Music | Painting the Silence

“Break Free” by Only on Tuesdays
15
Sep

Only on Tuesdays is a pop-folk band compared to artists such as Ingrid Michaelson and First Aid Kit. Only on Tuesdays successfully raised over $10,000 via the crowd-funding site Kickstarter and through various sponsors, allowing them to record their debut EP, the Break Free EP. The EP was recorded in the home studio of Grammy nominated producer Bruce Witkin (known for his vocal production work in the Johnny Depp film Sweeny Todd) in Los Angeles.

Only on Tuesdays was founded by singer-songwriter Autumn Skibinski in 2009. As a solo artist based out of a small town called Eagle River in Wisconsin, Skibinski toured and connected with fans and musicians alike across the midwest and the south. In late 2011, she relocated to Los Angeles where she joined forces with several talented musicians and co-writers to help meld her distinct style with an upbeat pop-rock sound. In addition to Skibinski, Only on Tuesdays currently consists of Martin Valencia from Arizona, Tracy and Kevin Lambertucci of Venezuela, and Gabby Casanova of Mexico. Only on Tuesdays has performed at renowned Los Angeles venues such as The Roxy, The Viper Room, Molly Malone’s, and House of Blues. They are also planning a west coast tour for late spring 2015 to support the release of the EP. The band has spent the last three years writing, performing, fine-tuning and preparing for this release. Each of the songs on this EP were carefully and thoughtfully written from personal experiences. You may view the official video for “Break Free” via YouTube.

“Break Free” by Only on Tuesdays

Image courtesy of Nicole Acosta of LaFamos PR & Branding

“Dear California” by Water District
12
Sep

Emerging out of the Los Angeles music scene, Water District embodies the poise of city life and the allure of the Pacific Coast lifestyle. Water District was formed in 2012, and since then has captured listeners with an edgy brand of indie rock with topics ranging from love, the irony of solitude in California and The Legend of Zelda. Water District is comprised of Tice Griffin (vocals, guitar, piano), Zack Mueller (guitar, vocals, keyboard), Hunter Gurney (bass), and Ajay Awashti (drums). Together, the band offers a unique style influenced by bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Silversun Pickups, and The National.

After releasing two albums independently online This Was Worth the Drive (2012) and Dear California EP (2013), Water District set out on a self-funded national tour in 2013 and hit major hot spots such as Austin, Nashville, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco.

In 2014, the band signed with the independent record company, Normandie Records. In December 2014, the band released Water District EP. In the band’s eyes, it is their best record to date and one that truly represents who they are as musicians.

“Dear California” by Water District

Image courtesy of Blaine Prow via LaFamos PR & Branding; mp3 courtesy of Amanda Blide of LaFamos PR & Branding

“Never Be Apart” by The Pinstripe Pigeon Band
15
Aug

Modest yet ambitious studio project, The Pinstripe Pigeon Band, is a seven-strong pop force credited with the release of five well-received EPs throughout 2013 and 2014.

The band’s latest material showcases intelligent sophisti-pop, electronica, funkadelia and anthemic rock. The lyrics lovingly articulate personal experiences. The vocals hark back to Aretha at her most bombastic and Dusty at her most delicate. Collectively, the band soak up songcraft and live influences from Fleetwood Mac, The Band, The Beatles, Ryan Adams, Motown, Chic, John Coltrane, The E Street Band and Ben Harper.

The band has the benefit of two keyboardists, one melodically inventive Stevie Wonder, Oscar Peterson-esqe pianist and another more classical, akin to Ludvico Einaudi. They compliment each other perfectly.

2015 will see the pop collective spreading its wings and headlining Manchester’s The Castle and Liverpool’s Lomax.

Have a listen to the track “Never Be Apart” from the EP titled Sound Asleep, released on August 3. Watch the video for the track via Youtube.

“Never Be Apart” by The Pinstripe Pigeon Band

Image and mp3 courtesy of Andrea Lynch of Blue Soap Music PR and Plugging

“The Depths” by Mark Kraus
10
Aug

New York City-based singer-songwriter, Mark Kraus, grew up in the kind of old Massachusetts town that had long past its day. Abandoned factories and turned to strip malls drove him and his friends to seek music as a way out.

Kraus and friends escaped to Boston where they formed the indie folk band Jr. Corduroy. 2002’s I Don’t Want To Be Around When You’re Gone For Good got some solid acclaim, such as a critic’s pick for The Boston Globe’s 10 best records of the year. Kraus moved to New York City shortly after and for close to the next decade began experimenting with different ideas, bands and projects. After the break up of his second band Tsui, Kraus abandoned music for close to five years.

His new album The Story of Everything is a reawakening. It is an immediate, cinematic, and at times heartbreaking solo debut that is both deeply personal and universal. The album was recorded by Kraus in Brooklyn, mixed by David Westner, and mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton. Musically it draws from influences like Wilco, Elliott Smith, Bill Callahan, Leonard Cohen, and Bruce Springsteen.

“The Depths” by Mark Kraus

Download the track via bandcamp.

Image and mp3 courtesy of Jennifer Thorington & Samuel Markus of Working Brilliantly

“Yello Hazy” by Kiravell
7
Aug

San Diego-based, Meniyka Kiravell, is not your typical musician. She dabbles in quantum mechanics and energy medicine and considers herself a “vibrational scientist.” She is currently focusing her intentions on creating ecstatic music that pleases ones ears and uplifts the soul sonically and energetically.

Soaking up influences from around the world, Kiravell poured out 9 individual musical pieces of art into an eclectic collection entitled Vaudevellia. The songs embody the serene exploration of jazz mixed with world music and indie rock. The cover art for each single is a sketched self-portrait set atop a variable palette of mixed colors and backdrops. Kiravell chose the album title Vaudevellia because the acoustic versions of the songs sound a bit circus-y and have a vaudeville like quality to them.

Kiravell grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She moved to Ann Arbor for University and fell in love with music and the guitar. Playing in various indie rock bands and DJing at the college radio station, her musical world exploded. These days, Kiravell calls San Diego home. It is where she connects with friends, new and old around the world, through her musical creations.

Watch the music video for “Wash” via Youtube and stream the album on Soundcloud.

“Yello Hazy” by Kiravell

Image and mp3 courtesy of Matt Bacon, Artist Liaison at Independent Music Promotions

“Out of the Dark” by Shane Tutmarc
1
Aug

Some may know Shane Tutmarc as the front man for the Seattle-based indie-pop band Dolour, which featured Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes). After packing up Dolour in 2010, Tutmarc moved to Nashville, where he refined his sound, blending garage-rock, folk, blues, country, gospel and pop to create an Americana flavor that pays homage to its predecessors.

Having recorded a full-length in Nashville, Borrowed Trouble, which has since been placed on the back burner due to an investor in the album pulling out at the eleventh hour, Tutmarc has kept busy playing around Nashville and the Northwest, as well as producing other artists. However, he recently decided to release a single a month throughout 2015, with plans to compile the songs and release a full-length in 2016. The singles will be released by Portland, Oregon-based indie label In Music We Trust Records.

Tutmarc’s June single is called “Out of the Dark.” It is a late-night, subdued song that contrasts the darkness of his reserved voice. It is soothing and slow with an undertow melody. Tutmarc’s ability to vacillate between styles, and also merge them effortlessly when he wants, has made him a go-to man for co-writing in Nashville, as well as a producer.

“Out of the Dark” by Shane Tutmarc

Image and mp3 courtesy of Alex Steininger of In Music We Trust PR

“I Got Nothing” by Scott Krokoff
25
Jul

With a rich and melodic sound drawn primarily from his love of 60s and 70s singer-songwriters, New Yorker Scott Krokoff weaves elements of folk-rock and country-pop into confessional and compelling Americana.

Krokoff’s college band, Equinox, played heavily throughout NYC in the 90s, releasing four albums before the different members settled into the workforce and “real life” took over. Krokoff, however, held his dream close and began pursuing a solo career. 2007’s A Better Life and 2012’s Realizations and Declarations, Vol. 1 both brimmed with lovely and tuneful revelations, which proselytized the art of taking risks in life.

Krokoff’s newest album Realizations and Declarations, Vol. 2 will be available on August 14, 2015.

Have a listen to “I Got Nothing” via Soundcloud or the player below.

“I Got Nothing” by Scott Krokoff

Image and mp3 courtesy of Jennifer Thorington & Samuel Markus of Working Brilliantly

“Crossing On A Bend” by Bourbon Street Beat
25
Jul

Inspired by 50s and 60s bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, as well as rock ’n roll legends like Elvis, Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash, Bourbon Street Beat is influenced in technique and style. Reinterpreted with an indie edge, their new singles “Crossing On A Bend” and b-sed “She’s His Woman” showcase their sound perfectly.

Iain Hammond (vocals and guitar), Joe Morrison-Hay (bass) and Andy Mackenzie (drums) met at university and formed the band in 2012. Their last EP Knuckles Of Brass earned them a strong following in Manchester.

“Crossing On A Bend” by Bourbon Street Beat

Image and mp3 courtesy of Andrea Lynch of Blue Soap Music PR and Plugging

“From A Zafira Comfort” by St. Christopher Medal
24
Jul

Scotpop four-piece Life With Nixon signed off for good in August of 1998 at Sleazy’s in Glasgow. A full seventeen years later, Ali and Kenny Mathieson, Billy Nisbet and David Mack, all four Nixons from that night at Sleazy’s, are about to release Sunny Day Machine the wonderful forthcoming debut album by St. Christopher Medal on Stereogram Recordings.

Along with newbie Andy Jeffries on piano, St. Christopher Medal make music that is full to the brim with seventeen years of life, love, kids, jobs and the whole history of rock ‘n roll. Ali Mathieson, who writes the songs and sings them, teaches in a high school in rural Perthshire. Kenny Mathieson, his brother and ace guitarist, spins vinyl at The Dead Rabbit in Upper Manhattan where he lives. Nisbet, Mack and Jeffries play bass, drums and piano in Perth, Teeside and Dorset respectively.

But Sunny Day Machine is a record that none of them could have made in their twenties. Its energy comes from long friendship. From deep love of music. They are about life — growing up, surviving over time, dreams, children — and they are sad and funny. The album is scheduled for release on August 10. Released on June 29, “From A Zafira Comfort” is the follow-up to the album’s first single, “Vatersay Love Song.”

“From A Zafira Comfort” by St. Christopher Medal

Image and mp3 courtesy of Innes Reekie of Stereogram Recordings

“17 Miles” by Jared Deck
11
Jul

Musically, songwriter Jared Deck has always worked to transcend genres, but his current transition comes naturally, as he puts his stamp on the timeless genre Midamericana.

“Midamericana is the sound of our world – outside the big cities, between the coasts, where dreams are born and die. It’s the hopeless optimism in our stories and the bumpy rhythm of Old 66. In our world, there’s more culture being practiced than studied, and we like it that way.”

Derek released the single “17 Miles” on June 2 with his band consisting of Brandon Cink (electric guitar); Fred Hanradt (bass); Travis McKinzie (drums); Jacy Deck (piano); Chris Wiser (organ); and Derek himself on vocals, acoustic guitar, and tambourine. It was produced by Wes Sharon (John Fullbright, Parker Millsap, Turnpike Troubadours, The Grahams). Plus, it was mastered by Eric Conn of Independent Mastering (Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, John Prine, Nickel Creek, Townes Van Zandt).

“17 Miles” by Jared Deck