Radiohead performing live in Monza (Milan, Italy) the exact same day the album Ok Computer turned 20 (June 16).
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Johann Sebastian Punk – Confession
Having already sent Italian heads reeling with his concept album, “Phoney Music Entertainment”, Mr. Punk is preparing to send his opus to UK ears on 13th October. Showcasing his uniquely theatrical take on music as being either entertainment or a challenge to the intellectual elite, you can be assured that even the kitchen sink hasn’t escaped being thrown at this boundary-pushing piece of work.
Hailing from Sicily, self-styled dandy/gypsy hybrid Johann has developed a persona that brings to mind troubadours such as Sufjan Stevens, whilst also evoking thoughts of the pixie-ish faux naivety of early David Bowie and Syd Barrett. Mixed in with the freak Wurlitzer sound of harpsichords, Latin rhythms and, yes, flugelhorns, is the ever-present Johann, delivering his polemics in a style somewhere between and beyond Shakespeare and Adam Ant.
Designed to upset the status quo, the album uses melodic, though clashing musical styles to construct an art-rock opera where no two songs are remotely the same. Listing his influences as ranging from Frank Zappa to Jarvis Cocker and Brian Eno to Miles Davis, a second single, ‘Tragedy’, is scheduled to be released just prior to the album’s launch.
With only a smattering of session musicians, Johann has played over 20 instruments, as well as writing and producing the whole album. Johann is aiming to build on the success of his first, Italian-only release, which was nominated for “best debut” at Italy’s most prestigious music awards, The Premio Tenco. Teeming with paradoxes, contradictions, punk ethics and thrillingly chiming melodies, Johann Sebastian Punk has every right to declare himself “The Mario Balotelli of art school rock”.
SOURCE: Offical Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/johannsebastianpunk
https://twitter.com/jsp_music -
Dave Grohl – PLAY
‘Play’ by Dave Grohl celebrates the rewards and challenges of dedicating one’s life to Playing and mastering a musical instrument. Part one opens with narrated behind the scenes footage featuring a discussion of the love of Playing music and the lifelong relationship with an instrument, and detailing the process and challenges of recording and filming this unique performance. ‘Play’ film then segues to the titular 23-minute, one-man-band instrumental recording on which Grohl Plays all seven instruments on the track, all live.
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Rachel Mintz – Silly Weight
Jammerzine has a special treat in the form of an exclusive interview with mega-talent Rachel Mintz as well as her brand new video and single titled ‘Silly Weight’.
In the interview, we get a glimpse of what it’s like to be that artist at the edge of going to the next level. Professionally and personally. We get that virtual screen capture of a moment where an artist shows how she’s gotten to where she is now and what that next level holds in store for her and those she is taken with her.
Plus, we get what draws most people closer to an artist as well as brings new fans. We get that personal glimpse at the mind behind the music!
Click HERE to listen to the interview.
The video for ‘Silly Weight’ matches the music in originality and scope. Rachel has that uniqueness to her vocals and it is perfectly complemented by the music of Mintz and DSBlade in that dynamic-duo combination of musicians who understand one another. The dystopian feel and sparse setting give Rachel more room to play with the settings and interact with the camera as if the viewer was there. And they are.
ABOUT RACHEL MINTZ
Rachel Mintz is the kind of genre-fluid mind that could easily become an algorithm’s dream, even if the LA-based artist has some doubts on her latest single about social media as a whole.
Growing up in Miami with a musical family, she performed with one of the world’s most celebrated children’s choirs before pivoting to gritty rock and punk bands in her teens and eventually relocating to California. “Being raised in Miami, I never quite felt I fit in,” Mintz adds in retrospect. “My upbringing influenced my rebellion, which may have led to the artistic freedom expressed in my music. My teenage girlfriends and I listened to a lot of hip hop growing up, which cemented my love of rhythm.”
Working with Grammy Award-winning engineer and co-producer Ian Cross (Usher, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani), Mintz finally found her own voice on her 2019 debut Shed A Tear, which found her gleefully weaving between dream pop, darkwave, and baroque pop to praise from The Big Takeover and Pure Grain Audio. Building on top of Tear’s success, Mintz is readying a new EP for 2021 heralded by “Silly Weight,” a Bangles-reminiscent synth-pop blast of a lead single questioning social media and technology’s grip on daily life.
“I would regularly lament social media culture with [producer DS Blade]… which oddly enough, is how we were introduced,” recalls Mintz. “There are things, especially now, that we focus way too much of our energy on. Things like social media and consumerism are ultimately meaningless and don’t serve us at all. I am just as guilty of this as the next person. In a way, I wanted the lyrics to be a reflection of our conversations.”
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelmintzmusic
https://twitter.com/Rachelmintz
https://www.instagram.com/rachelmintz
https://linktr.ee/Rachelmintzmusic
https://rachelmintz.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/54RQwyzpAT4tNL71xGLdhg?si=yh6gc11LSc2F5iPv4OBOJQ
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/rachel-mintz/1486127780
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgSkTzQNTrCXEXI5oNTgcrg