Today, Chicago-based psych-pop outfit Bret Koontz & Truancy Club release the easygoing single “Lonesome Rambler” and its accompanying music video. A genre-bending project spearheaded by Koontz and rounded out by talented artists he’s met along the way – Crawford Philleo (drums), Jake Acosta (bass), Maria Jacobson (flute, vocals), Reggie Duncan (pedal steel), and Ben McFadden (keys) – Truancy Club has created a beautiful, down-home earworm of a track with this one.
“‘Lonesome Rambler’ is a song full of archetypes: ramblers, gamblers, rangers, strangers, and fools,” explains Bret. “It looks at the idea of becoming what you romanticize and how idealized lifestyles are unwittingly reshaped through that becoming. What’s left is an arrival point beyond recognition. The song’s propulsive shuffle outlines flashes of a transient life with spotty cell phone service and unreliable recollections. What’s been saved is bitcrushed on a hardware sampler and what’s been left behind is…unclear. A new major arcana for the modern loser.”
The music video depicts a traipse through nature, with elements that draw you into an interesting – at times hilarious – plotline. (We’re big fans of the Jar Jar Binks cameo, but that’s neither here nor there.) Enjoy the new track’s premiere, perfect for all of your late-night bonfires of the season, below.
Bret Koontz & Truancy Club are set to release A Sparkle Road Cult on November 18th via Earth Libraries.
Have you ever heard of recipe-free cooking? I mean, as someone who has always experimented in the kitchen, this concept hardly seemed foreign at first glance. However, before indulging in the new series La Pitchoune: Cooking in France(presented by the Magnolia Network and HBO Max), I didn’t have a leg up in my cooking. I didn’t take the time to understand the ingredients, the textures, and the flavors.
The show took an educational dive into a real-life experience led by a no-recipe pact. Here’s what I loved about it.
1. The Story is Inspiring
In 2015, Makenna Held, the Lead Creative & Executive Director of La Pitchoune and the Courageous Cooking School, took a leap of faith and purchased La Pitchoune — or “Little One”, affectionately referred to as “La Peetch” — the Provencal vacation home of Paul and Julia Child. (Yes, THAT Julia Child.) She had a strong, inexplicable pull to the listing. Trusting her intuition paid off.
After landing in France, she started to create the framework that would soon become the Courageous Cooking School, her recipe-free cooking experience. In 2019, she married the love of her life – and Historian for La Peetch and Curriculum Director of the Courageous Cooking School – Chris Nylund at Bamafam and La Peetch.
2. The Kitchen at La Pitchoune is Magical
“Cooking in La Peetch kitchen is so magical because of the history and because of the past that it has,” Held gushes. “The fact that there are so many original things in the kitchen and there’s so much energy in that space. It’s just such a little snapshot in time and it’s connected to so many people who have been so important to shaping food and food culture. Also, it’s a kitchen with so much history and beauty and such a functional workshop. I think ultimately, that’s what makes cooking in kitchens like that so beautiful.”
3. The La Pitchoune Property History Adds Character
And she isn’t wrong. The kitchen has been maintained almost exactly as it was when Julia resided there. Many of the kitchen utensils belonged to Julia herself. When you take each item off the pegboard, you can see its outline so you know exactly where it goes. It’s a system and a work of art all in one. Even just watching on a television screen, you feel chills watching the camera pan that space. Every. Single. Time.
The overgrowth of the ivy along the side of the building is picturesque, coupled with some of the most gorgeous hillside panorama shots you have ever seen. The property is luscious, the guests seem captivated. Through the historical explanations littered throughout the episodes encouraged by Nylund, the property almost comes alive, both in how it is presented now alongside snapshots and stories of its past.
4. Courageous Cooking School Graduates Stick Around
Those who enjoyed their time at the Courageous Cooking School at La Pitchoune usually stick around. Many people go back for repeat vacations and cooking school experiences and the property gets a lot of referrals from previous guests. During the pandemic, they truly leaned into the idea of digital recipe-free classes. While there was a more in-depth paid experience, they hosted live streams and posted continuing education with recipe-free cooking lessons, posting the recipe in advance so people could procure their ingredients.
One La Peetch remote employee participated in both the digital and in-person experience. “It took participating in the cooking school in person to relly grasp the framework and gain the courage to experiment alongside other guests!” Erin P.S. Zimmerman, Associate Producer on the project admitted.
“I knew that the cooking school needed to be introduced to the world in a broader way,” Zimmerman explained. “With her personality, the framework, the location, and the team she’s gathered – it was the perfect storm for an entertaining, transformation-driven storyline!”
5. The Cooking Lessons Are Simplified and Accessible
In the first episode of the series, Makenna and her cohort Kendall tackle a basic. They approach the perfect omelet with their students. Many viewers learned a specific flipping trick to create the perfect texture and fold that day. This is a fact confirmed by a slew of comments and photos via social media. What a simple, beautiful recipe to ease the viewers into!
Each episode is sure to highlight the greenery that sets the backdrop for well-rounded meals and experiences. There is an educational angle to each episode that is charming. I feel like I am getting the cliffs notes version, but watching this show just makes me want to book the next available experience.
6. Adventure is Encouraged at La Pitchoune
The storyline goes on beautiful tangents to other villages and towns. It follows the owners on side projects, adventures to markets, and gorgeous experiences along the countryside. We get to see inside cheese shop storefronts and flower markets. Not to mention produce stands and fish shops, among so many other places. These sidebars make their true immersion into the culture feel authentic and sincere.
It serves to inspire others that adventure is wildly encouraged to succeed in life.
Folk-led, genre-blending musician Mike Pope has, arguably, been one of Southern California’s best-kept secrets for years. He has certainly shared his talents by making the rounds at venues around San Diego, but it took some time before local record label Blind Owl could get him into a studio. There, he had so much material to work with that this week he released not only his debut album Songs For People (High & Low), but a bonus sophomore album titled Ripening (Ain’t It Strange).
Songs For People (High & Low) is a more self-reflective album, dancing beautifully through the speakers with its haunting melodies, striking lyrics, and captivating musicianship. From the very first lines of literal self-reflective first track “Mirror,” through the slightly quicker pace of “Steeped Cracked Rocks” and into the meandering “Teach To Sow,” the listener is transported to a slower, quieter neck of the woods. The album itself continues at a beautiful, calm clip, the compositions as though the music is physically leading us into autumn nights with friends and family.
If you are looking for a particularly complex bit of picking, “St. Augustine” will breathe life into that craving. And while the 11-track album provides a particularly pleasant audible journey, taking the time to listen to “Maryanne,” “Maryanne (Again),” and “Maryanne (Again and Again)” will light a special fire in your heart.
Dropping into the second album Ripening (Ain’t It Strange), you can tell that what’s to come will be equally pleasing. The heavier instrumentals and incorporation of more rock-focused compositions make for a completely different soundscape. While we were absolutely delighted by the percussion in the vocal-less second track “Homunculus,” the fuzzier sound to “My Spirit Orbits” makes it the perfect track to bop to on vinyl with the windows open, autumn breeze flowing through.
Ripening feels, at its core, a little edgier, but still carries a similar warmth to its sister album, stirring energy and acute want for community leading into the colder months. Colder months if you, for instance, live anywhere BUT perpetually 70-something degree San Diego.
Take some time to play in the soundscape of both albums. Now that Mike Pope has found his way out of the San Diego-specific woodwork, we’d love to maintain a mainline to his work worldwide. If ever there were an opportunity to support and encourage an artist to head back into the studio sometime soon, this is it.
We waited 29 years to experience these witches again. The long-awaited sequel to the cult classic Hocus Pocus was released just in time for the witching season, on September 30, 2022. Just 29 years, 2 months, and 2 weeks after Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker portrayed the most wicked trio of sisters the silver screen had ever encountered.
Equal parts sass, silliness, captivating humor, and darkness, the first film created a movement of witch-adjacent fans. Holding onto that sense of magic, that belief in powers and the safety of nostalgia has kept its fire fueled all this time. So, of course, the whole world went wild when the sequel was announced.
The Deets on Hocus Pocus 2
In all honesty, my expectations were low. Three decades removed, Hocus Pocus 2 was written by producer and actress Jen D’Angelo, who was just 5 years old when the first movie made its theatrical debut. While I am a very big fan of the first movie, I was afraid enough of the characters in my early years. I didn’t get into the fandom side of things until much later in life. Still, how could this new movie possibly do the original any justice?
Let me tell you, this movie was enjoyable above and beyond all expectations. It begins by establishing the (honestly heartbreaking) history of how the Sanderson sisters became witches in a dark forest as orphaned teenagers. It quickly swoops us back to present-day Salem, where holistic wellness and mindset work mirrors witchcraft that dates back centuries. Three teen girls reignite their friendship through a high-energy plotline. It brings back key characters and highlights the importance of community and friendship.
What’s The Final Verdict?
Aside from the rogue religious rant here and there about the unholiness of witchcraft (many of whom clearly never saw the original), the movie is getting high praise from fans everywhere. Critical acclaim, however, has been a little more difficult to come by. Rotten Tomatoes only rates it at 63%, and most of the negative reviews I have happened upon indicated the plot was too simple, but most sequels are mirrors of the original plotlines.
This one is more tongue-in-cheek, the characters and their personalities are so much more diverse, and the lessons to be learned echo louder than they ever have before. My personal social media feed was full of insanely positive reviews within the first 48 hours of release. This, in turn, convinced me to dig in quickly.
Like the original, there was a lot of attention and care put into the soundtrack. While the Sanderson Sisters’ cover of “I Put a Spell On You” became a huge hit in the 90s, their entrance in this film is just as theatrical with their fun spin on Elton John’s “The Bitch is Back.”
From thoughtful easter eggs to the inclusion of popular technology and skincare, the movie is truly delightful from beginning to end. It is available to watch on Disney+ now.
On Friday, September 23rd, the rock aficionados of Kansas City fled to the Midland Theatre in search of a beauty they hadn’t witnessed in years. The Gaslight Anthem recently announced their full-time status together again after a 4-year tour hiatus. Just two weeks into this leg of the tour, they almost immediately had to cancel a show. It had been scheduled earlier in the week in Denver, and openers Tigers Jaw were able to finagle a last-minute headlining set for all ticketholders to the original show to attend in addition to the reschedule.
While they didn’t want to postpone the show altogether, lead singer Brian Fallon had to keep himself and the fans safe and encourage his healing while he dealt with some form of sickness. (Not Covid, but he was a big congested.) Fallon had quite a bit to say about the fan reaction to that decision, which was entirely supported by his empathetic – and emphatic – fans in the heart of America. He even took time during the set to explain that – while he wasn’t at 100% quite yet – he was doing his absolute best on stage because he missed this crowd in this particular city.
Whether it was pandering or not, his stories were sincere, the joy on everyone’s faces was moving, and the night was a blissful continuance of a band we have all come to know and love.
Canadian psych outfit Mother Sun is back to entertain, with their layered, intricate compositions and upbeat soundscapes. In the lead-up to their third riveting full-length release, today marks the release of their new track “Tangerine Beach” and its entertaining accompanying music video. We’ve got your exclusive first listen — and look!
The enticingly bright video – shot, produced, and edited by Josef Perzon – evokes feelings of giddiness and joy from the start. After all, who isn’t going to immediately be in a good mood after sitting in the sun, brilliant turquoise waters behind them?
‘Tangerine Beach’ and its video tell the story of a optimistic vacationer, played by Nathan, whose trip is thwarted by expectations of paradise. Arriving at at the beach, many margaritas in hand, Nathan loses a lens to the sunglasses shading him from the reality of his surroundings.
Who was a band or artist you played on repeat in your adolescence? Were you band or genre-loyal in your teens? Did you cling to lyrics, composition, or a specific type of energy to help inspire you and get you through the insanity of high school? Chances are, many millennials are getting into their feels thinking about emo and emo-adjacent music right now. A genre known for hosting nasally voices, lyrics that utilize a person’s entire vocabulary, titles that are longer than most novels, and theatrics that harkened a bit of darkness. While Panic! at The Disco absolutely belongs in this genre, lead singer (and now solo artist) Brendon Urie’s voice didn’t quite belong in the “nasally” category, as was the case for a handful of others who dominated the genre in the aughts.
2006 brought us “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” an edgy track that immediately caught my attention, with a music video that utilized more stage makeup than a three-ring circus. In the words of Blades of Glory’s Chazz Michael Michaels, “it’s provocative.” Emo kids rejoiced as they saw themselves–their hair, at the very least–in the music videos and performances that ensued over the years from Panic. Even with the band’s evolution – from a band to a (mostly) solo act, with phenomenal cohorts, session musicians, and tour players, and as they’ve dipped their toes into different genres and sounds – their fanbase has held strong.
February of 2019 was the last time Urie made an appearance in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Aside from a less crowded atmosphere on the evening of September 13th, the crowd was no less invigorated and was loud enough to cause a visceral reaction from the entertainer multiple times. He looked shocked, he noted that he was impressed, and the pure joy on his face could be felt all the way “in the back back back back.”
Panic! at The Disco has always done its best to incorporate a wide range of tracks from various titles in every single one of their shows. While the Viva Las Vengeance tour was pretty meticulously planned – from pyrotechnics to sound effects, lighting and confetti – there is still wiggle room for a variety of songs to be interspersed depending on the date. Our stop seemed particularly magical, as the crowd sang along to the following tracks.
The tour itself – as high energy and incredible as the performance has been – has experienced some setbacks over the first few weeks. As most may know by now, two dates were postponed because of Covid, and the night after they were in Kansas City, there was a small fire incident on stage in Minnesota. And still, Brendon moves on with the energy and enthusiasm that we have come to know and love him for.
As heartbreaking as the dissolution of an artistic endeavor is, Turkuaz couldn’t have done it more gracefully and completely than they did. Today, they released two albums – a total of 26 songs – within two overarching genres, conveying two concepts that fall hand-in-hand. Paradiso and Apollyon.
“The very big picture concept is that Heaven and Hell are two human constructs. The only place that they really exist is right here on earth, and which one you inhabit depends largely on how you conduct yourself and what you choose to believe,” explains Brandwein. “Life isn’t as simple as black or white, this or that. It’s not binary. We’re all a little bit of both… Beautiful and tragic chaos.”
Paradiso opens with a very alien appeal. Not only is the song titled “Strange People (Strange Times)”, but the vocals layered in with the synth action and sound effects make it feel especially otherworldly. A literal manifestation of the words in the track, it is a powerful opener to one of the two releases.
Turkuaz continues with this disposition – an effortless blend of upbeat synth-driven pop and standout vocals – throughout, guiding the audience through an oft-autotuned adventure of sorts. Favorites from this release include “Shakin’ in My Sheets”, steadily-paced “Rewind”, and literal disco dream “Disconnect in the Discotéque“.
Apollyon follows suit in its substance, however, its sound exists in a completely different realm. Funk-inspired and flavorfully layered, they approached this release as a full band in a room together. You can feel the party atmosphere palpably in the twelve-track album’s span. Favorites include “The Ever Watchful Eye” and leisurely “Pleasure and the Pain.”
Turkuaz’s Dave Brandwein is now focusing on work with New Originals and solo music under the moniker Band For Sale. Taylor Shell is now a member of Ghost Light, and the two plan to collaborate more in the future.
August 13th was a Saturday night unlike any I have seen in a very long time. Approaching the outside of T-Mobile Center Arena in Kansas City, MO, you would have no idea by the soothing, music-filled area outside the gates that you were entering an almost-sold-out show in a multi-thousand-seat arena. an enigmatic atmosphere. Those in attendance had been waiting to see The Lumineers since the show was announced prior to the pandemic setting in.
The 25-song set included crowd favorites like “Ho Hey,” “Dead Sea,” “Ophelia,” and “Stubborn Love.” Their spin on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” masterfully blended original track “Leader of the Landslide” into an easily digestible and beautiful new work of art. One of the most notable tracks, however, was their Petty cover “Walls (Circus)”, which was performed with their openers, Gregory Alan Isakov and Daniel Rodriguez.
Much as their name suggests, The Lumineers’ set design left the crowd ensconced in the warm glow of the lights. Their multi-runway stage gave the show a dynamic we have not had the privilege of seeing in the past. While each member of the band is a multi-instrumentalist and talented as all get out, we are more familiar with a stage presence that keeps them all solitary, in a straight line with equal lighting for the audience to enjoy. For this show, we witnessed climbing on pianos, jumping from one part of the stage to the next, and dancing under the most magical disco ball the crowd has ever seen. Add the flurry of confetti mid-show to the mix and you’ve got yourself a kaleidoscope snow globe experience.
Before the pandemic, it truly was all about the music. Now, it seems to be about creating a joyful atmosphere. Sure, the music holds as the firm base and is what gets the audience in the doors. But this band has taken their set design to a level that makes everyone — whether you are in the VIP pit or in the nosebleeds — feel as though they are snuggled with a blanket under starry skies as summer fades.
