US / THEM Group

ABRAMS announce new album 'Modern Ways', share lead track via Metal Injection

"Abrams have it all: noisy, sludgy riffs, mathy time signatures, and big, arena-rock choruses. They say one time someone described them as 'Foo Fighters meets Red Fang', which felt strangely accurate.” -- Kerrang

"An emotional bulldozer of a record that sees the band refining its songcraft and sound... They have all the potential in the world to make a bona fide sludge/rock masterpiece." -- Metal Injection

Denver quartet Abrams share the lead single and title track to their forthcoming third album Modern Ways today via Metal Injection. Hear and share the hook-laden "Modern Ways" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Abrams has upped the ante with their latest recording, Modern Ways. With a focus on songwriting, lyrical narrative, and addictive hooks and refrains, Abrams presents a highly focused, intensely polished sonic narrative. Written over the course of two and a half years, the album reflects the passions, pains, successes and nightmares of the members of Abrams lives.

Modern Ways will be available on vinyl and streaming services via Sailor Records on May 1st, 2020. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Based out of Denver, Abrams was founded in 2013 as a trio. Abrams debut EP, February was released in May 2014 on No List Records. The supporting tour for this release saw the band hit the West Coast, before heading immediately into the studio to record their first full length.

Lust. Love. Loss was released independently in June 2015, receiving praise from Metal Injection, Decibel Magazine, Invisible Oranges, and others. The remainder of the year saw Abrams tour West, East, and West again.

Their follow up, Morning, came out on Sailor Records in June of 2017, which was supported by three nationwide tours for much of the remaining year. Morning received high praise from Metal Injection, New Noise Magazine, Metal Sucks and others.

Abrams is:

Patrick Alberts: Guitar

Zachary Amster: Guitar & Vox

Ryan Dewitt: Drums

Taylor Iversen: Bass & Vox

ABRAMS LIVE 2020:

01/29/20 Denver, CO @ Ophelia's - Private Snowboard Industry event w/ ASG

05/02/20 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive - w/ Native Daughters and Palehorse/Palerider

Artist: Abrams

Album: Modern Ways

Record Label: Sailor Records

Release Date: May 1st, 2020

01. Modern Ways

02. Poison Bullets

03. Joshua Tree

04. That Part of Me

05.. Find a Way

06. My War

07. Silver Lake

08. Silence

09. Pale Moonlight

10. Marionette

On The Web:

www.abramsrocks.com

instagram.com/abramstheband

abramsrock.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/abramsrock

ThunderStars launch "gorgeously engaging" new single from upcoming album, Austin dreampop ex-Margot & Nuclear So and Sos

"Dreamy and psychedelic, blending the blissful drift of Slowdive with the more spacious elements of Low and the shimmering euphoria of Cocteau Twins... Gorgeously engaging." -- Treble

Austin shoegaze trio ThunderStars share a new single from their forthcoming album, Number Stations today via Treble Zine. Hear and share "Not That Far" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Echoes & Dust previously hosted lead track "Ride" HERE.

ThunderStars is a shoegaze/dreampop band from Austin TX. Formed in the fall of 2018, it marks the return to music of longtime Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos multi-instrumentalist, Erik Kang (guitar, lead vocals). The 3-piece solidified when Sven Bjorkman (drums), posted a random thought about creating a band to use the name ThunderStars, which was coined by his toddler daughter during a stress-fueled trip to the hospital.

This art-out-of-chaos theme has hung over the band since its inception. After their second live show, their bassist, Omar Richardson, was assaulted by a vagrant outside the venue, which resulted in a concussion and subsequent trip to the ER. This incident was covered extensively in Austin news, which raised the band's profile unexpectedly. ThunderStars demos also were well received publicly, and the band subsequently received considerable radio and podcast plays, as well as show bookings with many touring acts.

Number Stations will be available on January 10th, 2020 on LP and digital on Mariel Recording Company. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: ThunderStars

Album: Number Stations

Label: Mariel Recording Company

Release date: January 10th, 2020

01. Appalachian Spring Break

02. Oceans

03. Not That Far

04. Ride

05. Sleepyhead

06. Riptide

07. Oscar

On the Web:

thunderstars.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/thunderstarsuk

Melted Bodies (ex-Local Natives) share "Tim & Eric meets Mr Bungle" video via Kerrang!

"Throw David Lynch in the pit of a 2020 grind show and the noise that it makes might resemble Melted Bodies... The soundtrack to a radioactive spaghetti western where everyone’s throwing up." -- Kerrang

Los Angeles quartet Melted Bodies share an insanely clever video for their single "Ad People" today via Kerrang! The hilarious video spoofs our vapid Internet content spewing culture and is available to watch and share HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

About Melted Bodies:

Melted Bodies creates music for people to propel their limitless potential. We aim to inspire a can-do attitude that's culturally relevant, relatable, safe, and accessible to everyone. Instead of breaking boundaries, let's shatter them into a million mobile-friendly pieces, together. Motion creates emotion, and emotion creates content that challenges our core cultural influencers in our ever-increasingly connected world.

These are all ideas and themes that we can leverage and take advantage of in the new media democracy. We are here to target influencer content and engage media partners through collective storytelling and game-changing ideas. Autonomous social media helps drive peer to peer authentic engagements that can be tracked and measured to create augmented experiences which can then be leveraged to connect human truths. Our aim is to pander to the needs and wants of these global progressive influencers and pander we will.

MELTED BODIES LIVE 2020:

01/10 Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge

On The Web:

meltedbodies.com

instagram.com/meltedbodies

thehyv.shop/collections/melted-bodies

Blackwater Holylight announce March tour & share new video

"This quartet has been burning up stages all around their hometown, fueled by their abrasive blend of doom metal, psych rock, goth and a tangy soupçon of pop music... They landed a spot on the 2018 Best New Band poll in alt-weekly Willamette Week, but could quickly take over the world." -- Paste Magazine

"They mesh elements of doom, Krautrock and atmospheric indie into one bewitching rock whole." --Classic Rock Magazine

"A greasy, sun-baked rock jam calling back to the genre's classic days while showcasing a heavy doom edge that gives it a modern spin." 6 Best New Songs Right Now -- Revolver Magazine

Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight announce March 2020 headlining tour dates today, while also releasing a new video. The clip is a dramatic art short film set to the song "Jizz Witch" from the band's 2018 self-titled debut album. Watch/share the video via YouTube HERE. Please see current tour dates below.

Blackwater Holylight released their acclaimed sophomore album Veils of Winter (RidingEasy Records) in October 2019. Hear/share Veils of Winter: YouTube, Bandcamp, Spotify.

Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts. It's a fluid convergence of sound that's heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once.

As a heavy band, their songs aren't anchored to riffs, but rather riffs come and go in waves that surface throughout the band's meditative, entrancing songs. It's a hypnotic sound, with orchestral structures that often build tension and intrigue before turning the song on its head -- not by simply getting louder or heavier, nor by just layering elements. They expertly subvert the implied heaviness of a part, dissecting it and splaying the song's guts out to seep across the sonic spectrum.

Now, having toured extensively following the band's wildly-successful breakout self-titled debut in 2018, Blackwater Holylight has honed their sound and identity to a powerfully captivating beast. Their live set is all about the slow build, seeming to combine the melodic tension of early Sonic Youth crossed with the laconic fever-dream blues of the first Black Sabbath album and wiry experimentation of post-punk and krautrock.

The lineup on this album is Allison (Sunny) Faris (bass/vocals), Laura Hopkins (guitar/vocals) and Sarah McKenna (synths), with new guitarist Mikayla Mayhew and drummer Eliese Dorsay fleshing out their sound in exciting ways.

"The process of this album was vastly different from our first record," says Faris. "One, because we recorded it over the course of a few weeks, whereas the first record was over the course of about a year. And two, this album was a true collaboration between the five of us. Each of us had extremely equal parts in writing and producing, we all bounced ideas off each together, and we all had a say in what was going on during every part of the process."

"One of our favorite things about this album is that because it was so collaborative, we didn't compartmentalize ourselves into one vibe." She continues. "It's heavy, psychedelic, pop, shoegaze, doom, grunge, melodic and more. The whole process was extremely organic and natural for us, we were just being ourselves.

Veils of Winter is available on LP, CD and download, released October 11th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Orders are available at www.ridingeasyrecs.com.

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE 2020:

03/04 Seattle, WA @ Substation

03/05 Vancouver, BC @ Astoria

03/06 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

03/07 Eugene, OR @ Old Nick's

03/08 Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial

03/10 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

03/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Echo

03/12 Palm Springs, CA @ Ace Hotel

03/13 Santa Cruz, CA @ Felton Music Hall

03/14 Oakland, CA @ Eli's Mile High

Artist: Blackwater Holylight

Album: Veils of Winter

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: October 11th, 2019

01. Seeping Secrets

02. Motorcycle

03. Spiders

04. The Protector

05. Daylight

06. Death Realms

07. Lullaby

08. Moonlit

On The Web:

ridingeasyrecs.com

instagram.com/blackwaterholylight

Greek rockers BUS share stunning video from RidingEasy Records debut album at Metal Injection

"A fantastic combination of crazy fun rock that also happens to be stupid catchy." -- Metal Injection

"BUS is pure rock'n'roll through and through, conjuring up influences that range from Judas Priest to Deep Purple to Sabbath to prog in a way that is decidedly old school and familiar, but never straight-up derivative." -- Revolver Magazine

"The what-if-the-Beatles-were-also-Primus-but-Primus-were-the-Melvins-and-also-Kyuss-is-there-because-that's-fun bounce of "I Buried Paul."...(BUS) confidently deliver hooks that are non-overbearing earworms -- the kinds of songs you don't realize are in your head until they already are." -- The Obelisk

Athens, Greece quartet Bus The Unknown Secretary (aka BUS) share the first video from their recently released debut album on RidingEasy Records today via Metal Injection. The wildly animated clip for album track "Moonchild" is available to watch and share HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

Hear and share the entire Never Decide album HERE. (Direct YouTube and Bandcamp.) Revolver Magazine previously shared single "Into The Night" HERE. And, The Obelisk launched "I Buried Paul" HERE.

From the opening notes of Never Decide, you'll know it's going to be a wild funhouse ride. It doesn't sound like just four people, it sounds like a mob of wild-eyed lunatics on the expressway to your skull. And, you're not gonna know what the band's name means, don't worry about it.

Heavy bands typically don't know how to make music fun. We're not talking about goofy, novelty rock, which BUS certainly is not. We're talking clever, spirited and anthemic rock that doesn't get bogged down in trying to sound menacing. Never Decide is a multifaceted album in the vein of classic hitters like The Hellacopters, Alice Cooper Band, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Orange Goblin.

"The story of the album expresses the psyche of a person in a dead end and his life is introduced into obsessive rhythms, more personal and random," explains vocalist/guitarist Bill Politis. "There is no happy end here, but the questions remain: Door A or Door B? Time to change or time to die, Never Decide!"

The album opens as if we're in the studio with the band listening to playback for the first time. There's a chirping test tone and someone starts counting in, "one, two, three..." before it suddenly grinds to a halt. Then suddenly the swirling guitar riff of the pummeling anthem "You Better Come In, You Better Calm Down" launches everything into the stratosphere. The guitars march in lockstep as swinging drums keep it all rolling at furious pace as the vocal chant of the song's title grows into a massive group chant in harmony. Think Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'" meets Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Night" -- here's another big, blazing anthem for the ages. "I Buried Paul" is the sort of fun, theatrical album track no one makes anymore, not since the days of the Alice Cooper Band. "Lucifer" takes things several shades darker, turning in a dramatic ballad launched by haunting piano chords and led by sinister, sneering vocals sounding something like Ozzy meets Johnny Rotten slowly building to its epic conclusion in double time with rinigng harmony guitar leads. "Evil Eyes" and "Moonchild" return the proceedings to the anthemic, pop-laced vibe, replete with major-minor chord shifts and vocal/guitar harmonies galore.

Never Decide was recorded in just 5 days in February 2018 with multitalented engineer and band's beloved friend John Vulgaris at Electric Highway Studios in Athens, Greece. The entire band -- drummer Aris Fasoulis, bassist Spiros Papadatos, and guitarists Fotis Kolokithas and Politis --recorded the instrumental tracks live in 3 days, reserving the last 2 for vocals. Over the 2 months that followed Vulgaris and the band fine-tuned the mix into the subtle and clever masterwork you have before you.

BUS formed in Athens in 2011, releasing two EPs and a full length The Impious Tapes, followed by The Cross EP (2014), and The Unknown Secretary LP in 2016. During that time the band has toured extensively throughout Greece and in neighboring nations. The release of Never Decide will see them expanding that touring radius considerably.

Never Decide is available on LP, CD and download, released on March 1st, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Purchases are available HERE.

Artist: BUS

Album: Never Decide

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: March 1st, 2019

01. You Better Come In, You Better Calm Down

02. The Hunt

03. I Buried Paul

04. Lucifer

05. Moonchild

06. Into the Night

07. Evil Eyes

On The Web:

facebook.com/bustheunknownsecretary

ridingeasyrecs.com

RidingEasy Records to reissue extremely rare 1970 doom album Randy Holden - Population II

RidingEasy Records proudly announce the official reissue on physical and digital formats of the extremely rare 1970 proto-metal album Randy Holden - Population II. Considered one of the first doom metal albums ever, the ex-Blue Cheer guitarist's solo debut has long been sought out by collectors. The remastered full length will be available on all streaming platforms for the first time, with a master more true to the original mix on LP, CD and streaming.

This weekend, Saturday December 21st, Holden will perform a rare live show at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in L.A. supported by drummer Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, RFTC, OFF!) It will be a career-spanning set featuring songs from the Fender IV, the Sons of Adam, the Other Half, Blue Cheer, and his solo work, including Population II. Tickets and info HERE.

"Godzilla just walked into the room. People just stood there with their eyes and mouths wide open."

To hear Randy Holden describe the audience's reaction in 1969 to his solo debut performing with a teeth-rattling phalanx of 16 (sixteen!) 200 watt Sunn amps is about as close as many of us will get to truly experience the moment heavy metal music morphed into existence. However, at last we have unearthed the proper fossil record.

Population II, the now legendary, extremely rare album by guitarist/vocalist Holden and drummer/keyboardist Chris Lockheed is considered to be one of the earliest examples of doom metal. Though its original release was a very limited in number and distribution, like all great records, its impact over time has continued to grow.

In 1969, Holden, fresh off his tenure with proto-metal pioneers Blue Cheer (appearing on one side of the New! Improved! Blue Cheer album and touring for the better part of a year in the group), aimed for more control over his band. Thus, Randy Holden - Population II was born, the duo naming itself after the astronomical term for a particular star cluster with heavy metals present.

"I wanted to do something that hadn't been done before," Holden explains. "I was interested in discordant sounds that could be melodic but gigantically huge. I rented an Opera house for rehearsal, set up with 16 Sunn amps. That's what I was going for, way over the top."

And over the top it is. The 6-song album delves into leaden sludge, lumbering doom and epic soaring riffs that sound free from all constraints of the era. It's incredibly heavy, but infused with a melodic, albeit mechanistic, sensibility.

"At the time, I was hearing these crazy melodies everywhere I went," Holden says. "I thought I was going crazy." For example, one day he slowly rooted out a powerful sound that had been nagging him and discovered it coming from a ceiling fan. "Machinery all around us doesn't turn in a perfect rhythm. That's what I was tuning into, I heard the music and the discordant sounds coming from the machinery. It was perfect for rendering the machine we built."

Troubles with the album's release bankrupted Holden, who subsequently left music for over two decades. It was bootlegged several times over the years, but until now hasn't seen a proper remaster and has yet to be available on digital platforms. "The original mastering just destroyed the dynamics of it," Holden says. "They flattened it out. Now we got a really nice remaster that should be the closest thing to the original recording."

Population II will be available on LP, CD and download on February 28th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records.

RANDY HOLDEN LIVE 2019:

12/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Whiskey A-Go-Go

Artist: Randy Holden

Album: Population II

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: February 28th, 2020

01. Guitar Song

02. Fruit & Iceburgs

03. Between Time

04. Fruit & Iceburgs (Conclusion)

05. Blue My Mind

06. Keeper of My Flame

On The Web:

ridingeasyrecs.com

THE WELL announce winter tour dates in US, EU & UK supporting new album 'Death and Consolation' on RidingEasy Records

"Their most intimate, darkly personal record yet... Taking them out of the doom corner and giving it a raw, post-punk feel. "Raven" sounds like a Satanic, downtuned Steppenwolf, and frankly we can’t get enough." -- Kerrang!

"An intoxicating mix of stoner metal and occultist rock -- it’s dark n’ doomy, sure, but it’s also as catchy as fly paper coated in industrial strength glue." -- Metal Sucks

Austin trio The Well announce yet another round of North American, EU and UK tour dates in support of their critically acclaimed new album Death and Consolation (RidingEasy Records.) The band has spent much of the year on tour, and now continue the trek into 2020, sharing some US dates with label mates Zig-Zags and R.I.P. These will be The Well's first ever tour in the UK, having only played London's DesertFest in 2019, and fans' first opportunity to see the band performing songs from the new album. Please see all dates below.

The band also recently shared a new video via Brooklyn Vegan. Watch & share the 4K UHD video for album track "Raven" which was directed, shot and edited by William Orendorff HERE. (YouTube.)

Death and Consolation is without a doubt a weighty album title. And, The Well is among the heaviest heavy psych bands in existence. So when we say that there's even more darkness and intensity to the band's third album than previous efforts, take heed. It's a deep sea diving bell of enveloping heaviness and longing.

"This one is a little more personal," says guitarist/vocalist Ian Graham. "2018 was a strange, dark year. A lot of change going on in my life, there was a lot of depression and coming out of it over the last year. I wanted to call this Death and Consolation, because in life that's a constant."

While The Well continue to walk an intriguing line between authentic early 70s doom/heavy psych and frayed weirdness of dark folk - especially with their haunting unison male/female vocals - the new album also adds the stark vibe of post-punk acts like Joy Division and early The Cure. "I feel like this album is almost more gothic. We're big fans of post-punk," Graham says. There's also much less jamming, the songs are tight and concise. And, did we mention, heavy? The band tuned down a full step to C-standard tuning for this album, which gives the proceedings its monstrous sound.

Sonically, Death and Consolation picks up where The Well -- Graham, bassist/vocalist Lisa Alley and drummer Jason Sullivan -- left off with their widely heralded 2016 RidingEasy album Pagan Science. The band once again recorded with longtime producer/engineer Chico Jones at Estuary Studio in 2018, who has turned the knobs for all three of their albums (Jones engineered the band's debut album Samsara with producer Mark Deutrom [Melvins, Sunn0)))] in 2013.) Samsara, released late September 2014 was ranked the #1 debut album of 2014 by The Obelisk and Pagan Science among the Best of 2016 from the Doom Charts collective. Likewise, the band's intense -- some even say "possessed" -- live performances have earned them featured slots at Austin's Levitation Fest, as well as tours with Kadavar, All Them Witches, Black Tusk and more.

"This album might be a little less produced, because I didn't want to push technical stuff as much," Graham says. "I'm so scared of getting too complicated when getting better at guitar. This is still kind of punk rock."

Death and Consolation is available on LP, CD and download as of April 26th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Orders are available HERE.

THE WELL TOUR 2020:

01/22 - Milan, IT @ Ligera

01/23 - Bologna, IT @ Freakout

01/24 - Turin, IT @ Ziggy

01/26 - Lille, FR @ La Bulle Cafe

01/27 - Tours, FR @ Le Canadian Cafe

01/28 - Nantes, FR @ La Scene Michelet

01/29 - Bordeaux, FR @ Les Voutes

01/30 - Dijon, FR @ Peniche Cancale

01/31 - Rennes, FR @ Le Melies

02/01 - Paris, FR @ Espace B

02/03 - Brighton, UK @ Hope & Ruin

02/04 - Milton Keyes, UK @ The Craufurd Arms

02/05 - Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast

02/07 - London, UK @ Black Heart

02/08 - Bree, BE @ Ragnarok

02/09 - Berlin, DE @ Zukunft am Ostkreuz

02/10 - Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse

02/19 - El Paso, TX @ Monarch

02/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room

02/21 - San Diego, CA @ Til Two Club *

02/22 - Oceanside, CA @ The Pourhouse *

02/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Roadhouse *

02/25 - San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout

02/26 - Nevada City, CA @ The Brick

02/27 - Portland, OR @ High Water Mark +

02/28 - Seattle, WA @ Substation +

02/29 - Vancouver, BC @ TBA +

03/02 - Kalispell, MT @ Old School Records

03/03 - Missoula, MT @ TBA

03/04 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder

03/05 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

03/06 - Denver, CO @ Streets of London

03/07 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad

* w/ Zig-Zags

+ w/ R.I.P.

Artist: The Well

Album: Death and Consolation

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release date: April 26th, 2019

01. Sabbah

02. Raven

03. Death Song

04. Cup of Peace

05. Eyes of A God

06. Act II

07. Freedom Above

08. This Is How

09. Endless Night

On the Web:

www.thewellband.com

www.thewellaustin.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/thewellband

The Schizophonics to play NYC 'London Calling' 40th anniversary benefit w/ Debbie Harry, Fred Armisen, Jesse Malin, more

"Makers of high octane, soulful garage punk... Get an early taste with smoking' stomper 'Battle Line'." -- BrooklynVegan

"Their live show is a turbo-charged, bombastic display of true blue rock'n'roll chaos. It's not just a wild live show; the songs are fantastic too!" -- RazorCake (cover story)

San Diego trio The Schizophonics have been invited by host & organizer Jesse Malin (D Generation) to perform at 'Gates of The West: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of London Calling' in NYC on December 14th. The event is a benefit for the Joe Strummer Foundation featuring performances by Debbie Harry, Fred Armisen, Eugene Hutz (Gogol Bordello) and more celebrating the cherish album by The Clash. For more information, tickets and the full lineup go HERE.

The Schizophonics' sophomore album, People In The Sky was released on Halloween, and has received considerable press praise. The band recently returned from an extensive US tour, only to be personally invited to fly out by Malin after he'd seen their wild live show.

The Talkhouse recently hosted the song, "Steely Eyed Lady," with a fittingly astounding introduction courtesy of beloved performance artist El Vez (a.k.a. Robert Lopez) HERE. (Direct YouTube.) BrooklynVegan previously premiered the first single "Battle Line" available to hear and share via BrooklyVegan, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.

Over the last few years, The Schizophonics have built up a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act. Tapping into the same unstoppable combination of rock 'n' roll energy and showmanship that fueled The MC5 in the heyday of the Grande Ballroom, their wild live show is heavily influenced by artists like James Brown, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, and The Sonics. Singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers formed the band in San Diego in 2009 and have worked tirelessly since then, playing hundreds of shows around the globe and winning 7 (SEVEN!) San Diego music awards.

In 2013 they were recruited as the backing/opening band for El Vez, which helped the band make a name for itself in Europe. Since then, they've played in fourteen countries, and supported tours by like-minded acts like Rocket From The Crypt, Little Barrie, and The Woggles and have opened for The Damned, The Hives and Cage The Elephant. Shindig magazine described their live show "Like watching some insane hybrid of Wayne Kramer, James Brown, and the Tazmanian Devil."

"One of my favorite live bands ever," proclaims Tim Mays, who has run the Casbah in San Diego for 30 years and has seen literally thousands of live bands come through his doors. "The Schizophonics bring the goods every time they play," he enthuses.

The band is more than just an outstanding live act, they're also committed to writing great, memorable songs. After releasing 2 singles and an EP over the last few years on Munster, Ugly Things, and Pig Baby Records, they put out their first full-length album in July 2017 titled Land Of The Living on the label Sympathy For The Record Industry with famed record man Long Gone John. In January of 2019 they started work on their second LP recruiting Dave Gardner (Hot Snakes, RFTC) mixing engineer Stephen Kaye (JD McPherson, Mike Krol) and Pierre De Reeder (Rilo Kiley) to put their live, raw sound to tape.

The album, titled People in the Sky was released on October 31st, 2019 on Pig Baby Records. Orders are available HERE.

THE SCHIZOPHONICS LIVE 2019:

12/14 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom - Gates of The West: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of London Calling

Artist: The Schizophonics

Album: People In The Sky

Label: Pig Baby Records

Release date: October 31st, 2019

01. Something's Got To Give

02. Steely Eyed Lady

03. Nine Miles

04. People In The Sky

05. The One I Want

06. Battle line

07. Not Gonna Change My Mind

08. Long Way To Go

09. Show Me Your Eyes

10. Like a Mummy

11. Down and Out

12. She's Coming Back

On the Web:

schizophonics.com

facebook.com/TheSchizophonics

instagram.com/theschizophonics

pigbabyrecords.com

ThunderStars share first single from new album of Austin dreampop glory

Austin shoegaze trio ThunderStars share the first single from their forthcoming album, Number Stations today via Echoes & Dust. Hear and share "Ride" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Number Stations will be available on January 10th, 2020 on LP and digital on Mariel Recording Company. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: ThunderStars

Album: Number Stations

Label: Mariel Recording Company

Release date: January 10th, 2020

01. Appalachian Spring Break

02. Oceans

03. Not That Far

04. Ride

05. Sleepyhead

06. Riptide

07. Oscar

On the Web:

thunderstars.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/thunderstarsuk

NOUS II album of experimental all-stars streaming in full ahead of release

Featuring Christopher Bono, Thor Harris, Greg Fox, Shahzad Ismaily, Grey Mcmurray

"A half-airy, half-aggressive interdisciplinary happening organized by the young and enterprising composer Christopher Bono, who brought together a wise, postcategory, electric and acoustic 12-person crew." -- New York Times

"You couldn't pigeonhole it into one genre if you tried -- it goes from eerie David Lynchian soundscapes to Eastern melodies to avant-garde jazz drum freakouts to a million other places, all while remaining strangely accessible." -- Brooklyn Vegan

"(Sometimes) it is clear from the get-go that you’re handling something potent, that the music you’re about to hear is going to leap out of the digital format and grab you by heart... A captivating and moving piece of music." -- Heavy Blog Is Heavy

New York experimental music project NOUS, led by producer and composer Christopher Bono, is streaming their forthcoming album NOUS II in full today ahead of its release via Ghost Cult Magazine in North America HERE and Echoes & Dust for UK & EU HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Heavy Blog Is Heavy recently launched "Here In my Chest It Is What It Is" HERE. PopMatters previously shared lead track "Nighten Gale" HERE. Treble hosted "Look Again at That Dot" HERE. And Spill Magazine shared "World Map One" HERE.

Nous is an experimental music project with a fluctuating group of artists exploring ritual and spontaneity within music. NOUS II features the same lineup as the debut: multi-instrumentalists Christopher Bono (keyboards/electronics/percussion/vocals), Greg Fox (drums/percussion/electronics), Thor Harris (drums/percussion), Shahzad Ismaily (electronics/guitar/bass) and Grey Mcmurray (guitar), with special guests.

On this album, NOUS founder and curator Christopher Bono takes the project and the musicians on a deeper dive into the post-rock, and ambient genres. The project maintains the spirit of spontaneity, but the musical experiments are conducted within a framework of more melodic exploration alongside cellular motif and groove oriented experiments.

Woodstock, NY label Our Silent Canvas is preparing to release the second of 3 albums culled from sessions the group recorded in an intensive 7-day immersion at legendary Dreamland Studios with

producer Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate).

Each recording, and performance will center around a different focal concept, always seeking alternative ways of creating art. The name Nous was chosen for its double meaning. 'Nous' in the French language is the plural personal pronoun in the first person, meaning 'we' or 'us'. However, within the philosophical tradition it is a word, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, used to describe the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, similar in meaning to intuition.

Nous band members on this recording:

~ Christopher Bono (Composer, Ghost Against Ghost) www.christopherbono.com

~ Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, Zs, Ben Frost, ex-Liturgy)

~ Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Bonnie Prince Billy)

~ Thor Harris (Swans, Angels of Light, Amanda Palmer, Shearwater)

~ Grey Mcmurray (itsnotyouitsme, So Percussion, Tyondai Braxton)

Special guests:

~ Clarice Jensen (Cello, ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble, yMusic, Ra Ra Riot

~ Caleb Burhans (Composer, itsnotyouitsme, ACME)

~ Laura Lutzke (Violin, ACME)

~ Alex Sopp (Flutes, ACME, yMusic)

~ Imago (Cello, Vocals, Múm)

~ Laraaji & Arji (Zither, Ambient Sounds)

~ Akil Davis and Loud Sol Productions

NOUS II will be available on LP and download on December 6th, 2018 via Our Silent Canvas. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: NOUS

Album: NOUS II

Record Label: Our Silent Canvas

Release Date: December 6, 2019

01. Look Again at That Dot

02. Formless

03. Here In My Chest It Is What It Is

04. Yoj! Yoj!

05. Nighten Gale

06. World Map One

07. Uthando

08. Formless Too

09. Assume a Sunbeam

On the Web:

allnous.com

oursilentcanvas.bandcamp.com

oursilentcanvasstore.org

Tweets by @usthemgroup

US / THEM group

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