take a look / listen 
The Willowz are bringing their garage rock grit and soul on the road as openers for The Delta Spirit next month. The band’s new full-length Everyone (Dim Mak/Downtown Records) is available in-stores and on the web now. The album is an energetic mix of scrappy energy, skuzzy riffs, and hooks galore.
Check out the mp3 for “Repetition,” which Blurt describes as a “mash-up of White Stripes, Yardbirds, and Talking Heads” here ---- The bands also pulls back the curtain for a taste of how Everyone was made in a ‘Making Of’ featurette about the album.
Watch it on YouTube hereAnd on Vimeo here
Tahiti Boy + the Palmtree FamilyPreps US Edition of Debut Album
French singer-songwriter brings album Stateside
with the help of Tunde Adebimpe and more...
MP3: That Song ft. Tunde Adebimpe
Tahiti Boy 'Brooklyn' Video:
Tahiti Boy & The Palmtree Family - Brooklynby ThirdSideRecords
It seems like we're all waiting for a story these days, some dream to escape to. A tale told by the fireplace with its heroes and villains, a That's-all-Folks kind of ending and a piano playing I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas with the whole family around it. Tahiti Boy dreamt that dream and turned it into Good Children Go To Heaven. Here's how the story goes. After spending a few years in New York City and working with some of NYC's best underground acts (Mike Ladd, Antipop Consortium, TV on the Radio...), Tahiti Boy aka David Sztanke came back to France with a head full of new music and beautiful melodies.
Setting up in Paris, he started to gather musicians from some of the coolest indie bands around (Jamaica and Syd matters to name but a few) and in no time found himself heading the best backing band in town. They called themselves the Palmtree family. On top of the traditionnal pop combo, they've added percussions, a cello, and Tahiti Boy's keyboards, central elements of their signature groovy psychedelic pop sound inspired by Sly Stone, the Beatles and the Supremes . Their debut album was released locally to critical acclaim last year and find them swimming in the same musical seas as The Flaming Lips, Of Montreal with an added obvious Michel Legrand and Serge Gainsbourg inspired french touch. Tahiti Boy shoots the whole scene and each song is like a pop gem.
"1973" is everyone's favorite, a great pastoral and psychedelic tune with a great video. "Brooklyn" features a perfect summer pop melody as Tahiti Boy sings about his years spent in NYC, between his classes at the Juilliard School and his job in a music shop. Last but not least, Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) joins the family on "That Song", a more introspective and minimalistic affair. This US Edition comes packed with 4 exclusive songs, including Para One's brilliant remix of "1973" an eerie feeling in total harmony with the family's spirit. At this point, you would call the whole thing a divine blessing. Good children go to heaven.
And according to Tahiti Boy, we're all good children.
On New LP, Rob Swift Proves That Turntablism and Classical Music Have More In Common Than Anyone Ever ThoughtThe Architect Drops February 23rd on Ipecac RecordingsClick HERE for a Free MP3 of “Rabia – 2nd Movement”
and Check Out a Video for the Track HERE
Master turntablist Rob Swift has strived to expand the definition of Hip Hop since his first release in the mid-90’s. In an age where creating an iTunes play list is the sole prerequisite for being called a DJ, Swift’s boundary-pushing new release, The Architect, is a refreshing reminder that the 1’s and 2’s are an instrument in themselves. Using his newfound love of classical music as a point of inspiration, Swift’s latest work has as much in common with Mozart as it does with Grandmaster Flash. The innovative album has found a perfect home on fellow experimental musician Mike Patton’s label, Ipecac Recordngs (Melvins, Isis, Hella).Swift first arose to prominence as a member of the turntablist collective the X-Men a.k.a. X-ecutioners, and soon became known across the globe for his beat juggling skills. He has since gone on to work with an incredibly varied array of artists including Herbie Hancock, Cypress Hill, Dan the Automator, and Blue Man Group. Swift has also appeared on Sesame Street, ESPN, and The Late Show With David Letterman, all while maintaining his underground credibility and sense of adventureA quick glance at The Architect’s track listing reveals that Swift has created a conceptual piece of work.
Though mostly instrumental, the album is not a “concept album” but rather a series of compositions deliberately sequenced to form a greater, unified whole. On “Principio,” the album’s lone MC, Breez Evahflowin, breaks it down when he spits “The way it’s layed down, don’t shuffle this LP / the truth is you’d miss something that’s healthy / something like progress, the artform elevated / the next level of turntablism and innovators.”Though only two tracks contain vocals, The Architect is ripe with emotion and abstract narrative. Orchestral strings and organs mingle with fierce breakbeats and expert scratching. Swift’s exploration of manipulating pitch and tempo are executed and organized with the mindset of a virtuosic composer. The album not only adds to Swift’s illustrious legacy, but also adds news chapters in the history of the DJ and hip hop at large.
Rise Records is pleased to announce plans to re-issue PIEBALD's out-of-print catalog. Piebald: First Ten Years will be a three volume set, each volume containing two discs; the set will compile the band's first three full-lengths (When Life Hands You Lemons, If It Weren't For Venetian Blinds, It Would Be Curtains For Us All and We Are The Only Friends We Have), all of their EPs, b-sides and live tracks. Volume I is expected in late April, while Volumes II and III will be released in May and June respectively. PIEBALD also announced that they'll be playing their 2002 full-length We Are The Only Friends We Have from start to finish at their upcoming show at Bamboozle on May 2.
THE emcee of Low End Theory taps Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, Nobody, Corn Gangg for production, 'Jimmy the Lock' out 1/26 on Alpha PupNEW MP3:Hurry Up And WaitThe LA underground has many voices, some covered in grit and dirt, some slapping the asphalt, some hitting high and brassy- but none ring truer than that of Nocando. A seasoned member of the hip hop community who isn't content to count his battle scars by the dozens, Nocando brings fresh rhymes week after week at the world-renowned club night Low End Theory where he is the resident host, as well as to a variety of steazy joints all around the West Coast.With a witty style and open voice, Nocando's raps are unpredictable, funny and lean towards social commentary, although this MC is just as likely to tell you about a wild night on the streets of LA as to make a point about the fallacies of the music industry. Brash and confident while also being laid back, Nocando's lyrical delivery is an apt representative of the California attitude. Winner of the MC Battle at the 2007 Scribble Jam, the largest hip hop festival in the nation, Nocando's mouth often seems to have a life of its own, throwing an excited energy onto any crowd he meets and providing an important connection between the music and the dance floor.Nocando's debut album, Jimmy the Lock, drops on Alpha Pup Records January 29, 2010; the initial single has garnered fat reviews from widespread locales and boasts beats from the top of the Los Angeles underground: Nosaj Thing, Nobody, Daedelus, Thavius Beck, Free the Robots, Maestroe, Th' Corn Gang and with scratching by Gaslamp Killer.
The MC has also released a myriad of collaborations with artists such as Subtitle, Aceyalone, Murs, Lucky I Am, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2mex, LMNO, Pumpkinhead and many others.In addition, Nocando has held his own performing on bills with Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hills, Flying Lotus, MF Doom, Supernatural, Cee-Lo Green, Souls Of Mischief, Typical Cats, The Chicharones, Grand Buffet, The Visionaries, Nancy Sinatra, The Fucking Champs and Autechre.Never afraid to get dirty, Nocando has won (and lost) numerous rap battles. Countless Thursday nights spent spitting freestyle in Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District of South Central LA established him as Project Blowed's new school poster boy and a Customer Service hard hitter. The tireless MC has traveled to New York City, Boston, Canada, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Japan and many other locations giving international music fans a taste of Los Angeles' main exports: blue collars, brown skies, bright lights, and bullshit.With almost a decade of active duty in the LA beat scene and plenty of battle trophies under his belt, Nocando has earned the respect of peers, veterans and newcomers alike. Unpredictable and vivacious, Nocando will light any night and every crowd with his clever words and dynamic delivery style. With the continued convergence of the hip hop and electronic music communities in Los Angeles and around the world, Nocando is poised to shout his drops from the peak of the movement all the way to the vibrating dance floor of the underground.
SF's Man/Miracle to release "The Shape Of Things" this February ; Begin West Coast jaunt this weekdebut LP out out 2/23/2010
on Third Culture RecordsMP3:Hot Sprawl"
Man/Miracle"The Shape of Things"(Third Culture)It's tempting to call MAN/MIRACLE a band, but they're more than just guys with instruments: they're four guys with musical instruments. Speaking precisely, they're really more of a group of musicians who write and perform music together-- a "band," if you will. In this configuration, they create the sort of intricate, resplendent, wooly guitar pop to which many adjectives-- including totally inapplicable ones, like "wooly"-- might be applied.The nucleus of the thing emerged from the inconsequential burg of Los Osos, CA, where singer/guitarist Dylan "Swimp" Travis and drummer Tyler Corelitz grew up. "We've been playing music since high school," quoth Swimp. "There's no music scene in Los Osos, but we played anyway." After a long mystical sojourn during which both men found their spirit animals, the pair reconvened in Santa Cruz and teamed up with lead guitarist Ian Benedetti and bassist Brian Kennedy to form the lively beat collective we know today.Soon, they had captivated a local following due to their naively ambitious performance schedule.
"We didn't know how to be in a band, really, so we were just playing as many shows as possible," relates Swimp; I didn't have the heart to tell him, but it turns out that's basically what being in a band is.But then, tragedy struck: Swimp broke his back, and the band was on hiatus for months because he had to wear this thing around his thorax that looked like a big plastic urinal. It was during his long, Vicodin-leaned recovery that Swimp and the boys recorded their first EP, which came out all spacey due to the pills. Swimp eventually pulled through, and his triumph over adversity is exactly the kind of heartwarming story you'd want to read about in a press kit.Seeking a shittier living situation, the boys then left the pastoral splendor of Santa Cruz behind and moved to Oakland, where Ian and Swimp rented the sort of squalid shanty you also love to read about in press kits: "It was basically this terrible, cockroach-infested hellhole that was falling apart, but it had a basement and we could play down there... it was moldy and we were sick all the time," Swimp reminisces, coughing a mist of tuberculous blood into his handkerchief.
Though the roaches eventually won and forced the boys out, the situation formed the aesthetic fundament that undergirds their new effort, The Shape of Things. "I think a lot of the album is about that experience-- the cover is a picture of the Ryugyong Hotel, which is this building in North Korea that's falling apart but has been under construction since 1987. It's about living in this space that's both crumbling and full of life."
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour celebrated the end of 2009 with several live shows in New York City and left us with some great souvenirs! Before taking the stage at the Tribeca Grand Hotel GBH Party, the band sat down with NickyDigital for a “PLAYback” episode. Additionally, lead singer Mette Lindberg recorded a “Happy New Year” video blog to friends and fans. The video features some of the many highlights from the road with The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Check it out here!While in New York City, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour also stopped by the Fearless Music studios and recorded a live performance, which aired 12/19/09 and 1/2/10 on Fox across the country. Watch them perform their latest single, “The Golden Age,” on Fearless Music here! You can also watch the official video for “Golden Age,” from their 2009 debut album Fruit, here.
Bear Hands
'What A Drag'
February 16th
Bear Hands release their new single 'What A Drag' on Cantora Records and for one month, you can download the tunes for free!
Just when all the fuss is exploding on the Brooklyn indie art and pop rock scene, Cantora Records are ready to unleash Brooklyn’s Bear Hands US debut single, and their sexiest tune yet, What A Drag on February 16th. But this band doesn’t sound like they are remotely influenced in the least by what’s going on musically around them. They’re breaking the mold making them a truly refreshing and standout group, opening their own rift, letting everyone know there’s a new sheriff in town.
'What A Drag' will be available digitally, in addition to a 1000 limited run pressing of 7" white vinyl. Download it now for free for 1 month only and watch the brand new video for the single:
www.bearhandsband.com
"Rebound" will be featuring Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation on Monday, January 18th from 7-11pm at Vessel. As part of an artist duo that sells out arenas of thousands of fans anywhere in the world, Rob Garza has chosen to share his talents and perform for the San Francisco audience in efforts to raise as much money for the World Food Programme (http://www.wfp.org/ ).
J Boogie from OM Records and other artists from the bay area will be joining Garza and as a combination this event is destined to be a huge success and raise thousands to feed the disaster stricken community in Port-au-Prince. Donations at the door and from the bar will go directly to the World Food Programme. The event is hosted by Vessel (http://vesselsf.com/ ), OM Records (http://www.om-records.com /), Nitevibe (http://nitevibe.com/ ), Terrorbird Media (http://www.terrorbird.com/ ) and Burners without Borders (http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/ ).
Food will also be provided with the help of Oola Restaurant and Bar.