By Storm

In 2023 RiTchie and producer Parker Corey introduced By Storm with “Double Trio,” an impassioned and atmospheric first single that both honored the legacy of their former group Injury Reserve and opened a new lane towards the future. “Shit gon’ repeat if all you do is delay” RiTchie rapped on the track, underlining the momentum constantly pushing the rapper/producer duo forward. My Ghosts Go Ghost continues that trajectory, arriving almost by surprise but with maximum impact. My Ghosts Go Ghost is an album that is simple in its construction yet dense enough to get lost in. Created with a back-to-basics mantra (“what if we make nine really strong songs and put them in a good order?”) the album deals with themes of loss, fatherhood, capitalism, the weight of experience, and moving past difficult experiences. It is both a debut album and the continuation of a journey RiTchie and Corey started ten years ago when they first began making music in Phoenix. “This past decade we built our identity and every record has been us figuring out more about the kind of band we want to be,” says RiTchie. “That doesn’t change.” With My Ghosts Go Ghost, committed fans get to hear RiTchie and Corey hone their craft in increasingly refined ways, while newcomers benefit from the experience and clarity of thought that brings them to this point. Mention ghosts and many will think of hauntings, but My Ghosts Go Ghost is not an album troubled by history. If anything, the art of looking ahead colors RiTchie’s lyrics, specifically how to do so while holding what is dear from the past. That could be not forgetting people you have lost, or selfishly wanting to stick with what’s familiar in the face of change. “CIHYFM” finds him on the eve of becoming a father, excited for what lay ahead but knowing that his relationship with his partner will also be changing in the process. “I’m ready to grow, just feeling TKTKTKT” he raps over a somber beat replete with chopped-up vocal samples. Album closer “GGG” maintains that same perspective, asking questions about the speediness of moving on from a seismic loss. Intricate Spanish guitars act as the bed for RiTchie to wrestle with the notion of shedding the past only to realise how important it was to you. The desire to look forwards, it seems, only leads to looking back. Ultimately, My Ghosts Go Ghost underscores the belief that life in the present is most precious of all. An off-the-cuff DJ set in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019, improvised when technical issues meant performing live was impossible, acted as the blueprint to unlocking the sound of the album. Debuting new material in that environment was both fun and freeing for the pair, who tested multiple My Ghosts Go Ghost tracks in various embryonic stages at shows in Phoenix, London, L.A., and New York throughout 2025. The automatic feedback of live audiences was both a prompt when writing and a guide in the editing process. “There’s an element of being able to figure out certain songs better live and come up with ideas when you’re in that super emotional and reactive phase,” says Corey. “You do a lot less overthinking in that environment.” Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify

Hiding Places

Shortly after forming, the members of the New York-via-North Carolina indie rock band Hiding Places noticed a secret power. During their live sets, no matter the loudness, scuzziness, or mayhem of the venues they played, their tender, atmospheric sound became the focus of the room, quieting their surroundings as audiences became hypnotized by their steady, rhythmic interplay and bittersweet vocal melodies. From these experiences, the band developed a credo of close listening. If one member plays too fast, they won’t try to nudge down the tempo; if someone’s volume rises above the rest, they adapt their levels accordingly. The goal, always, is togetherness—to maintain a unified whole, always in sync. This philosophy is part of what makes the quartet’s cozily intricate and hard-hitting Keeled Scales debut, The Secret to Good Living, feel like a bold introduction as much as a well-worn mixtape, passed down from a trusted friend. It makes sense that the band formed while three of its members were DJs at their college radio station at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They embrace music as a means of communication, identity-forming, and deeper understanding of human nature. Songwriters/guitarists Audrey Keelin and Nicholas Byrne alternate between fronting the band, sharing lead vocals and lending the 10-song record the tone of an intimate conversation with room for silence and deeper concentration. Rounded out by a rhythm section of drummer Henry Cutting and bassist/producer Michael Matsakis, they’ve developed a forward-thinking sound with a sense of nostalgia built into it: a blend that draws from the collage-like indie rock of Yo La Tengo, the elegant slowcore of The New Year, the riffy story-songs of Drive-By Truckers, and the analog hum of The Microphones. The Secret to Good Living, which bridges their fuzzy home-recorded demos with their first experience in a professional recording studio, helps translate their humble beginnings to the big stages for which they seem destined. It’s the product of hermetic late-night sessions, collaborative writing retreats in Athens, Georgia, and an evolving perspective on their singular dynamic. After years of working remotely, this record marks the collective result of the quartet living together in a city for the first time—an experience that amplified the band’s creative bond and connected them with fellow North Carolina transplants in the city. “We’ve built a Southern home in New York and simultaneously get to experience the cultures of the world that collide here,” Byrne says of their tight-knit community and enduring connections to their hometowns, where they frequently return. “Within 24 hours, I could be at Myrtle Broadway and then in rural Georgia sighting in a hunting rifle. Living between Southern landscapes and New York, and carrying those lessons and experiences with us, has been the story of this band.” On The Secret to Good Living, Hiding Places follow this thread, navigating their mid-to-late 20s and using songwriting as a portal for self-discovery and exploration. Tellingly, the concept raised in the title arrives not in a prescriptive philosophy but as an ongoing inquiry: “Oh, what’s the secret to good living,” Byrne and Keelin ask in unison. “How was I supposed to know?” Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Voyage Hot Club, ft. Sam Farthing & Paulus Schaefer

Voyage Hot Club, featuring Sam Farthing (USA) is taking the international Gypsy Jazz scene by storm! At just 24 years of age Sam plays with incredible maturity, dexterity, and deep understanding of the music. Along with him is Jimmy Grant (USA, Spain) who is a frequent collaborator with top musicians around the world, Eva Slongo (Suisse) who channels Stephane Grappelli while incorporating a contemporary jazz violin sound, and Zachary Valentine (USA) on bass. WEBSITES: www.samfarthingmusic.com www.jimmygrant.net www.evaslongo.com

Paulus Schaefer and Friends

Paulus Schaefer is truly Sinti Jazz royalty, descended from a long line of musicians, and having grown up in the same village as the Rosenbergs. WEBSITE: www.paulusschafer.com

Violin Workshop

Open to all instruments and levels, though the focus will be on violin.

Sam Farthing & Jimmy Grant Guitar Workshop

Open to all instruments and levels, though the focus will be on guitar. Sam Farthing and Jimmy Grant are two of the brightest stars of the US Gypsy Jazz scene. Come learn from the very best up close and personal. WEBSITES: www.samfarthingmusic.com www.jimmygrant.net learngypsyjazz.com

Paulus Schaefer (Netherlands) Guitar Workshop

Paulus Schaefer is a Dutch Master musician who grew up immersed in the Sinti Jazz style of his family and friends. He is also an accomplished teacher, and hosts his own annual Sinti Jazz Guitar Camp with Stochelo Rosenberg in his hometown of Gerwen, Netherlands. Mini Documentary about Paulus’s camp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJRlGPi36uk Rhythms Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKg6KdraOuc Open to all instruments and levels, though the focus is on guitar.

Camping in Alaska

Camping in Alaska is a post-emo band based in Huntsville, AL. Austin Davis and Jacob Stewart started writing music together at age 15, drawing from influences of childhood-favorite bands such as Jawbreaker, Modest Mouse, and Knapsack. They started their careers in Austin’s mom’s garage and soon began playing DIY shows all around North Alabama with the addition of Ben Cape and Jacob Hill. Their breakout album about being in high school and hanging out in parking lots, please be nice, was recorded in 2013 and quickly took underground internet forums by storm after the popular YouTube channel jommeez uploaded the album, their most popular song, “c u in da ballpit,” holding 1.9 million views to date. After Ben left the band, BATHE was recorded in 2014 and picked up by Broken World Media for a cassette release in 2015. The band took a hiatus for a couple of years after recording WELCOME HOME SON in 2016, a darker, more serious album about addiction and loss. With the addition of Dani Fandre, the band made a strong comeback in 2022, releasing an EP of acoustic demos recorded through 2017 and 2018 called Lost & Found and selling out both of their come-back shows. In September 2023 they released Hollow Eyes, a precursor to their next full length, drawing influence from Jawbox and The Weakerthans and grappling with more mature subject matter pertaining to addiction, homelessness and finding a way out. After the success of an almost all-sold-out Midwest and East Coast please be nice Ten Year Anniversary tour, Camping in Alaska plans to go back to the studio to record their long-awaited full length Eggbeater Jesus and hit the road again on the West Coast in 2024. Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Bandcamp