Lazaris Pit drops their new single titled ‘You Don’t Tag Me in Memes Anymore’ plus the B-Side ‘Cloudsculpting’. This is the perfect ‘capture the band in the moment’ moment. We get that garage-perfect sound with that quirky attitude and tight-yet-loose feeling in the vein of Dinasaur Jr. and the like but all Lazaris Pit in execution and scope.
With ‘Cloudsculpting’ we get the same side of a different coin with an adventurous song climbing to the top with varied guitar chord progressions and a hypnotic varied beat with that lovely feeling of falling apart at the seams while sticking together tightly in that true alt-rock sound at its purest.
‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’ is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify and Apple Music. The full ‘Coniphers’ album will be released on May 22.
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ABOUT LAZARIS PIT
Raleigh-based rock outfit Lazaris Pit have announced they will release their new ‘Coniphers’ album. Ahead of that, they present the lead single ‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’, a modern-day break-up song, often detached from the moments that make life worth living and musing on the deeper workings of it all with the grim reality that someone important has moved on. They also present a video rendition of this single, live in Athens, Georgia.
The B-side ‘Cloudsculpting’ showcases another facet of this album, evoking the image of spending a dreamy tranquil day, gazing up at the clouds and imagining what it might be like to live peacefully high up in the fluff and blue sky.
Formed in June 2017, this self-named “pack of cosmic dogs” consists of Ely “Salted Sweet Cream” Yarbrough (guitar and lead vocals), Cameron “Sugarfoot” Preston (bass) and Jon “Dok Tok” Castro (drums and backing vocals).
‘Our album ‘Coniphers’ is named after a brother of ours lost along the way. Included are 8 tracks of the good stuff, heady grooves and sweet pop tunes, funk breakdowns to zero gravity ambiance…. 42 minutes of rock n roll,” says Cameron Preston.
“Lead track ‘You Don’t Tag Me In Memes Anymore’ is a microcosm of the album as a whole, embodying our familiar Lazaris Pit sound. Is ‘Memes’ a pop song with a punk twist or is it a shoegaze song with some pep in its step? We aren’t quite sure what to call it, but we know it has been lighting up faces whenever mentioned and burning down dance floors when played live,” says Ely Yarbrough.
‘Coniphers’ was recorded live in-studio from November 2019 to January 2020, showcasing a band playing like a pack of hungry dogs, sinking their teeth into a meaty T-bone for the first time in ages. Recorded and mixed by Artem Smirnov at Common Thread Studios in Raleigh with additional engineering and creative input from Michael Graziano and Matt Graham, this album was mastered by Alexander Kretov at Ummagma Studio.
Lazaris Pit freely improvises a dreamy blend of punk, funk, soul, psychedelia, reggae, jazz, noise, and ambiance into a one-of-a-kind dance party. The result: a mind-meld of musical tapestries that take the listener on an emotional journey through time and space, and ourselves in the process.
They’ve brought their unique brand of rock-n-roll far and wide, having played shows up and down the east coast and southeast from Philly to Atlanta and New York to New Orleans, their sound filling large festival fields, historic college campuses, and the most intimate of dive bars and clubs.
Noting music aesthetic and sound inspirations in the sense of a launchpad rather than as blueprints, Lazaris Pit’ counts Fugazi and Grateful Dead among their inspirations, as well as classic R&B, Phish, Curtis Mayfield, Cream, Pink Floyd, Ween, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Primus, Flaming Lips, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo.
Featured image by Travis Merchant.
LINKS:
https://www.lazarispit.com
https://lazarispit.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/lazarispit
https://twitter.com/themLPboys
https://www.instagram.com/lazarispit
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_mbHlwbaZgIBhb56ybbiAg
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Tommy Down Drops ‘Superficial’ (The Week in #Indie Segment)
With a smooth groove and sometimes staccato-like rhythm within the lyrics, Tommy Down delivers a memorable track in the form of ‘Superficial’, which is steeped in melody and simply memorable in the aftermath. And now matter and antimatter collide musically with the help of Decca Records artist Rhys Lewis.
This dynamic duo chisel out ‘Superficial’ in a way that is anything but. This song is deep. Musically, creatively, maybe even spiritually on a guttural level. The chorus has such a lyrical delivery of the song title that it is actually still in my head. That is the mark of genius. When a song stays with you and becomes a part of you. That is more than superficial.
About ‘Superficial’
Produced by rising Decca Records star Rhys Lewis, ‘Superficial’ sounds like the brainchild of Nile Rodgers and Sade scoring a Boogie Nights sequel. Managing to tactfully balance its glossy velvet-toned nostalgic influences with a raw and stripped-back production approach, ‘Superficial’ sees Tommy Down analyzing the psychological perils of a generation addicted to selfies and social media. It’s all captured in the contradiction at the heart of its narrative: guy judges a girl for taking a selfie with him, yet harbors a desire to see himself tagged in it the next day.Ultimately ‘Superficial’ navigates the complex, maddening, and circular logic of technological overthink by asking us if we’re even perhaps a little attracted to the idea of our own narcissism. Maybe the fact that we go into these things ambivalently makes us more woke anyhow? It’s three minutes of clever, concise and thought-provoking pop that puts Down both sonically and lyrically on a standout path. With Tommy starring as himself and his own conscience, alongside live bandmate and Cold Feet actress Sylvie Briggs, and Raffy Ellison, the accompanying video, (directed by Toby Harris), is a colorful, slick and tongue-in-cheek dramatization of the lyrics.
About Tommy Down
Tommy Down is the sharp-suited and incisive lyricist and frontman to Harker Moon. He started the project in 2015 with schoolmates Hal Briggs, Ben Phillips, Olly Jay, and Joe Caplin. The band peddles an uproarious blend of rock, soca, funk, and roots with a trademark relish for old-school feel-good vibes. Tommy has been writing music and recording since he was fourteen, and since leaving university a year and a half ago, has been dedicating himself to it fully. In that time, he’s already netted a few accolades and picked up a wealth of practical experience – winning an award for ‘Best Original Composition’ at the UK Open Mic Competition, for instance. He also started performing as the male vocalist for Bristol University Jazz Orchestra in 2015 and now gigs in venues across London including the Camden Assembly.Tommy’s broad knowledge of musical styles and emphasis on innovative stylistic fusions make him one of the most interesting emerging British artists. >From London to New York he has also been forging some eminent collaborations this year, including Jeff Silverman, Charlie Perry (who helped produce Jorja Smith’s Lost and Found), and John Shave & Jason Pebworth from the Grammy-nominated “Invisible Men” – the hitmakers behind songs by Britney Spears and Rita Ora. Both as a bandleader and as a solo artist Tommy unequivocally shines, but it’s in the latter category that we’re seeing his unique artistry in its full resplendent glory.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/Tommy-Down-138191366266833
https://soundcloud.com/nii-amar-children
https://www.instagram.com/tommydownmusic -
An Interview with The Mystery Plan (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with Jason Herring of The Mystery Plan. They say that originality comes in many forms and has many influences. That is no more evident than in The Mystery Plan’s new album titled Zsa Zsa (review HERE). And today we get to talk with Jason about that new and varied album as well as the beginnings of The Mystery Plan and how that magnificent sound came to be. We also get a glimpse of the gear behind the sound and how The Mystery Plan is making plans in this current global situation and where those plans will take them. This is a wonderful conversation disguised as an interview. Enjoy!
Check out our other features featuring The Mystery Plan HERE.
Check out the full episode of The Week in #Indie HERE.
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’.ABOUT THE MYSTERY PLAN
Produced by the legendary John Fryer and Jason Herring, this record also features such notable guests as Micah Gaugh (The Veldt / Apollo Heights), Ian Masters, That Guy Smitty, and Snap Nation. This is not the first time The Mystery Plan has worked with Fryer, having previously collaborated on their fourth full-length release ‘Queensland Ballroom’, released in late 2017, and the ‘Electric Love’ single.
Based in Charlotte, NC, the band is comprised of Jason Herring, Amy Herring, Jeff Chester, Otis Hughes, and Patty McLaughlin. Since forming in 2010, they’ve managed to release 10 EPs and LPs combined.
“JC Quinn was an actor from NYC with many films and television credits, including “Barfly”, “the Abyss”, “Visionquest” and countless others. He moved to Charlotte in the late 1990s to be closer to his grandchildren. We met at a downtown watering hole called Cafe 521, owned and operated by his good friend from New York, Peter Herrero. That’s where I met JC, along with many other actors, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bernadette Peters, etc.. They would always stop at the café when in town to visit their good friend Peter,” says Jason Herring.
“JC and I struck up a nice friendship. He was a fan of ours and would come to shows and stand right up front so we could see him. A very lovely man indeed. Sadly, JC died in Mexico while shooting a film a few years ago. I’ve always wanted to pay tribute to him, and we have finally done so with this song. The lyrics are a blend of what we would do with him now if he were still here, and iconic lines from some of his films.”
‘Zsa Zsa’ was recorded at Catalyst Recording and various local studios over a 2+ year stretch following a number of Southeast U.S. tours in promotion of the band’s ‘Queensland Ballroom’ album. This new record touches of several different styles – everything from deep mellow shoegaze and folky ambient to upbeat danceable trip-hop and electronica.
‘Zsa Zsa’ finds the quintet moving further afield of its earlier psych-folk leaning to land on something more akin to the down-tempo approach of Portishead and Zero 7, mixed with early 4AD action. That later is in no small part due to the return of band collaborator, producer John Fryer (too many A-list credits to list here), and new Mystery Plan friend Ian Masters, former bassist-vocalist of influential British shoegazers Pale Saints.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Mystery-Plan-1498248636862179
https://www.facebook.com/10mmomega
https://soundcloud.com/10mmomegarecordings
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5SN1Udgyeoxvu7nEiJosx1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoUq0Xz_tBvIeOPc6oL59HA/videos
https://www.reverbnation.com/jasonherringthemysteryplan -
Mantis and the Prayer Release ‘Murder Ballad and the Blue’ (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Mantis and the Prayer drop the new EP/Double AA Single titled ‘Murder Ballad and the Blue’. The first track, titled ‘I Know you’, is a sonically diverse yet subtle track with a somber vocal track coupled with layered guitar and an almost light orchestral with cinematic flare. Almost done in a way as to enhance the meaning of the lyrics, ‘I Know You’ is a melancholic soliloquy for the isolated.
‘Go Too Far’, while appearing more upbeat, is just as melancholic in emotion but from a different creative angle. With more of an upbeat demeanor, ‘Go Too Far’ achieves originality with subdued sound effects and an original chord progression that chugs away with the beat.
Click HERE to watch Season 6 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
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Click HERE to watch Season 4 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
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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’.About Mantis and the Prayer
Enigmatic Rock band Mantis and the Prayer are returning with a AA side single release, ‘Murder Ballad and the Blue’ which features the songs ‘I Know You’ and ‘Go Too Far’ which are written on themes of tragedy and disconnection. The EP juxtaposes the melancholy subject matter with Pop sensibilities and upbeat catchy rhythms. The vocals capture the drama and energy of Mantis and the Prayer, who cite Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie as influences.
Always filling their songs with emotional storytelling, Mantis and the Prayer is a three-piece Rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Releasing their first album ‘Butterflies and Demons’ in 2016, they have since gone onto place their music on the soundtrack for the independent movie ‘Queen of Hollywood Blvd’ which was featured on the film festival circuit and had a cinematic release in Los Angeles. Characterized by delicate vocal harmonies and stinging guitars, Mantis and the Prayer present theatrical Rock that deals with themes of tragedy, triumph, love, and loss.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/MantisAndThePrayer
https://twitter.com/TheMantisPrayer
https://www.instagram.com/mantisandtheprayer
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3LZeCFFqBGxsSWSs9J5jCN?si=cAkHBCoER_ekv876GZwmpQ
https://soundcloud.com/mantis-and-the-prayer