Maddie Zahm’s latest single “Sheets” was performed on tour last year, and was a huge highlight of the performance. It was a long wait to have a studio cut version, but finally, it’s arrived. “Sheets” is also part of an exciting, yet-to-be announced project.
An anthemic breakup song, “Sheets” is a massive fuck-you to a woman Zahm dated that quickly moved on from their relationship—a bit too quickly. The scenario is all-too relatable for many. Zahm explains:
And like every dramatic, you know, young gay in Los Angeles, I got updates from my friends that my ex was kissing blondes at a party. It crossed the line for me. So I went home and I wrote “Sheets” and pretty much I just was like, ‘did she even change her sheets before she’s making out with other people?’ That’s insane.
Her can’t-miss Sad & Sexy tour begins next month, and we’re betting she’s coming to a city near you. Grab tickets for your date, below:
3/21 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater 3/22 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler 3/24 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville 3/25 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground 3/26 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre 3/28 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club 3/29 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia 3/30 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza 4/1 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club 4/3 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland 4/4 – Columbus, OH – The Athenaeum Theatre 4/5 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House 4/7 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall 4/8 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Annex 4/10 – Chicago, IL – Metro 4/11 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue 4/12 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada 4/14 – Denver, CO – Gothic 4/16 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex 4/18 – Seattle, WA – Neptune 4/19 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre 4/21 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall 4/23 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren 4/24 – San Diego, CA – Music Box 4/26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
Traveling can truly take its toll on a person. And when you’re a traveling musician, it throws you off your routine for weeks — sometimes years — at a time. Creating an environment that relaxes and nourishes you and your tourmates is paramount in maintaining professional working relationships and allowing the tour to run smoothly. Having some items on hand can really benefit a musician or, really, anyone planning to travel.
We’ve combed through a host of fun gift ideas for your friend or family member who is a touring musician. If you have clients who are going out on the road soon, consider gifting them some practical items from the list. Take advantage of it right now for seasonal discounts and offers, and to make sure they’re stocked up for the next leg of their life’s work!
Maely’s Too-Pouty
Maely’s Too-Pouty is a game-changer for chapped lips, which are common when you travel. (As always, hydration is key!) Apply this lip mask twice a day — once when you wake up, and once before you fall asleep — to moisturize and soothe your lips. Add it on during the day for a slight plump if you’re feeling frisky.
Gimme Seaweed Snacks
Gimme makes a variety of flavored dried seaweed snacks that are the perfect, nutritional snack for any texture and flavor nerd. If you aren’t a fan of more grassy flavors, you might not be a seaweed person. But with powder flavored like white cheddar, sesame, and te among others, this little crispy treat ends up tasting more like a flavorful cracker than anything else. Add them to your soup or wrap homemade sushi in them for other options on the tour bus.
Fun hack: If you have a pet, the Imperfect Fifth mascot Schmidt – a buff tabby cat – is a huge fan of these seaweed snacks.
Blobs
Do you like fruity candies, but not the havoc they can wreak on your teeth, gums, and intestines? Candy is often one of the first things to go when adjusting your diet as you age. But what if there was a candy that had just four grams of sugar per bag?
Blobs are a fruity, flavorful, vegan, no-sugar-added gummy candy with just seven grams of carbs and 50 calories per bag. They come in the delightful flavor varieties of orange-peach, pomegranate-apple, and passionfruit-pineapple. They’re great travel companions if you’re looking for airplane or train snacks.
Unrelated but related: I’m such a big fan of the taste of these guys that I put Blobs stickers on my laptop and mini fridge.
Manifest Beauty Big Pout Energy Lip Plumper
This non-toxic lip color uses the natural tingling and plumping properties of chili to help improve the look of your lips. I noticed a subtle plumping effect but, even if you don’t, the flavor and tingling sensation help to make you feel more awake. (I know this from personal experience.) Working it into your look on stage can help you catch a second wind after a long day of press, or can help you feel perked up for an early wakeup call.
The Manifest Beauty Big Pout Energy gloss comes in the five color options of crystal clear, gold, spicy rose, chocolate chili, and scarlet flame. The pigment stays on well, with limited application necessary throughout the day.
Eight O’Clock Coffee
Since 1859, Eight O’Clock Coffee has been roasting beans and brewing up tasty trouble. They are currently the third largest seller of whole bean coffee in the United States, but are known for the bold flavors of every variety of coffee they sell. While the current name wasn’t created until 1919, this Landover, Maryland-produced coffee is absolutely a household name.
On the road, I’d suggest a bag or two of ground bean coffee. The Dark Italian Espresso roast can easily be flavored or enjoyed in a concentrated shot. It has a standout flavor and aroma that will get a musician out of bed quickly for an early bus call.
Eight O’Clock Coffee also makes K-Cup pods of their roasts. If your musician will have access to a Keurig on the trip, this could make things wildly easy for them.
ONLY Hydration
Are you in your thirties, and realizing you’ve suddenly taken an interest in being more hydrated? (Do our bodies just give up around then? I cannot retain water, it is my curse.) Staying hydrated is important no matter your age or your athletic ability, so finding ways to efficiently do so is key.
ONLY Hydrationis an electrolyte powder mix that centers ingredients you can pronounce, packed with nutrients like calcium, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins to protect your immune system.
These beverage powders come in really great, unique, natural fruit flavors. Enjoy them in Yuzu Citrus, Asian Pear, White Peach, or Lychee.
Steeped Coffee
If you don’t want to carry around a full coffee setup or rely on a K-cup on your bus or in the hotel, you may want to consider a steeped coffee option. These are a preferred option to concentrate or cold brew coffee, since refrigerated options have a shelf life. The single-serve bags are perfect to purchase because leftovers can be saved for camping trips, to take to the office, or cozy mornings at home curled up under a blanket.
As simple as tucking a teabag into your luggage, Steeped Coffee makes single-serve steeping bags of their delicious roasted coffee. They grind the coffee up and nitro seal it, serving it in an easy-to-tote bag that is so mindful of time and convenience. Just pour hot water over it, add whatever creamer you may need, and voila!
Steeped Coffee’s focus on environmental safety has, from the start, set them apart. Their fully compostable bags deliver ethically sourced, bold flavors every time.
This past year has disrupted how I understand the concept of time within our society.
Staying inside for weeks felt like months, and primarily interacting with my peers via Zoom merely emphasized the ever-increasing feelings of physical alienation I was experiencing. However, in retrospect, I wish I had done more during this dark period the world was and continues to endure. Everything has made me realize how no matter what’s going on outside, life doesn’t last forever, and we have to enjoy the time we have while we still have it.
English indie heroes The Wombats illustrate this realization with the fourth single off their upcoming five studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World titled “Everything I Love Is Going To Die.” The harmonious guitars and punchy drums are captivating from the start, backing the lyrics sung by frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy that focus on how everyone needs to acknowledge and appreciate how beautiful their lives are in the moment before they are simply memories lost to time.
When explaining the song, Murphy described the song as being “about the impermanence of life and the beauty of each passing second.”
“The key line for me is ‘Icarus Was My Best Friend, So I’m Gonna Make Him Proud In The End,’ which I guess is a playful take on living life to its fullest even though the consequences of that might be dire,” he said. “Certainly not a call to Nihilism, however, but perhaps a call to being present and the joy that can be found in appreciating each moment we find ourselves in.”
All in all, the song is another jangly, electro-pop anthem from the band that won’t stop giving. Their new album Fix Yourself, Not The World comes out January 7, 2022, and you can pre-order it here. Less than two weeks later, they plan on starting their worldwide tour in support of the album in North America before heading overseas to Europe and the UK later in April and May. All dates are below.
North American Dates: January 20 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC January 22 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA January 25 – Terminal 5, New York, NY January 26 – House of Blues, Boston, MA January 28 – Corona, Montreal, QB January 31 – St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI February 1 – Newport, Columbus, OH February 3 – Park West, Chicago, IL February 4 – The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN February 5 – The Truman, Kansas City, MO February 7 – Cannery, Nashville, TN February 8 – Buckhead, Atlanta, GA February 10 – House of Blues, Houston, TX February 11 – Emo’s, Austin, TX February 12 – House of Blues, Dallas, TX February 14 – Ogden, Denver, CO February 15 – Union, Salt Lake City, UT February 17 – Showbox Market, Seattle, WA SOLD OUT February 18 – Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC SOLD OUT February 19 – Revolution Hall, Portland, OR February 21 – The Regency, San Francisco, CA February 22 – The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA February 25 – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
European/UK Tour Dates:
April 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds April 15 – The O2, London April 16 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff April 18 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow April 22 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 23 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 29 – La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris (France) May 1 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne (Germany) May 2 – Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (Germany) May 4 – Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm (Sweden) May 5 – Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo (Norway) May 6 – DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (Denmark) May 7 – Huxley’s Neue Welt, Berlin (Germany) May 9 – Gasometer, Vienna (Austria) May 10 – Backstage Werk, Munich (Germany) May 12 – Estragon, Bologna (Italy) May 13 – Fabrique, Milan (Italy) May 14 – Komplex 457, Zurich (Switzerland) May 16 – De Roma, Antwerp (Belgium) May 17 – Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands) May 18 – De Oosterpoort, Groningen (Netherlands) May 19 – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands) May 26 – Open Air Theatre, Scarborough
There are certain experiences in life that are universal to all of us and with his new hit “Memorial” Devendra Banhart is able to capture and express the full realm of one of these experiences, loss. His lyrical genius provides metaphors that paint an intense picture of mourning and grief as seen in the human realm. When asked about the song himself, Banhart said, “Memorial is about loss & the strangeness to feel so numb and yet, so completely heart-broken-open…” The song was written for three people he loved the most in life as a tribute to ones who are taken from us too soon. It’s a perfect example of an artist trying to understand death, and truly features the different stages in the process of grieving. Banhart was able to cross musical boundaries with a waltz-like background bass and forefront finger plucking from the lead guitar while his wavering vocals carry the listener along. “Memorial” is just one song from Banhart’s album Ma coming out September 13.
Devendra Banhart North American Tour Dates:
09/27/19 – Dana Point, CA @ OHANA Festival
10/15/19 – Ventura, CA @ The Majestic Ventura Theater ^
10/16/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
10/18/19 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom ^
10/19/19 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre ^
10/20/19 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
10/22/19 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
10/24/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel
10/25/19 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Yost Theater
10/26/19 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
10/27/19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
10/30/19 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater *
11/01/19 – Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown *
11/02/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater *
11/03/19 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
11/05/19 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi Tone *
11/07/19 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs (Levitation)
11/23/19 – Leon, Guanajuato Mx @ Tecate Bajio Festival
11/25/19 – Mexico City, Mx @ El Plaza Condesa
11/30/19 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art *
12/01/19 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
12/03/19 – Montreal, QC @ The Olympia *
12/04/19 – Boston, MA @ The Wilbur *
12/05/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
12/07/19 – Washington, D.C. @ 930 Club *
12/08/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
* w/ Black Belt Eagle Scout
^ w/ Daniel Higgs
For more on Banhart himself be sure to check him out here.
On Sunday night, the weather was slightly sticky but with a breeze. When the storm warnings had cleared, it was the perfect night to enjoy music outside. Cue: Jimmy Eat World and Third Eye Blind, who regaled us with some of our favorite tracks during a beautiful end to our weekend. Staples like “How’s It Going to Be” and “Semi-Charmed Life” brought more energy to the crowd, of course, with the silhouette of the near-sold out audience looking ethereal against the night sky.
This is our happy place.
Third Eye Blind Set List
Screamer
The Kinds
Never Let You Go
Back to Zero
Can You Take Me
Graduate
Wounded
I Want You
Slow Motion
Motorcycle Drive By
Company of Strangers
Jumper
Bonfire
Something in You
Company
How’s It Going to Be Encore
Losing a Whole Year
California Blue Boy
Semi-Charmed Life
God of Wine
Today, we get the unique pleasure of sitting down with Arleigh Kincheloe, the brainchild of Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. We talk her latest solo album GOLD, growing up in a musical home, and family. She was so much fun to speak with! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.
0:33imperfectfifth.com/merch 1:02 Arleigh Kincheloe Intro
2:14 Emmy Lou Harris | Bonnie Raitt
5:04 Growing up in a musical home
6:31 Tour life
8:27Pre show rituals
12:13 GOLD recording process
16:31 “You’re My Party”
17:51 “Ghost”
19:48 Superpowers
23:04 Spring Tour
Today, indelible songstress Haley Reinhart releases her latest collection of songs, a full-length titled Lo-Fi Soul. Full of layered, beautiful instrumentals, the entirety of the album is packed to the brim with Reinhart’s soulful, glittering vocals that take you back in time with each new breath, starting with “Deep Water” and leading you all the way through to the last chords of thirteenth track “Baby Doll”. Second track “Oh Damn” slows things down a bit after its predecessor ends, addressing the protagonist’s want to find their one and only. The title track speeds it up a bit more, adding a bit more edge to the collection. “Don’t Know How to Love You” is true blues, both the guitar and the vocals equally as heart-wrenching.
Both “Strange World” and “Shook” are love songs in their own right, both addressing the world in curious and insightful ways, slightly less attractive and way more quirky than other love songs. And while “Crack the Code” is a little more introspective and pondering, while “Lay It Down” sings of a past love, and leaves us questioning what went wrong. “Honey, There’s the Door” brings that sass back, a truly refreshing song of note, and that sass carries right on into “Broken Record”, making these two our favorite tracks on the release.
But she doesn’t stop impressing there. If you listen through to “Some Way Some How”, you will experience a truly breathtaking ballad, not unlike other prior releases of hers. I pity the fool she sings about in “How Dare You”, as karma has clearly been assessed in that situation. And she rounds everything out so gracefully with last track ‘Baby Doll”, the beginning giving us hints of Mariah Carey goodness with Reinhart’s impressive vocal range. But don’t just take our word for it. Enjoy!
Catch her on tour!
04.02.19 – New York, NY – City Winery
04.03.19 – Boston, MA – City Winery
04.04.19 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theatre
04.06.19 – Bay Shore, NY – Boulton Center
04.07.19 – Annapolis, MD – Ramshead On Stage
04.08.19 – Washington D.C. – Jammin’ Java
04.09.19 – Charlotte, NC – Booth Playhouse
04.11.19 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
04.14.19 – Chicago, IL – Park West
04.15.19 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
04.16.19 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
04.17.19 – Dallas, TX – Dada
04.19.19 – Denver, CO – Globe Theater
04.20.19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
04.22.19 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile
04.23.19 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
04.25.19 – San Francisco, CA – Slims
04.26.19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
04.27.19 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
Today’s conversation is a sit down with songstress Alice Phoebe Lou, whose album Paper Castles is out tomorrow, March 8th. The lead up to this release has proven insane for her, as – since we spoke – Robert Plant opened up for her in Leeds and she recorded a Daytrotter session with Paste. Listen on for more.
0:00 Intro 0:11EZVisibility.com
0:22. Dbl-take.com 0:33imperfectfifth.com/merch 0:47Intro: Alice Phoebe Lou
2:04Portishead
3:09South Africa
6:13“Galaxies”
8:19 Paper Castles
10:25 Upcoming tour
13:14 Psychics
15:43.Self care
18:02.Living in the moment
On Valentine’s Day, Lawrence, KS favorites The Sluts opened for FIDLAR at 96.5 The Buzz’s holiday show at The Truman. Entertaining as ever, the duo Kristoffer Dover and Ryan Wise injected an intense energy into the audience, making it easy to blow FIDLAR away when they hit the stage. KC, we love you.
