Soen

Initially formed in 2004, it was in May 2010 that the formation of Soen was officially announced. The original lineup consisted of former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez, Testament and Sadus bassist Steve Di Giorgio, Willowtree vocalist Joel Ekelof and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis. The first song “Fraccion” was released on the band’s official website in October 2010. Founding member and drummer Martin Lopez describes Soen’s music as “melodic, heavy and intricate.”Since Lopez and Joel Ekelof formed the group, Soen have never shied away from exploration and analysis of self or society, both as musicians and expressionists. 2012’s “Cognitive” beat a firmly heavy, progressive metal path, before 2014’s “Tellurian” saw Soen start to stride freely into their own power and unique visions.Their third offering, “Lykaia,” was a conceptual journey exploring earthier places.Soen’s fourth album, “Lotus,” is another journey using a different set of perspectives. The album was released on Feb. 1, 2019 via Silver Lining Music, produced by David Castillo and Inaki Marconi at Ghostwards Studio and Studio 6 between July and October 2018. “Lotus” contains dissertations on modern society such as “Rival,” “Covenant,” and “Martyrs” that are the fraught with poetic, finitely designed confusion and chaos. Specific meanings, however, remain at once deeply personal and wholly universal.Produced by Iñaki Marconi and the band, “Imperial” (2021) was mixed and mastered by Kane Churko, who has worked with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Dylan. Eight crisp, sharp, and supremely constructed songs spanning frustration, reflection and hope, “Imperial” is the most fierce and dynamic release of Soen’s journey, which will engage the listener immediately and sustain long after this crazy time has passed, its rich details destined to make it a classic metal album of this era.Their latest album, “Memorial,” was released Sept. 1, 2023, via Silver Lining Music. The Prog Report raves: “Memorial stands as a testament to Soen’s evolution as a band. It’s an album that not only showcases their musical maturity and songwriting brilliance but also their ability to create a deeply resonant and accessible body of work. This release solidifies Soen’s position as a force to be reckoned with in the progressive metal and hard rock scene, and Memorial could very well be considered their best and most accessible album to date.” SOEN: Joel Ekelöf – VocalsMartin Lopez – DrumsLars Enok Åhlund – Keyboards and Guitar Cody Ford – Lead Guitar Oleksii “Zlatoyar” Kobel – Bass Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

We Came As Romans

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SkyBlew & Friends

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Jeffrey Martin

On a small corner lot in southeast Portland, Oregon, Jeffrey Martin holed up through the winter recording his quietly potent fourth full-length album Thank God We Left The Garden (out on Portland’s Fluff and Gravy Records Nov 3). Long nights bled into mornings in the tiny shack he built in the backyard, eight feet by ten feet. What began as demos meant for a later visit to a proper studio became the album itself, spare and intimate and true. Recorded live and alone around two microphones, Jeffrey often held his breath to wait for the low diesel hum of a truck to pass one block over on the busy thoroughfare. During the coldest nights, he timed recording between the clicks of the oil coil heater cycling on and off. “There was a magic quality to the sounds I was getting in the shack with these two cheap microphones, some lucky recipe of time and place that allowed my voice and the way I play guitar and the shape of these new songs to come together with the kind of honesty I was craving.” So much has happened in the world since the release of his previous album One Go Around (heralded by No Depression as “the poetry of America”), and Jeffrey has filled the time doggedly, but happily, touring the US and Europe, watching it all unfold in a stream of small town conversations and city sprawl. In a moment where depth is so often traded for the instantaneous, where tech billionaires are building rockets to escape the planet, where the dead-eyed stare of artificial intelligence is promising to existentially upend our world, and where divisiveness in our culture is breeding delusional levels of certainty, Jeffrey Martin’s new record feels like a hopeful and fully human antidote. The sounds feel warm, close, and refreshingly real, all held up by the richness and rare candor of Jeffrey’s voice. Production is restrained mostly to his guitar and vocals, with flashes of classical guitar for a tumbling wash of melody and low-end color. Martin’s voice sits high above everything, reaching into new melodic territory that goes beyond his earlier work. “I feel like I’ve only just learned how to sing,” Martin said. “Like I’ve been chasing this record since my very first recordings. I wanted to really see what I could do, just my guitar and my voice and little else.” Beloved Portland-based guitarist Jon Neufeld added electric guitar to three tracks. Sticking to the same less-is-more approach, his playing skillfully and subtly elevates the lyrical intention. Neufeld also mixed and mastered the album, and was such a crucial part of the final feel of the record that Martin also credited him as a producer. “Jon and I really produced this album together,” he said. “Me in the shack, and then him in his studio working with what I brought him as he mixed and mastered. It was such a treat to work with him. I brought this pile of rough songs and he was able to dial it in and make up for my complete lack of recording know-how. I love the performances I got, but Jon’s magic is what helped them breathe and truly come to life.” Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Katie Alice Greer

Duck, Elora Dash, Dolphin Group

Summer is coming to an end and your favorite bands and vendors are coming together for one last summer party! At this show, you’ll not only be enticed to dance with funk, soul, and pop music by local legends Duck and Elora Dash, and special guests Dolphin Group, but we also have a pop up shop for you! Find fresh vintage clothing, get your mehndi done, get a caricature with friends, and much more! This is a one of a kind show you don’t wanna miss!!!!Elora Dash:Elora Dash is a musician, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Chapel Hill, NC who is breaking into the regional neo-soul scene. Elora and her band aim to be a combination of Hiatus Kaiyote, Stevie Wonder, and SZA, blending elements of jazz fusion, neo-soul, and R&B. Although Elora is the lead singer, “Elora Dash” is really a band, with its sound being a culmination of all the members influences: Brady Kennedy (co-producer and drums), Daniel Combs (keyboards), and Nick Williams (bass). and Colin Moser (guitar). Her music is characterized by eclectic instrumentals and soulful vocals.Her newest single was released in November 2022: an acoustic track titled “Disappointed” with a remix to follow in August 2023. In 2020, she released “Self-Actualization”, a 9-track instrumental collaborative lofi mixtape featuring many artists from around NC and the country. This project was her introduction as a solo artist, and after her newest single in 2022, she plans to go back to the studio to record several more singles in anticipation of an EP in 2024.Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTubeDuck:In 2016, 3 friends started playing weekend jam sessions together and Duck was formed, with word spreading quickly about this new Raleigh, NC based band. As the word spread about this funky, soulful, bluesy band, those jam sessions transferred into writing original music. Duck began booking gigs at venues around North Carolina, making crowds boogie to their upbeat sound. In 2021, with the addition of Donnie Tyree on vocals, Duck found their groove both performing and writing originals with a solid assembly of talent: Donnie Tyree on vocals, Mike Swartz on guitar, Chuck Rhew on keys, Chris Holloway on bass and Fred Dees on drums and electric washboard. Opening for talent like Neal Francis and Daniel Donato, and releasing their inaugural EP, MOVES, the band has solidified a loyal fanbase throughout North Carolina. All band members participate in writing music and lyrics. Their most recent EP, MOVES, recorded in Raleigh, NC summer of 2022, can be found on all streaming services. Upcoming plans will have the band touring the southeast starting in 2023, check back for more information as dates are announced.WebsiteDolphin Group:Born out of the collaboration between childhood friends, Dolphin Group is an upbeat and exciting project inspired by the unique energy of 80’s pop music, but with a modern and aquatic update. Residing in their hometown of Chattanooga, TN, every note of Dolphin Group is intricately recorded in their home, Dolphin Studios, which features vintage synthesizers, guitars, basses, and drums.Website

Songs and Stories in Celebration of the Life of Caleb Southern

With music and memories from: Ben Folds, Bicycle Face, Blue Green Gods, Eric Bachmann & friends, John Howie & Laird Dixon, Mac McCaughan & Jim Wilbur, Mind Sirens, Shark Quest, Stella & Jo, The Swedes, and more. Hosted by Tom Maxwell.Ticket Proceeds will be donated to:APS of DurhamGirls Rock NCBlack Girls Code

The Lemonheads – Come On Feel The Lemonheads 30th Anniversary

In the 90s, Evan Dando’s Lemonheads produced hit after hit, pure genius filling the radio waves and taking the stage. Some 30 years on, Evan is still knocking that songwriting thing out of the park, and Come On Feel The Lemonheads sounds as fresh and perky as it ever did, with a string of undoubtedly catchy singles, including “Big Gay Heart,” “Into Your Arms,” “It’s About Time,” and “The Great Big NO,” among many other unforgettable songs. Evan knows a good song when he hears it, as Come On Feel The Lemonheads certainly proved.”Come On Feel was home to some of his best, sharpest writing — fabulous sunny powerpop and beautiful ballads.” — The Guardian”‘Come On Feel The Lemonheads’ is all it purports to be: a chance to dip into Evan’s jumbled-up, dope-smoking love-buggy of a life and celebrate it.” — NMEWebsite | Instagram | Facebook

Husbands

Husbands plays landlocked beach pop that sidequests Krautrock, garage rock, and tropicalia. OKC-based songwriters Danny Davis and Wil Norton got their start directing a Godzilla musical at their college and then began sharing snippets of lofi grunge pop ideas that came together in their first album, “Golden Year.” This album caught local label Clerestory AV’s attention, who assisted Husbands release its first vinyl LP, “After the Gold Rush Party,” on an imprint label, Cowboy 2.0 Records. “After the Gold Rush Party” was featured on NPR’s Heavy Rotation and Spotify’s New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, and Feel-Good Indie Rock playlists. Past performances included an OKC release show that drew 550 attendees and a stint opening for Smash Mouth (what Wil and Danny both likely consider their finest moment as a band). Pre-COVID, Husbands was slated to play bills at SXSW, Treefort Music Fest, Norman Music Festival, and a New York City release show at Baby’s All Right.Not to be deterred, Danny and Wil got back to songwriting and put together their third LP, “Full-on Monet,” released in January ’22. Their single, “Must be a Cop,” released June 6, 2021, has been featured on Spotify’s All New Indie, Today’s Indie Rock, and Grade A playlists (among other editorial playlists), and has received coverage from prominent bloggers including David Dean Burkhart, BIRP!, and Indie Shuffle.Website | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookWork Wife is the indie rock project made up of Brooklyn-based musicians Meredith Lampe, Cody Edgerly and Kenny Monroe. With influences such as Faye Webster, Neil Young and American Football, Work Wife blends melancholy lyrics and folk rock instrumentals to achieve music that evokes their own dark humor. Work Wife’s debut EP was released December 2022 on Born Losers Records, produced by Jordan Dunn-Pilz and Daniel Álvarez de Toledo (TOLEDO) and mixed by Melina Duterte (Jay Som). Their tour history includes stages shared with acts such as Anthony Green and Cafuné, and have been featured in FLOOD Magazine, Rolling Stone India and Under the Radar. Their Audiotree session and sophomore EP are due out in 2023.Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Dan Deacon

How do you make something solid, beautiful, and built to last in a time of cultural chaos and personal doubt? With Mystic Familiar, Dan Deacon gives us the stunning result of years of obsessive work, play, and self-discovery. It’s at once his most emotionally open record and his most transcendent, 11 kaleidoscopic tracks of majestic synth-pop that exponentially expand his sound with unfettered imagination and newfound vulnerability.Since 2015’s Gliss Riffer, Deacon has branched out from his core body of work as a popular recording artist into a dizzying array of collaborative projects: scoring eight films, including the feature documentaries Rat Film and Time Trial (both released as LPs on Domino Soundtracks) and HBO’s Well Groomed; collaborating with the New York City Ballet’s resident choreographer Justin Peck on the dance piece The Times Are Racing; performing expanded arrangements of his music with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; and for the first time producing and co-writing an album by another artist, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat’s alt-rock dynamo Riddles.But as varied and fulfilling as these projects were, they all lacked one thing: Deacon’s voice. And in the midst of that whirlwind of activity, he returned whenever he could to a personal oasis — the songs that would become Mystic Familiar, informed by all these collaborations but built from within. Propelled by the unprecedented response to Gliss Riffer highlight “When I Was Done Dying” and the exquisite-corpse animated video that vividly amplified that song’s narrative odyssey of multiverse-traveling post-life energy, Deacon’s writing took an exploratory new direction. He further developed this new material with daily prompts from Brian Eno’s deck of Oblique Strategies and the use of meditation to access that inner well of creativity David Lynch describes in Catching the Big Fish. These techniques, in tandem with his newly adopted therapeutic practices of self-compassion and mindfulness, produced Dan Deacon songs that go places far beyond those his music has traveled before — songs that wield the profundity of a philosopher and the absurdity of a court jester as they paint life as a psychedelic journey brimming with bliss and disruption, darkness and light.Mystic Familiar’s opening track “Become a Mountain” immediately announces itself as something new, for the first time ever on record presenting Dan’s natural singing voice, unprocessed and with only minimal accompaniment. When Deacon proclaims “I rose up” here, it is Dan Deacon singing in the first person as Dan Deacon — a startlingly vulnerable shift in a songbook abundant with characters, metaphors, and distorted vocals. As other ornate voices answer this unadorned I, we’re introduced to the album’s central concept and titular character: the Mystic Familiar, that supernatural other being that we carry with us everywhere in our head, which only we can hear and with whom we live our lives in eternal conversation. “Hypnagogic” takes us deeper into Deacon’s mind, a synth swirl similar to those which have begun his recent performances, absorbing the pulse of the room and extending that abstract moment in which a journey begins.Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Genre: Miscellaneous