Jean Caffeine is “the most famous person you’ve never heard of.” Her latest single, “I Don’t Want to Kill You Anymore,” presents a nice tension between the almost punky vocal delivery and sentiment, and the hooky, more sugary retro-pop sound. Co-written with John Kovach (The Eggmen), with Zack Humphrey (Megafauna) on drums and Jon Notarthomas (Faces’ Ian McLagan) on guitar, Poprock Record describes “I Don’t Want to Kill You Anymore” as “hilarious and earworm infectious. Disguised as an homage to early 1960s girl group twee pop…This is one perfect feminist rock and roll statement, both hard-hitting and hooky…Caffeine has produced a 3 and half minute masterpiece.”

It’s accompanied by a brand new music video, featuring a mash-up of footage and stills from a lo-fi band rehearsal in her living room, a gig at Buckminster’s Cat Cafe in Buffalo, silly animal hats worn alongside bassist Angela Tran, and a cemetery in Tlaplan, Mexico City where she took part in a visual arts residency. As a mixed media artist and art educator, Jean Caffeine teaches collage and works with layers, incorporating her artwork into videos where possible.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

This isn’t really my story. I got inspired by something a friend said. But it was so relatable it clicked. Sometime the sky almost seems to gift you and rains down almost a whole song at the point of creation. It was like that with this one. I was working to learn a certain chord progression at the time and everything just fell into place. My friend and sometimes collaborator, John Kovach was helping me learn that chord progression and he is a co-writer on this song. He wrote a verse.

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

My friend Katie O’Neill (singer of Star Material) shot some great footage at one of my rehearsals so that was the starting point and she sets the tone. There isn’t much of a story line. I make (and teach) mixed media and collage so I have the practice of putting a lot of disparate pieces together in my 2D work and repurposing things so I applied that principle to this and other videos I’ve put together in iMovie. It’s a kind of “stone soup” process: A bit of this, a bit of that. Although I wish it could do a bit more, I love making videos in iMovie. It’s so user friendly and fun. I’ve enjoyed making hodge-podge style videos for my songs and sneaking my artwork into them.  Here’s another one I made for an older song about older days.

It includes drawings that I made. Winterland Talking Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSUZlRRdBY

3.What was the process of making this video?

First I worked to match Katy’s rehearsal footage with the recording. Then repurposed some live footage that showed me playing with Angela, my bass player on the track because she wasn’t at that rehearsal Katy filmed. This fall, I performed at my cousin in the Catio of my cousin- in-laws’ Cat Cafe. There was a separate “Cat Zone” where you could play with the cats. I asked my pal Mike Trebilcock to film me in the “Cat Zone”. I looked ridiculous pretty ridiculous, so I only used a bit of it. 

This winter I went to an art residency in Mexico City. In addition to working on printmaking and collage, and cartooning there, I worked to finish the video. Even though the song is intentionally irreverent, in this time of terrible wars, division, and death I was really reluctant to put out a video that had the words “Kill You” in it. So I’d been procrastinating.  When I played around with drawing and layering to bring in simple symbols that were pro-peace and love, I felt better about the messaging. I also took a walk to the local cemetery filmed there. That helped tie things up at the end. And lo and behold, more cats. (only one cat made the edit). I have four cats at home, so they are also a recurring theme.

Jean started out as a scenester, zinester and drummer on San Francisco’s first wave punk scene in the late ’70s. In 1980, she migrated to New York, where she worked at Danceteria where she DJ-ed. While playing in a Velvet Underground cover band at Club 57, she was recruited by Ann Magnuson to drum for Pulsallama, a theatrical percussive buzz band who opened shows for The Clash. When Pulsallama disbanded, Jean joined Clambake featuring Grammy nominee Holly George-Warren. Following a move to Austin, she fronted an alternative country band, Jean Caffeine‘s All-Nite Truckstop.

iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is sharing “A Little Piece,” the sixth and final single from her upcoming album, the starkly honest and textured nīna (out April 12th), produced by 10x Grammy-nominated collaborator Damian Taylor.

“A Little Piece” twinkles with piano melodies and skittering beats, creating a wintry electronic soundscape which gradually opens into its prominent synth line’s exposed refrain.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Feeling overwhelmed, I was faced with myself alone and the choices I had made over the past several years. With conflicted feelings of longing, remorse, and loneliness, I felt caged by a sentiment I could neither explain nor understand. I was alone. My mind had fooled me. 

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

I opted to shoot this video myself, stripped down and in the bathtub, washing away as much of the ache as possible. I wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability I felt writing this song, and how personal to my heart the story remains. All of me, unfiltered. It felt appropriate to film and edit the video myself, so that I could touch each and every piece of this story and experience – so people could get a new perspective of how it feels behind my eyes, and in my heart.

 
3. What was the process of making this video?

I literally set my phone up, propped at an angle I felt comfortable with, and pushed record. I then let the song play several times on repeat, and just captured moment after moment, as I warmed to the camera and sunk back into the lyrics and sentiment of the song. I wanted to show a bit of chaos, the undoing, allowing myself to go from a sleek hair, just climbed in version of me to a more messy, seams coming undone version. The entire shoot took me about 20 minutes – with the edits taking several days of clipping and cropping.

Speaking of the pulsating and hushed tones of “A Little Piece,” iskwē explains the song’s painful and complex inspirations:

Feeling overwhelmed, I was faced with myself alone and the choices I had made over the past several years. With conflicted feelings of longing, remorse, and loneliness, I felt caged by a sentiment I could neither explain nor understand. I was alone. My mind had fooled me. My tears felt endless and yet somehow this new solitude wrapped itself around my sadness like a giant cozy blanket I could not imagine emerging from ever again. A little piece of me had died, yet I found a little peace inside. A little piece of me had died, yet I found a little peace inside.

Montreal music industry vet Kandle‘s forthcoming new album (due out later this year) is a crescendo of all her years immersed in music and an intimate knowledge of the many ways this industry, this world, can break your body and heart. Kandle is now sharing “Danger to Dream,” the latest single ahead of her LP’s release, alongside an official music video directed for 18 hours by Lauren Graham while she was breastfeeding her new baby.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Danger to Dream is a tale of trying to wake up from the trance of unworthiness. Of the voices in our heads telling us we should be more, have more. A constant comparison of ourselves to the influences we consume and how very bad that can make us feel. The song truly felt like a film score to us. It’s haunting and epic and has hints of a classic old Morricone composition. In the Tarantino inspired music video, I play several characters, 3 different versions of the same girl that are living “dead end” lives, whose dreams never came true. Tragedy, reality, luck, who knows why but for whatever reason, they are stuck. My 4th character is all of their darkest negative inner voices personified, driving into town to make sure each of them meets their untimely demise. The whole video is really meant to show the viewer how hard we are on ourselves and how often we are our own worst enemy. 

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

The video concept was all my brilliant director and close friend Lauren Graham! We are very similar in a spooky arty sort of way. I didn’t know what the treatment was until I got to LA and she was waiting to hear if her dream location (Four Aces Movie Ranch) was secured. I believe all she told me was “I have a concept, and you’re gonna love it”. Once she told me the concept, the ideas of the characters and how they die came pouring out of us like giddy girls at a slasher slumber party. 

3. What was the process of making this video?

There was a whole lot of girl power behind this video. The team LG assembled was incredibly talented and hard working. Lauren herself directed the video for 18 hours while breastfeeding her new baby. I performed my heart out while I unluckily suffered through a violent endometriosis flare up, rendering me incredibly ill between takes. My bandmate/lover/co producer Jeffrey Mitchell was behind the camera nailing the cinematography and supporting me through the pain. We were pushing ourselves as hard as we could, we weren’t willing to slow down or compromise our vision. After that experience, we knew we had to release it for International Women’s Day as it felt like a very beautiful representation of women’s resilience and dedication to their art.
“Danger to Dream” is a tale of trying to wake up from the trance of unworthiness. Of the voices in our heads telling us we should be more, have more. A constant comparison of ourselves to the influences we consume and how inadequate they can make us feel.

In support of International Women’s Day (Friday March 8th), Kandle also wishes to bring attention to National Endometriosis Awareness Month and Women’s History Month this March. Being a self-produced, independent female artist suffering from this incurable extremely painful disease (impacting 1 in 7 women!), Kandle hopes to use her voice and platform to help others feel less alone and like they are safe and understood.

Formed in the depths of Montreal’s lingering winters, Caméra – comprised of guitarist, composer and producer Francois Jalbert; violinist, arranger and composer Mélanie Bélair; and composer, arranger and performer Aurélien Tomasi – find sounds, explore bizarre ideas and always seek beauty. Traveling between a murmuration of birds at sunset, a daydream in the Japanese rainforest in 1986, or listening to a sexy saxophone melody played by a dude in a leopard speedo inside a midcentury cottage while drinking a white Russian, the trio somehow makes sense.

The main vocals and guitars on their newest single, “Dimanche,” were recorded during a burst of inspiration on a lazy Sunday. An accurate picture of the vibe that day, this song is a great example of what can happen when you give a musician some space and time.