local h releases video for “innocents” ft. michael shannon, announce pack up the cats 20th anniversary tour

local h releases video for “innocents” ft. michael shannon, announce pack up the cats 20th anniversary tour

Do you have a love so deep for Michael Shannon that you wait with baited breath for each new release announced with his name attached? Well, we’re on board with you on that one. Good news is that Chicago-based favorite Local H – a prized duo comprised of Scott Lewis and Ryan Harding – has featured him in their most recent music video for “Innocents” released just this week.

Along with the video comes the announcement of their upcoming Pack Up The Cats 20th anniversary tour. So many dates have been arranged in full, that it’s feeling like Christmas all over again!

Tour Dates:
September
2 – Mohegan Sun Wolf Den, Uncasville, CT*
5 – The Sinclair Music Hall, Cambridge, MA
6 – Rough Trade NYC, Brooklyn, NY
7 – Asbury Lane, Asbury Park, NJ
8 – Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA
10 – Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington DC
11 – Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH
13 – A and R Music Bar, Columbus, OH
14 – The Hi-Fi Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
15 – Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI
16 – Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL

October
4 –Firebird, Saint Louis, MO
5 – Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KY
6 – Exit/In, Nashville, TN
7 – The Masquerade- Hell Stage, Atlanta, GA
9 – Barracuda, Austin, TX
10 – Club Dada, Dallas, TX
12 – Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
13 – Spicoli’s Grill, Waterloo, IA
14 – Sleeping Village, Chicago, IL

November
2 – Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
3 – Amsterdam Bar & Hall, Saint Paul, MN
6 – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
7 – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
9 – Harlow’s, Sacramento, CA
10 – Starline Social Club, Oakland, CA
12 – Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
13 – Marty’s On Newport, Tustin, CA
15 – The Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
16 – Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
17 – The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
18 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL

Keep up with Local H here.

32 favorite music videos of august 2018 (so far)

32 favorite music videos of august 2018 (so far)

I’m not sure if the amount of music video submissions in my inbox is due to an increase in creativity during the summer months, or if I’ve just had my head in the ground previously when it comes to music videos, but each one I see seems to be better and better. So we’ve compiled a list of our favorite videos of August 2018 (SO FAR), and we’re not just sticking to one genre here, folks. Try on a new jam from Dead Naked Hippies, hit up the nostalgic feels of Princess Chelsea‘s new video for “Wasting Time”, or let Lennon Stella regale you with her unheard of talents. Either way, this list is a doozy and we cannot wait for more to share at the end of the month!

Dead Naked Hippies, “Drain You”

J Hart, “Put It To Bed”

Ayo & Teo ft. Lil Yachty, “Ay3”

Rachel Eckroth, “Call My Name”

M1nk, “The Far Side”

Princess Chelsea, “Wasting Time”

Guts Club, “Trench Foot”

Givers, “Movin’ On” (live)

Searmanas, “Undo”

No Small Children, “I’m So Concerned”

Foxhole, “Noble Scales”

Kings of Spade, “Way She Goes”

Lennon Stella, “Like Everybody Else”

Late Night Episode, Lay Off!

Jade Bird, “Uh Huh”

Sextile, “Paradox”

Dvsn, “Morning After”

Anna von Hausswolff, “The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra” (live)

Falcon Jane, “Ginger Ale”

RAY BLK, “Run Run”

Darren Jessee, “All But A Dream”

Laura Jean Anderson, “Love You Most”

Mammoth Indigo, “Undertow”

Minke, “Maybe 25”

IAN SWEET, “Hiding”

Rageouz, “Bridging”

Bealu, “Breath” (ft. Sophie Lindinger)

The RPMs, “Gotta Let Go”

Cautious Clay, “Call Me” (Stripped)

Marian Hill, “Wish You Were Here”

The Fox & The Hounds, “House of Leaves”

CROW, “For The Weekend”

miss eaves, “kiss kiss i’m fabulous”

miss eaves, “kiss kiss i’m fabulous”

Brooklyn-based body positive feminist rapper Miss Eaves is back with another upbeat music video for her latest track “Kiss Kiss I’m Fabulous”. Vibrant and fun, the video makes its watchers just want to get up and dance from the very first lines. As she strolls the streets of New York, Miss Eaves is joined by friends of all colors, ages, and sexual orientations, dancing and celebrating life and their own unique selves. This video is everything we’ve been craving this week, and we’re all about self care right now. Let “Kiss Kiss I’m Fabulous” prepare you to put yourself first all weekend.

Keep up with Miss Eaves here.

26 favorite music videos of july 2018

26 favorite music videos of july 2018

Well, we’re over the hump of mid-year now, and most of us are probably sweating up a storm in our respective cities and homes. But we’ve been absolutely enamored by an outpouring of new music video material from some really incredible artists over the past month, so we thought we’d share some of our favorites. There’s really no reason or rhyme to it all. Some of these videos even make us yearn for colder weather and ice capped mountains. (But who are we to get ahead of ourselves here on this sweltering day?) So sit back, find a little something to try out, and enjoy!

Eric Hutchinson, “Hands”

Silent Revival, “Just One Voice”

King Princess, “Holy”

Jessie Reyez, “Apple Juice”

The Little Miss, “American Dream”

alt-j, “in cold blood” (ft. pusha t) by twin shadow

Bourgeois Mystics, “Jaan Pehechan Ho”

Dan Koshute, “All the Way Always”

Farao, “Lula Loves You”

Blood Orange, “Charcoal Baby”

Chantitown, “Mother of Sun”

Doe, “Heated”

Louis Cole, “Things”

Object as Subject, “Removal”

Tiny Eyes, “Just Saying”

Seasaw, “Big Dogs”

The Living End, “Don’t Lose It”

Miles Kane, “Cry On My Guitar”

Sofia Reyes, “1, 2, 3 (Official Solo Acoustic)”

Hannah Grace, “Oh River”

Kelsy Karter, “Sad Sad Summer”

Wild Rivers, “I Won’t Be Back”

Erik Deutsch, “Falling Flowers”

Billie Eilish, “You Should See Me in a Crown”

Ace of Wands, “10,000 Feet”

Whyte Horses, “Never Took the Time”

yoke lore, “ride”

yoke lore, “ride”

In his latest music video, Brooklyn-based artist Yoke Lore sings in the midst of the rise and fall of an LGBTQ+ love story. But before that, the video shows how the romance blossomed, with beautiful shots of cuddles, kisses, and lunch dates. Everything seems perfect for them, until it isn’t. Flash forward to the fighting and silent treatments as we watch everything go down in flames. Literally.

At the end of the video, we see them place pieces of their relationship into a box before setting it all on fire. Director Noah Galvin (Yoke Lore’s brother and an LGBTQ+ actor) explains the meaning behind that intense ending:

Too often at the end of a relationship, be it romantic or otherwise, there is no real moment of farewell. Perhaps this is due to fear. I’d like to think goodbyes would be less scary if we ritualized them in some way. “Ride” is about giving a relationship a proper burial… punctuating an ending that often goes unpunctuated.

The video shows the importance of closure in order to move on from a relationship, or to move on from anything. The It’s heartbreaking, but it’s real. Yoke Lore says it best, delving deep into the intended message behind his song and its visuals:

Our fire is this fire. It is a fire to make something new where something had grown old. It’s a controlled burn of a portion of each self. You don’t want to scorch the earth, but dead things feed the future.

Listen to Yoke Lore’s EP, and be sure to catch him on his upcoming tour.

nick schneider, “that’s my girl”

nick schneider, “that’s my girl”

Though pop musician Nicholas Schneider has been creating art for quite a while under different personas – he gained a cult following after his work as Nicky Sparkles was released – and has been doing it well. Now he’s releasing music under his given name – Nick Schneider – and we’ve got the exclusive premiere of the new music video for his synth-fueled track “That’s My Girl”. With his light, high vocal range, and an instrumental sound all-too-reminiscent of the 80’s, you knew he had to bring the same flare to the music video. And he has, in great style, adding visual effects that were used in that timeframe. The song itself is catchy and light, making it – and its accompanying visual – perfect for our end of summer evenings.

(Don’t remind us summer is almost over.)

Keep up with Nick Schneider via Soundcloud.

tbt: best viral videos of 2012

tbt: best viral videos of 2012

When I was doing freelance work for a company in New York City from my home in Kansas City, we started doing more list and humorous pieces for their content department. AKA, I tried to get more people to go to their site. They were clearly news-based and I think my writing was some of the only comedy on the site, save for one podcast a week. It was really sad, and my ideas became almost desperate to bring them into this century.

Good news! They approved “Best Viral Videos of 2012.” Since I’m guessing none of you saw it, I’m going to post it here as my Throwback Thursday. It will make you laugh. And probably reminisce. So enjoy these videos and my little blurbs about them!

Screen Shot 2014-11-10 at 10.23.00 AM

2012: A year of ups and downs. Intense elections (though, compared to now…), more comedy television to love, Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan (how often can a young girl be arrested?). It’s a miracle that the viewing public had any time to get acquainted with their computers! But, as it is, we have compiled a list of the Best Viral Videos of 2012—otherwise known as the best things we saw while we were supposed to be working or paying attention in a lecture.

  1. Please Move the Deer Crossing
    A woman with bad luck thinks that deer crossing signs are the culprit. We can’t tell if she’s for real or not. And we don’t care. This is hilarious.
  2. Arrested Drunk Guys Singing Bohemian Rhapsody
    Posted to YouTube and then subsequently to College Humor in March, this video of a drunk guy singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” is like the grown-up version of “David After Dentist”. And we’re obsessed.
  1. Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends
    GLBT rights have been a hot topic for years, so people across America were tickled—and some were enraged—to see the video that several homosexual men posted to College Humor, telling straight men that if they didn’t want gay men to marry other gay men they would simply marry straight women. To which straight men responded, lesbians responded and then, finally, straight women responded.
  2. Kristen Bell’s Sloth Meltdown
    Kristen Bell is stunningly gorgeous. Her hair is shiny and full, her voice is like wind chimes, and her face is so symmetrical she looks like a Barbie. And now we know her kryptonite: sloths.
  3. Olympic Athletes Do “Call Me Maybe”
    “Call Me Maybe” had so many re-makes and cover videos made that it kind of made our heads explode. But we did very much enjoy this version. Maybe because it shows us that Olympic athletes are just like everyone else.
  4. The Cat Is Planning Something Evil
    Isn’t it like a law now to include cats in everything? (But also, WHAT?! (Catcopter))
  5. “Call Your Girlfriend” SNL
    Who knew Taran Killam would kill it with his dance moves? And we watched it over and over and over. We also kind of love his rendition of Brad Pitt’s Chanel No. 5 commercial.
  6. Caine’s Arcade
    In April, “Caine’s Arcade” was uploaded to YouTube. The story of a boy with an imagination the size of Texas is already incredible, but the way the internet made his dreams come true is extraordinary. This can be our “feel good” video of the year.
  7. “Gangnam Style”
    “Gangnam Style” has almost 1 billion views. We don’t think an explanation is necessary.
  8. News Blooper
    And finally, this gem. Because apparently we all have dirty minds.
tuxedo wildlife, myself together

tuxedo wildlife, myself together

Nashville-based musician Collin Gundry, whom you may know as Tuxedo Wildlife, releases his new EP Myself Together this week, and we have the exclusive streaming premiere of this masterpiece in its entirety. Many of the songs on this EP are emotional, heartfelt songs while many of the songs also have a slower beat yet calming feel to them. Tracks “Isotopes” and “Myself Together” are a little faster compared to the rest, and the vocals are a bit reminiscent of Imagine Dragons. But his luscious, deep vocals create a unique kaleidoscope of a landscape that is established at the beginning of the EP, and doesn’t drop off until the very last lines of the sixth track.

Myself Together embodies his journey through uncertain love and emotions which I’m sure many people can relate to throughout life, which is just another one of the reasons why Tuxedo Wildlife is a perfect new artist to listen to. Not only can you check out his new music below, but you can also check out his new video for “Depths” on YouTube.

Keep up with Tuxedo Wildlife here!

**co-written by meredith schneider

the black watch, “when we first met”

the black watch, “when we first met”

Mondays are amazing… when there’s something new to premiere. Which is great, since the third single off of musical project The Black Watch‘s now has a stunning visual to accompany it, and we have your exclusive first look. The brainchild of John Andrew Fredrick, The Black Watch has utilized nostalgic footage to bring a laid back, summertime vibe to the leisurely and robust track. It’s something we’re all bound to want to feel every now and again.

Explains Fredrick of the track:

I was on a beach camping holiday with my English friends, a band called Damn Vandals, and Nev, their frontman, lent me his adorable son Stan.  We guerilla’d our  way into a Motel 6 and shot this video with me Charlie Chaplining to ‘When We First Met’.  You should have seen Stan’s eyes when Nev told him he was to push me into the pool!  Someone paying him in ice cream to nudge a fully-dressed grown-up into the deep end?!  Ace!  I was reading Shelley (I’m often re-reading Shelley) at the time so we used a copy of that for the switcharoo.  I don’t love making videos by any stretch, but Stan’s overall glee and infectious laugh made it quite fun.

Keep up with The Black Watch here.