Ben Walsh is a rare kind of musician these days. Born and raised in the Australian beach-town-slash-hippie-enclave of Byron Bay, his long blond hair and flat-brimmed hat make him easy to identify as a music-maker. But perhaps nothing tells you as much about Walsh as his smile: a big, broad, toothy grin that seems to make his whole face open up. He smiles often and he smiles easy and talking to him, you get the sense that his facial muscles may actually be more comfortable smiling than they are at rest. He’s the kind of person where you feel like he could connect with anyone and form a true friendship within the first 5 minutes of talking to them – and as life so often imitates art, that’s exactly what he seeks to do with his music.
SOURCE: Official Bio
Photo by C.D. Hale.
LINKS:
http://benwalshofficial.com
https://www.instagram.com/benwalshmusic
https://twitter.com/benwalshmusic
https://facebook.com/iambenwalsh
https://youtube.com/benwalshmusic
https://music.apple.com/au/album/she-gives-me-love-single/1490064441
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Ben_Walsh_She_Gives_Me_Love?id=Bdhad4rprh5uwdrn562gsumujue
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Grieves – A-Okay
‘Running Wild’ has a modernized sound that is lush and intoxicating, pairing punchy drums with thick layers of synths and warm bass lines. Whether dark and moody or upbeat and jazzy, Grieves navigates the soundscape, penning verses that range from vulnerable and confessional to carefree.
Recorded in Stockholm alongside Swedish producer Chords (aka rapper Jens Eric Resch Thomason), the fifteen tracks on ‘Running Wild’does exactly what the album title would imply.
Tracks like ‘Gutz’ and ‘No Sleep’ are classic Grieves ruminations on anxiety and romantic bust-ups, then others such as ‘Faded’ and ‘RX’ experiment with fluttering trap beats, whilst ‘What it Dew’ and ‘5,000 Miles’ offer the rich guitar tones and humming organs more commonly found in classic soul.
The record offers a clear openness, both sonically and thematically which presents a new side to Grieves and his creativity as an artist. It showcases his dueling impulses to have a good time while staying true to himself. This artistic progression in Grieves offers a refreshing development in his overall sound, lyricism, and a unique journey for the listener.
When asked if he always knew he would end up being a rapper, Grieves can only laugh. “Oh no, not really, I was in bands and stuff, but grew up listening to Punk. It wasn’t until I got a little older that Hip-Hop really started to happen for me.”
When Grieves first heard artists such as Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan, he remembers being drawn to their sound. “Hearing all the samples from records that I heard my dad play when I was a kid… You start to hear the connections. When I discovered people like Atmosphere, it was like hearing somebody speak their truth in a way that related to me. That’s when I first started to think about Hip-Hop as a way to really talk about what was happening in my life. Hard to believe that now, over a decade later, that’s actually what I’m still doing.”
While his previous efforts such as 2011’s ‘Together/Apart’, and 2014’s ‘Winter & The Wolves’ might have leaned heavily in the direction of darkness- taking on subjects such as addiction, heartbreak, and poverty, the new record introduces some much-needed levity to the proceedings.
At a time when the notion of the “album” is often summarily ditched in favor of records that are little more than a collection of previously released singles, ‘Running Wild’ is very much an album, and intentionally so. “I really wanted this to be a real record,” says Grieves, “I wanted it to work front to back.”
“I’ve been touring for over ten years at this point, people have seen my show. They get who I am as a person and an artist, the serious and the lightheartedness. Until now I haven’t felt comfortable releasing a record that divulges this, to project what you’re experiencing live, and what you have come to expect from the records, all in one!”
Coinciding with the tour, Grieves has also dropped his next video from the album for the track ‘A-Okay.’ The video centers around a character who seems unable to cut loose and enjoy the good times and the company he ‘s surrounded by.
Grieves said, “Life is way too short to be mad at other people’s enjoyment. Go out and live a little, rent a hot tub boat, get your butt touched, whatever… Just smile!”
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://rhymesayers.com/artists/grieves
https://twitter.com/Grievesmusic
https://www.facebook.com/Grievesmusic
https://www.instagram.com/grieves -
The Jasmine Minks – Step by Step
Scotland’s The Jasmine Minks have announced their new 7” single, to be released via A Turntable Friend Records, both digitally and on blue vinyl in a cardboard sleeve.
With almost the same line-up as on the very first recordings, Jim Shepherd, Martin Keena, Dave Musker, and Tom Reid recorded this new material together with producer legend Pat Collier at his Perry Vale Studios in London.
Presented as a double A-side 7“ single, ‘Step by Step’ and ‘Gravity’ shine as if the band had recorded it some 30 years ago. The first track is an upbeat and uptempo jingle-jangle harmony with a 60s chorus (written by Tom Reid) while ‘Gravity’ comes as a more fuzzy anthem reminiscent of ‘Cut Me Deep’. Here we see fantastic songwriting courtesy of Jim Shepherd.
The Jasmine Minks have been strongholds in the British music scene since 1983, originating from Aberdeen. In fact, they were the first band to be signed to Alan McGee’s fledgling Creation Records label back in 1984. Many classic songs, singles, and albums followed. ‘Think!’ or ‘Cold Heart’ are among the best songs released during Creation’s early phase.
“It was a moment of utter bliss when singer-guitarist Jim Shepherd confirmed that the single would be happening,” says Ulrich Hoffman, owner of A Turntable Friend Records.
As of March 22, this two-track single will be available everywhere digitally via A Turntable Friend Records with distribution worldwide by SRD (London, UK). The limited edition 7” can now be ordered on blue vinyl in a cardboard sleeve (with download code) via Bandcamp and Limited Run.
LINKS:
http://aturntablefriendrecords.limitedrun.com/products/635029-jasmine-minks-step-by-step-gravity-7-blue-vinyl
https://thejasmineminks.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/thejasmineminks
https://twitter.com/behappydadda
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-jasmine-minks-mn0000217301/biography
https://open.spotify.com/artist/79iNuVcranEFZo5z6yTdHc?si=CFYMorgUS8idzMue7y0yVg
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/the-jasmine-minks/202220877 -
Ender Bender – Honey Lavender Girl
Ender Bender, a newcomer in the indie-pop world, presents his new feel-good single ‘Honey Lavender Girl’, hot on the trail of his debut track ‘Star Killer’. These positive vibing tracks present an enticing taste of the forthcoming ‘EQ’ EP, to be released in late spring.
The new single centers around his life-changing move from LA to Rome, a journey from self-destructive hedonism to a spiritual and artistic renaissance. ‘Star Killer’, on the other hand, explores the ups and downs, the angels and the demons of life in Los Angeles. The accompanying video was designed and directed by Italian artist Tommaso Ragnisco.
Ender Bender is the solo project of Eddie Olguin, a multi-instrumentalist producer now based in Rome, guided by a unique mission of making perfect modern pop-rock. Creating music and spreading bliss in the face of the realization that nothing in life is perfect, the pursuit of this perfect sound is what fuels the Ender Bender fire.
“The idea for this song came about when I decided to walk away from everything I knew, pack my bags and follow my heart. The song encompasses basic feelings that can be associated with such a decision: anxiety, excitement, hope, love, but most importantly, choosing to allow yourself to be happy. The ride was exciting, tumultuous and often scary; but the destination is joy. “There’s a time and a place for everything, and our time is right now,” says Eddie Olguin.
About ‘Star Killer’, Olguin says, “L.A. raised me and made me who I was, both mother and lover, an open highway to my fantasies and, eventually, the butler of my demons. This song is but a humble, yet bittersweet, an ode to this city”.
An artist and a small business owner in Los Angeles, Olguin had the Ender Bender ‘vision”, one night in a hospital in Glendale, California while literally facing the prospects of his own death. He decided that he had to cut ties with the artistic quagmire that is Los Angeles and all of its demons. Soon after, the Universe, in all her giving glory, opened the doors for Eddie to relocate to Rome, Italy in the name of love, sanity and, in this case, music.
Not looking for a scene, but simply in need of certain energy and feeling, Rome ultimately proved to be the perfect place for Eddie to create this music, bringing the Ender Bender project to fruition.
Inspired by music from multiple genres, including light-hearted indie pop, Ender Bender combines new wave and synthpop elements of decades past with forward-thinking indie pop and electro. Here the past meets the future in an addictive sonic stimulant designed in an audio lab somewhere.
Featured image by Roberta Ovatta.
CREDITS
Written by Eddie Olguin
Vocals and all instruments performed by Eddie Olguin
Backing vocals by Roberta Ovatta
Recorded and mixed by Eddie Olguin
Mastered by Justin WeisLINKS:
http://www.enderbender.com
https://www.facebook.com/enderbendersonicdrug
https://soundcloud.com/iamenderbender
https://twitter.com/iamEnderBender
https://www.instagram.com/iamenderbender