driving percussion: On “Every Which Way But Loose,” we get a foot-tapping beat and a sweeping chorus, and on “Up All Night Blues,” the band shines with an ambling, sing-along-able reflection on the challenges of new motherhood. But other tracks, like standout closer “Stardust,” take a simpler route, allowing bare-bones vocals and acoustic instrumentals to underpin a deeper emotional message. Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud
Paul McDonald & the Mourning Doves
Paul McDonald’s voice is immediately recognizable and impossible to ignore. Often compared to legends like Rod Stewart and Bob Dylan, the poetic story-driven narratives and deeply catchy hooks in his music are delivered by a raspy yet refined voice reminiscent of another era that demands to be heard right now. He pulls off the rare feat of being a poet, visual artist, songwriter, adamant performer, and a powerful vocalist. Paul’s hope is to spread peace, love, and unity through his music. Connection & community through song. He’s currently writing for his next album and planning to tour extensively in 2024. Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Back to Back to Black: the Amy Winehouse Celebration
back to BACK TO BLACK: the AMY WINEHOUSE celebration is an exciting dedication to the life and music of AMY WINEHOUSE with a 12-piece band and revival of the entire 2006 Grammy Award-winning album BACK TO BLACK in its entirety, plus many other Amy selections. Including the hits “Tears Dry On Their Own”, “Rehab”, “Love is a Losing Game”, “You Know I’m No Good”, and many more, the show features a horn section, several vocalists, and musicians from many notable touring acts, making it the only revue of its kind in the US celebrating the music of Amy Winehouse, as noted and celebrated by ROLLING STONE Magazine. The evening is hosted and presented by acclaimed entertainer Remember Jones, who has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Spector, Dionne Warwick, Darlene Love, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and many more. Website | Instagram | Remember Jones Instagram
Them Coulee Boys
Soren Staff and Beau Janke—co-founders of folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys—met as camp counselors in northern Wisconsin in 2011. Their weekend workshopping of Avett Brothers and classic country tunes led to original songs and adding Soren’s brother Jens on mandolin. As the years grew, the band turned into a more rollicking outfit, adding Neil Krause on electric bass and Stas Hable on drums. The band’s name is a nod to the glacial melt-carved river valleys they call home, known by early French fur trappers as coulees. Known for wild swings of emotion during sets, it is not unusual to see fans in tears and minutes later dancing with abandon. The honesty and ability to talk and sing about the feelings and emotions that shape them has endeared them to a growing group of fans and friends. With four full-length albums and an EP behind them, including 2019’s Die Happy (produced by Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett on Lo-Hi Records) and 2021’s Namesake, the band has garnered international attention and earned press in American Songwriter, Ditty TV, Folk Alley, and The Bluegrass Situation. 2025 marks the release of a new album, No Fun In The Chrysalis, an expansive new collection that finds the band picking up where their 2021 release, Namesake, left off. The band’s co-founder, Soren Staff, wrote about his ongoing struggles with self-worth and anxiety on “I Am Not Sad,” the first single from the album. The band is once again working with Grammy-winning producer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Humbird, Bon Iver), whose production on Namesake shepherded the band beyond their folk-grass, Americana roots to “go electric.” No Fun In The Chrysalis was recorded at The Hive in the band’s hometown of Eau Claire. The album has a warm, comfortable sound that is both intimate, and celebratory. Them Coulee Boys have built a loyal live following through their own relentless touring and as support for Trampled by Turtles (Dave Simonett produced 2019’s Die Happy), Los Lobos, Old Crow Medicine Show and Band of Heathens. Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
bodie – Murder My Ego Tour
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Jimmy Eat World
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Beth Stelling
This is a seated show. Beth Stelling is a comedian, writer and actress based in Los Angeles. Her new Netflix special “If You Didn’t Want Me Then” topped every ‘Best of 2023’ list. Her half-hour special is also on Netflix in the first season of The Standups. Conan O’Brien produced Beth’s previous hour special for HBO Max called “Girl Daddy.” Beth has been a writer for the following television series: Rick and Morty, Strange Planet, The Last O.G., I Love You America with Sarah Silverman, Another Period and Crashing on HBO. She’s a sought-after punch-up writer for feature films following her success as an on-set writer for the Universal hit, Good Boys. She has guest starred on Amazon’s Red Oaks, Corporate on Comedy Central, and she played Ms. Fish on the Peacock comedy Rutherford Falls. Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube
