STRATEGIC ARTIST ADVOCACY SINCE 1997
Please go over to All About Jazz to hear the debut track "Punching Clocks" from the instrumental Portland duo of Cliff Hayes (Buellton) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun) aka CLIFFWALKER.
“Central to their sound is the vibraphone. It’s here in its glassy and funky finest... I don’t know if Vibrarock is a thing but if it’s not, this duo have invented it.” — Higher Plain Music
Thanks to the always influential Sound Opinions podcast for continuing to support MOTORCADE!
Greg Kot played "Static" from 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 (out now on Idol Records) during the show's latest "Buried Treasures" episode, effectively making it less buried. Thanks for that, Greg!
Dallas! Come out to the Kessler Theater on June 24 to see MOTORCADE live (with FIT supporting!) Tickets on sale here.
I'm energized by this hyperdrive Paul Slavens cut called "Queenie," in which the award-winning, long-running KXT public radio host shows off his madman-level composition skills. It's 🔥.
Visit All About Jazz for the scoop. Scroll down to watch the video (also of Paul's making, utilizing both his sheet music and the product of the creative mind of photographer, James Bland) for the tune that was handed to four university jazz students with the instructions to "play it as fast as you can."
𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘝𝘰𝘭. 𝘐𝘐 is out June 24 from State Fair Records.
I'm addicted to this deep cut from the upcoming Paul Slavens album 𝘈𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘝𝘰𝘭. 𝘐𝘐 (June 24, State Fair Records).
In its coverage of "Queenie," Central Track says, "Slavens’ tune is an all-instrumental slice of excellent upbeat jazz. It’s like a big shot of adrenaline in the morning. RIYL: Cannonball Adderley, McCoy Tyner and Art Blakey.”
More love today for Caitlin Cobb-Vialet's emotional workout "Disco Ball," from her upcoming album 𝘌𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘥, out May 6. I feel like this song is taking on a life of its own!
CLOUT says it "bleeds with an authenticity and sense of heart. A masterful track."
Some incredible writing here from Mitch Mosk at Atwood Magazine about Gregory Ackerman and his recent 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 album. Greg talks honestly, openly, and courageously about how his struggles with tragedy and depression informed this moving record.
And… we still dislike Spotify, yes? Greg has recorded a cover of the Graham Nash / Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classic "Our House," and in solidarity with Joni, Graham, David, and the gang, will be releasing it this Friday, April 22, to all streamers except for you-know-who.
Greg's also on tour now as part of Jack Symes' band and will be celebrating the release of "Our House" when the tour wraps in Los Angeles this Saturday, April 23 at Zebulon. For now, check the story and listen to 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 here.
The men of MOTORCADE are the subject of this piece over at the Dallas NPR affiliate KXT, discussing the new album 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 out this Friday from Idol Records. The band will play an in-store at the perennially awesome Good Records on Sat., April 23.
Check it: “The sense that MOTORCADE knows precisely what it wants to achieve, and knows precisely how to achieve it is evident throughout the 11 tracks on 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, spilling from the ominous beauty of the opening track ‘Shift’ through to break-out single ‘Slip,’ which aches with reverence for vintage 1980s New Wave and Gothic-tinged pop.”
No shit. “Slip” is my Cure, Echo, Siouxsie-laced jam. Click for your life, black-hearted ones!
As a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, I was particularly excited for this episode of Ranking The Beatles featuring Elroy (also of Crowded House and Wild Nothing) discussing "Sexy Sadie," which even the casual fan of The Beatles knows is about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Tune in and be sure to check out the self-titled Elroy album, out now on Grand Phony, on which FLOOD says he “reckons with the groggy morning after.” Stereo Embers calls the record “a shimmering collection... brimming with low-fi folk, thoughtful psychedelia, pure poetry, and a lot of heart." Glide says it's “sultry and dreamy" and "darkly infectious.”
Click for your life!
Today we have Hilarie Sidney of The High Water Marks (formerly an associate of Elephant 6 Recording Co. and member of The Apples in Stereo) discussing The Beatles’ classic "I'm A Loser," one of John Lennon's earliest candid and self-effacing compositions, with the esteemed Ranking The Beatles podcast.
Please listen and enjoy!
Later Fortune’s cover of David Bowie’s “Win” is over at my favorite cover songs site Cover Me as one of their "Best Cover Songs of January."
"The duo of Chet Delcampo and Heyward Hawkins, collaborators with Karl Blau & War on Drugs band members, wrap a hazy gauze around this Bowie deep cut, bringing in Depeche Mode influences."
Today in the Orlando Sentinel: Linda Draper talks spontaneity. Like, how about the time she thought it would be fun to learn to line dance, took a line dancing class that evening at Cowboys, and then filmed her first attempts and included them in her new “’81 Camaro” video?
Yeah, she did that!
The tune is on Linda’s upcoming album 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬, out later this month. Pre-save at https://smarturl.it/y2fm3o.
“In her charming new video, Linda Draper bids farewell to New York and takes a deep dive into nostalgia and Americana." Gotta give thanks to Rachel over at Adobe and Teardrops for this post of the “’81 Camaro" video, which depicts that tiny sliver of time this summer when peeps were back to cruising in cars, going to carnivals, and line dancing.
I’m also partial to Linda’s selfie acoustic version, where she’s interrupted by the door buzzer. New album Patience and Lipstick is out January 21!
I love that lyric, too. Linda's a master at this kind of subtle, but emotionally startling, writing. Find the song, video, and a fun acoustic performance here.
Loving what writer Lee Zimmerman says today at Goldmine Magazine in his intro to Mark Bryan’s "10 Albums That Changed My Life,” for which he actually wanted to name 20 (including Tom Waits, XTC, The Ramones, and The Replacements, along with other usual and essential suspects).
"It seems inevitable that Bryan will forever be associated with the band he helped found, Hootie and the Blowfish. Regardless of any popular perception, Bryan boasts a stellar solo career... the ever-emphatic 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 establishes a new high bar as far as his individual achievement."
Jenny Parrott visited the Austin Artists Collective show on KOOP Radio yesterday to chat about her new album 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘚𝘢𝘸 with host PJ Pullus. Now, through the magic of the interwebs, you can hear what happened yesterday today. Folks, that's what I call progress. Listen!