Tokyo’s The Mootekkis are one of those bands that deliver the musical goods every time. And I mean every time. And this time is no exception with the uber-catchy ‘poptastically’ decadent track that is ‘Against the Ropes’, from their new album ‘Pucker Up‘ (check out our review HERE).
The video above gives the quirky story of love lost, found, and lost again on the epic streets of Tokyo while the band plays on. The video harks back to the glory days of MTV and solidifies the band’s stature as one of those #indie bands that truly get it. Look, and sound like a million bucks and, guess what, you’re a million bucks.
‘Pucker Up’, from The Mootekkis is out now. Get your copy HERE.
The Mootekkis
This booze-loving Tokyo-based 5-piece – Australian, American and 3 Japanese – garage rock’n’roll band was formed midway through 2008 by Jude (guitar) and Mike (vox) and two years later were featured on the front cover of Japanzine after winning the magazine’s nation-wide battle of the bands with their 2010 EP track “Hey…What You Want?”.
More recently a number of their tracks from 2014 debut album “Heckling the Dawn” have been used for the Skateboarding Japan podcast while their tune “The Whiskey” is the theme music for drinkers and skaters delight podcast Got Faded Japan.
Prior to this, in August 2012 they embarked on a 10-day tour of New York where they played Manhattan hot spots Bowery Electric and Piano’s as well as New Haven’s Elm Bar and a handful of basement and loft parties in Brooklyn – before this trip 2 members had never been outside Japan.
Brooklyn’s Ishmael Osekre, an organizer of the festival Aputumpu, had this to say after seeing The Mootekkis at a Bushwick loft party: “This was pure rock’n’roll in a way that most people around here haven’t seen for a long time…it was just amazing.”
The Mootekkis have had the good fortune of having a lot of good people behind them. In 2013 they crowdfunded their debut album and in 2014 they finished in the top 10 of Tokyo’s 126 bands trying to earn a spot at Summer Sonic thanks to immense local and foreign support.
They’re truly humbled and wholly committed to giving rock’n’roll lovers something new with decades of respect for what has come before.
The Mootekkis are:
Mike (vocals)
Jude (rhythm/lead)
Koji (rhythm/lead)
Yo’cchan (bass)
Takahiro (drums)
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/themootekkis
https://twitter.com/themootekkis
https://themootekkis.bandcamp.com
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Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for 11/4/2019
Jammerzine’s The Week in #Indie for the week of November 4th, 2019 includes exclusive interviews with dUg Pinnick, Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir, and Danny Chavis from The Veldt. Also featured are premieres from Lunar Twin, North America, Owen Denvir, RISE, The Summercamp, and Too Many T’s.
About dUg Pinnick
Rare is it when I get to talk with someone of such knowledge and depth. Rarer still is when that learned musical scholar is also one cool and down-to-earth guy. That guy is dUg Pinnick. dUg is a virtual one-man walking history of music. Having honed his style and tone in the ’70s and solidified his place in music in the ’80s with King’s X, dUg played it all, done it all, heard it all, and been it all. And now we get the honor of hearing some of those stories and much more from the badass of bass in this exclusive interview.
In this interview, we get the latest news on King’s X’s new album and tour (dates below), the dirt on his other bands including KXM with George Lynch and Ray Luzier as well as his reflections on his just-completed Jimi Hendrix tribute tour with Joe Satriani and even a much-needed health update on King’s X bandmate Jerry Gaskill and so much more! Consider this interview a lesson in musicianship and a guide to living free.
LINKS:
http://www.dugnation.net
https://www.facebook.com/dugpinnickfanpage
https://www.instagram.com/dugpinnick
https://twitter.com/dUgpinnick_
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dug-pinnick/id73055633?uo=8&at=1001ldnQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/douglaspinnick
https://www.kingsxrocks.com
https://www.facebook.com/KingsXofficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/alienbeans
https://twitter.com/kingsx
https://www.instagram.com/kingsxofficialAbout Fly My Pretties
When I first found out about New Zealand’s Fly My Pretties, I was astonished at how much of a collaborative effort it is while being as smooth running as it is. Their new album, and first studio album titled ‘The Studio Recordings Part One’ is an audio dynamite stick filled with the diversity that only a well crafted and tightly knit family of artists who know how to work together and work off the feeling of each other. And it shows (embed playlist below).
And in this interview, we get to talk with the brainchild of this effort, Barnaby Weir. In the interview, we get to know the roots of this family tree as well as the creative process that comes with each effort that Fly My Pretties undertakes plus much, much more.
LINKS:
http://www.flymypretties.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fly-My-Pretties/70526150479
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D2FFBD9ABFB296E
https://twitter.com/FlyMyPrettiesNZ
https://flymypretties.bandcamp.comAbout Lunar Twin
Lunar Twin returns with a sonically dreamy and melodic turn for the evolution of their careers with their new single and video titled ‘Leaves’. The track is one of those that creeps up to you in a good way and lends that tender surrender of the ears and mind and gives that beautiful turn for the serene with soulful vocals and a quietly ascending cinematic progression with a steady yet poignant backbeat. Think U2 as a more electronic band with an original twist and emotional delivery that only Lunar Twin can deliver.
LINKS:
http://www.lunartwin.com
https://www.facebook.com/Lunartwin
https://lunartwin.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/lunartwinmusic
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuvRCdg_rfg6YBMd324hNXg/videos
https://soundcloud.com/lunar-twin
https://instagram.com/chriscontrollerAbout North America
East London quintet North America releases new single ‘Leave Us To Fate’. A rolling ballad encompassed in ethereal guitar work, the song is a bittersweet reflection on love’s subjugation to fate.
Frontman P.F. Phillip says, “Leave Us To Fate is a bittersweet goodbye to love now lost, a reminiscence of a romance that inevitably could not be.” Torn apart by separation, the protagonist encourages himself and his former lover to live and carry on, while admitting to a hopeless desire that they meet again in an unknown future.
Written, recorded, produced and released by the band themselves, ‘Leave Us To Fate’ is a cathartic release of emotion that encapsulates the band’s lyrical poeticism and sense of indie grandeur.
North America is a London based 5-piece creating viscerally energetic and introspective indie-rock that embodies the anthemic quality of their songwriting. Hailing from São Paulo and California, frontman P.F. Phillip met guitarists Gabe Coulter, Jack Rennie, bassist Sandro Giacometti, and drummer Sam Roberts at the world-famous Metropolis Studios before forming North America in 2017 over a refined appreciation of trashy American comedies and questionable pizza joints.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/northamericaofficial
https://www.instagram.com/northamericaofficial
https://twitter.com/northamericabnd
https://soundcloud.com/northamericaofficial
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYLulTJDkFWPGiIEg55ArxQAbout Owen Denvir
Owen Denvir dropped his new EP titled ‘Sticks’ on November 1st, 2019. With the panache of a showman and the creativity of a troubadour, Owen gives a varied and stylistic set of tracks that truly lay credence to his body of work and showcase his talents as a singer. And Owen really has the voice for this body of work. His range is perfect for what he is utilizing it for but that weathered emotion within is what is the most captivating. Layer that amongst the solemnly orchestrated music and you have that true magic bottled by an artist.
LINKS:
http://www.owendenvir.com
https://www.facebook.com/OwenDenvir
https://twitter.com/owendenvir
https://www.instagram.com/owendenvirAbout RISE
RISE delivers a score for her beautiful voice in the form of her new single and video titled ‘Temples’. The meaning of this video is striking in its execution, having been filmed in and around select abandoned properties on the West of Ireland. Shot with grainy and subdued aesthetics that perfectly flow with the music in a very cinematic way, ‘Temples’ encapsulates that silent drama within us all that constantly blur the borders between complicity and compliance and that struggle that helps, or hurts us in finding that medium.
RISE is a musician that knows how to write and perform what she feels and isn’t afraid to face those demons that stifle us all when confrontation results. Simply beautiful.
LINKS:
https://www.riseofficial.net
https://www.facebook.com/talitharise
https://www.instagram.com/r_i_s_e_music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HpWYxWrJpeNlyhlDGD14M
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgctenga8Vhhxj65Ap2-LSg
https://twitter.com/RISE_MusicianAbout The Summercamp
The Summercamp drop their new video and track in the form of their new song titled ‘Pull’, and we have this premiere right here! These party-pirates from Pittsburgh have what a lot of artists in the mainstream lack these days; personality. Built on the base of a smooth groove and super-sounds-of-the-seventies style bass groove in what must be either a Precision or Jazz (musician-speak there), The Summercamp delivers said personality within the lines of the lyrics and throughout the video. This, to me, is the perfect example of a ‘jam band’. I say this because that groove is indicative of such. These guys bring the party and the video shows that with its creativity and originality.
And for those thinking that groove is consistent through the track, wait until the 3-minute mark when the song and video take a dramatically dark turn and get downright dirty. You will love it!
LINKS:
https://www.thesummercampmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/thesummercampmusic
http://instagram.com/the_summercamp
https://thesummercamppgh.bandcamp.com
https://artist.landr.com/music/628810020652
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JdLem1bxjdsTBPhTM1bsx?si=z6BPLcd_ThCr6addriVKQQ
https://twitter.com/the_summercampAbout The Veldt
The Veldt is a band that has earned more than their reputation as shoe-gaze and alt-rock legends and pioneers. And now that is more evident in their new tour with guests including Seefeel, Your 33 Black Angels-Micah Gaugh-Honeychild Coleman & Haunted Horses among others (dates below).
And, in this interview, I get to talk with Danny Chavis. Along with his twin brother Daniel (vocals, guitar), and Hayato Nakao (bass), Marvin Levi (drums) and Alex Cox (guitar), are continuing to expose the masses with some of their new music (check out ‘Thanks to the Moth and Areanna Rose’ HERE) with a special glimpse of what to expect via the Raliegh, NC based show ‘Oak City Session’ below.
LINKS:
http://www.theveldtmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/VeldtThe
http://twitter.com/veldtthe
http://www.reverbnation.com/theveldt
http://theveldtmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCExvaP_PYVCPOyuvoFaVXkw/videos?sort=dd&view=0&shelf_id=0About Too Many T’s
Too Many T’s does it again with a catch-all-be-all true-to-form-wonder-of-words with their new video and single titled ‘Everyday People’ featuring french mega-mind ProleteR. To me, Too Many T’s is a perfect example of those artists who keep hip-hop pure and relevant in today’s world of increasing white noise. They are musical purists in the truest sense of the term. And they find like minds to consistently work with. In the ever-shrinking bubble of originality look no further than this dynamic duo to deliver us from evil.
‘Everyday People’ combines old school beats with older school horns and lifts them out of history with relevance that only comes from those who understand the relevance. I have officially met the artists in who, the old ways have joined then new.
LINKS:
http://toomanyts.com
https://www.facebook.com/toomanyts
https://instagram.com/toomanyts
https://www.twitter.com/toomanytsClick 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’. -
Burning House Releases ‘If You Won’t’ Single (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Burning House has released the next evolution in their revolution with a multi-layered and well-written track in the form of their new single titled ‘If You Won’t’. The song is one of those pieces of music that takes you along for the ride the writers have intended with a sweet combination of melodic drive and hooks within the chord progressions. With delectable dirt in the guitars and a steady rhythm within the melody, ‘If I don’t’ will make you listen and revel in the fact that the #indie scene is thriving.
About Burning House
Hailing from Southampton, Burning House formed in 2013 after many incarnations – today they are a trio comprised of frontman and guitarist Aaron Mills, drummer Dominic Taylor and bassist Patrick White. Mills, the band’s sole songwriter has refined the art of recording music over the past decade, in parallel with his technical skill as a guitar player. Their music rides the soft/loud dynamic well, producing music ranging from beautiful melancholy to loud feedback-driven post-rock.Fusing elements of shoegaze and decade-spanning American Indie (Elliott Smith, Swans, Deerhunter, Teenage Fanclub, Slint, Pixies), Burning House’s sound is defined by multi-layered piercing guitar rhythms, sophisticated melodic arrangements, and tempos spanning introspective, stripped-down pieces through to distinctly upbeat, frenetic songs.
After gingerly approaching BBC 6 Music’s indie doyen Steve Lamacq with a 4-track demo while in Southampton, Lamacq was so enthralled that he chose Burning House to appear on 6 Music’s new band’s line-up.
Burning House has opened for the legendary Wire, after earning the appreciation of Colin Newman. The trio’s euphoric sound has also led to playing all over the south coast with the likes of Moon Duo, Shonen Knife, Is Bliss and Kagoule.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/BurningHouseMusic
https://burninghouse.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/burning-house
https://www.instagram.com/burninghousemusic
https://twitter.com/BurningHouse_
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXmzTwF9tYz0lg9560Tiyg
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/burning-house/1347291434
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ayj4NnClqy7YWFGNN75gF -
Earnhardt Release Eponymous Album (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Earnhardt delivers a solidly consistent set of tracks in their eponymously titled sophomore effort. Written and recorded more like a set of songs meant to travel with you down that highway of open land and whithering mountains, Earnhardt’s songs flow from one to the next like a memorable conversation with an old friend steeped in Americana. Simply beautiful.
As of June 14, 2019, The ‘Earnhardt’ LP is available on vinyl. Already now it can be downloaded from digital stores and the band’s own Bandcamp site and is streaming on Spotify.
About Earnhardt
Americana rock outfit Earnhardt presents their debut eponymous album. This collection is comprised of 9 tracks, built to stand as a showcase of the band’s diversity and a culmination of their labors. It will be released on vinyl on June 14 as a limited edition of 250 copies.The ‘Earnhardt’ LP is the band’s third release to date, following up their ‘Live at 100’ EP, released in 2017. In the meantime, the band has been busy touring, writing new material and recording.
Based in Brooklyn, Earnhardt is songwriter Adam Gerard (guitar and vocals), Grant Anderson (drums and vocals), John MacDonald (lead guitar), Steve ‘Sunshine’ Stapleton (bass), and Veronica Davila (vocals).
“This record is a collection of rock songs about that universal human struggle, that broken heart. They’re all true and meant to listen to loud, ideally a couple of drinks deep, heavy-hearted or not. I think I tried to write a bunch of country songs and they ended up sounding more like 90’s FM rock radio. I love the hook of a song. It’s got to sound good. We embrace the hook…the pop element of it,” says frontman Adam Gerard.
Earnhardt is alt-country for people who like The Verve, heartland rock ‘n’ roll for people who like The Smiths, and Americana for people who hate the word ‘Americana’. These are songs for saddling up to the bar with when you could use one or several drinks.
These songs are about getting hurt, feeling it, and doing what you need to do to feel better. They’re about having a drink on it, for better or worse. As Cobain said, they’re about “missing the comfort in being sad.”
For two tequila-fueled weeks in late summer 2016, the band lived and breathed these songs, refining the sound under the supervision of engineer and co-producer Ben Brodin (Conor Oberst, First Aid Kit, Savages, Pete Yorn), who handled recording and mixing at Another Recording Company Studios in Omaha, Nebraska, in addition to contributing piano, keyboards and guitar.
“As bandmates, we really know each other. There’s a collective instinct that we share when it comes to what something ought to sound like. This record has been a long time coming and we’re grateful to be able to share it,” says Adam Gerard.
Earnhardt also received mastering support by none other than Alex DeTurk (Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Kamasi Washington, David Lynch, Blonde Redhead).
This album involves a guest appearance by Mike Mogis (Julian Casablancas, TrashCan Sinatras, She & Him, Jenny Lewis), also known for composing the soundtrack to ‘A Fault in Our Stars’. He contributes pedal steel on ‘Women Without Whiskey’, where Earnhardt offers their own rendition of the classic Drive-By Truckers track. Former bandmate Dominique Otto also contributed vocals throughout the record.
“We’re so excited to finally have these recordings see the light of day, so now we can start looking ahead to the next record,” says Steve ‘Sunshine’ Stapleton.
Earnhardt’s music is inspired by the likes of The War on Drugs, Steve Earle, Counting Crows, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Emmylou Harris, Kurt Vile, and The Replacements.
Adam Gerard and Grant Anderson previously performed as part of Young Lords, later forming the band Red Horse, releasing material with Steve Stapleton on bass. John MacDonald was also busy around this time as a member of Brooklyn-based The Archive. After a few years of sharing stages at shows around Brooklyn, Earnhardt began playing with MacDonald to round out the band’s unique sound. Veronica Davila, also of the Brooklyn-based group Low Roller, adds vocal harmonies.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/earnhardtband
https://earnhardt.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3odiQ5REAR4J4enVjqkbdk?si=AgSTp2ziQGqMejUft8STyw
https://twitter.com/earnhardtband
https://soundcloud.com/earnhardt
https://vimeo.com/earnhardtband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAd0-lM4QnUZExaozkHsSA/videos
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/earnhardt/284681134