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Moonshine Booze – Happy
Moonshine Booze present ‘Happy’ as the second single off their debut album ‘Desert Road’, released via Seahorse Recordings. Along with that, they reveal a new surreal video shot against the backdrop of vivid Kafkaesque scenery. Written by Emiliano Zapata and realized with the masterful supervision of videographer Jessica Montebello, who shot and edited the clip, in addition to her tremendous artistic contribution involving certain peculiar characters.
This story juxtaposes the immense landscape of the scorching desert with a smoky and dark journey that projects through an illusory door. Darkness and light, solitude and freedom side-by-side and yet opposite, and the fragile equilibrium of the characters, such as the emblematic clown, obsessed by chronic mood swings. These are allegories of the most arduous and torturing journey the mind can conceive – a journey towards happiness and the demolition of ‘social rules’ that inevitably tide the mind within stringent tormentous borders.
Combining grit blues rock with alternative country, Moonshine Booze’s music has been described as psychedelic country blues-tinged rock, as well as brazen desert alcoholic acoustic rock. The album’s release was preceded by their first single ‘The Place’, along with a fiery retro-freakish yet humorous video.
Moonshine Booze formed in the summer of 2014 in Teramo, Italy. This trio is comprised of Andrea Manila (vocals), Emiliano Zapata (guitar) and Fabio Manchos (drums). The video for ‘The Place’ was a collaborative effort between Emiliano Zapata and Josh Heisenberg, with Zapata writing the scenario, Josh handling the filming and editing, and both on direction.
Having been active on the music scene for over twenty years in various bands, both in Italy and The USA, the trio has gathered and elaborate experiences from different musical genres, putting them to good use in their new project.
The initial idea behind this band was to put out a series of classic covers from Johnny Cash to Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and J.B. Leonor, which were to be completely rearranged while still preserving the rude and crude grooves of their roots.
After honing their sound during several years of playing many small venues (the band prefers such intimate venues), Moonshine Booze realized that they had developed their own unique sound – a sort of cynical mix of western-funk-tex-mex-rock in a bluesy tone sauce and with bizarre touches, setting them apart from the standard fare in the ‘rock’ realm.
The idea led the band to finally isolate themselves in the studio for over three months to write, record and complete their debut album ‘Desert Road’. Strongly influenced by the likes of The Who, Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, The Kinks and ZZ Top, they managed to create 14 unique tracks for their debut release, integrating what the band had collectively gained from their previous musical experience. In the recording process, they did not follow any formal rules or standard, but simply adhered to the motto “if it sounds good … it’s good!”.
‘Desert Road’ is now available across digital stores and streaming platforms and can also be found via Seahorse Recordings’ Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/moonshinebooze
http://soundcloud.com/moonshinebooze
http://seahorserec.bandcamp.com/album/moonshine-booze-desert-road -
Satellite Ravens – Changes
Hatched in Arizona and with wings affixed in California, Satellite Ravens is as close to a one-man band as you can get without the spectacle of someone with cymbals strapped to their knees and an array of whistles around their neck. The creator is a multi-instrumentalist, Carson Rohde; his vehicle, the many-headed psychedelic funk gull, Satellite Ravens; the album, a mind-expanding zoo of colorful characters from this world and beyond, from yesterday and tomorrow. The hippy vibes are back for a new generation and lift-off is available any time you’re ready.
With Rohdes’ behemoth-like bass guitar skills very much to the fore, “The Equinox” has the shuffling, staggering drums of the 90’s Madchester scene, but with the Day-Glo smarts of US bands like MGMT and early Flaming Lips. From the swooning joy of Suffocated, with its Ween-esque mischievousness to the pseudo-mystical Chili Peppers dream-funk of Encircled, each track builds into an ever-expanding universe, twisting back on itself and latching onto new rhythms, writhing gleefully as it morphs into an entirely new animal. If Space Rock to you is Hawkwind or Spacemen 3, think again – this is the real sound of the cosmos: playful; intriguing but also joyful.
Rather like the deliberately distressed Yes-like album cover, Satellite Ravens have their tongue somewhat in their cheek, but this belies their huge musical talent and often intriguing lyrical content. With elements of jazz, classical, funk, 80s rock and 90s underground psych, this is an album which grows in magnificence with each subsequent listen. Prepare to follow Satellite Ravens in orbit.
LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/satellite_ravens
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DWM8jTdcf2wyyWt3a7SzV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJAay056LCLnCks9ua9Duw?view_as=subscriber
https://www.facebook.com/satellite.ravens
https://twitter.com/satelliteravens
https://www.instagram.com/satellite.ravens
https://satelliteravens.com -
Kepa Lehtinen – Face Plant
A new musical excursion from Kepa Lehtinen …Face Plant is a six-track mini-album of original contemporary classical music written for piano, contrabass, and theremin. . The theremin is a century-old electronic instrument that’s played by hand gestures rather than direct contact.
Nobody uses theremin like I do. It is not a solo instrument anymore. Because theremin responds to even the slightest movement (even to the player’s breath) it has become the organic sonic cornerstone of my music. It is the element that makes the soundscape really come to life ”
Face Plant “I am 50 years old skateboarder. I have always loved the expression ”Face Plant” (an instance of falling face-first into or onto something.) If you skate on the limits of your skills you are going to fall at some point. It is going to hurt.”
Kontula Kontula (2018) is my most beloved composition. (740 000 streams on Spotify) ”Kontula ” is a new solo remake of the piano version of the theme.
”The mix of classical and retro electronic music makes ideas escape easily and appreciate the changing season. Beautiful, very, very beautiful.”
Mika Roth/desibeli.netNowhere”Kepa gives an original instrument a new voice and expression in a center stage manner that merges electronic with a future indie classic. ”
Ryan Martin/JammerzineLockdown…Arpeggios on a broken piano – the sound of a pandemic.
It is ok to be a computer… Chiptune version of my track ”It is ok to be sad and dark” The last track on all my solo records is the Commodore 64 version of some previous song. The Spotify algorithm will punish me – lol.
Kepa Lehtinen has written music for many films, commercials, and TV productions. He plays the piano, synthesizers, theremin. He released his first solo album, Playing Theremin, in 2018. In 2019 he released Helsinki in November and 2020 It is ok to be sad and dark. Last year Kepa was chosen as the composer of the week on the prestigious moving classics tv.
About Kepa Lehtinen
The theremin comes to life under the direction of the rising Finnish composer, Kepa Lehtinen on his new dark andante Nowhere.
‘The way I use the theremin is quite unique. Together with double bass, the theremin completes the piano like cello and violin does in a classical piano trio.” The theremin is an electronic instrument that produces sound when your hands interact with the electromagnetic field it emits without actually touching the device itself. It was invented in the labs of KGB by Russian engineer Leon Theremin in the early 1920s.’
‘Strumming through the invisible electronic waves the Tonality play is unnoticeable. While harmonies are modern and complex; the overall feel seems to be nonetheless easily approachable and primitively hypnotic. Insight to the world of the Theremin from Kepa….On the sound ”Retro but ultra HiFi sound has been my goal at the studio. Sound of sadness and past.’
Everybody wonders at my instrument,” ”but after all, it is the most organic musical instrument there is. The sound is in direct contact with my breathing and the slightest movements of my body. I played the theremin part with a sore hand that I had hurt in a small skate accident I can feel the pain in my hand every time I listen to this track – lol.’
Kepa Lehtinen is a native of Helsinki, Finland. He began to study music as a child and eventually went on to study Sound Design at Finland’s Aalto University and has since written music for many films, commercials, and TV productions. He plays the piano, synthesizers, theremin, After college Kepa continued his work as a composer, sound editor, and sound designer. His music has appeared in award-winning Finnish titles such as Kimmo (TV series), Almost 18 (feature film), and A Stone LeftUnturned (short film).
He released his first solo album, Playing Theremin, in 2018. In 2019 he released Helsinki in November and 2020 It is ok to be sad and dark. Kepa is also an avid skateboarder and also runs a sound studio for film and tv. This fall Kepa was chosen as the composer of the week on the prestigious moving classics tv.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/kepalehtinenartist
https://twitter.com/KepaLehtinen
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