Islands
If Islands’ last record, (2021’s Islomania) was a Saturday Night Fever dream, then the follow up–And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs–is the Sunday Morning comedown.“[Islomania] was exuberant and hopeful, and Dolphins is like the grim rejoinder,” songwriter Nick Thorburn says. “The songs attempt to tap into some of our darker impulses. The grim, unshakeable feeling that we live in hell, that there is no future, that all hope is lost. I wanted to explore those depths and see where it lead me.”Hopelessness aside, the collection of songs represents a big leap forward. With addictive hooks at every possible turn, Dolphins (the 9th record in the catalogue), stands out as quite likely the strongest and most articulate Islands album yet. Nick Thorburn and band manage to slyly tap into both the pain and the joy of living, often simultaneously, while stripping the music down to its simplest element: a strange sample rubbing up against a bouncing bassline, a snappy kick and snare firing off against a persistent, hooky guitar line.The music itself is settled on the spaces in between: the silences, the spareness. There’s an evocative wooziness within each song; a disorienting disassociation that draws you into its strange world.“I was in my head/all my friends and all my lovers dead,” Thorburn sings on the second song, “And All You Can Do Is Laugh”. Ruminating on a world being destroyed before our eyes, Thorburn, sounding like an acquiescent ghost, continues on: “Something’s changed/ Something’s wrong/Something strange must be going on/Since it came/Things just aren’t the same/You see the light/Coming over the hill/From up in the sky/Like a thief they come in the night”. Where do you go from there?Darker, it seems. And yet, always with a sense of humor. “Headlines” paints the picture of a feckless passenger in a car, helplessly careening into a tree during a volatile argument with a partner. But all the passenger can think about is how the event will be framed in next day’s papers. The paper’s headline: “Poor Tree, (Man Died).”The writing process began a lot differently, though. Initially, Nick had no intention of writing songs in the way he knew how.“During my time off from Islands, before releasing Islomania, I was finished with rock music, bored of the lyrics I was writing. I was toying with the idea of making…I’m embarrassed to say… beats.” Thorburn says, with a laugh. “I began tinkering at home, and quite quickly compiled a huge folder of instrumentals. I got together with my friend Fat Tony and we made a few songs together. But as things went along, I found myself getting increasingly excited by the possibility of a lyric here or there. At first it was just a hook, and then a verse. Before long, I was sitting on a big pile of Islands songs.”The songs, though, are more idiosyncratic and off-kilter than Islands has sounded in a while. And that’s a good thing. Though refined and deliberate, the music has a certain playfulness that Thorburn hasn’t tapped into in quite some time. The record is a notable departure from previous outings, but the DNA of Thorburn’s early work, namely his first band The Unicorns, can clearly be heard throughout songs like “Headlines”, “Life’s A Joke” and “And All You Can Do is Laugh”.Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
Frenship
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Jukebox The Ghost Presents: HalloQueen
Since 2015, piano-pop trio Jukebox The Ghost have turned their admiration of Queen into a holiday spectacular and music festival in miniature every Halloween. HalloQueen, as they call it, is a two-set extravaganza featuring one full set of Jukebox the Ghost originals (followed by a costume contest intermission) and another set of Queen’s greatest hits, complete with Queen regalia and an arena-sized performance to match!———-Jukebox the Ghost formed in 2006 and have been a steadily growing cult favorite and globally touring band ever since. Composed of Ben Thornewill (piano/vocals), Tommy Siegel (guitar/bass/vocals) and Jesse Kristin (drums/vocals), they have played over 1,000 shows around the world over the course of their career. In addition to countless headlining tours, they have also toured as openers alongside Ingrid Michaelson, Ben Folds, Guster, Motion City Soundtrack, A Great Big World, and Jack’s Mannequin, among others. In addition to festivals like Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, and Bottlerock, Jukebox the Ghost have also performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Conan.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Bandalos Chinos
Bandalos Chinos was formed in 2009 in Beccar (north of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). In the year 2004 the band consolidates with its actual line-up: Goyo Degano, Nicolás Rodríguez del Pozo, Iñaki Colombo, Salvador Colombo, Tomás Verduga and Matías Verduga.They have released 3 LPs: BACH (2018), Paranoia Pop (2020) and El Big Blue (2022); 2 EPs: Nunca Estuve Acá (2014) and En El Aire (2016); and Xmas Special Feliz Navibach (2020) and Feliz Navibach Vol.II (2022).2 Gardel Awards winners for Best Pop Album (BACH & Paranoia Pop) produced by Adam Jodorowsjy. They were also nominated to the Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Album and Best Recording Engineer (BACH).The sextet is considered one of the Argentinean and Latin American rock band with the biggest growth and projection of the last years. Opening the way to a new generation of artists that put faith in pop and rock songs.For many years now they have set out on tours around Argentina and Mexico, most of them with sold out tickets. In 2022 the band did 72 shows in more than 12 countries, being the first band of its generation performing at Luna Park Argentina and Metropolitan Theater of Mexico with sold out tickets. Performing also in other countries around the world; Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain and France.They have participated in the most important Music Festivals: Lollapalooza (ARG), Cosquin Rock (ARG), Buena Vibra (ARG), Vive Latino (MEX), Coordenada (MEX), Catrina (MEX) and Primavera Sound (SPAIN). For 2023 they have already confirmed Asunciónico Festival (Paraguay), Vive Latino and Tecate Pal Norte (México), Estereo Picnic (Colombia) and Portamérica (Spain).Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Twitter
The Hotelier + Foxing
People often ask what the most influential emo albums of November 2013 & February 2014 were. Somewhere on the deep web there is an algorithm processing, workshopping the perfect tour for the people that ponder that question. As it turns out, there are two records that stand out and those records happen to be by The Hotelier & Foxing. After this was brought to each band’s attention, they have decided to set out on a journey to give you the opportunity to see “Home Like Noplace Is There” & “The Albatross” in full as they celebrate their 10th anniversaries. Born in DIY spaces across the country, each of these records afforded their respective bands the opportunity to see the world. Now it is time for them to take the stage once again and bring these records back home, this time in some of our nation’s finest mid-sized venues, to celebrate these albums with you all.The Hotelier: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookFoxing: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
Gatlin I Sleep Fine Now Tour
VIP Start time is 6:00pm.Gatlin’s music captures the fullness of existence—meditating on life’s pain while celebrating the joy too. “Whatever emotion you’re feeling? Feel it deeply. Don’t numb it out.” she says. The Florida-raised singer-songwriter had that epiphany after a whirlwind couple of years that included a move from Nashville to Los Angeles, opening shows with Ashe, Pale Waves, and VÉRITE—and her first heartbreak, an experience that led her to dive into pop that communicated deep feelings while allowing for communal catharsis.Raised on Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift, Gatlin has been cultivating her musical acumen since she was young. After heading to Nashville to study songwriting, she released her first solo music in 2020, and has been thrilling audiences with emotionally open pop songs like the swirling “2000 Miles” and the strutting “Talking To Myself,” and her breakout 2021 single “What If I Love You,” which has amassed more than 36 million listens on Spotify since its release.Her newest EP, I Sleep Fine Now, comes from a more mature place, with the bulk of it inspired by her emotional state while grappling with her first big breakup. “It was the first time I lost someone that I cared a lot about,” she says. The EP combines the realizations inspired from that experience with immediate hooks and plainly stated, sometimes lacerating lyrics. These seven tracks prize vulnerability first and foremost, and she’s unafraid to speak truths about romantic love’s highs and lows.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Jack Kays – Goes South
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Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners
Writing and releasing an album was one of the many goals we had during our senior year of high school. We recorded most of RMCM in a hot and cramped Harry Potter closet under the stairs at Nic’s mom’s house, and released it in May 2017 on graduation day. After realizing how fun and possible it is to record music ourselves, we continued writing and recording, but this time, we were in a long distance band relationship. Attending college and traveling while pursuing music forced us to become organized, prepared and use our online resources. We used breaks and weekends as recording and mixing sessions for our sophomore album, Solstice. As we evolve and grow as people, our sound evolves. Subliming took us over two years of long distance to create and perfect. It’s an album that highlights the process of change, the relationship between the art and the artist, and what it means to be a band, especially a DIY band like us.We currently reside in the Bozeman area, preparing for our live performances and recording in our home studio. It’s a journey into the unknown for us, but we are ecstatic to start performing.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Trousdale Catching A Ride Tour
TROUSDALETrousdale is a powerful female band consisting of Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene and Lauren Jones. Their melodic and heartfelt harmonies are often compared to The Chicks and The Staves, but the girls draw inspiration from a wide array of music, including Crosby Stills and Nash, Kacey Musgraves and HAIM. Driven by their passion to empower young women, Trousdale is committed to making quality music that spreads a message of self-acceptance and love.Trousdale has self-released two EPs and are in the process of releasing their debut album, collecting over 55M streams on Spotify in the last three years. Their catalog until now being entirely self-produced, this upcoming debut includes songs co-written with Jon Bellion, Madi Diaz, Jon Green and Natalie Hemby, and co-production by Jon Green, John Mark Nelson, and others.The band have gathered fans internationally through both headline and support shows. With extensive festival experience in both the UK and US, they’ve also supported JP Saxe, Lawrence and Cory Wong. With Wong, Trousdale performed as special guests in rooms such as Ryman Auditorium and The Beacon Theatre in February and March 2023. Trousdale also headlined their first US tour around those dates.Their aforementioned debut full-length will be released in 2023 as a series of three EPs, for the trio themselves, culminating in their debut LP, Out Of My Mind. The first EP, Make It Out Alive, was released Friday, May 26, 2023 with prominent editorial placement across DSPs. ANNA VAUSAnna Vaus is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville and raised in San Diego, California. Anna blends her West Coast cool with refreshing hooks and unmistakably relatable lyrics. Her music has been likened to that of Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves and Maggie Rogers (Billboard, Holler Country). She partnered with Luke Laird (Kacey Musgraves) to co-produce her latest EP, “Younger Version of Myself,” which was released last fall.While Anna has toured with artists like Willie Nelson and graced stages like The Grand Ole Opry, she welcomes the greener side of grass roots. During COVID, Anna teamed up with her fans to create The Girl in a Backyard Tour, a sixty date tour that brought her live show directly to her fans’ backyards. Anna is currently signed to Big Machine Music as a songwriter and has had songs recorded by Carly Pearce, Chord Overstreet, and more.
The Ocean Blue
The Ocean Blue arrived as the 1980s drew to a close, and their debut record on the famed Sire Records label in 1989 seemed to summarize the best of the passing musical decade. With the release of The Ocean Blue, the band of four teenagers from Hershey, Pennsylvania quickly achieved widespread acclaim and radio & MTV airplay with top 10 Modern Rock/College Radio hits like Between Something and Nothing, Drifting, Falling, and Vanity Fair. They followed their debut with the dreamy and atmospheric Cerulean, which includes perhaps their most beloved song, Ballerina Out of Control. Their third Sire release and highest charting pop album Beneath the Rhythm and Sound featured the single Sublime, with a video of the band in the sublime landscape of Iceland. The band’s fourth major label album on Mercury/PolyGram, See The Ocean Blue, delved into wider 60s and 70s stylings but with the band’s 80s DNA peeking through.The band left the majors in the late 90s and released several independent records in the ensuing decade, including 2000’s Davy Jones Locker and 2004’s Waterworks. In 2013, after a long hiatus and much anticipation, the band released their first full length record in a decade, Ultramarine, on Korda Records, a label cooperative the band helped launch that same year. The record was a welcome return for both long-time fans of the band and a younger generation of like-minded fans, and it garnered widespread praise as one of their very best albums. In 2015, the band worked with Sire Records to reissue their first three albums on vinyl, and did wider touring in North America and in South America, where some of their most passionate fans reside.In 2019, the band returned with the beautifully powerful Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves, and has continued to tour for this release and the newly re-issued vinyl of See The Ocean Blue (2022) and Davy Jones Locker (2023).Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud