Satsang
“I just want to write and perform songs that touch the heart and help others”. Letting go of genre, expectation, and boxes, Satsang has leaned into the power of songwriting to drive their forthcoming release, Flowers From The Fray (the band’s 5th album in 6 years) due out Fall 2022.Recorded and self-produced with the help of bandmate and longtime collaborator Parker Brown, this record finds the duo tucked away in a secluded cabin in Southwest Montana digging back into the foundation on which Satsang was founded on. “These songs were all so personal to me” says Drew McManus. “Whether it was really sifting through the stage of life I had found myself in which was a kind of dark night of the soul, or leaning into the love of my wife. This record is truly me bearing my heart. I needed to seclude myself to find out where these songs wanted to go, and having Parker’s musical guidance had a big hand in that.”This record, coupled with the band’s last release All. Right. Now. is a maturing. A growing into the songwriter and musicians that the band was destined to be. A settled and firm foundation of influences and sound that brings every external aspect in and finds it internalized and distilled into “Flowers From the Fray.”Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Teenage Fanclub
The first Teenage Fanclub single, 1990’s “Everything Flows,” was all about getting older and finding your way: Right from the beginning, the Scottish band somehow inherently understood the joy and confusion of forging a creative path. Even with that knowledge, the band’s three equally proficient and prodigious songwriters—Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, and Gerard Love—probably wouldn’t have predicted that this path would still be unfolding nearly 30 years later. Steadily—and, if we’re being honest, sort of slowly—Teenage Fanclub have built an incredible catalog of gleaming pop songs. It’s been a relatively straight line in pursuit of pop perfection, from the snarlier early days to the highly vaunted Bandwagonesque to the grand Songs from Northern Britain to their more measured, contemplative latest, 2016’s Here. Consistency has been a virtue, never a handicap. They spent a decent chunk of 2018 looking back, something they’re not inclined to do, but duty called: Five classic albums originally released between 1991 through 2000 were remastered at Abbey Road and lovingly reissued, and Teenage Fanclub took that as a challenge to relearn nearly every song from that era and plan a special series of three-night stands in the UK during which to play them. “We don’t spend a lot of time listening to the things we’ve done. Actually, we don’t spend any time,” says McGinley. “Sometimes you live with your own imagined version of a song in your head, and what you play is different than the records. Memories can be unreliable. It’s an interesting process to be forced to listen to the reality.” “As a musician you never listen to your own music—it’s masochistic!” laughs Blake. “Back at the start I wasn’t too clever on the guitar. And you can hear the change in the tone of your voice through aging. We sound like young men on the early records, full of optimism! Lots of these songs we have never, ever played live before. It’s exciting.” A big plus to relearning the oldies: They’d have a bigger pool of songs to choose from live, something they still cherish. A trip around the world was planned, starting with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It turned out, though, that Love’s enthusiasm for touring far-off places had waned, while the rest of the band consider touring to be crucial fuel for creativity. That impasse led to Love’s amicable departure from the band: He’ll play the back-catalog shows in the UK in October and November, and then turn in his Fanclub membership. McGinley and Blake have nothing but praise for their bandmate; they’ll miss his contributions, but they’re more excited than ever to make songs together—including, sooner than later, brand-new ones. “The good part of any change is that it forces you to not be complacent about things,” says McGinley. “There’s always something exciting about any kind of change.” “The three of us have spread the burden of songwriting over the years, so there will be a bit more work involved creatively,” says Blake. “We don’t feel pressure to get somebody in as a songwriter to replace Gerry. We could collaborate with other people, we could write together… I’m not worrying about it too much. Whatever happens, I know that we’ll create something that we’ll be happy to put our name behind.” Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Satellite Dog
Satellite Dog is a Psych-Groove band from North Carolina. Taking sonic inspiration from the psychedelic rock n’ roll whirlwind of the 1960’s and 1970’s, they combine musical ideas from a plethora of inspirations to form a uniquely retro-modern psych-groove soundscape. Relying heavily on improvisation during live shows, they twist and turn in and out of original tunes as well as originally-spun covers by bands such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. With roots in central North Carolina, the group has maintained a foothold all over the state, with frequent stops in Boone, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh. Welcome onboard and stay tuned for more…Website | Instagram | YouTube
Bird and Byron
Bird and Byron – rock & soul duo – are based out of Nashville, TN. The duo have gained viral success from their “One Take Tuesday” weekly series reaching millions of viewers; translating into loyal followers worldwide. The raw video posts are of the duo performing clips of original songs or covers in their own styling. Since the inception of the video series, Bird and Byron have garnered attention and reposts from the likes of James Taylor, Willow Smith, Coldplay, Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy, Brittany Broski, and many others.The momentum created by the “One Take Tuesday” series permitted Bird and Byron to record their debut EP at the Bomb Shelter Nashville. With the support of esteemed producer Andrija Tokic ‘producer of the Alabama Shakes debut record’ the group created an authentic first project that sealed them as an important part of the new rock and soul genre.Bird and Byron’s first EP released on October 15, 2021 – followed by festival appearance, sold out shows and growing radio support.Their authentic writing style stands out w/ Bird’s powerful melodic vocals to Byron’s electrifying blues soul guitar.Since moving to Nashville in May 2022, they have quickly assimilated into Music City and are creating valuable connections within the music industry. The duo are currently collaborating with notable Nashville producers, Je Trott (Grammy-nominated for work with Sheryl Crow) and Andrew Petroff.The duo (w/ full band) have recently performed to packed audiences on a multi-city tour, including stops in Austin, Carolinas, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, NYC and Mississippi.They released their second EP in early 2023 – which has pushed their Spotify streams to over 7,000,000+ and 220,000+ monthly listeners. The EP release also earned them a global licensing deal to all Abercrombie and Fitch storefronts. Top listener cities: Chicago, Denver, London, Los Angeles and NYC. Top listener countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and USA.Bird and Byron’s social media presence has amassed 96,000+ followers on Tik Tok nearing over 3 million total likes through the #birdandbyron tag , and a growing 11,400+ follower base on Instagram. The duo has delved into sync – landing deals with a London-based sync firm A&G that represents artists Beabadoobee and The 1975. Bird and Byron’s self-produced debut album is out now.Website | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
An Evening with Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey
Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey grew up together in Winston-Salem, NC, started playing music together in middle school—and have really never stopped. Through countless bands along the way—including Rittenhouse Square, Little Diesel, Sneakers, the dB’s, Continental Drifters, the Golden Palominos, the Salt Collective, and the Paranoid Style—and recording sessions and sideman stints with the likes of R.E.M., Bob Mould, Hootie & the Blowfish, the two lauded songwriters have maintained a deep musical connection. Their acclaimed albums of “duo” material—Mavericks (1991) and hERE & nOW (2009)—reveal their fondness for the likes of the Everly Bros. and the Lovin’ Spoonful. And these disks are fan favorites, as is Our Back Pages, a lively 2020 collection of acoustic reinventions of dB’s songs. Both artists are in the process of recording new electric solo albums this year, as well. So expect to hear material from across the full spectrum of their classic songwriting, past present and future. Don’t miss this rare chance to see Peter & Chris together on stage again.Chris Stamey: Website | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookPeter Holsapple: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Low Cut Connie
With 8 albums released to date, select highlights from the band’s impressive career include endorsements from Elton John, a performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and a spot on Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Albums of the Decade list.Low Cut Connie released the critically claimed LP ART DEALERS in Fall 2023, with a full- length companion film coming in 2024.”ART DEALERS may be the band’s masterpiece to date.” – Nashville Scene “Low Cut Connie can renew your faith in rock.” – Boston Herald”Experiencing Weiner in his element, whether on the new record ART DEALERS, its accompanying film, or live, is a gift of melody, messages, and community.” – No Depression Magazine”Like Bruce Springsteen after he discovered literature, Weiner started bending classic rock to meet his ever more complex emotionalism. The result is that this new 17 track collection Private Lives is Adam Weiner’s version of Born to Run, filled with songs about losers and lovers and beautiful dreamers.” – Ken Tucker, NPR’s Fresh Air“Pandemic Person of the Year” – The New Yorker”ART DEALERS hits the heart, head, & groin with equal force.” – AllMusicWebsite | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
McLusky
Having formed in the late nineteen-nineties and releasing music, if that is what it was, from 2000-2004, Mclusky disbanded soon afterwards in a slow motion farce of not enough drama to get press off the back of it. Now they are back – well, most of them – fuelled initially by spite but now enjoying it too much not to do it, playing to crowds in the UK and Australia which are much bigger – and more hygienically inclined – than in their so-called heyday. So far nobody has complained, except for one guy in Leeds (and he was clearly on ketamine). They are writing new music, some of which may be released, if they decide it is good enough, whilst currently touting around the 20 year old album ‘Mclusky Do Dallas’ like a valuable chicken. This tour – which in part is to celebrate the anniversary of the release, will constitute their first North American dates in eighteen years.Spotify
Brian Sella
Brian Sella is the co-founder, guitarist, lyricist, and lead vocalist of the indie rock band The Front Bottoms.Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Earthless and Minami Deutsch
There’s an ancient Japanese legend in which a horde of demons, ghosts and other terrifying ghouls descend upon the sleeping villages once a year. Known as Hyakki Yagyō, or the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,” one version of the tale states that anyone who witnesses this otherworldly procession will die instantly—or be carried off by the creatures of the night. As a result, the villagers hide in their homes, lest they become victims of these supernatural Invaders. Such is the inspiration for the latest album from Earthless. “My son is really into mythical creatures and old folk stories about monsters and ghosts,” bassist Mike Eginton explains. “We came across the ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ in a book of traditional Japanese ghost stories. I like the idea of people hiding and being able to hear the madness but not see it. It’s the fear of the unknown.” Whereas 2018’s Black Heaven featured shorter songs and vocals from guitarist Isaiah Mitchell on much of the album—an unprecedented move for the San Diego power trio—their latest is a return to the epic instrumentals Earthless made their unmistakable name on. Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons is comprised of two monster songs—the 41-minute, two-part title track and the 20-minute “Death To The Red Sun.” “Originally, we were trying to figure out how to condense the title track so it would fit onto one side of an LP,” drummer Mario Rubalcaba explains. “But the more we kept playing, the more we kept finding different places to go with it. We eventually just decided to let it breathe and go long.” The scenario that allowed for this kind of exploration was a stark contrast to that of Black Heaven. At that point, Mitchell was living in the Bay Area, which made it difficult for the band to get together and work on the type of long instrumental pieces they’re known for. But in March 2020, the guitarist moved back to San Diego. More specifically, he moved back the night the pandemic lockdown kicked in. Bad timing, perhaps—or maybe perfect timing. “With Isaiah here, we were able to get together once or twice a week to work on these jams,” Rubalcaba says. “We got back to our original songwriting process of just playing and building off each other little by little. And we actually had the time to do that, which was creatively Inspiring.” Plus, they were all on the same page about not wanting to do another record with vocals. “In away, I think this album was a reaction to our last record,” Eginton says. “Black Heaven was outside our comfort zone. I think it was a good record, but it was challenging to write songs in a more traditional verse-chorus-verse format. This one was more enjoyable. I’m sure we’ll do more vocal tracks in the future, but for the time being I see that album as a one-off.” Website | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookMinami Deutsch/南ドイツ was formed by Kyotaro Miula (guitar, vocals, synthesizer) in Tokyo in 2014. The band members being self-professed “repetition freaks” who heavily listen to minimal techno.Instagram | Facebook
Lø Spirit
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