Secret Monkey Weekend CD Release Party

Secret Monkey Weekend – All the Time in the WorldFull disclosure: I play keyboards on All the Time in the World, and I have known the principals in this story since I moved back to North Carolina in 2006. If that disqualifies me, so be it. Read this anyway. – Peter Holsapple There are bands that start up, which are most of them. Friends from school, in a garage, in every city on the globe. Then there are bands that grow from beyond the realm of music–a job or maybe a family. Or maybe, as in the case of Secret Monkey Weekend, it’s a combination of the two, and the band’s organic development into unique recording artists is evident on their debut album All the Time in the World, released on Secret Monkey Records, March 18, 2022 and produced by Don Dixon (producer of R.E.M., Smithereens, etc.).Ella Brown Hart, Jefferson Hart and Lila Brown Hart are Secret Monkey Weekend.Jeff’s guitar and songwriting skill made starting a group with his adopted daughters Ella and Lila Brown a natural—he’s been a driving force in Americana music in North Carolina since the 1980s. When he married Laura in 2015, he also began giving her two young daughters instrument lessons, giving rise to a brand-new rock band, Secret Monkey Weekend. Lila follows in her late father Matt Brown’s path on drums and vocals, and Ella holds down the electric bass as her rhythm section partner.Live, they cut a confident profile, locked together musically like a jigsaw puzzle. They’ve played every gig they can, from school carnivals in North Carolina to pubs in England. Along the way, they’ve written some very cool tunes. Secret Monkey Weekend songs are smart, simple and summery, with great grooves like “Honey Num” that feel cozy and familiar, or maybe a tune like “Maybelle” that moves your feet before you know it.Guests like Jeffrey Dean Foster on guitar, Paul Messenger on harp and Tim Smith on Hammond and piano join in, but the star turns are by Lila, Ella and Jeff to be sure. Make no mistake: this is a BAND record. In seven years together, SMW’s focus has been to become ready to record an album, and so they’ve become tight, intense and proficient, and have created All the Time in the World, the solid and sterling debut album by Secret Monkey Weekend. — Peter Holsapple (The dB’s, Continental Drifters)Durham NC, November 2021Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Knuckle Puck

Simon Dunson Quartet Album Release Show

Simon Dunson is one of the most interesting and versatile mandolinists of his generation. His virtuosity, unique lyrical style and compelling compositional voice all combine to create a new exciting sound that throws the mandolin into unknown territory.“Simon is the only mandolin player I’ve ever heard who sounds like he’s really playing Jazz. He’s one in a million!” – John McNeil“Simon is a thoughtful, listening, and aware mandolin player whose music includes the quality of searching for something deeper that connects the listener to the line as it unfolds.” – Bert Seager“Simon has absorbed the world of jazz phrasing and feel so deeply, and transmits that sound so satisfyingly on the mandolin, with more joy and ease than I previously knew was possible. He is as good an argument for the mandolin as a jazz instrument as there as yet been.” – Joe K. WalshA native to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Simon grew up immersed in bluegrass music playing with people like, Andrew Marlin, Emily Frantz, Jon Stickley, Bobby Britt, Hank Smith and Joseph Terrell. Looking to try something new, Simon auditioned and was the first mandolin major to be admitted into Interlochen Arts Academy where he studied classical mandolin repertoire and techniques. During this time, Simon discovered a great love and passion for jazz music and following his graduation Simon came to Boston to attend New England Conservatory as the first mandolin player admitted into their Jazz department. During his time at NEC Simon has been fortunate enough to be able to study with people like Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeil, Brad Shepik & Mark Zaleski. Simon is also a part of numerous musical projects including a progressive duo project Paper Waiter, which explores original music derived from genres such as jazz, western swing and indie rock. Simon exercises his compositional voice in more traditional jazz settings playing original music with his quartet and trio. His distinct compositional voice gained him acceptance into Banff’s Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music in the spring of 2020. Recording and production are also a huge passion of Simon’s and a recent collaboration with Roop Ghuman on Ghuman’s composition “Shaami Mildi” was featured in Rollingstone magazine. Simon also regularly freelances with various bluegrass bands and maintains an active role performing classical music including recent performances of George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children (featuring soprano, Laura Osgood Brown), Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet (NEC Philharmonia), and Carol Barnett’s, A Bluegrass Mass (NEC Concert Choir, The Salisbury Singers). Although Currently studying at NEC Simon frequently returns home to North Carolina where he spends his time teaching, volunteering and facilitating Pinecone run youth music camps and jams as well as serving as a band coach and mentor for the youth band, the Carolina Pinecones. In the fall of 2018 Simon placed 2nd in the National Mandolin Championship. Simon also is an active educator, teaching private lessons in person and over Skype.Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Yonder Mountain String Band

With its latest album, “Get Yourself Outside,” Colorado-based quintet Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe its place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act, but also one of the most innovative, intricate groups in the live music scene — something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century.“The whole thing has always been about the energy and the connection with all of us onstage and everyone out in the audience,” says guitarist Adam Aijala. “And with this third iteration of Yonder Mountain, we’re really tapping into that onstage connection once again.”This “third chapter” of YMSB is one of many facets. Aside from the obvious nature of the new album, it’s a complete restart for the live music industry — slowly reawakening itself after a year and a half of radio silence during the early stages of the pandemic. Internally, it’s also a fresh start for the group in welcoming its newest member, mandolinist Nick Piccininni.“Nick is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. He’s also a great singer with a magnetic stage presence,” Aijala says. “And he’s in such a creative space right now, something that has brought a whole new vibe and dynamic to the band. But, at the same time, it’s such a natural fit, where he hits that sweet spot of the Yonder Mountain sound we’ve come to be known for.”Recorded during the shutdown at Cinder Sound Studio (Gunbarrel, Colorado) and co-produced with engineer John McVey, “Get Yourself Outside” (Frog Pad Records) is a musical odyssey of string instruments and sonic textures.“We want the listener to get outside of your own head, get outside the box or container that you’ve created around yourself — look outside and see what else is out there,” says bassist Ben Kaufmann.What started out as back-and-forth online interactions between the band members soon shifted into Yonder Mountain entering Cinder Sound after several months apart — this genuine, intrinsic urge within each musician to capture the unique chemistry and magic of playing live in the studio.“We knew we had to take greater advantage of our time off the road. So, we started to collaborate and realized we had all of these songs,” Kaufmann says. “It was kind of a trick to figure out how to get together and record safely. But, we’re glad that we did and what came from it.”“Some of the song ideas were older. But, a lot of the ideas happened during the pandemic,” Aijala adds. “It was interesting, because Nick had a bunch of ideas that emerged from the pandemic and he’s heavily featured on the record.”There’s the usual foot-stomping jingles and sorrowful ballads that reside at the core of the Yonder Mountain signature tone. But, there’s also a deep, honest sense of renewal and rejuvenation running through the heart of the record.“This album was a learning experience for the band, from bringing Nick in to navigating the shutdown as a nationally touring band to working on new material,” Kaufmann says. “There’s a blessing to this life to be able to play music for a living, and ‘Get Yourself Outside’ is a testament to that, which is why it’s been such a joy to finally play these songs live.”Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

49 Winchester

Alt-country soul from the heart of Appalachia in Russell County, VA. 49 Winchester delivers the poetically straightforward songs of singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson in a soulful electric live show. Rock & roll with roots planted firmly in the traditions of mountain music. Since making their start in the months after high school in late 2013, the band has made a name for themselves as warriors of the road, self releasing three studio albums and commanding audiences far & wide.“When you listen to Isaac Gibson’s evocative voice, it’s hard to imagine him in any other job. Not to say that he wouldn’t be a good actuary, but you realize that’s not where his real talent lies. His voice is filled with the ache that has fueled countless songs, and it was made to fill dark honky tonks where people want to dance. Beyond that, he has a way of telling a story that makes you pay attention to every word.” – Glide Magazine“In many ways, 49 Winchester, the nom de plume of singer/songwriter/guitarist Isaac Gibson, could be considered your stereotypical gruff and gritty homegrown troubadour. Over the course of the past six years, Gibson and his compatriots have made it a point to keep to the basics, be it a blazing combination of drive and defiance, or tears-in-their-beers balladry flush with seething emotion. That’s especially true on the band’s latest outing III, a confident collection that gives voice to the band’s pure, unfettered intents.”- American SongwriterBand members:Isaac Gibson – Vocals/GuitarBus Shelton – Lead GuitarChase Chafin – BassNoah Patrick – Steel GuitarDon Eanes – Piano/OrganDillon Cridlin – DrumsLinks: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

MAN ON MAN

Two bodies dancing hot in the New York City winter before being pushed inside for the rest of 2020. Two hearts that, in the span of 6 months, faced the loss of both of their mothers, the matriarchs that bore them to this planet full of wonder. They held on tight to the beauty of living, together. With this shared language and the confines of quarantine they lost and loved even harder. Battling packed boxes and lost jobs, the two celebrated their tragic journey with broad shoulders forcing power chords and the harmonized chants of utter release. They huddled together for the future while leaking their hearts into pop melodies that collide effortlessly with both a shared melancholy and simultaneous hope.MAN ON MAN (also M.O.M.) is a new gay lover band made up of Joey Holman (HOLMAN) and Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen, CRICKETS, Nastie Band). Their upcoming self-titled record, MAN ON MAN, is infused with indie-rock distortion and soaked in gay pop confidence while still maintaining the acerbic and pure sense of humor they both share. M.O.M.‘s music videos take their magical collaboration to another level with otherworldly cinematographic dimension, and of course, the subversive playfulness of two gay lovers unmistakably flirting with their audience and each other. Upon the release of their debut single, “Daddy”, their video (chock full of the pair dancing seductively in their white briefs) was removed from YouTube for violating their “sex and nudity policy.” At this moment, the band solidified their political visibility as queer artists who are not ok with being silenced or removed from history because of their age or size. Bottum told Rolling Stone, “There’s enough representation in the gay community of young, hairless pretty men.” Roddy and Joey’s love for each other and their own bodies, histories, and truths are what make this project so tender and lovable.MAN ON MAN’s music transcends both genre or decade, creating a timeless appeal for so many kinds of listening. The varied influences and textures of the record are a meditation on the myriad of emotions of lockdown, as well as this particular moment in their own lives, collectively and independently. The shoegaze whirlpools of “Stohner” transition into the square wave synths of “1983” with ease, while tracks like “It’s So Fun (To Be Gay)” open us up to a new type of queer anthem for the 2020s.It is hard not to be captivated with MAN ON MAN’s story, as they pass through pandemic lockdowns in a rented pickup truck. Through hotels, rest stops, mountaintops, desert mirages, back roads, beaches, and hospital rooms, the layering of space and time allows us to grasp onto each moment individually and together as a whole. When we fall into their world (which was self-produced with mix support by Grammy-award winning producer Carlos de la Garza [M83, Paramore, Jimmy Eat World] and Mike Vernon Davis [Foxing, Great Grandpa]), we witness MAN ON MAN’s deep intensity of falling in love while mourning, and the epic collaboration of two lovers that traverse the map of a COVID road trip.Links: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Nilüfer Yanya

It does not take long listening to West London-based singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya’s music to realise that playing by the rules has never been her forte. First discovered at 20 years old after uploading her sparse, acoustic demos to Soundcloud, Yanya quickly made a name for herself following the release of her first three EPs. Starting with Small Crimes in 2016, her early releases set the stage for Yanya’s artistry as a lo-fi bedroom pop artist who could spin deftly weaved guitars and honeyed vocals into earworm melodies. Her brand of heartfelt indie pop led to support slots playing alongside likeminded artists such as Mitski, The xx, and Sharon Van Etten, along with receiving a litany of accolades including being longlisted for BBC Sound of 2018.As the daughter of two visual artists (her Irish-Barbadian mother is a textile designer and her Turkish-born father’s work is exhibited at the British Museum) creativity was always destined for Yanya’s future. First picking up the guitar at 12, she credits her love for music to her parents’ music collection and her school, which offered subsidised music classes. “It was life changing for me,” Yanya says of her school days as we sit outside a Ladbroke Grove café, “having that community in school was really good for everyone else as well, even if they’re not doing music.”By the time her debut album Miss Universe landed in 2019, Yanya fully established herself as a singular artist with a distinctive voice that needed to be heard. The critically acclaimed debut is an 18-track concept record that takes a tongue in cheek swipe at the most self-involved corners of the health and wellness industry. The album allowed Yanya to further open up her eclectic world, bringing in jazz-inflected guitar licks, and grunge indebted songs that were backed up by limber drum beats and noughties leaning synth lines.Follow up release, the three song EP Feeling Lucky?, further explored Yanya’s fascination with ‘90s alt-rock melodies, drawing on themes of resentment, her fear of flying, and the concept of luck. She also re-released her early EPs on vinyl for the first time this year on the record Inside Out. The release is a fundraiser for Artists in Transit, an arts collaborative group Yanya founded with her sister Molly that delivers art workshops to communities in times of hardship.Now as she enters the next stage of her creative journey, Yanya is running head first into the depths of emotional vulnerability on her sophomore record PAINLESS. The album was recorded between a basement studio in Stoke Newington and Riverfish Music in Penzance (owned by her uncle Joe Dworniak a former bassist in funk band I Level), with Miss Universe collaborator and producer Wilma Archer, DEEK Recordings founder Bullion, Big Thief producer Andrew Sarlo, and musician Jazzi Bobbi.Yanya began considering her second album back in 2020 after coming home from a year-long headline tour for her debut album. Initially she worried about the mistakes she didn’t want to repeat from making her first record. “Obviously I was really proud of it,” she says of her debut album, “but I also could have done it differently, there wasn’t a rush.” The anxieties that clouded the making of her debut were gone when she got back in the studio with Archer. “It just happened a lot more organically. [Archer] had all these amazing ideas and they were so easy to turn into songs. It just felt fun.”Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Rachel Despard EP Release Show

A singer-songwriter who often contemplates the fall of society and the Gen-Z condition. Classic folk inspired lyrics with soulful vocals and alt-R&B-inspired instrumentation. Proud queer Southerner based in Carrboro, NC.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Dealing Stan – Performing the Music of Steely Dan

Triangle-based band dedicated to performing the music of Steely DaLinks: Facebook

G. Love & The Juice Pre-Show Pop Off

Doors for GA Ticket Holders open at 7:00 pm. G. Love’s Pre-Show Pop Off includes a general admission ticket with early entry, access to a pre-show performance and Q&A with G. Love at sound check, group photo on stage with G. Love and a limited edition poster autographed by G. Love. You will receive instructions via email 4-7 days before each show with event information. Please note that this event will take place before doors are open so it will be just you and a few others for a very intimate and interactive performance with G!! VIPs can remain in the venue to shop merchandise before GA doors at 7:00pm.After 27 years of coast to coast touring, the global pandemic grounded the touring juggernaut we have come to know as G. Love & Special Sauce. With band members sheltered in place and scattered across the country and G. Love’s ever-pressing need to release creative juices bore a collaborative and experimental musical group.G. Love & The Juice is that new mosaic, drawing from his signature hip hop blues he invited seasoned touring musicians who shared in this vision to deliver a musical experience which includes classic G. Love songs, improvisation jams and the low-down dirty blues which has been a hallmark of Garrett Dutton shows since the 1990’s.G. Love & The Juice is a collective of all-star musicians which will be hitting a city or town near you. The current configuration has G. Love fronting the band with his legendary Harmonic, Guitar and Vocals. Jimi Jazz Prescott on upright bass performing his patented electrified upright bass. Chuck Treece, Iconic Philadelphia musician, professional skateboard and longtime collaborator on vocals and drums and Van Gordon Martin of the Organically Good Trio, Big Daddy Kane and Dub Apocalypses on Lead Guitar.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud

Genre: Miscellaneous