Fea is one of those bands who will get what they work for based on the caliber of their music. I can say this because it is evident all over the exclusive interview above. Formed by friends who developed into a family, Fea is one of those tight bands that are lockstep in sound and unified in ambition.
And, in this interview, we get the entire band! With the perspectives of all four, we get the story behind the band, their new album titled ‘No Novelties’, their upcoming video for ‘Girlband’ and, importantly, the methods and meaning behind the music. Fea shows they are not only a band that will last but will thrive.
Fea’s latest album, ‘No Novelties’, is out now via Blackheart Records.
Watch the full episode HERE.
LINKS:
https://fea210.com
https://blackheart.com/fea
https://www.instagram.com/fea210
https://twitter.com/fea210
https://www.facebook.com/fea210
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nKEqmxHdIu4WbtE2kKvya?si=ApteZrsqR_q6lnjCxVbFNA
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An Interview with Earthset
Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with Italian band Earthset. This band, to me, is one of the reasons I created Jammer Direct and Jammerzine. Their music evolves deeper and deeper into the truest form of originality and their career takes them to original places others rarely go.
And in this interview we talk with Luigi Varanese and Ezio Romano, two of the masterminds behind the music, about their upcoming album ‘Bound’, their recent single and video ‘Pills’, and how they got from there to here on their own terms.
‘Bound’ releases on March 8th, 2022 (pre-save links below).
Check out our other features with Earthset HERE.
About Earthset
Luigi Varanese, Costantino Mazzoccoli, Emanuele Orsini and Ezio Romano are Earthset, an alt-rock quartet from Bologna, Italy.
Together since 2012, after their debut in 2015 with the concept album “In a State of Altered Unconsciousness” and the EP “POPISM” two years later, in 2018 they made the soundtrack of “L’Uomo Meccanico”a 1921 Italian-French silent film restored by the Cineteca di Bologna.
A tour was organised as a result of this experience, in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, which led them to play the soundtrack around Italy and abroad.
Some of the highlights of this tour were the presentation of “L’Uomo Meccanico” at the Pesaro Film Festival; the show at Franco Maria Ricci’s Labirinto della Masone; the opening night of the Soundscreen Film Festival of Ravenna 2019, in which the band also had the opportunity to play together with the director Abel Ferrara; the shows in Brescia and Pisa, in collaboration with the local Universities; and, abroad, the closing evening of “Les Rencontres du Cinéma Italien” festival, which hosted soundtracks made by Italian groups such as Massimo Volume, Julie’s Haicut and Giardini di Mirò in previous editions.
Following the show’s success, the band released the soundtrack’s LP, recorded live and published by Dischi Bervisti and Koe Records.
The album was released on January 31, 2020 and was officially presented on the same day with a show in Rome, at the Salle du Cinéma of the Institut Francaise Center Saint Louis, in collaboration with the French Embassy. However, the subsequent tour, scheduled to support the release, was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Thanks to the experience with “L’Uomo Meccanico”, they produced a new cine-concert for Murnau’s “Nosferatu”, commissioned by the Ravenna Soundscreen Film Festival and presented exclusively at the 2020 edition of the Festival.
In February 2021, however, they recorded “Retour au Ciné” a film of the “L’Uomo Meccanico” cine-concert, shot live at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and produced by Fonoprint studios, with the contribution of the Emilia-Romagna Region and the collaboration of ATER Foundation.
The film premiered at the Univerciné festival in Nantes and was then broadcast as part of VIRALISSIMA, the online event format of the Emilia-Romagna Region, which brought together the best of the regional production. In the second half of 2021, work on the new album “bound” was completed.
About ‘Bound’
In Earthset’s vision, “Bound” isn’t just an LP, but a full audio-visual-performative work of art. The album is made up of 11 tracks, each with its own video, each song and video connected to the previous and the next both visually and musically, creating a unitary 42-minute-long audio-visual narrative.
The concept that binds the whole project together, songs, images and videos, is a reflection on the value of relationships as the foundation of existence and is revealed in the title itself, “bound”. Coherently, the album works best together in its entirety, as it was envisioned as a whole.
As a matter of fact, while each song perfectly stands as a valid single, it is in its relation with all the other elements that make up the audio-visual project that the experience is justified and reveals a completely different meaning. The focus is not on the single elements but in the relationships between them, as the relationships bear meaning and are justified in themselves.
“The act of making music has its value in the infinite series of interactions that lie within it and acquires further value in the potential interactions that may come from it. It is, after all, an attempt at communicating and connecting with a potential listener or viewer. Therefore the whole album was recorded live in a single take, without breaks or cuts and no edit; it is a key feature of the work and is in line with the mindset Earthset adopted for it. This is documented in a video of the full recording session, which is extra content.”
Bound will be released in March 2022 via Dischi Bervisti/Costello’s.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/Earthset
https://www.instagram.com/earthset_
https://open.spotify.com/artist/27FihPbgJOaSdAyq9kgb9t
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflPJZXoRcY5hGvGrXZbEeQ
https://earthset.bandcamp.com
https://orcd.co/pills
https://open.spotify.com/album/5YYJf90FktsQTRRMZWNInT
https://music.apple.com/it/album/pills-single/1593429471
https://www.deezer.com/it/album/270196352 -
Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for 4/5/2021
In this episode, we feature an exclusive interview with Jack McLeod from the Scottish Indie band The Rah’s. Also featured are premieres and previews from Julian Shah-Tayler, JPDL & Yogi Beats featuring Rider Shafique, Kirlian Camera, Kurtis Hoppie, Vix20, Pat Fulgoni, Pinhdar, and Sunlust.
About The Rah’s
Fronted by the charismatic vocalist Jack Mcleod and featuring Jordan McIntrye (lead guitarist), Neale Gray (drummer), Lee Brown (bassist), and Jack Miller (keyboard/ guitarist), The Rah’s are an alternative rock band from East Lothian, Scotland.
Over the course of their career, the bands striking live performance style and electric sound have led to them touring across Britain and Ireland, capturing the curiosity of fans with their early releases.
Having supported the likes of The View, Chris Helm, and The Fratellis and with Radio X presenter Gordon Smart highlighting the band as one to watch on the Scottish Music Podcast ‘Telt’, the band is going from strength to strength, and The Rah’s are beginning to make their mark on the UK music industry.
After spending over a year in the studio, the year ahead is set to be the best yet, with The Rah’s due to tour up and down the country ahead of the release of their debut album. Not to be missed.
LINKS:
https://therahs.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/therahsmusic
https://twitter.com/therahsmusic
https://soundcloud.com/therahsmusic
https://www.instagram.com/therahsmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRahsMusicAbout Julian Shah-Tayler
Julian Shah-Tayler has today premiered his new song titled ‘Melt’. This track, to start off, is a darker and mellower turn in Julian’s personal ‘evolution of revolution’. Featuring a more sensual vocal styling and an ethereal accompaniment, the hook is a bit more subtle yet just as powerful and signature in that singularity sort of way. Almost in the realm of Pink Floyd at times, but not enough to be noticeable to the casual listener. ‘Melt’ is a song that will endear you without trying. Captivate without realizing. Evolve without involving. This is music.
Check out our other features with Julian Shah-Tayler HERE.
LINKS:
https://www.julianshahtayler.com
https://www.instagram.com/the_singularity_music
https://www.facebook.com/thesingularitymusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/thesingularityband
https://twitter.com/TheSingularityMAbout JPDL & Yogi Beats featuring Rider Shafique
JPDL & Yogi Beats release their new video for the track titled ‘Madness’ featuring Rider Shafique. The track is a smooth blend of syncopated dissonance combined with beat-laden jazz style fusion-funk and a suave and varied percussion.
The meaning behind the music is the madness in the mental. A perfect fit for this era of isolation. What is mental illness but that final desperation in coping with the seemingly un-copable. What we often forget is that the end is never the end but the segway to a new beginning. This is the brilliance within the beats of ‘Madness’.
LINKS:
Yogi Beats
https://www.instagram.com/yogi_beats/
https://www.facebook.com/yogibearbeats
https://twitter.com/YogiBearBeatsJPDL
https://www.instagram.com/jpdlukhh
https://www.facebook.com/jpdl2Played Out Records
https://www.instagram.com/playedoutrecords/
https://www.facebook.com/PlayedOutRecs
https://twitter.com/PlayedOutRecsRider Shafique
https://www.facebook.com/ShujaaRiderShafique
https://twitter.com/RiderShafique
https://www.instagram.com/r7gin/About Kirlian Camera
Kirlian Camera has released their new video for the track titled ‘The 8th President’. While maintaining their dark presence that has become a signature for Kirlian Camera over many years, they have also brought forth an original, almost dystopian visual and audio aesthetic within the video that demands attention. Think of the movie ‘Blade Runner’ when I say this. It’s almost world-building.
The tack is all that one would expect from Kirlian Camera and, in some ways, more. There is a brooding, slow-burning underbelly to ‘The 8th President’ that, in some ways, reflects the current state of isolation and loneliness brought on by the current state of the world. Reflective of the things that are, Kirlian Camera gives a soundtrack to this that leaves more questions than answers and, while most current creativeness shows us what we could be, this shows us what we are. Brilliant.
LINKS:
https://www.kirliancamera.com
https://www.facebook.com/kirliancamera.official
https://kirliancamera.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIm8M8kN3uqU3sOXm82ZpA
https://soundcloud.com/kirliancameraAbout Kurtis Hoppie
Kurtis Hoppie has released his new video for the track titled ‘Vegan Burger’. A unique track featuring Kurtis’ original rap cadence and lyrical phrasing way left of the creativity side, ‘Vegan Burger’ transcends the rap genre into pop with a killer sense for songwriting proving that a hook can be a monster.
The video is a story with heart and a visual with art and fits perfectly to the beat of the track. A video track for the sound.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/thekurtishoppie
https://www.facebook.com/TheKurtisHoppie
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIR10g1HVLaYF2vHuBa6u7A
https://soundcloud.com/kurtishoppieAbout Vix20
Vix20 has premiered their new video for the track titled ‘Broken Melody’. Taking a large detour from tracks past, Vix20 shows a lighter side of originality with a retro-hook-filled melody-induced track with tips of the hat to the likes of Christopher Cross, Pink Floyd, and more. Sound like an original mix? You have to listen to find them, but they are all there. This is as much a classic approach to songwriting as it is a time-honored way to lay a track down.
The video gives that lucid memory to the graphic artists of old that worked on such classics as ‘Heavy Metal’ and ‘Animalympics’. Given the music-heavy tinges of those two classic films, it’s easy to see where Vix20 gets some of its influence. And that influence is worn on the sleeve on the jacket of originality.
LINKS:
https://www.vix20.com
https://www.instagram.com/vixtwenty
https://www.facebook.com/vixtwentymusic
https://twitter.com/Vixtwenty
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPABFfRP8fWPKkp6mA9Kkw
https://open.spotify.com/artist/01fEKKUsAN1pp9jguVrTQG?si=0cMw1OI6R6mM2iO_42M6swAbout Pat Fulgoni
Pat Fulgoni (Kava Kava, Cabinet of Millionaires) has released his new live album titled ‘Dark Side Of The Blues’. Featuring a stellar lineup of musicians from the Czech area, at gives a sturdy repertoire of standards and favorites from the golden era of the blues with the conviction of a bluesman who sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads and never looked back. Each musician gets a turn in the spotlight as this is a showcase for a new band in the making only waiting for COVID to end to get busy with the blues. Magnificent.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/patfulgonibluesexperience
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1C27324867B56BD7
https://patfulgoni.bandcamp.com/album/dark-side-of-the-blues-pat-fulgoni-live-in-pragueAbout Pinhdar
Pinhdar has released their new album titled ‘Parallel’. Angelic and operatic vocals soaring over lush and vivid soundscapes would be the immediate way to describe Pinhdar. Cecilia Miradoli and Max Tarenzi, the minds behind the music of Pinhdar, make music that is much deeper than that, though. There is a soul to ‘Parallel’. And a personality. Almost on the level of a concept as much as an album, ‘Parallel’ is, at times, a concept opera with the songs relating to chapters of a bigger, coherent piece. A ‘theater of the soul’, if you will.
The album gives you enough diversity to take what you want and bond with what you will. This is brilliance as an art form.
Check out our other features with Pinhdar HERE.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/Pinhdar
https://www.instagram.com/pinhdar
https://twitter.com/pinhdar
https://pinhdar.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dyLnwsbDsTfxa6qPi7LjFAbout Sunlust
Sunlust is set to drop their new album titled ‘Geek Confessions’ on April 12th. The album is a solid set of hooks harking back to when alternative was still alternative, and not he mainstream. Quirky at times and gritty throughout, Sunlust leave the garage door open and lets the neighborhood soak up the goodness ringing out of the garage.
The album is set for release on April 12th alongside a special edition pressing of 180g Vinyl. The band is looking forward to getting back out to play live, moshing with friends, and tearing up the stage!
LINKS:
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/sunlust/1530877003
https://music.amazon.ca/artists/B08HNFJRLS/sunlust
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4WMqN2pDXq83U4OUc0IlQO
https://sunlustband.wixsite.com/website
https://www.facebook.com/sunlust.band
https://www.instagram.com/sunlust.bandClick HERE to watch Season 7 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 6 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 5 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 4 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 3 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 2 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 1 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’. -
Interview with Republica’s Saffron
Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with one of my personal favorite artists and an artist that helped define my younger years, both musically and personally, in the form of Saffron Sprackling from the almighty Republica. To say that Republica not only defined the 90s and electronic rock and pop music in general is an understatement. They helped create a bevy of music that came after them and have continued to fill stadiums from then to now.
Republica, consisting of Saffron, Tim Dorney, and Johnny Glue, have also released their new single and video titled ‘New York’, from their upcoming album ‘Damaged Gods’, releasing in 2024. Continuing that alt.pop magic that Republica planted those sonic seeds for, ‘New York’ is the gateway drug that will continue that special legacy that Republica is know around the globe for. Showing the songwriting within the group is a continuous evolution of revolution feels so refreshing knowing that great artists never die.
And, in this interview, we talk with Saffron about ‘New York’ and ‘Damaged Gods’ as well as everything Republica and Saffron, including her charity work as a keyworker in the mental health industry during the pandemic (BBC News video below).
This is truly as much a good conversation with a wonderful person as it is an interview. Watch the video above to check it out. Enjoy!
About ‘New York’ & ‘Damaged Gods’
It’s been a long time coming as the mighty REPUBLICA release their first new material in a decade in the guise of massive new single ‘NEW YORK’. It may be chilly outside but Republica are determined to continue the Summer mood with this stunning feel-good anthem to send souls soaring and get bodies moving. A short, sharp shot of dopamine to the heart and soul, vocalist (and cultural icon) Saffron says; “We’re so happy to be back out headlining live festivals and gigs again after lockdown and delighted at the reactions from the crowds and every audience who seemed to have taken ‘New York’ to their hearts already, as it has become a firm live favorite. So for us it means the world to have the opportunity to finally release new material through Armalyte Records.”
2023 has been a stellar year for Republica featuring a headline performance at Blackpool’s Rebellion Punk Festival, playing to 25,000 people alongside the Happy Mondays, and a sellout UK tour with The Boomtown Rats, it seems only fitting that the band close out the year in celebratory style with this joyous, upbeat anthem.
Following in the footsteps of gigantic smash singles ‘Ready To Go’ (with an incredible 42 million Spotify streams and counting) and ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’, ‘New York’ is another Republica instant alt. pop classic, and is the first single to drop following their newly inked deal with Armalyte Records, London’s leading underground alternative label.
About Republica
Republica dominated the charts in the Nineties with the band’s iconic and fiery front woman, Saffron, Tim Dorney (keyboards) and Johnny Male (guitar). They rode the Britpop wave of female-fronted rock bands like Sleeper, Elastica, Garbage and Lush, injecting it with their self-dubbed ‘techno-pop, punk rock’ sound.
Between 1996 and 1999, Republica sold an incredible 3 million albums and clinched Top 5 slots in the UK, America, South America and Europe with platinum sales across the globe, while their hit single ‘Ready to Go’ soared to Number One in many countries.
Their music has become a sought after soundtrack: ‘Ready To Go’ is currently being used on a Chevrolet advert in the US and featured in the billion dollar grossing ‘Capt Marvel’ movie, ‘YellowJackets’, Ted Lasso, Cruel Summer, Dua Lipa’s World for Vogue and Olivia Rodrigo covered it live on her 2022 world tour. It has been used in more than 300 films and adverts. Wes Craven selected their hit single, ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ for the soundtrack to his hit movie ‘Scream’ and invited them to perform at its Hollywood premiere.
Recently they have had headlining mainstage festival appearances including: the huge European City Of Culture festival in Serbia last year; Dubai, Israel, Germany, Isle Of Wight Festival, Victorious Festival, Norway’s Midnattsrocken, Little Orchard, Whychwood, Chalfest, Rebellion Punk Festival, Tom Kerridge’s Pub In The Park and a sell out UK tour with Sir Bob Geldolf’s Boomtown Rats.
Saffron also performed at two half times in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup last December and with Orchestras at the Brit Pop Festival and Back To Basics in Leeds with more coming in 2024.
Saffron has appeared on recordings by some of the world’s biggest music acts: The Prodigy (‘Fuel My Fire’ from ‘Fat of the Land’ album); The Cure ‘Just Say Yes’; Junkie XL; Gary Numan; Jeff Beck; DJ Carl Cox; Jah Wobble; N-Joi (‘Anthem’); Mark Moore, St Etienne and The Shamen.
Republica’s first album has been reissued as a Deluxe Triple CD, followed by colored vinyl reissues of both their albums: ‘Speed Ballads’ for 2023’s Record Store Day in April.
Saffron starred in a piece for the BBC for their classic TOTP documentary shows on the year 1997.
LINKS:
http://www.republicamusic.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/officialrepublica
https://twitter.com/saffrepublica
http://www.youtube.com/user/RepublicaTV1
https://republicaofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rSp8CsbPdFVq84q123pJy
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/republica/616725537