Category: music

New album release: Portraits – Quarters of Change

Quarters of Change recently released their exposed-nerve second album Portraits. Photo: Anna Henderson, used with permission.

One of the fastest rising rock bands coming out of New York City, Quarters of Change, recently released their album Portraits via 300 Entertainment. After retreating to Woodstock, NY, for two weeks, the band left with their most collaborative, exposed-nerve writing to date; something with a piece of each of them etched into it. Where their last album Into The Rift was staring into the dark tunnel ahead, Portraits is close to the other side, with the band surfacing for some light. (Big Hassle, 2024)

“The album is made up of individualized fragments that provide different perspectives and create their own little vignettes. I think of each fragment as a portrait, reflecting a separate emotion or moment. Overall, it dives into themes of addiction, isolation and exploration.” – frontman Ben Roter.

Anchored by a mutual predisposition for unpredictability, Quarters of Change fuse together a signature hybrid of nineties-style alternative hooks, crunchy space rock soundscapes, and strutting seventies grooves. After piling up millions of streams, selling out shows, and inciting critical applause, the New York City quartet — Ben Acker (guitar, bass, synths), Attila Anrather (drums), Jasper Harris (guitars, bass, synths), and Ben Roter (vocals, guitar)— released Portraits. 

Leaning on an unspoken musical language of their own, forged by years of cutting their teeth together, sneaking into shows they were once too young to play, and practicing in the basement of their old high school, Quarters of Change very clearly have a lifelong bond that has created their own breed of alternative rock with stadium scope. 

Quarters of Change simultaneously emerged as a live force, supporting Bad Suns and selling out their first-ever US headline tour. Doubling down on amplifying the energy, and turning up the distortion, Quarters of Change have quietly emerged as a phenomenon, and maintain this momentum with the release of their new album, available everywhere now. In the coming months, the band will continue rolling out more content from Portraits. They’ll be joining the festival lineups of Governors Ball and Shaky Knees, with more to be announced soon.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Portraits track list:
“What I Wanted”
“Depression II”
“Heaven Bound”
“Turn It Away”
“Tightrope”
“Cherry Tree”
“Do or Die”
“Time Before Mourning”
“Hollywood Baby”
“Illogical Decisions”
“Keep My Blood”

Upcoming new album release: Playing Favorites – Sheer Mag

Sheer Mag releases new single/video for ‘Moonstruck’ from their new album Playing Favorites. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Sheer Mag is a rock band from Philadelphia that combines 1970s rock and punk elements and has worked hard to carve out a clear singular position within the canon of contemporary rock. Effortlessly switching between the refined flourishes of a “connoisseur’s band” and the ecstatic colloquialism of populist songwriting—yet displaying no strict loyalty to either camp—their sound, while often referenced, is unmistakably and immediately recognizable as theirs alone. On Playing Favorites, Sheer Mag’s third full-length and first with Third Man Records, the band capitalize on a decade’s worth of devotion to their own collective spirit—a spirit refined in both the sweaty trenches of punk warehouses and the larger-than-life glamour of concert halls—emerging with a dense work of gripping emotions, massive hooks, and masterfully constructed power-pop anthems. This is the record the Philadelphian rock and roll four-piece has always been destined to make. (Another Side, 2024)

Playing Favorites elevates their signature approach to rock and roll to lushly cinematic new heights. Their latest single “Moonstruck” lives up to its titular reference of Hollywood-sized surprise romance and spools out a charming story of desire. Fans can pre-order/pre-save Playing Favorites here.

“‘Moonstruck’ is about how invigorating it is to have a new crush. After too long lost in the wilderness, it’s gratifying to find a beacon of tenderness to help reorient yourself in the maze of love. Written in 2021 and originally intended for a disco EP, ‘Moonstruck’ has been reworked as a more expansive and lush arrangement and features some of our favorite guitar work on the new record.” – Matt Palmer, guitarist and lyricist

The album burns with a sweetened gratitude for the lot one has been given in life: the luck of coming up punk; the luck of living an unalienated life; the luck of feeling love, and losing love. It is undoubtedly a record by the same Sheer Mag that audiences have spent the last decade falling in love with. In fact, for all of its sonic departures and evolutions, this record is perhaps the most “Sheer Mag” release yet. Not so much a return to form, but rather a realization of those greatest promises that the band has up until now only hinted at. With Playing Favorites, Sheer Mag cater to their tastes and their tastes alone: so long as they continue to do so, the future of rock and roll, that great human tradition, is in the best of hands.

Sheer Mag will embark on an extensive headlining tour this spring that will kick off in D.C. late March and will take them coast to coast through early May. They have confirmed performances at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, a hometown show at Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church and more. Tickets and updates are available online. 

Playing Favorites track listing:
01 – Playing Favorites
02 – Eat It and Beat It
03 – All Lined Up
04 – Don’t Come Lookin’
05 – I Gotta Go
06 – Moonstruck
07 – Mechanical Garden (Featuring Mdou Moctar)
08 – Golden Hour
09 – Tea On The Kettle
10 – Paper Time
11 – When You Get Back

Sheer Mag tour dates:
Mar 29: Washington, DC – Songbyrd
Mar 30: Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle – Back Room
Mar 31: Asheville, NC – Eulogy
Apr 01: Nashville, TN – The Blue Room at Third Man Records
Apr 02: Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade, Purgatory
Apr 04: New Orleans, LA – Siberia
Apr 05: Houston, TX – The End
Apr 06: Austin, TX – Far Out Lounge
Apr 07: Dallas, TX – Double Wide
Apr 09: Mesa, AZ – The Underground
Apr 10: Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Apr 11: San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Apr 12: Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
Apr 13: Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Apr 15: San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Apr 17: Portland, OR – Star Theater
Apr 18: Seattle, WA – The Vera Project
Apr 19: Boise, ID – The Shredder
Apr 20: Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
Apr 22: Denver, CO – Hi Dive
Apr 24: Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Apr 25: Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry
Apr 26: Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
Apr 27: Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village
Apr 29: Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
May 05: Somerville, MA – Crystal Ballroom
May 06: East Haven, CT – Beeracks
May 08: New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
May 10: Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
May 01: Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
May 03: Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
May 04: Troy, NY – No Fun
May 31 – Jun 02: Northampton, MA – Field Day Music Festival

1709291485

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Playing Favorites release date

New album release: The Carousel – Backstrom

The Carousel is Backstrom’s debut album. It is available now on Spotify. Photo: Backstrom, used with permission.

When it comes to music, I love all types of music. Well, almost all of them, but my favorite genre is rock. With the new year comes the release of new music by artists everywhere. Today I am pleased to announce a new release this month from Backstrom.

Backstrom is a Swedish songwriter in the genres of Folk, Country, and Rock. His debut album The Carousel (feat. Bart Topher) was released today. If you enjoy this type of music or just enjoy discovering new artists, consider this new release. Backstrom’s music is available on Spotify and you can follow the artist on Instagram. (Backstrom, 2024)

Get to know a little bit about Backstrom in this Q & A:

Question: Who are the band members and what do they play?
Backstrom: Backstrom was initially the only “band member” or the songwriter. But I worked with a lot of great session musicians who played a huge role in this project and more or less became band members in the end. For this album, Bart Topher does vocals on eight songs and has also written three lyrics. Tommy Jones wrote three lyrics as well. Fransisco Paz plays all drums and percussion and helped out with a lot of instrumental production. Luca Giannotti plays a lot of guitars on the folk songs and also some bass. Kimberly Faith does harmonies on 6 songs. Hernan Ian plays guitars on the country songs. Maciek Szczyciński play most bass. And there’s a lot more who deserves credit in this project.

Q: Can you tell us anything about the recording process?
B: I wrote the ground material in the winter season and started out by doing a simple demo myself of the songs during the spring – then I spent the rest of the year hiring different session musicians to improve the sound and instrumental quality of the songs. So the whole album is more or less done online and I’ve been sending files back and forth around the world. Gabe Wolf made a great contribution mixing and mastering the songs in the end.

Q: How and where did you get together?
B: I hired all musicians through Fiverr.

Q: Have you played any notable gigs, festivals or other events?
B: No, this is mostly about songwriting and not live performance.

Q: What are the band’s main influences?
B: In general Leonard Cohen, Mark Lanegan but it stretches all the way from Townes Van Zandt to the Rolling Stones and beyond in some songs.

Q: Can you briefly describe what the song/each song is about?
A: It’s not always a deep thought behind every line, it needs to sound good as well, and I prefer to leave the underlying interpretation to the listener!

Q: What are you most happy about with the record?
A: I think we managed to get a quite unique sound, it doesn’t sound so much like anything else out there.

Sponsored Post

Music community app connects artists everywhere

Touring musician Brandon Taj Hanick founded Indie Town and invites bands and artists to book better tours and strengthen their DIY communities at home and across the world. Photo: Google

After two decades of releasing albums and touring in the U.S. and Europe with bands King of Prussia, Future Lives, and more, Athens, Ga. songwriter Brandon Taj Hanick has co-founded Indie Town, the completely free, invite-only app that lets independent bands and artists easily find, connect and share with one another. (Indie Town, 2023)

Calling it “the first international DIY artist community,” Hanick co-founded the app to help bands and artists connect, book shows and tours together, and share their creations without the burden of repressive algorithms or pay-for-play schemes. 

Unlike existing social media platforms, Indie Town is exclusively built for musicians and artists. Featuring easy-to-create music and video players on profiles, the app lets artists search for community members by genre, location or name, listen to members’ music, check out photos and videos, send messages, and become friends.

“After touring and making albums for years, my friends and I knew there was something missing for DIY bands and artists: An easy way to meaningfully connect the people we’d meet on tour who are creating thriving, interesting music scenes,” said Hanick.

“Community is important to artists, but there wasn’t a digital indie town square,” he continued. “So we built a place to reflect the DIY spirit that drives creativity and creation through collaboration.”

Since Indie Town’s soft launch in November 2023, artists and music community members from all over the U.S. and 13 countries, including The U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Canada, Spain, Portugal, South Africa and Czech Republic, have joined the community.

Indie Town streamlines community-building by integrating music and video players from Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube and Soundcloud, so bands can easily create their profiles – which serve as mini-websites – in about 90 seconds.

Bands choose from genres like lo-fi, hip hop, glam or bedroom, plus 50 more. “Artist community” users include DIY venues, small labels, zines, videographers and studios, among others. 

What early members are saying:

“Indie Town will be transformative in helping bands alleviate some of the headaches of booking. It’s something we’ve needed for a long time and I’m stoked about what it will mean for touring musicians!” – Athens, Ga. songwriter/musician Annie Leeth

“Independent bands make our world more beautiful and weird, so we shouldn’t be forced to use artless, celebrity-obsessed platforms to connect with other artists. Indie Town is built for DIY artists, by DIY artists.” – Porto, Portugal songwriter/singer Vasco Batista (Big Summer)

Indie Town is available on the App Store, Android Store, and web. Interested artists can request an invite. 

 

 

Upcoming new album release: Your Very Own Dream – Clay Parker and Jodi James

Your Very Own Dream is set for a January 19 release. Photo: Clay Parker and Jodi James

Before their artistic paths converged in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in late 2014, Clay Parker and Jodi James roamed the musical landscape as lone troubadours, each nurturing their own raw and genuine sound. Now, almost a decade after their first long-distance co-writing collaborations, the duo’s distinct sound has maintained a minimalist yet unpredictable quality—in part by reflecting the ways the artists themselves have changed both together and as individuals. Following their self-titled debut EP in 2016 and 2018’s The Lonesomest Sound That Can Sound, the duo who jokingly refers to themselves as a “band without a name” are returning with a brand new LP in 2024: Your Very Own Dream will be released on January 19, 2024. (IV-PR, 2023)

Parker and James have gained a fanbase by creating worlds within their records, populating each song with points of view that are archetypical yet unique. With Your Very Own Dream, the pair hones this technique to a razor’s edge; equal parts plaintive folk existentialism, blue-note bluster, prairie-fire idealism, and fever-dream ballad with which fans of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, and Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings will feel right at home. Parker and James consistently present music that carves a most-direct, excess-free path to its listeners and patiently displays the duo’s true nature as creators of a primitive kind of beauty—stark yet expressive, accessible yet deep, shadowy yet real.

The duo recently released the first single from Your Very Own Dream, the James-led, slow-burner, “Nothing At All.” Fooling very little with the trivial and getting to the heart of the matter quickly, “Nothing At All” rides a mellow, mid-tempo arrangement akin to late 90s alt-country acts like Whiskeytown or Uncle Tupelo; a heartbeat of Americana music in the modern age where the song comes first and everything else is lagniappe.

Fans can stream or purchase “Nothing At All” and pre-order or pre-save Your Very Own Dream ahead of its January 19 release.

Your Very Own Dream track list:
Fire For The Water
Hey Hey Hey
Nothing At All
In The Cool Of The Evening
Flatfoot
How High Would I Have To Fly
A Matchbook Song
Your Very Own Dream

Catch Clay Parker and Jodi James on tour:
January 19 – Baton Rouge, LA – MidCity Ballroom – Album Release Show
February 16 – Galveston, TX – Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
February 17 – Austin, TX – House Show
February 18 – Austin, TX – NeWorlDeli
February 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – House Show
February 21–25 – Kansas City, MO – Folk Alliance International
February 28 – Nashville, TN – 5 Spot
February 29 – Dunlap, TN – House Show
March 1 – Chattanooga, TN – The Woodshop
March 2 – LaGrange, GA – Pure Life House of Music

1705671821

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Your Very Own Dream release date

Upcoming new album release: Critterland – Willi Carlisle

Critterland will be release January 26, 2024. Proceeds from the new single ‘When The Pills Wear Off’ will be donated to Appalachian Recovery Non-Profit Hope In The Hills. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

For folksinger Willi Carlisle, singing is healing and by singing together, he believes we can begin to reckon with the inevitability of human suffering and grow in love. Rooted in the eclectic and collective world of his live shows, Carlisle’s third album, Critterland, takes up where his sophomore album, Peculiar, Missouri, left off, transforming Peculiar’s big tent into a Critterland menagerie and letting loose the weirdos he gathered together. The album is a wild romp through the backwaters of his mind and America, lingering in the odd corners of human nature to visit obscure oddballs, dark secrets, and complicated truths about the beauty and pain of life and love. (IV-PR, 2023)

Produced by the GRAMMY Award-nominated Darrell Scott and to be released on January 26, 2024, by Signature Sounds, Critterland considers where we come from and where we are going. On the album, he takes on human suffering through stories about forbidden love, loss, generational trauma, addiction, and suicide, believing that by processing the traits and trauma we inherit, he can reach a deeper understanding of what it means to succeed and to exist.

“It’s kind of about getting a little older, moving from hard drugs and hookups to bedroom sex and pharmaceuticals,” says Willi Carlisle of his latest single “When The Pills Wear Off.” “It’s an amalgam of queer stories that I’ve heard, lived, and seen.” Devastating and gorgeous, Carlisle’s fingerpicked ballad serves as the penultimate tune from his upcoming album Critterland—and a flawless example of the songcraft that’s garnered fans like Tyler Childers and BJ Barham.

Carlisle is donating a portion of the proceeds from streams and purchases of “When the Pills Wear Off” to Hope in the Hills, a West Virginia-based charity focused on recovery and wellness in Appalachia. “After losing friends to overdoses, after witnessing the stress that hidden lives and quiet desperation causes people, I decided I wanted to sing about addiction,” says Carlisle. “So, I’m partnering with Hope in the Hills to raise awareness and funding to help those in need. Too much of country music glorifies abuse, murder, and poverty in the name of shock and sales, and I want to fight the stereotypes. Let’s share music about our struggle and triumph! Let’s celebrate love and mourn the dead. ‘When the Pills Wear Off’ is a really sad song, I know, but I hope it brings some joy into the world.”

The funds raised by this single will specifically go to Hope in the Hills’ music therapy program, which conducts regular sessions at recovery houses in East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia, and additionally supports music therapy through WVU Medicine’s Opioid Unit, Troublesome Creek Stringed Instruments, which employs folks in recovery to build musical instruments in EKY, and a recovery-to-work stagehands program through Recovery Point West Virginia.

Fans can hear “When the Pills Wear Off” today and pre-order or pre-save Critterland ahead of its January 26 release.

Critterland track list:
Critterland
Dry Country Dust
The Arrangements
The Great Depression
Two-Headed Lamb
A Higher Lonesome
I Want No Children
Jaybird
When the Pills Wear Off
The Money Grows on Trees

Catch Willi Carlisle on tour:
February 1 – Newport, KY – The Southgate House
February 2 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
February 3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
February 4 – Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s
February 7 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
February 9 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
February 10 – Kalamazoo – MI – Bell’s Eccentric Café
February 12 – Wisconsin Dells, WI – Showboat Saloon
February 13 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
February 15 – Des Moines, IA – xBK
February 16 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
February 17 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
February 18 – Oklahoma City – OK – Resonant Head
June 2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater*
June 5 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre*
June 7 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre*
June 8 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre*

* Supporting Tyler Childers

Willi Carlisle. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
1706276138

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Critterland release date

Legendary electronic rock band Pendulum releases new EP

Anima is Pendulum’s adventurous new EP featuring collaborations with Scarlxrd and Matt Tuck. Photo: Andrew Cotterill, used with permission.

Pendulum is considered to be one of the biggest electronic bands of all time with 3 platinum albums to their name including renowned debut Hold Your Colour and a UK #1 and #2 for Immersion and In Silico. Emerging from Perth, Australia, their fusion of drum and bass with rock sensibilities has transcended borders, accumulating over a million albums sold in the UK alone. As a live band, Pendulum is an unstoppable, award-winning act, selling out global arena tours and playing to thousands across main stage performances from Glastonbury, Download to Reading and Leeds and a co-headline show at London’s Gunnersbury Park alongside Limp Bizkit this year. (Magnum PR, 2023)

The multi platinum-selling electronic rock band, composed of Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, Peredur ap Gwynedd, and KJ Sawka – has released their highly anticipated EP Anima via Virgin Music Group / Mushroom Group.

Anima consists of four tracks including the EP’s focus single, a collaboration with acclaimed rising UK metal/underground hip hop artist Scarlxrd, who provides a blistering combination of rap and vicious screamo on ‘Mercy Killing’ – backed by Pendulum’s unique brand of thunderous DnB to make it a thrilling ride from start to finish. Watch the visualizer here.

The EP also includes Pendulum’s crossover hit single ‘Halo,’ which features Bullet For My Valentine lead singer Matt Tuck, along with their anthemic drum and bass single ‘Colourfast.’ Collectively, these songs have amassed over 15M streams, 2M views, radio rotation on Music Choice’s (24/7) METAL channel, and landed on the biggest editorial playlists including Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ series since their summer release.

“We’ve always had one foot in the metal scene, so collaborating with Matt from Bullet For My Valentine was an incredible experience and his voice brought something completely unique to the table.” -Rob Swire

‘Silent Spinner’ is, as Rob puts it, “one of the darker tracks we’ve done.” It caps off the EP brimming with a Spanish horn section and flows into a booming groove, slick vocal melodies, and metallic, futuristic synth sounds only Pendulum could finesse. Rob shares, “For optimal listening experience, try moving to London and listen to it at 3 a.m. when you’re having a bad week and you’ve just been splashed by a bus.”

Ahead of their EP release, the band surprised fans recently with their cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ – racking up over 235K views and in true Pendulum fashion, offered some smashing metal guitar riffs, thumping drum and bass, and soaring vocals.

Full track listing for Pendulum’s Anima EP:
1. Pendulum & Bullet For My Valentine – Halo
2. Pendulum – Colourfast
3. Pendulum & Scarlxrd – Mercy Killing
4. Pendulum – Silent Spinner

The announcement arrives on the heels of the band’s recent arena tour of Australia and New Zealand. Starting in March of 2024, the band will return to the UK for their arena tour. It will be their biggest UK tour in over ten years with some of their most monumental shows to date. North American tour dates will be announced in 2024.

Pendulum’s upcoming tour dates:
March 24, 2024 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
March 25, 2024- O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
March 26, 2024 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
March 28, 2024 – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
March 29, 2024 – The O2, London
March 31, 2024 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow

Pendulum’s new EP Anima. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

New album release: Christmas at the Burchills

Christmas at the Burchills is the new album by Beth // James. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

On their new EP, Christmas at the Burchills, Jordan and Mikaela Burchill invite you into their home for the holidays. While the duo goes by the moniker Beth // James, Beth and James are in fact, their middle names. Both Jordan and Mikaela took an interest in music at a young age. Jordan grew up with a guitar in his hands, raised by musician parents, and Mikaela grew up at the studio, singing on records in Nashville since her elementary school years. The young songwriters met in music school and clicked immediately. They moved to Austin, Texas, after graduation, fell in love, and quickly became a duo. They have since released two EPs, one full-length record, and their song “Lion Eyes” was featured in Spike Lee’s Academy Award-winning film, “BlacKkKlansman.” Dubbed “masters of indie-folk” by Austin’s NPR station, KUTX, the Austin duo has cut their teeth touring all across the US, performing as Kerrville New Folk Finalists, and recently got back from a run in Europe and the UK where they played Germany’s only Americana music festival. (IV-PR, 2023)

With their latest EP, Beth // James balance their signature, indie-Americana sound with a healthy dose of varied holiday cheer. Out now, Christmas at the Burchills flies between classic Christmas sounds, touching down for an Elvis cover and Elvis-influenced original, a Hawaiian-infused shot of Christmas paradise, dusty Americana set in Marfa, Texas, and a candle-lit Yuletide ballad.

EP highlight “Tiki Christmas Land” imagines escaping winter heartbreak for Hawaii, drowning your sorrows in Mai Tais and December sun. It is simultaneously cozy as a sweater, and bursting with catchy tropical cheer. Meanwhile, “Marfa Christmas Lights” trades Hawaiian steel guitar for contemplative country western lap steel, serenading the mystical grandeur of west Texas in December. On piano ballad “The Christmas We Used to Know,” Mikaela explores childhood Christmas nostalgia and the difficulty of growing up. Like the writers of many classic Christmas songs, Mikaela grew up Jewish, explaining “as a kid I would always go to my childhood best friend’s house to spend Christmas with her and her family.”

Fans can stream or purchase Christmas at the Burchills in its entirety today by following this link. On December 15, the duo will celebrate their EP release with Beth // James & Friends Christmas Spectacular at Quack’s Soundspace in Austin. Tickets are available here.

Christmas at the Burchills track list:
Tiki Christmas Land
Marfa Christmas Lights
Santa Won’t You Deliver (My Baby This Winter)
Blue Christmas
The Christmas We Used To Know

Molotov concert at The Espee in San Antonio

Mexican rock band Molotov will be playing at The Espee on December 6, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

In concert news: Mexican rock band Molotov will be playing in San Antonio on Wednesday December 6, 2023 at The Espee (1174 E Commerce St. San Antonio, TX).

After more than three decades rocking stages worldwide, iconic alt-rock innovators, Molotov has earned the reputation as the most powerful band in Mexico, and international recognition as one of the pillars of rock-en-español. The band, who recently changed management teams and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the Latin Grammy’s ‘23, will be playing at San Antonio’s The Espee on December 6. Tickets are available HERE. The band is working on new music and a massive global tour for ’24. (CSW Publicity, 2023)

Founded in Mexico City in 1995, Molotov has built a career on striking at the heart of the corrupt political establishment and the ruling classes with, what the media have called, “poison-dart lyrics” and a unique sound that combines a potent mix of punk, rap, hip-hop, post-grunge alternative rock, and traditional Mexican music. Composed of multi-instrumentalist musicians Ismael “Tito” Fuentes de Garay, Miguel Ángel “Miky” Huidobro Preciado, Juan Francisco “Paco” Ayala González, and Randy Ebright, Molotov’s hard-hitting lyrics, sung by all four band members, resonate with millions of fans throughout the Americas and the world. Their singular, insurgent, biting, and powerful style has marked a before and after in the international alt-rock scene, catapulting Molotov to the top of the record charts in Latin America, Spain, and the US.

Molotov is a rock-en-español powerhouse: from playing to 55000 fans at Foro Sol earlier this year to sold-out shows throughout the Americas and Europe, the band continues marking a definitive presence in pop-culture. Their hit-single “Apocalypshit” served as soundtrack for the seminal scene of the pilot of the hit TV-series Breaking Bad and in 2023, the band released their newest studio album, Solo Delira and followed-up with an extensive tour which once again has kept Molotov at the forefront of alternative Latin music.

Upcoming new album release: At Least I Tried – Sun Room

Cut My Hair is the second single from Sun Room’s upcoming new EP At Least I Tried. Photo: Sun Room, used with permission.

Sun Room has stepped out as Southern California’s foremost surf-rock band without ever trying to do anything other than have a good time. Luke Asgian (lead vocals & guitar), Ashton Minnich (guitar), and Max Pinamonti (bass) first came together by playing local house shows amongst the young surf community in SoCal, but after a series of viral moments, two of their singles Crashed My Bike and Something That You’re Missing were included on the Netflix series Outer Banks. Within just six months of the band forming, Sun Room scored a spot at Austin City Limits, sold out a run of headline shows across the US, supported Louis Tomlinson’s North and South American tours, and joined Inhaler for another tour in Europe. (Big Hassle, 2023)

The band recently released Cut My Hair, the second single from their upcoming EP. Quickly waltzing into overdrive, the band’s latest offering is a rebellious, modern spin on the endless summer vibes of the 50s, all while knowing all good things come to an end. Upbeat while overwhelmingly aloof, the band can not be phased when they are taking things day by day.

They also announced that their At Least I Tried EP will arrive in full form on November 30. The single Cut My Hair, along with most of the EP, were produced by one of the band’s biggest idols and influences from growing up in California, Zac Carper of FIDLAR – fans can pre-save At Least I Tried.

Last month, Sun Room released the title track of their upcoming EP At Least I Tried, along with an official video. In the Jack Revell directed cut, the band is seen trying their best to make it through a whirlwind week, featuring footage from a house show they played in San Diego for the 4th of July. Paste Magazine premiered the single and said, “It’s vibrant, rowdy and a hell lot of fun.” On November 30, Sun Room will release their At Least I Tried EP in its entirety, with an official video for Cut My Hair leading up.

Kicking back up for its second leg, Sun Room is out on a headline tour through the end of the month. The remaining dates will see the band joined by Sarah & the Sundays and Surf Trash. Leaving a trail of chaos as they move coast to coast, Sun Room’s tour will end in their home state of California, for a series of shows that are sure to be some of the rowdiest on the run. The band will ring in the new year with a series of Australian festival performances and their first ever headline tour of the country.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES – 2023
November 28 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren $
November 29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre $
November 30 – Flagstaff, AZ – Prochnow Auditorium
December 26 – Perth, AUS – Out & About Festival
December 28 – Sunshine Coast, AUS – Sol Bar
December 29 – Byron Bay, AUS – The Northern
December 30 – Gold Coast, AUS – Best Night Ever Festival

January 1 – Brisbane, AUS – Spaced Out Festival
January 2 – Coffs Harbour, AUS – Coffs Hotel
January 4 – Port Macquarie, AUS – Finnians Hotel
January 5 – Newcastle, AUS – King Street Bandroom
January 6 – Avalon Beach, AUS – Avalon RSL
January 7 – Wollongong, AUS – La La La’s
January 9 – Sydney, AUS – The Lansdowne
January 11 – San Remo, AUS – Westernport Hotel
January 12 – Melbourne, AUS – Stay Gold
January 13 – Mornington, AUS – Coastal Jam Festival
January 14 – Geelong, AUS – Barwon Club
January 19 – Adelaide, AUS – Jive

Sun Room, photo by Lewis Evans
1701355683

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

At Least I Tried release date