LOS ABISMOS - That Surf Thing

 

 

Hey Guys and Girls, check out the debut release by LOS ABISMOS, a band that may or may not feature some members of the VICE BARONS. It's way cool and super groovy, just the way we like it.

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE: https://losabismos.bandcamp.com/album/that-surf-thing

MARVEL - Five Smell City (Reissue)

The Sign Record recently released the long awaited vinyl version of Märvel's debut album Five Smell City  titled after their hometown Linköping (known locally as the city of five smells) that was originally released in 2005.  So it was high time for this blog to try to find out who are the guys behind the masks.

1) For the sake of the argument, let's say that a very young viewer stumbles upon this blog for the first time and doesn't know who MARVEL is: what would you tell him about the band to introduce the various members, the history of the band and also your body of work?

Hello young person! People playing music together is sometimes referred to as a "band". Märvel is a band from Sweden. Sweden is a land famous for making watches, chocolate and soft porn. There are different kinds of music. Märvel's music is sometimes described as sweaty group sex with The Hellacopters, Turbonegro and Electric Six at a KISS-themed children's party. If you throw some 60's soul and 80's metal (the good kind) in the mix you are getting pretty close to the truth. 

Märvel has three steady members - The King (guitars & vocals) - The Vicar (drums) and The Burgher (bass). This band setup is sometimes referred to as a "power trio". Because we are sought after by the police we wear masks to hide our faces. We also wear masks to hide our bad and tormented skin. People all over the world like our music. Those people have formed fan clubs called "Märvel Army". With the new album we're releasing this spring we have made 9 albums. That is quite impressive. On the other hand, we have been around for twenty years so it's not so impressive after all.

2)  About the newly reissued debut album, "Five Smell City", that finally receives the vinyl treatment, do you remember the recording process back then and what can you tell us about it? Was it a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

Five smell city was originally released in 2005. Prior to that we released a few vinyl ep's. The debut album consisted of a handful of songs from those earlier EP's as well as ~7 new ones. We recorded all those songs in Soulmine Studios in Linköping with awesome producer and friend Jörgen Wärnström.

 All basic tracks were recorded live in a one take fashion with us all standing in the same room. Vocals, solos and percussion were added afterwards. There was probably a lot of cheap cookies and strong coffee involved in the process. Besides the King and the Vicar, the band at that time had Speedo (aka Ulrik Bostedt aka Animalizer) playing the bass. He (most likely) used a vintage Burns bass through a Fender Bassman 100 for all the songs. The King played his Gibson Les Paul '78 through a Marshall JCM 800 with bad tubes. The Vicar played a vintage Ludwig drum kit that previously belong to someone who moved to Australia (no, it was NOT Uffe Stenport's drumkit!).

3)As far as your more recent recordings are concerned, do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you still keep on working with analog machines in analog studios

We have built our own studio, Solskensfabriken (the Sunshine Factory) and it facilitates both analog and digital equipment. We're not to anal about that stuff as long as it sounds good in the end.

4) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song?

Most of our lyrics are inspired by the TV-show "Eigen Kweek".  Other than that, there's no special theme. Some songs are about a state of mind or a feeling. And sometimes it's about a made up character or scenario. It could also be about something personal that's happening has happened or is about to happen in the future.

5) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers and does it still influence your today work? What were your favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

If we have to choose just 3 it's Pedda P, Gurra G and Doktor C. (note : Swedish hip hop trio formed in Stockholm in 1990. Looks awful!). They made a very strong impact on us as kids. We also listened to Kiss, Iron Maiden, Dire Straits and WASP. 

6) Now that your debut album as been reissued on vinyl, do you also consider reissuing other albums as well. Have some of them never been released on vinyl so far?

The only album that hasn't been released on vinyl is our first cover album "Unleashed" from 2006. Hopefully that will happen in the future. Thunderblood Heart, Hadal Zone Express and The Hills Have Eyes sold out or very close to sold out so it definitely time for some reissues of those albums.

7) Are there any artists in SWEDEN today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

Not really. The Scandinavian rock scene is thriving with so many bands releasing new music all the time. That's great but we've never really felt like we're part of that scene. We've always been too late or too early to the party, yet somehow we managed to stick around. After 20 years in the bizniz we've seen it all.

8) Do you think it was different to be in a rock'n'roll band way back when you guys started than it is now? What has changed, according to you?

People are so young nowadays. Of course, social media was not a big thing and you more or less had to have a record deal to get heard. Do you remember that singles were released after the album, not before like today?! It feels like music in general was a bigger deal for young people back then. But that could just be a sign of us having lost touch with reality. 

9) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

The King writes the songs but the band works on the details of the arrangements together.

10) You guys are now The Sign Records recording artists. Is this the label that suits MARVEL the best And if so, why?

It suits us fine. We know them since many years and they're situated in the same town. They give us a lot of creative freedom and they're very passionate about music. They release insane amounts of music every year.

11) What are the plans for the rest of 2022 as far as MARVEL is concerned? 

Our new album "Graces Came With Malice" (our ninth!) is out April 22nd. We'll be celebrating the release with a release party and gigs around Sweden. We're also turning 20 years as a band which means we're celebrating this the whole year. We've got a festival planned for the summer and a greatest hits double album for the fall. We're also digging in the archives and will be sharing historic events, gigs, demos, etc with our fans through our social media channels.

12) Anything you wanna add?

Märvel is always online. Check our homepage marveltheband.com and keep up to date through facebook.com/marveltheband and instagram.com/marveltheband - 

Preorder our album and buy tshirts and stuff at https://marveltheband.bandcamp.com/- Thanks for the support!

Here is a track from the forthcoming album: 

Purchase the limited colored vinyl edition of Five Smell City here: 

https://freighttrain.se/m%C3%A4rvel-_-five-smell-city-lp-(limited-purpleopink-splatter-vinyl)/

BARMUDAS - Every Day Is Saturday Night

A little while ago, AREA PIRATA Records released the debut full length album of BARMUDAS and the finding is plain and simple: these days, all the good rock'n'roll bands with the perfect early seventies sound seem to come from Italy. 

So if - like this blog- you think that the best grooves around are the ones produced by the likes of Giuda, Faz Waltz or Mad Rollers, check out this quartet from Firenze.

 Time for this blog to talk to King-Dom, the guitar slinger of the BARMUDAS!

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about BARMUDAS to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band?  Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? 

Hi guys , for us Barmudas isn’t just a band. We consider it is something Closer to a state of mind: The Free State of Barmudas! The band’s name comes from the Barmudas district in Florence’s old town, an imaginary triangular neighborhood, still unknown to the hordes of hungry zombie-tourists looking for cheap Italian food, style and art; a place infested and haunted with outsiders, losers, boozers, and strange people with poor taste in look, music and artistic stuff (often disappearing into the void after passing the night getting high in the area).  From the strictly musical point of view we play together since 2017. Here’s the line up:  

Smendock : Microphone screamer and Zombie Teacher 

Luca Nacker: Bass howler and Digital Outlaw 

King-Dom : Guitar griller and Zombie Teacher 

Zak : Skins beater , Roadrunner and Taxi Driver 

2) About the "Every Day Is Saturday Night" full length record,  what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

We recorded "EVERY day is SATURDAY night " in Siena, in The same studio we used for the last 7 inches single "Rock The Barmudas". We felt very at ease there the first time around so we decided to go back for the recordings sessions of our full length album. We Also reserved the same restaurant in which we ate the last time.  Food and drinks play an essential role in our recording process. Basically we played live all the tunes in just one day and recorded the main core of the album, then we used the remaining two days to overdub choruses, and some guitar licks. We also had a lot of fun recording  a real cocktail shaker and the motor engine of an old Ciao Piaggio. Then we passed the tracks to our friend and brother Nico, who made a brilliant work in mixing the record that sounds awesome. 

3) Do you guys use the nowadays recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

This is stuff that we should ask our producer but he's not available these days.

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Everyone is involved in the creative process. Someone comes with an idea that can be a riff, a melodic line or just a title with some lines and then we work on it together until we’re satisfied with the result.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song?

The main topics of our songs deal mostly with the night life in the Barmudas, we sing about bars, drinks, parties, love and friendship, the few things we know well. We don't try to look smarter then we really are.

6) How would you describe the music BARMUDAS are playing? Is it glam-rock/Bovver Rock? Or do you consider that it's way more than that?

We play what comes out of our heads and our fingers without making any plan. The result is a glittered shiny cheap mixture of wild Rock N  Roll and killer Ass-shaking tunes. We like  to call it Beer Punk! 

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP??

 

 We have Two videos out. The first is Rock The Barmudas that testifies the explosion of The BArmudasMania in our district, The second is "EVERY day is SATURDAY night" Made with SHOTS of some of our friends drinking, cheering and shouting the title of the song, some of them in their homes  in their troubled lock down days. Each video was shot with a budget of just 99 cents.  

8) What can concert goers expect at a concert of BARMUDAS? Are you playing any famous
cover songs during the gig? 

During our Gigs we play mostly our own songs from the latest record and some outtakes. Sometimes we play some covers from bands we love, like The Boys,  The Heartbreakers, Sham 69 among others. It is not unusual for us to also play some brand new tune to see how people react to the new material. 

9) Are there any bands in Italy today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

In Italy in the last few years we have a bunch of pretty good bands that play amazing  rock 'n' roll like Giuda, Faz Waltz, Mad Rollers among the others but every band is different and has got its own unique style and attitude. We truly appreciate bands like The Dirtiest, TV Shock, The Asteroids (because they feature ourselves in the line up). Actually there are a lot of Italian bands that we love also because we had the opportunity to share the stage with them or because we often meet at our or their concerts: The Cogs, Movie Star Junkies, Barsexuals, Offesi, Female Trouble, Trip Takers, Toni Crimine, Trip Hill, The Devil Town, No Deal, X Nipples, Haywire Desire, No Deal, even if they don't play our kinda stuff.  

10) What are the plans for 2022 as far as BARMUDAS are concerned? Are you gonna tour Europe to promote the record?

By now, due to covid restrictions, we 're playing just a few Gigs in Italy, not so many as we wanted to. We already have 2 concerts scheduled  for May in Liverpool and we're planning to tour France and Sardinia in the coming summer.

11) Anything you wanna add?

Thanks a lot for your interest and we hope to see you guys soon somewhere on a stage or in front of it! cheers!

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/every-day-is-saturday-night

Mad rollers - Get mad

A couple of months ago, the German label Contra Records released "Get Mad", the full length debut of MAD ROLLERS, a five piece hailing from Roma, Italy. The album is described as an overdose of catchy Pub Rock / Bovver Rock anthems. 

So If you like 70's Junkshop Glam like HECTOR ,  Terrace Stompers like The Hammersmith Gorillas or the bigger names in Glam like SLADE with a bit of pub rock thrown in for good measure, The MAD ROLLERS are gonna be right up your alley. 

Their rendition of "Bish Bash Bosh" made famous by The JOOK is brilliant and worth alone the price of admission. It's also the proof of the good taste of these five Roman gentlemen!

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about Mad rollers to introduce yourselves? How long are you  together as a band?  Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? 

We are Mad Rollers, a band of five rock'n'roll and punk lovers. Marco is our lead vocalist and Alessio is the lead guitar, then we have Filippo on rhythm guitar, Oliver on bass and finally our engine Raoul on drums.

2) About the "Get mad" full length record,  what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

The recording of “Get Mad” was been pure fun! We made it through two “live in studio” sessions, say four days, where we tracked drums, bass and both guitars. Once the main core of the record was recorded we overdubbed lead and backing vocals plus a bunch of tracks like synths, percussions and a few guitar licks. A very natural recording process that lead us to a powerful and crunchy analog mix! Getting into minor details, a crucial role in the making of the album has been played by a long pre-production period, months during when we rehearsed very hard to push ourselves, and our tunes, in great shape for the final recordings.

3) Do you guys use the nowadays recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

According to our producer's philosophy, we used an hybrid (analog/digital) technology to achieve the specific sound you can hear on the album. A set of modern and vintage microphones as well as tube and “class A” solid state mic preamps were used to send the signals into the converters of the HD recording system. The mixing process it's been made through an analog desk (Soundtracs Quartz) enhanced by the use of outboard gears like Urei 1178, Lexicon 480, API 2500, etc... the final stage of our mixing chain was a stereo ¼ inch tape recorder, a beautiful Revox A700 which gave us the last touch of warmth.

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another? 

Most of the time the song writing process starts with the guitars and later on the pieces are arranged by the voice in order to find melodies and choruses, each of us does his best and not infrequently we are inspired by the music we’re into at the moment. 

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song? 

Many times we take inspiration from real life events, something that happened to one of us or people we know, then we spice these stories up with some fantasy elements and they become songs. Generally we express our feelings and emotions through music, we talk about love as well as anger, the spirit of revolt as well as the simple need to have fun and to be able to live life to its fullest.

6) How would you describe the music Mad rollers are playing? Is it glam-rock? Or do you consider that it's way more than that? 

Let's say that we simply play what comes out, we do not plan much beforehand. Of course we do love glam but we are also pretty much into 70's proto punk sound and we try to bring it out in our songs. On numerous occasions, we are defined as a Bovver rock band and actually, we don't mind it.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP??  

We are currently still working on an official video but you can check on YouTube for our most recent upload, which is a video cut took from the 1976  Notting Hill Carnival riots filming featuring our track “I trust nobody”, it seemed to us that the song suited a lot the events represented so we decided to release it.

8) What can concert goers expect at a concert of Mad rollers? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig? 

Except for "Bish bash bosh", which is also a part of our new album we don't play covers, most of our songs are original compositions. Still, if you're a 70's punk and rock'n'roll sound lover and you don't mind hanging out on a fun night among gallons of good beer you will definitely find something to sink your teeth into coming to one of our gigs.

9) Are there any bands in Italy today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

Undoubtedly the Italian rock'n'roll scene of the past years has been greatly influenced by Giuda, as they brought back those 70's sounds that seemed long lost, progressively many others followed their example, groups like Mash, Dr Boogie, BBQT, Hard Wax and some others may be considered similar to our genre. Nevertheless we are glad not to be associated with Giuda as some kind of imitation band but we are rather seen as something close yet different in sound.  I guess we play a bit out of the box and just do what comes our way.

10) What are the plans for 2022 as far as Mad rollers are concerned? Are you gonna tour Europe to promote the record?

After London gigs in September we are planning a tour in Germany with our booking agency, it will take place in March and include such cities as Hamburg, Berlin, Hanover  and others. Unfortunately in these times because of the covid situation you can never be sure that something will not be canceled or postponed but we want to stay optimistic and ready for this new adventure.

11) Anything you wanna add?

We wanted to thank the guys from Contra Records for the excellent work they've done.

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE: https://www.contra-net.com/de/mad-rollers-get-mad-12-gatefold-lp-lim-300-black.html

The Warmbabies - Let's Live Underground

Can you judge a record by its sleeve? Hard to tell. But at least it should give you a clue to the type of music a band is playing. Putting the picture of a vintage Fireglo Rickenbaker 330 is a pretty strong statement in itself. Considering Paul Weller, Tom Petty or John L., to name a few, all played one, this should already give you a serious hint.

Putting a TWELVE strings Rickenbaker 330 is an even bigger statement. The doubt is no longer allowed and you know exactly what you are in for: 60's influenced rock'n'roll with a good dose of 70's power pop thrown in for good measure.

The WARMBABIES, all veterans of the rock'n'roll scene of the French Riviera, sure know how to write good tunes with a really punchy rhythm section, sizzling guitars and perfect vocals to match. This LP is full of soon to be classic Power Pop songs. Very Highly Recommended !

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The WARMBABIES to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band? Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? What are your various individual backgrounds?

Serge : We are a quartet of "classic" rock and we live in Nice, at the french Riviera. The Warmbabies, in the present form, exists for about 5 years. With Marc Galliani on guitar and lead vocals, Olivier "Bratch" Nemejanski on guitar, Serge Ceccanti on bass and Daniel Aprosio on drums. As far as our various individual backgrounds, we would only mention one : The Bratchmen.

2) About the full length record "Let's Live Underground", can you explain the choice of this title? What can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

Marc : "Let’s live underground" is one of the first song from "Bratch", that we rearranged for my voice. A starting point. Rehearsals and concerts were so far apart that we couldn't show ourselves as a band. We were an Underground band, by force of circumstance. 

Serge : The title of the album was suggested by the graphic designer. A good idea that was unanimously accepted! The recording of the album was disturbed by the first pandemic but in the end, it gave us a lot of time to refine some titles. Bass, Drums and Rhythm guitars were recorded live, all the rest was a re-recording. 

3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios?

Photo : Sandra Rinaudo

Serge : Our choice went to a digital studio. But all the instruments and amp we used are analog! All the guitars and basses used on this disc are vintage gear over 50 years old! We are simply fascinated by the beauty and the sound of these old instruments.

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Marc : Everybody is involved. This album would not have been possible without one of us. The material on  this record is made out of old songs from "Bratch" and Marc. The next record will contain more of Serge songs. 

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song?

Marc : The pop format we like for this project fits better with stupid love songs. Someone said , The more stupid they are the truer they are…

Serge : Love, birds and the sun ! But the next songs will be darker : Lost love, frozen birds and rain !

Photo : Richard Prompt

6) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers and does it still influence your today work? What were your favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

Marc : Can I name 4 ? John, George, Paul and Ringo

Serge : We are clearly influenced by the rock 60's. But not only... I will quote three groups : Plimsouls, Fleshtones and Teenage Fanclub, But there are many others.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the latest full length? 

Marc : We have no money left for video, so we are pirating images for our songs. We are going to do something …Serge : No money, no time, finally is it really useful ?

8) What can concert goers expect at a gig of The WARMBABIES? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig?

Marc : We used to play Kinks, Big star, Plimsouls, but mainly our songs.

Serge : We like to integrate a few covers in our concerts, just for pleasure.

Photo : Sandra Rinaudo

9) Are there any bands in France you consider yourself close to? musically speaking?

Marc : Doc Vinegar from Aubagne

Serge : There may be but we do not know...

10) How would You describe the music you're playing? Is this POWERPOP or do you consider there is way more than that?

Serge : Our music is impregnated with the music we love. A mix of power pop / 60's rock / garage rock, no doubt.

Marc : We are doing our stuff with our influences, we would be happy to be classified in power pop but that was not planned at all.

11) What are the plans for 2022 as far as The WARMBABIES are concerned? 

Marc : We would like to play festivals or nice venues, specially abroad, Belgium, Spain, North of France. With the covid situation we just don’t think about it. But we are affordable for private request as well.

Serge : We work hard on new songs. Our goal is to compose the ultimate pop song ! Recording in autumn, hope.

12) Anything you wanna add?

Serge : Recording an album for a band like us is always a "small adventure" hazardous, with lots of problems to solve. We have completed this mission and we are very proud of the result !

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE : www.thewarmbabies.bandcamp.com/

Hey Viewers, don't go away......While you are at it, check out this other band hailing from the French Riviera, and one that includes some of the members of the WARMBABIES, or is it the other way around: THE BRATCHMEN. 

The cover here is a little more misleading, I give you that. Judging by the cover you would have every right to expect some French FLESHTONES. 

Well, not at all, here we are closer to the Everly Brothers or the early HOLLIES but all the tracks are very neatly performed and the whole record is really enjoyable. You  should definitely give it a try.

The record comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve! 

Get it here: https://avethesound.bandcamp.com/album/easy-sound-of-av046-lp-gatefold

Brent Seavers - BS Stands For

A couple of months ago, the German label Screaming Apple release the brilliant debut solo full length record of Brent Seavers. Brent is best know for being the bass player in the Californian outfit The Decibels.

When the pandemic started, Brent decided to record some of his original songs and ended with a full album on his hands. Obviously there is some very DECIBELS-like material here, but going solo has allowed Brent to drift a bit forward in time, from mid-60's pop right up into the 70's and early 80's power-pop scene. 

Brent Seavers channels his own brand of modish guitar, the pop sensibility and DIY appeal of early dB's, the mod-era WHO with a pinch of the JAM, but squeezed through his own filter that gives them his own sound. This is a real must buy!

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, what would you tell about you and your musical background to introduce yourself?  

I grew up in a musical home and have been playing and writing music since a very early age. As a young kid, I loved watching the Beatles cartoons and Monkees episodes. I got my first guitar when I was 11, a drum set a few months later, and then traded my Star Wars toys for a 4-track tape recorder so I could start recording my own music. I started a few bands that played a few live shows but never released any recordings. I joined The Decibels in my teens as bass player and contributing song writer and have been enjoying every moment. They’re a solid group of musicians and great friends.

2) If I'm not mistaking "BS Stands For" is your debut full length solo records. Since 1997, with your brother Dean, you are 1/4 of the Decibels. What decided to release a solo album now?

The solo album was pandemic-fueled. Being stuck at home in my studio with too much time initially compelled me to make a handful of music videos documenting the recording process and to keep my sanity (https://www.youtube.com/brentseavers). After almost a year of that, I decided to record my own original music. There wasn’t initially a plan to release the recordings on any label. But after recording plenty of songs, I realized that I could.

3) About this debut full length solo record, what can you tell about the recording process? 

I’d sit down at the drum set, and record myself playing one of my songs. Then, I’d hit rewind, start the song again, and add the guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, and whatever else the song needed. With the exception of a few hand claps contributed reluctantly by one of my kids, if you hear it on the record it’s me.  

4) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

I started recording music in an analog world and appreciate the process. I keep everything analog – tube driven, real instruments – up until the final step where I used to record directly to tape. At that point now, I record the audio digitally. There are rare moments where I record a track directly to tape and then transfer to digital, but not often. But I am very picky with my mic and tube-pre amp selections – pairing mics and amps with specific instruments - always chasing a specific sound.  

5) Are the songs on this record specifically composed for the purpose of this solo effort or are these songs you have composed over the years and deemed not fit to make it to a The Decibels record?  

Half of the songs predate the Decibels and were part of the reason I was asked to join the group. The other half were written during my time with the Decibels – Flatline being the most recent. Usually I’d bring a handful of songs to the group at practice, and we’d try them all out. The ones that clicked the easiest made it onto a Decibels album. I don’t think the group every said “no” to any of my songs. But since we had 3 contributing song writers in the group, not every good song made it onto an album. Both Dean and Joe have an extensive back catalogue of original songs as well.

6) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song?

I like writing about the honest moments in life. Falling in and out of love happens to all of us, but so does self-doubt and failure and pain and innocent infatuation. I never set out to write a serious or a silly song. I write about whatever is happening to me in that moment. Sometimes it’s love. But sometimes its maniacal laughter inspired by the insanity of living. I love when lyrics are honest even if they’re silly. Life is silly.  

7) Does your solo album mean that the Decibels are now on an indefinite hiatus?

Not at all! The Decibels are alive and kicking and wrapping up our next album. And honestly, it’s one of my favorites. Every member of the Decibels has life outside of music – which is a good thing else we’d lose our inspirations. And we each take time to live every aspect of our lives properly. No neglected hobbies or children in this bunch! 😊 So, album releases and live shows will happen less frequently, but only because we’re enjoying each aspect of our multifaceted lives.  

8) Do you have a new video on YouTube featuring a track from the new LP?? 

When I recorded my original music, I didn’t film the recording process like I did on all those cover tunes music videos on my YouTube channel. So, the short answer is, not at the moment.It’s sometimes hard to give your best musical performance when you’re also the sound engineer, producer, camera operator and director. While it was alright for the musical performance quality to suffer a little for those cover tunes music videos, for my original tunes I didn’t want the music to be anything less than my best. But it could still happen.  

9) Are you gonna put a band together and perform this solo album on the road? Are you gonna play any famous cover songs? 

I have been performing my original songs with a band here in California to help promote the album release, and would like to take the band on the road as more venues open up. My main focus is on original music for album releases, but I do have plans to make some more cover music videos in the near future.

10) Are there any bands in The USA today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

There are so many great power pop and pop rock bands in the USA that it would be near impossible to name them all. I definitely feel a connection to many local California groups that I saw as a kid - like The Odd Numbers and The Hi-Fives to name only two – who were a huge influence on my early music.

11) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager? What were your favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have an influence on your own work today.

As a teenager I listened to The Beatles, The Monkees, The Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Jam, Nirvana, Green Day, Letters to Cleo, The Muffs, The Romantics, The Knack, The Smithereens, The Plimsouls, The Beat – pretty much early rock ‘n’ roll 1955-1965 and late 70s to early 80s power pop and punk.

I always thought that The Beatles, The Monkees, and The Jam were probably my biggest influences on what I write, but it seems that when I create songs they sound nothing like those groups. So, who knows?  

12) What are the plans for 2022 as far as your solo career is concerned?

I’m about 6 songs into the next solo album, but have been focusing on finishing up mixing and mastering the Decibels next album. For me, The Decibels are my main focus. But I will continue writing, recording, and performing my solo music in-between Decibels projects wherever I find the time. It’s something that makes me happy.  

13) Anything you wanna add?  

Sure, why not. If you’re a talented musician who is frustrated because you haven’t been signed to a major record label, stop it. Take a look at some of the artists currently on major labels. They sign just as much talent as total garbage. Don’t let such poor judges determine if your music has value. Make your music. Keep it honest. Discerning people are listening. What you do matters.  

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE: https://brentseavers.bandcamp.com/album/bs-stands-for

The Buttshakers - Arcadia

French alternative Label Underdog Records recently released "Arcadia", the latest offering of The Buttshakers, a raw soul band from Lyon, France. So it was high time for this blog to talk to Ciara Thompson about this brilliant new record.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The Buttshakers to introduce yourselves? How long are you  together as a band?  Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? 

Hi! We’re the Buttshakers, a raw soul band from Lyon, France. We’ve been playing together for almost 10 years now with Sylvain Lorens on guitar, Josselin Soutrenon on drums, and Ciara Thompson on the vocals. Jean Joly joined us on the bass two years ago, and our horn section changes around according to people’s availability (you know horns, they’ve always got work!) but for the last year we’ve been pretty stable with Franck Boyron on the trombone and Thibaut Fontana on the baritone sax.

2) About the "Arcadia" full length record,  what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

We recorded Arcadia at Tontons Flingueurs Studio in Renaison, France with Pascal Coquard. This was our second time working with Pascal, and it was great as usual. Pascal has a mixed process – working with analog and digital. 

We did our first 7”’s and our first album (Night Shift) as a live studio recording, but we’ve really worked on developing a richer, more elaborate sound since then. So for this album, we did bass-drums-voice-guitar together in the same room and then added the additional instruments one by one. It’s a long process, working element by element, layer by layer, but the end result is very rich. 

3) Do you guys use the nowadays recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

Lol, kind of answered that in the last question. But yeah, we’ve worked in only analog – and we’ll probably work again in those sorts of conditions someday—but for Arcadia we used both digital recording and analog and then repassed on tape. 

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Each album is different, but for this album, a lot of the songs were developed in a group form.

We wrote a lot of the album during or right after the first lockdown. During the first lockdown, we worked a lot with pre-productions. Passing around different pieces of music, taking the time to work over different ideas without being in the practice space in front of other people. 

Luckily, we had started working on certain songs before Covid, so we had already had a base of material (like ‘Night Crawl’ and ‘Hear Me’). To be able to take the time and really work out different ideas and layers was very different then just practicing and hammering out ideas in the practice space. 

Once we were able to practice in the same room together again, we must have been inspired because we wrote (and/or worked out previous ideas) half the album in about three months. Things just seemed to really jell once we had those couple months off to meditate and take a step back. 

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write the lyrics to a new song?

It depends on the mood really. For this album, I allowed myself to use pre-written texts. I’m always writing poetry, sentences, words. Anytime I hear something I like, a phrase or a word, I write it down in my notebook. 

I really work off the title or first phrase – a song is like a book, you’ve got to pull your listener in and let them know pretty quickly what you’re talking about. Once you’ve given them the deictic elements of the story, you can take them where you want to. 

For Arcadia, probably because we were writing during the pandemic, a lot of the texts are reflective. The pandemic made me think a lot about family, my childhood, and where I am now in my life. It’s strange going back to a place you only remember, that is part of you yet foreign. Or has become foreign. 

A lot of the songs we were writing made me think about this idea of being a foreigner in your own country, in your own home, in your own mind. So the album is a reflection of what I see around me because I’m only an observer. I grew up in America, and came to France when I was 21, but it’s been 14 years that I’ve been living in France so I’m almost more French then American now. It’s a whole headfuck, but I don’t feel like I belong to either, or am a strange mix of both. 

6) How would you describe the music The Buttshakers are playing? Is it soul? Is it funk? Is it groove? Is it all of that?

We always say we make music with soul – that has something to say, something to be. It’s a bold statement to make, for sure. But it’s really what we try to be. I guess that’s why we always say “raw” soul too. We try to make music that is authenticly us. And soul music is our main influence. We all listen to it, and feed off of its influences, roots, and offsprings. 

There is “soul” in our music, but there’s also everything else that came from soul music or was made from soul music. We all listen to funk, americana, rocksteady, southern rock, afro, garage, jazz and a ton of other styles that influence who we are as musicicans. The great thing about being a “soul” band is you can use all these influences to make something of your own with, and that’s what we try to do with every album.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?? 

 

We recently came out with an animated video for our track HEAR ME. It’s a beautiful, film noir inspired clip that follows a woman in an abusive relationship as she finally confronts her partner and decides to leave him. We had the chance to work with an animation company called Millihelen Design who designed, developed, and animated the clip. They’re a American/Belgian duo working out of Antwerp. 

We wanted something sublime visually to go along with this song because it’s hard talking about abuse. Especially in a post-me too/Time’s Up society, confronting domestic abuse and trying to put words to something that is so prevalent but so taboo was a challenge. 

The message wasn’t too milk or profit from an ongoing social debate, but really we just wanted to put into music the idea that you can walk away. You can get out and find your peace. I feel like we focus a lot on the idea of victims, and not enough on surviving, knowing that you can move on. 

That’s why the song is called “Hear Me” – we wanted to celebrate the fact that women can finally speak up and speak out. 

8) What can concert goers expect at a concert of The Buttshakers? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig? 

Now for something much lighter – haha—no but seriously, Arcadia is a dark album, but in our concerts, we try to bring as much joy and light as possible. Music is a temple, a place everyone can go to tune in and tune out. 

A Buttshakers concert is exactly that. We always try to get everyone to just let go. When you dance, you touch a part of yourself, you free a part of yourself that most people rarely let live. So for us, a perfect concert is playing our songs right and everyone shaking their tailfeathers 😉

We always play a cover or two – but we’re one of those annoying bands that always takes a lesser known artist or song. One cover that we’re especially fond of is ‘Clean Up Woman’ by Betty Wright. And sometimes when we’re feeling hot we’ll put in a ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ by Wilson Picket or ‘Slippin’ & Sliddin’’ by Little Richard. 

9) Are there any bands in France today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

To be honest, there aren’t many soul bands in France that are similar to us musically. There are a lot of great soul bands in France at the moment, like John Milk, Malted Milk (two totally different bands, I promise!) Elina Jones and the Fireflys – but they’re more r’n’b/Motown and I’d put our sound/live shows on the Stax side of the force. 

It seems silly to say, because each band really has their own sound. But if we had to choose between Motown or Stax as the two polar opposites of soul, we’d be on the Stax side 10/10. 

I guess the Adeline’s probably are the closest to our sound that you can find in France. I don’t know if they’re even playing anymore, but they were a damn good live band. Or the Ready-Mades. They’ve got more of a rocksteady vibe, but I think they put the conscious side of soul music ahead like we do. 

10) What are the plans for 2022 as far as The Buttshakers are concerned? Are you gonna tour Europe to promote the record?

We’re hoping to play wherever people want us! We’ve got shows announced for 2022, mainly in France. We want to defend the album in our hometurf 😉 But we always add international shows throughout the year as things come in! 

That’s the beauty and the beast of playing live music – things change, get added in, and unfortunately with covid, get pushed back or canceled ALL THE TIME. 

11) Anything you wanna add?

Nothing more than, for first time listeners – listen to Arcadia as a whole story. It’s an album that’s best consumed in its totality. From ‘Back in America’ to ‘Gone for Good’, you have to let the story unfold and let it take you somewhere. 

Thanks a lot for the questions! Cheers for 2022!

PURCHASE THE GOODIES HERE: https://the-buttshakers.bandcamp.com/

The Brothers Steve - Dose

Last month, Big Stir Records released "DOSE", the sophomore album from THE BROTHERS STEVE. This new release is not only featuring the very addictive new single  “Next Aquarius”, but is also offering up 10 new songs which take the band's invigorating punk-pop sound in exciting new directions, folding in elements of psychedelia and glam rock.

This new material was written and recorded by singer-guitarists OS TYLER and JEFF WHALEN and is fueled by the chemistry of the live band: drummer COULTER (aka author S.W. Lauden) and bassist JEFF SOLOMON (Whalen's longtime band mates from the beloved LA pop-rock combo TSAR) and guitarist DYLAN CHAMPION. 

Tracked and mixed at a secret LA recording studio, DOSE simultaneously captures the band's irresistible live energy while pushing their gleeful aesthetic into fascinating new territory.

So it was time for this blog to talk to OS TYLER about this new release. Here it goes!

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know The Brothers Steve, Can you introduce all the members of The Brothers Steve? Are these all the same guys who played on the debut album?

Hey Eric, the Brothers Steve is a Los Angeles based rock quintet. There’s Solomon (Jeff S.) on bass and Coulter on drums, those two make a solid rhythm section that really gets people moving. Not everyone knows that Solomon once rescued a baby rhinoceros, carrying it on his back across a rushing river in a torrential rainstorm. Coulter has been one of my favorite drummers for a long time, so it’s a real delight to get to play with him, but he’s an unstoppable force in Monopoly, so look out if he ever asks you if you want to play. Dylan, Jeff W and Os (that’s me) we three love to sing harmonies together and share lead vocals, or trade them back and forth. If you listen closely, you can tell when things are really working harmonically: you’ll see a sunset orange and blue color pattern, and perhaps a badger, dressed in a top hat and vest, dancing down a country lane. On our new record, Dose, it’s all the same members from our first record, #1.

2) About the "Dose"  full length album, what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs?

Our first record, #1, we had played all the songs live many times and we went in and recorded almost everything in a couple days. On this record, we got going right about the time the Pandemonium hit. So we never played the songs all together as a band. Due to the Global Phenomenon, we couldn’t all be in the studio together. So, the whole process was much more of a track-by-track scenario. But we’ve sung and played together so much, sometimes it really felt like we were all there at the same time, rocking and rolling, grooving and blending.

3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

On the recording end, we're all digital. But we still try to inject some analog elements with a couple vintage tube amps and vintage microphones. And we’re still singing in analog! … But whether it’s analog or digital, I think the most important part to recording is capturing the feelings of the players. It’s like riding a horse over rolling green hills. If you're doing it right, anyone watching the horse ride feels a little exhilarated!

4) One can hear a much larger range of influences than on the first record going from psychedelia to glam rock. How would you describe the music The Brothers Steve are playing today?

Listen, everybody in the band is a total genius compared to me. And I don’t know if that’s a complement or not. But I know that Jeff and Jeff and Coulter and Dylan are all cultural vibraphones. They resonate with the sounds of the times. And they are deeply versed in music throughout the years and across the genres. So it’s wonderful to play with these talented, musically conscious players who act as a guiding light. 

Me, I like to just let the parts happen as they may, let them all intertwine in whatever way, and if that makes the music Juicy Flumbulicious Poppadelia Delight, then that’s just fine. But yeah, I dunno, the music we’re making today should be a little bit of everything you love from every reference point in your consciousness, let’s call it: Pop Amalgamation or AmalgaPop. 

Jeff W. And I wrote all the songs on Dose together, and it’s really fantastic writing with Jeff, because he always has a number of underlying ideas or themes that he’s presenting and playing off one-another in subtle ways. Jeff has a plan and a vision and when we work together that provides a perfect focal point around which all the swirling ideas can flow and coalesce.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you guys write the lyrics to a new song?

It’s a funny truth that often Jeff and I think that a song we’ve both written is about different things. If you ask us each what Wizard of Love is about, we’d give you completely different answers. Same is true for Griffith Observatory and maybe for Mrs. Rosenbaum, too. So, there are times we’re writing a song and we each actually think it’s about a different concept, and we just keeping writing, each of us in his own direction, and let the two ideas interplay in whatever way they do. 

Anyway, I don’t know if Jeff thinks of this at all while we’re writing, but for me one of the big underlying topics is that all the stories are being told from the viewpoint of an emotive android with just a hint of precognition and a suspicion that it's telling stories sent back from the future. 

6) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?? 

Yeah! Check out our super-calliope-psychedelic video to Next Aquarius. Some truly amazing image transformation … You can see it here:

   

We also have a new official video for Electro-Love coming out soon! 

7) What can concert goers expect at a The Brothers Steve gig? Are you playin' any famous cover songs during the concert?

Expect the unexpected! We hope our gigs are high energy and joyful. And that you leave hoping you can see more soon. … We typically don’t do famous covers at our shows, unless you want to count television commercial songs from long long ago … but you never know what might happen next.

8) Are there any bands in The USA today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

Hard to say. I don’t think there are a lot of bands out there with 3 vocalists trading leads and singing harmonies these days. Bit of a stretch and a turn around the corner, but maybe the Avett Brothers? Do we have something in common with Haim? Is there anything about what we’re doing that Harry Styles would find familiar? 

9) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers? What were your favorite bands as teenagers? Name 3 bands that you consider still have an influence on your own work today in The Brothers Steve.

I personally lived in a small town in Kentucky when I was a teenager. Most of the music I heard was whatever was on the one Top 40 radio station in town. But I was and still am a big fan of E.L.O. and a lot of what those guys did remains an influence today. Our drummer, Coulter, tends to mention Nilsson when it comes to influences on our writing, or my writing in particular. I’m happy to list Harry Nilsson as an ongoing influence. One more … let’s see, I’ll say the Cars, especially the very early stuff.

10) What are the plans for 2022 as far as The Brothers Steve are concerned?

We’re getting ready to dive into a new song-writing cycle. And from there, move along the creative cycle and record some new tunes. I’m anticipating a new record sometime in 2022. I hope you’ll anticipate that too! 

11) Anything you wanna add?

Hm. Just a little reminder to glow and resonate and to be a divining rod, seeking out and pulling in and sharing back all the love and joy and inspiration that’s swirling around us. Would you do me a favor and remind me that next time you see me? 

Oh, and if you get a chance, give a listen to our new record, Dose. You can listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7vjGNi3ls5JScXw8aAywMG

Or here on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-brothers-steve/1482189752

Or direct from our amazing label, Big Stir Records: https://bigstirrecords.com/the-brothers-steve

The On and Ons - Back For More

Sydney’s finest power-pop trio, The On and Ons, is back with a new 12-track album released on Citadel Records. 

"Back For More"  follows on from the band’s well received previous releases - “Calling” (2015), “Welcome Aboard” (2017), and the mini-album “Menacing Smile” (2020)

All but one of the songs on this new record are written by Glenn Morris (lead vocals/guitar) and the band is rounded out with his brother Brian Morris on drums/vocals, and Clyde Bramley (bass/vocals). 

These guys have had plenty of past experience with bands like Kings of the Sun, Paul Collins Beat, and Hoodoo Gurus.

Right from the punchy "Vanishing Act", all the way through to "Better Every Day" the On and Ons blend perfectly 60's melodies reminiscent of the Beatles or the Kinks and the energy of bands from the 70's like Big Star or BadFinger.

Glenn Morris song craft is improving with every new release, and he delivers here fantastic songs that will very soon become power-pop classics in the great tradition of all the Aussie bands that we love so much. 

But whatever the various influences you might hear, the trio comes up with a sound of their own. Unique, timeless and fresh, with superb vocal harmonies and lots of powerful guitars. This new album comes out like a real masterpiece.

Back for More is definitely their best offering so far and it is filled to the rafters with catchy and powerful tunes that will keep you humming till the sun goes down. A must buy!

Available to buy from:

Citadel Mail Order: https://www.citadelmailorder.com/jsp/cmos/discs/on_and_ons_back_for_more.html

Direct from the band: http://theonandons.bandcamp.com 

Here is a video of the opening track, VANISHING ACT.