Thursday 1 September 2016

SKYE | ROSS Release Video for "Light of Gold"



Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey launch their brand new post-Morcheeba project SKYE | ROSS, with an eponymously titled album out September 2, 2016 on Fly Agaric Records / Cooking Vinyl Records. The first single from the album, "Light Of Gold", is available alongside "How To Fly" and "Medicine" as an instant download when you pre-order the album.

Ross and Skye decided to return to basics with the majority of the album being recorded in their own homes under no time constraint. They called upon their family, recruiting Skye’s husband, Steve (bass), Skye’s 19 year old son Jaega (drums), Ross’ wife Amanda (backing vocals) and Richard Milner, Morcheeba’s keyboard player. The results were apparent; an album that pursues its own musical path while returning to the roots of the sound that made Morcheeba a household name back in the late 1990s. It is, Ross explains, “what Skye and I do naturally when we make music together, and yet not necessarily a continuation of what we’d been doing with Morcheeba. It therefore felt only right to give it a new identity.”

What emerged recalls the essence of Morcheeba’s international, platinum selling Big Calm, while boasting a revived spirit and the mature experience that comes with two decades of making music. Having built up a huge international following over the years, they decided they wanted to involve their fans when it came to recording a video for their single "Light Of Gold". After an appeal on social media to feature a “cute” couple in their video they decided to film in Croatia, the fans poured in to apply. With no shortage of couples to choose from they left the almost impossible decision of picking a couple to their video director Tom Merilion.

The result is evident to see - a beautifully-filmed love story, shot in the picturesque historical city of Sibenik in Croatia, which perfectly captures the dreamy atmospheric ambiance of "Light Of Gold".

Crowbar Debut "Falling While Rising"



September 1, 2016 - Riff lords Crowbar have debuted the first track off their new LP today titled "Falling While Rising," the first bit of new music we've heard from the NOLA trio since 2014. "Falling While Rising is the epitome of Crowbar," says frontman Kirk Windstein. "The song is heavy, powerful, emotional and full of massive riffs! Hope everyone enjoys it and is ready for the full record!"

"Falling While Rising" is available for streaming and as an iTunes Instant Gratification download. Meaning, fans who preorder the record will receive the song instantly. Crowbar will release The Serpent Only Lies, on October 28, 2016 via Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and via SPV overseas. "We are so excited about our 11th studio record! The Serpent Only Lies is a powerful follow up," adds Windstein. "Eliran Kantor did a brilliant job with the artwork! Our first release, "Falling While Rising", is Crowbar at its finest... HEAVIER THAN EVER!!!"

The Serpent Only Lies will be the follow up to the highly buzzed about Symmetry in Black that sold over 4,000 copies in its first week of release in 2014, the highest of any LPs in the band’s 27 year career, beating out its predecessor, 2011's Sever the Wicked Hand.



1. Falling While Rising
2. Plasmic And Pure
3. I Am The Storm
4. Surviving The Abyss
5. The Serpent Only Lies
6. The Enemy Beside You
7. Embrace The Light
8. On Holy Ground
9. Song Of The Dunes
10. As I Heal

For nearly three decades, the name Crowbar has been synonymous with HEAVY. Since rising ominously from the swamplands of New Orleans in 1990, they’ve been hailed internationally as one of the world’s foremost purveyors of crushing, melodic sludge. The Serpent Only Lies, is both an affirmation of the band’s staying power and a nod to their legacy. “To me, it’s a fresh-sounding version of old-school Crowbar,” says Windstein.

“I intentionally went back and listened to a lot of old Crowbar stuff, like the self-titled and Broken Glass albums, to get a feel for what my mindset was 20-plus years ago. I also went back and listened to the bands that influenced Crowbar in the beginning, like Trouble, Saint Vitus, Melvins, and the first Type O Negative record. So it was kinda me doing my homework.”

The result is an album that stands toe-to-toe with those early Crowbar classics while maintaining the lumbering hooks of mid-period standouts like 1998’s Odd Fellows Rest and 2000’s Equilibrium. “Even lyrically, the approach was a little more old-school,” Windstein offers. “Some of the songs have less lyrics to let the riffs breathe a little more, which I had kind of gotten away from over the years. It was a conscious thing to go back to that.”

The tour cycle for The Serpent Only Lies marks the return of original Crowbar bassist Todd “Sexy T” Strange, who left the band back in 1999 but now joins Windstein, drummer Tommy Buckley and guitarist Matt Brunson in forging Crowbar’s future. “Todd helped start the band, so having him back is important to me and, I think, the fans,” Windstein offers. “It’s a great feeling to be standing onstage next to him. It’s a breath of fresh air for the band and makes us stronger.”

“Having this be our eleventh record, we’re very fortunate because so many bands don’t last this long,” Windstein adds. “My whole outlook on music as a career is the Motörhead outlook, which is that slow and steady wins the race. If you continue to put out killer records, continue to kick ass onstage every night and continue to treat your fans with respect, that’s the stuff people will remember.”

Sep 13 JJ's Bohemia Chattanooga, TN Sep 14 Bogarts Cincinnati, OH w/ GWAR Sep 15 The Agora Theatre and Ballroom Cleveland, OH w/ GWAR Sep 16 Reggies Music Joint Chicago, IL Sep 17 Harpos Detroit, MI w/ GWAR Sep 18 Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY w/ GWAR Sep 20 The Westcott Theater Syracuse, NY Sep 21 The Ballroom at The Outer Space Hamden, CT Sep 22 Cafe 611 Frederick, MD Sep 23 Amityville Music Hall Amityville, NY Sep 24 THE COLOSSEUM/ THE RUINS @ THE COLOSSEUM Providence, RI Sep 25 Clifton Park, NY at Trick Shot Billards Sep 26 Saint Vitus Brooklyn, NY Sep 27 Dingbatz Clifton, NJ Sep 28 Shakas Live Virginia Beach, VA Sep 29 The Throne Theater Wilmington, NC Sep 30 The Sparrow North Charleston, SC Oct 01 New Brookland Tavern Columbia, SC Oct 02 The Warehouse Clarksville, TN Oct 03 Manchester Music Hall Lexington, KY Oct 06 Nighthawks Jacksonville, FL Oct 07 The Orpheum Ybor City, FL Oct 08 Kelly’s Live Sarasota, FL Oct 09 Churchills Pub Miami, FL Oct 10 House of Blues Orlando Orlando, FL w/ Meshuggah Oct 22 Empire Control Room & Garage Austin, TX

Wednesday 31 August 2016

Former Mushroomhead Vocalist Waylon Reavis Featured on New AMERAKIN OVERDOSE Track "Letting Go"



Fast-rising five-piece AMERAKIN OVERDOSE are paving their way towards being the next big thing in shock rock with their upcoming full-length album, The Great Amerakin Dream, out September 30, 2016. The melodic hard rock record, which also blends groove and synth/industrial metal influences, will hit digital retailers such as iTunes and CD Baby soon, with pre-orders now available via Bandcamp.

AMERAKIN OVERDOSE recently created a controversial buzz with their new track "I, Alone"


The band's quickly-growing fanbase, social following and rapid organic attention helped push the video to over 30,000 views in just under two weeks - a rare feat for an independent hard rock artist.

Today, AMERAKIN OVERDOSE are following up with their brand new track "Letting Go" - a more impassioned take on the band's heavy-hitting sound - featuring guest vocalist Waylon Reavis, formerly of Mushroomhead. Reavis lends his ominous clean vocals to the track's chorus. Take a listen here, exclusively via idobi Radio.

A music video for the track is scheduled to be released this fall. AMERAKIN OVERDOSE multi-instrumentalist and The Great Amerakin Overdose producer The Human states, "'Letting Go' is a track about conflict, and how we as people almost seem to seek out that conflict instead of growing above and beyond it. There is a back and forth at work in the track both lyrically and musically that represents the struggle to let go of the anger we have and move forward." AMERAKIN OVERDOSE caught Waylon Reavis' eyes and ears when they shared the stage with Mushroomhead on tour in 2015. He was impressed by AMERAKIN OVERDOSE's consistently energetic performances night after night, extensive merchandise line and rapid sales on the road - proving their powerful fan engagement ability. Waylon Reavis adds, "Working with AMERAKIN OVERDOSE was a blast. I love how the track turned out. It was a nice change to create something that forced me to put myself in a different headspace."

AMERAKIN OVERDOSE brings a raw energy and heaviness to hooky hard rock that has long been missing from the industry. Primary production credits on The Great Amerakin Dream go to AMERAKIN OVERDOSE mastermind and vocalist Cody Perez and multi-instrumentalist The Human, who work closely together to write and record their music at Human Studios. The album also features guest production from Ahrue Luster (Ill Nino, Machine Head), further pushing the sonic envelope and positioning the band with a bright future the hard rock scene. Band members Perez and The Human are flanked by bassist Brandon Sills, drummer Brick, and Pete "Filth" Perez on backing vocals. Stay tuned for more coming from AMERAKIN OVERDOSE leading up to the release of The Great Amerakin Dream.

Catch AMERAKIN OVERDOSE live: 9/14 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater - w/ Dope, Flaw & Motograter 9/24 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon - The South Sound Underground 9/30 - Portland, OR @ Rock Hard PDX w/ Proven, Kingdom Under Fire, Within Sight

Tuesday 30 August 2016

IN FLAMES Release lyric video for 'The End'



On Friday, legendary melodic metal act IN FLAMES released the first double single from their new studio album 'Battles', out on November 11th, and now the band reveal a lyric video for track 'The End'. Watch it here:


You can also hear band members talk about their choice of releasing not only one but two new songs at the same time and why they picked the tracks 'The Truth' and 'The End'. Watch the latest webisode


Recorded in Los Angeles, the 15-track album sees the band taking a new approach while staying true to their vision and encompassing their unique, signature sound. IN FLAMES brought in Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance) as a collaborator on 'Battles', creating an album that speaks to all IN FLAMES fans alike.

Since forming in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1990, IN FLAMES have had six albums debut in the top ten in Sweden, including two #1s. They have toured the globe countless times, performing alongside some of today’s biggest rock and metal acts including, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth, and have held several mainstage and headline spots at various music festivals around the world including, Ozzfest, Download Festival, Graspop, Taste of Chaos, Hellfest and Rock Am Ring / Im Park amongst many others. Following the release of 'Battles', In Flames will be performing a string of dates in the UK alongside Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed — check out the full tour routing below:

JANUARY 2017: Tuesday 10th - GLASGOW, HYDRO Thursday 12th - NEWCASTLE, METRO RADIO ARENA Friday 13th - BIRMINGHAM, GENTING ARENA Sunday 15th - SHEFFIELD, ARENA Monday 16th - MANCHESTER, ARENA Wednesday 18th - NOTTINGHAM, MOTORPOINT ARENA Thursday 19th - CARDIFF, MOTORPOINT ARENA Saturday 21st - LONDON, 02 ARENA

Monday 29 August 2016

Album Review: Sophie Ellis-Bextor - 'Familia', Released 2 September 2016 via EBGB’s and Red/Essential



Sophie Ellis-Bextor - 'Familia'
Released 2 September 2016 via EBGB’s and Red/Essential

Ok - remove the chart image and perception of a UK top singles machine that came and went... I know you may associate Sophie Ellis-Baxtor with stuff she has done in the past, with the ex - Take That Robbie Williams for example. But listen, you may believe me or not, but there is definitely more than meet the eye. She is an artist and genuine song writer and I don’t think Ed Harcourt would compromise himself if she was not one to watch.

In 2014, Sophie Ellis-Baxtor released Wanderlust, a risky album. Some say it was Experimental Pop. One thing is sure, it was not dance floor material. Sophie sees 'Familia' which will be released this week as a logical follow-up on her previous LP, not so much in terms of musicality but in terms of intent and link.

It is different but highly engaging. 'Wild Forever' the first track with its Arabic flute like sound in the background accompany the whole title and makes it a strong Pop statement. The following song is equally strong and maybe more classic in its construction, the voice is superb and mature. Actually 'Death of Love' which is the title of this song, is my favourite song. The lyrics are deep and meaningful in the current context.

'Familia' has a maternal aspect and flavour throughout the entire album. Sophie claims there is actually a Latin American influence on the album. I don’t think it is obvious personally, but maybe 'Hush Little Voices' and its Mexican horns shows it a bit clearer. On the whole the album sounds homely, the baroque and the predictable grooves are gone. It is the work of an artist who is more confident in the direction she wants to take and the direction is not the shiny show.

'Here Comes the Rapture' and the beautiful 'Unrequited' are tracks that sweat feelings, transpire emotions and will make your soul shiver every time you listen to them. Production, instrumental arrangements and mix is perfect but that’s what you would expect from an artist of Sophie’s stature.

You got it, there is no glitter on 'Familia'. It’s a cohesive unit despite some incursions in different styles (Country, Pop, Classic Pop). I was thinking (funnily enough I was about to say singing) so much, my head is fully engaged in the whole experience of listening to this really good album. You know, one of those that you will come back to, one of those that grow on you, that came into your life by accident without a warning and then you get so attached to it, you cannot be the one that get away.

I like it, I like it a lot!

Overall: you will be surprised how much you may love this album
If I was to pick 3 only: Death of Love, Unrequited, Wild Forever
Live Test: I think I would like very much to see her on stage




Review by Pascal Derrien



Track listing:

01. Wild Forever
02. Death Of Love
03. Crystallise
04. Hush Little Voices
05. Here Comes The Rapture
06. Come With Us
07. Cassandra
08. My Puppet Heart
09. Unrequited
10. The Saddest Happiness
11. Don’t Shy Away

Davey Suicide Releases Music Video for Empowering New Single, "Rise Above" Off Upcoming 'Made From Fire' LP



UnHolywood, Killafornia - Rock band Davey Suicide has released the Official Music Video for the debut single "Rise Above" off of their highly anticipated 3rd LP, entitled Made From Fire. Premiered on Alternative Press, "Rise Above" was directed, filmed, and edited by Justin Mark Morrison with the song co-production credits going to Charles Kallaghan and Needlz.

"This song is a huge thank you to our fans who stood behind us with one unified voice over the last few years (especially over the last few weeks). This song, "Rise Above" captures the raw emotion of everything that we've been living through, and it's the first step toward our new future." - Davey Suicide



ZAP Feat. Zappa Vocal Legend Ike Willis, Chip Z'Nuff & Sean McKee Release Digital Single “Air Traffic Control” on Steve Vai's Favored Nations



Chicago, IL - New band ZAP has released a digital single called “Air Traffic Control” on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. The band is made up of Emmy-nominated composer Sean McKee, who is also collaborating with Jon Anderson from YES on a concept album project, Ike Willis, the voice on numerous Frank Zappa albums, and Grammy-nominated bassist Chip Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff, Missing Persons, Adler's Appetite).

“Air Traffic Control” started as a 60 second piece that was commissioned by Lee Abrams (Co-Founder of XM Radio) to have McKee write a piece of music in the style of Frank Zappa, and produce a video to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his passing. McKee wrote and performed all instruments, including recording the keyboard parts using a then-prototype Lineage MIDI guitar from Inspired Instruments.

Besides being a musician, McKee is known as a pioneer in the field of image processing, creating technology used for new movies and classic film restorations, along with 2D to 3D conversions, with the technology he led development on being used daily in Hollywood. For several years, one of his clients was Gail Zappa, Frank's widow, and he worked on restoring film elements from Frank's archive, and also helped to recover lost video masters that Gail hadn't seen in years.

According to McKee, “When I heard the news of Gail's passing last October, I was deeply saddened, she was very kind to me, and an incredibly smart woman who pioneered the concept of artists' retaining the rights to the master recordings. I decided to take the 60 second piece and finish it as a proper song, as a memorial to Gail and tribute to Frank, who was a big influence on my playing.”

McKee crafted the song starting from the existing 60 second guitar solo, building a complete song around it, similar to methods Zappa incorporated. He then asked Ike Willis to sing on the track and add another guitar solo. Die hard Zappa fans will also notice a lyrical reference to the infamous 'White Zone'.

McKee continues, “The original solo I wrote is what ends the song, and Ike takes the first guitar solo. If you close your eyes, you can see Frank and hear the lineage. When Frank got sick, he asked Ike to carry on his music, and while this is a new, original song, his playing and voice carries the torch for both the legacy fans as well as a new generation of listeners.”

McKee then asked Chip Z'Nuff to play bass on all parts except for the bass under the solos, which McKee had recorded originally. The end result is a modern interpretation and homage to a timeless and unique style.



Sunday 28 August 2016

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ANNOUNCE FIRST UK TOUR IN FIVE YEARS + SPECIAL GUESTS BABYMETAL



Ahead of their headlining shows at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Kilimanjaro are proud to announce that Grammy® Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Red Hot Chili Peppers are to return in December for their first UK tour in five years.

The band will be touring in support of their 11th studio album, The Getaway, out now on Warner Bros. Records, which was #1 in ten countries across Europe and was produced by Danger Mouse and mixed by Nigel Godrich. Red Hot Chili Peppers have spent the summer performing at a variety of music festivals around the world, including headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago, T In The Park in Scotland, Fuji Rock in Japan and this weekend headlined the Reading and Leeds festival.

Supporting the band across their UK tour will be Japanese sensation BABYMETAL. The J-pop teen metallers have taken the world by storm since their formation in 2010. Their latest album METAL RESISTANCE peaked at number fifteen on the UK Albums Chart, the highest position reached by a Japanese band.

Tickets for the UK shows go on general sale 10am Friday 2 September from MYTICKET.CO.UK / SEETICKETS.COM.



RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS UK TOUR 2016

Monday 5 December London The O2
Tuesday 6 December London The O2
Thursday 8 December Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Saturday 10 December Birmingham Genting Arena
Sunday 11 December Birmingham Genting Arena
Wednesday 14 December Manchester Arena
Thursday 15 December Manchester Arena

The Handsome Family Release New Song "Tiny Tina" on American Songwriter - Unseen out on September 16



Husband and wife duo The Handsome Family will release their 10th studio album Unseen on September 16th via Virtual Label. It's their first release since their song 'Far From Any Road' was picked up as the True Detective Season 1 theme song which launched the couple into sudden and unexpected worldwide fame. With its unique mix of country instrumentation and intriguing surrealist lyriciscm, the album explores the unseen stories, people, and places of the American West, where members Brett and Rennie Sparks live (Albuquerque, NM) and shines a light on the obscure and forgotten. This morning, American Songwriter premiered their new song 'Tiny Tina' which tells "the tragic story of tiny-horse-meeting gone awry."

Listen to 'Tiny Tina' via American Songwriter
Listen to 'Tiny Tina' via American Songwriter here HERE.

“Every year at the state fair I went determined to see Tiny Tina the world’s smallest horse," explained Rennie Spark. "Every year I came home without doing it. One year she just wasn’t there. Why didn’t I go see her when I had the chance? Maybe I was afraid of disappointment? Maybe I was afraid of not being disappointed? I did see a hypnotist at the state fair one year who was so terrifying that I felt like I was having a psychotic break. The devil himself may have been at the fair that year. Carnivals are always that way— teetering between joy and insanity. Is this why so many people are afraid of clowns? We hope you hear all these things in this song: joy, fear, heartbreak, awe— all the things the sight of a really tiny horse ought to make you feel.”

'Unseen' continues The Handsome Family's embrace of things beyond easy view: the slow dive of the sun, enormous bugs awakening in thorny yards, sirens, and coyotes that cry out to the purple sky. An epic western gothic masterpiece, Unseen draws from real life events. Lead single 'Gold', debuted by Wall Street Journal, began when a bunch of twenty-dollar bills blew in Brett's face in a parking lot dust storm, while 'Gentlemen' is a tribute to William Crookes who built the first vacuum tube in 1875, hoping to detect spirits from alternate dimensions. Many tracks fix around the idea that light emanates from things we can't see, including behind 'The Red Door' in the empty hands of blackjack losers ('The Silver Light'), and amidst desert bones bleaching in the sun ('King of Dust').

The album was recorded in the Sparks' home studio at night "with only hawk moths listening" and features a rich tapestry of instrumentation conjuring images of the magical landscape of the Sparks' New Mexico surroundings. Guest performers on the record include David Gutierrez (mandolin, dobro), Alex McMahon (guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel), and Jason Toth (drums).

The Sparks have released 10 albums since 1995's Odessa. Their songs have been covered by artists including Jeff Tweedy, Amanda Palmer, and Andrew Bird (who released an entire record of Handsome Family covers). Guns 'N' Roses used "Far From Any Road" as stage entrance music for a South American tour and both Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr are fans.


Track List: 01) Gold 02) The Silver Light 03) Back In My Day 04) Tiny Tina 05) Underneath The Falls 06) The Sea Rose 07) The Red Door 08) Gentlemen 09) King Of Dust 10) Green Willow Valley

US Tour Dates: 09/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar 09/16 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency 09/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall 09/18 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School 09/19 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School 09/21 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 09/24 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar 09/25 - Cleveland, OH @ The Music Box Supper Club 09/27 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe 09/29 - Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Loft 09/30 - New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge 10/01 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory 11/12 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad 11/30 - Bellingham, WA @ The Green Frog 12/01 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door 12/02 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir 12/03 - Arcata, CA @ Humboldt Brews 12/07 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 12/08 - Felton, CA @ Don Quixote's International Music Hall 12/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg Theater 12/10 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace 12/13 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress