Honey and Salt just released their self titled LP. The grunge/rock/punk band has a variety of ten tracks on the LP starting with “A Nihilist Takes Up Knitting” and ending with “Cascade.” The band is described as sociopolitical or as I like to call it “music with a purpose.” Honey and Salt has good reason though. Wade Allen, on main vocals, is a philosophy teacher which definitely influences the bands lyrics. On “A Nihilist Takes Up Knitting” Wade pleads “Right or wrong is not subjective.” “Blame game” is an anthem of “who and what is blame?”
My favorite, though, is “Bowling Green Memorial.” “Bowling Green Memorial” rounds out at a whooping eight minutes and nine seconds. What most impressive though, is that the majority of that is a drum/guitar solo that will take you be surprise. Just when you think the solo is over, Honey and Salt will bring you back into the music. Honey and Salt is definitely worth the listen. The LP is more than just an album—it is truly one big box of sociopolitical prompts, wrapped carefully and neatly to give to any listener so that they can ask themselves “How and why are we here now?”
St. Louis-based blues rock artist Anthony Gomes played the Winter Blues Fest in Des Moines on February 9, 2018. The Toronto native and 2017 European Blues Awards winner for Best Musician, rocked the crowd with his ripping guitar solos and soulful lyrics.
On March 16th, The Jacks came strolling into our lives like old, familiar friends on the street. We were set to meet them at 6th and San Jacinto in downtown Austin, right outside of San Jac Saloon. We knew we were looking for four musicians – Johnny Stanback, Thomas Hunter, Scott Stone, and Josh Roossin make up this collaborative indie quartet – but we didn’t realize just HOW rock n’ roll the experience would be.
For example, Scott made it to the corner several minutes before the rest of them came meandering up, but every single one of them was donning dark wash jeans and black shirts, often layered with a black jacket. But let me put this into context for you: It was 88 degrees outside.
But that’s just how these guys handle it. They deal with the heat. They’re comfortable in tight spaces together, and they’re excited about expanding their reach and their audience, bringing their music to the masses. So let me leave you with a sweet little ditty by them, and the transcription of our time together in interview form!
Introduce yourselves please. Tell me your name and what you do with the band.
Johnny: We’re The Jack’s. I’m Johnny, and I sing and play guitar, rhythm.
Tom: I’m Tom Hunter and I play lead guitar.
Josh: I’m Josh and I play drums.
Scott: I’m Scott Stone and I play lead bass guitar.
And mother. We hear you’re mother of the band.
Scott: Yes, Momager.
I guess that is because of the fact that he was on time and we were already late.
He’s like ‘hey it’s me – the band’. So guys, how’s South By been for you? Is it your first South By?
Yeah. We got in Monday night… So we’ve been here for three full days now, three and a half. We’re headed off to Dallas tonight… Very excited. That will be a great crowd. We played two [shows] at South By and we’re playing one in Dallas, then heading back.
Awesome. That’s good – pace it a little bit. What have you guys seen here that you liked?
Lots of awesome fans. Lots of great food too. We just had breakfast at Moonshine and it was unreal. You learn not to use Yelp, you ask people. All our local Austin friends gave us good food suggestions.
What was your favorite aspect of South by Southwest as a band?
Both shows we played were really awesome, we had a great time. Obviously, it’s just hanging out, we have a lot of friends here performing, bands that we’ve played with before. It’s so good to see them and see how well they do and spend time. It’s just an amazing environment – it’s all artists and a great time. It’s like adult summer camp!
I like that! That metaphor makes sense! What’s coming up next that you want to tell people about?
Our next show is March 27th at the Peppermint Club in L.A. We’re excited about that one. Then we booked a Pacific Northwest tour for the end of May we’re really excited about. What else… We play Brick and Mortar in San Francisco on the 23rd of May… All the way up to Portland and Seattle so far. That’s what we have in store for the next month or two. And obviously a bunch of great new music hopefully coming.
It’s not up to us anymore, but we get to release it, hopefully in October… We recorded a new single, got a new music video for that.. Hopefully tour on that in the fall.
Fingers crossed it all pans out! Alright, you guys have really committed to the dark jeans, the boots, how are you faring today, although the weather has changed slightly and it’s at least breezy?
We took them off…the day was a little long…yeah…
Here’s a question I have – aesthetically, you guys tend to go toward the black and the jeans, how’s that going to happen when you’re in Florida? (laughter)
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it .. We haven’t had that issue…Maybe Mexico? The Jack’s booty shorts… Make that our summer line.
How do you guys calm down or pump up before a show? Do you get nervous or do you have to rev yourself up?
It depends on the show. Like the Troubadour, the one we did that sold out – that was obviously a big one for us. It’s just kind of like we’re just so comfortable with each other, we’ve grown up together and we’re all best friends. When you get on stage, you kind of just into that element, you don’t really think about those things I guess.
We usually have one or two beers before a show, but that’s about it. OK. Eighteen. Maybe eight hundred.
We have a fancy palate. Actually, there’s this new beer coming out called Tower Park that they just opened in Anaheim, California. Really, really good.
Pierre Marie-Maulini is a man for all seasons. His previous musical experience includes post-rock project A Red Season Change and touring with M83, but he formed STAL in 2011. STAL has put out We Are Two EP and Young Hearts LP. Their upcoming new EP, Fresh Blood, will be released this summer, and follows Maulini’s 2017 decision to move to Los Angeles from his native France. Maulini is not always a one man show; Renaud Rodier has been playing drums for STAL since its formation and Jeff Di Rienzo brings his guitar skills to form the trio. While previous records were full of spontaneity, Fresh Blood is the result of meticulous production (thanks to producer Eric Palmquist) and is Maulini’s creativity at its finest.
Today, STAL has just come off of an exciting time at SXSW, and are thrilled for their forthcoming EP. Their brand new single, “Magic”, is just a taste of what is to come. Lucky for us, STAL was able to answer a few of our questions about music, must-haves, and their upcoming EP.
Sum up your new single, “Magic ”? Magic is about what we can do for each other as human beings. You can count on me, I can count on you. Be yourself, there’s no judge here.
What’s the best part of being a musical artist today?
Thanks to the internet, you can easily share your music with millions of people. The other great part is touring. Touring has become more and more important. STAL is definitely a “stage” band, so I love that!
Biggest influence for your upcoming EP? My life these past 3 years.
What is a must-have when recording? An amazing producer, some great guitars and a brain that works.
Dream collaboration? The National
What do you want new listeners to know about your music? I want them to feel that STAL is true and sincere and hopefully this EP makes htem wanna come to our shows.
Biggest takeaway from your time at SXSW? The Paradigm showcase with Pale Waves was great. Otherwise, we totally fell in love with Austin and this Salt Lick BBQ!
Power pop rocking Canadians Danny Laj & The Looks have a new single ‘left right to one’ that was released digitally on March 30th, 2018. I went and checked out the bands’ bio and was instantly intrigued when I read their influences. “Peanut butter and banana hotdogs.”
That kind of humor will give you some insight into what to expect musically. This has got to be a fun.
And sure enough “Left Right To One” is nothing short of a fun-loving feel good song.
The track starts up like a loud high energy pop rock freight train right out of the gate.
Laj is a Canadian scene veteran who has put in his time working from the ground up and has established a sound that is reminiscent of an old-school fun pop-rock guitarist.
“Left Right To One” is a witty and monumental tribute to sharing interests, life experiences, and enjoying rock n roll with bassist Jeanette Dowling. A true celebration of a unity that was written in the stars. Rounding out the rest of the band are members Mike Duffield – Drums and Dan McMahon – Keys. With a surf rock vocal style, a George Thorogood guitar style, a faint organ in the background and non-lexical vocables in the chorus singing,”oh la la la”, “Left right to one” will fill the air with old-school radio power pop rock good times with a modern approach.
I loved the mid-song breakdown how everything got a little quieter with light backing vocals, steady bass, palm muted rhythm, and gentle drum taps that gradually led up to a powerful guitar solo. The solo is an in the pocket groove more so than and egocentric scribble of notes. “Left right to one” is melodic, upbeat, and instills a great vibe. All these things combined kinda make ya wanna open the shades and dance like no ones watching as you grab your broom and use it as a microphone… and maybe do a little air guitar on it.
To get in the good times be sure to follow Danny Laj and the Looks on Facebook and pick up a vinyl copy of the single “Left right to one” through their website.
You can also check them out on tour.
April 6 – North Bay ON – Raven & Republic
April 7 – Sudbury ON – Townehouse Tavern
April 25 – Toronto ON – Dakota Tavern
April 27 – Montreal Qc – Barfly
April 28 – Saint-John NB – Quality Block Party
April 29 – Moncton NB – TBA
April 30 – Boston MA – O’Brien’s
May 3 – Brooklyn NY – Diviera Drive
May 4 – Baltimore MD – Joe Squared
May 5 – Washington DC – Slash Run
May 6 – Philadelphia PA – Ortlieb’s
May 8 – Dayton OH – Blind Bob’s
May 9 – Indianapolis IN – Melody Inn
May 10 – Chicago IL – Burlington
May 11 – Rockford IL – Mary’s Place
May 12 – Detroit MI – Pj’s Lager House
May 13 – Windsor ON – Phog Lounge
May 16 – Hamilton ON – This Ain’t Hollywood
May 18 – London ON – Call The Office
May 19 – South River ON – Highlander Brew Co.
July 15 – Quebec City – Festival D’Ete de Quebec
Forest Ray’s “Laughing” takes a glimpse into what the band is actually about, psychedelic rock with a mix of a country sound. Laughing sounds like a song straight out of the 60s and 70s with a new touch to it.
“Laughing” is filled with a psychedelic rock sound mixed with country with minimum words. The song is just in time with the spring/summer season as it sounds like the perfect song to take a spring/summer ride to. The song is full of groves and tunes that are guaranteed to give you a vintage feel. The song is relaxing, leaving you wanting more.
David Rosales was waiting for me on a street corner in Austin when I meandered up to him for the second time that day. In fact, he had been waiting patiently as some of my other interviews ran late, his back certainly weighing heavy with his luggage and guitar strapped on him and sitting next to him. Despite the 88 degree weather – and what should have been the most aggravating conditions – he brought with him a sense of ease and a feeling of calm that I hadn’t felt yet on 6th Street during SXSW 2018. He was kind, and ready to chat freely about his SX experience, his musical journey, and everything in between.
___
Let’s do this. I know – get your stuff situated, or hold it on your back the whole time, that’s fine too.
David: I’m sweating. I’m not used to this. I’m used to California.
Right? OK, so speaking of, how long have you been out here for South By? When did you get in town?
David: A couple days ago I got in on a Greyhound from Dallas. I flew to Dallas and then took a Greyhound down here with like my guitar on my lap, you know, because I didn’t want it to sit underneath with luggage and didn’t want it to sit in the overhead. Cause it’s not like a plane, you know, it’s a bus…
That’s scary.
David: So I’m sitting there with like a book in one hand and a guitar in the other, cramped up, you know, I’m six foot one so it’s uncomfortable. Those Greyhounds are kind of small. But, yeah, I know, it sounds like the beginning of a song. I think it’s got a song in there somewhere. I got into Austin on a Greyhound. And it was late, it was like three hours late, so…
Meredith: So everything was going correctly?
David: You just need to be mellow when you’re touring. You’ve just to realize that, you know, you just got to flex and flow. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.
Did you come into the industry with that thought process or did it take a while for you?
David: I don’t know, I guess I’ve been in the “industry” for a long time. I was in a hard rock band for like ten years. I was in garage bands before that through high school, junior high and stuff. Just growing up in L.A., it’s a big market. So I did the whole Sunset thing and touring around the country on an indie label. Then at about thirty, my band kind of dissolved at that time and I had written this EP that was just because I had a baby coming and I went from writing songs about death, and just rock themes, dark and stuff like that. I went in the studio and started writing some about love and stuff I wasn’t really comfortable with before. And when my band dissolved, I was like “well might as well follow this because it is the only thing I have”.
It wasn’t meant for anybody and it was this first EP that I released called Smile. I just went with it because it was the only thing I had. I didn’t have my band anymore and I just had these songs and I just started playing them, people were digging them, buying them. I sing with a girl named Olivia and we kind of did our thing and then we came out with an EP, the duet EP. We were Dave and Olivia for a bit. I did another solo EP called Along the Way that came out in ’14. I’ve just kind of been playing a ton of gigs and stuff since then, writing this new material, recording it, and getting the cash flow up to come out and do something proper with it.
This album we have coming up called Brave Ones is the culmination of all that. It’s eleven songs of love, loss, despair, triumph, you know, everything that’s kind of like the human experience. It’s a lot of relatable stuff. It’s crazy looking at myself as this thirteen year old skateboarder that would jump off rooftops into pools and stuff like that with my garage band and go to like, where I am now. Music’s always been there for me, but it’s changed and it’s grown as humans do. We’re not the same people we were when we were thirteen…
What?!
David: Or even eighteen…
Yeah we are!! (laughs)
David: (laughs) So it’s like, that’s the beauty of life, is kind of accepting those changes and stuff, and just kind of walking kind of gracefully. Fortunately for me, this kind of step that happened six years ago just kind of came at the right time and you just kind of flex and flow with it.
So with your new work, how can you imagine someone listening to it in its’ entirety? With a glass of Scotch sitting by a fire Anchorman style, out with their friends, is there an atmosphere you want to create with this?
David: It’s crazy to picture anybody listening to a complete album anymore…
I know, but I do it. I still do it!
David: That’s why we write these albums and that’s why I am, like, going over and over and over sequencing the songs, because I believe in it. I believe in the story that I’m telling. I believe in a whole vibe of an album. My album’s very round. It has a beginning and it has an end. It has arcs and stuff of a story and it kind of follows this path. I’m a student of songwriting completely so I love the whole story telling. I read Stephen King “On Writing”. I read great writers, I’m a student of it so what do I picture?
I picture somebody driving. It’s kind of like driving music. I think it’s somebody who could be cruising. Maybe like on the 101 in California, or just a long distance where they have…they can just kind of…Did you ever start a drive and you, “OK, I got to my location but I don’t really remember too much of the in between. I was vibing on it, but I just got here.” I want to take people away. I want to have them kind of look at – and relate to – what I’m writing. I think that I’m writing about relatable human experiences.
That’s the great thing about songwriters. Songwriters are, we’re just like you or somebody else that maybe doesn’t play music or something like that, but we just kind of recognize these mundane human experiences. These day to day things and we kind of put them in a song so that you go “Oh I had that same experience” or “I can relate to that” or “I can vibe on that”.
Absolutely. Here’s a quick, off the cuff, question: What’s been your favorite food at South By?
David: I’m staying with my cousins, so my cousin’s chorizo. She makes it like my mom where it’s not too greasy.
Dammit. Makes us all jealous. I’m going to tell people his favorite thing in Austin is this, but you can’t have it, sorry.
David: I really haven’t eaten too much food – I’ve been drinking a ton here. I’ve been kind of hydrating, that’s what I’m doing. Hydrating. So I haven’t been eating a ton of food when I’m playing gigs. It’s tough to eat and play and talk to people, so it kind of gets lost. I’m one of those people where I forget to eat, just in general. I run a lot and I’m almost forced to eat, so that kind of keeps me eating. I forget because I’m just so busy. It’s tough. So being a dad, running, my wife, just everything, I think about myself last in a way because everybody else comes before me.
Meredith: You’ve performed already at South By clearly, you’ve been here a little bit…
David: I’ve done three shows and done some interviews and press and stuff like that and I have two more shows tomorrow. We’re playing at the Westin Rooftop on the 20th floor for Chive TV at 1pm, and then an hour later at 87 Rainey Street.
Meredith: That’s a quick turnaround! You sound fancy!
David: I don’t know if I’m fancy. But I love it!
Keep up with the wonderful David Rosales and his intricate and beautiful musical path here.
Need a little something to get you going today? Look no further. Indie rock duo Flagship has just dropped a new single, “Philadelphia Babe”, and it’ll get your soul moving. Based in Charlotte, NC, Flagship is made up of vocalist and guitarist Drake Margolnick along with drummer Michael Finster. The duo, both songwriters, joined forces to create Flagship in 2011 after Finster left his previous band, Campbell. Keeping the ball rolling after their 2017 EP, The Electric Man, Flagship will be dropping their upcoming EP, The Ladder, this April.Currently, they’re touring in support of Blue October’s spring tour. Flagship has already previously released a song by the same name, which you can listen to here. “Philadelphia Babe” is a moving, riveting track about the breathless days of finding new love. Paired with an irresistible beat and filled with undeniable motivation and feeling, this song displays some of the best aspects of Flagship. It’s the type of song that brings new listeners into the mix as well as making longtime fans happy
What are you waiting for? Give “Philadelphia Babe” a listen (or a hundred) and keep an eye out for The Ladder, out this month.
Chicago/L.A.-based four-piece Young Jesus has just put out a brand new record, S/T. Young Jesus is made up of John Rossiter (guitar/vocals), Kern Haug on drums, Marcel Borbon on bass, and Eric Shevrin on keys and vocals. Says Rossister on the sound of Young Jesus: “the ethos is to push each other to express things that are not common– like ideas of love and trust within friendships– through being extremely vulnerable and making mistakes. Hopefully those mistakes become framed as an important and necessary part of process. It’s about communication between four people. Hopefully it is the sound of four very good friends who want to let other people into that space.” Their new album is the culmination of the honing of their sound and an exploration of what it means for Young Jesus to be an indie rock band.
Tracklist:
Green – the record starts out with a marvelous track, “Green”. From the get-go, it brings the listener into the indie-rock sound that Young Jesus makes their very own.Check out the music video for “Green” here.
River – you’ll feel like you’re down by the river when you put this one on. Slow, melodic, and composed of a soundscape filled with longing, “River” is a gem.
Eddy – a longer song that is filled with depth of feeling, “Eddy” reminds the listener of simpler times, and the cloud of bittersweet reminiscence that surrounds every memory
Under – an emotional, raw track tinged with well-placed acoustic guitar. Rossiter’s vocals hover on the edge of breaking, really bringing the listener in as the the song develops.
Desert – “every little landscape breaks my heart”, sings Rossiter. This song lends itself to the feelings one associates with places that make and break a person.
Feeling – while every artist generally strives to capture emotion in their music, Young Jesus actually paints them musically for the listener in this track.
Storm – closing out the album is the nearly 13 minute track “Storm”. Through the length of the song, Young Jesus is able to bring the listener along for a look into their nature.
