Band members Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson are once again working together after a huge gap since their post-punk band The Room split back in 1985. After reuniting, this past year has seen them write over 30 new songs.
Featuring contributions by drummer Colin George Lamont (Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan), this album was recorded by Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band) at his Liverpool-based Ark Studio and mastered by Pete Maher (Barry Adamson, The Alarm).
“‘Every Lie’ is a bluesy, countrified stomper bemoaning the rise of the populist right, and inspired by the late great Johnny Cash – this is a response to Trump and Brexit. ‘Get Clear’ a Spanish guitar-tinged ballad extolling the virtues of escaping cult thinking. It follow-ups our song ‘Magical Thinking’, but is sung to a friend escaping some dogmatic cult,” says Dave Jackson.
“Time Machine’ is another vague sci-fi rumination, wistfully reflecting on the passage of time filtered through the vision of HG Wells. We thought that ‘Mars’ and ‘Time Machine’ gave the EP a science fiction edge and Mark Jordan’s video reflects that,” says Paul Cavanaugh.
Dave Jackson has been writing and recording since his teens – with The Room, 051, Benny Profane, Dust, Dead Cowboys, as Dave Jackson & The Cathedral Mountaineers, and also with former Shack guitarist John Head. He has recorded and released 10 albums with these various incarnations, notched up 7 John Peel sessions with The Room and Benny Profane, and has also appeared on the Whistle Test, Janice Long and Saturday Live.
Jackson has also toured the UK, Europe, and the USA extensively with The Fall, The Violent Femmes, Aztec Camera, The Lemonheads and The Wedding Present. He currently teaches creative writing at Liverpool John Moores University and has developed his novel ‘Violet City’ as a low-budget fantasy feature film.
Apart from The Room, Paul Cavanagh has performed as a solo instrumentalist as Cabin in the Woods and as one of Mike Badger’s Shady Trio. He worked with The Room drummer Alan Wills at Deltasonic Records with The Coral and The Zutons. Paul has also recorded 4 John Peel sessions and released albums with Top, It’s Immaterial, Moongoose, as well as critically acclaimed singles with Gloss. He also played guitar for Chinese Religion, The Balcony, and Ludus.
A Turntable Friend Records is an independent record label. currently in its second life. Based in Germany with distribution through SRD (Southern Record Distributors) and Rough Trade, their mission is to keep vinyl alive while casting light on sonic gems of yesteryear and today. 1990s peers of Sarah Records and Slumberland Records, ATF Records has always had a roster as diverse as Secret Shine, The Wolfhounds, Boyracer (with Even As We Speak), The Claim, The Ropers, the Hellfire Sermons, Lorelei, Bradford, Easy and Dose.
As of November 23, The Mars EP will be available across music stores and streaming platforms such as Spotify. It can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
“Candid and catchy.. between Wall of Voodoo’s Stan Ridgway, The Fall and more folk-pop territory with The Doors also a likely deeper influence”
– Big Takeover Magazine“Brilliant offering, loaded with optimism and wit. This lush and highly memorable music calls to mind other local bands like The Railway Children and Echo & The Bunnymen… gives every indication of a band that is going places”
– Louder Than War“With delta blues riffs and a style that burrows deep into the subconsciousness like Iggy’s ‘Passenger’, it’s an insidious cut”
– God is in the TV“The Room in the Wood play their new set out of their sonic window, and the result is not only rich and diverse, but also significant”
– The Record Stache
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/theroominthewood
https://twitter.com/davejacksonroom
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7t-iOS-5UXW26DdPnFRJQ/videos
https://soundcloud.com/theroominthewood
https://theroominthewood.bandcamp.com
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/the-room-in-the-wood/1376319762
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6NAEwzJ6Ygbnx2Bw1rSjTz?si=BEK-hnFYRNeT00Zmquq07A
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Michael Rhodes – Feel It (Live At St Lukes Church, Kentish Town)
Born in Nigeria but now based in London, Michael Rhodes is a singer who channels the gospel and soul sounds of the 1960s, bringing joy and vibrancy to his songs, as well as imbuing them with his winning personality. Feel It is a self-composed track which sees Michael in full effect, with his soaring counter-tenor voice and upbeat tempo being hard to resist.
Written by Michael three years ago, Feel It is based on unrequited love which, rather than defeating Michael, sparked something of an awakening and led to him looking for happiness in everyday life wherever he could find it – something he hopes will inspire others to do the same. Though Feel It is rooted in a soul and gospel singing style, the inclusion of electronic horns adds a contemporary feel, without it sounding quite like anything else out there.
To support the track’s release, Michael performed a live showcase at St. Luke’s Church, Kentish Town, London, video footage of which demonstrates Michael’s ease with an audience and ability to express himself through his music. With further tracks ready for release and looking to play live across the UK, Michael Rhodes is a singer with real potential and whose passion and sincerity set him apart from the crowd.
LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/michael-rhodes-8/feel-it
https://open.spotify.com/album/11qKBGrRcenKGOQc9OWzam
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU4_NvS2aaXrRllOwCmPovQ
https://www.facebook.com/iamMichaelRhodes
https://www.instagram.com/michael_rhodes1 -
AM Clouds – Rainmaker
Oregon-based AM Clouds craft adventurous rootsy indie rock that traverses both the internal and external landscapes of human experience. Their hometown of Bend offers extreme climate changes and expansive beauty, prompting them to coin the term ‘high desert rock.’ Even their name, AM Clouds, was derived from a phrase that was constantly broadcast across the Oregon weather forecast.
Meshing classic and alternative, the band connects the dots between several eras of rock music, from angular indie to psychedelic noise jams, equal parts Neil Young and Meat Puppets, Tom Petty and Uncle Tupelo. Their debut EP, War of Love, was released in 2017 and was welcomed with open arms by the local press, picking up heavy rotation on KPOV and KRFM. “We’re located in a rugged, remote place, where culture has a tendency to be overshadowed by nature,” Moon relates. “I think people really connect to hearing their majestic surroundings captured musically with a bit of cinematic flair.”
Made up of Bruce Troy Moon (lead vocals, lead guitar), Graham Boostrom (rhythm guitar, vocals), Pete Ficht (bass, keys, vocals), and Dan Paggi (drums, vocals), the band is both immediate and relatable, comprised of musicians committed to their individual tone but more invested in serving the overall sound. Since their inception, they’ve played across Central Oregon, sharing the stage with veteran roots rockers the Mother Hips and Portland’s psych-rock pioneers King Black Acid.
Their album, Rainmaker, was tracked at the Firing Room in Bend, Oregon with engineer Dayne Wood and mixed by Portland producer Jeff Stuart Saltzman (The Black Keys, Death Cab for Cutie).
Featured image by Amanda Marquez.
LINKS:
http://www.am-clouds.com
https://www.facebook.com/amclouds
https://twitter.com/amcloudsband
https://amclouds.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/am.clouds -
Bite Me Bambi – Hot Lava
Bite Me Bambi brings sounds reminiscent of British 2 Tone and 3rd wave ska into the 21st century. With energetic songs and masterful musicianship, BMB gets the crowd on their feet and dancing. Comprised of members from some of your favorite ska bands (My Superhero, Save Ferris, Starpool), this new group breathes fresh life to a genre that may have originated in Jamaica, and honed in Britain, but was perfected in the haze, blight, glamour, and beauty of Southern California.
About ‘Hot Lava’
Orange County, CA ska/pop/punk 7-piece Bite Me Bambi is the next band poised to help usher in a new wave of the beloved yet often maligned genre.
Fronted by talented singer and superstar-in-the-making, Tahlena Chikami (who also moonlights as an actor and has appeared on shows like Parks and Recreation, Gilmore Girls, etc.), Bite Me Bambi sports a killer OC ska/punk pedigree, with other members, have played in bands such as My Superhero, Save Ferris, and Starpool.
Through steady gigging and raucous shows supporting such legends as The Selecter, Fishbone, Reel Big Fish, Mad Caddies, The Toasters and more, Bite Me Bambi’s popularity continues to rise.
The clip was directed by Chris Graue of The Maxies, Suburban Legends, The 131ers and stars Megan Berndt and Vincent Del Rio.
LINKS:
https://instagram.com/bitemebambi
https://facebook.com/BMBSkaBand
https://youtube.com/channel/UCbqBe668vbrZKd65rfzK81A