www.bensollee.com

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Characterizing Ben Sollee's music with any precision is a challenge, since it fuses elements from a wide variety of sources. In describing his music, Sollee told Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal that, "Phrasing-wise, [it's a] free story-telling style of singing where it's about moving the storyline along. [My influences have been] Paul Simon, Nina Simone, Ani DiFranco, Louis Armstrong, Lauryn Hill, Sam Cooke, Phoebe Snow."Other Influences have included Mark Summer, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Pete Seeger.

Sollee's Music has been said to observe no limits. [Bill Weigandt, Wooden Box] His songs are eclectic in that they draw elements from a broad range of recognizable genre's of music, even with the scope of a single song. The amalgamation of these disparate elements seems to be done subconsciously. The internal coherence of the compositions manages to sustain them against any impression of artifice. Subject to the song varies widely—from expressive love songs (e.g., "Copper and Malachite"), to the lamentations of a long-serving prisoner ("Captivity"), to the burning of London's historic Globe Theatre ("The Globe"). A notable feature of Sollee's songs that the lyrics are of co-equal importance with the music.

Sollee's cello work is the element that seems to most impact audiences that have not previously seen him perform. The initial reaction is often one of surprise, if not shock, since most listeners' familiarity with the cello, if any, is in classical settings, primarily with an orchestra.  Sollee shows up in a T-shirt instead of a tux.  He plucks the cello's strings as frequently as he bows them, plays without printed music, and rarely concentrates his gaze on the instrument while performing.  Mostly, he is singing, coordinating with his fellow performers, and connecting with the audience, in much the same manner that many guitar players do. In response to a probe about the uniqueness of what he is doing as a musician, Sollee has said he's "just continued with stuff that's been going on in banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and bass."  In explaining his bond to the cello, Sollee told CNN interviewer that the cello is "a great Swiss Army Knife...It always does the different things I need it to do in ensembles. I can take the lead. I can play rhythm. It always creates a sound that works in the environment I'm playing in."  Sollee's relation to the cello is so intimate that appears almost organic, as if the instrument were merely an extension of his body. (Jon Rieger, Wooden Box)

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Ben Fugate is the product of many things: the rural Southeastern Kentucky landscape he calls home, the belting of gospel vocals behind shoddy guitar amplifiers at the Pentecostal church he spent most Sundays, and the hardships that come with being a young adult in a town he loves, which both time and the rest of the world have seemingly passed by. Ben chose the path of music from an early age, donning the famous studded apparel of Elvis Presley and impersonating at his family gatherings as a young boy, playing Lynyrd Skynyrd songs to an amphitheater of his high school peers in talent shows, and forming his first band after graduation, spending all his time in a sweltering garage with his buddies coming up with melodies and singing every John Mellencamp song he knew. The influences Ben draws from range greatly, from the high twanged vocal acrobatics of The Osborne Brothers to the heart-tugging slow country warbles of Vern Gosdin. The influence of Joe Diffie, Hank Williams, Keith Whitley, George Jones, Travis Tritt, Bob Seger, Eagles, and Charlie Daniels are all evident in the music that Ben makes, but he is not his influences. Like any great artist, he is merely a vessel that channels all the great emotional highs and lows across the vast history of country music and makes them his own. This is before accounting for his equally incredible group, The Burning Trash Band, a band of music vets who always display their tight guitar work and clock-like rhythm section both in shows and in the booth. Ben Fugate and The Burning Trash have only been a collective for 2 years, and they have been constantly working towards honing their sound, adjusting melodies and delivery, and obsessively messing with tone. What Ben and his band of honky-tonk heroes seek to achieve is none other than their own perfect vision of what country music is to them. And with every show, every record, every practice, every lyric, and every broken guitar string, they come that much closer.

Mod Kiddo

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For fans of bands like Radiohead, Mazzy Star, Beach House and singers like Elliot Smith (all of whom she counts as influences), Michaela McKiernan is a great new local singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, for Louisville to fall in love with. Under her stage name “Mod Kiddo”, she just released her debut EP “Scintillation” and scintillating it is! The songs are lush, moody, and ethereal “dream pop” produced (and co-written) by Craig Pfunder, known nationally for his band VHS or Beta and Will Roberts of “The Pass” fame.

Michaela grew up in the Highlands and got her start in the music industry at the early age of 14 as a visual artist by designing tour merchandise for Cage the Elephant, and filming claymation music videos for some of her favorite bands such as Big Sun, and making concert posters for various local shows. From working with these musicians, she became inspired and began experimenting with her own music. Her father taught her the basics of guitar and songwriting. She quickly gravitated toward performing and writing her own music, using it as a new outlet to share her sentiments with the world. At Assumption High School she was in choir all four years and took AP Music Theory. At the University of Louisville, she has taken piano and guitar and plans to continue music classes throughout her degree.

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Operating within the frequencies that weaken teens faculties of discernment, Blair Gun remains enchanted with replicating immutable rhythms of sounds that passed before their time. Evoking a post-punk energy with the growly sounds of early aughts garage rock, Blair Gun are solidifying their place in the Southern California scene – focusing on revisiting and reshaping the sounds that inspire them. Blair Gun is Joedin Morelock, Zach Cavor, Jake Richter, and Alyson Valdez.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, JAMIEEE is a rapper with deep respect for the city’s history of rising Rap and RnB artists. Looking to make a name for himself, JAMIEEE began making music through high school, inspired by Lou natives such as Jack Harlow and Bryson Tiller, and equipped with the knowledge of Soul classics which he was raised on. Officially releasing his first EP on his 18th birthday, JAMIEEE has carved out a place for himself within his local scene. His next release “SHEESH” comes out August 23rd, 2024.

www.lukepowersmusic.com

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Based in Brown County, Indiana. Luke Powers is bringing his skill as a craftsman into the music he plays. Through the trials of working with his hands daily, Powers has perfected his skill of being a witty storyteller and talented guitar player. After moving back to the midwest from the Rocky Mountains, starting a family, and a business- Powers is fully ready to step into the light.

His second full length album TIME TO SHINE, released March 2023 on sonaBLAST! Records. From the pursuit of love and happiness, to heartbreak and teenage nostalgia, Powers brings a tongue in cheek quirkiness and authenticity to the album. The first track and title cut 'Time to Shine', is a nod to Willie Nelson with a bright introspective vocal and raw acoustic guitar leading the band into an upbeat 'Red Headed Stranger'-esqe honky tonk outro.

Luke Powers is taking aim at using his own brand of folk wisdom to tell the tales of the human condition. Through his experienced craftsmanship and wordsmithing coupled with skillful guitar playing makes TIME TO SHINE an instant classic that is sure to stand the test of time.

Pleaser

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Founded in 2019, Pleaser is a five-piece band formed by Collin Bennett, vocals/rhythm guitar, Kyle Eger - lead guitar, Aidan Post - bass, Corbin Wright - drums and Madison “Trippy” Walker on keys.

With influences ranging from The Strokes to Gorillas to Thin Lizzy, they can be counted on for solid melody, great harmonies, and riffs that stick in your head for days.

In October of 2020, the band enlisted the expertise of producer Cole Clark to record their first, five song EP, entitled, “Why Aren’t You Any Fun?” released in March of 2021.

“We were really happy with what happened in the studio for this project. I feel like we captured the spectrum of sound we were hoping for. The range of material, from really poppy to pretty dead-on rock, represents us well. We’re influenced by a lot of classic rock bands but keep an ear on what’s current.” – says Collin.

The band continues to write new material and is currently working on their next release.

Louisville's treasure. First famous as a jazz pianist on Blue Note records and playing with folks like Dizzy Gillespie and Ron Carter, John Abercrombie, Art Farmer, Lou Donaldson, Milt Jackson, and Freddie Hubbard, Harry Pickens has been a ubiquitous presence in Kentucky at events like Festival of Faiths. He is now focused on, shall we call it, "smooth piano”, healing loving tunes for a complicated world.

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Nick Dittmeier is a singer-songwriter from Southern Indiana. He’s released two solo ep’s, “Extra Better” in 2013 and “Light of Day” in 2014. With the support of his backing/touring band, The Sawdusters, he has released two full length albums, “Midwest Heart/ Southern Blues” in 2016 and “All Damn Day” in 2018. These albums are gritty collections of songs, full of characters who were developed while staring over the dash of a beat up tour van, cruising through towns all over the South and Midwest.

His newest release, “Companion (Extended Edition)”, features a four song studio collection from 2019 on Side A. Side B, titled “Alive From a Barbershop in Southern Indiana” is a live acoustic listening room set.

Relentless touring through the United States and Europe have accompanied these releases, and he will be on the road in 2021 and beyond.

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Bio Coming Soon!

DEBUT ALBUM "BEAST WITH TWO BACKS" OUT NOW!

Photo- Georgia Mallett

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BROTHERS, TANNER AND PEYTON WHITT, PERFORMING AS THE ADRENALIZED AMERICAN POP-ROCK BAND RAGS AND RICHES, AIM TO BRING HOPE AND INSPIRE A GENERATION OF DREAMERS. THE LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY NATIVES RELEASED THEIR DEBUT SINGLE, SPEED OF SOUND, IN 2019 AND LIT THE SPARK FOR A WILDFIRE BREAKOUT WITH ‘SOS’ REACHING OVER 875K+ STREAMS AND 520K+ VIDEO VIEWS.

THE TWO MAN CREW HAS PERFORMED 200+ SHOWS IN 40+ STATES, CHARTED IN TOP #200 ON NACC COLLEGE RADIO CHARTS, WON 2 LEXINGTON MUSIC AWARDS FOR POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR + SONG OF THE YEAR AND IMPRESSIVELY, CLOCKED IN OVER 3MIL+ CAREER STREAMS AND OVER 1.5MIL+ VIDEO VIEWS IN JUST 3 YEARS.

THEIR DEBUT ALBUM ALWAYS GOLD RELEASED JUNE 10 2022 VIA SONABLAST! RECORDS AND IMPRESSIVELY CLOCKED IN OVER 1.4MIL+ STREAMS IN IT‘S FIRST WEEK. WITH THEIR CURRENT EXPLOSIVE SUCCESS IT’S CLEAR THESE DETERMINED BROTHERS ARE RISING TO THE TOP.

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The songs of Andrew Iafrate as performed by him and his friends.

Alysia Kraft

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Having amassed devoted regional followings for projects Whippoorwill and The Patti Fiasco as a celebrated songwriter and incomparably magnetic frontwoman, Kraft has sold out most of Colorado’s big stages and directly supported icons Bon Jovi, Blondie, Nathanial Rateliff and Bonnie Raitt on significantly bigger ones. Embracing the complexities of growing up queer on a cattle ranch in small-town Wyoming and choosing to love within a landscape that didn’t always love back, “First Light” is a triumphant homecoming and a defining solo debut. Americana dipped in indie pop shimmer and folk bioluminescence will find crossover appeal with fans of HAIM, Kacey Musgraves, Sharon Van Etten, and Waxahatchee. Enlisting close collaborator J. Tom Hnatow & Grammy-nominated Justin Craig to produce and mix and acclaimed engineer, Sarah Register to master, "First Light" is open-hearted and thoughtfully hook-adorned-- with soundscapes as dimensional as Kraft’s western upbringing and the liberated narratives contained therein.

FIRST LIGHT

“I found solace in the the very early mornings of 2020. They were mine alone to work on songs. By the time dawn was pouring colors onto her palette, I was mixing them in mine - trying to stay in touch with the joy of being alive by writing, recalling, making demos.

I wrote from the big moments of my life. The first time I kissed a girl and felt like my body could not contain the magic and life and electricity within me. The first time I celebrated a full year sober and realized I was free to be a new person if I really wanted to be. The wild, uninhibited joy of my first tours, intoxicated by travel and connection and possibility and dizzied by the distance from my family. I meet, break-up with, and pine incessantly for my stubbornly true love on this album. And in the midst of conjuring these events from the past, 2020 shed few quiet moments of new understanding - personified and almost always delivered by the Wyoming landscape that raised me.”

-Alysia

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"The Fool"

Mark's long-awaited fifth LP, is available worldwide now!

Stream / Download here.

BIO

Dublin-native Mark Geary is a celebrated musician who began his career more than 20 years ago. In 1992, Mark bought a one-way ticket to New York City and spent several years honing his craft playing the local circuit in the East Village which included numerous appearances at the renowned Sin-é cafe with other upcoming artists including friend Jeff Buckley.

During that time, Mark’s songwriting skills and engaging live performances garnered him a dedicated audience, the respect and esteem of his peers, and a reputation as one of the finest song-smiths of his generation.

Mark is described as a “quintessential singer-songwriter” and his records of finely-crafted songs have been hailed as encapsulating both boisterous joy and gentle, delicate moments that endear themselves to the listener and evoke comparisons to artists such as Van Morrison, John Lennon, Elliot Smith and Richard Thompson.

His body of work includes 6 studio albums, 2 live recordings and collaborations with a number of artists including the release in 2013 of a charity version of his song ‘Christmas Biscuits’ with friend Glen Hansard in aid of St Vincent De Paul. Mark has also lent his talents to the visual arts scoring several films including Loggerheads (2005), Steel City (2006) and TriBeCa Film Festival favourite, Sons of Perdition (2010).

Touring and performing are still Mark’s lifeblood and passion. From the outset it is impossible not to be charmed by him, delivering as he does both his music and his stories in unassuming and singular style. His natural humour and ability to read the moment, give his shows a uniqueness, leaving his audiences with the feeling that they have just experienced something very special.

Over the last 20 years Mark has toured all over Europe, the US and Australia, and has shared the stage with performers such as The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Josh Ritter, Bell X1, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and Joe Strummer. In recent years, he has played shows and festivals in both the US and across Europe notably in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, including a headline spot on the critically acclaimed Songs from Ireland: Old and New tour. He also supported Glen Hansard on several of his European dates in 2015 and 2016.

Mark’s 6th studio album The Fool was released on sonaBLAST! Records in 2018.

“His delicate songs about love and defiance…..recall Richard Thompson and John Lennon…..one of the East Village’s favorite adopted sons.” – Time Out, New York

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Kentucky-born Brigid Kaelin is a Renaissance woman, excelling as a storyteller, musician, writer and illustrator. Classically-trained on several instruments, she's equally at ease at a Nashville session as she is entertaining pub crowds. Since her last studio album, Brigid lost both her parents to cancer back-to-back and was then diagnosed with cancer herself. She spent most of 2020-2021 alternating between surgeries and the recording studio and is grateful for a good prognosis.

Highlights of Brigid's career include: opening for Jason Isbell, Ben Folds, Jim James, and Loretta Lynn; singing on A Prairie Home Companion; playing with Elvis Costello on two continents; touring Europe annually; being named Louisville's "Best Singer-Songwriter" multiple years; being offered a lead role in a national touring Broadway musical (which she turned down to care for her dying mother); and being a vocal coach to A-list Hollywood actors. She occasionally hosts the long-time radio variety program Kentucky Homefront.

When she's not on stage, Brigid writes and paints. Her personal essays have run in many publications from Salon to LEO. During pandemic she turned to selling her architectural drawings. Her artwork will be featured as covers for her upcoming streaming releases.

Brigid graduated summa cum laude from New York University at age 20. A lifetime ago, she worked for CBS News and has all kinds of name-dropping stories she could tell you over a dram of whisky, including one time when 45 shoved her off a red carpet.

She now lives in Louisville with her Texan husband, her Scottish son (actor Graham Caldwell), and her youngest child, who was born in the dining room (on purpose). She adores the metric system, the NHS, pirate jokes, and she'll do pretty much anything for a transatlantic flight.

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“The last songs that made me cry were by a young New York singer, Kelley McRae.  One was called “Time,” and the other one “Break Us.”  – Wim Wenders

Kelley McRae grew up in Mississippi but called Brooklyn home for years before teaming up with guitarist Matt Castelein in 2011, when the duo traded in their NYC apartment for a VW camper van and hit the road full time. Thousands of miles and hundreds of shows later, they have toured coast to coast in the US, played to packed rooms across Europe, sold-out the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and built a dedicated following on the strength of their live performances.

Drawing comparisons to Patty Griffin and Gillian Welch, the duo's music is wide ranging – comprising haunting ballads, tender love songs, and energetic guitar driven songs. Paste Magazine's 4 Star review raves "Kelley moves effortlessly from mournful tones to a celebratory swing, from songs of loss and decay to hymns of love and grace." Acclaimed film director Wim Wenders says Kelley's songs move him to tears, and BBC Radio's Bob Harris calls the songs 'brilliant.' Kelley's music has been featured in Lifetime's Army Wives, MTV, commercials for American Airlines and Unicef, and numerous independent films.

Kelley's latest release, CAN YOU CHANGE THE HEART OF ME?, was recorded in her hometown of Taylor, TX with Matt Castelein, her husband and longtime musical partner. With their two young daughters in mind, the songs search for hope in the midst of uncertainty. This is clear in a song like 'A World on Fire', where Kelley asks: "How do you dream in a world on fire? I'm not asking for myself, I'm asking for my child."

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White Woolly is the soundtrack to your blood soaked, tequila fueled bar fight, and the sound you hear as you ride your horse into the sunset with nothing but your name.

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Nashville native Sabyn Mayfield is an award winning filmmaker and musician. He founded the L.A. based production company Stay Fly LLC in 2012 as an incubator for himself and other filmmakers developing original content.

As a writer, director and producer, Sabyn is known for tackling relevant subject matter with an innovative and bare bones approach. After years of created critically acclaimed and award winning short form content, his award winning feature debut, “Boomtown”, was released in 2017 by 1091 Pictures; followed by his award-winning documentary “Time Cant be Wasted”, in 2020.

As a songwriter and artist, Sabyn is breaking barriers with his music, and demonstrates the value of genre crossovers with his unique sound and lyrical content. Sabyn’s music has been featured in films and TV series around the globe. Sabyn released his debut EP, “Halfway There, in 2021 with sonaBLAST! Records, and has continued to release music at a fevered pace. In 2021, Sabyn founded the music publishing company CashVillain Music.

A graduate of the prestigious Los Angeles Film School, Sabyn continues to push the barriers as a multi-hyphenate, delivering a diverse catalogue of content, while staying true to the man behind it.

Unpinnable Butterflies Official Website

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UNPINNABLE BUTTERFLIES – ‘RADIO OCEAN’ RELEASE NOTES

BEGINNINGS – A TWIN CAREER

Unpinnable Butterflies is the overarching project name for songwriter and film composer Gabriel Judet-Weinshel. Also a filmmaker under that original moniker, it was through this parallel career that Gabriel first brushed shoulders with some of his musical heroes: photographing a long list of luminaries including U2, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Judy Collins, Sheryl Crow, Lil' Wayne, Ani DiFranco, Lyle Lovett, Counting Crows, James Taylor, The Black Keys, Nicki Minaj, and Elton John, and directing music videos for Ben Harper, Braison Cyrus, and Joseph Arthur.

When Grammy-nominated producer and composer Scott Healy first heard a collection of Gabriel’s demos and agreed to produce the songwriter’s first record for indie imprint sonaBLAST! Records, Gabriel found himself again surrounded by musical luminaries, as Healy assembled an all-star cast of some of New York City’s greatest session players and special guests. His debut, “The Exile of Saint Christopher,” featured legendary drummer Shawn Pelton (Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash), Bakithi Kumalo of Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” and folk-rock sensation Brett Dennen lending guest vocals. The record garnered enthusiastic reviews— Ian Mathers of the Village Voice wrote, “He’s got one of those malleable voices that can sound a bit like everyone from David Byrne to Ed Harcourt, but always mostly like himself”—became a Paste Recommends select, and was added in heavy rotation to Starbucks’ coffeehouse playlist.

Never one to stop moving, Gabriel has since scored two feature films—the cult film, which he wrote and directed, 7 Splinters in Time, released theatrically in 2018, and the Netflix documentary From Baghdad to Brooklyn—and numerous television and web commercials. His songs have played nationally on Fuse’s “Live From Bonnaroo,” on the TV series “In Between Men,” and in the independent film “Where Hope Grows.” He led the house jazz trio for many years at New York’s Soho House, and he is hard at work on a cinema-musical.

THE NEW RECORD – ‘RADIO OCEAN’

Gabriel’s upcoming record and second collaboration with Healy, “Radio Ocean,” will be released on sonaBLAST! in the summer of 2021. It’s a sprawling and raucous affair, over a decade in the making. The record expands the sound of Gabriel’s sometimes intimate first record into a wider, free-wheeling and eclectic stew, channeling everything from country, to west African guitar riffs, to classic rock.

Healy and Gabriel have outdone themselves in assembling a who’s-who of A-list talent once again. The 13-tune album features a returning Shawn Pelton and Curt Bisquera (Mick Jagger, Tom Petty) on drums, the totemic Lee Sklar (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King) on bass, Jason Orme (Alanis Morissette) on guitar, a full horn session comprised of Conan O’Brien’s Basic Cable Band veterans; as well as featured guest appearances by Americana darlings Birds of Chicago (JT Nero and Allison Russell), the saxophone prodigy Grace Kelly (Jon Batiste, Lee Konitz), songstress Jessica Childress (Aloe Blacc, Portugal the Man), indie maverick Kate Tucker, and chanteuse Perla Batalla (Leonard Cohen). As perhaps a sly nod to his filmmaking twin identity, Gabriel’s colleague, the esteemed rock photographer and director Danny Clinch, plays harmonica.

Amid all of this outstanding musical talent is Gabriel’s songwriting. His words and stories are baroque and literary, with invocations of Samuel Beckett, Thomas Pynchon, Arundhati Roy, and even a song about David Foster Wallace. At once maximalist and personal, mythological and emotional, the stories told in ‘Radio Ocean’ capture a modern world’s sundry moments of collapse and crisis. Woven throughout is a personal narrative about the vicissitudes of love, heartache, and the quest for meaning and connection in a fragmented time.

HERALDED MUSICIAN-ACTIVIST STEPHAN SAID TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, UNSTOPPABLE, WITH WEBCAST, GLOBAL NETWORK, AND FORTHCOMING BIOPIC

1st Album In 11 Years, Unstoppable, Features Star-studded New Band “The Clarion,” Out June 18

Hosts Video Podcast With Global Network “borderless” promoting a new pop culture for change

Documentary About His Life In Works By Spirit Award-Winner Gill Holland, Directed by Matt Kohn

New York-based musician and global activist Stephan Said has developed a reputation for crafting literate, poignant music and is known for consistently using his art at the frontlines of social change. He first broke into mainstream press with a police brutality anthem that featured Patti Smith, was asked by folk legend Pete Seeger to rewrite “We Shall Overcome,” and received praise from The New York Times’ Jon Pareles who wrote, “With his reedy, nasal voice, his acoustic guitar and earnest topical songs like his ‘Ballad of Abner Louima,’ Stephan Smith recalls Bob Dylan in his early days as a Woody Guthrie acolyte.” His songs have been sung at human rights protests across the world as well as by artists from Dave Matthews to DJ Spooky, and he has performed, toured, or recorded with a artists including Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Ween, Paul Simon, Ani DiFranco, Philip Glass, and others.

Stephan’s last album, 2010’s difrent, produced by the late Grammy Award winning Producer Hal Willner (Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Bono, Saturday Night Live), blended pop with rock, folk, and world music in cinematic love songs and pop anthems about global equality and peace in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. Now, after spending the past few years focusing on his docuseries and global network “borderless,” traveling to conflict zones across the world to shed light on the change makers at the front lines, Stephan, with his new band, The Clarion, is getting ready to release a new album, Unstoppable, on June 18th on sonaBLAST! Records. He says, “Since the release of difrent, I’ve been focused on how music and art can build a sustainable global movement for peace, equality, and environmental sustainability. Instead of playing clubs, arenas and festivals, I’ve been making music on the front lines of the world’s biggest crises, working with young activists and creatives in war zones, refugee camps, natural disasters, and the like. There is an new generation that wants popular culture that represents the urgent need for systemic change they perceive. And, there’s nothing more inspiring to be in the thick of it.”

Unstoppable features The Clarion, Stephan’s band of acclaimed musicians – bassist Mark Plati (David Bowie, Prince, Rachid Taha), who also mixed the album; drummer Doug Yowell (Joe Jackson, Duncan Sheik, Suzanne Vega), and keyboardist/programmer Matt Katz-Bohen (Hedwig, Blondie, Cyndi Lauper). Stephan proclaims, “Together, Mark, Doug, Matt and I found we have something really magical in the balance between us. We clicked immediately, so much so, that we decided to call ourselves a band, ‘The Clarion,’ after the victory horn”. Five of the songs were recorded live in one day at Mission Sound the week before lockdown in March 2020.

The first single from Unstoppable, “Together Across the World”, was written and recorded in the first few weeks of lockdown as “a joyous call for us to seize this moment to come together and transform our world.” As the lyrics say – “we’re invincible when we are one, across the borderlines, everything’s possible, when we’re together, we are one!” The track features Pam Fleming on trumpet and background vocals by Meah Pace (former Baltimore Ravens Cheerleading Captain, soloist with the Resistance Revival Chorus), and acclaimed cabaret singer Ali Babs.

Another track on the album, “Our Dream”, is the song from which the album gets its name. Stephan explains, “It’s written from a perspective that our victory is inevitable, and, when I say ‘our,’ I think of everyone from Amazonian tribes fighting for the rainforests to youth in Palestine and Israel fighting for peace, Friday’s For Future, Indian farmers, and BLM. It’s both a rally cry and a power anthem.”

The song and video for “I Won’t Be Silent” debuted last year to benefit Black Futures Lab which focuses on long-term movement building and impact, working with Black people to transform communities, building Black political power and changing the way that power operates—locally, statewide, and nationally. The song was written “as a personal reaffirmation that nothing will turn us around. That all of our movements are one, and we are taking a stand and will not be silenced.”

Although Stephan has previously released several critically acclaimed albums under his mother’s maiden name, “Stephan Smith”, for his own independent label Universal Hobo Records, as well as for Artemis Records, Rounder Records, and Caroline Records, Unstoppable is only his second album reclaiming his born name. The Austrian and Iraqi-American with immediate family in Baghdad and Mosul, recorded under his mother’s maiden name after executives at major labels in the U.S. insisted he “could never have a career in America with an Arabic name.”

Coinciding with the release of “Unstoppable,” Said will host a new, weekly video podcast “borderless,” produced by the global network and production company of the same name that he co-founded with his wife, Anushay. The borderless web-cast will feature voices from the frontlines who are creating a new pop culture focused on civic engagement, equality, and environmental sustainability. In the past six years since its founding, borderless has grown to operate on 5 continents, following Said as he brought his music across the world meeting changemakers in local communities – everyday heroes doing amazing this to make a better world.

Together since the release of his last album, Said and borderless have produced a music video for peace in the streets of Baghdad, Iraq as four bombs fell across the city; put on a major concert for unity in Karachi, Pakistan at the height of ISIS in which the country’s beloved Qawwal’s joining him; made a full length film on the refugee crisis including a live recording of his song “No More Lines” in refugee camps and settlements at the peak of the crisis in Greece (“it was so inspiring seeing the momentary sense of freedom that singing such an empowering song gave children and adults who had lost everything”); filmed in Houston following Hurricane Harvey in the hardest hit neighborhoods that went virtually uncovered by mainstream media; and in Charlottesville and Richmond, VA in the wake of white supremacist riots, where hundreds of youth at public high-schools and community centers co-created the music video for his song “We The People.”

Said says “‘borderless’ is the culmination of my life’s experience. Having been mentored by both Allen Ginsberg and folk/civil rights legend Pete Seeger, I knew from a young age that in order to achieve the systemic change my generation knows is imperative, we need to organize a global cultural movement in the way both Allen and Pete helped create in their lives - movements that lifted multiple voices and communities, not individuals. Movements that said “pop as we know it is over.” Having been blacklisted when The Bell “the first major song against the war in Iraq” (Neil Strauss, NY Times) became the most played song against the war in Iraq, ‘borderless’ for me is very much what building the folk revival was for Pete after he had been blacklisted in the McCarthy era. The silver lining is that being silenced, however painful and devastating, teaches one to become unsilenceable, to be unstoppable.”

In addition to the album, global network and webseries, acclaimed Spirit Award Nominee film producer Gill Holland is producing a documentary about Stephan, directed by filmmaker Matthew Kohn, which is expected to be released later this year. The film features archival and contemporary footage as well as interviews with Pete Seeger, Hal Willner, Penny Arcade, fellow musicians, and more. The documentary tells Said’s story as an artist activist who took a stand and a paid a price for it, but has come through it all to use his voice to lift others, helping pave the way for the current wave of activism.

“Seeing this new global generation taking a stand for things that I have fought and been silenced for is so inspiring”, he says. “Unstoppable is an inward reflection and rallying cry about one’s personal commitment to social change, while borderless is an outward, global celebration of this new social change activist generation. This is our moment, nothing can stop us, we can create a more equal world and stop climate change, and we can make a new kind of pop music and pop culture that takes over the airwaves for the people and the planet.”

http://stephansaid.com/

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https://thisisborderless.com/

For additional information/materials on Stephan Said & The Clarion and the album Unstoppable, please contact Jocelynn Loebl at Howlin' Wuelf Media at Jocylibs@yahoo.com or Jocelynn@howlinwuelf.com.

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Mixing elements of R&B, rock, and soul with their jazz roots, Kiana & the Sun Kings make music that is modern yet timeless, energetic yet contemplative. It is their ultimate goal to make music that dabbles equally in complexity and simplicity, crafting sounds for the jazz player and casual listener alike. In just three short years since their formation, the band gained traction from their beloved home base in Louisville, Kentucky and spread that love to surrounding midwestern cities and beyond. With the release of their newest single Cold, this fiery septet will continue to push the sonic envelope.

Photos by: Sally Wegert

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Joe Piano is the folk rock solo project of songwriter, producer, and multi instrumentalist Jesse Weber-Owens. Jesse has been involved in several projects, including the sonaBLAST! band named Beady. Jesse also makes music under the name Durotan, which is his secondary solo project that has released records on Jesse's own label, Space Basement Records, named after Jesse's studio, the Space Basement.

Jesse battles schizophrenia as well as other mental illness, which fuels his drive and creativity to make music constantly. of his own original music, Jesse has recorded hundreds of unreleased tracks, and written well over a thousand songs in his lifetime, much of the time hallucinating the music before writing it down.

Jesse started playing guitar at the age of nine, soon realizing he had perfect pitch and a sharp ear. From there his hunger for musical learning stopped nowhere, as he since has learned to play a plethora of instruments, including cello, banjo, mandolin, and of course, the piano to name a few. Jesse chose the name Joe Piano while he was regularly writing music on keys, but classical guitar is his primary instrument.

In 2019, Joe Piano signed to sonaBLAST! for the release of his debut single, Deersinger, which ended up in a limited run of vinyl singles. The single was successful in gaining him recognition locally, and played on various public radio regularly for a period of time, as well as being written about by WFPK's Laura Shine. WFPK's John TImmons and Otis Jr. have both written about the Durotan project as well. Before their closing, Crescent Hill Radio hosted Joe Piano on air twice for two interviews.

Joe Piano has had a rich musical life so far. He's played in many bands, toured nationally, appeared on radio and played on many stages, to crowds of many, and has made many records, but according to Joe, He's just getting started.

WFPK's Write Up on Joe Piano's "Deersinger"

www.heidihowe.com

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Howe has toured nationally, placed first in a country battle of the bands, played huge concert halls and pitched songs in Nashville. She’s played radio shows, television shows, and has had her music featured in film. The list of people Howe has opened for reads like a who’s who of alt-country music: Todd Snider, Jason Ringenberg, Paul Thorn, Stacey Earle, The Be Good Tanyas, Jerry Douglas, Billy Joe Shaver, Kim Richey, Holly Williams, The Wood Brothers, Tim Krekel, Rosie Flores and Tommy Womack, to name a few. 

Ever the explorer, Howe has delved into children's music, spiritual music and environmental activism and has drawn quite a bit of national praise for her efforts. She has garnered accolades from the usual Americana music supporters like No Depression Magazine and WXPN in Philadelphia while at the same time receiving kudos from Al Gore and winning an E-chievement award from the E-town Radio Show.

Be Good is Howe’s first album since 2007’s I Love Britney Spears. It is Howe’s sixth solo release and the eighth album she has produced. (She produced the compilation album Heidi’s One Night Stand as a benefit for the Musician’s Emergency Relief Fund as well as the sonaBLAST! Records release Louisville Lullabies, which benefitted The Home of the Innocents.) 

Today, Howe still professes to favor intimate shows over flashy, larger ones. To testify, she says that the songwriter showcase she hosted for more than five years in Louisville remains “one of her fondest memories.” Howe has always thrived on the easy conversation that seems to happen between performer and audience when she takes the stage. 

What the media is saying about Be Good...

"A must have for your... Alternative Country music playlist. Don't miss out on this gem." - I Am Entertainment Magazine

"If alt country needs a queen, we nominate Heidi Howe to the throne." - TheMusicUniverse.com

"Within two tracks, this record was already something I wanted to recommend to people." - AbsolutePunk.net

"Talent, charm, edge, humor and a unique voice in a sea of artists who are just trying too hard. Howe is the real deal." - RockWorldMagazine.com

"Her lyrics are smart and sassy and her music is infectious." - Blogcritics.org

"Howe has the coveted combination of a soothing tone and interesting views and stories that make her material easy to listen to and completely relative to people the world over." - Music-News.com

"With a voice that is thick, ringing like a bell, and syrupy like warm molasses, she is everything that is sweet about country twang." - AllWhatsRock.com

"Howe’s storytelling is captivating, her voice is wholesome and her musical talent knows no bounds." - VeggieFans.net

www.carlyjohnsonmusic.com

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Carly Johnson graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Recipient of the university's prestigious Vocal Award, she received a Bachelor's Degree in Music for Jazz Vocal Performance in 2007. Described as "...a voice and soul before her time," Carly has honed an immensely versatile craft that includes jazz, rock, blues and opera. “…new singer Carly Johnson is a revelation—versatile, tuneful, and with an emotional range that floats from first-person intimate to brassy belting with the greatest of ease.”

In 2010, Carly recorded with My Morning Jacket on “Holding On To Black Metal,” a track from their 2011 Grammy nominated album 'Circuital.' Following the record’s release in the spring of 2011, she performed live with MMJ at Louisville’s own Palace Theater. Also in 2011, Carly joined Louisville rock band Workers to perform and record their 2012 digital & LP release of ‘Both Hands’, released on sonaBlast! Records.

Carly is the newest member of the 7-piece jazz-folk fusion band Liberation Prophecy led by saxophonist Jacob Duncan. She had a blast touring the US and promoting the May 2013 release of their latest record 'Invisible House' and was honored to sing with them at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in NYC. As a member of Liberation Prophecy, she was also thrilled to perform with the ensemble in the groundbreaking children’s webisodes of ‘Liberation Living Room’ in 2013, when she got to to collaborate and perform with several talented musicians, including: Ben Sollee, Will Oldham, Rachel Grimes, Tyrone Cotton and Norah Jones.

She is presently enjoying home in Louisville, KY, writing original music and digging into the jazz scene with critically acclaimed guitarist Craig Wagner. Frequently featured on WFPK Louisville Public Radio, Carly and Craig just released a new jazz album showcasing the highlights of their successful 5-year partnership together as a vocal/guitar duo. Their new jazz album ‘It’s Pretty Standard’ was locally released in May of 2014 in Louisville. Most recently, Carly Johnson and Craig Wagner were honored to receive the 2014 Louisville Music Award for ‘Jazz Artist of the Year’ on September 28th.

Teddy Abrams’ “You Can’t Stop The Revolution” available now!

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Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Teneia is an award-winning international touring musician and songwriter, and has seven albums to her credit. Her work has been featured on HBO, Netflix as well as in several independent films. One of Teneia's most prominent pieces, "Stand," earned a placement in the HBO documentary Prom Night in Mississippi featuring Morgan Freeman.

With a career spanning over a decade, Teneia's talent has landed her alongside John Prine, Buddy Miller, Lee Ann Womack, Lucinda Williams, Missy Higgins, Jamie O'Neal, Sarah Darling, Jessi Colter, Sharon Little, Grayson Capps, Catie Curtis, Luke Doucet, Tab Benoit, Kelley McRae, Salvador Santana and many more. In 2019, she was selected to perform a three-week long tour through Tanzania and Nigeria curated by the US State Department organization, American Music Abroad.

"With the skill of a jazz singer and a warm, disarming stage presence, Teneia can make her voice do just about anything — charm you into a hypnotic trance, make your heart beat faster, or motivate you to get out of your chair and dance." - David Accomazzo (Phoenix New Times)

​​"I get the feeling Teneia could breathe soul into just about anything." - J.K. Oliver (EarCandy Mazagine)​​

​"One of my favorite artists on CDBaby!" - Derek Sivers (founder, CDBaby.com)​

​“A cross between Ani DiFranco and Aretha Franklin...” - Herman Snell (Jackson Free Press)​

​“With her amazing voice, unique guitar rhythms and moving lyrics, it won’t be long before this up-and-coming artist will be known nationwide for her talent.” - Cherry Grrl​

​“Teneia Sanders is seducing the ears of people everywhere. One listen to her exploding vocal range, her beautiful melodic voice backed with her clever guitar playing, and you’ll be physically moved.” - Casey Parks (Jackson Free Press)

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Listen to Scott T. Smith’s debut EP on sonaBLAST!, “Wanted Man” —-> https://onerpm.com/al/8255635980

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GRLwood is a two-piece band of Kentucky fried queerdos, wailing at max capacity from Louisville, KY.   We call it SCREAM-POP.  Establish August, 2017, GRLwood exploded onto Louisville's music scene, quickly earning them a cult-like following. 
 

“Unforgettable screams echo on the first track of GRLwood’s new record I Sold My Soul To The Devil When I Was 12 (released today, August 2). “Be nice to sad boys / or else, get shot” singer and guitarist Rej Forester retches with a throaty gurgle on “Get Shot,” a testament to the wide range of ways gun violence can pose a threat in everyday life. Later on the scream-punk album, Forester simplifies the message on “Donald:” “I am afraid for my body.” Simply put, the Louisville, Kentucky duo have a way of never mincing words when it comes down to denouncing misogynistic bullshit. Combined with a knack for pairing kinda surf-y licks with hardcore vocals, I Sold My Soul To The Devil When I Was 12 packs all the power of a sojourn with Satan himself.” By Victoria Wasylak with Vanyaland

So Sincere’s “Sincerely Yours” available now!

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David Anthony Jarman

Boss Scrilla & Dolla Green’s “Say Her Name” available now!

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Mayor Greg Fischer presents “Lift Up Louisville,” a collaborative song by Teddy Abrams, the widely-acclaimed Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra, Jim James and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket, Will Oldham, Ben Sollee, Scott Carney of WAX FANG, Dani Markham, Jecorey Arthur, Jason Clayborn, Carly Johnson, Brigid Kaelin and several other notable figures from Louisville’s diverse music community. All proceeds from the song benefit the One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund, Louisville’s central funding source to provide emergency resources throughout the region. “Lift Up Louisville” is part of the Mayor’s Lift Up Lou movement, which encourages the city’s cultural talent to fight social isolation and maintain a sense of community during quarantine.

Listen Here

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Donate Here

"Lift Up Louisville" is a community sourced song written and performed by 20+ musicians with ties to Louisville, Kentucky.

Inspired by our mayor, Greg Fischer.

Dedicated to the people of Louisville, Kentucky.

Thank you to everyone on the front line around the world.

The song is available at sonaBLAST! Records and all major streaming services: https://bit.ly/lift_up_lou

All proceeds from LIFT UP LOUISVILLE benefit the One Louisville COVID-19 Response Fund

Teddy Abrams - Piano and music

Jim James - Lyrics and vocals

Scott Carney - Lyrics and guitar

Will Oldham - Vocals

Patrick Hallahan - Drums and percussion

Danny Kiely - Bass

Carly Johnson - Vocals

Sam Bush - Mandolin and vocals

Michael Cleveland - Fiddle

Jason Clayborn - Vocals

Sharron Sales - Vocals

Dani Markham - Drums and percussion

Daniel Martin Moore - Whistle

Cheyenne Mize - Fiddle and vocals

Jacob Duncan - String/wind arrangement

Scott T. Smith - Vocals

Rayul Beatbox - Beatbox

Jecorey Arthur - Rap

Brigid Kaelin - Accordion

Gabriel Lefkowitz (LO) - Violin

Julia Noone (LO) - Violin

Kathy Karr (LO) - Flute

Matthew Karr (LO) - Bassoon

Andre Levine (LO) - Clarinet

Mixed/Mastered by Kevin Ratterman

Produced by Ben Sollee

Art by Hound Dog Press

www.kertiscreative.com

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We’re all just spinning in circles of time and space. Indie pop band Frederick the Younger lasso various transitory states and tensions of the heart on their upcoming new EP. Across six songs, the Louisville-based band -- of Jenni Cochran, Aaron Craker, Shelley Anderson and Meg Samples -- seeks for something real and dissects such issues as regret, love, letting go and social media’s sharp stranglehold on human connectivity.

Producer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne) couples the vivid, visceral lyrics and equally-emotive arrangements with a slick, yet dreamy, quality. And it’s never at the expense of the innately imposing stories. Lead single “Back to the Wall” untangles the push and pull of a relationship that’s undergoing an inner struggle. “You could say you love me / But you leave me with my back to the wall,” Cochran casts off her frustrations as a snake shedding its skin.

Their willingness to be so vulnerable serves as the EP’s foundation. “Erased,” featuring Craker’s magnetic, raw vocal, and “Deepest Blue” are other sterling highlights, the latter witnessing Cochran hitting an emotional rock bottom and writing a song about it. “One of my emotions that I dislike the most is when I get in this space of regret. I hate regretting things I’ve done, and I know when I’m in that space that I shouldn’t be doing that. I waste time, and I get carried away,” she says of the song.

Cochran and Craker are not only the creative core of the band, but they complete each other on a deeply personal level. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Cochran grew up writing songs, yet never played them out. She initially had ambitions to go to school for anthropology, and after participating in an overseas program, in conjunction with Princeton University, teaching in Mai Conga Delta in Vietnam, she returned to the states with full intentions to get her doctorate. She relocated to Louisville, and a two-month stay turned into a permanent move when she met Craker during an improv class.

On the other end of the spectrum, writing and making music has always been essential to Craker’s whole life. Upon hearing Nirvana for the first time in middle school, his destiny was carved in stone. A Louisville native, his obsession with piano and guitar propelled him to study at the University of Louisville. He later formed a band called Dr. Vitamin, which would be the stepping stone to much bigger things. “We were both what the other person needed. I deeply believe things happen for a reason,” says Cochran.

Dr. Vitamin quickly morphed into a very different beast. With Cochran still writing a bulk of the material, they decided to give the band a bit of an upgrade: changing the name. It was a simple procedure, tossing out various possibilities, before Cochran fell upon Frederick the Younger for it’s almost mystical nature. An album called Human Child arrived in 2017, and even within two years, their musical energy has blossomed into an even more ferocious entity.

Frederick the Younger’s new EP, expected early 2020, positions the band for the next level. Such volatile moments as “High Alone” and “Something Real,” another soul-tearing performance, confirm their undeniable talents in harvesting the most intense of human experiences.

The first single from the EP, “Back to the Wall,” will be released on 9/26/19 via sonaBLAST! Records.

Photo by: Anna Lee Roeder

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Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Jack has been a hip-hop soul for as long as he can remember. His mom fed him a steady diet of classics from elsewhere, legends like OutKast, Eminem, and A Tribe Called Quest. By age 12, he was inspired enough to begin recording songs in his bedroom, uploading his music to SoundCloud to share with his friends. By high school, he'd created such a buzz that he was selling out shows at popular venues in his hometown.

Set on elevating his career, Jack moved to Atlanta. There, he met fellow Kentucky native KY Engineering, with whom he formed a working relationship. KY brought Jack to DJ Drama, who took a liking to Jack's unique style—a fun, thoughtful brand of lyricism that's drawn comparisons to Drake.

Jack Harlow's debut EP on sonaBLAST! is out everywhere NOW... and we are stoked!

GET THE EP HERE- iTunes / Spotify / Amazon

And check out the video for EVERY NIGHT while you're at it... see you at the next show!

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Yesterday Andrew Rinehart shared the music video for his latest single, “Rose Gold” – BuzzBands LA premiered it. The video was directed by Joseph Kenneth, Andrew Rinehart, & Frankie Latina and features Paige Elkington. Rinehart recalls how the song and video concept came together:

“”Rose Gold” was one of those rare songs that came in a flash — the entire song all at once, verses, choruses, lyrics, everything, all in one dizzying vision. I had just reconnected with someone I was totally in love with, so in that moment I was high out of my mind on life and literally anything and everything seemed possible. Basically I was in a headspace of 100% pure optimistic glee. I don’t experience that perspective very often, so I leaned into it hard and waddya know, out came this song. So it’s sort of a rare one of mine in the sense that it is 100% positive, uplifting, and sweet natured. I’m not sure I have any other songs like that to be honest. For the music video we basically just ran around like idiots at Salvation Mountain (with some Super Bloom footage for good measure) in a similarly blissed out and frenzied-happy state. Shout out to my friends Joseph Kenneth, Glen Jennings, Frankie Latino, and Paige Elkington for helping me make it! Hopefully its Technicolor swirl broadcasts the same kind of mega joy I felt when the song showed up like some stupid happy dog psyched to take off running.”

Bio:
Rinehart is a Louisville, KY native who has, for the last 5 years or so, paid his dues bouncing around the usual bigger-city zones, finally settling on Los Angeles as home. He was one of the original 10 founders of the influential Body Actualized Center in Brooklyn, and more recently threw shows at Basic Flowers, a DIY space in downtown LA which Ariel Pink co-funded. Now on the verge of exiting the purgatory of grad school, Rinehart is currently in the process of releasing a series of singles (“Off On A Roll…” being the first), all of which explore the inscrutable ups and downs inherent to that age-old pleasure/torture device: love.

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William Benton aka Cat Casual is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has supplied guitar and bass for artists like Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shilpa Ray (Nick Cave’s Bad Seed Ltd. label), The Phantom Family Halo (Knitting Factory Records), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell and the Voidoids)- and has collaborated with legendary musicians such as Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Steve Shelley(Sonic Youth), Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple)...among others. 

He has also supplied music for television (including Jersey Shore), short films, and off-off Broadway productions. 

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Benton divides his time and work between Louisville, Kentucky, and the New York area. 

The first Cat Casual release (Cat Casual and the Holy Midnight), smashed open the rusty gates, releasing Benton's psyche-inspired, cinematic, troubadour-ish  persona upon the world. (The record opens with Sending- “...a collaboration with Bonnie "Prince" Billy that sounds like Suicide, Grinderman, and a chain gang produced something unholy in a musical laboratory...”)

The Final Word- the most recent backing band that he has assembled- is fearlessly executing reinterpretations of previous Cat Casual songs as well as delivering the latest material: some of the most interesting, heady, unpredictable-yet-accessible music that Louisville and Benton himself have ever produced. 

Cat Casual and the Final Word recently recorded, mixed, and mastered the full-length The Secret Self with Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana at the end of 2018, for release TBA in 2019.

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Jaxon Lee Swain has hung out in almost every corner of the music business since the turn of the century. Since 2012, he has served as vice president of Louisville, KY-based independent record label and music publishing company sonaBLAST! Records.

A singer, songwriter, producer, band leader, label exec, radio personality influenced by MTV, Swain sought out piano lessons at age nine and throughout his adolescence also took up alto saxophone before teaching himself how to play electric guitar and bass.

At sonaBLAST! Swain has coordinated the releases of nearly 150 albums, singles, compilations, soundtracks, and film scores, including releases by acclaimed Irish song-smith Mark Geary, indie star Ben Sollee, Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow, and queer punk zeitgeist GRLwood. Swain and sonaBLAST! founder Gill Holland have also brokered hundreds of syncs in film, TV and commercials, in everything from Gossip Girl to 2017’s Academy Award nominated The Big Sick, and Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy.

Swain has also worn many different hats as a performer, most notably since 2014 as bass player and band leader for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Wanda Jackson. In 2015, he joined the lineup of Alive Natural sound recording artists King Mud, whose 2016 LP Victory Motel Sessions saw the band tour extensively through the US, UK, and Europe. Swain was working remotely way before the rest of us! As a solo artist, Swain was nominated for Rock Artist of the Year at 2017’s Louisville Music Awards. His debut solo EP Night Diamonds has seen Swain gain more national exposure, and he and his band are known for delivering chaotically encapsulating live performances.

Swain is also the program director of ARTxFM, a community run free-form radio station in Louisville (WXOX 97.1). He has hosted two weekly programs on the station, the rock/punk/world focused Party Pants, and Early Music Party, the world’s only all-vinyl radio program of medieval, renaissance, and baroque music.

Swain is a pillar of the local arts community and his work at sonaBLAST! is just a small part of his overall strategy of helping all musicians throughout the community by giving back, by volunteering, by spearheading local fund-raising compilations, by producing and mentoring young acts from all different musical backgrounds. For many, he is also a gateway to new musical discoveries through his encyclopedic music knowledge.

 www.jameslindsey.co

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SAME SKY available everywhere now!

Stream/download here.

Just in case you haven't heard the best hip-hop record of 2016.