First single from “Pulse” by A Modern Way to Die from Catania, Italy.
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T.E. Yates – Fairy Tale
Most musicians boast of exploding onto their local scene in a glittering blaze of media hype and spontaneous applause. The unassuming, unusual and enigmatic T.E. Yates, however, snuck in through an open window.
His name was not on the top line of event posters but rather a discreet artist signature in the bottom corner; his first gig flyers and album covers were ones he designed for other bands, not himself. He’s performed in front of huge crowds but always as a hired hand or supporting player, a multi-instrumentalist in the shadows – mandolin, banjo, harmonica, even musical saw – you may have heard him on the tracks of other artists without even knowing it. But now T.E. Yates has stepped out of the shadows, taking center-stage with a formidable backing band (both onstage and on record) comprising members of Victorian Dad, The Bedlam Six, Ottersgear, Gorilla Riot, and Honeyfeet.
Even when performing solo the man doesn’t travel light, his weird and wonderful drawings regularly making an appearance between songs, baffling and delighting audiences in equal measures.
His debut album “Silver Coins And White Feathers” is by turns moving, catchy and ambitious, brimming with influences from all across the genre spectrum, the subject matter ranging from astronomy to the Suffrage movement – a real treat for music lovers of all persuasions.“Nick Drake’s ‘Hazy Jane’ with a touch of Roy Orbison”
– BBC Radio ManchesterLINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/T.E.Yates.Official
https://twitter.com/teyates
https://soundcloud.com/t-e-yates
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vfksH96y3ZbDe6SLRX6mT
https://teyates.bandcamp.com
https://vimeo.com/user24745797
https://debtrecords.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrn1R2iL89k&index=1&list=PL–NzcS5ylP3JYe2k6gDEcqZQVsszD-Lp -
Captain Squeegee – Our Children
Psychedelic indie rock band Captain Squeegee has made a name for themselves in Arizona over the years for their over-the-top music videos and their latest release, the delightfully strange “Our Children,” does not disappoint. The song is the first single from their upcoming EP Harmony Cure, a collection of punk rock show tunes due to release on January 26th via 80/20 Records. The uneasy anthem is about passing on a broken world to the next generation as vocalist Danny Torgersen charismatically belts optimistic lines as “And when our children hang out, I hope they save the world. I hope they know about our weapon. And drop it again, that harmony cure.” In order to balance out the serious subject matter, the band opted for Sci-Fi references, 90’s hip-hop aesthetics, and even wheeled out a freakin’ DeLorean in the video.
“Our previous videos always told a narrative story and had a plot, kind of a guided journey, and I wanted this one to be a sensory overload, ‘what the f*ck kind of video.’ I wanted this video to make a lot less sense than other videos.” said vocalist Danny Torgersen.
Harmony Cure was produced, engineered and mixed by Bob Hoag (The Format, The Ataris), the same person behind the band’s 2013 full-length To The Bardos!. The five wickedly clever tracks hover over funk, ska, prog, rock, jazz and everything in between. “It’s about finding hope through song, confronting the demons of the 3D world with HARMONY,” says Torgersen. “A sonic swim through the unsettling swamps of time, age, death, dying art, & the future of Earth. You know, whatever. That’s kind of why we also named our new beer (by SunUp Brewing) after the album…it’s like, ‘dude I know, being human is crazy… here just drink this it might help’”
“…an energy that is irrepressible and unpredictable.”
– Music Connection“Captain Squeegee has dramatically expanded their sound, resulting in a heady brand of neo-psychedelic prog… [like] a van full of jazz performance majors raised on ska would play it”
– AZ Central“Their horn-driven instrumentation, metaphysical lyrics, and intense multi-media performances have hailed them “one of the toughest acts in town to follow” and “prepared to headline Coachella, tomorrow.”
– Modern Times MagLINKS:
http://captainsqueegee.com
https://www.facebook.com/captainsqueegee
https://twitter.com/captainsqueegee
https://www.instagram.com/captainsqueegee -
Keir – Shiver
With a burning heart, a searing voice and explosive choruses, Keir is not afraid to play with fire. At 25 years old, the singer-songwriter displays a bright mind and a dark soul, nourished on heartache, Weltschmerz and decades of pop-music history – ready to spit it all back out into the future like fuel on a flame.
Keir may stand on the shoulders of soul divas and rock gods, but his craft shows no sense of retro fetishism. This is what the blues sound like in the 21st century, and there’s barely a trace of those worn-out, 12-bar formulas. Instead, Keir offers simultaneously a distillation and an innovation of that musical ritual: transforming inner turmoil into a tune – not to spread misery but to exorcise demons, and in the best case, incite compassion. The first single “Shiver” is a shining example, a seductive groove that shudders with red-hot, angst-ridden sensuality.
Musically, there’s enough mass that you start to feel a gravitational pull, and in lyrical tandem, Keir reveals a heavy heart. But there’s nothing heavy-handed about his words – piercingly sharp when needed, yet bold enough to stay soft. Always honest but often ambiguous, like a painting made of poetry. Ambitious melodies that reach for the radio; a sonic rawness he’s unwilling to tame for the sake of pop appeal.
With his younger brother Kyle on drums, Keir began his eponymous project as a duo. While attending college in Bristol, he found he had trouble with authority. “I didn’t want to know about music theory,” he recalls. “That’s when a song becomes incredibly dull.” Most of his progress was made outside of the classroom, not simply studying music but living it: in the studio, on the stage, and in his sleep. Making music is what he does, and when he doesn’t know what to do with himself, he makes music.
Keir has mastered the art of vocal expression and surrounds himself with equally talented musicians. “I have too much self-loathing to work alone,” he says. In the writing process, Keir doesn’t sweat any lack of proficiency. “I learned to write songs by not knowing how to play chords,” he explains. His perspiration, rather, comes from a primal approach: typical session might mean getting holed up in a room, shouting at each other, getting naked and pounding on the piano.
The further production process, however, places emotions and timbres in perfect alignment. Unhinged, yet exacting: it’s a combination that works not just in the studio but in a concert setting too. Keir and his band have wowed audiences throughout the UK and Europe, including a tour with The Drums and, notably, the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, whereas an unknown act he won a standing ovation.
Keir’s creations are neither middle-of-the-road nor left-field, neither over-polished nor DIY – or perhaps a little bit of both. Or neither. Whatever the case, Keir is consumed by music, and in turn, his music is ready to consume you.
LINKS:
https://www.keirmusic.com
https://www.instagram.com/soundofkeir
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YOYjcNXjBJSW1STwwhE74?si=1kucgH6fQyebPk9ngE2XqQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH3jUJBzsR1ChPSXjgYMvvg
https://facebook.com/219951008349474