New Potato Caboose has released a long awaited new album, It Ain´t a Thing.
With their signature Americana jamband musical style, New Potato Caboose go all the way back to the very beginning of the jam scene having played with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, and Widespread Panic. They were the first band to ever play at the Wetlands venue in New York City, and played over 200 performance dates a year throughout the 1990´s.
It is no surprise, then, that fans have been waiting patiently for this album.
It Ain´t a Thing manages to seamlessly capture the history and sound of New Potato Caboose together with a fresh and up to date perspective. Classic songs include ¨Brave New World¨ and the punchy rock song “New Potato Stew.” Brand new songs to the mix include southern love song “Georgia Angel” and ethereal “The Whisper.”
Listen here:
It Ain´t a Thing is the result of a crowd-funding campaign, and is entirely independently produced.
New Potato Caboose are Doug Pritchett (acoustic guitar and vocals), Don Laux (rhythm guitar and vocals), John “Red” Redling (keyboards and vocals), Tim Pruitt (lead guitar and vocals), Mike Mahoney on bass, and John Trupp and John McConnell on drums.
If you haven’t heard of Jeff Hilliard, you may be missing out on a unique talent. This professional comedian, who trained under the folks at Second City in Chicago, has always been interested in being an entertainer and knew from an early age that this was his calling. He’s been in a few indie films, including Paul Schrader’s Dog Eat Dog film starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Defoe, Officer Banks, in Bernard Rose’s award winning film Frankenstein starring Danny Huston, Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel, and Tony Todd, and recently starred in Traveling Light along with Stephen Dorff, Tony Todd, and Danny Huston.
His provocative point of view on the dark, twisted reality of modern-day society proves his creativity knows no bounds. His controversial music videos have garnered millions of views and have won numerous awards at many film festivals. His new video and single, “Abandon,” showcases his multi-genre musical ability and genius songwriting.
“Abandon” takes gender norms and flips it on its head. The video depicts a sad and lonely guy stuck in the past, still living with his mom, who’s obsessively calling a woman he hooked up with, Vivian. It immediately points out what society deems as normal, typically a man initiates a one night hook up and he’s generally married while the woman is calling him. He’s also making fun of the toxic masculinity often seen in the 80’s metal culture. He’s looking for love and actually singing about his vulnerability rather than trying to be a “man” like the metal ballads of that time.
Lyrically speaking, the lyrics are funny and made for a visual medium. They easily get stuck in your head as you find yourself singing the chorus doing mundane things. He sings “I ain’t no pump and dump/ I believe in the power of love/ one night is not enough/ how could you abandon our love,” as he’s dressed in outlandish outfits reminiscent of what metal bands would wear. This sad character really thought that he found love. While he’s creepy and not someone you want to hang out with, you do feel a little sorry for him too.
Ohio based singer songwriter Reed Mitchell has released his new single, “I´m On Fire” out now.
Mitchell is a rising star in the Pop-rock Americana arena, with catchy songs and lyrics that stick. His musical influences include Elliot Smith, The Lumineers, and Lou Reed. “I´m On Fire” is a vibrant folk-rock track with an alternative country style blend, a song about Mitchell pursuing his music career.
He states:
“This is the first song I ever wrote on the piano. It took me out of my comfort zone and it ended up sounding a lot different than some other songs on the album for that reason. Recording this was super fun, we brought in a true professional pianist (Danny Mitchell) who took my demo version and made it into what it is. I was so pumped to hear it come to life, to hear the cool attitude that he captured so well. The backing vocals were sung by Mia Rose who really made the chorus pop.”
Inspired by a woman in his life who encouraged him to kickstart a career path in music, “I´m on Fire” captures the momentum of creating a musical style and running with it.
A piano based song, with thumping chords that leads the melody throughout. Mitchell´s voice is raw and moving, as well as fresh.
During a period of solitude during the pandemic, Mitchell has emerged a new man who has discovered to take a calculated risk and finally push his music out into the world. His solo debut album, Hot & Cold, is out later this year.
A soulful voice, lyrical depth, infectious music, everything you want in an artist Joanna Ramirez has. The Dallas native Austin-based neo-soul, jazz, and R&B artist has been making music for some time now. Starting in the 1990’s, Joanna launched her career with her funk/blues band called Soul Providers. When she moved to Austin in 1998, she joined the blues/R&B band Shake ‘Em On Down formed by guitarist J.P. Lilliston.
It was only inevitable that Joanna would go into a career in music seeing as it’s in her blood. Her grandfather was a singer and guitarist of traditional Mexican music and recorded for the Bluebird and Victor labels in the 1930s. Her father was an R&B guitarist and harmonica player, and, along with his two brothers, Charles and Chick, played in various combos during the 1960s.
“It is not easy to bare your soul through music, but I believe it is the only way to truly impact others and possibly inspire, comfort, heal, or just get people to dance,” she says. In her latest album, On My Way, she does just that, exposes her truest self. The album has 11 upbeat R&B, jazz, and neo-soul songs, each giving a glimpse into Joanna’s eyes and heart.
The title song, “On My Way” is a neo-soul song that chronicles her musical career, a narrative of overcoming and showing the world that she is not to be underestimated. “I think a lot of people can relate to the song’s narrative of wanting to give up on something, but knowing that they can’t ignore a voice inside telling them to keep going,” she says. “Happy” explores self love and a jazzy and bluesy sound lead by the keyboard. “This one was a bit scary to write, because I knew I had to get personal and tell my story through this song, starting with childhood, remembering the feeling of not measuring up to my parents expectations, the fearful environment of our home, then to my failed romantic relationships and now, still feeling that I’m not being fully myself as a musician and creator,” she says. “Seems it’s the universal experience of being human – always striving to just be happy.” “Whaddui” is a soul and R&B song with a hook and melody that truly makes you sing out loud. It’s an anthem-like song seemingly about the craziness that was 2020, with a global pandemic and the political drama that was unfolding. She sings “whaddui whaddui whaddui have to do to prove to you/that there’s no need for all your crying/oh I just want to help you/get through/this crazy dream.”
It can’t go without mentioning Joanna’s voice. There is no other singer out there who encompasses her strength, power, and self-confidence that Joanna does. You can hear every emotion and all her passion in her singing. It’s one of the most stunning things about her music, particularly On My Way.
The Baltimore, Maryland-based artist Slim Sly Slender had his musical awakening in 2009, during a casual warehouse jam session with friends. A successful painter and visual artist since his youth, Slim had an epiphany that day–and one single experience set him on a new path to become a prolific singer-songwriter. His quirky, wry lyrical style and straightforward instrumental settings are reminiscent of the Beatles music he grew up with, as well as great 80s acts such as Randy Newman, Billy Bragg,and Andy Partridge of the XTC.
Sly Slim Slender (performance name of Jay Schlueter) is setting up for the release of his sixth album, Pay to Play, with his recent single “War Paint”(May 27, 2022). “The initial idea for this song came from the title of the book about Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, although other than that the song is not about either of them,” Slim said. “The song is about how normal and necessary it is for some people to be cosmetically made up at all times to confidently go out in public.”
“War Paint” invokes a fun vibe through the upbeat rhythm, melody, and ebullient bass. However, when listening close to the lyrics, the song becomes “a bit of a downer.” Without giving too much away, “War Paint” is the battle cry for those who do their face up for public outings, whether it is for artistic purposes or conformity. This song is nothing short from an earworm. The melody, backing vocals, and funky guitar rhythm will have listeners bopping and humming at any time of day.
“I do this because I love it,” Slim says. “Music is unlike visual art because when a person buys a painting, they put it on a wall, and only they and their friends can enjoy the piece of art. Music is for everybody. I love sharing it, and I’m excited to get this album out there in front of more people.”
Listen here:
Stream “War Paint” everywhere today, and follow Sly Slim Slender on social media to not miss his next release!!
The queen of ambient electronica and dance music debuts her EDM, drum and bass, and chillwave self-titled album, Star Goes Nova. The artist, also known as Los Angeles bassist Christine Law, connects her swirling spirit with her 115 year old piano to create the synths we know and love. She finds meaning in time, space, and thought, often including the sounds of rockets and the stars in her music.
“Phat Barbarella” was released alongside her album. It was inspired by Jane Fonda’s 1968 sci-fi film Barbarella. Dubstep vibes, retro synths and grim bass take the Queen of the Galaxy on her quest for love. Light-hearted and fun, starship travelers party in zero-g. Rarely seen in her videos, Star Goes Nova appears as the astronaut queen leading the quest for party fun through retro psychedelia.
It has a Pink Floyd vibe to it with a big cinematic energy that guides the story. She plays with instrumentation and electronic sounds, which creates emotion in the song, like it’s alive. The tempo is smooth and the beat gets under your skin, like an itch that needs to be scratched and the only way to relieve it is to dance along.
Modern Mystery 
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