Month: May 2019

Kelly Lee Owens releases two new cuts from upcoming 12″ single.

Photo by Daniele Fummo

British musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens shares new tracks, “Let It Go” and “Omen,” available digitally now and via limited 12” on July 5th via Smalltown Supersound. “Let It Go” was created for Owens’ DJ set at London’s Fabric earlier this year and made available yesterday via Adult Swim’s Singles Series. “Let It Go” is a high energy club track, featuring hard-hitting beats and Owens’ feathery vocals. “While working on my second album, I had my Room 1 Fabric DJ set coming up, so I decided to make a track for fun, to play out. There’s no better way of testing out new stuff than on that legendary sound system,” says Owens. “Let It Go / Omen” follows her “immensely varied and fully-formed” (Pitchfork) self-titled debut, released in 2017.

After playing dates in Europe, Owens will play DJ sets in New York and California. Then, she will return to Europe to appear at select festivals. All dates are below.

Listen to “Let It Go” – https://youtu.be/gSitKhOPmLY

Listen to “Omen” – https://youtu.be/jF3fT5SYDjk

Kelly Lee Owens Tour Dates:  Sat. June 1 – Leeds, UK @ Inner City Festival (DJ Set) Fri. June 7 – London, UK @ Field Day Sat. June 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz (DJ Set) Fri. July 5 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere (DJ Set) Sat. July 6 – New York, NY @ Location TBA (DJ Set) Thu. July 11 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom (DJ Set) Fri. July 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 (DJ Set) Sat. July 13 – Mexico City, MX @ Yu Yu (DJ Set) Fri. July 19 – Cheshire, UK @ Blue Dot Festival Fri. Aug. 2 – Ghent, BE @ Absolutely Free Festival (DJ Set) Thu. Aug. 8 – Mon. Aug. 12 – Barcelona, ES @ Boaty Weekender Cruise Fri. Aug. 30 – Salisbury, UK @ End of The Road Festival

Keep your mind open.

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Alex Cameron’s new single, “Miami Memory,” is a loving tip of the hat to the town and his girlfriend.

“Miami Memory” single artwork

Alex Cameron presents the new single/video, “Miami Memory,” directed by Cameron, and starring himself, his business associate and sax player Roy Molloy and actress Jemima Kirke. A love song to the city, “Miami Memory” embraces the lustful air of Miami and explores both Alex’s personal relationship with both the city and his girlfriend. Throughout, Alex’s sultry and playful delivery embraces themes of sex positivity, love and reflection. Premiered this past Sunday on KCRW’s Henry Rollins’ show, “Miami Memory” is the first new music Cameron has released since 2017’s Forced Witness.

“‘Miami Memory’ is a story about how we audition in the present for our future selves to enjoy in retrospect. In that way, tender memories that we share together are captured in thought and stored with the same electricity that keeps our heart beating,” says Cameron. “It’s a gift for my girlfriend Jemima, and it is dedicated to the artist Greer Lankton and her partner Paul Monroe. I am lucky to have learned that a group of people can be a shining light.”

Cameron has announced a fall European and North American tour, including shows in Chicago, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. North American tickets are on sale now.

Watch “Miami Memory” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0BtytpbJCU

Stream “Miami Memory” – https://alexcameron.ffm.to/miamimemory    

Alex Cameron Tour Dates: Wed. Sept. 18 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Thu. Sept. 19 – Brussels, BE @ AB Club Fri. Sept. 20 – Brighton, UK @ The Haunt Sat. Sept. 21 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sun. Sept. 22 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory Tue. Sept. 24 – Bristol, UK @ The Fleece Wed. Sept. 25 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton Thu. Sept. 26 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla Fri. Sept. 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Art School Sun. Sept. 29 – Southampton, UK @ Loft Tue. Oct. 1 – Lille, FR @ Aeronef Club Wed. Oct. 2 – Paris, FR @ Trianon Thu. Oct. 3 – Reims, FR @ La Cartonnerie Fri. Oct. 4 – Nantes, FR @ Lieu Unique Sat. Oct. 5 – Orléans, FR @ Astrolabe Mon. Oct. 7 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte Tue. Oct. 8 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Wed. Oct. 9 – Milan, IT @ Ohibo Thu. Oct. 10 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Sat. Oct. 12 – Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse Birthday Party Sun. Oct. 13 – Vienna, AT @ Flex Cafe Mon. Oct. 14 – Munich, DE @ Strom Tue. Oct. 15 – Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory Wed. Oct. 16 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg Fri. Oct. 18 – Stockholm, SE @ Vasateatern Sat. Oct. 19 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Sun. Oct. 20 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik Mon. Oct. 21 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega Tue. Oct. 22 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich Wed. Oct. 23 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater Fri. Nov. 8 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. Nov. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre Fri. Nov. 22 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Fri. Dec. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list for May 28, 2019

Thanks again to the listeners of my show on the 28th.  I was a bit late getting into the studio due to continuing issues with my campus ID card and entry code at the Duncan Student Center, but it all worked out thanks to UND campus security letting me into the building.  Here’s the set list.

  1. Morphine – Honey White
  2. Dow Jones and the Industrials – Ain’t Good Enough
  3. Adam and the Ants – Fall-In
  4. Blessed – Rolled in Glass
  5. Bad Religion – Finite
  6. Alien radio spot
  7. The Ramones – Poison Heart
  8. Chromatics – Time Rider
  9. Pale Waves – The Tide
  10. The Smithereens – Gloomy Sunday
  11. Flibbertigibbet – The Blackleg Miner
  12. Bodega – Bookmarks
  13. Kompromat – Possession
  14. Drive-in intermission spot
  15. The Jackson 5 – Doctor My Eyes
  16. Eurythmics – 17 Again
  17. Oingo Boingo – Where Do All My Friends Go?
  18. A Place to Bury Strangers – Lower Zone
  19. Los Tentakills – Can’t Stand It
  20. Embryo radio spot
  21. Flaming Lips – See the Leaves
  22. The Velvet Underground – Satellite of Love
  23. Kraftwerk – The Model
  24. Latitude Zero radio spot
  25. Bully – Too Tough
  26. Blondie – Union City Blue
  27. The Joy Formidable – Whirring
  28. Primus – Shake Hands with Beef
  29. The Tell Tale Heart radio spot
  30. Neko Case – People Got a Lot of Nerve
  31. Led Zeppelin – I Can’t Quit You Baby 2 (live)
  32. The Passions – I’m in Love with a German Film Star

I should be back on air sometime next week.  This is also available as a playlist on the 7th Level Music YouTube channel.

Keep your mind open.

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Olden Yolk are currently on tour promoting their new album – “Living Theatre.”

Photo by John Andrews

“Through layers of warm harmonies, spirited drum fills and bright guitar riffs, Shane Butler and multi-instrumentalist Caity Shaffer craft a kaleidoscopic world that steadily builds on its own momentum”
– NPR Music


Olden Yolk – the duo of songwriters Shane Butler and Caity Shaffer – shares their single from Living Theatre, their sophomore album, via Trouble In Mind. “Grand Palais” is “about the frivolous search to seek some semblance of spiritual understanding in various places, things, and people outside of ourselves. Much of the song was written through improvisation in the studio alongside percussionist Booker Stardrum, whose frantic drumming is a driving force in the song. Weaving vocals, synthesizers, and tempo switches all encapsulate the dual feelings of desperation and euphoria found within this type of pursuit,” explains the band.

Olden Yolk is on tour in support of Living Theatre. They’re joined by Ryan Jewell (drums), Peter Wagner (bass) and Frank Maston (synths/keys). A full list of dates is below.
Stream “Grand Palais” – https://youtu.be/977uBeouGb4

Watch “Distant Episode” Video – https://youtu.be/hKS-ro9GPiE

Watch “Cotton & Cane” Video – https://youtu.be/cICiAlzVHag

Pre-order Living Theatre – https://bit.ly/2FGtjE4

Olden Yolk Tour Dates:

Wed. May 29 – Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge
Thu. May 30 – Chicago, IL @ HideoutWed. May 31 – Grand Rapids, MI @ House Show
Thu. June 1 – Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees
Fri. June 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
Fri. June 7 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Festival
Wed. June 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (LA record release show)
Thu. June 20 – San Francisco, CA @ Make Out Room
Fri. June 21 – Portland, OR @ Turn Turn Turn w/ Adam Torres
Sun. June 23 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Sat. Oct. 12 – Portsmouth, UK @ The Festing
Sat. Oct. 13 – Exeter, UK @ The Cavern
Mon. Oct. 14 – Brighton, UK @ Komedie Studio
Tue. Oct. 15 – London, UK @ Lexington
Wed. Oct. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
Thu. Oct. 17 – Birmingham, UK @ Hair & Hounds 2
Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ YES
Sat. Oct. 19 – Oxford, UK @ Ritual Union Festival

“Living Theatre” album art

Keep your mind open.

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WSND set list for May 22, 2019

Thanks for all the ears on Wednesday morning.  My apologies for this set list being late.  Things got a bit crazy at work earlier this week.

  1. LCD Soundsystem – Emotional Haircut
  2. Deap Vally – Ain’t Fair
  3. Early Greyhound – Fashion
  4. Bad Religion – New America
  5. Jerry Lee Lewis and Keith Richards – Sweet Virginia (request)
  6. The Kills – List of Demands
  7. Ty Segall – I Bought My Eyes (live)
  8. Bev Rage and the Drinks – Limp Wrist
  9. Alien radio spot
  10. Torche – U.F.O.
  11. The Shouts – Gloria
  12. Repellents – Afc!
  13. The Beths – Whatever
  14. The Hives – AKA I.D.I.O.T.
  15. The Dickies – I’m on Crack
  16. Chrome and Hot Leather radio spot
  17. Minx / Zimmerman – Song for Alice
  18. Wolfmother – The Earth’s Rotation Around the Sun
  19. Drive-in intermission spot
  20. The Clash – Police on My Back
  21. Eddie Grant – Electric Avenue
  22. Prodigy – Voodoo People (Chemical Brothers remix)
  23. The Dead Weather – Hustle and Cuss (request)
  24. Caroline Rose – Money
  25. Ebony, Ivory, and Jade radio spot
  26. Reverend Horton Heat – I Could Get Used to It
  27. North Mississippi Allstars – Shake ‘Em on Down
  28. The Land That Time Forgot radio spot
  29. Ennio Morricone – L’Arena main title
  30. Fat White Family – Feet
  31. The Flaming Lips – Scorpio Sword
  32. Tales that Witness Madness radio spot
  33. The Distillers – The Hunger
  34. Morrissey – Disappointed
  35. Claude Fontaine – Hot Tears
  36. Gossip – Dimestore Diamond
  37. Charlie Parker – Rose Room

Thanks for listening.  I hope to be back on air next week.  This set list is also available as a playlist on the 7th Level Music YouTube channel.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Herb Alpert – Rise (1979)

It seems that only the legendary Herb Alpert could combine spaghetti western horns with late 1970’s synths and make it work.  He did exactly that on his 1979 album Rise – his first without the Tijuana Brass backing him.

The opening track, “1980,” was originally written for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 1980 Olympics and sounds like a vision of what the next decade was going to sound like for all of us – full of futuristic gadgets and obsession over the coming new millennium clashing with old school thinking and ideals (pretty much the 1980’s in a nutshell).  The title track is one of the funkiest things ever put on a record, so much so that it was heavily sampled by Biggie Smalls on “Hypnotize” (Abe Laboriel’s bass riffs alone could power two dozen hip hop records).  Mike Lang’s piano work mixes well with Alpert’s expert trumpet work, and Alpert knows when to put down his horn and let his band jam.

“Behind the Rain” sounds like unused music from a Roger Moore-era Bond movie with its thrilling string and horn arrangements, machine gun-like drums, and car chase guitar.  “Rotation” has this cool, quirky beat to it that mixes simple drum chops with electro-beats that are peppy yet subtle (and Alpert’s trumpet, of course, roots the entire track).

“Street Life” is sassy and brassy, with Alpert’s trumpet taking center stage throughout it while some funky slap bass struts alongside him.  Speaking of slap bass, it’s even funkier on “Love Is,” a song that I’m sure was remixed for discos across the country at the time.  Louis Johnson practically puts on a clinic on how to lay down a snappy bass groove.  Alpert, again, smartly lets his instrument be the backup on the track.

“Angelina” brings in the Central American flair found on so many of Alpert’s records and even some Caribbean beats to boot.  That south of the border sexiness continues on “Aranjuez (Mon Amour),” which also throws in disco beats and bass for good measure.

One can’t write about Rise without mentioning Herb Alpert’s nephew, Randy “Badazz” Alpert, who co-produced the record and brought in a lot of the disco / nightclub / funky touches.  He helped bring his uncle’s work to even more people by getting “Rise” and other cuts into the hands of club DJ’s.  It’s a classic record and worth a listen.

Keep your mind open.

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Clutch and Killswitch Engage announce summer U.S. tour.

Clutch, Killswitch Engage, and Cro-Mags are heading on the road together this summer across the United States in what will surely be one of the loudest tours of 2019. Tickets to all dates are on sale now. Some of the dates include festivals like Clutch’s Earth Rocker (July 13), Rock Fest (July 19th), and Impact Festival (July 28th).

Clutch never disappoint live, so don’t miss your chance to see them.

Keep your mind open.

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WSND set list for May 20, 2019

Thanks to all who tuned in for my first WSND show of the summer.  Here’s my set list from the night.  It’s also available as a YouTube playlist.

  1. CHAI – Choose Go
  2. Herb Albert – 1980
  3. Night Beats – Ain’t Dumbo
  4. Screaming Females – Agnes Martin
  5. Knife Knights – Bionic Chords
  6. Extreme – Am I Ever Gonna Change (request)
  7. L7 – Fighting the Crave
  8. Airport radio spot
  9. Brigitte London – On My Lips
  10. Idles – Colossus
  11. The Wicker Man radio spot
  12. Slaves – Acts of Fear and Love
  13. Lightnin’ Hopkins – Daddy Will Be Home One Day
  14. X – Your Phone’s Off the Hook, but You’re Not
  15. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Ole Man Trouble
  16. New York Dolls – Jet Boy (request)
  17. Bad Sports – Giving In
  18. Warren Zevon – Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner (request)
  19. Eaten Alive radio spot
  20. The Ramones – Pinhead (live)
  21. Fuzz – Loose Sutures
  22. Motorhead – Evil Eye
  23. ELO – I’m Alive
  24. The Police – So Lonely (live)
  25. The Land That Time Forgot radio ad
  26. Cass McCombs – Absentee
  27. Fabulous Poodles – Man with Money (request)
  28. Tales from the Crypt radio spot
  29. Rustie – Green Language
  30. A vs. B – Ripped in Two Minutes
  31. Hprizm – After the Storm
  32. Benny Goodman – Rose Room

I might be back on air as early as this Wednesday midnight – 2am EST.  Give me a listen if you’re up late.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Bayonne and Palm Daze – May 12, 2019 – 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ

I happened to be in Tucson, Arizona on the same night of the final show of Bayonne and Palm Daze‘s most recent tour. I’d wanted to see Bayonne since I’d heard his fine album Primitives and missed his set at Levitation Austin a few years ago.

They were playing at a small club in downtown Tucson called 191 Toole (named for the address). It’s a nice small venue with no bad places to stand for a view of the stage. It’s the kind of venue I’d love to own – small bar, good-sized room, ample parking, not far from a college campus. Fewer than forty people showed up for the gig, probably due to that weekend being graduation weekend for the University of Arizona. It’s a shame for those who missed it, because Bayonne and Palm Daze closed their tour with a great show.

Palm Daze, the Austin psychedelic dream-pop three-piece opened the show and played most, if not all, of their 2017 EP Controls (review coming). Eric McClung and Tyler Delaune bounced back and forth with synths, bass, and percussion while drummer Ryan Heath laid down serious chops. I was hooked by the third song.

Palm Daze (L-R: Ryan Heath, Tyler Delaune, Eric McClung)

Mr. Heath joined Bayonne (Roger Sellers) onstage for drum kit smashing while Mr. Sellers sang and played synths, guitar, and / or percussion, looping a lot of it on top of each other for great effect. Many artists would’ve phoned in a performance on the last night of a tour to a crowd of fewer than forty people, but Bayonne went for broke as he wowed the crowd with tracks of not only Primitives, but also his fine new record – Drastic Measures (again, review coming). Empty water bottles, sweaty towels, and broken drum sticks littered the stage by the time they were done.

This small show currently has the top spot on my list of best concerts of 2019, and will probably remain in the top 10 by the end of the year. Bayonne is playing Lollapalooza this year, and I can tell you his set will be a must-see if you are there.

Bayonne creating aural magic.

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Levitation France announces first wave of 2019 lineup.

The 2019 Levitation France music festival has released its first announcement of the bands playing at the Le Quai performance center in Angers, France September 20-21st.

There are some interesting choices right out of the gate. Fat White Family makes intriguing psychedelic rock, Iceage, the Warlocks, and Black Midi will provide some of the loudest sets of the weekend, and New Candys bring in some great Italian shoegaze. I need to research the other bands. There might be a new favorite on this list I haven’t yet discovered.

Keep your mind open.

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